#WordlessWednesday – Spotlights the Exotic World of Wendy Yue

September 18, 2013

Today the spotlight is on Couture Designer – Wendy YueWendy Yue has established herself as an avant-garde of haute couture jewelry introducing one-of-a-kind, meticulously crafted, exotic designs. From a sapphire studded frog sprawling on aquamarin…

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OMG – Emmy Time…Already? Michael O’Connor Gives Us the Trends

September 18, 2013

EMMY AWARDS JEWELRY TREND PREDICTIONS 

FROM LEADING STYLE EXPERT 

Michael O’Connor Hosts Jewelry Style Event for Show Nominees and Presenters

This week Michael O’Connor, celebrity stylist and television personality, will host StyleLab’s styling event for Emmy Award nominees, presenters and stylists at a private venue in Los Angeles. Every season O’Connor curates a selection of one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces from world-renowned designers for celebrities to borrow for the red carpet. 


From colored gemstone earrings to exotic cuffs, O’Connor will accessorize Hollywood’s leading stars with the most exquisite, highest quality jewelry.

This season O’Connor sees an overall fascination with more embellished styles featuring colored diamonds and precious gemstones – both modern and vintage designs. As the biggest television award show of the season quickly approaches, O’Connor offers the following trend predictions.


We’re seeing a variety of exotic gemstone colors and rare material mixes to create statement pieces. Jewelry designer Abellan New York is showcasing a ring with rubellite, turquoise, blue sapphires, pearls and diamonds. 

Designer Joan Park is featuring earrings with aquamarine, and green and pink tourmaline, priced at $3,000. This piece is part of The Diamonds With A Story™ Collection, which includes a grouping of designers who have expressed their design stories working with the variety of beautiful and natural shades from the Argyle diamond mine in Australia. The Collections are based across four viewpoints shared by consumers on what they want most in diamond jewelry; origin, sustainability, color and lifestyle. 

Another piece in The Diamonds With A Story™ Collection is from Kara Ross. She mixes parts of broken sidewalk concrete with diamonds to create a statement ring, priced at $2,130. The fashionable Heidi Klum would be a perfect fit for this ring!
Taking the concept of exotic palettes a step further, you will notice jewelry that is reminiscent of ancient times and far away lands. A necklace from Gems by Gerald featuring Karla B. Proud for the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) is comprised of a 12-carat bi-color Oregon Sunstone and an imperial jasper cabochon, on a multi-strand chain, priced at $7,500.
Designers are also creating luxurious pieces with a sleek modern twist. The 114.94 carat 
white topaz cuff from Bellarri, priced at $21,780, takes the classic line-bracelet style to a 
whole new level. 

Canadian designer Mark Lash is showcasing drop earrings, priced at $5,580, that focus your attention on the lustrous 82.61 carats of sapphires and diamonds. The “Magnolia Flower” 10-carat diamond necklace from A. Jaffe, priced at $108,018, weaves floral design in a totally fresh way. Kerry Washington would turn heads in this necklace.
Hollywood Glamour will always remain a staple on the red carpet. Stackable cuffs with diamonds by Gabriel & Co., priced from $875, are ideal for celebrities who want to look polished without feeling “overdone”. 

Michael showing off the stunning Takat Emerald
Celebrities are also obsessing over vintage pieces, including hair combs/pins once owned by Marilyn Monroe that are now part of the Jewelry By Gail collection, priced at $48,000. And, designer Takat is re-inventing the meaning of Hollywood glamour with an 108-carat emerald cut Columbian emerald necklace, featuring 72-carats of diamonds, priced at $3 million. The statuesque Sofia Vergara was born to wear these vintage types of designs.


