Publish Year: - Title: Jadeite Manufacturing and Trading Hubs in Guangdong, China Abstract: China’s Guangdong Province is famous for the manufacture and trading of jadeite jewelry items such as bangle bracelets. – Photo by Eric Welch

                      Guangzhou, Jieyang, Sihui, and Pingzhou are mainland China’s well-known jadeite manufacturing and trading centers. Each specializes in a different aspect of the industry. In 2013, GIA visited Sihui and Pingzhou to gain deeper insights into China’s jade industry.

	Guangzhou, Jieyang, Sihui, and Pingzhou are the four jadeite manufacturing and trading centers in Guangdong Province, China.

	Guangzhou and Jieyang
Guangzhou has been the hub of the jadeite trade since the 1660s. By about the 1880s, the industry’s division of labor was already well established in this major port city, with specific groups of people trading rough, cutting, and selling the finished products.

Yangmei, a village located in the city of Jieyang, boasts the titles of “Jade Capital of China” and “Jade Capital of Asia.” Yangmei specializes in the manufacturing and trading of medium- to high-quality jadeite products, 90% of which come from here.

	Sihui
Sihui is world famous for jadeite manufacturing and trading. More than 200,000 people are involved in the industry in this city alone. During our visit to Sihui, we observed shops as well as carving and jewelry manufacturers. We also interviewed Tang Xiaodong, secretary-general of the Sihui Jade Trade Association.

China’s jadeite industry developed during the Qing Dynasty, under the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi (1861–1908). During that time, a jadeite carving center was developed in Guangzhou, with many of the artisans coming from Sihui. After economic reforms were implemented in the 1980s, many artisans returned to Sihui and started jadeite carving cooperatives, passing the trade down to future generations and enabling it to flourish locally. The industry in Sihui developed rapidly after 2005 and has now reached sales of more than 100 billion yuan each year.

	Some of the high-end stores in Sihui offer fine-quality imperial green jadeite jewelry. – Photo by Eric Welch, courtesy Hanwuyuting

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	Sihui Jadeite Industry

	Pingzhou
In Pingzhou, the modern jadeite industry began in the 1980s and has matured rapidly since 2000. As with Sihui, its growth accelerated after 2005, particularly in the last few years. Where there were 1,000 stores a decade ago, there are now more than 3,000. There are about 100 manufacturing businesses on Pingzhou’s Jade Street, and merchants from Jieyang and Sihui have also established a presence there. One very large jadeite trading center in Pingzhou is called Cui Bao Yuan (“a garden full of precious jadeite”). The buildings were designed to combine trading with tourism. A merchant from Yunnan built it to resemble the ancient city of Dali. This market features a garden built specially to display the work of the great carving artisans.

	There are thousands of jadeite shops in Pingzhou. Some have beautiful interiors to match the jadeite masterpieces in their window displays. – Photo by Eric Welch, courtesy Mazu Jade Co.
The Pingzhou Gemstone & Jade Association was founded in 2001. The association protects the interests of its members and regulates the industry. The association established a Myanmar jadeite bidding fair in 2003 to provide an open public platform for Chinese and Burmese traders.

	Pingzhou is an important center for jadeite bangle bracelets. Disks are cut from flat jadeite slabs using a drill press and a circular saw bit. – Photo by Eric Welch

	Jadeite Bangle Factory

	Visit to a Jadeite Bangle Factory in Pingzhou
Pingzhou is well known as a producing and trading center for jadeite bangles. During our stay, we visited a factory devoted to bangle bracelet production. In the past eight years, the factory has grown from an area of ten square meters to more than 2,000 square meters. There we witnessed the entire manufacturing process.

	In Pingzhou, jadeite bangles can be found in a wide variety of styles, including ones with color zoning. – Photo by Eric Welch, courtesy Mazu Jade Co.
First, flat slabs are cut from jadeite boulders. Outlines for various bracelet sizes are drawn onto the jadeite slabs. A drilling machine cuts the initial round shapes. Once the jadeite disks are formed, smaller circular saw bits are used to cut the bangles’ inside diameters. Factory workers use saw bits in various sizes to create inside dimensions for different wrist sizes.

At this point, a variety of bangle bracelet styles can be created from the initial forms, including rounded tops and engraving. A bangle might be recut thinner to remove fractures, which can diminish the value. Once the shape and style of the bangle is complete, it is polished.

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	Pingzhou Bangle Bracelet Manufacturing

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	Pingzhou Jadeite

	Jadeite Evaluation
During an interview in Pingzhou, Mr. Liang Huanglin, president of the Pingzhou Jewelry and Jade Association, described the association and the industry it serves. He also discussed the evaluation of jadeite products and the importance of Guangshen jade objects. “Guangshen” refers to jadeite that has not been carved but has a smooth, high-luster surface. Pingzhou is famous for the quality of its Guangshen bangles and other objects.

	Jadeite occupies a unique gemstone market that has its own evaluation considerations. – Photo by Eric Welch, courtesy Yu Tian Shan Fang
Mr. Liang began his description of the evaluation process and quality factors by talking about a jade quality characteristic that might be difficult for Westerners to understand. It’s called “Zhong,” and it refers to the completeness of metamorphism a piece of jadeite experienced. Jadeite that experienced more complete metamorphism tends to be of higher quality. “Shuitou” refers to transparency, which can range between “shuiduan” and “shuichang” (higher transparency).

Texture is another quality factor: The finer the texture, the higher the quality. Fine-textured jadeite generally takes on a better polish, which gives it higher luster.

According to Mr. Liang, the most precious jadeite color is green, followed by purple, colorless, yellow, and red. Transparency and color can affect each other directly when it comes to jadeite value. This is especially true for colorless jadeite, which has become very popular, especially with women in their twenties and thirties. Colorless, near-transparent jadeite cost only 30,000 yuan per kilo in 1991, when Mr. Huanglin first entered the industry. It reached its peak value in 2010, at 10 million yuan per kilo. Color zoning can also greatly affect jadeite value, depending on the pattern and the colors.

	On the Outside Looking In

	Jade experts in China’s Guangdong Province were extremely welcoming to the GIA team and generously shared their knowledge of this fascinating industry. – Photo by Eric Welch
While often hidden to the West, China’s jade market is a thriving one. It sometimes has dramatic ups and downs, but it has risen continually over the long term. It has its own language, evaluation criteria, complexities, and expertise. This industry is really its own niche market, separate from the colored gemstone market and focused on the Chinese people, who share a special cultural bond with jadeite that’s unequaled by any other gem. @topic:9


Publish Year: - Title: Making Connections in 2019: Alumni Association India-Themed Event, Buccellati Contest Winner, and Other GIA Activities in Tucson Abstract: From left: Robert Gessner, Maryanna Nagle, Jennifer Pusenkoff and Melissa Gessner.

More than 350 alumni and guests from 16 countries gathered for the 2019 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’s theme, “India-Odyssey,” paid tribute to the great diversity and beauty of India. The country’s dichotomy of extravagance and simplicity as seen in its colorful textiles, geography and cultures has influenced and changed the course of history, particularly in the jewelry industry. Many legendary gems have been unearthed in India and for centuries master craftsmen have fashioned magnificent jewelry from them. India has made priceless contributions to the advancement, appreciation and desire to own gemstones and jewelry across the globe.

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Party-goers were able to pose with Indian-themed props at the photo booth and get “Golconda Glam” with a temporary tattoo.
The event was also an opportunity to display the 18 original design renderings of the finalists of the second annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design. The competition – open to students who successfully completed the GIA Jewelry Design course in 2018 – recognizes artistic excellence in jewelry design. Hand-rendered designs from 18 finalists from seven GIA schools were judged by a committee comprised of known gem and jewelry industry experts in design, manufacturing and jewelry retail experts.

Ching-Hui Weng’ design of “Urocissa caerulea,” a blue bird that represents Taiwan, won the 2018 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design. GIA digital file
Susan Jacques, president and CEO of GIA, announced that Ching-Hui Weng, who studied at GIA’s Taiwan school and received her GIA Jewelry Design certificate in 2018, was the winner. Her design rendering of “Urocissa caerulea,” a blue bird that represents Taiwan, was comprised of a yellow and white gold brooch featuring opals, aquamarine, lapis lazuli, black chalcedony, coral, and white and yellow diamonds.
“My source of inspiration is the flight dynamics of these birds, used in combination with gemstones to express their flight,” Weng said.

GIA Governor Barbara Dutrow bids on an item during the silent auction.
Jacques then kicked off the always exciting and competitive live auction led by GIA alumni Lindy Adducci of DuMouchelle Auctions, who volunteers her professional services each year. All proceeds from the event support the Alumni Endowment Fund. This year’s event raised nearly $30,000 from event tickets and the silent and live auctions. More than 75 items, including loose gemstones and pearls, designer jewelry, mineral specimen, equipment, books and more were available to bid on.
“This annual reunion of alumni and industry friends continues to impress in both its dynamism and attendance, and we excited to bring together so many of diverse members of the trade together for this evening of networking and fun, while supporting the Alumni Endowment and giving ultimately give back to our constituency,” said Kate Donovan, manager of global alumni relations. “This event takes a village to execute and I would like to extend a special thank you to all of our auction contributors, supporters, event attendees and volunteers.
“We look forward to seeing you all again and encourage you to mark your calendar on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 for next year’s party.”

