Articles and News

Las Vegas, NV—Scarlet red, honeysuckle pink, emberglow orange, phlox purple, quarry blue, orchid hush, blue curacao, peapod and cedar greens, and russet and coffee browns are the top color trends for fall’s Le Vian jewelry collections. The Le Vian Red Carpet Revue, held Sunday June 5 in Las Vegas, featured a variety of models sporting the latest in apparel and Le Vian jewels. The fashion trend forecast was presented by Harper’s Bazaar magazine and narrated by fashion editor Avril Graham; the jewelry trend forecast was presented by Le Vian. 

Top jewelry design trends included gladiator influences, freeform design, dots and splashes of color, wildflowers, textures and layering of jewelry, and specialty gem cuts. For engagement ring trends, the big news was color, featuring a sapphire and diamond ring reminiscent of Kate Middleton’s/Princess Diana’s, plus other colored gemstone engagement ring ideas, and, of course, Le Vian’s signature chocolate diamonds.

London, United Kingdom—Since the Russian Revolution brought the famed House of Faberge to a grinding halt in 1917, the imperial eggs created by Peter Carl Faberge have been honored in museum exhibitions around the world, but the Faberge name has been battled in court, re-launched at least once as a commercial jewelry brand, and even applied to mass-market shampoo.

The brand was revitalized in the 1990s through Victor Mayer GmbH of Pforzheim, Germany, a high-end jeweler specializing in guilloche enamel. Now it’s back again with a planned store in London, a future store in New York, and the launch of two new collections of luxury jeweled egg pendants. According to this article in U.K. trade publication Jewellery Outlook, Faberge has designed 12 couture jewelry egg pendants, the "Les Fameux de Faberge" collection, retailing for up to U.S. $600,000 each, and also is launching "Les Frissons de Faberge" a collection of egg pendants at lower price points. Sarah Faberge, great-granddaughter of Peter Carl, is working as the company’s special projects director.

The Russian Revolution brought an end to the ruling Romanov dynasty and its imperial jeweler. The House of Faberge was nationalized and all production ceased. In 1951, following costly litigation, Faberge’s descendants sold rights to the name to an American corporation for a mere $25,000. The brand eventually landed in the hands of Anglo-Dutch personal products giant Unilever, which created a line of hair care products under the brand in the 1970s, then sold the brand in 2007 to Pallinghurst Resources, a company that invests in natural resources, including colored gemstones.

Diamond and gem crusted egg pendants from the new Les Fameux de Faberge collection.

Los Angeles, CA—Rahaminov Diamonds announces a new collection of rose-cut diamond jewelry, set in 18k rose gold. Demand for rose cuts is growing, says the company, especially when paired with modern settings. Like step cuts, rose cuts are derived from an older style of cutting. The basic rose cut has no pavilion but a flat base. Shown here is a drop necklace; shown above are earrings from the collection.

Rahaminov's new rose-cut diamond collection is set in 18k rose gold. Here, a drop necklace; earrings are show at top.

Geneva, Switzerland—Alpina Genève introduces the Pilot Manufacture watch in 18K rose gold, part of its Startimer Pilot collection of contemporary timepieces inspired by original Alpina designs from the 1920s and 1930s.

The new timepiece was inspired by Alpina’s past as a manufacturer of pilots’ watches. It features a 44 mm anti-reflective satin-finished 18k rose gold case, matte black dial with oversized white luminous numerals, a glare-free sapphire crystal, and a signature red Alpina-triangle on the second hand. The leather strap resembles vintage straps of the past but a metal bracelet is available as well. 

In support of the new collection, Alpina Genève has joined forces with Cessna Aircraft and PrivatAir for cross-marketing activities in Europe and North America. The Alpina Startimer Pilot comes with a scale model of a Cessna Citation Mustang business jet in PrivatAir livery.