Publish Year: - Title: GIA Resources Give Retailers an Edge in Customer Education Abstract: Jivan Yeramian, right, custom jewelry designer and owner of Jivan Collection, says he frequently uses brochures and other resources from the Retailer Support Program when meeting with clients. Photo Courtesy of Jivan Collection.

Hand in hand, a couple opens the door and walks into a jewelry store. The sparkle in their eyes is as bright as the gems in the display case they approach.  It’s clear they are serious – about each other and the jewelry.
The engagement ring – or other special occasion jewelry – buying process is one that jewelry retailers see every day in stores around the world
For many consumers, the experience is exciting, magical and breathtaking, but it can also be overwhelming. This gives retailers an opportunity to guide their customers through the process by sharing knowledge about beautiful diamonds and colored gems so they are informed and confident in their purchase.
GIA's Retailer Support Program provides retailers with the tools to do just that. It offers a variety of resources – many available at no cost – so retailers can easily share and explain information about diamonds, gemstones and GIA reports with their customers. Since its 2007 inception, thousands of retailers have joined. The number of participating retailers has grown steadily, increasing by 30 percent in 2017 alone.
“The Retailer Support Program makes it easy for retailers around the world to educate consumers and their staff on the 4Cs of diamond quality and the value of a grading report, as well as the quality factors of sapphire, ruby, emerald, pearl and many other beautiful gems,” says Tali Nay, GIA Retailer Support Program manager.
Nay, a GIA Graduate Gemologist, says the program supports GIA’s public-benefit mission by helping ensure that consumers who purchase diamonds and gemstones are knowledgeable and confident.
Retailer Lookup: Connecting Consumers and Retailers
The program includes GIA’s Retailer Lookup, a free listing service for any retailer who offers GIA-graded diamonds or has GIA-trained employees. The Retailer Lookup lets consumers search for retailers by city or postal code and provides them with addresses, store hours and directions to registered stores.

Retailers are quick to recognize the Retailer Lookup’s ability to drive traffic to their stores.

“The Retailer Lookup is a valuable tool – it has opened up our customer network and helped us connect with those looking for a jeweler with our high standards, focus on quality and transparency,” said Jonathan Goldberg, president and CEO of Kimberfire in Toronto, Canada. “We are very excited about the potential for this tool to help us reach new customers and grow our brand.”

Consumer interest in the tool has increased dramatically in the last few years.

“So far in 2018, we’ve seen a 60 percent increase in the number of consumers using the Retailer Lookup to find retailers, which demonstrates the appeal of GIA reports and expertise,” Nay says.

Studio Jewelers, which has been in business for more than 25 years, uses GIA’s interactive 4Cs download on its website and in store. “We cast it from our website to a 55-inch flat screen TV on our showroom… people respond to it very well,” says Dan Claesson, master jeweler. Photo courtesy Studio Jewelers
Counter Tools for Retailers Around the World
Available in English, Simplified Chinese and Japanese, the retailer.GIA.edu website houses a collection of resources, including point-of-sale materials – such as counter cards, signage and brochures – and digital downloads. All printed materials can be ordered online, some in up to 18 different languages, and delivered directly to the store, with free global shipping for a limited time.

The GIA counter cards and brochures are a great “quick reference” for sales staff, says Dan Claesson, master jeweler at Studio Jewelers in Lakeland, Florida.

They make it easy to explain the 4Cs, says Jivan Yeramian, custom jewelry designer and owner of Jivan Collection in Montreal, Canada.

“The most beneficial tools (for us) are definitely the counter display tools – the diamond sorting pad and the 4Cs counter display,” he says. “As someone who has worked mostly behind a jeweler’s bench in an atelier, the GIA tools definitely helped me earn more credibility and it also provided me with knowledge. Both of these things now help me with sales.

“Being able to better describe my work is very helpful when it comes to marketing (my business).”
Interactive Customer Education Online and In Store
Many consumers start their shopping online and the Retailer Support Program’s digital resources help retailers educate consumers behind the counter and on the screen. Free videos, images, logos, training modules and interactive digital downloads are available for use in the retailer’s advertising, websites and social media pages.

“In our store and our website, we use the interactive 4Cs tool,” says Claesson of Studio Jewelers. In addition to offering an informative, educational experience to help customers learn about the 4Cs of diamond quality, Claesson says it’s also a great tool for training staff. “They do not hesitate to use it to educate customers because it is hard to make a mistake selling a GIA-graded diamond and using GIA's tools.”

GIA's Retailer Support Program makes it easy for retailers to educate consumers about diamonds, gemstones and GIA reports with a variety of digital and print resources. MarBill Diamonds and Jewelry uses this pearl brochure and “The Passion of Colored Gemstones,” a colored stone reference book, to help educate customers at its store in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of MarBill Diamonds and Jewelry.
Colored Gems and Pearls: A Rainbow of Colorful Resources
When it comes to colored gemstones and pearls, there are distinct quality factors for consumers to learn. The Retailer Support Program includes brochures, counter tools and other downloads to address many of the common questions customers have about colored gems – and can also inspire them with the rich and varied hues that can be found.

“We’ve done a lot recently to expand our portfolio of tools and resources that focus on colored stones,” Nay says. “On the digital end, we launched a series of free birthstone images that can be used on retailer websites to promote seasonal sales. And our new 48-page book, “The Passion of Colored Gemstones,” features lore, quality factors, and geographical source information for 18 of the most popular colored gemstones. It’s a beautiful book that retailers are using for everything from in-store reference to customer giveaways.”

Linda Horrell, owner of MarBill Diamonds and Jewelry in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, says they have recently been using the new colored stone books the most. She says customers of the independent, family owned store – which has been in business for 54 years – really love the book.

“The newest colored stone books are always on our colored stone showcase and are given to our customers on almost a daily basis,” she says. “It gives me the opportunity to talk to and educate the consumer who is interested in color.”

Horrell says that MarBill hands out the GemKids Posters to local children who are interested in rocks and gems. “I also refer them to the GemKids website,” she says.

The 4Cs Interactive Counter Tool helps educate customers about the 4Cs of diamond quality and includes sliders that can be moved to show where a particular diamond’s quality characteristics fall on their respective scales. Expanded 4Cs definitions are on the back side of the display.
Helping Retailers Help Consumers
For many retailers, offering education on diamonds and colored gems helps customers feel assured and gives them the added confidence to make the purchase. And with the expanding portfolio of retailer materials – including the newest addition, the 4Cs Interactive Counter Tool – there is always something new for retailers to try out.

“We sell more GIA-graded diamonds because of the confidence instilled in the customer and our staff,” Claesson says. @topic:12


Publish Year: - Title: Katzenbach Designs Honored with Two AGTA Awards in Two Years Abstract: Derek Katzenbach’s award-winning, 18K kaleidoscope features 71.74 carats of Maine tourmaline and 66.05 carats of Maine quartz between three separate lenses. Gifted to GIA by a private donor in memory of Nicholas Scott Golden, University of Maine Geology student. Photo by Brian Moghadam Photograhy/AGTA. Courtesy of Derek Katzenbach

There’s one question that keeps award-winning jeweler and gem cutter Derek Katzenbach motivated to “push the boundaries” of his own skills: “How did you do that?”

Katzenbach, a GIA GJG, asks it of the artists he admires, and he hopes his designs can pique a similar curiosity.

Katzenbach’s work has earned the New Jersey native two honors from the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) in the last two years. In 2016, he won “Best Use of Color” in the Summer AGTA Spectrum Awards for a bicolor tourmaline ring created for a client, and in 2017, he took home first place honors in the Spectrum Awards’ “Objects of Art” category for his “Colors of Maine” gemstone kaleidoscope.

The recognition is exciting and humbling for Katzenbach, who owns Katzenbach Designs, a studio in the mountains of Maine that specializes in locally sourced tourmaline, precision faceting, fantasy-cut gemstones and custom-designed jewelry.

“My philosophy when designing a piece is to follow what the stone tells you,” Katzenbach says. “The best pieces come from taking risks throughout the process – it’s the only way to develop your own style and see what will work.”

Katzenbach cut this colorful, 38.04-ct Bolivian ametrine with an original design. Courtesy of Derek Katzenbach
Katzenbach, who counts artists like Dalan Hargrave, Ryan Joseph Anderson and Richard Homer among his inspirations, did not set out to become an artist or jeweler. He first moved to Maine to study marine biology, and though the subject had been a laser-focus for him since elementary school, something “didn’t click” once he began his studies.

During that time, Katzenbach visited a local gem show.

“I spent a week’s pay in about an hour, then went to the ATM and did it again,” he says. “I had zero experience buying, setting or designing stones. But I was officially addicted, and I didn’t know what had hit me.”

That summer, Katzenbach worked at a store that sold a variety of gifts, from knives to locally made jewelry. His boss showed him how to set stones in pre-notched settings, and Katzenbach began to introduce himself to others in the field who could help him navigate this newfound interest.

Derek Katzenbach, GJG, created this 12-ct, fantasy-cut stone from Colorado topaz rough. Courtesy of Derek Katzenbach
One jeweler in town connected him with local bench jeweler Addison Saunders, who became a mentor and friend. He took lessons with her for a year, learning foundational skills such as soldering and basic settings, before moving across the state. Ron Gelinas, the owner of Farmington’s Mainestone Jewelry, told Katzenbach that though he wasn’t hiring, he would show him some repair skills on Saturdays. The two struck up a friendship as Gelinas taught him how to do chain repairs and resizing.

Eventually the holidays arrived, and Gelinas offered Katzenbach his first job in the gem and jewelry industry. Katzenbach was elated, and soon began to ask Saunders and Gelinas where he could pursue further knowledge and skills. “I felt it was incredibly important to be educated properly,” he says. “They both pushed me to go to the best school in the world, GIA.”

He arrived at the Institute’s Carlsbad World Headquarters in 2005 and immersed himself in gemology and benchwork studies. Katzenbach says the instructors “went above and beyond” and he took advantage of every opportunity to learn.

“I was extremely driven,” he says. “I spent most of my spare time checking out books and instructional DVDs from the library. The amount of knowledge that sits in that building is staggering, and motivation was everywhere. Walking the halls, you see incredible displays of jewelry, minerals and faceted stones.”