“The Jazz Age” is swinging again! Designers are creating pieces that bring us back to the  1920’s. Mastoloni introduced a signature black and white “Ice” necklace with cultured pearls and 30-carats of black and white diamonds, featuring a tassel of cultured pearls and white diamonds, priced at $10,500. AGTA designer Baggins shows a cocktail ring with natural color Akoya cultured pearls and diamonds, priced at $30,000. Michelle Dockery would evoke modern Gatsby glamour wearing these pearls.

The “Mad Men” Appeal – Don’t forget about men on the red carpet, as they’re quickly realizing that watches and jewelrymake an important statement. Seah Watches & Jewelry launched “The Astronomer” timepiece, the only watch in the world that comes with the Greek Zodiac signs replacing the hours. It’s priced at $600. The Perrelet “Double Peripheral Rotor” watch features a black dial and luminous hour-markers, on a black alligator strap with white stitching, priced at $8,550.  We can already envision Jon Hamm and Aaron Paul wearing these styles.

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#WeddingWednesday – BRIDAL RING GUIDE from the Michael M. Collection

September 18, 2013

Romance is in the air as one of the most popular seasons for bridal diamond engagements is upon us. Enter a magical world of memorable “I Do’s” with the Michael M. Collection Bridal Collection, where exquisite Solitaire diamonds enthrall her, styl…

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Faces of Eternity: GIA Debuts 15 Skull Carvings in Gem Material for October

September 17, 2013
Faces of Eternity: GIA Debuts Ethereal Exhibit in October
Museum spotlights 15 skull carvings made from large gem crystals
Peruvian artist and master carver Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio will debut a collection of 15 gem skulls on Oct. 18 at GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America) world headquarters in Carlsbad, CA. The “Faces of Eternity” exhibit, which will be on view through April 2014, was inspired by the juxtaposition of human mortality and the timelessness of gemstones. The intricately carved and polished life-size skulls are made from different large gem crystals and ornamental rock, adding character to each piece. 
“The magnificent gems and rocks used to create the skulls, combined with the skill of a master craftsman, give these unique pieces an ethereal beauty. From fossilized whale bone to rainforest jasper, and from pink opal to peanut wood agate, Luis Alberto chose materials from a gem lover’s dream,” said Terri Ottaway, curator of the GIA Museum. “Each skull has a distinctive look and feel to it, making this collection fascinating on both a gemological and an artistic level.”
Aparicio – an engineer by profession and second-generation master in the object d’art – merges sculpting and jewelry fabrication techniques, creating unusual design work that is distinct from traditional European carvings. Along with his sister, Sylvia, he has helped to revive Neoart Peru, a family-owned company started in 1975 that specializes in ruby carvings and focuses on natural wildlife-inspired themes using rare and unusual gemstones from around the globe.
“The skulls collection was one of my favorite to create. By carving natural gemstones with a combination of lapidary art and metalsmith techniques, you can really see how the colors and textures in each stone brings each piece to life,” said Aparicio. 


The complete collection is comprised of 26 pieces, each hand-carved from gemstones sourced from around the world and complemented by parts in silver and gold vermeil. The collection was designed and carved over the period of one year. Fifteen pieces make up the “Faces of Eternity” exhibit at GIA in Carlsbad, while the remaining pieces are in private collections in France, the U.S., the U.K. and Russia. 


Reservations must be made in advance – Docent Tours of the exhibits and the entire GIA Campus may be arranged.  Pieces exhibited are on loan from Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio. “Faces of Eternity” will be on display from Oct. 18, 2013 through April 2014. For more details, visit GIA’s website or call 800-421-7250.
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Faber’s "Genius Of Nature" Explores 23 Jewelry Artists Interpretation of the Artistry of Nature

September 16, 2013
        “Genius of Nature” Exhibition Explores Mysterious Artistry of Nature, 

as Interpreted by 23 Celebrated Jewelry Artists



Aaron Faber Gallery Announces October 2013 Exhibition featuring 75 New Nature-Inspired Designs



Aaron Faber Gallery has assembled 23 celebrated jewelry artists to deliver their interpretations of nature’s genius through 75 exquisite designs of nature-inspired jewelry artistry. 