Amanda Hornberger and Laura Hornberger.
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 19 chapters attended, including representatives from Asia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, and the U.S. were present, along with GIA executives Susan Jacques, president and chief executive officer; Duncan Pay, vice-president and chief academic officer, 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.
Kate Donovan, manager of global alumni relations, led the gathering by welcoming attendees and recognizing the volunteer efforts of the global alumni leaders (as individuals and as chapters) for their extraordinary efforts and accomplishments that helped the GIA Alumni Association achieve a banner year in 2018. Looking ahead, she introduced the newly expanded alumni department team members, and shared GIA’s executive commitment to support the Alumni Association and some recent and planned actions to further this support.
Jacques and Pay shared the initiatives under way to strengthen and expand support for all alumni members and chapters worldwide by providing relevant resources. An update was provided on GIA services, education initiatives and the Institute’s commitment to expanded gemological research and how these initiatives support the entire lifetime of our constituency, from student through time as an alumnus and industry veteran. Jacques also urged the group to actively reach out to new alumni and invite them to participate in local chapter activities.
The event wrapped with an open forum discussion and between chapter leaders and GIA’s alumni and executive representatives. They shared best practices and experiences from their chapters, and exchanged ideas, challenges and requests on how to improve support to chapters and leadership volunteers so they can serve the GIA Alumni Association community in the year ahead.

Composite image of jumbo gemstones for TGMS Tucson 2019. Left, clockwise: 11905 ametrine, 368 ct, Minas Gerais, Brazil, gift of Dr. L. T. Moore. 684 yellow topaz, 1002 ct, Brazil, gift of Dr. Gerald T. Zwiren. 24606 sherry pink fluorite, 311.55 ct, gift of Donald and Ruth Milliken.  5901 yellow spodumene, 200 ct, Afghanistan, gift of Daniel J. and M. H. Henkin. 1958 green beryl, 156 ct, Brazil, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Vicaro Jay Martin. 14716 pink morganite, 292 ct, gift of Dr. William L. Harville Jr. 36817 yellow beryl (heliodor), 226 ct, Brazil. See related asset. Orasa Weldon/GIA
GIA Museum and Library Exhibits
The GIA Museum presented a display of “Jumbo Gems” – the largest, a 21,290 ct rock crystal quartz from Brazil – to demonstrate the importance of facets and how they play a role in bringing beauty to a gemstone, as well as the size in which some gem materials can occur.
The GIA library presented “Selecting Gem Rough: A Guide for Artisanal Miners,” an educational guide created by GIA that contains basic gemological concepts to help artisanal miners in Africa better understand value factors in the rough they mine. Results have shown that miners have tripled the value of their production. The exhibit case included rough and cut examples of many East African gems including amethyst, aquamarine, diamond, emerald, garnet, opal, sapphire, tanzanite, tourmaline and zircon.

A miner in Tunduru, Tanzania examines the artisanal mining guide following GIA’s lecture on the subject. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA
Robert Weldon, director of the Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center and co-author of the guide, detailed the story behind the guide and how it benefitted approximately 1,000 gem miners in Tanzania, especially the women. @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: GIA Scholarship Helps Designer Build Technical Skills, Creativity Abstract: Wisner’s final project for his JDT class at GIA was this 18K yellow gold, emerald and lariat suite. The green is a vitreous transparent enamel, and the lariat features a 30-ct, round brilliant emerald. “This suite is one of my greatest prides as a designer,” Wisner says. “I used everything I had ever learned in making it.” Courtesy of Daniel Wisner.

Daniel Wisner’s pulse quickened as he walked down the hallway with his mother to pick up his older brother from metalsmithing class. The closer they got, the louder the strains of Black Sabbath and rhythmically clanging hammers echoed down the hallway. The wide-eyed 9-year-old entered the arts center classroom and was immediately captivated.

“People were hunched over mandrills and forming stakes, hammering away at silver bowls, while my brother, Justin, was in the corner with a blow torch and massive, Mad Max-style goggles shielding his face,” remembers Wisner, a GIA Jewelry Design and Technology (JDT) graduate and co-owner of Brooklyn jewelry design firm Matthias & Wisner. “The instructor stood front and center, hair past her waist, encrusted in silver from head to toe. I immediately felt at home in the metal shop and from that point on, I wanted to be a jeweler.”

Wisner anxiously waited for his 11th birthday when he could join his brother in an apprenticeship with the instructor, silversmith Kristen Alice Urffer. The brothers studied alongside Urffer for the next five years.

“Kristen did things the old way, and really drove home the ‘practice makes perfect’ maxim,” he says. “She instilled in us patience and dedication to the craft. Her focus and ‘do it again’ mentality gave me the backbone to continue in the industry.”

Daniel Wisner, JDT, has a diverse artistic background including sculpture and performance art, though jewelry has been his focus since an apprenticeship with a silversmith at just 11 years old. Wisner operates the Brooklyn-based design firm, Matthias & Wisner, with his brother, Justin. Courtesy of Daniel Wisner.
Wisner then apprenticed with a production jeweler before heading to Kutztown University of Pennsylvania to earn his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Enamel and Jewelry Arts. While there, he worked as a studio monitor in the school’s metal and jewelry arts program and began a small business creating commissioned jewelry pieces.

He graduated from Kutztown in 2014 and was awarded a residency and yearlong staff artist position at the Vermont Studio Center (VSC) in Johnson, Vermont. As the end of Wisner’s year of experimenting with sculpture, performance art, and his longtime favorite – jewelry design – at VSC drew near, he began to explore work as a designer in New York City. He was soon hit with an uncomfortable reality.

“I quickly found that while my artistic skills were on par with industry expectations, my technical knowledge was lacking,” he says. “I’d spent years working on techniques that were no longer used industry-wide. Though I knew how to talk to a jeweler about making a three-stone engagement ring with a cathedral setting and could show them a sketch, I didn’t know how to produce it in CAD – or even what CAD was.”

After one disappointing job-hunting trip, Wisner remembered that another mentor, jeweler Janna Gregonis, had told him about GIA and how it could give him an “unparalleled education” and “a better edge against competition in the job market.” He did some research and was surprised to learn that GIA offered a seven-month intensive program in Carlsbad on CAD and design. He applied to the program and for a scholarship the next day.

A few months later, Wisner received a letter stating he had received the scholarship in whole.

“I could barely speak,” he says. “I knew from that moment that my life just made a major shift.”

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That life change was dramatic: Wisner moved from the East Coast to Southern California in 2016. His brother Justin, who had also trained as a jeweler and blacksmith and was working in jewelry sales, moved with him to help support him while he threw himself into the intensive program. Wisner attended every student lecture, checked out stacks of books at the “second-to-none” Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center almost daily, and focused on showing up every time.

“These classes are grueling and long, filled with painstaking detail and work, but that’s exactly why you should come to class every single day,” he says. “So much happens in one day, it can set you back more than you think just by missing even an hour.”

Wisner clearly remembers a day in class when he was “mesmerized” by the “absurd levels of detail” he and his classmates learned to create a piece of jewelry in Matrix. His instructor told him it was “just the beginning” of what was to come in technology.

“At the time I couldn’t believe that CAD could get any more advanced than what I’d just experienced, but now I know how right he was,” Wisner says. “The JDT program prepared me to enter the industry as a technical designer and gave me the tools and knowledge I needed to get started.

“I learned more in seven months about technology, stone grading and business practices than I ever thought possible, and my base of knowledge is more expansive than I ever hoped. I feel more confident and in control of my work than ever before and know that I’m able to create exactly what I’ve drawn on paper using the knowledge I gained during my time at GIA.”

The Wisner family – from left, mother Lydia, Daniel, Justin and father Peter – celebrate Daniel Wisner’s 2017 graduation at GIA in Carlsbad. “The community one can create while attending GIA is without a doubt a cornerstone to building a successful career as a jeweler, designer, gemologist or business owner,” Wisner says. “The people I met during my time at GIA have become my support group and lifeline for how to navigate the industry.” Wisner and his brother often source stones for their design house, Matthias & Wisner, through friends he met at GIA. Courtesy of Daniel Wisner.
Wisner’s hard work paid off – within six months he had a full-time job as an assistant technical designer at Alexis Bittar. Though his own company was successful, he felt it was important to work for and with other professionals.

He also continues to operate Matthias & Wisner – homage to his parents’ surnames – with his brother. They create commissioned jewelry together, and Wisner says their work complements each other.

“I tend to focus on the stones, and Justin is more metal-focused,” Wisner explains. “And I hold fast to some of the ‘rules’ of design, while Justin’s organic design background frees him of that cage. Our aesthetics are quite similar, though, and we both have classic taste, focusing on using the best materials and creating timeless profiles. This leads to a harmony of contemporary classics.”

They’re both avid students of history and distance themselves from trends in favor of comfortable, wearable jewelry and lasting style, looking to “the greats” like Audrey Hepburn, Steve McQueen, Jackie Onassis and David Bowie for inspiration.

“This piece is super-fun,” Wisner says. “It’s a two-piece construction that allows the owner to put anything they want inside the ‘cage’ prior to completion, from a pearl to a rough stone to a memorial object. The ‘cage’ is then laser-welded together to ensure the object’s safety.” Courtesy of Matthias & Wisner.
“Style is inherently personal,” Wisner says. “Learning how to interpret style gives someone the key to learning how to design what a client really wants.”

As the brothers look forward to growing the business and create a new line of jewelry, Wisner has no plans to stop learning.

“Technique and technology are crucial to successful design,” he says. “Staying current with technology in our industry allows for new possibilities within design – when we stop being restricted by possibility and are allowed to express ourselves, we can create without concern. That’s why I attended GIA, and why I continue to push for development today. Our industry grows every day, and with it, so should we.” @topic:6


Publish Year: 2014 Title: Mexican Opal – Tucson 2014 Abstract: Figure 1. This rhyolite matrix specimen contains opal-filled cavities displaying play-of-color. Photo by Eric Welch; courtesy of Opalos & Artesanias Mexicanas.

Jorge Tamayo Carrillo (Opalos & Artesanias Mexicanas, Magdalena, Mexico) outlined current production of fire opal at his family’s mine, located 10 km south of Magdalena in Jalisco, Mexico.

	Jorge Tamayo CarrilloOpalos & Artesanias Mexicanas

In the first two videos, Jorge Tamayo explains the operation of his family’s opal mine and the work beyond mining to cut, polish, and prepare the array of gems at his Tucson GJX show booth. In the third video, Andres Carrillo demonstrates the beauty and variety of appearances Mexican opal provides.
Tamayo said the mine was shut down several years ago. His family took a risk and reopened it, and now they have worked it for more than five years. The material they exhibited at the GJX show represented several years of production.