This 1,452-ct, trillion-cut smoky quartz, mined at Maine’s Mount Mica, earned Katzenbach the record for the largest faceted gemstone ever cut from Maine. The gem is as big as the palm of a hand. Courtesy of Derek Katzenbach
Katzenbach passed the 20-stone exam for his GG diploma on the first try, and said that as much as he had to work, it almost felt “effortless.”

Returning to work at Mainestone after his 2006 graduation, Katzenbach was able to utilize his skills immediately as he worked on repairs, appraisals, stone cutting and custom work.

“It was the holidays – the busiest time of year for jewelers – and I was able to handle every project I was given with ease because of my GIA experience,” he says.

After a year, he began to travel around the state, selling Maine tourmaline to other jewelers. That experience, he says, opened the door to starting his own business in 2010.

“My career has been all over the place, and I try to do a bit of everything,” Katzenbach says. He wants to work on perfecting his engraving techniques, using the skills Hargrave showed him to carve larger sculptures. He also continues to create custom designs, such as the award-winning tourmaline ring.

This matched bi-color tourmaline suite, including an AGTA Spectrum award-winning ring, was designed by GIA alumnus Derek Katzenbach and recently gifted to GIA by a private donor in memory of Nicholas Scott Golden, University of Maine Geology student to the Institute by a private donor. The 14K white gold pieces, featuring tourmalines from California’s Himalaya Mine, also feature yellow diamonds, tsavorites, and rubellite. Photo by Orasa Weldon/GIA
The client who purchased that ring also commissioned a matching pendant necklace and earrings, and recently gifted the entire suite to GIA.

“Having that suite donated to GIA makes that award mean even more,” he says. “GIA was the starting point for so much knowledge and hard work. I’m so happy to see pieces of jewelry like that being preserved, shown to students, and kept in the place that gave me the knowledge to do such fine work.”

Derek Katzenbach, GJG, is an award-winning jeweler and gem cutter who studied at GIA’s world headquarters in Carlsbad in 2005 and 2006. His advice for current students? “Utilize the library,” he says. “The Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center is world-class, and you will most likely never again have the opportunity to access so much knowledge about our trade, right in front of you.”  Courtesy of Derek Katzenbach
And though he’s created award-winning designs and one-of-a-kind pieces for clients, Katzenbach’s favorite piece of jewelry is his own hammered gold wedding ring, made of gold nuggets from a nearby river that he melted down. Katzenbach, who lives in Farmington with his wife, Laura, and their children, Kyran and Scarlett, knows that piece may be hard to top, but looks forward to what lies ahead.

“The best part of my job is looking for the next big project,” he says. And whatever that project is, Katzenbach says if his designs inspire curiosity, he knows he’s doing something right.

“It means I’m on the right track.” @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: 2018 Tucson Events Encourage Alumni to Connect with GIA – and Each Other Abstract: From left: Anna Barinova, Olga Galant, Marion Kurochkina and Patrick Dreher pose with a special representation of Richard. T. Liddicoat at the 2018 Party at the GIA Gem Mine in Tucson recently.

More than 400 alumni and guests from 15 countries gathered for the 2018 Party at the GIA Gem Mine in Tucson recently to re-connect with former classmates, meet new industry friends, and perhaps even establish a new business relationship.

This year, it was also an opportunity to celebrate what would have been the 100 birthday of Richard T. Liddicoat, the world-renowned gemologist, statesman for the gem and jewelry industry and beloved second president of GIA. Photos, mementos and videos highlighting Liddicoat’s life and legacy were on display at the event and Susan Jacques, president and CEO of GIA, paid tribute to his contributions to GIA and gemology.

Liddicoat served as an instructor, president and chairman of the board of GIA for more than 60 years. He and his colleagues established the universal standards for evaluating the quality of diamonds – the 4Cs of diamond quality and the International Diamond Grading system for D-to-Z diamonds – and he was editor-in-chief of Gems & Gemology for more than 50 years.

Liddicoat was also the guiding force, along with GIA veteran Robert Ernest, behind the creation of the GIA Alumni Association in 1982. They recognized the benefit of organizing GIA graduates around the world to encourage and promote education, news and business networks that support integrity and knowledge in the gem and jewelry industry. Today, the organization is more than 120,000 members strong with 70 chapters around the world.

“Some of you may have personally known or met Mr. Liddicoat and remember your encounters with him with a smile,” Jacques said. “He had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person to him in that moment. Mr. Liddicoat relished time spent with students, graduates and those who shared his passion for gemology around the globe.”

Susan Jacques, president and CEO of GIA and Larry French, chief officer of North American strategies for the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation, with Catherine Zheng grand prize winner of the 2017 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design.
The event was also an opportunity to display the original design renderings of the finalists of the first-ever Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design. Catherine Zheng, a real estate broker who studied jewelry design in Carlsbad, was shocked and thrilled when Jacques that she was the grand prize winner.

Jacques then kicked off the always exciting and competitive live auction, led by GIA alumni Joseph DuMouchelle and Lindy Adducci, of DuMouchelle Auctions, who volunteer their professional services each year. All proceeds from the event support the Alumni Endowment Fund. This year’s event raised more than $40,000 from event tickets and the silent and live auctions. More than 70 items, including loose gemstones and pearls, designer jewelry, mineral specimens, equipment, books and more were available to bid on.

 “A special thank you to all of our auction contributors, supporters, event volunteers and attendees,” said Kate Donovan, manager of global alumni relations. “We look forward to seeing you all next year.”

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Alumni Leadership Breakfast
GIA Alumni Association chapter leaders and senior GIA executives also gathered in Tucson for a breakfast meeting that included interactive dialog between alumni volunteer ambassadors and GIA executives who presented and shared GIA’s commitment to support alumni worldwide with programs and expanded benefits.

More than 40 leaders from 15 chapters attended, along with GIA executives Susan Jacques, president and chief executive officer; Bev Hori, senior vice president of education and chief learning officer; Duncan Pay, newly appointed chief academic officer; Jennifer Wilson, senior vice president and executive counsel; Seung-Hae Moon, managing director of Asia Pacific; Robert Weldon, director of the Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center; Susan Schindelar, vice president of global marketing; and Stephen Morisseau, director of corporate communications.

More than 40 leaders from 15 chapters attended gathered in Tucson for a breakfast meeting with GIA executives to discuss alumni programs and activities. Photo by Anna Cournoyer/GIA
Kate Donovan, manager of global alumni relations, welcomed the attendees and thanked all of the global alumni leaders (and chapters) for their work throughout the year to support local graduates, students, the industry and the public.

Jacques expressed her enthusiasm for the Alumni Association and assured the group of GIA’s commitment to support chapter initiatives by providing relevant resources. She provided an update on GIA services and spoke about Symposium, encouraging the group to sign up. She also urged the group to actively reach out to new alumni and invite them to participate in local chapter activities.
GIA Exhibits and Displays
GIA representatives were available at several booths and displays throughout the Tucson shows. GIA’s main booth at the AGTA show offered information on On-Campus and Distance Education; scholarships; laboratory services; and instruments.

The renderings of the 12 finalists for the first ever Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design were also available to view. The competition was open to individuals who successfully completed a 2017 Jewelry Design course at any GIA campus worldwide. The winner was announced at the alumni party.
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
The GIA museum showcased Liddicoatite tourmaline’s unrivaled variety of colors and intricate zonation. Liddicoatite was recognized as a new mineral species in 1977, named in honor of Richard T. Liddicoat (1918–2001), then president of GIA, in recognition of his enormous contribution to gemological knowledge and professionalism.

The Richard T. Liddicoat Library and Information Center displayed an exhibit that explored the history of crystallography through rare books, mineral specimens. @topic:11


Publish Year: - Title: Italian Designer Forges Her Own Path in Bangkok Abstract: Giuliana Loglisci, GG, left, with a client during a 2017 Lucy G. Jewelry special event in Bangkok, the city where she completed her GIA studies and founded her business. “Bangkok is the perfect place for my company,” she says. Photo by Bharamee Thamrongmas © Giuliana Loglisci

The famous caves of Matera, Italy were carved into limestone thousands of years ago, and in 1899, the ancient city welcomed a high-end jewelry boutique called Gioielleria Loglisci dal 1899 to its streets.
Giulianna “Lucy” Loglisci, GIA GG, grew up in that historic store, which was founded by her father’s side of the family. She was an early jewelry lover and considers it a privilege to have grown up in an idyllic hometown “surrounded by diamonds, gemstones and specialty jewelry” as the family’s chain of stores expanded to multiple cities.

Giuliana Loglisci’s holiday job as a teenager was in sales at the family store, Gioielleria Loglisci dal 1899. The store, founded more than a century ago in the ancient cave city of Matera, Italy, now sells her designs. Photo by Franco Antodaro © Giuliana Loglisci
Loglisci worked at the Matera store as a teenager during the bustling Christmas seasons, but eventually moved to London in to gain additional experience with an Italian jeweler in England. Her parents recommended that she attend GIA, so Loglisci began to take diamond classes at the Institute’s London campus.
“I enrolled in GIA with the purpose of going back to work in my family business,” she says. “But while studying, I realized that if you really want to, you have the opportunity to do much more. That’s when I started dreaming of opening my own company.”
She also began thinking of where that company should be, and decided there was no place better than Bangkok, Thailand – both to finish her Graduate Gemologist diploma at GIA’s campus there, and to launch her own business.
“I was attracted to this new world where I had never been before, and to discover a new culture that was completely different from Europe,” Loglisci says. “Bangkok is known to be the heart of the colored gemstone business, so the idea to study and actually practice what I was learning while there was very appealing.”
Loglisci found that the Bangkok campus’ location offered invaluable practical experience along with her studies.

