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Industry News: JFC Rings Of Strength; Diamonds Do Good Gala, FTC Tells Influencers ‘Disclose’; More April 26, 2017 (0 comments)
Jewelers For Children Celebrates Fifth Annual Rings of Strength
Las Vegas,NV--The fifth edition of the Jewelers for Children Rings of Strength tour will be held Sunday, June 4, at Mandalay Bay Resort Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The very popular event includes options for a 5K walk or run, a 50K challenging bike ride in the scenic foothills of Red Rock Valley, or a street level 10K bike ride. Sponsors have lined up for this year’s event and participants are well underway in fundraising to support children in need.
Once again, JCK Events is the major event sponsor. JIS Exchange, Ashi Diamonds, Freeman, and CMAC have also signed on.
The event was named for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients Maggie and Odie. When Maggie spoke at the Facets of Hope event in 2012, she shared the story of how she gave Odie a ring with the word Strength engraved in it as they fought their shared battle with cancer. Each participant receives a silver ring like Maggie’s to commemorate their participation in the event, courtesy of Ashi Diamonds.
The event will kick off at 5:30 a.m. to avoid the June desert heat. Rest stops along the route will ensure that everyone stays hydrated and energized. Participants can visit www.ringsofstrength.org to sign up. During signup, participants create their own unique fundraising page and URL which can be forwarded to friends and acquaintances to encourage their sponsorship. Participants can sign up as individuals or build a team page with friends to create even more excitement. All funds raised will benefit the Jewelers for Children charity partners: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Make-A-Wish America, and the National CASA Association. JFC also provides support to Make-A-Wish International and the Santa-America Fund.
‘Diamonds Do Good’ Gala Set For Sunday, June 4
Las Vegas, NV—Tickets are selling out for the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s annual Diamonds Do Good Gala on June 4 in Las Vegas. Acclaimed actor and social justice advocate David Oyelowo, star of the films Selma and A United Kingdom, will headline the event and receive the Diamonds Do Good International Vanguard Award. Graça Machel, former first lady of both Mozambique and South Africa, will receive the first-ever Diamonds Do Good Global Humanitarian Award, and Helzberg Diamonds will receive the Corporate Legacy of Philanthropy Award.
Oyelowo’s acting achievements celebrate leading historical personalities such as Martin Luther King Jr. in the film Selma and, most recently, Sir Seretse Khama in the film A United Kingdom, where Oyelowo’s performance highlights both Botswana’s role as a leading diamond-producing nation and how diamonds are used to benefit the country and its people. The International Vanguard Award reflects Oyelowo’s visionary work in the arts and in the education of vulnerable girls in Nigeria.
Graça Machel was first lady of Mozambique when married to Samora Machel until his death in 1986; she later married Nelson Mandela and became First Lady of South Africa from 1988 to 1999. Today her work focuses on women’s economic and financial empowerment, education, food security and nutrition, and promoting democracy and good governance.
D.E.F.’s “Diamonds Do Good” Corporate Legacy of Philanthropy Award celebrates the actions a company takes to better its local community and make a difference on the global stage. Kansas City, MO-based Helzberg Diamonds has epitomized this ideal with “Helzberg Helps,” a volunteer program made up of Helzberg Diamonds associates. It leads fundraising efforts and organizes volunteer activities for charitable entities that support the benefit of children and families in need, such as Make-A-Wish, Salvation Army, Children’s Mercy Hospital, and more.
Click here to reserve seats at the dinner or to purchase sponsorships or journal ads. Premier and presenting sponsors include Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, De Beers Group of Companies, Signet Jewellers Ltd. Partner sponsors include Le Vian and Rosy Blue Alliance, and DEF extends a special thanks to the JCK Industry Fund.
FTC To Bloggers And Celebs: Disclose Your Endorsements!
Washington, DC—There are two ways to get a celebrity, blogger, or other consumer influencer to endorse your product on social media: hoping and paying. You can get lucky (with or without a PR strategy) and have a popular celebrity, blogger, or other influencer see, use and like your product enough to talk it up on their own social media accounts, or you can simply pay them outright to do so—like a celebrity TV commercial without the expense of filming or buying ad time.
Paying, of course, is far more effective. It’s legal, but the Federal Trade Commission just wants to make sure it doesn’t cross the line into deceptive. Last fall the agency started cracking down on celebrity endorsements online, and just recently the agency sent this letter to scores of online influencers such as bloggers, celebrities, athletes, and others, reminding them that if they’re being paid (or gifted) to say something nice about your product, they have to tell the audience. And they have to say it upfront with a disclosure that is crystal clear and not hidden in the fine print, a mysterious hashtag, below the fold, or in a fast-talking postscript.
Read more here, here, and here.
Fancy Color Diamond Price Index Up Slightly In Q1 2017
New York, NY—The Fancy Color Research Foundation, a non-profit organization that tracks pricing and other market information for fancy color diamonds, says the category remains solid. The FCRF’s Fancy Color Diamond Index for the first quarter of 2017 shows stability across most fancy color diamond categories, especially pinks and yellows. The main exceptions were fancy intense and fancy vivid blue diamonds across all carat sizes. The color overall saw a 1.9% price increase in the first 3 months of 2017, continuing the trend of 2016.
Overall, the Fancy Color Diamond Index for all shapes and sizes was up 0.2% for the period. Data for yellow, pink and blue fancy color diamonds comes mainly from three key global trading centers: Hong Kong, New York and Tel Aviv.
Year-on-year compared to Q1 2016, the Fancy Color Diamond Index is up 0.7% with blue fancy and pink fancy up 5.7% and 0.8%, respectively, and yellow fancy down 2.5%. As in Q4 2016, fancy intense and fancy vivid grades across all colors demonstrated robust price increases, offset to some extent by price declines of color diamonds in the merely “fancy” category. For a complete data analysis, please visit www.fcresearch.org.
FCRF Advisory Board chairman Eden Rachminov said, “Highly coveted fancy intense and vivid blues are challenging to find in the market, while interest and demand for these categories continue to grow This trend is likely to continue well into 2017 as owners react to supply shortages with price hikes.”
In Memoriam: Lloyd Jaffe, Diamond Industry Icon
New York, NY—Lloyd Jaffe, a diamond dealer and longtime member and officer of the Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America, died last week at age 91. Jaffe, who received the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995, is remembered by the DMIA as a loved and respected icon in the diamond industry worldwide who worked to promote the highest levels of honesty and integrity within the industry, especially in the immediate aftermath of the diamond investment crash in the early 1980s. According to this report, he spent countless hours in research and communication of accurate industry statistics.
Jaffe is survived by his wife, Solange Rosenblum Jaffe, daughter Meryl Jaffe, son Michael Jaffe, sister Barbara Gail Ellison, and seven grandchildren.