Articles and News
INDUSTRY NEWS: MARANGE STONES CLEARED FOR EXPORT, BUSINESS AND DESIGN CONTEST SET, MORE November 02, 2011 (0 comments)
Zimbabwe Diamond Export Agreement Reached
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo—After more than two years of debate, members of the Kimberley Process have reached an agreement allowing the export of some diamonds from the Marange region of Zimbabwe. The agreement will allow immediate export of rough diamonds from two KP-compliant operators, Mbada and Marange Resources (formerly Canadile).
A report on Idex Online says the agreement was brokered by the European Union and that the United States was willing to soften its tough stance on Marange. The agreement also includes the appointment of two monitors and the potential approval of exports from a third mine, Chinese-owned Anjin.
A release from the World Diamond Council says transparency of operation is a key element of the agreement. Compliant mining operations in the Marange region are required to share mine level data with the KP Monitoring Team on an ongoing basis, and KP Civil Society Coalition representatives in Zimbabwe will have access to the Marange area to allow continued reporting on KPCS implementation.
The KP monitoring team will include Abbey Chikane, a former chair of the Kimberley Process, and Mark Van Bockstael, chair of the World Diamond Council Technical Committee.
For its part, Zimbabwe has committed to uphold the KPCS minimum requirements, and will report to the current KP Plenary and the KP Intersessional Meeting in 2012 on issues related to identification of further investors, the regulation of artisanal mining, the fight against illicit digging, and smuggling.
The new agreement will remain under constant review and will remain in force until the KP plenary Meeting in 2012.
Future of Design Business Contest Announced
Pelham, NY—Cindy Edelstein, founder of the Jewelers’ Resource Bureau, has partnered with Andrea Hill, owner of StrategyWerx, to produce the Future of Design Business Incubator Contest for jewelry designers. The winner will receive more than $250,000 worth of key business services and mentoring from a dozen of the industry’s top consultants.
“While it’s relatively easy to make jewelry, it’s relatively hard to make great jewelry and it’s really difficult to make great jewelry and make a profitable business of it,” says Edelstein.
Unlike most competitions where the focus is strictly on design, this competition puts equal focus on design and business acumen. Entrants must submit information about their business plan as well as their design work. Six semi-finalists will be chosen based on their marketing and business accomplishments, and will win a mentoring meeting with one of the Future of Design’s Dream Team, comprised of six high profile designers. They are Gurhan, Erica Courtney, Todd Reed, Penny Preville, Lisa Jenks, and Robert Lee Morris.
Next, three finalists will be flown to New York for the final round of judging, which will take place Tuesday, March 13, during the MJSA Expo New York show. Each applicant will be given 10 minutes to pitch their plans and designs to the judges, and respond to questions from the judges, and select retailers, editors, and industry VIPs. The event will be open to all show attendees.
The judging panel includes: Cindy Edelstein, Andrea Hill, Kate Peterson of Performance Concepts, Mendel Rotenberg of Fusion Jewelry, and Jim DeMattei of ViewPoint Showroom. In addition to judging, they will provide valuable feedback on every entrant's plans and business aspirations with a view to helping them find their unique sales proposition. Each judge will provide a key element to the prize package: Andrea Hill and her team of business analysts will offer counsel on strategic organizational, financial and technology issues; Kate Peterson will provide sales training and introduction to key retailers; Mendel Rotenberg will provide a yearʼs worth of manufacturing services; Jim DeMattei will represent
the new designer in his showroom for a year and feature him or her at the Couture show in the Viewpoint booth, while Cindy Edelstein will showcase the designer in her globalDESIGN show and offer a yearʼs worth of representation on JewelryDesignerFinder.com and a suite of marketing tools and services from JewelersResource.com. All five judges also will serve as mentors to the winner, and the winner will receive a host of other services from sponsors, such as a booth at the JA Show, advertising in InDesign magazine, and ad/product photography from RSP Media.
The application can be downloaded here. Deadline to apply is midnight, December 1. Semi-finalists will be chosen in January. For information, contact Cindy Edelstein, (914) 738-8485, or email cindy@jewelersresource.com.
GIA Tests Extraterrestrial Gemstones
Carlsbad, CA--Researchers at GIA (Gemological Institute of America) have assembled 26 samples of extraterrestrial peridot—recovered from meteorites—to discover the differences between those and their earthly counterparts. The findings are reported in GIA’s Gems & Gemology’s Fall 2011 issue.
Peridot is the gem version of a mineral called olivine, an iron and magnesium silicate. Olivine is part of the makeup of our solar system neighbors, including some metallic meteorites that occasionally fall on Earth. Peridot-bearing meteorites are already quite rare, and the intense heat from their journey to Earth and their explosive impact on contact with terra firma ensure that few specimens survive intact, thus rendering most peridot pieces from outer space very small and not practical for jewelry applications.
But peridot found on Earth was one of the first gems treasured by man. The ancient Egyptians called it “the gem of the sun” after discovering a deposit in what’s now known as St. John’s Island in the Red Sea. Today, sources include the United States (Arizona, Texas and Hawaii), China, Myanmar, and Pakistan, which produces many of the largest, finest specimens. Peridot’s attractive color and relatively modest price have made it popular with jewelry designers around the world.
GIA researchers Dr. Andy Shen, John Koivula and Dr. James Shigley assembled specimens from several locales and compared them with 26 samples taken from the Esquel meteorite. Discovered in Argentina about 50 years ago, this massive meteorite contained numerous peridot crystals. An American collector purchased most of the Esquel in 1992 and divided it into a number of sections for sale.
Three of the Esquel samples examined by GIA were faceted gemstones; the others were part of polished slabs. The GIA team discovered significant differences between earthly and extraterrestrial peridot. Their tests found different levels of lithium, vanadium, nickel, manganese, cobalt and zinc between the two, allowing researchers and ultimately gem buyers to confidently distinguish between peridot of different worlds.
Prime examples of Earthly peridot, polished and rough, are against a section of the peridot-bearing Esquel meteorite, on the cover of GIA’s research publication, Gems & Gemology. Photo by GIA/Robert Weldon
INSTORE Launches Dallas Show
Chicago, IL—INSTORE magazine has announced The SMART Jewelry Show Dallas, to be held September 8 - 10, 2012 at the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center. The educational conference begins on September 7. It will follow the same format as the annual April SMART show in Chicago. The SMART Jewelry Show Dallas will be held in conjunction with the Select Jewelry Show, September 9 - 10 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Learn more at www.smartjewelryshow.com.