The new “Fruit Cocktail” collection from Lucy G. Jewelry features rings made in 9kt white gold with diamonds and colored stones including rubies; blue, pink, yellow and orange sapphires; tsavorite garnets; amethysts; Paraíba tourmalines. Photo © Giuliana Loglisci
“One of the best experiences I had was in the Colored Stones course, when GIA organized a trip to Chanthamburi, a ‘crazy’ gem market in Thailand about three hours’ drive from Bangkok,” she says. “We visited a sapphire mine first, then the market. I was shocked at some of the selling methods! Colored gemstones were sold on small, sometimes even broken, tables in the street, or in offices without doors.”
The hard work of earning her GG was no problem for Loglisci, who says each late night of studying was worth it.
“The GIA experience was great for me,” she says. “I met a lot of extraordinary people, and the courses I took gave me a foundation to enter a fascinating and complex business.”
After graduation, Loglisci interviewed with and got with a job working in operations, trade shows, sales and design with a Bangkok-based gem company at BaselWorld in 2015. She worked there for a year and is glad for the experience, but developing her own brand was still the bigger dream.

“Thanks to my GIA diploma, along with the practical experience I gained afterward, I’m able to understand what I am buying,” says Giuliana Loglisci, pictured wearing several of her Lucy G. Jewelry designs. “I have to buy many carats of diamonds and gemstones every day, and because of GIA, I know how to distinguish between them, understand their quality and work properly with the needed tools.” Photo by Mahyar Qajar © Giuliana Loglisci
“I wanted to create something on my own, with my style and creativity,” she says. “I decided to stay in Bangkok, because conditions to open and run a business here are completely different than in Europe. There are more possibilities and it is easier, from the company organization to the manufacturing.”
She launched Lucy G. Jewelry, focusing on pieces made from diamonds and colored stones in 9k gold. Her first collection, I Colori Della Frutta (“The Colors of the Fruits”), is “a bright and refreshing collection” based on the idea of mixing and matching earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces from the line. Clients can lean into an “easy, fresh” style, or one that’s more sophisticated or even eccentric.
Her jewelry pieces can include rubies; blue, pink, yellow or orange sapphires; amethysts; tsavorites; Paraiba tourmalines; or black and colorless diamonds - or any combination of these gems.
“I want clients to be able to personalize jewelry so it ‘fits’ them,” Loglisci says.

These white gold earrings from Lucy G. Jewelry feature diamonds and orange sapphire center stones. Photo by Arjuna Irsutti © Giuliana Loglisci
Several jewelry stores in nine cities across Italy are already selling Lucy G. Jewelry, including her first client, Gioielleria Loglisci dal 1899. Though her parents were anxious about Loglisci starting her own line – and wanted her to return home – her determination won them over.
“I truly believed in myself and what I was doing, so they accepted that and began selling my products in their shop,” she says. “The more they sold it, the more they liked it. They believed in me and I will be forever thankful, because everything is better when you know you’re not alone.” Loglisci is also grateful for her GIA training as she prepares for further growth.
“GIA gave me excellent knowledge about diamonds and colored stones,” she says. “Thanks to my GIA diploma, along with the practical experience I gained afterward, I’m able to understand what I am buying. I have to buy many carats of diamonds and gemstones every day, and because of GIA, I know how to distinguish between them, understand their quality and work properly with the needed tools.
“I love what I do, and love seeing positive reactions from my clients. I’ve realized my dream, but will never settle – this is just the beginning.” @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: Jeweled Butterflies Welcome Spring Abstract: The butterfly has enchanted jewelry designers for centuries because of its breathtaking beauty. There’s also another reason this “flying flower” has transfixed the imagination. The butterfly is a universal symbol of transformation.

Consider how the humble caterpillar wraps itself in a cocoon. After about ten days, the butterfly emerges, the once-earthbound dweller now free to fly from leaf to leaf.

The spectacular metamorphosis of the butterfly has long been a symbol of our potential for growth. We all strive to reach greater heights, and the butterfly speaks of our yearning to soar in the direction of our dreams.

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Now that you know why the butterfly charms, let’s soar across the centuries and admire some of these bejeweled beauties.

Spring Eternal, an 18K yellow gold butterfly brooch by award-winning designer Paula Crevoshay, has a whimsical, dainty quality. Delicate lacework mirrors the papery wings of a real butterfly. Pink and yellow sapphires dot the butterfly’s wings, adding splashes of color. The pearl that is the body of the butterfly and the moonstone eyes evoke shimmering moonlight.

	Photo courtesy Paula Crevoshay
Buzz Gray and Bernadine Johnston, the creators of this complex brooch, are famous for selecting and cutting unusual gemstones. Their masterful handiwork and gemstone selection makes this butterfly take flight.

The vivid orange spessartine that is the body stands in sharp contrast to its delicate enamel wings, giving it a luminous glow. Black accents on the wings fall in symmetrical patterns, which are exceptionally difficult to create. These are some of the little details that make this a masterpiece.

Orange spessartine garnets from the Little Three Mine in Ramona, California, brighten this brooch, along with colorless diamonds and green tsavorite garnets from Kenya.

	Photo courtesy Buzz Gray and Bernadine Johnston
Diamond cutting methods were rudimentary when this antique piece (circa 1850) was made, but notice how the stones in the wings are graduated in size, starting as small flecks at the base and growing to larger rose-cut ones at the tips. This accomplishment would have been quite a challenge 250-plus years ago, and shows the craftsmanship of the designer.

Another nice embellishment is the scalloped edges of the wings, which give the butterfly a lifelike appearance. The brooch was probably worn with pearls or ribbons, or as a hairpiece.

	Photo courtesy Neil Lane Collection
This exquisite butterfly is particularly lifelike. Two rose-cut diamonds at the tip of the wings imitate the camouflage patterns of real butterflies.

Brilliant magenta and cobalt-blue sapphires that are the wings make for spectacular contrasts, and reveal exceptional micro-pavé work. The blackened gold antennae is a soothing counterpoint to the clash of colors.

	Gift of Dr. Gary R. and Barbara E. Hansen
A beautifully cut peridot is the body of this luminous butterfly. The asymmetrical patterns in the wings are reminiscent of Art Nouveau jewelry; the intricate metal work evokes veins.

One novel quality about this piece is that the wings are on springs (called En Tremblant), so they move with the wearer. An impressive and difficult design feat, En Tremblant makes the butterfly more than a static creation, but a piece that flutters as if it is alive.

En Tremblant was first introduced in the late 18th century in hair ornaments and became fashionable in diamond jewelry in the mid-19th century.

	Photo courtesy Buzz Gray and Bernadine Johnston @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: US Retailers Continue to Cite ‘Challenging’ Environment, Synthetic Melee Detected Abstract: Good demand for diamond jewelry at the March Hong Kong Gem and Jewellery Show helped buoy industry sentiment. Photo by Russell Shor/GIA

	U.S. employment figures continue to rise along with the stock market – and other economic indicators remain strong – but Signet Group’s latest lower results continue to point to a “challenging” retail environment. Signet is the largest jewelry chain in the U.S. and other large retail jewelers are seeing sales decline as well.

	So, what are the issues here?

	Signet’s CEO Mark Light spoke of weakening traffic in shopping malls, where nearly all of its stores are located, and a move to “omnichannel” retailing, which includes physical stores, online shopping and mobile phone/tablet buying. Signet’s online sales are down as well, however, and Blue Nile, which is expected to report later this month, may show stagnant or a decline in sales.

	Signet’s Kay/Jared division sales declined 4% while transactions declined 11%. Its Zale division fell 2.5% while e-commerce sales fell 1.6% all for the fourth quarter, which ended Jan. 25.

	Economists, both liberal and conservative, recognize that the decline in middle class purchasing power is directly affecting some consumer products – and jewelry is one of those categories. This trend is accelerating, they note, because millennials are making less money than the previous generation at this point in their lives. In jewelry, retailers serving the top end of the market generally have kept their numbers up and brands like Pandora are seeing large sales increases in the lower end. This is what drove the 3.8% increase in overall jewelry sales for 2016 that the U.S. Department of Commerce reported.

	In addition, diamond producers and other segments of the industry are trying to develop marketing campaigns designed to appeal to a millennial audience, which is besieged by competitive products and experience-oriented (travel, dining) opportunities, with incomes that have not kept pace.

	A fairly positive Hong Kong show this month lifted the spirits of the diamond trade and helped keep prices firm for most categories of polished stones. While there was some downtrading and discounting, Chinese retailers have reported demand improving after a long slump.

	De Beers remains optimistic and its $545 million February cycle (sight) saw prices slightly higher on average with few deferrals. Its January sale of $727 million was the highest in several years. Alrosa sold $390 million worth of rough and $12 million in polished during the same period, saying “demand appears to be stable.”

	Both DeBeers and Alrosa noted that the results of the Hong Kong Show give reasons for optimism.

	The upcoming Baselworld Fair should provide a bellwether for the luxury market; the early June JCK Show in Las Vegas will be a good indicator of the U.S. market.

	SYNTHETIC MELEE

	GIA’s lab in Mumbai flagged more than 100 synthetic melee diamonds in a parcel of 323 stones in early March, which brought home trade concerns that parcels of melee that normally do not go through grading labs could contain synthetic stones.

	The GIA Melee Analysis Service, which provides an automated analysis to identify possible synthetic and treated diamonds in melee-sized parcels, found 101 chemical vapor deposition (CVD) melee diamonds in the parcel, which averaged 0.14 and 0.15 ct. stones.

	Dr. Wuyi Wang, GIA director of research and development, said that the Melee Analysis Service launched in December has regularly identified small numbers of synthetics mixed into parcels. This, however, is the first time that such a large percentage of man-made material was identified.

The Jonker No. 5 diamond – to be auctioned by Christie’s on May 30 – is a key part of a legendary collection of diamonds from the world famous 726 carats Jonker rough, discovered by Jacob Jonker in 1934. Photo courtesy of Christie’s Images

	AUCTIONS

	Christie’s will auction the 25.27 ct Jonker V in Hong Kong on May 30. It is the fifth largest diamond from a piece of rough that made headlines when it was found 93 years ago.

	The 1934 discovery of a 726-carat diamond in South Africa by an artisanal miner named Jacob Jonker made world headlines that followed the diamond to New York, where it was purchased by Harry Winston. Winston entrusted the job of cutting it to the master diamond cutter Lazare Kaplan, who studied the diamond for several months before attempting to cleave it, according to a 1936 article in National Geographic Magazine.

