Bonhams sells £2.3m rare blue diamond

Auction house Bonhams has sold a rare oval-cut fancy intense blue diamond for £2.3m. The diamond, which came from a private British collection, weighed in at 3.81 carats and sold for $792,450 per carat (£610,000). Jean Ghika, head of jewellery for Bonhams UK and Europe, said: “Blue diamonds account for…

Read More »

World’s largest new diamond mine opens

The world’s largest new diamond mine to open in 13 years, Gahcho Kué, was officially unveiled yesterday (Tuesday, 20 September). The mine, a joint venture venture with the De Beers Group of Companies (51%) and Mountain Province Diamonds (49%), is expected to product around 54 million carats of rough diamonds…

Read More »

Forevermark announces completion of brand refresh

Forevermark, the diamond brand from De Beers Group of Companies, has completed a refresh of its global brand identity. Teaming up with marketing agency Pope Wainwright & Wykes (PWW), the new brand identity has been designed to be “digestible and accessible” for global markets and has injected increased “clarity and…

Read More »

Tessa Packard launches new collection

Jewellery brand Tessa Packard has announced the launch of its new fine jewellery collection, ‘For King & Country’. It is inspired by the Golden Age of Discovery – the period in history between the 15th and 18th Centuries, which is renowned for its exploration, sea voyages and adventures in the…

Read More »

Cooksongold announced new managing director

Cooksongold has announced the appointment of Martin Bach as its new managing director. Bach will be working alongside Richard Oldroyd until the end of the year, when Oldroyd will retire. Bach will then assume responsibility from 1 January 2017. He joins the role with vast management experience in automotive and engineering…

Read More »

Holts Academy wins Erasmus funding for European jewellery tutor exchange

Holts Academy has been offered a European school exchange and research programme for its teachers, thought to be the first of its kind for the jewellery industry. Holts  will run the programme with two other well-known European jewellery schools: Hogeschule Trier University of Applied Sciences in Germany and Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School…

Read More »

Holiday mood lifts high street footfall

High street footfall posted the strongest increase of any shopper category in August compared with the same period last year, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Two out of the three locations reported an increase in footfall, with strong growth seen on high streets, which rose 1.1%, while retail parks reported…

Read More »

Millennials spent $25bn on diamond jewellery in 2015, says De Beers

Millennials spent more than US$25 billion on diamond jewellery in 2015 in the four largest consumer markets, acquiring more than any other generation, according to The Diamond Insight Report 2016, published today by The De Beers Group of Companies. Despite millennials (those aged 15-34 in 2015) facing more financial challenges…

Read More »

9ct gold soars 32% in positive August hallmarking figures

The number of 9-carat gold items hallmarked in August soared 32% in a positive month for overall hallmarking figures. That’s according to latest figures released from the four UK assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, which found overall hallmarking figures soared 10.4% from 696,251 items last year…

Read More »

Natural Colour Diamond Association (NCDIA) launches in the UK

The Natural Colour Diamond Association (NCDIA) has announced it is to host its first meeting in the UK. The association, which launched in 2003, is a non-profit membership organisation that aims to “train, enlighten and educate” the global jewellery community and natural colour diamonds. Its first UK meeting will take…

Read More »