The operation employs about 20 people. The miners look for opal-filled cavities (figure 1) in the rhyolite host rock. Veins last anywhere from two days to a few years on occasion. Explosives are used to break the host rock, and dump trucks move the ore to the surface, where workers break it up further with small hammers to extract the opal.

Production is put aside for six months to a year to minimize the risk to customers that the opals might show crazing due to water loss. At this point, Tamayo estimates, only 5% of the material might craze. Opalos & Artesanias Mexicanas has now been in business for 27 years, and the second-generation company prides itself on full disclosure. Its clientele consists of buyers in the United States, Japan, China, and Germany. All cutting is done in house or by local artisans, as the company aims to support the local community.

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Patience pays off for Opalos & Artesanias Mexicanas
Red, pink, orange, yellow, and colorless (“clear” or “white”) specimens without play-of-color are polished by hand into freeform shapes or used for faceted stones (figure 2). Fine material with play-of-color is fashioned into cabochons or freeform shapes (figure 3). Lower-end material—essentially rhyolite matrix with gemmy opal portions—is fabricated by hand into cabochons for use in rings, bracelets, and cufflinks. @topic:13


Publish Year: - Title: A Vivid Spring 2016 Auction Season: Sales Totals Near $800 Million Abstract: A cut-cornered, rectangular, mixed-cut Fancy Intense blue diamond, weighing approximately 24.18 carats, flanked on either side by tapered baguette-cut diamonds, weighing a total of approximately 2.36 carats, mounted in platinum. It is inscribed with “Cullinan Dream.” Photo courtesy of Christie’s

The spring 2016 auction season was one for the record books, achieving nearly $800 million in sales between March and July and featuring the costliest gemstone ever to be sold at a public sale.

Christie’s and Sotheby’s, who control over 90 percent of top-end gem and jewelry sales worldwide, broke last year’s record by more than $140 million, aided by the Oppenheimer Blue, a Fancy Vivid blue diamond that sold for $57.1 million.

Francois Curiel, chairman of Christie’s Asia, said the market still was being driven by private buyers from Russia and Asia.

A rare oval Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid blue diamond weighing 10.10 cts. Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s
The first major stone to sell this past season was the 10.10 ct. Fancy Vivid blue De Beers Millennial 4 diamond. The stone was part of De Beers’ famed diamond collection of 10 blue diamonds that were exhibited at the London Millennial Dome in 2000. A gang of thieves crashed through the dome wall with an earth-mover and attempted to steal the collection on Nov. 8, 2000. The diamonds were housed in shatterproof glass cases, however, which proved to be the gang’s undoing – the police apprehended several members as they were trying to smash the cases.

After the exhibition closed some months later, De Beers sold the collection privately. The buyer of the Millennial 4 stone, a Hong Kong resident, consigned the GIA-graded diamond for sale at Sotheby’s April 2 Hong Kong sale, where it brought $32 million, or $3.2 million per carat.

Designed by Verdura, the Jubilee Ruby ring features a 15.99 ct. oval-shaped Burmese ruby surrounded by diamonds and mounted in platinum and 18K gold. Photo courtesy of Christie’s
Several major gemstones changed hands at Christie’s in New York on April 20. The 15.99 ct. Jubilee Ruby, an unheated Burmese cushion cut, became the most expensive colored gemstone ever sold at auction in the U.S. when the high bidder paid $14.2 million for it.  Just before the ruby sold, another buyer paid $8.8 million for a 10.07 ct. Fancy Intense purple pink brilliant cut diamond and $7.2 million for a 40.43 ct. type IIa D flawless diamond. Both diamonds were graded by GIA.

A day earlier at Sotheby’s, one significant lot failed to sell. The 9.54 ct. Fancy Deep blue Shirley Temple diamond – presented to the child actress in 1940 – did not meet its $25 million reserve. Sotheby’s executives said they were confident they could sell the diamond in a private deal.

 The "Unique Pink," a 15.38 ct. natural-color, Fancy Vivid pink diamond. Graded by GIA, the diamond is a pear modified brilliant with VVS2 clarity, and classified as a Type IIa diamond.  Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s
The highest total ever achieved at a single auction occurred on May 17 when Sotheby’s realized $175.1 million at its Geneva Magnificent and Noble Jewels auction. The highlight was the Unique Pink, a 15.38 ct. Fancy Vivid pink diamond that went to a private buyer for $31.6 million, a record for a stone of that grade. The auction also featured a 6.64 ct. Fancy Intense blue diamond brooch by Alexandre Reza that sold for $13.7 million.

The Fancy Vivid blue rectangular-cut diamond, weighing approximately 14.62 cts. is flanked on either side by a trapeze-shaped diamond. It is mounted in the original platinum “Eight Shades” mounting from Verdura. GIA graded the diamond a Fancy Vivid blue, natural color, VVS1 clarity. Photo courtesy of Christie’s
While there are several diamonds carrying the Oppenheimer name, the 14.62 Fancy Vivid blue diamond that belonged to Sir Philip Oppenheimer was the one that took the title of the world’s most expensive gem ever sold at auction. The diamond, graded by GIA, was expected to sell at Christie’s May 18 Geneva sale for about $45 million, but the bidding reached $57.4 million in only 25 minutes. The buyer declined to be identified. That diamond accounted for about 40 percent of Christie’s sale total of $145 million that day, which would have been good for a world record two years ago. That auction also featured a pair of near-matching (11.96 ct. and 12.2 ct.) Fancy Vivid orange yellow ear pendants that sold for $11.6 million.

This 5.03 ct. Fancy Vivid green, named the Aurora Green, is the largest Fancy Vivid green diamond graded by GIA as of May 2016. Photo courtesy of Christie’s

At the end of May, a 5.03 Fancy Vivid green diamond brought over $16.8 million ($3.34 million per carat) at Christie’s Hong Kong sale – the highest price and per-carat amount ever paid for a green diamond. One reason for the lofty price is that the stone was tracked from mine to market, giving strong provenance for the natural origin of its green color. That auction also saw the highest price ever paid for a pair of ruby earrings, $11.6 million, weighing 10.02 ct. and 9.09 ct. That works out to just over $607,000 per carat. Also, the highest price ever paid for a bracelet at auction − $7.26 million − went for a Cartier Art Deco and sapphire piece.
Late-Season Auctions

Customarily, the last major auctions are held in mid-to-late May but this was an unusual season. Christie’s added the 24.18 ct. Fancy Intense blue Cullinan Dream diamond to its June 9 New York sale, where it realized $25.3 million. The GIA-graded diamond was the largest of that grade ever auctioned and the first to be sold from a 122 ct. rough that was discovered several years ago in South Africa’s historic Cullinan Mine.

The Cullinan mine has been the source of many of the world’s largest diamonds, including the largest diamond ever found  – 3,106 cts., since the mine opened in 1903.

This 1,109 carat rough Type IIa diamond, named Lesedi La Rona, was unearthed in Botswana last year – the second largest ever found. Photo courtesy of Lucara Diamond

The second largest rough diamond ever found – the Lesedi La Rona – came last year at Lucara Diamond Corp., Kerowe Mine in Botswana. It was only the second gem-quality rough diamond ever to break the thousand-carat mark, weighing in at 1,109 cts. While mining companies usually sell rough diamonds through their own auctions or contract price sight sales, Lucara consigned the diamond and four other rough diamonds weighing just over 5 carats each to Sotheby’s for sale on June 29 in London, where it was expected to bring in excess of $70 million.

In what was supposed to be the climactic close to this record auction season, auctioneer David Bennett opened the bidding at $50 million and the price climbed slowly before stalling at $61 million. Bennett kept his hammer poised for several minutes announcing "last chance” before bringing it down and informing the audience that the stone failed to meet the reserve price and did not sell. @topic:7


Publish Year: - Title: Luxury Watch Companies Tone Down the Bling in 2016 Abstract: Chopard’s Rainbow Imperiale Joaillerie watch, containing 581 sapphires of graduated color, combines design and craftsmanship ‒ with a more subtle bling factor ‒ popular in today’s luxury watches. Photo courtesy of Chopard

	The world luxury market is retooling to adjust to changing consumer attitudes in Western nations and new economic realities in Asia and the Middle East. Nowhere is that more evident than the ultra-luxury watch industry, which is moving away from the “dipped-in-diamonds” look of previous years to distinctive, memorable designs.

	Today’s market is challenging luxury watch brands to reverse a sharp decline in demand. Sales have fallen steadily through the year and in April they were down 8% in units and 9.6% by value compared to the same period in 2015.

	Not surprisingly, the biggest downturn was in precious metal and gemstone watches, which declined more than 14% by both value and units. Exports to China, once the sector’s most promising market, were down more than 36% and 17% by value. Japanese demand declined by 5.8%, while Europe saw double digit declines. The only growth market (just barely) was the U.S., which was up 1.2%.

	The reasons are the same as why other producers of luxury products are rethinking their products and marketing:

		Economic growth in China is slowing; some retailers there are looking at 10% declines in sales.

		Depressed commodity and oil prices have cut the buying power of Middle Eastern buyers.

		The high U.S. dollar has discouraged consumers in Russia and India.

		U.S. consumers, even very wealthy ones, have become more discerning, shying away from ostentation for its own sake.

 Mouawad’s La Bijou Devine watch line, featuring approximately two carats of colorless, round brilliant cut diamonds set into rose gold in a crescent-shaped dial, emphasizes style and elegance over the showiness that was popular several years ago. Photo courtesy of Mouawad

	“People are more cautious today,” explains Alain Mouawad, whose company traditionally offered watches studded with 20 or more carats of high quality diamonds. The company’s latest jeweled watches contain about two carats of diamonds in its high market La Bijou Devine collection.

	A tour of the luxury watch pavilion at Baselworld 2016, when many of the prestige brands reveal their new styles, saw a much more muted line of products than were offered two or three years ago.