	At the moment when Kaplan was about to strike the first blow, he noticed a slight bend in a surface crack that told him his calculations were wrong. After recalculating, he successfully cleaved the diamond into 13 stones – including the 25.27 ct diamond that Christie’s will auction.

	The D, VVS1 diamond, graded by GIA, is a rectangular cut and is conservatively estimated to sell for between $2.2 million and $3 million. @topic:7


Publish Year: 2016 Title: Durability of a Broken Glass-Filled Ruby Abstract: Figure 1. Left: The two pieces of a glass-filled ruby were combined to demonstrate its appearance before breaking. Center and right: The two pieces that broke during the setting process. Photos by Lai Tai-An Gem Lab.

	It is no secret that corundum is subjected to heating and fracture-filling treatments to alter its color and improve its clarity in order to increase the market value. Heat treatment in particular has become common practice and is generally accepted in the market, provided it is fully disclosed. The trade and end consumer are more concerned about the term “residue,” what it means, and how it affects the stone. Many heat-treated stones are easy to detect with magnification, and a recent case submitted to the Lai Tai-An Gem Laboratory involving a broken ruby revealed how heat treatment applied to rubies can influence durability.

	The client claimed that the ruby in question (figure 1) was broken into two pieces by a goldsmith who only applied standard pressure on the claws when setting the stone in a piece of jewelry. The ease with which the stone broke under these normal conditions caused the jeweler to submit the piece for examination.

	The original ruby measured 8.2 × 5.7 × 4.1 mm and weighed 2.08 ct, while the two pieces weighed 1.10 ct and 0.98 ct after the damage. Identical refractive index readings of 1.762–1.770 were obtained and a specific gravity of 4.00 was determined on each piece. Further observation under long-wave UV light revealed a weak red reaction, and Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectra were indicative of ruby. The stone’s natural origin was proved when extensive twinning, white acicular inclusions, and parting planes were observed through a gemological microscope. Some white flaky glass residues (figure 2) were also seen on broken surfaces, and numerous tiny gas bubbles were observed within some fractures. Flattened filler was also visible within the partially healed fractures (figure 3). When analyzed with a Micro-XRF M4 Tornado Bruker spectrometer, the filling material showed significant silica content.

	Figure 2. Visible white flaky "residue" seen on broken surfaces of the ruby. Photo by Lai Tai-An Gem Lab; field of view 4.25 mm.

	Figure 3. Areas of whitish filler were noted within some surface-reaching fractures. Photo by Lai Tai-An Gem Lab; field of view 4.8 mm.

	DiamondView observations revealed that the residue within some fractures was more opaque (figure 4), confirming the existence of glass filler. While the application of heat treatment together with glass filler usually improves a ruby’s clarity, some fractures may not heal completely. Since the starting material is often of low quality, the industry and consumers should be alert to the potential risk of damaging stones during the mounting process. Careful inspection of any stone prior to setting is recommended.

	Figure 4. These images show the appearance of the white silica glass filler residue on some fracture surfaces under normal lighting conditions (visible light, left) and as opaque dark areas against the bright red ruby reaction in the DiamondView (right). Photos by Lai Tai-An Gem Lab. @topic:3


Publish Year: 2016 Title: Book Review: Precious Cufflinks: From Pablo Picasso to James Bond Abstract: Walter Grasser, Franz Hemmerle, and Duke Alexander von Württemberg, hardcover, 112 pp., publ. by Hirmer Publishers, Munich, 2016, $49.95.

	Engaged by the 18th century popularization of wearing birthstones as totems of good fortune and protection, it has taken a decade to search for gemstones and designs to complete my “Cufflinks of the Month” club. Therefore, I looked forward to this new work with great anticipation.

	From its title, Precious Cufflinks: From Pablo Picasso to James Bond by Walter Grasser, Franz Hemmerle and Duke Alexander von Württemberg promised to be a pictorial delight and an interesting scholarly work. Written in German and English, the book follows a timeline of gentlemen’s adornment from the l700s to the present day. Regrettably, the cynics were proved correct when they say promises were meant to be broken.

	The title is a tease in that publicity stills of Picasso and Daniel Craig as James Bond were placed in the book solely because both men were wearing shirts requiring cufflinks. I was expecting scholarly references to Picasso’s artistry or references by Ian Fleming to this unique aspect of gentlemen’s jewelry, but my hopes were all for naught. While the book’s stated purpose was to be a chronicle of German artistry pertaining to cufflinks, it is nothing more than a hardcover trade magazine. Advertisements from noted German jewelry firms are found at the end of the book. This would explain why so many examples of modern-day cufflinks were attributable to the advertisers. In their respective sections, the authors would reveal a bit of trivia or make a generalized statement regarding the historical aspect of certain styles or themes of cufflinks. However, these were just fleeting references, whereas cufflinks aficionados, jewelry designers, or readers with a definitive interest in jewelry history would expect stronger documentation or at the least more to support what was written.

	Depicting cufflinks throughout the 19th and 20th centuries was accomplished through artful photography. Beautiful colored gemstones, exacting enamel work, and clever examples of thematic artistry associated with gentlemen of leisure are displayed so as to allow close up inspection.  One pair of note, of German origin, depicted game birds engraved and painted on rock crystal quartz. A more modern pair from 1960 featured deer teeth as a hunting trophy.  Sadly, careful gemological descriptions were lacking. More often than not, no references to the fineness of the metals used were given. Egregious use of misnomers for gemstones were glaringly apparent, such as referring to nephrite as “Russian Jade.”

	Had the promise of the premise of exploration of artistry in German jewelry for gentlemen been better fulfilled through more in-depth analysis and explanation of the major artists of the time, this book would have been an important addition to any jewelry library. It is, however, a pleasant book to look through, and useful for gleaning a very few nuggets of information. @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: Alum Leads Family Store to ‘Luxury Retailer of the Year’ Accolades Abstract: “Don’t be afraid to try new things and keep tabs on other small business success stories, whether they are in your industry or not,” says Sean Dunn, GG. Dunn helped lead his family’s store to increased growth – and industry acclaim – by embracing e-commerce at a time when few independent retailer jewelers were doing so. Photo courtesy J.R. Dunn Jewelers

	Sean Dunn could have played it safe in the early 2000s, when his family’s luxury retail jewelry store was struggling with online strategy just “like everyone else.” Instead, he launched into relatively unknown territory for an independent store at the time: e-commerce.

	Dunn, vice president of Florida’s J.R. Dunn Jewelers, watched the store’s website flounder even though he was hearing industry murmurs of department stores finding success with online jewelry sales.

	“It dawned on me that I needed to hire somebody with actual experience to run our website,” he says. Numerous interviews brought “polite” candidates who praised the company’s website and said they could do “more of the same.”

	Dunn says that, finally, one applicant was direct: “She said, ‘You have a pretty website – what but does it do?’”

	He hired her, and in just over a month, J.R. Dunn released a fully functional e-commerce site: jrdunn.com.

	“One of our first sales within weeks of launch was a $4,000 pair of Roberto Coin diamond hoop earrings to a new client in North Carolina,” he says. “That’s when my love of e-commerce was born.”

	The industry began taking notice of the company’s success, and in 2015, JCK named J.R. Dunn its “Luxury Retailer of the Year” for “redesigning retail.”

	“We were one of the very first independents to go full speed ahead deploying our e-commerce site,” says Dunn, a GIA Graduate Gemologist (GG). “But we could never have imagined receiving an award for it more than a decade later!”

 When J.R. Dunn founders James Robert and Ann Marie Dunn (center) found out that their new jewelry store was burglarized while the couple was in between insurance policy coverage in the early 1970s, the couple went door-to-door explaining the situation and paid for each customer’s lost items out of their own pockets. “It was a tough but valuable lesson to always face the music, make good on your word and treat people how you would want to be treated,” says Sean Dunn, pictured (second from left) with his family. “My parents did just that, and their business blossomed from their misfortune – it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.” Photo courtesy J.R. Dunn Jewelers

	The “we” is Dunn’s family – including his parents and J.R. Dunn founders, James Robert and Ann Marie Dunn, and his maternal uncle, award-winning designer Robert Pelliccia – all of whom work for the store.

	“We all have areas of the business we are passionate about, and that energy is contagious,” he says.

	The family gets “really excited” when Pelliccia (who has won 16 design awards, including three De Beers Diamonds Today awards, one Buyer’s Choice Award from Modern Jeweler, and 12 American Gem Trade Association Spectrum awards) previews a new design.

	James Robert and Ann Marie Dunn, who founded the company in Hanover, Massachusetts in 1969 before moving to southeast Florida a few years later, always had zeal for the jewelry industry. James Robert Dunn even took gemology classes at GIA in New York during his time off from a job at IBM, learning under the tutelage of GIA legends, such as Bert Krashes and Robert Crowningshield.

	But for their son, jewelry wasn’t a given.

	“Mom and Dad really eased me into it,” says Dunn, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Florida. “After college, I saw my buddies going to career fairs and not finding many jobs they loved, and my dad said, ‘Why don’t you take your surfboard and drive across the country to California and learn about diamonds and gemstones and see how you like it?’”

 “There are always challenges and opportunities,” says Sean Dunn, a GIA GG and avid surfer. “The sooner you jump on both, usually the better the outcome.” Photo courtesy J.R. Dunn Jewelers

	Dunn agreed, and “ended up loving the entire experience” as a GG student at GIA’s former Santa Monica campus and headquarters.

	“It was amazing to meet so many interesting people from all over the world, and learn not only about gems, but other cultures as well,” he says. “The instructors were very passionate about the curriculum, and that helped inspire me.”

	Dunn heard GIA was having a Jewelry Career Fair right about the time he was graduating in 1996 and called his father for advice on what to do.

	“He quipped, ‘Get yourself a job!’” Dunn says.

	Dunn took his directive and interviewed with companies from Sotheby’s to Robbins Bros. He accepted an offer from Ben Bridge Jewelers to work for the South Coast Plaza store in Costa Mesa, California.

	Dunn calls his time at GIA and Ben Bridge as “terrific” and essential.

	“GIA provided a great foundation,” he says. “Not only does a GIA education give you the confidence and knowledge necessary to believe in yourself, it gives you tremendous credibility with clients and industry peers.”

