Current Affairs

Historical ring collection sells for over £300,000

A collection of 101 rings, The Ceres Collection, which range in date from as early as 400 BC were sold for over £3,000 at a Bonhams auction.  The collection of cameo and intaglio rings performed better than expected, ending with a total lot of more than £300,000, triple its pre-sale…

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F Hinds joins 100 firms demanding rates overhaul

Britain’s largest independent family jeweller, F Hinds has joined more than 100 of Britain’s biggest companies calling for business rates to be overhauled. The signatories of the open letter, published in The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, call the conversional tax a “critical problem”, saying that business rates “are no longer…

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Petra share price soars after 232-carat white diamond find

Independent mining firm Petra Diamonds saw its shares soar on Tuesday after it announced the recovery of a 232-carat white diamond at its Cullinan mine.  Shares on the FTSE 250-listed rose by 8.65% finishing the day on 192.10p. The diamond is a D colour Type II diamond, one of the…

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Demand for Fairtrade gold increases

Cred Jewellery, a Fairtrade gold supplier, has received its largest shipment yet as demand soars in the UK.  The shipment, including bullion bars of unrefined 9kg of gold and 11kg of silver, comes from the Sotrami mine in Peru. It is the biggest shipment of Fairtrade metals ever received in…

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Jason Holt leads new apprenticeship standard for craftsmanship industry

Craft employers, including Jason Holt, MD of gemstone specialist Holts London, have submitted a new apprenticeship standard for the craftsmanship industry. The new Craft Phase 2 Trailblazer will deliver the “quality skills employees need to achieve excellence in the workplace.” The new apprentice standard, led by Jason Holts, has been…

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Bonhams set to auction Agatha Christie’s family jewels

Bonhams is set to auction off a collection of diamond jewellery once owned by crime author Agatha Christie.  The jewellery, which is set to go under the hammer at the Knightsbridge auction house on October 8, includes a diamond brooch and a three-stone engagement ring. The items were discovered in…

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£12,000 diamond launched into space remains unclaimed

77 Diamonds, the diamond retailer that launched a £12,000 diamond into the sky earlier this month, say the diamond is still unclaimed.  The diamond which was launched in a secret suburban location is free to keep for the person who finds it. The diamond, mounted on a steel rod frame…

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Fairtrade goldsmiths scheme receives 100 applications in three months

100 small jewellers have applied to register as Fairtrade goldsmiths in the three months since the scheme was introduced. The 100 jewellers have potential collective clout to deliver $100,000 US (£59,000) in Fairtrade premium back to artisanal and small scale mining communities in South America. Fairtrade’s system now allows small…

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Fairtrade gold offering increased by leading casting houses

Britain’s leading casting houses have upped their offering of Fairtrade gold with the announcement that they will now include it in their catalogues.  Jewellers can now buy everything from sheet, wire, casting grain, tube to chain from Cooksongold, Cred, Vipa Designs and Weston Beamor who are all offering some or…

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Gemfields and Gübelin Gem Lab unveils more disclosure for gemstone reports

Gemfields and Gübelin Gem Lab have announced the introduction of a ‘next generation’ disclosure on laboratory-issued gemstone certificates.  This new approach will increase the transparency on gemstone reports, giving dealers the right to waive their anonymity when submitting a stone for laboratory testing. Traditionally, gemstone certificates have been issued without…

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