The exhibition, “Genius of Nature”, premieres October 2013 at the 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY gallery location. 

This exhibition will explore how, in the world of artist-made jewelry, the goldsmith’s plan mirrors the grand designs of the universe, where chaos and structure, randomness and pattern, the heat of the torch, the movement of gold, the energy of divine creation, results in an ornamental artifact of intelligent design.



“The works curated for this exhibition look to capture this sense of the organic, of the expanding, of the not-quite-planned, as well as featuring jewels that relate more to nature’s inspiration on a graphic or visual level”, said Patricia Kiley Faber, curator of the Genius of Nature Exhibition and co-owner of Aaron Faber Gallery. 

“It was important to include established and emerging artists, where the collection ranges from the unexpected to the more familiar. In all of these artists’ works, one can discern that magical energy of creativity, pattern and randomness converging as the artists’ attempt to capture something universal in a single remarkable jewel.”


The participating artists include: 
        Atelier Munsteiner               Emmeline Hastings
         Atelier Zobel                         Ornella Iannuzzi
         Glenda Arentzen                  Dejan Jovanovic
         Deborah Aguado                   Christy Klug
         Elise Bergeron                       Juha Koskela
         Bongsang Cho                        Paolo Marcolongo
         Jacqueline Cullen                  Gigi Mariani
         Julia DeVille                           Enric Marjoral
         Roland Dubuc                         SoYoung Park
         Arata Fuchi                            Linda Priest  
                                                               Emanuela Duca                      Luzia Vogt        
                                                               Michael Good

“Genius of Nature” opens October 3, 2013 and will run through October 26, 2013.
For more information and to view works from participating designers, please visit the gallery website at:  http://geniusofnature.lmrpr.com 


About Aaron Faber GalleryAaron Faber Gallery was founded in 1974 to present the work of studio jewelers, those artists creating one-of-a-kind jewels that are inspired by creativity and originality, made in the artist’s studio and imbued with the artist’s spirit, concept and style.

The gallery, owned by Edward and Patricia Faber is located on West 53rd Street down the block from the Museum of Modern Art, where its contemporary interior is the backdrop for changing exhibitions by studio jewelers as well as permanent collections by the gallery’s artist group. For more information, please visit www.aaronfaber.com.

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GIA Participates In Jewellex Africa 2013 For The Fifth Consecutive Year

September 15, 2013
GIA Exhibits at Jewellex Africa 2013
Institute attended fifth consecutive show, Aug. 31 – Sept. 2
GIA (Gemological Institute of America) continued its outreach to the South African gem and jewelry trade during Jewellex Africa 2013, which took place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2. This is the fifth consecutive year the Institute has exhibited at the show, establishing its presence at one of the premiere trade shows in the region. GIA alumnus and local jeweler Nqobile Nkosi proudly displayed his GIA Accredited Jewelry Professional (AJP) diploma alongside his work at his booth during the show. 
Soweto jeweler Nqobile Nkosi proudly displays his
AJP  diploma  during Jewellex Africa 2013.
Nkosi, a jeweler from Soweto, completed his AJP program soon after receiving an education scholarship from GIA. He is currently the president of GIA’s Africa Alumni Chapter, and has motivated many as the first designer and jeweler from Soweto.
“Many students were deeply inspired by Mr. Nkosi, and came to our booth to find out more about GIA’s gem and jewelry education offerings,” said Elizabeth Bokaba, GIA’s manager of alumni and client relations in South Africa. 

GIA representatives meet with booth visitors during 
Jewellex Africa 2013.
“Not only is this event a way to let more people in the South African gem and jewelry industry know about our lab and education offerings, but it’s a great opportunity to meet and interact with aspiring professionals and industry veterans looking to enhance their knowledge.”
Institute representatives presented education catalogs, answered questions about services and provided branded handbags to booth visitors.
Since 2008, GIA has expanded its presence in Africa, opening two full-time laboratories and offering classes in Gaborone and Johannesburg; establishing partnerships with government agencies and universities throughout the continent; and maintaining a global network of active alumni. Today, there are more than 800 alumni and two GIA Alumni Chapters in Africa.  
  