 J.R. Dunn Jewelers’ brick-and-mortar location is an 8,000-sq. ft. luxury retail store in Lighthouse Point, Florida. Photo courtesy J.R. Dunn Jewelers

	Dunn returned to South Florida in 1997 and has served as vice president of J.R. Dunn ever since. He touches aspects of the business from marketing to management, but says no day is typical.

	“My single most important responsibility is to make sure our clients are happy and to address any areas where we may fall short in a swift and meaningful way,” Dunn says. “And I love being surrounded by a passionate team that’s pulling for the same goals. I thrive on new ideas, whether they’re mine or not, and I love the opportunity to put them into play.” @topic:7


Publish Year: - Title: Amber Care and Cleaning Guide Abstract: The red and green dyes in this bracelet’s amber pieces can fade over time.

Hardness and toughness
Gem and mineral hardness is measured on the Mohs scale. The numbers are based on the relative ease or difficulty with which one mineral can be scratched by another. But the Mohs scale is deceptive. The steps between the minerals are not evenly spaced. For example, diamond is only one number away, but it’s many times harder than gems in the corundum family.

Amber is soft compared to gem minerals and many other organics. It falls between 2 and 2.5 on the Mohs scale. Amber also has poor toughness, so care must be taken when wearing amber not to scratch and damage it.

	At Mohs 2 to 2.5, amber is a soft gem and care must be taken not to scratch it.
Stability
Amber burns at relatively low temperatures. With prolonged exposure to light it might darken, and it can be damaged by chemicals.

Cleaning
The only safe way to clean amber is with warm, soapy water. Be sure to use a mild soap.

Treatment and durability considerations
The dyes used to color amber are not stable and can change or fade under certain circumstances. @topic:8


Publish Year: - Title: Alexandrite Care and Cleaning Guide Abstract: Alexandrite is a beautiful, rare, and durable gemstone. - © GIA & Tino Hammid, courtesy Simon Watt, Watt Gems

Hardness and toughness
Gem and mineral hardness is measured on the Mohs scale. The numbers are based on the relative ease or difficulty with which one mineral can be scratched by another. But the Mohs scale is deceptive. The steps between the minerals are not evenly spaced. For example, diamond is only one number away, but it’s many times harder than gems in the corundum family.

Alexandrite is relatively hard—8.5 on the Mohs scale. It has excellent toughness and no cleavage, which is a tendency to break when struck. This makes it a good choice for rings and other mountings subject to daily wear.

	Alexandrite ranks 8.5 on the Mohs hardness scale.
Stability
Alexandrite is stable under normal wearing conditions, which means it’s resistant to the effects of heat, light, and common chemicals.

Cleaning
Warm, soapy water is always safe for cleaning alexandrite. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are usually safe.

Treatment and durability considerations
Alexandrites are usually not treated, although they might have fractures.  Fracture-filled gemstones should only be cleaned with warm, soapy water. @topic:3


Publish Year: - Title: Bauble Basics: 10 Jewels Every Woman Should Own Abstract: Jewelry is more than the finishing touch to an outfit; in some cultures, it’s the entire outfit. How do you start to build the perfect jewelry wardrobe—for yourself or for someone special? GIA (Gemological Institute of America) has created a guide to the “bauble basics.” Fine jewelry is meant to be worn, enjoyed and treasured forever.

Earrings, Earrings, Earrings
1) Diamond studs. Beautiful, quality stones are available for any price range and size; from discreet little pin dots to three carat headlights.

2) Gold hoops. From curvaceous huggies to three-inch loops... high polish or hammered satin... white, yellow or rose gold... hoops are always attractive and almost always appropriate.

3) Pearls on a wire. Pearl studs are a great option, but by adding the slightly dangerous dangle from a wire, you can highlight the hollow of your cheek.

4) Long drops. Nothing shorter than two inches from your lobe will make a more fluid and flirty movement in every gem from white topaz briolettes to black onyx beads and a rainbow of gems in between.

5) Chandeliers. Tumbled and carved emeralds, rubies and mogul-cut diamonds, all intricately twined with burnished gold wires dripping from concentric crescents, will draw the attention back to you.

Necklaces
6) Pendants are the foundation of your necklace collection. It can be a single stone on a delicate 16-inch chain or a 4-inch Gothic-inspired cross set with agate and carnelian on a 30-inch rope. Express yourself with a lopsided heart or spiritual charm, or showcase your collection of vintage lapis lazuli good luck talismans.

7) Pearls. With a white shirt and jeans, a tailored business suit or a willowy wedding gown, you can’t find another investment that will take you through the moments of your life with such elegance, ease and warmth. Add one at a time or pile on an abundant rope. Or both.

Bracelets
8) Bangles stacked or alone, skinny or wide, have been around forever. Try tiny micropave pink sapphires in pink gold or oxidized brown-gold tubes studded with cognac diamonds.

9) Charms. A wrist full of clinking, clanging doodads is always a good choice, but perhaps try choosing just one remarkable medallion to hang from an open link?

A Signature Ring
10) This one you choose for yourself. Be bold. Make a statement. Flash a cushion-shaped citrine or cabochon green tourmaline the size of a quail’s egg. While you’re at it—wear it on your index finger. @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: Will Auction Records Continue to Shatter in 2014? Abstract: The Orange, a 14.82 ct Fancy Vivid orange diamond, fetched a record $2.4 million per carat. It was the centerpiece of Christie’s Nov. 12 sale in Geneva, which brought the highest auction total ever—$125.4 million. Photo by Christie’s Images Ltd. 2013, courtesy of Denis Hayoun Diode SA Geneva.

Update: According to media reports, Sotheby’s cancelled the sale of the Pink Star several months after the auction when the winning bidder was unable to complete the transaction.

The world’s two leading auction houses are gearing up for another extraordinary year.

In 2013, Christie’s and Sotheby’s posted record jewelry sales of $678 million and $600 million, respectively, through auctions of mega diamonds, rare colored gems and classic period jewels. Economists predict the demand for ultra-luxury items that drove these auction numbers should be even stronger in 2014.

Three landmark diamonds in 2013 contributed to the record-breaking sales:

		The highest price ever paid for a gemstone: Sotheby’s estimated a price tag of $61 million for the Pink Star diamond offered at its Nov. 13 Geneva sale, but the GIA-graded 59.6 ct Fancy Vivid pink sold for $83.02 million, nearly doubling the 2010 record price of $46 million, also for a pink diamond. The buyer, New York diamond dealer Isaac Wolf, promptly renamed the stone the Pink Dream.

		The highest per-carat price ever paid: the Orange, a GIA-graded 14.82 ct Fancy Vivid orange diamond, was sold by Christie’s to an anonymous buyer for $35.54 million, or $2.4 million per carat.

		The record total for a single jewelry auction: Sotheby’s Nov. 13 auction in Geneva, which featured the Pink Dream, had a dozen lots sell for more than $1 million each, and seven that went for more than $6 million each—for a total of $199.5 million.

	Sotheby’s November sale in Geneva saw the highest price ever paid for a gemstone at auction: $83.02 million for the Pink Star, a 59.6 ct Fancy Vivid pink diamond. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
The record setting began in May at Christie’s Geneva, when Harry Winston paid $26.7 million for a 101.73 ct D-Flawless diamond it named the “Winston Legacy.” Another highlight from that sale was the 19.88 ct Star of Kashmir sapphire, which sold for $3.48 million, a record $175,202 per carat.

	This 101.73 ct D-Flawless pear shape, the Winston Legacy, sold for $26.7 million at Christie’s May 2013 sale in Geneva. Photo by Christie’s Images Ltd. 2013.
Sotheby’s Oct. 7 Hong Kong sale saw the highest price ever paid at auction for a colorless diamond: a GIA-graded 118.28 ct oval D-Flawless, cut from a 299 ct piece of rough, sold for $30.6 million to an Asian buyer. Despite the record amount, the final price was on the lower end of the pre-sale estimate.

The surge really gained momentum a month later, when  Christie’s Nov. 12 Geneva sale broke the record for the highest jewelry sale total—$125.4 million—with the Orange as its centerpiece. The sale also had a record 22 lots top $1 million, including a Cartier emerald and diamond necklace that generated $9.9 million; a seven-strand natural pearl necklace that topped $9 million; and a brooch by designer Anna Hu, featuring a 58.29 ct Burmese sapphire, that sold for $4.5 million. Hu’s brooch set a record price for a contemporary designer at auction.

Sotheby’s Geneva auction the next night was, according to David Bennett, Sotheby’s chairman for jewelry in Europe and the Middle East, “charged with energy … everything seemed to be selling for more than their estimates. The night could not have conceivably gone better.”

Four records were broken:

		The highest price ever paid—both total price and per carat—for sapphire jewels: $8.45 million ($175,821 per carat, breaking the record set in Geneva in May) for the Richelieu Sapphires, a pair of Kashmir sapphires, weighing 20.88 and 26.66 ct.

		A record price for a Burmese sapphire: a 114.73 ct gem that sold for $7.14 million, or $62,214 per carat.

		The most expensive piece of jewelry ever sold at auction by Sotheby’s: a Van Cleef & Arpels brooch, featuring a GIA-graded 96.62 ct Fancy Vivid Yellow briolette-cut diamond, that went for $10.55 million.

François Curiel, chairman of Christie’s Asia, explained that the growing wealth in that region is one reason for the sharp rise in prices for rare stones and jewels.

“In 1994, we sold two lots above $5 million, with a 19.66 ct pink as the top lot for $7.3 million ($375,000 per carat). This was the year we inaugurated our Hong Kong auctions, which brought 11% of our $190 million annual total,” Curiel said. “In 2013, we sold 14 lots above $5 million, with the 34.65 ct Fancy Intense pink Princie diamond fetching $39.5 million ($1.1 million per carat). Hong Kong last year contributed 29% of our $675 million annual total. We have just started selling in Shanghai.”

	Asian wealth was a major force behind the surging prices for rare gems and jewels in 2013. At Christie’s Hong Kong, the 34.65 ct Fancy Intense pink Princie diamond brought $1.1 million per carat. Photo by Christie’s Images Ltd. 2013.
Will 2014 see more records fall? Economist say the boom isn’t over, and that the ultra-wealthy are still seeking outlets for their excess cash.

