Year: 2015

WFDB express concern over undisclosed diamond treatment

The president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), Ernie Blom, today expressed his concerns over the discovery by the GIA of a shipment of allegedly treated diamonds.  Yesterday, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) said that some 500 colourless to near-colourless diamonds have been submitted primarily to its…

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World record jewellery auction for Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s has set a new world record total for a jewellery auction – breaking six other world auction records in the process.  The ‘Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels’ auction, which was held on Tuesday May 12 in Geneva, achieved a total of 149,851,375 Swiss Francs (£102.9m) – the world record…

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Hallmarking figures up 10% in April

The total number of hallmarked articles grew 10% in April following a disappointing March, according to new figures released from all four of the UK’s assay offices.  According to the data, which was compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office , there was a total of 810,831 articles hallmarked in April…

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GIA notifies trade of potential undisclosed diamond treatment

Approximately 500 colourless to near-colorless diamonds submitted primarily to GIA’s grading laboratory in Ramat Gan, Israel, were potentially subjected to an undisclosed temporary treatment, the body has announced. GIA said it believes that the treatment “temporarily masks the body colour of the diamond, resulting in a colour grade that can…

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FEATURE: Focus on – Casting

There have been great technological changes in the casting industry in recent years. After the latest announcement of 3D printing jewellery by Argos, and the introduction of laser-sintering machines that ‘print’ jewellery directly in precious metal, TOM DAVIS looks at where the industry is heading  In recent years the casting…

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FEATURE: The future is here

It’s clear that technology manufacturers are entering the wristwatch space with the intention of re-defining it. But what does this mean for innovation elsewhere in the market? Where is design going and will it be informed by the smartwatch phenonemon? TOM DAVIS explores With the Apple Watch launching this there…

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Goldsmiths Trafford Centre store set for £800k refurbishment

Jewellery store chain Goldsmiths has announced that its Intu Trafford Centre store in Manchester is to undergo a £800,000 refurbishment.  The new-look store, which will be around a third larger than its current premise, will feature a brand new Rolex room with two seating areas, a branded area for luxury…

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Bremont announces America’s Cup deal

Luxury watch brand Bremont has announced its appointment as Official Timing Partner to the 35th America’s Cup and to the defending champion, Oracle Team USA. The America’s Cup, which has been called the ‘oldest trophy in international sport’, first took place in 1851 on the waters off England’s south coast. Today the…

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Retail sales damaged by early Easter

Retail sales fell in April as an early Easter “pulled” sales into March and impacted results, according to new figures released today.  This is according to the monthly British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG Retail Sales Monitor which found like-for-like sales decreased by 2.4% compared with April last year, when…

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Phillips reports successful inaugural watch auction

Auction house Phillips has reported a successful inaugural watch auction as it broke numerous records and achieved 29.6 million Swiss Francs (£20.5m).  The auction, which was held in Geneva on Saturday May 9 and Sunday May 10, sold four watches for over $1m (£640,000) and established multiple records including the…

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