 Graff introduced its Princess Butterfly watch, which contains 25 carats of blue pear-shaped sapphires and is accented by colorless diamond baguettes, at Baselworld. Push on one of the diamonds to reveal the dial. Photo courtesy of Graff

	Graff, for example, which in the past was all about diamonds – a great many of them – offered a “Princess Butterfly” watch set with 25 carats of pear-shaped sapphires in its wings and small baguette diamonds surrounding the dial.

	Chopard traditionally created some of the world’s most costly diamond watches, but its director of product development Guy Bove says its clientele want “individualistic design in place of many, many gemstones.”

 Chopard has revived its Happy Diamonds watch collection, which it introduced more than 40 years ago. The watch contains from 4-14 colorless, round brilliant 5 mm diamonds, depending on the model, that float inside the watch dial. Photo courtesy of Chopard

	The company developed several diamond watch lines, including reviving its 40-year-old "Happy Diamonds" watch, where the emphasis is on setting diamonds within striking designs “to show them well.” In the woman’s watch, 14 five mm round brilliant diamonds placed under the watch crystal float around the mother-of-pearl dial. The man’s version uses four floating diamonds.

	Chopard has not let the gem-studded watch concept go just yet. It showed an ingenious, albeit extremely difficult, Imperiale Joaillerie timepiece made from 581 sapphires of different colors that subtly graduate to create the full spectrum of color around the dial, bezel and watch band.

	Luxury watches are not only about gemstones. A number of watch brands are divisions of large conglomerates, such as Richemont and Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy (LVMH), which spend million of dollars on marketing and maintaining brand integrity. Indeed, their brand presence at the Baselworld Fair is a case in point: they display their timepieces in multi-story spaces the size of a city store. Inside these structures, a mix of elegance and technology is meant to impress the 100,000 or so tourists and buyers who visit the show each year.

	“Brands are very powerful with watches. Much more so than high jewelry,” explains Mouawad, who notes that some models can top $1 million even without being set with many carats of diamonds and other gemstones. The cost is a result of the design and workmanship – most high luxury watches have extremely complex analog movements that, beyond keeping time, follow the cycles of the moon. They also include calendars and sport functions, such as a stop-watch.

	“Some of these cost more than $100,000 to produce, even before the designs and casing,” Mouawad says.

 Graff has remained in the bling game with the Pink Princess Butterfly watch, which contains 25 carats of fancy pink color pear-shaped diamonds. The butterfly wings open to reveal the secret dial. Photo courtesy of Graff

	Mouawad notes that demand for high-end watches in China is shifting toward more complex movements and limited edition collectors’ pieces. In the Middle East, he adds, buyers still want jeweled watches, but the realities of today’s economy have trimmed demand. Although the U.S. is still a growth market, consumers there, like those in other markets around the world, are opting for more distinctively designed pieces with collector appeal. @topic:7


Publish Year: - Title: JCK 2016: Trying to Jumpstart Millennial Demand Abstract: Buying at the June JCK Show in Las Vegas was at the lower end of expectations, according to exhibitors. Photo by Russell Shor/GIA

	Business at the JCK Show in Las Vegas fell at the low end of expectations as retailers continue to remain cautious about the direction of the U.S. economy and struggle to retool their sales efforts to appeal to consumers beset by stagnant incomes and appeals from competing products.

	Buying Segments

	Designers at the upscale Luxury and Couture shows reported decent demand, but the trend continued away from obvious bling toward pieces with distinctive looks using small diamonds and gemstones.

	Demand for commercial jewelry and loose diamonds was very spotty. Buyers tended to order the minimum they believed they would need before the fall season. Jewelry and diamond demand was better in the upper segment of more than $20,000 and in the lower-priced market under $2,500.

	Demand for loose colored stones at the accompanying American Gem Trade Association show was very slow, but better in finished jewelry pieces as designers wanted to create larger looks with stones such as aquamarine, amethyst, chalcedony, opals and various types of garnets.

	Design Trends

	A number of designers offered convertible pieces – pendants that could be detached as a ring or multi-pieced rings that could be worn as separate items. There were also ear pendants of opaque stones and very fine gold or sterling silver strands. Items made with larger stones like opal, accented by diamond pavé or unusual gemstones, invite retailers to talk about them with their customers.

	Loose Diamonds

	Dealers said profitability has improved since last fall, but sales remain sluggish. As one high-end diamond dealer put it: “We’ve done OK, but every year the definition of OK seems to be getting a little lower. “

	At the high end, demand for better qualities larger than 5 carats was there, but seller competition was keen.

	“Consumers in that price range still have good disposable incomes and many are veteran jewelry buyers,” said one major dealer. “And there is still demand at the lower price level, but competition there is extremely intense and retailers are squeezing harder than ever for terms and memo, so that makes it difficult to recover.”

	The middle, he said, is the biggest challenge. “The squeeze middle class consumers face today is well-publicized. We, as an industry, have to figure out how to sell to them again.”

	Marketing Initiatives

	Indeed, marketing to the millennial generation was on everybody’s mind, even though the difficulties of the middle class extend well beyond that age range.

	There were a number of sales initiatives and seminars announced at the show to try and help retailers, jewelry manufacturers and gem dealers connect with that generation. The most significant was an estimated $12 million program developed by the Diamond Producers Association (DPA), a group formed a year ago from the world’s seven largest diamond mining companies.

	The campaign, which will be presented in various social media and TV outlets, has the slogan “Real is rare. Real is a diamond.” The campaign, showing young couples in clubs and in resorts, continues to be relationship-oriented similar to the De Beers “Forever” advertising of past years, but is not aimed specifically at engagement or anniversary jewelry as those were.

	“Marketing diamonds is much more complex today, so you cannot employ the same practices we used 20 years ago,” said Stephen Lussier, DPA chairman and CEO of De Beers’ Forevermark.

	David Lamb, a marketing consultant for DPA, said this generation wants real connections, but are much less about formality and traditional rules than previous generations. The purpose of this campaign “is to get them think that a diamond is the perfect symbol of a real connection,” he noted.

	The diamond trade generally reacted positively to the campaign and slogan, particularly because it addressed growing competition from synthetic diamond producers. These man-made diamonds appeared in a number of designer lines offered at the Vegas shows and a number of wholesalers were offering both colorless and fancy colored synthetics.

	The well-publicized start-up Diamond Foundry was test-marketing diamonds through four companies exhibiting at the show and a spokesman for the company noted that it has begun commercial production. @topic:7


Publish Year: - Title: Auctions Brighten Soft Year Abstract: The 25.59 ct. Sunrise Ruby, set in a ring by Cartier, drew a price of $30.3 million at Sotheby’s Geneva sale; the highest price ever paid for a ruby at auction and the highest per-carat price (nearly $1.2 million) ever paid for a ruby. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

                      The spring auction season ended on another strong note with sales – again − setting records.

Christie’s closed the spring auction season with a $118 million sale in Hong Kong, the highest total achieved for an Asian sale. Nearly 90% of the lots offered were sold and prices, while not quite record breaking, were very strong.

The top lot was a 120 carat (ct.) Burmese ruby and diamond necklace by Etcetera that sold to a private Asian buyer for $13 million. A rectangular-shaped, 9.07-ct., GIA-graded internally flawless (IF), Fancy Intense pink, type IIa Harry Winston diamond ring sold for $12.6 million, or $1.4 million per carat.

In addition, a rectangular-cut, 15.15-ct., D, IF diamond ring by Graff brought $3.6 million, or $235,760 per carat, and a pear-shape, 3-ct., IF, Fancy Intense blue diamond ring by Moussaieff, sold for $2.6 million, or $851,904 per carat.

On May 13 in Geneva, Sotheby’s sold the first ruby to break the $1 million per carat record. The 25.59 ct. Sunrise ruby doubled its pre-sale estimate to achieve a final price of $30.3 million, or about $1.2 million per carat − in an auction that achieved the highest total ever for a jewelry auction: $160.91 million, nearly $20 million above the previous record. The auction catalog noted the ruby was Burmese, with no evidence of treatment.

The sale also featured an 8.72-ct. GIA-graded Fancy Vivid pink diamond that reportedly was linked to Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, the niece of Napoleon Bonaparte. The cushion-shaped diamond sold for $15.9 million, or $1.82 million per carat. The diamond had been stored in a bank vault since the end of World War II.

In Hong Kong, Tiancheng International reported its most successful jewelry auction ever on June 14. The sale totaled US$38 million, and included a 25.72 ct. D VS2 heart-shape diamond that sold for $3.18 million. The diamond was cut from a 67.45 ct. piece of rough.

A jade and diamond necklace drew a top bid of $3.78 million and a necklace containing a 52.22 ct. Mozambique ruby drew a top bid of $3.18 million.

This jade and diamond set of necklace and earrings drew a winning bid of $3.78 million at the Tiancheng International auction in Hong Kong. The eight jade cabochons measured 20.13 mm x 17.13 mm x 9.73 mm and were set with 73.55 carats of diamonds. Courtesy of Tiancheng International.
MARKET

The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that jewelry sales continue to soften in April. Business at retail jewelry stores is down 2.4% for the month, compared to last year, and down 1.5% for all sales outlets. Retail jewelry sales are down 4.5% for the first four months of the year. The Commerce report also notes that preliminary data for May indicate that retail jewelry sales continue to be soft and that retail sales of other consumer products were generally flat for the year.

Prices for rough diamonds at the De Beers’ June sight were reportedly unchanged from May and still unprofitable to manufacture. The sight was estimated at $550 million to $600 million – medium size- with few refusals, but also few calls for “ex-plan” (additional sales) goods. De Beers sightholders and other diamond manufacturers report that their monthly production dropped by 25 to 35% leaving a 7-10 month supply overhang – especially in 0.30 to 0.90 carat stones in better clarities.

Hong Kong dealers report that its wholesale market is down by 25 to 30% and 5 to 7% on the mainland, despite retail sales that are still rising by a small percentage. This is because retailers there have large stocks and an abundance of caution.