Curiel believes there will be more rare gems on the market, because the rarest items tend to be offered for the first time—or come up for sale again—when people know they may get top prices.

“There is an extreme shortage of rare diamonds, jewels, colored stones and pearls; the same items are fetching many times more than their first time on the auction block,” Curiel said. “These new prices are bringing more rarities to the market than ever before—and promise another exciting year for the jewelry industry worldwide.” @topic:7


Publish Year: - Title: Exhibition Review: Mogul to Modern: Met Exhibit Showcases Indian Jewels Abstract: This Mogul turban ornament, circa 1800–1850, offers a stunning example of Indian jewelry from the Al-Thani collection. The piece is set with diamonds and has 10 spinels suspended from the frame. Courtesy of Servette Overseas Ltd. and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

                      French explorer Jean-Baptiste Tavernier arrived in India nearly 400 years ago and found not only a treasure trove of gemstones, but a highly sophisticated jewelry-making and trade network already several millennia old.

India’s jewels have inspired collectors around the world ever since.

One of the most noted connoisseurs, Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Thani of Qatar, recently selected 60 pieces from his private collection of Indian gems and jewelry—one of the world’s largest—for display at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al-Thani Collection” opened Oct. 28 and will run through Jan. 25, 2015.

In the Indian tradition, gemstones served a purpose well beyond adornment and display of wealth, according to Dr. Amin Jaffer, Christie’s international director of Asian art. Jaffer presented a lecture at the Met on “The Role of Jewels in Projecting Power in Royal India” the day after the exhibit’s opening.

Dr. Amin Jaffer, Christie’s international director of Asian art, presented a lecture at the Met on Indian royalty’s use of jewelry. Photo by Russell Shor.
“Jewels were highly symbolic of royal power,” Jaffir said, noting the great many paintings over the centuries of Indian rulers laden with gemstones. “Diamonds above all projected power, as they are hard stones and so associated with invincibility,” he said, adding that the majority of the wearers were men.

	“His Highness the Maharajah of Indore” was painted by British artist George Landseer in
	1861. Courtesy of Amir Mohtashemi Ltd., London.
The jewels on exhibit at the Met range from the dawn of the Mogul period in the mid-17th century to contemporary designs that incorporate both Indian and Western elements. The exhibit demonstrates how Indian fashion and design evolved through contact with European jewelers.

Among the exhibit’s earliest pieces is a dagger hilt from the early Mogul period, about 1620, of white nephrite jade intricately carved in the shape of a head. The European influence is evident in the carving’s similarity to a Portuguese Goan image of Christ as the Good Shepherd.

This nephrite jade dagger hilt, circa 1620–1625, demonstrates a European influence through its similarity to a Portuguese Goan image of Christ. Courtesy of Servette Overseas Ltd. and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Emeralds became an integral part of Indian royal jewels in the 16th century after the discovery of deposits in Colombia. A gold tiger’s-head finial (an ornament atop a staff or frame) from about 1790 inlaid with diamonds and rubies and draped with an emerald collar was one of eight such figures that adorned the throne of Tipu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore. The throne was dismantled in 1799 after the sultan was killed following a battle.

This tiger’s-head finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan, circa 1790, features gold inlaid with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. Courtesy of Servette Overseas Ltd. and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Head ornaments, mainly for the front of turbans (jigha) and head bands (sarpesh) are a major part of the exhibition. One of the most stunning examples is the sarpesh shown in the lead photo. Measuring approximately 11 inches long, it is set with polki diamonds (still in their original rough forms but with the faces polished) and 10 large spinels suspended from the gold mounting. Although the piece was made between 1875 and 1900, the spinels are from a much earlier date. Like most traditional Indian jewels, the back is enameled.

India comprised more than 500 semi-autonomous states at the beginning of British rule in 1858. The jewels grew in extravagance after the British assumed control, and much of the wealth and power of the Moguls shifted to local rulers who no longer competed for military might but to see who could amass the most jewels.

“Rulers began making European-style crowns and tiaras, many of them extremely elaborate,” Jaffer said. Since India’s gem mines had long dried up by then, gems were extracted from centuries-old pieces. One ruler, the Maharaja of Patiala, gave Cartier and Boucheron more than 100 major gemstones to remount into modern jewels.

“It is still the largest single consignment that the jewelry house has ever had,” Jaffer said.

Indeed, by the latter part of the 19th century, jewelers such as Cartier regularly traveled to India to serve the princes who ruled under British control. These jewelers brought with them new styles and techniques, and the Indian royals often had some of their most prized jewels reset into modern pieces that reflected both cultures.

One Mogul-era carved emerald was reset into a platinum aigrette (head plume), topped with a sapphire and pearl spray, by French designer Paul Iribe around 1910. Unlike most pieces in the collection, this was an Indian-inspired piece created for a European wearer.

French designer Paul Iribe’s aigrette, circa 1910, has a Mogul-era carved emerald set in platinum with a plume of diamonds and sapphire and pearl beads. Courtesy of Servette Overseas Ltd. and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The tradition of blending Indian and Western design elements around large gemstones continues today and is well featured in the exhibit. Contemporary jewelry designer JAR (Joel Arthur Rosenthal) created a brooch in 2002 in the form of a cusped-arch window of the Jaipur Pink Palace, setting a 35.36 carat octagon-cut emerald inside and backing the gem with white rock crystal. And in 2010, the Jaipuri-born designer Santi Chaudhary created a ring with a 31 carat Mogul-era carved emerald bead set high on prongs to allow it to revolve.

According to an Indian proverb, “The value of a gem can only be realized by a king or jeweler because only they understand their complexity.” Today, gemologists have an understanding of gemstones far beyond that of the ancient royals, but their tradition of weaving jewelry into all parts of life remains strong. @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: Alumni Couple Garners Hollywood Attention by Marrying Avant-Garde, Art Deco Designs Abstract: This Kavant and Sharart pendant features diamond and two individual slices of agate, purchased on one of the couple’s buying trips to Tucson.  Courtesy Kavant and Sharart

                      Their designs are splashed on the covers of magazines from Cosmopolitan to Marie Claire. They count superstars Katy Perry, Miranda Lambert, Gabrielle Union, K risten Stewart and Kylie Jenner among those who have been photographed in their luxury jewelry.

Kavant and Sharart, the Thailand-based design house − comprised of husband and wife team Nuttapon (“Kenny”) Yongkiettakul and Shar-linn Liew − has collectively earned two Centurion Emerging Designer Awards, a JCK Jewelers’ Choice Award, a GIA Student’s Choice Award and recognition from the Cultured Pearl Association of America.

	Singer Katy Perry wore a one-of-kind piece from Kavant and Sharart while performing at the “Change Begins Within: A David Lynch Foundation Benefit Concert” in New York City on November 4, 2015. The two-finger “Le Phoenix” ring features morganite and diamond.  Courtesy Kavant and Sharart
The couple’s acclaim within both design and jewelry-loving celebrity circles is, in large part, due to innovative designs like their self-coined “eartux.” Taking inspiration from the ear jacket concept, the piece goes a step further – making it appear as if the wearer has multiple piercings. Victoria’s Secret “angel” Adriana Lima has worn the eartux (and many other Kavant and Sharat pieces), and that design alone has been featured in    Women’s Wear Daily , JCK and W Magazine.

Popular “Gem Gossip” fashion blogger (and Kavant and Sharart fan) Danielle Miele, a fellow GIA alum, says she was “quite impressed” with the Yongkiettakul’s and Liew’s designs as soon as she previewed their first collection.

“They make a unique husband and wife duo,” Miele says, “as both of their styles juxtapose one another in the best way possible.”

The core of Kavant and Sharart’s “aesthetic and philosophy” emphasizes their individual styles − and celebrates that of the woman wearing it.

“We believe it’s crucial to stay true to who you are, to focus on innovating and exploring your own sense of style,” says Liew, a GIA GG and AJP. The core of their “aesthetic and philosophy” follows that lead, she says, so they create “luxury jewelry that not only satisfies the wearer’s need to wear something charming, but also her desire for something original that highlights her personality through effortlessly elegant accessories.”

	Kenny Yongkiettakul’s “avant-garde and organic” style takes inspiration from nature and the ocean, as seen in these Kavant and Sharart pieces – orange sapphire and diamond earrings, and yellow sapphire and diamond earrings featuring Baroque South Sea pearl. Courtesy Kavant and Sharart
The couple’s different styles and inspirations – his, “avant-garde and organic, inspired by nature and the ocean” and hers, rooted in Art Deco, Oriental and Modern arts, inspired by geometric shapes – were each nurtured in childhood.

Yongkiettakul, a GIA GJ, GG, AJP and AJA, grew up in his family’s Bangkok jewelry store, which he watched grow from the “very humble beginnings” of a single retail counter near the city’s Victory Monument. Though Yongkiettakul studied chemical engineering in college, he joined his family’s business after graduation.

“Since I was young, my dad was always telling me about GIA, and that I must attend this prestigious school one day,” he says. “It was ingrained in my mind.”

Liew began dreaming of design as a young girl in Singapore, following her dress-maker/fashion-designer mother through the fabric markets of Hong Kong and into meetings with seamstresses.

“My mother had a very good eye for proportions and color concepts, and her attention to detail was acute,” she says. “I was immensely inspired. The concept of proportion and balance in design was instilled in me since I was young.”

The couple, who met in 2003, moved to California to pursue Yongkiettakul’s studies at GIA Carlsbad in 2007. Liew soon followed suit.

“My interest grew when Kenny shared his wonderful experience,” she says. Liew graduated with her Graduate Diamonds diploma in 2007 and later earned her AJP and her GG on campus in Thailand.

	The eartux is a signature Kavant and Sharart design. Clockwise from top left, the Le Phoenix Single Claw Rhodolite Garnet Eartux; the Le Phoenix Enchanted Diamond Eartux in 18K rose gold; and a pearl version of the design. Courtesy Kavant and Sharart
When the couple eventually prepared to marry, they also decided they wanted to merge their styles in one brand.

