Jewelry & Watch News

Mondiamo, an online buyer of pre-owned diamond jewelry, announced that it is merging with CIRCA, a global buyer of pre-owned fine jewelry and watches with 12 offices worldwide. The combination will create “the world’s leading buyer of pre-owned luxury diamonds, jewelry and watches,” according to a press release from Mondiamo. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Consumers own more than $1 trillion of fine jewelry and watches, according to Mondiamo. The company estimates the global secondary market for consumer-owned luxury jewelry and watches at more than $8 billion per year and predicts annual growth in the high single digits. “Sustained growth is fueled by consumer acceptance of ‘recommerce’ and increasingly efficient digital platforms that provide more transparent services and higher values for sellers than was previously available,” according to the release. The merger “transforms the face of the pre-owned luxury jewelry industry by creating a

NEW YORK — While the jewelry industry remains polarized on the issue of lab-grown diamonds, Sally Morrison, chief marketing officer for Lightbox Jewelry, says company research has shown that consumers are generally open minded about them, particularly in their role as fashion jewelry. Morrison spoke as part of a panel discussion during the Jewelers of America National Convention in New York this week on the topic of “Disrupting the Marketplace: Opportunities & Challenges of Selling Lab-Grown Diamonds. She was joined on the panel by Stanley Zale, vice president, diamonds and gemstones procurement at Stuller, and Peter Englehart, director of business development and sales for Atelier Swarovski Fine Jewelry. De Beers rocked the jewelry industry during the 2018 JCK Las Vegas show by introducing Lightbox, its own lab-grown diamond jewelry for sale at $800 retail for a carat. Lightbox pieces, which are lab-grown diamonds set in accessibly priced fashion jewel

Tiffany & Co. announced the launch of its Tiffany Men’s collections, including jewelry, watches and home and accessories products. Tiffany Men’s includes two collections: Tiffany 1837 Makers and Diamond Point. “Tiffany Men’s is centered on craftsmanship as the foundation of our company,” said Reed Krakoff, chief artistic officer for Tiffany. “Tiffany 1837 Makers is a nod to the workmanship and time-honored techniques used in creating jewelry — the idea that there’s a person behind each object.” According to a press release: Embodying Tiffany’s craftsmanship heritage, the Tiffany 1837 Makers collection is inspired by the jeweler’s hollowware workshop and its tradition of handcrafting sports trophies. Designers experimented with concave and convex forms, flat edges and motifs evocative of utilitarian hardware when creating jewelry, barware and more. Stamped with symbols like “T & CO MAKERS,” “NY” and “AG925,” Tiffany 1837 Makers honors Tiffany’s silversmi

PARIS — Maria Cristina Buccellati, global communications and marketing director at her family’s jewelry house, was visibly excited on one particular gray January day in Paris. It was partly because a new Buccellati flagship was to open a few days later on the Rue St.-Honoré, and partly because her family had been selecting more than 200 of its creations for what it calls a Vintage Collection, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Milan-based brand. The collection included a necklace of sculpted crystal beads, created by Mario Buccellati, Ms. Buccellati’s grandfather and founder of the jewelry house. The piece was a gift for the Italian writer Gabriele D’Annunzio to present to his lover, the Italian actress Eleonora Duse. “E’ bellissima,” Ms. Buccellati exclaimed as she displayed a picture of the necklace on her cellphone. In April, about 30 pieces from the collection were presented to invited guests in Paris. Another selection will have a

New York City has a well-deserved reputation as being one of the leading jewelry centers in the world. It is for that reason that NYC is the best place to search for your vintage engagement ring. We’ve browsed through the vintage jewelry options in New York. Here’s a look at the very best New York has to offer. Estate Diamond Jewelry Estate Diamond Jewelry, or EDJ, at 608 Fifth Avenue is one of the leading dealers in vintage engagement rings anywhere. They’ve been in business for over 35 years. During this time they have collected a stunning range of antique and vintage jewelry. They place a particular emphasis on art deco engagement rings. Some of their Art Deco Rings should really be in a museum.  They also collect unique engagement rings. You can browse through just about every renowned jewelry designer during the vintage eras, including signed pieces by the likes of Tiffany, Cartier, Buccellati, and Caldwell. One of the things which separate Estate Diamond Jew

