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Industry News: Gold Conference Set For April; Precious Metal Prices To Rise; More March 16, 2016 (0 comments)
Sixth Annual Gold Conference Set For April
New York, NY—Initiatives in Art & Culture announces its sixth annual Gold Conference will be held April 28 & 29 in New York City. The event will feature two full days of presentations, book sales and signings, and special jewelry viewings and receptions.
Highlights of the event include: A conversation between [luxury jewelry designers] Kimberly McDonald and Henry Dunay; “Milestones on the Journey to Ethical Sourcing and Transparency,” a panel moderated by Rob Bates; “Shops That POP! 7 Steps to Extraordinary Retail Success,” a talk and panel moderated by Pamela N. Danziger of Unity Marketing; “The Chinese Market for Gold and Its Impact on the United States,” by Evert deGraeve; “One Year Out: The New Method for Setting the Price of Gold— A Progress Report,” by Finbarr Hutcheson; and “The London Assay Office: How Hallmarking Remains Vital to the Assurance of Quality in the Jewelry and Metal Trades,” by Robert Organ.
Tickets are $350; $100 for students. Sessions will be held at The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue. To register, click here.
Top image: Kimberly McDonald, one-of-a-kind rough garnet nodule ring with micropave diamonds in 18k yellow gold, 2015.
Baselworld Exec Says Industry Ready Despite ‘Gloomy’ Environment
Basel, Switzerland—François Thiébaud, president of the Baselworld Swiss Exhibitors Committee, bluntly addressed the troubling drop in Swiss watch exports (which fell 3.3% in 2015 after five years of growth totaling more than 20%
According to a report in Forbes, Thiébaud described the current environment as “gloomy,” owing to turbulence in the Chinese economy which drastically drove down watch sales in Hong Kong, the biggest market for Swiss watches. He also cited conflicts in the Middle East, the slowing Russian economy, and especially the depegging of the Swiss franc to the Euro last year, resulting in approximately a 20% percent appreciation of the franc compared to other currencies.
Survey Predicts Slight Bull Market For Precious Metals
Longwood, FL—Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium all are likely to have a slightly bull market this year, says a new article in The Bull & Bear Financial Report. 36 analysts participated in the London Bullion Market Association’s (LBMA) 2016 Forecast to predict the year’s average high and low price ranges for the four precious metals. Contributors to the survey predict price increases across the board, ranging from a modest increase of 1.1% in the gold price to price increases of 5.4% for both silver and platinum and 12.7% for palladium. While the analysts are more bullish this year than last, prices still will remain below last year’s highs and forecast contributors are predicting that the gold price will average $1,103 in 2016—1.1% higher than it was in early 2016 but still $57 below the average price in 2015.
Diamond Services Lab Grown Screening Service Opens In Israel
Hong Kong—Diamond Services, a developer and provider of screening services and technology, will expand its lab-grown and color-treated diamond screening service next week to the Israeli diamond center in Ramat Gan.
The opening of operations in Israel follows the company’s inaugural launch in Shanghai last November, and is the next stage in its planned rollout of services to major diamond centers around the world.
All diamonds submitted for screening are tested using Diamond Services' proprietary Diamatest and mini Raman Spectrometer, which are able to test any size or shape of both mounted and un-mounted stones, and can accurately detect whether they are lab-grown synthetics, HPHT color-treated diamonds, or diamond simulants.
"With increasing reports of lab-grown diamonds being sold without proper disclosure, or, even worse, with grading reports that mask their true identity, it is becoming increasingly imperative that diamond traders verify whether their merchandise is natural or not, especially with the 'memo' type of business," said Joseph Kuzi, Diamond Services' CEO and President. "Our screening service is designed to do just that. It results are conclusive, meaning that we can accurately identify synthetics, treated goods and simulants on the spot, with no stones needing to be referred for further testing."