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Industry News: D.E.F. To Honor Luxury Jewelers And ALROSA; GIA Adds Alexandrite Reports; More February 06, 2019 (0 comments)
Luxury Jewelers Resource Group, ALROSA To Be Honored By D.E.F.
New York, NY—The Luxury Jewelers Resource Group and ALROSA will be honored by the Diamond Empowerment Fund at its 2019 Diamonds Do Good gala in Las Vegas. The event will be held May 30 at the Palazzo Ballroom of the Venetian Hotel. (Left, bidding on a balloon auction at the 2018 gala.)
ALROSA will receive the Diamonds Do Good Community Stewardship Award, and the Luxury Jewelers Resource Group will receive the Diamonds Do Good Community Building Award.
“The recipients of this years’ Diamonds Do Good Awards reflect the ongoing positive impact being fostered by the diamond industry at home and around the world,” says D.E.F. president Anna Martin, also senior vice president of GIA. “Sharing these stories with our customers is not only good for business, it is a responsibility for the entire industry.”
The LJRC, which will receive the Diamonds Do Good Community Building Award, is a consortium of 12 independent family-owned jewelry retailers across 20 states. The principals are industry leaders respected as much for their business acumen as for their community and philanthropic involvements. The group regularly meets to connect on challenges and opportunities that affect their individual businesses as well as the industry at-large, and members are committed to integrity and a strong belief in building the community around where they do business. From empowering young girls through Girls Inc. to supporting women’s shelters, the homeless, cultural arts and education initiatives, the group’s members epitomize the generosity of the industry. Members include Bachendorf’s, Bruce G. Weber, Diamond Cellar, Hamilton Jewelers, Hyde Park Jewelers, Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, London Jewelers, Lux Bond & Green, Mann’s Jewelers, Reis-Nichols Jewelers, Tapper’s Diamond & Fine Jewelry, and Tivol.
ALROSA, which will be presented with the Diamonds Do Good Community Stewardship Award, is the world’s leading diamond mining company in terms of total carats produced. ALROSA makes community responsibility one of its company pillars and go beyond providing necessary infrastructure for workers and their families. Each year they dedicate 3% of their revenue for charity projects and social and economic development across the region. This includes supporting education and culture, offering healthcare, rehabilitation, housing, culture and sports activities for the people of Yakutia in Siberia.
ALROSA has been a steward of the community since a kimberlite diamond pipe was discovered in Siberia in 1955. Given the name of ‘Mir,’ the Russian word for ‘peace,’ the mine community is now home to 35,000 people.
For more information and to purchase tickets/sponsorships for the Diamonds Do Good Awards gala, please visit diamondsdogoodawards.org
O’Jays, Dance Party Highlight 2019 24 Karat Club Banquet
New York, NY—The 117th Grand Banquet of the Twenty-Four Karat Club of the City of New York wrapped last week with a performance by the legendary R&B/pop band The O’Jays. Almost 1,000 members and guests attended the gala event, held Saturday, January 12, 2019 at the New York Hilton Midtown. The Twenty-Four Karat Club Banquet is the industry’s premier and most prestigious black-tie event each year and a truly anticipated kickoff to each new year.
The Club’s traditional pre-party receptions and cocktail party were packed as guests moved between individual members’ hosted suites and the Club’s pre-party in the Grand Ballroom Foyer of the Hilton.
Then, as is tradition, the dinner opened with the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, performed by the West Point Cadets, and an invocation by the Reverend Elizabeth Junod of West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood, NJ. Club president Lawrence Pettinelli welcomed guests.
The O’Jays, sponsored by Bulova Timepieces, a Citizen Watch America brand, were a particularly appropriate entertainment choice for the Club, which deeply values friendship and tradition. Founders Eddie Levert and Walter Williams have been friends and partners since childhood. “We still appreciate our friendship, dedication to each other and the group, and our love for good music," says Williams.
“The evening was spectacular,” says Club Banquet chair Myriam Gumuchian. “Guests went straight from the high-energy performance to a high-energy Dance Party Bash. The floor was packed till well after midnight, and everyone loved the many opportunities to network throughout the evening.”
Myriam Gumuchian, center, 24 Karat Club banquet chair, with Ronnie Vanderlinden, left, and Adam Heyman, right. Below, dancing at the after-party.
GIA Adds Alexandrite to Colored Stone Identification & Origin Reports
Carlsbad, CA—GIA (Gemological Institute of America) now offers origin reporting for alexandrite, adding it to its Colored Stone Identification & Origin Report services for ruby, sapphire, emerald, Paraíba tourmaline and red spinel.
The report describes whether the stone is natural or laboratory-grown, identifies the type of gemstone, includes any detectable treatments and offers a research-based opinion on the geographic origin of the stone. The report also contains a detailed description of the gemstone including cut, shape, weight, measurement and color, with a photograph of the gemstone.
GIA also announced that its Retailer Support Program (RSP) will soon be offering additional colored stone materials. RSP is a resource for retailers to help sales staff educate consumers about diamonds, colored stones and pearls, the 4Cs of diamond quality and GIA reports. Beginning Feb. 4, retailers will have access to gemstone counter displays, a birthstone flipchart, and brochures about sapphire and ruby. Following soon after will be a brochure on how to understand GIA colored stone reports. For information about the RSP, click here. For more information about GIA colored stone reports and services, including fees, click here.
The Futurist Partners With India’s GJEPC
Mumbai, India—The Futurist, a luxury market intelligence agency led by respected analyst Paola De Luca, is partnering with the GJEPC, India’s gem and jewelry export arm, for a Design Inspirations Programme aimed at globally promoting Indian talent in jewelry design and craftsmanship.
“India is reclaiming its global stature as a leading pioneer in luxury jewellery design,” says De Luca. The first Design Inspirations Programme will be held in Mumbai on February 12 and will include a series of workshops and discussions to educate India’s leading talent and develop their skills in the international marketplace.
A new book, AATMAN - Inspirations 2020, edited by The Futurist’s team of international luxury industry analysts, will inspire the next generation of Indian creative leaders, providing a blueprint for key design trends, raising topical issues affecting the diamond industry, and presenting an illustrated history of India’s early prominence in design. It will be launched February 13 at a gathering of VIP industry guests at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai.
Rapaport Announces Trade Mission to Sierra Leone, April 1-4
New York, NY—The Rapaport Group is running a trade mission to Sierra Leone April 1-4, 2019. The trip, personally led by Martin Rapaport, will provide an opportunity for members of the diamond and jewelry trade to meet and interact with the artisanal digger community in Sierra Leone. The mission will promote greater understanding of the role of the artisanal sector in the jewelry industry, will highlight and demonstrate opportunities for profitable sustainable economic development, and encourage understanding and relationship building between artisanal diggers and the jewelry trade.
The mission will be limited to 25 members of the diamond trade and take place from Monday April 1, through Thursday April 4. The fee is $2,000 per participant, and includes all ground arrangements: hotels, transportation. meals, and security.