The reputation of the global diamond jewellery industry will hinge on the capability of laboratory groups to detect undisclosed synthetics in the tiniest diamonds, industry leaders say. Diamond laboratory groups are competing fiercely in a technology race to improve detection of lab grown diamonds amid fears for the reputation of the industry. The concern over lab-grown or synthetic diamonds, surrounds an unscrupulous practice of mixing undisclosed synthetic diamonds in packages of natural small diamonds called melee. There is no accurate data to show how often this activity takes place in the supply chain, but the practice has put the global diamond and jewellery industry on its guard. The presence of undisclosed synthetics in diamond jewellery challenges the ethics of the industry and threatens to undermine its reputation. “If the identity of any class of natural diamond is brought into question, we run the risk of undermining the reputation of the entire cat

Say my name, say my name If you’re a retailer who sells jewellery and gift items, you have an opportunity to maximise your revenue if only you’d get personal, and there’s serious heft in the personalised giftware market. Although the personalised gift and jewellery market is fragmented, collectively it is estimated to be worth more than £1 billion annually in the UK. That figure places this market in the same category as promotional goods. Customisable products have been a trend across retail for a few years, but the trend is only getting stronger - and enjoying particular vigour in the jewellery and giftware segments. Globally, the demand for personalised gifts is growing at 9% per annum. Personalisation is the way forward A survey run by YouGov three years ago, researching the trend for customisable wares, discovered some surprising findings: The demographic most inclined to purchase personalised gifts is 35 - 44 year old women Overall, men spend more than

These stunning celebrity engagement rings prove that a diamond—if not a marriage—is forever.  Engagement rings have not always been all about the diamond: Roman brides were given a gold ring to wear in public and an iron ring to wear at home. In the 1700s, simple poesy rings were popular in Europe, while in New England, Puritan men—shunning frivolous rings—were thought to have given thimbles to their betrothed (though women often cut off the tops and wore them as rings anyway). Fast-forward to 1947 and De Beers’s famous slogan, “A diamond is forever.” The rest is history. Now we have everything from Elizabeth Taylor’s 33-carat diamond from Richard Burton (though it was just a gift, not an engagement bauble) to Kim Kardashian West’s 15-carat diamond from Kanye and Olivia Wilde's brilliant emerald from Jason Sudeikis—ring inspiration galore from some of the dazzling gems sported by stars. 1. Jennifer Lopez The fiancé: Alex Rodriguez The ring: A 16-carat emerald

MARRAKESH, Morocco — Crowds of visitors wait in line to see the clothing displays at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakesh. But, once inside, they seem equally awed by its Ali Baba’s cave of jewelry. That cave, as its curator, Dominique Deroche, described it, is a long rectangular vitrine divided into themes — such as color, gold, Africa — that offer another peek into the creative processes of Mr. Saint Laurent, the Algerian-born master designer who died in 2008. Mr. Saint Laurent’s accessories have been receiving fresh attention since September, when the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris opened in his former headquarters on Avenue Marceau; and October, when the museum opened in Marrakesh (the city, he said, that “taught him color”) and Phaidon published “Yves Saint Laurent Accessories” by Patrick Mauriès. Ms. Deroche had long worked for the fashion house as a press liaison. Now 73, she was part of the team that selected pieces from Mr. Saint Laurent’s vast archive t

Before she was beheaded, the queen’s diamonds and pearls were sent to Austria. Now they are on public display — for just a few days — at Sotheby’s. For the first and probably only time ever, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to see, handle and even try on some of Marie Antoinette’s jewelry, including a ring that contains a lock of the queen’s hair and a necklace with 331 pearls and a diamond clasp, which have never been displayed in the United States. “I can’t imagine more important pieces coming to auction unless something from Queen Elizabeth I became available, and that’s not going to happen,” said Frank Everett, sales director of Sotheby’s Luxury and Lifestyle Division. “I don’t know what will ever match it again. I might have to retire.” As part of an exhibit to showcase future auctions, they will be on display at Sotheby’s showroom on York Avenue at 72nd Street in Manhattan through Oct. 16. The jewels were wrapped up and sneakily

 Just like smart watches, smart jewelry is sleek and sophisticated, yet practical – and many pieces offer go-with-everything appeal. Thanks to an appealing combination of beauty, versatility, and functionality, more and more options are making their way into the marketplace. Here, we take a look at some of the most popular options with an eye toward helping you decide which is the best smart jewelry design for your unique needs. Tory Burch for Fitbit Track activity in style with beautiful cuff smart jewelry from top designer Tory Burch. A range of gorgeous designs in popular colors and gleaming metallic lets you keep on top of your game, ensure you get plenty of sleep and remember to get up and move when you’ve been parked behind your desk for too long. Like many other Fitbit accessories, Tory Burch smart jewelry sends reminders when you need them most.   Motiv An alternative to the more run-of-the-mill fitness trackers, Motiv offers all of the aspects