For an industry that previously looked to China to buoy it through slowing markets elsewhere, the adjustment is difficult because the most robust market, the U.S., remains cautious and extremely selective.

De Beers and retail analysts remain optimistic that demand in the U.S. will pick up in September and bring low- to mid-single digit growth by year’s end. @topic:7


Publish Year: - Title: Australian Retailer’s Focus on Customer Education Builds on Century of Success Abstract: John Whitaker said that learning to grade diamonds during his GIA studies felt “natural” to him. “I still love doing it,” he says. Courtesy Whitaker’s Jewellers

                      “We put all the cards on the table for our customers,” says John Whitaker, GG, and principal of Australia’s Whitaker’s Jewellers.

Whitaker, whose 112-year-old store is a staple in the community of Cooks Hill, New South Wales, specializes in diamonds, gemstones, custom and bridal jewelry. He attributes a large part of the store’s four generations of success to their client-comes-first approach.

“Open, genuine information builds trust,” he says, “and aids in creating an exciting, unique customer experience.”

Whitaker’s consumer education videos, which he posts on the store’s website, range from how to find out a woman’s ring size and natural style preferences, to why it’s important to buy a graded diamond.

“It’s important that the consumer is made aware of the differences in metals and stone qualities, so they can make a completely informed decision on what combination is right for them,” he says. “Most clients come to the store with a good general understanding of the 4Cs, but we have the knowledge and training to clarify any misconceptions – and enhance their appreciation of the stone through seeing it for themselves.”

	Whitaker’s Jewellers, pictured here in the 1950s, is a century-old institution in New South Wales, Australia. Courtesy Whitaker’s Jewellers
Whitaker’s enthusiasm for people, jewelry and the retail experience is a far cry from his early wariness to enter the family trade. His great-grandfather, Reginald Wilfred Whitaker, founded Whitaker’s Jewellers in Muswellbrook, Australia in 1903, and after many years and expansions to new locations, the business was passed to John Whitaker, Sr., Whitaker’s father.

“When I was growing up, the one thing I didn’t want to do was be a jewelry retailer,” he says. “I saw how hard my father worked and couldn’t see his profession as suitable to me.”

But when Whitaker began training as a salesperson in 1987, he had a change of heart.

“I fell in love with jewelry, and being a part of my clients’ special occasions and moments,” he says. A trip soon after to the Basel Trade Fair in Switzerland confirmed his growing passion; Whitaker says he was “blown away” by the experience and still has vivid memories of the diamonds and colored gemstones he saw there.

As the young man wrapped up his traineeship and changed course on a career path, his father pulled him aside.

“My father, in his wisdom, said to me, ‘You’ll need to know more than I do to make it. In the future, what I know won’t be enough to be successful,’” Whitaker recalls. “How right he was.”

The elder Whitaker had heard about GIA through trade media outlets like JCK magazine. “We decided I should attend GIA to ensure I had the latest and most highly regarded jewelry industry training and career foundation on the planet.”

Whitaker’s time studying in Santa Monica – he earned his GG in 1989 – was so revelatory that he says he almost needed help “coming back to earth” when he returned home.

“My experience at GIA was absolutely amazing,” he says. “I was transported into the world of diamonds and gems to a degree that I had not expected. The chance to grade and identify the widest variety of gemstones made a huge impression, but the thing that made the biggest impact on me was how my view of the global industry completely changed. I realized how much more there was for me to achieve after having my eyes well- and truly opened.”

	The look of Whitaker’s Jewellers has changed through the years, but its commitment to consumer education is still a hallmark. “Open, genuine information builds trust,” says John Whitaker, GG. Courtesy Whitaker’s Jewellers
Whitaker worked for his father for many years and across several of the store’s locations, only leaving for a couple of years to gain outside-the-family-business experience in Sydney. He oversaw teams and marketing for Whitaker’s Jewellers until 2006, when he and his wife, Leonie, took over the business and moved it to Newcastle.

“If I didn’t have my GIA qualifications, I couldn’t be doing what I’m doing today,” says Whitaker, who personally trains every team member and provides monthly instruction in diamond education. “I love being with people, whether that’s my clients or my team. It gives me great pleasure to see my team grow and be able to reach their goals in their careers with our assistance.”

Whitaker says that in addition to continuing education, he keeps on top of his business by “staying close to the ground.”

“My clients are a great way for me to stay connected to the sales floor and what’s happening, and it’s still the thing I love best,” says Whitaker, who cites diamond selection and grading as another favorite part of his job. “You have to keep your knowledge up to date, because the world of diamonds and gems never stands still.”

“The only thing that matters is the outcome for the client. If you’re in wholesale, you always need to be focused with what’s happening for your retailer with their clients. And retailers should have the complete client experience in mind at all times,” he says. “It’s the in-store experience that will get them off their chairs and walking back into stores.” @topic:12


Publish Year: - Title: Sibling Design Team Embraces Family Legacy, Carves New Path Abstract: Tej, left, and Anar Bhansali, at the Getty Museum in their hometown of Los Angeles, credit the GIA experience as an important part of their professional development. “My time there gave me some of the greatest experiences and memories I’ve ever had or shared,” Tej Bhansali says. His sister concurs, saying, “GIA gave me a strong foundation to build upon. And the experience and feeling of community it creates were unforgettable.” Photo © Bhansali

	Third-generation diamond merchant Samir Bhansali had plenty of success in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles over two and a half decades of business there.

	But when the Mumbai-born businessman leaned into his desire for creative expression and launched an upscale jewelry line − La Reina by Bhansali − it was more than his own career that took an inspired turn: his son, Tej and daughter, Anar, found their places in the industry, too.

	Tej Bhansali, an economics graduate of the University of Southern California (USC), and Anar Bhansali, also a USC student (and a budding fashion designer with internship experience at Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani), watched their father’s career evolution with great interest.

	As Anar Bhansali’s USC graduation drew closer, the business administration and Spanish major started rethinking her plans for fashion design and started dreaming of a business that she and her brother could run together.

	“In my senior year of college, I came up with the basic concept behind the company,” she says. “I shared my vision and ideas with Tej, and he loved them. On the night before my graduation from USC, we sat in my empty apartment overlooking the downtown Los Angeles skyline and literally drew up a business plan on a gigantic roll of white paper.”

	The vision that they detailed that night – designing pieces of “wearable luxury” for women around the world – also included “establishing a culture of philanthropy and giving,” she says. They’d name their company Bhansali, paying homage both to the family’s industry heritage, and to their parents, whose support and consultation would make their dream possible.

Pearl rings, from Bhansali's “Hope” Collection, feature gemstones inlaid into pearl. From top, Tahitian pearl ring with .57 total carat weight (tcw) of diamond and .10 tcw of amethyst; white South Sea pearl ring with .57 tcw of diamond and .18 tcw of lab-created pink sapphire; Tahitian pearl ring with .57 tcw of diamond and .11 tcw of Paraiba tourmaline. Photo © Bhansali

	Though the two grew up around the diamond industry, their first order of business was heading to GIA’s Carlsbad campus. Tej Bhansali, wanting to complement his father’s diamond experience with colored stone knowledge, earned his Graduate Gemologist diploma, and Anar Bhansali earned her Graduate Diamonds diploma. Both graduated in 2013.

	“I felt very comfortable there,” Tej Bhansali says. “It was exciting to meet people who shared the same passion. We were proud of calling ourselves GGs – ‘gem geeks.’ And it was a way to learn something new and bring that to the table.”

	Anar Bhansali, who remembers seeing GIA Diamond Grading Reports on her father’s desk as a child, was captivated by her growing knowledge about the world of diamonds – beyond what she’d seen growing up.

	“I’d never thought so deeply about the history and science behind diamonds, or the industry,” she says. “It was new to me.”

	The siblings, each armed with fresh knowledge and a burgeoning industry network of friends, traveled extensively for the next year, setting up the supply chain for their company and opening a manufacturing facility in Bangkok. Returning to Los Angeles, they set up a studio in Beverly Hills, where Bhansali is designed – and where they can regularly trade ideas and insights with their father.

The Yin Yang bangle from Bhansali’s “One” collection features 18K white gold, along with a 6.30-carat (ct.) white quartz, a 6.50-ct. black onyx and 1.50 tcw of diamonds. Photo © Bhansali

Their designs include lines like “One,” featuring “simple, sophisticated” jewelry that’s intended to be the “little black dress” of accessories, and “Hope,” which is named for the designers’ mother, whose name, Asha, means “hope” in Hindi. The "Hope" line is a tribute to women with “strong character and soft hearts,” featuring diamond clusters inlaid into pearls.

	Anar Bhansali, the head designer, also manages most daily operations. As co-founder and CEO, Tej Bhansali oversees the factory in Thailand, and helps ensure that operations are running smoothly.

These 18K white gold earrings, from Bhansali’s “One” collection, feature lab-created ruby and 1.53 tcw of diamonds. Photo © Bhansali

	“Tej and I share similar vision and values, but our strengths and skills are opposite,” says Anar Bhansali of the team’s partnership. “It’s the best partnership, and very complementary.”

	The brother and sister share a commitment to giving back, too, and made it an important component of their business plan.

	“Philanthropy is the soul of our company,” says Anar Bhansali. “As a family, we all feel the importance of giving back to the world that has given us our life and well-being.”

	Tej will soon move to India with another of his ventures, helping develop affordable, eco-friendly housing, schools, hospitals and public restrooms for people in lower income groups. Anar says that in a few years, they also hope to establish their own nonprofit. It will focus on empowering women in need, educating children, raising awareness of climate change and promoting social entrepreneurship.

	They’re big goals, but the Bhansalis have learned from example that it’s good to evolve and that embracing individual talents and passions helps their business and dreams thrive.