“We knew we wanted to work together when we were designing my wedding jewelry,” Liew says. “It was a logical transition to merge our two brands into one. Although we have different design aesthetics, the merge also allowed something for everyone – marrying the two different aesthetics somehow worked. We’re putting a woman’s and man’s perspective into one piece.”

They each procure gemstones and create designs for Kavant and Sharart, with Yongkiettakul managing most of the company’s quality control.

“I think the beautiful part about [our career] is being able to express our love for design through jewelry and gemstones,” Liew says. “Being able to materialize a design from a sketch to a finished product – and subsequently, when a customer buys it – the sense of fulfillment is very satisfying.”

	Kavant and Sharart is comprised of husband and wife team Kenny Yongkiettakul and Shar-linn Liew, both award-winning designers and GIA graduates. The pair is grateful for the guidance they received at GIA and want to do the same for current students. “Keep in touch with friends and teachers,” says Yongkiettakul. “We have been very blessed with mentors along the way, and we hope to help fellow GIA students in any way we can. Our doors are always open.” Courtesy Kavant and Sharart
Yongkiettakul says that GIA prepared the couple well for their careers.

“GIA serves as a solid foundation for anyone interested in this trade,” he says. “The knowledge you gain throughout your education will serve you well, but it’s definitely important to keep up with the latest news in the industry through journals like  Gems & Gemology  and visiting trade shows.”

As much as their GIA experience was “intense and fast,” it was also “enlightening and inspiring,” he says.

“Give it your best at each level, because six months fly by,” he says. “All the resources are in your hands.” @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: U.S. Retail Sales Remain Cautious Abstract: At Christie’s recent New York auction, an Asian buyer paid a record price of $5.1 million for a four-strand natural colored pearl necklace with pearls ranging from between 4.90 mm to 12.65 mm in size. Prices for other lots, however, were off from the peaks of 2013-2014.

                      The U.S. Census Bureau reports that specialty jewelry store sales fell 5.8% by value for the first two months of 2015 compared to 2014, while watch and jewelry sales from all channels were relatively flat.

The government figures reflect consumer caution throughout the retail sector, with electronics down 5% and durable goods sliding 2.4%.

Jewelry unit sales, however, were higher than the value numbers indicate due to declines in the price of gold and diamonds from early 2014 coupled with down-trading in diamond quality.

Consumer confidence, which rose several points in March, has improved along with the economy, but economists say wages have not risen in tandem and the decreased prices of gasoline and oil have not spurred retail sales in other areas.

De Beers’ Diamond Insight Report, issued last month, reported that growth of diamond jewelry sales in the U.S. was up 7% by value for 2104. This is more than double other estimates that pegged U.S. diamond jewelry sales from flat to up by 3%. The report also estimated Chinese growth at 6% and India rupee growth at 3% (down 1% when measured in U.S. dollars). The report cited a positive outlook for 2015, despite some headwinds.

The March 23-27 De Beers sight was especially large – $690 million − with as much as $100 million additional goods available from client refusals of boxes at the January and February sights. Clients refused 30-40% of the rough boxes on offer this month – the highest percentage since the economic crisis of 2009-2010 – because of price and inventory issues. De Beers held firm on prices across the board, even as rough prices exceed the cost of polished for many categories. Polished prices have declined by an average of 7% from last fall according to several price reports, while polished inventories continue to rise.

AUCTIONS: The first major jewelry auctions of 2015 continued the trend of subdued demand for ultra-luxury items noted at last month’s BaselWorld fair.

Only 67% of Sotheby’s April 6 Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction in Hong Kong sold (compared to 85% to 90% for such sales in the past three years), with private buyers taking all but two of the top 10 pieces. Without aggressive buying from dealers, prices seem to have receded from last year’s highs at this sale, but comparisons are often difficult because the unique properties some pieces have make them more desirable.

One price record was set at Christie’s April 14 New York auction: $5.1 million from a private Asian buyer for a four-strand natural pearl necklace with pearls that ranged between 4.90 mm to 12.65 mm in size. Other prices, however, were off from the peaks of 2013-2014, including a 25.49 carat (ct.) D potentially Flawless diamond by Graff that brought $134,000 per carat for a total of $3.4 million. This was about $50,000 to $60,000 per carat less than what similar goods achieved in previous sales. A 5.29 ct. Fancy Intense purplish pink diamond brought $1.1 million per carat, which was significantly off from similar stones auctioned during the past three years.

The Christie’s New York sale was 77% sold by value, again somewhat lower than recent years’ auctions.

At Sotheby’s New York April 21 auction a GIA-graded 100.20 ct. D IF Type II diamond was expected to sell for $19 to $25 million. Christie’s will offer a 5.18 ct. GIA-graded Fancy Vivid pink diamond at its May 13 Geneva sale. That lot is expected to sell for $9.5 to $12 million. @topic:7


Publish Year: - Title: Gemologist Sets Her Sights on Social Justice, Healthy Business Abstract: Alethe Fatherley, pictured here with a few of the children she met in Tanzania, returned home to the United States with a vision to recognize people as the gem and jewelry industry’s most valuable resource. Courtesy Alethe Fatherley

                      At first glance, the pendant looks like a simple tool ‒ a water pump ‒ fashioned of silver, hanging from a delicate chain.

But this pendant is no mere accessory: it symbolizes one gemologist’s vision to revolutionize the jewelry industry by recognizing people as its “most precious resource.”

Alethe Fatherley, executive director of Jewelers for Water, hasn’t always tried to link social justice with the jewelry industry – in fact, the idea of encouraging an industry that’s both responsible and profitable has only crystallized for the East Coast-based gemologist in the last several years.

	Jewelers for Water’s sterling silver necklace, left, designed by Thomas Kurilla and manufactured by Hoover & Strong, was inspired by a water pump, right. Sold by local, brick-and-mortar jewelry stores on the East Coast, proceeds from sales of the necklace benefit Jewelers for Water’s clean water projects. Photo by Thomas Kurilla, courtesy Jewelers for Water
The daughter of Jamaican immigrants, Fatherley moved to the United States when she was 8 years old. She was deciding on her next step after she graduated from high school in 1991, when her godmother, a buyer in Tiffany & Co.’s Paloma Picasso department, suggested she apply at the New York headquarters.

The eager-to-learn 19-year-old was hired for a temporary clerical job with Tiffany’s, and shortly after landed a merchandise assistant position in the firm’s diamond-buying office.

“I knew I wanted more than an entry-level position,” she says. “I also became more interested in learning about diamonds, because the Tiffany’s sales professionals had very high expectations, even for a teenager.”

The salespeople often quizzed their new hire, holding up GIA diamond grading reports and asking Fatherley to explain them and describe the stone’s clarity characteristics. “When I wasn’t able to, I could hear the frustration in their voices,” she says. “So I began to insist I attend GIA with almost every evaluation I had with my boss. I just kept asking.”

Fatherley’s persistence paid off; she was eventually cleared to study at the Institute’s 47th Street campus in New York City.

“I loved it ‒ finally, I felt like I was doing something I really enjoyed,” she says. “I still recall the bounce in my step after GIA, just embracing my walk down Fifth Avenue.”

Fatherley earned her GG diploma in 1999, but she knew it was just the beginning if she wanted a career that lasted. She joined the GIA Alumni Association and set out to learn sales, marketing, wholesale – and, after a 13-year career there, the industry outside of Tiffany & Co.’s walls.

She taught gemology at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, and worked for David Yurman, H. Stern, and Lazare Kaplan International, where she sold loose stones. At Lazare Kaplan, conversations often referred to the firm’s cutting facilities in Namibia.

“I became interested in Africa and simply wanted to learn more about the people,” she says.

That desire to learn more soon turned into something much deeper. Fatherley researched nonprofit organizations and settled on Cross Cultural Solutions, a non-governmental organization. Her supervisor at Lazare Kaplan granted her a three-week leave from work, allowing Fatherley to travel to Moshi Town, Tanzania and serve as a kindergarten teacher at Kilimahewa school. The makeshift classroom where she taught was set up in the home of a pupil’s parents.

The stark contrast between the world of luxury jewelry and the lives of people in Tanzania moved her deeply, and quickly. Fatherley returned home just weeks later with an entirely new perspective, and founded Jewelers that Care in 2009. The goal of her nonprofit is to “energize development projects,” such as schools and water wells, through donations and partnerships with other aid groups. (The organization’s name changed to the more focused Jewelers for Water this spring).

	Alethe Fatherley took a three-week leave from her job with Lazare Kaplan International
	to teach kindergarteners at Kilimahewa school in Moshi Town, Tanzania. Courtesy Alethe Fatherley
“When we examine the serious issues facing Africa and rural villages around the globe, we find ourselves making a full circle back to the issues of a lack of clean water and education,” she says. “We believe this contributes to the root of other problems, including HIV/AIDS, crimes against women and children, and other serious issues.

“I wanted to help within my capacity. But the stories of poverty are difficult to tell ‒ and difficult to sell,” she says. “I had to come up with creative ways to get people interested.”

Fatherley - who also earned degrees from the American Gem Society, Fashion Institute of Technology and SUNY’s Empire State college – developed deep relationships in the jewelry industry, and became what she calls “something of a recruiter,” helping friends and colleagues from all aspects of the industry make professional connections in exchange for support of the charity.

Jewelers for Water is focused on building water wells and collaborates with many like-minded professionals in the industry. The water pump necklace, for example, was designed by Thomas Kurilla, manufactured by Hoover & Strong, and is sold exclusively by a handful of local, brick-and-mortar jewelry stores on the East Coast, with proceeds benefitting Jewelers for Water’s water pump projects. The group also created an annual awards ceremony at JCK that honors jewelers addressing humanitarian issues.

Fatherley, who lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with her husband, Christopher, runs Jewelers for Water while caring for the couple’s 4-year-old son, Gordon, and 2-year-old daughter, Marisa.