For more information about GIA education in Africa, visit www.gia.edu, or email giaeducationafrica@gia.edu,cnel@gia.edu or ebokaba@gia.edu.    

About GIA
An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.
Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism. Visit www.gia.edu. 
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CIBJO President Celebrates French Gemmological Association’s 50th year

September 13, 2013










CIBJO President Celebrates French Gemmological Association’s 50th year, 

praises critical role of gemmologists in maintaining consumer confidence 

CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri addressing
the 50th anniversary gemmological conference
of l’Association Française de Gemmologie.


Gaetano Cavalieri, joined government officials, senior industry representatives and leading gemmologists from around the world at a conference in Paris last week, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of l’Association Française de Gemmologie (AFG), the French Gemmological Association. 

Addressing the gathering, Dr, Cavalieri credited AFG and the gemmologial community of enhancing the confidence of consumers in jewellery and the jewellery industry, through their efforts to advance the principles of full transparency and disclosure.

“Consumer confidence is the platform on which we stand. If it becomes fragile and collapses, so will we,” he stated, wishing AFG, its president, Didier Giard, and its Council of Administration, “many more years of serving as one of the buttresses of the foundation on which we all stand.”

“Your ability to keep abreast of developments in the marketplace and the minefields, to conduct proper and disciplined scientific research, to publish and disseminate what you have learned, and then to serve the industry through gem identification and grading is absolutely essential,” Dr. Cavalieri stated. “We are dependent upon your professional integrity, the quality of your research and the way in which you organise and operate your laboratories. You hold the reputation of our business in the palms of your hands. It is a privilege and also a great responsibility.”

The CIBJO President called on the participants at the participants and the conference to contribute to the review and maintenance of the CIBJO Blue Books, which he described as “the most universally recognised and accepted set of jewellery and gemstone standards in the world.”

CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri (left) looks on, as AFG President Didier Giard addresses the gathering.

Participants at the gemmological conference, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the l’Association Française de Gemmologie, in Paris.

CIBJO is the international jewellery confederation of national trade organisations. CIBJO’s purpose is to encourage harmonisation, promote international cooperation in the jewellery industry and to consider issues which concern the trade worldwide. CIBJO’s chief mission is to protect consumer confidence in the industry. Click here to go to the CIBJO website for more information.

Press Release submitted by CIBJO
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54 Scholarships Awarded By GIA This Fall – Supporting Graduate Gemologist and Graduate Jeweler Programs

September 12, 2013
GIA Awards 54 Scholarships for Fall 2013
Recipients embark on programs, courses and lab classes
54 students will begin their studies at GIA (Gemological Institute of America) this fall with scholarships toward Gemology and Jewelry Manufacturing Arts programs, courses and lab classes. For the first time, a GIA student will receive the “Dr. Geoffrey Smith Scholarship,” which sponsors a student who previously participated in the GIA Junior Gemologist Program™. The scholarships align with GIA’s goals of providing quality education in gemology and jewelry to the trade and aspiring professionals.