	“Everyone has those individual merits and talents,” she says. “Express yourself – don’t be afraid to be different.” @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: De Beers Announces New Deferments; China Devalues Yuan Abstract: The Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair will be an important indicator for business throughout Asia during the next  six months. Photo by Russell Shor/GIA

	De Beers announced that it will allow clients to defer as much as 75% of their Aug. 24-28 sight until as late as March 2016. The move comes after clients left almost two-thirds of their July allocations on the table. De Beers has held the line on rough prices despite a weakening of polished diamonds prices that makes cutting unprofitable.

	The July sight, allocated at about $650 million, totaled between $200 and $250 million after clients deferred or outright refused their goods. De Beers reported that its rough diamond sales fell 21% in the first half of the year and that it would reduce its mining by about three million carats – from a target of 32 million down to 29 million carats – during the remainder of 2015 to deal with the slow market.

	Alrosa, which sells its rough via sights and contracts with consortia in India and Israel, has not significantly lowered prices this year and reportedly has continued to require its clients to honor contracts, leaving some to speculate that dealers are deferring De Beers sights to pay for Alrosa rough.

	Rio Tinto, which has adopted a more flexible pricing policy for its rough, said that revenues fell 23% for the first half of 2015 against the same period last year, while diamond production increased 18%.

	Encouragingly for the diamond industry, Blue Nile’s second quarter 2015 diamond sales increased a reported 6.7% from the corresponding period last year, following a disappointing first half that recorded a 2.1% rise, one of the smallest in the online diamond merchant’s history. Driving the increase was a strong upturn in engagement ring sales – the company’s core strength. Non-engagement and fashion jewelry increased 3.5%. The company is forecasting an increase of 3% to 5% for the year.

	Overall, luxury sales, including jewelry, have languished this year. U.S. jewelry sales continue to run slightly behind last year’s pace; down 1.5% in June. Luxury watch sales declined even more, posting a decline of more than 3%.

	Coinciding with the softening of U.S. retail demand, is a decline in consumer confidence, which fell sharply in July according to the Conference Board, a consumer research organization, as consumers worried that the fallout from the financial bailout for Greece and the declining Chinese economy could affect the U.S. economy.

The slowing Chinese economy and the decline of the renminbi yuan has clouded the outlook for retail jewelry sales in Hong Kong and the mainland. Photo by Russell Shor/GIA

	China, in a move that may deter already slowing diamond sales, devalued its currency, the renminbi yuan, in successive stages by nearly 5% during the week of Aug. 10. Diamonds are traded primarily in U.S. dollars, so the decline in the renminbi will raise prices. The government announced the devaluation to spur demand for Chinese exports as the country’s economy falters. A number of the country’s retail jewelers, however, are already posting sales declines in comparison to last year, so this move will not help.

	The industry will await the results of the Sept. 16-22 Hong Kong Gem and Jewellery Fair, the largest diamond, cultured pearl and gemstone fair in the world. Typically, that fair is the driver for end-of-year business in Asia and its success or failure will be a significant predictor for 2016 business in that part of the world. @topic:7


Publish Year: - Title: Exhibition Review: Treasures and Talismans: Rings from the Griffin Collection Abstract: Figure 1. The 17th century British memento mori ring shown here, made from gold, enamel, diamonds, and ruby, has a locket for holding secret messages.  From the Griffin Collection. Photograph by Richard Goodbody, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

                      Rings, traditionally the most popular style of jewelry, carried heavy cultural and spiritual significance throughout the Middle Ages. Available to all levels of society, both male and female, since they were purchased in the marketplace rather than custom designed, rings became connected to identity, romantic affection, social and ecclesiastical status, and even the nature of life and death (figure 1). Treasures and Talismans: Rings from the Griffin Collection, on exhibition at the Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s medieval art and architecture branch, spotlights the relevance of rings to the period. The exhibition, part of a private collection named for the mythical creature that guarded gold mines, focuses on the styles and techniques used in ring manufacture from the early 5th through 16th centuries, along with the wearers of the rings themselves. Themes such as love, death, and religious devotion are explored, not only through the jewelry displayed, but by accompanying media such as video demonstrations and artwork in which rings are prominently featured.

The dozens of rings on display are remarkable. Gold was usually recycled from other forms, and goldsmiths relied on coins and existing jewelry for the metal needed to forge new rings. Stones were also recycled, but as trade grew they could be obtained from the Middle East and Asia. Since faceting was not mastered until the late medieval period, gems were usually featured in their rough, uncut state, or in cabochon form. A gold ring from Byzantium (figure 2), dating from the 12th–13th centuries and set with aquamarine and pearls, exhibits such an uncut material.

Figure 2.  This aquamarine, pearl, and gold ring from Byzantium dates from the 12-13th centuries. From the Griffin Collection. Photograph by Richard Goodbody, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Rings with romantic meaning are a familiar concept to today’s audience, but the medievals had a number of options for expressing their love. Since gems had to be recycled or sourced from distant locations, engravings were often used in their place, as in the Byzantine marriage ring in figure 3. Rather than using images, some Elizabethan-era couples chose to wear “posy” rings, with engravings on the outer and inner bands. Such inscriptions in the displayed rings include “Thinke Wel of Me,” “Providence Divine Hath Made Thee Mine,” and simply, “I Like My Choyse.” Gimmel rings, in which two bands form one complete ring, were also used to commemorate engagements and marriages.

Figure 3. This Byzantine gold marriage ring features an engraving of the couple. From the Griffin Collection. Photograph by Richard Goodbody, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Both clergy and laity wore jewelry commemorating their religious devotion, with priests and bishops wearing oversized rings to denote their status. Additional rings were often needed to keep the largest one in place. Pieces of this nature can be seen in artwork within the gallery, such as “Scenes from the Life of Saint Augustine of Hippo” (1490), an oil, gold, and silver painting on a wood panel by the Netherlandish artist Master of Saint Augustine. A similar style is seen in the late 15th century carving entitled “Saint Germain and a Donor.” Medieval Christians would frequently wear jewelry such as rings or brooches engraved with religious iconography or passages in order to obtain divine intercession; wearing these pieces directly on the body was believed to be particularly persuasive. Of particular interest in this category are memento mori rings, intended to remind the wearer of the unimportance of earthly pleasures. From the Latin for “remember that you have to die,” the rings often featured symbols such as skulls or skeletons (as in the British ring seen in figure 1) indicating the fleeting nature of life. As with this locket ring, there were often secret compartments for hidden messages or reminders.

The idea of identity is examined in the collection’s signet and key rings. For people without a family coat-of-arms, signet rings were used as a signature to seal documents and communication. Key rings, a Roman tradition, were used to secure boxes, allowing the wearer exclusive access to the contents. The ring in figure 4 is one such ring, engraved with the owner’s name, Homonoea.

Figure 4. Key rings, such as this one from the early medieval period, allowed the wearer exclusive access to locked boxes. From the Griffin Collection. Photograph by Richard Goodbody, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The prominence of the ring in the works of art on display reemphasizes its importance to European culture. Along with the previously mentioned pieces, objects complementing the rings include a piece from a 2nd century mummy’s shroud, with the deceased’s image (including hands with rings on every finger) painted on it. Tools of the trade such as scales, along with an ivory personal storage casket with scenes engraved (including a young man giving a ring to a woman) are also on view. Many of the techniques used by medieval goldsmiths have been lost to time, but visitors can view video of modern cutting, design, and setting creation. The relative ease with which this work is done by machine emphasizes the painstaking work of these goldsmiths. This is depicted in the Petrus Christus oil painting “A Goldsmith in His Shop,” wherein a well-to-do couple watches a craftsman weigh a wedding band, his tools and creations surrounding him.

Curated by the Met’s own C. Griffith Mann, Treasures and Talismans is an extraordinary look into the postclassical world of Europe as expressed through jewelry.

Treasures and Talismans: Rings from the Griffin Collection is on view in the Glass Gallery at the Cloisters until October 15, 2015. The recommended admission is $25 for adults, $17 for seniors 65 and over, and $12 for students; this also allows same-day entry in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Main Building on Fifth Avenue. The Cloisters is open seven days a week; hours from March through October are 10:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. The museum is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: Exhibition Review: Jewels by JAR at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Abstract: This tulip brooch from 2008, displayed in the “Jewels by JAR” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is composed of rubies, diamonds, pink sapphires, garnets, silver, gold, and enamel. Photo by Jozsef Tari, courtesy of JAR, Paris.

                      Since November 20, 2013, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has hosted the “Jewels by JAR” retrospective, marking the Met’s first-ever show dedicated to a living contemporary jeweler. Bronx-born Joel Arthur Rosenthal, known professionally as JAR, is known to be very particular in his dealings with the outside world.  He does not lend his designs for magazine shoots or make red carpet appearances. Nevertheless, his jewelry is among some of the most sought after at auction, frequently fetching multi-million-dollar bids. The JAR retrospective, curated by Jane Adlin and displaying 395 pieces, is located in the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Gallery on the museum’s first floor, in its Modern and Contemporary Art galleries, which also house Matisse, Klee, and Picasso paintings.

The assembly of this jewelry collection is a rare event in itself, because of the sheer exclusivity of JAR’s work. Visitors are able to enjoy an ensemble of realistic, life-sized, multicolor pieces. JAR favors a floral theme (figure 2), and over a hundred examples are on display. Animal motifs are much less represented, numbering just over fifty. The dominant gemstones are diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and pearls. Some rare gemstones, such as sphalerite and alexandrite, are also displayed. JAR also masterfully reuses micromosaics, antique cameos, 18th century miniatures, and materials such as beetle wings in his designs. Titanium mountings, which allow the display of unusual metal colors such as blue and violet, have made him an innovator in the industry.

	Figure 2. Left: From 2001, diamonds, lilac sapphires, garnets, aluminum, silver, and gold are assembled to form this lilac brooch. Right: JAR created this geranium brooch (2007) using diamonds, aluminum, silver, and gold. Both pieces are from private collections. Photos by Jozsef Tari, courtesy of JAR, Paris.
The exhibit and associated merchandising events have stirred some controversy, with accusations that the Met, a world-class cultural institution, is acting as a commercial space. The JAR retrospective has also been pinned as a glorification of an elite taste for expensive objects.