“My dream and my long-term goal is to collaborate with our industry in the most sensible way that benefits us as an industry, as well as  the people living in rural villages,” she says. “I want our industry to shine by contributing to the communities that keep us going.” @topic:12


Publish Year: - Title: Science Opened Doors to Art for Gemologist-Designer Abstract: Loretta Castoro found the moonstones in these platinum earrings on a trip to Myanmar with Bill Larson, president of Pala International Inc.. “We saw them at the same time and wanted them,” she says. Larson conceded the purchase to Castoro, who says she surrounded them with cascades of diamonds and Montana sapphire. “I was inspired by the many Tiffany & Co. pieces I had seen designed in the turn of the 19th century,” she says. Left: Courtesy of Loretta Castoro. Right: Photo  by Jeff Scovil © Loretta Castoro

                      Loretta Castoro remembers feeling a growing sense of wonder as she huddled with her elementary school class over a crystal grown during a science experiment. That sense of curiosity and excitement would stay with the Oyster Bay, Long Island student far beyond her grade school experience.

Fast forward a decade to Castoro’s high school graduation, when her great uncle, New York-based jewelry designer and manufacturer William Emmons, confirmed that attending GIA would be a smart way to begin her career.

“I had been interested in crystal growth since the fourth grade and had a strong background in math and science, so when I heard there was a school that specialized in the study of gemstones, I really wanted to learn more,” Castoro says. “I wanted to explore this passion I had from a young age and see if there was a future in it.”

She enrolled at the Institute’s New York City campus and studied under the encouraging eye of faculty and staff. Among those was longtime GIA employee Eunice Miles, who once told Castoro, “I love these gemstones so much, I eventually wanted to design jewelry to show them off.”

The sentiment surprised Castoro at the time, because she couldn’t understand the impulse to design jewelry.

“I wanted to learn the science, understand their structure, their makeup,” she says.

Castoro, who completed her GG diploma in 1984, says her studies helped establish credibility when she began her career at H. Stern Jewelers’ Fifth Avenue store.

“I started very young in the industry, and my GIA education gave me the platform of knowledge that allowed me to intelligently and confidently discuss gemological issues with clients and other members of the industry,” she says.

From H. Stern, where the Northeastern native had the opportunity to travel to Brazil to learn firsthand about colored stone sourcing, Castoro’s international career and education took flight. She next spent a decade at Tiffany & Co. in several capacities, including as director of gemstone acquisitions for colored stones, then moved to Bangkok to serve as the chief merchandising officer for GemsTV.

	Castoro, in 2009 in Bangkok, has traveled around the world with her career. Photo courtesy of Loretta Castoro
During those years, Castoro earned two more credentials in gemology – a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, and a certificate in Advanced Scientific Gemology from Basel’s Swiss Gemological Institute – as well as a comprehensive manufacturing degree from New York’s Studio Jewelers, and a certified gemologist appraiser designation from the American Gem Society.

As Castoro’s career unfolded, so did the realization that her professional interests were evolving. She began lecturing at gemological workshops, and eventually designing jewelry of her own.

"Years later, I understand what Eunice Miles was saying – at some point, the science of gemology melds with the art,” she says. “It surprised me at how natural designing for beautiful gemstones became after years of studying them. You love them so much you want to champion them to achieve their ultimate goal: to be the center of attention and show off their unique ‘talents.’”

Castoro, who lives in Los Angeles, launched her self-named line of luxury jewelry in 2010. She creates custom pieces for clients in her downtown studio, as well as entire collections including “Love Doves,” “Imperia” and “KissMe.”

Last fall, Castoro joined Carl K. Gumpert Inc. as vice president of Merchandising and Gemstone Acquisition. She sources gemstones for the company and builds product collections for their retail distribution, and says the position challenges her “to be innovative and forward-thinking with design and materials.”

She still lectures on gemology and sourcing, and offers a series of presentations for retailers that focuses on broadening their “scope of knowledge” about gemstones. “There is a wide range of gemstones that are very collectible, and virtually unknown to most jewelry buyers,” she says.

Castoro is grateful for the many paths she has been able to explore throughout her career.

“A GIA education opened the door to my life’s study, and the joy of learning about the fascinating world we live in,” she says. “I’m challenged and learn something new – every day. There is never a dull moment in the world of business and gemstones.”

View Gallery @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: Grad’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Knows No Limits Abstract: H. “Gio” Giovanni, GG, returned to Carlsbad recently to share his innovative jewelry design techniques and branding practices with students. Photo by Kevin Schumacher/GIA.

“If you follow your dream with passion, it will lead you to the path less followed. The desire to fulfill that dream in the midst of adverse climates will bring innovation. It is at this stage that the true love for entrepreneurship becomes your life dream."

	– H. "Gio" Giovanni, GG, CEO Blacksmith Intl. & Co.

	Finding a passion in life can be a long and circuitous journey for many, but for those like H. “Gio” Giovanni, GG, the challenge is choosing which of his passions to follow. An entrepreneur whose expertise spans gems, jewelry, clothing and custom cars and motorcycles, Giovanni fortunately never had to make a choice. He formed three successful businesses in three entirely different industries before taking his first graduate gemologist class at GIA in Carlsbad in 2007.

	Today, Blacksmith Intl. & Co., Giovanni’s Minden, Nevada-based gem and jewelry design firm, is his number one priority. Yet it’s clear his life also revolves around the innovative motorcycle design, automotive accessory design and clothing businesses he’s also worked hard to build.

	“The common thread across all my ventures is that they’re about lifestyle,” says Giovanni. “They’re about enhancing and reflecting my customers’ lives, whether they want a semi-custom ring or a high-performance, artistic motorcycle.”

Entrepreneurial Self-Starter

	Giovanni, whose family is from Cali, Colombia, fell into the gem and jewelry business out of a desire for custom-made jewelry pieces, but it was next to impossible to find someone to envision his ideas for one-of-a-kind pieces.

	“The greatest challenge was finding a jeweler that would be able to get the large carat sizes that would become my jewelry’s signature,” Giovanni said. His determination pushed him to consider getting involved in the jewelry business, as he thought there were others that must share his love for “large, explosive pieces,” limited by the standards of retail.

	So while earning his master’s degree in business administration at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, he learned from a gentleman in Chicago who ultimately became his business partner.

	“We formed an agreement in which he would teach me about carving, casting and setting, and I would help him with negotiations for diamonds and colored gemstones,” Giovanni said. “I showed him how to get the proper price points. I was also able to acquire custom stones straight from the rough that a lot of others couldn’t get.”

	Giovanni next turned to a friend of the family who introduced him to some emerald dealers in Colombia. He learned that the European marketplace should be his first stop to meet dealers. So with a pocket full of high-grade emeralds given to him on consignment, Giovanni boarded a flight and began his career as a gem importer.

	During his travels as a gem importer, a diamond dealer in Tel Aviv told him all about GIA and Giovanni was immediately intrigued.

	“I liked the sound of a GG and knew it would benefit me and my business to enroll,” Giovanni said.

	To do so, however, Giovanni decided he couldn’t have it all – all of his businesses, that is. He needed to focus all of his energy on the rigorous GG coursework. And when it came time to embark on his GIA education, his next move not only astounded those around him, but also surprised Giovanni himself.

	“I walked away from the other aspects of my business life and isolated myself at GIA’s Carlsbad campus, turning over all management of Blacksmith Motoring Co. – my custom motorcycle business – to my executive staff,” he said. “Throughout the duration of the GG program, I dismissed phone calls and emails and studied seven days a week. I realized it was not the time to have my mind going off in other directions.”

	On campus, he found that the GIA computer-aided design classes were a natural fit for his business, and that his GIA education in general played a big role in helping him advance his success.

	“During the 12 months I was getting my GG, I was not only increasing my knowledge of gemstones, but I was also churning out new designs with CAD, legitimizing my business and making new industry connections,” Giovanni said.

	“I had instructors who encouraged me to push my innovative ideas and they tailored some aspects of the course to help enhance my skill sets. They knew I would bring my company into a new direction in the industry,” Giovanni said.

	Giovanni’s gamble paid off. Not only did the GG program add greater depth and breadth to his gem knowledge, but he came back to his businesses to find they were well taken care of during his absence. Soon after, the entrepreneur said, Blacksmith & Company jumped from being a small, two-man operation to a multi-employee company almost overnight.

	“I built a whole new company while I was building myself and my skills at GIA,” he said. “GIA was able to take what I knew and help me mold it into something new.”

Branding Brilliance

	Fast forward to today and Giovanni’s gem and jewelry business is operating in high gear. The semi-custom men’s lines that his firm produces all follow a carefully crafted look and feel – a distinctive brand design he works closely with his in-house team to maintain.

	Like his custom motorcycle business, Giovanni’s Blacksmith Intl. & Co. offers an online store to serve clients on a global scale. Branding and marketing are also a specialty of his, and he has come out with jewelry lines that are lower in price, featuring metals such as stainless steel and sterling silver, along with more sports-oriented and car-oriented themes.

	Blacksmith Intl. & Co. makes use of platinum, rose gold and some yellow gold, but lately Giovanni has placed a stronger focus on palladium. He says it's relatively lightweight and lends well to bold designs and to creations capable of holding the larger carat – exotic gemstones that have become a trademark of his firm.

	“Our goal is to provide clients with the quality, craftsmanship, metal weight and innovative design they deserve,” he said. “We follow the time-honored tradition and art of crafting metal, and specialize in 950 palladium – the most reflective member of the platinum group.”

	Always eager to share his knowledge, Giovanni recently returned to Carlsbad to present a student lecture covering his innovative jewelry design techniques as well the business practices that have catapulted his ventures.

	The key point that he drove home with students is the importance of protecting your brand. “You can have everything else taken away from you,” he said, “but your brand represents who you are and what you do. I’ll fight for my brand until the end. The Blacksmith name reflects my ability and desire to tailor designs according to my customers’ wishes, whether they want motorcycles, cars or jewelry.”

	Giovanni said he has learned a lot by listening to older people in the jewelry business. Even if they have not been the most successful at their craft, he appreciates the advice they have to offer.

	“They knew what needed to be done in order to make a change or to go forward and people just haven’t listened to it,” he said. If you find these people, “they’ll see something in you and they’ll feed you information that they may have never told anybody else,” he said.

	He sees his role in coming back to talk to students as a way to pay his experience forward.

	“You need to be able to tell individuals what you did, how it worked for you, situations around it and give them examples because one of those examples may click,” he said. “You follow your heart. You do what you think is right.”

	Giovanni's Equator band series for men. Photo provided by Blacksmith Intl. & Co. @topic:6