Regardless, given the rarity of these pieces, this in itself makes this a remarkable event for the jewelry enthusiast. Gemologists will appreciate the superb quality of gemstones used by JAR in artful pavé-set creations. The splendor of rubies, diamonds, sapphires, and natural pearls in selected pieces is particularly striking (figure 3). The arresting quality of these objects makes up for the lack of mise-en-scène of the exhibit itself, which provides no signage other than a short biography of JAR. No organizing theme is established for the layout. While the connoisseur may be able to discern different themes, the general public is likely to be overwhelmed by the multiplicity of floral and animal pieces, as I witnessed during my visit. A simple booklet, featuring a succinct object list, is a welcome keepsake, though lacking jewelry dimensions and carat weight information. The scarcity of information is not solved by the exhibition catalogue, which only features 70 of the 395 pieces from this retrospective.

	Figure 3. Left: This JAR bracelet featuring diamonds, silver, and platinum, was created in 2010. Right: The camellia brooch, also from 2010, uses rubies, pink sapphires, diamonds, silver, and gold in its design. Both pieces are from private collections. Photos by Jozsef Tari, courtesy of JAR, Paris.
The exhibition’s pathway is circular and runs clockwise in a long oval room. The first collection consists of fifty floral pieces, mostly brooches; the ruby and diamond parrot tulip brooch is particularly alluring. This group is followed by an ensemble of sixty pairs of earrings, designed in more abstract and decorative patterns (figure 4). The second wall presents an assembly of unusual objects such as abstract pieces, boxes, sculptures, watches, and clocks. The hyperrealism, originality, and precision of some of these works shows JAR’s wide-ranging inspirations.  Certain pieces of this window display bring an unexpected element of surprise and humor in this solemn setting. The lettuce leaf and 18th-century micromosaic rabbit brooch (linked by a chain), along with the asparagus brooches, are worthy of notice.

	Figure 4. Left: JAR’s multicolored handkerchief earrings (2011) is an assemblage of sapphire, garnet, zircon, tourmaline, emerald, ruby, fire opal, spinel, beryl, diamond, platinum, silver, and gold. Right: This cameo and rose petal brooch, also from 2011, incorporates ruby, diamond, silver, and gold in its design. Both pieces are from private collections. Photos by Jozsef Tari, courtesy of JAR, Paris.
Visitors can also enjoy the objects set in 14 square-column window displays, with one or two pieces on each side. One of the most iconic jewels of this group is a zebra brooch comprised of agate, diamond, sapphire, silver, and gold (figure 5); a sheep’s head brooch, made of natural pearls, sapphire, and blackened silver and gold, is also intriguing. The exhibition continues with a rectangular window filled with 40 floral and vegetal pieces. The show concludes gracefully on a panel adorned with twenty butterfly brooches.

	Figure 5. Left: This poppy brooch from JAR (1982) is comprised of diamonds, tourmalines and gold. Right: The iconic zebra brooch from 1987 is made from agate, diamonds, sapphire, silver, and gold. Both pieces are from private collections. Photos by Katharina Faerber, courtesy of JAR, Paris.
While the general public may note the lack of scenography and description and therefore miss his artistry and craftsmanship, “Jewels by JAR” is a must-see for the jewelry enthusiast who wishes to become more familiar with these rare and eclectic masterpieces. @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: Positive Design With Negative Space Abstract: View Gallery

	Sometimes what you don’t see is as important as what you do.

	“Negative space” is the explanation to this curious statement. It is the empty area between two objects that gives shape and depth to a design.

	Minimalist painters and sculptors in the 1960s and early 1970s generously used negative space in their work. Their style was part of the “less is more” school – a philosophy that said that an object didn’t need to be ornate to be beautiful.

	Negative space is also a popular motif in contemporary jewelry design. Its hallmark is a clean, modern look.

	Mark Schneider’s MJSA American Vision Award winning design, a convertible ring/pendant, is a study in negative space. The interlocking platinum bands make quarter moons, creating slivers of emptiness. When worn as a ring, the black Tahitian cultured pearl looks like it is suspended above the finger – another use of negative space.

	This ring by Mark Schneider features a 12.3 mm black South Sea pearl with .47 ct black and .32 ct white pavé diamonds. It may be worn as a ring in open position or worn upside down as a pendant. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA

	The rising price of precious metals has also driven jewelry designers to incorporate more negative space into their work. With the technique, designers can make stunning-but-affordable pieces by using less metal. So the inclusion of negative space in a design is ultimately a blend of necessity and style.

	The future of negative space? Many consumers yearn for simple shapes as a remedy for complex times and the price of precious metals is not likely to fall, so negative space will continue to have a positive influence on jewelry design.

	Holly K. Croft’s necklace, which won an AGTA Spectrum Award and Platinum Honors, cleverly uses negative space. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA @topic:6


Publish Year: 1987 Title: The Seven Types of Yellow Sapphire and Their Stability to Light Abstract: Colorless to yellow to intense orange sapphire will react quite differently to light or heat depending on the nature of the material and the origin of the color. The authors determined that there are actually seven types of "yellow" sapphire on the market today, which differ in the cause of color and the stability of the color to light: type 1—natural, light-stable color center; type 2—natural or irradiation-produced, fading color center; type 3—iron containing, not heated, light stable; type 4—iron containing, heated, light stable; type 5—surface-diffused additive, light stable; type 6—synthetic, light stable; and type 7—synthetic irradiated, fading. The authors examined more than 150 samples of yellow sapphire to confirm the seven types and document their different reactions to light, heat, and/or irradiation. One unexpected finding was that type 1 material can fade on heating even below 200°C, but that the color is restored by exposure to light. @topic:3


Publish Year: 2014 Title: Books: Jewels by JAR Abstract: Essay by Adrian Sassoon, 144 pp., illus., publ. by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, distributed by Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2013, US$40.00. The JAR butterfly brooch (1994) is from a private collection. Photograph by Katharina Faerber, courtesy of JAR, Paris.

              Joel Arthur Rosenthal is not a household name. Yet to many in the jewelry industry, the designs he creates for his jewelry house, JAR, are legendary for their innovation and artful use of color. Established in 1978, JAR is synonymous with quality and style. Alongside business partner Pierre Jeannet, Rosenthal has built a firm whose reputation is rooted in beauty, discretion, attention to detail, and deeply personalized service. Jewels by JAR was created to accompany the retrospective of the same name at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The book opens with a dedication by Rosenthal himself, with a foreword by Thomas P. Campbell, director of the Metropolitan. The main text is an engrossing essay by art dealer Adrian Sassoon on Rosenthal’s career. The essay will be particularly interesting to followers of the notoriously publicity-shy Rosenthal.

The remainder of the book consists of page after page of fabulous color images depicting handcrafted JAR creations. While one finds copious amounts of luxurious gems, gold, and platinum in his jewelry, Rosenthal has never limited his creations to so-called precious materials. Materials such as beetle wings, wood, resin, enamel, bronze, and aluminum have been used to complete his artistic vision. The success he has achieved is obvious in each photograph, deepening this reader’s lament that she did not have the opportunity to view the exhibit in person.

Even the pieces’ presentation boxes do not escape the discriminating eye of the designer. The interior of a given box might be custom-lined with suede of a color meant to complement the jewel it will hold. Box lids are often embossed with the owner’s initials, serving as a reminder that each JAR creation is indeed one-of-a-kind.

Truly lovely to look at, with an interesting text, Jewels by JAR is a “must-read,” not only for serious collectors of Rosenthal’s work, but for anyone interested in jewelry and jewelry design. @topic:6


Publish Year: - Title: Filigree Inlay Art: The Intangible Cultural Heritage of China Abstract: This filigree inlay brooch displays some very complicated filigree work on the insect’s head. Inlay work was used to mount the stone to the body. Photo by Eric Welch/GIA.

                      The art of filigree inlay, also called “fine gold art,” combines two craft skills. One is filigree, which includes such techniques as nipping, plaiting, jointing, piling, filling, and knitting, and uses gold or silver threads of different weights. The second component, inlay work, involves mounting the stones to the final product and carving or filing the precious metals. The craftsperson can use one or both skills when creating a piece.

	History of filigree inlay art
Filigree inlay art originated in the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). At the time, it was called “Jin Yin Cuo,” which involved painting gold and silver on the surface of bronze artworks. With the development of techniques for making thin gold and silver thread, which occurred around the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, filigree inlay art advanced in maturity.

The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) was the golden age of filigree inlay art. Many masterpieces were created and inherited. Following the Ming dynasty, filigree inlay art reached its peak in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Qing was the last dynasty in China’s history. However, it was ruled by the minority group “Man” for over 260 years.

The art form developed by inheriting essential elements from the previous dynasties and adding new elements over time. Many filigree inlay pieces seen in a private art museum run by the premium jade jewelry brand, Zhaoyi, are replicas of masterpieces from Ming and Qing dynasties.

For a long time, filigree inlay artwork was controlled and appreciated only by royal families and the imperial class. Ordinary people were able to afford some products, but were prohibited from owning pieces bearing certain themes like the dragon and phoenix. Only the royal class could own the highest-quality materials and designs.

Social catastrophe at the end of the Qing dynasty meant the imperial family could no longer hold its position and afford luxury items. Many master goldsmiths escaped the palace to open their own businesses. For a while, many small-scale filigree inlay art studios and workshops were concentrated in southern Beijing, which once had been an area full of all kinds of craftspeople.

	This pair of earrings is a replica of a Ming dynasty masterpiece. The earrings are 3-D replicas of lamps used in the Forbidden City. The lamps imitate pavilions with hexagonal profiles. Goldsmiths added seven spherical pendants to the pavilions. When the wearer moves, the pendants swing back and forth. Photo by Eric Welch/GIA.

	This is a replica of a Qing dynasty ring, once used as a gift from the mother-in-law to the new daughter-in-law, expressing wishes that she become a smart wife who benefits the family economically. By applying fine gold art, each small bead on the abacus can move freely. Photo by Eric Welch/GIA.
By the end of the 20th century, after the many social upheavals China had experienced over the previous 150 years, filigree inlay art was one of many cultural heritages that were fading away. Very few master goldsmiths were still able to work in this art form, and young people rarely devoted themselves to the diligence and hard work required. Another barrier came from the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), when wearing or owning jewelry or simply being pretty was considered offensive.

The drafting, internationally, of the concept of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the early 2000s made it possible for filigree inlay art to be picked up and passed along to future generations. (The concept of Intangible Cultural Heritage encompasses practices, knowledge, and skills that are recognized as part of a country’s or community’s cultural heritage.)

	Collaboration between modern jewelry company and
	master goldsmith
Due to the outrageously high costs required for creating art pieces with filigree inlay art, very few people wanted to invest the money to start from scratch. At this critical moment, the collaboration between Zhaoyi and master goldsmith Bai Jingyi caught people’s attention. Before this collaboration, Master Bai had refused invitations from many jewelry companies due to conflicting interests. President Wang from Zhaoyi reassured Master Bai that making fast and major profit on filigree inlay art was not the company’s goal.

Zhaoyi, which began as a brand that specialized in jadeite, decided to contribute to the continuation of this almost-lost art. This time, Master Bai agreed and they established her studio about four years ago. Zhaoyi also supported Bai’s idea of developing the skills first and then creating some originally designed products.

	Zhaoyi, a famous premium jadeite brand, collaborated with Master Bai to create a filigree inlay art studio. The company uses profits from the jadeite business to support the haute couture filigree inlay art business. Photo by Pedro Padua/GIA.
For the past four years, Master Bai has spent most of her time teaching new artists and young apprentices, making replicas of famous historic pieces, and creating new designs using traditional skills. In Zhaoyi’s Beijing Xin Tian Di guild store, with its three-story layout, two levels are used to display filigree inlay art replicas and new designs. Located on the third floor is the only private filigree inlay art museum in Beijing. Numerous masterpieces from Bai’s studio are displayed there. As Master Bai and her colleagues are making progress on passing this craftsmanship along to the next generation, they are also working on creating new products to fit the high-end jewelry market in China.

	In her studio, Master Bai works on a piece of fine filigree art. Courtesy of Zhao Yi Xin Tiandi Co., Ltd.

	Master Bai Jingyi
After working as a goldsmith and designer in the filigree inlay industry for over 50 years, Bai expressed her deep love for this art style to some contributors.

Her family is made up of the “Man” minority, who formed China’s Qing dynasty. Influenced by her family tradition, she had fallen in love with painting when she was a little girl. Once, she dreamed of becoming a famous painter, but this dream did not come true due to different circumstances and life-changing opportunities she experienced later in her life.

	Master goldsmith and chief designer Master Jingyi Bai creates filigree inlay art and trains others to carry on its traditions. Courtesy of Zhao Yi Xin Tiandi Co., Ltd.
Other than painting, Bai was also very interested in pattern design. This provided a good basis for her entire design life. As a precious-metal major in school, she gained some of the needed knowledge and skills to make artworks like filigree inlay, enamel, etc., but she felt those skills were not enough to make her a successful master goldsmith and designer. She made the most progress after she started working in a real filigree inlay art factory and was trained by some older-generation master goldsmiths.

For the past 50 years, Bai has devoted herself to the tradition and development of filigree inlay art, receiving numerous honors and achievements. In 2008, the state council officially named filigree inlay art as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China. Master Bai was selected to be the official Representative Inheritor at the same time. This honor and its responsibilities, plus her collaboration with Zhaoyi, brought her career to new heights.

With support from the company and her colleagues, Bai made many famous replicas of historic filigree inlay art pieces. One example is the “Six Dragon and Three Phoenix Crown.” She and her colleagues applied not just fine gold art to this piece. She also applied another almost-lost skill called “kingfisher feather skill.” The kingfisher is a beautiful bird with feathers on its back displaying very attractive and lively blue color. Old craftsmen pulled the feathers off a living bird and then mounted them in different jewelry pieces. It was an art used mostly by the Imperial family. In 2012, the “Six Dragon and Three Phoenix Crown” masterpiece was named the Beijing Arts and Crafts Treasure.

	Details were created using the ancient kingfisher feather skill on this “Six Dragon and Three Phoenix Crown” masterpiece. Photo by Eric Welch/GIA.
Now, Master Bai still works full time in her studio as the chief designer for Zhaoyi’s filigree inlay art haute couture services. She is pleased to see more and more young people joining her as apprentices to inherit this old but exquisite art. She expresses pride in them and tries her best to pass those skills on to the next generation.

	Master Bai still works full time at the studio, and also teaches students and apprentices. Courtesy of Zhao Yi Xin Tiandi Co., Ltd.

	The market for filigree inlay artwork
Although Master Bai and her group focus mainly on the filigree inlay art high-end market, she admits that there are two parts of the market as a whole. Many small-scale workshops around the country have limited investment levels and different interests. Their goal is not to inherit or pass the skills along to the next generation, but rather to make some quick money with relatively low-quality filigree inlay works, or add some filigree elements to other rapidly made products. These products dominate the souvenir market.

Master Bai originally thought that her high-end products would only be consumed by successful businessmen or older-generation high-ranking government officials. To her surprise, some young people are highly motivated to buy her creations as well. One of the studio’s first individually designed jewelry sets was purchased by a very young couple.

In terms of domestic and overseas markets, Master Bai does not see much difference between them because “going back to traditions” seems like a non-stop trend in the fashion world. She has noticed that China’s young people are paying more and more attention to their traditions. She enjoys seeing young girls wearing fashion outfits with traditional jewelry pieces inherited from their mothers or grandmothers. As for overseas consumers, in addition to paying attention to the style, they also focus on the craftsmanship of a piece. Overall, the market outlook for filigree inlay art is very bright.

	These newly designed modern filigree inlay art pieces are displayed in Zhaoyi’s art museum. Photo by Eric Welch/GIA.

	The future of filigree inlay art
As an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, filigree inlay art has caught people’s attention and is being protected and passed along. Although there is hope in China of keeping this ancient art style and skill alive, there are some difficulties that can’t be avoided. First of all, there are fewer and fewer master goldsmiths. As time goes by, some skills will gradually be lost. More teachers are needed to pass knowledge and skills along to young people.

Secondly, more young apprentices are needed to inherit this art style. Some college graduates want to sit down and learn the skills, but to make sure there are enough people to inherit these skills and pass them along to the next generation, a larger inheritors’ pool is needed.

Last but not least, any type of art can be kept alive only when it can breathe on its own, which means it has to be alive in the real market, not just residing in some museums or appreciated by only a small group of people. Bai insists that even though the creation of replicas is necessary for picking up the almost-lost skills, she and her group will have to make modern designs that can be easily accepted by the current market and its consumers. This will result in keeping the art alive.

What Master Bai wants to tell young jewelry designers is that they need to absorb inspiration from both modern art and Chinese cultural traditions. As a big fan of western oil painting, Bai recommends that art students who want to be jewelry designers go overseas to learn modern art concepts and western artistic aspects. She also reminds them to not forget their own traditions, since that can distinguish them from others. As she says, the friction between western art and oriental tradition usually creates the most beautiful fireworks. @topic:11


Publish Year: - Title: Engagement Rings through the Ages Abstract: The engagement ring’s romantic traditions resonate throughout time. The Romans first introduced the betrothal ring as a plain, iron hoop. Among the gentry, the iron ring was worn while indoors and replaced with the more valuable gold band when outdoors. As early as the 4th century AD, inscriptions, elaborate or as simple as “honey,” embellished the inside of the band. According to Macrobius, a 5th century Roman writer, the betrothal ring was worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. It was believed that from that finger a special vein ran directly to the heart. To this day, the centuries-old custom of wearing an engagement ring in this way has endured.

During the Middle Ages, sapphires and rubies initially adorned the engagement ring, while diamonds were incorporated in the 15th century. The earliest written record of the use of a diamond in an engagement ring was in 1477 by a Dr. Moroltinger, who was advising the future Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian to have a ring set with a diamond for his betrothal to Mary of Burgundy. Resisting fire and steel, diamonds stood for the fortitude of a lifelong partnership. Early cutting techniques caused gems to look dull and even black, according to GIA (Gemological Institute of America), the world’s foremost authority in the grading and identification of diamonds and other gems. Compensating for these lackluster stones, goldsmiths designed elaborate settings, composed of such romantic notions as rosettes and fleur-de-lis, symbolizing the bride’s purity.

More ephemeral than the diamond ring, the rush ring was hastily made from leaves or grass and lasted in many cases as long as the short-lived engagement. A more enduring and popular 16th century ring, the fede (Italian for faith) betrothal ring signified a marriage’s immutability in its central image of two clasped hands.

With the discovery of diamonds in Brazil in the 18th century, diamond jewelry became more readily available, and diamond cluster engagements rings were in vogue. A common cluster design consisted of small rose-cut diamonds arranged around a larger center stone.

Widespread wealth, initiated by the 19th century’s Industrial Revolution and the rich supply of newly discovered African diamond mines, made diamonds available to a greater public. Diamond experts at GIA also note that this period was marked by revolutionary developments in cutting and polishing, resulting in diamonds revealing a brilliance greater than any other gem. The diamond now could stand alone, and thus, the solitaire engagement ring became fashionable.

The simple elegance of the classic Tiffany mounting, introduced in 1886 by Charles L. Tiffany, offered an ideal complement to the beauty of the diamond. With the diamond set high in an open, six-prong mounting, the design permitted greater amounts of light to enter the gem, allowing it to exhibit maximum brilliance. Given all the choices that are available to couples today, not only can they choose an engagement ring that represents a centuries-old symbol of love and tradition, but more importantly, a ring that is a personal expression of themselves. @topic:6