A number of $1,500 awards for eLearning courses and $1,000 awards for U.S.-based lab classes were awarded. The scholarships, supported by private donors and the GIA endowment fund, supplement GIA’s wider scope of offerings. Recipients are eligible to participate in distance education eLearning courses and for classes at campuses in Bangkok, Carlsbad, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York and Taiwan; and at the GIA branch in Dubai. 
“GIA’s Junior Gemologist program is a fun beginning to a lifelong journey of learning about gems. My interest in gems and minerals began in elementary school – around the same age as these students – and I hope this scholarship will enable and encourage more kids to turn their passion for gems into a career,” said Dr. Smith. GIA’s Junior Gemologist class introduces gemology to fourth through 12th graders and meets U.S. curriculum guidelines. Dr. Smith is a long-time GIA volunteer who created the fund as an incentive for Junior Gemologist students passionate about gemology to consider it as a career path.
During GIA’s bi-yearly scholarship application period, students can apply for all scholarships online and indicate an interest in a broad spectrum of courses, ranging from lab and jewelry manufacturing arts to those that go toward a Graduate Gemologist diploma. GIA is now accepting scholarship applications for its 2014 Gemology and Jewelry Manufacturing Arts programs, courses and lab classes. U.S. scholarship highlights include:
  • The GIA Scholarship for U.S. Veterans will award three scholarships of up to $1,500 each
  • GIA will award two full scholarships of up to $17,850 each for the new on-campus Jewelry Design and Technology program
  • GIA will award two full scholarships of up to $21,089 each for the on-campus Graduate Gemologist program
  • GIA will award one full scholarship of up to $19,260 for the new on-campus Graduate Jeweler program
  • Two scholarships will be offered in honor of Richard T. Liddicoat, former GIA president considered the “Father of Modern Gemology.” 
  • One full scholarship for the on-campus Graduate Gemologist program (up to $21,089), 
  • and another toward the eLearning Graduate Gemologist program (up to $9,000)

Applications will be available through Oct. 31 on the Institute’s website. Additional scholarship details are availablehere. For more information, call (760) 603-4131 or email scholarship@gia.edu. 
  
About GIA
An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.
Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism. Visit www.gia.edu. 
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Forbes Galleries Celebrates AJDC For 25 Years of Design

September 11, 2013
American Jewelry Design Council Celebrates 25 years of Design
With Exhibition at the Forbes Galleries


Interpretations of “Ice” (Alan Revere), “Black & White” (Linda MacNeil), and “Water” (John Iversen)


Opening September 21st, 2013 the American Jewelry Design Council (AJDC)will showcase 25 years of outstanding jewelry design at the prestigious Forbes Galleries in New York.  The exhibition, “Variations on a Theme: 25 Years of Design from the AJDC”, is open to the public and will dazzle museum visitors with works from over 40 AJDC members through February 22nd, 2014.

On view at the Forbes gallery will be a selection of works from various annual AJDC Design Projects from the very first theme, in 1996 to the most recent, in 2013. Annually, the council asks each of its members to create a design project, interpreting a single concept or theme; the final product is a collection of unique jewelry pieces joined by a solitary concept. Past themes include simple conceptual elements such as “Water”, “Spiral”, “Ice”, and “Flight” imagined into breathtaking masterpieces made of precious metals, gemstones and unexpected materials.

Artists exhibiting in “Variations on a Theme: 25 Years of Design from the AJDC” include:

Sandy Baker

Michael Bondanza

Falcher Fusager

Michael Good

Ron Hartgrove

Jose Hess

Scott Keating

Steven Kretchmer

Linda MacNeil

Adam Neeley

Paul Robilotti

Susan Sadler

William Schraft

Barbara Westwood
Jane Bohan

Petra Class

Geoffrey Giles

Sarah Graham

Barbara Heinrich

Cornelis Hollander

Christo Kiffer

Pascal Lacroix

Gregory Morin

Mark Patterson

Todd Reed

George Sawyer

Tina Segal
Whitney Boin

Jaclyn Davidson

Cornelia Goldsmith

Alishan Halebian

Susan Helmich

John Iversen

Paul Klecka

Anthony Lent

Jennifer Rabe Morin

Kent Raible

Alan Revere

Mark Schneider

Diana Vincent 

“The jewelry pieces shown at the Forbes exhibition have been created over time for the sole purpose of exhibiting creativity, originality and excellence in design,” says Barbara Heinrich, President of the AJDC.  “They are purposely noncommercial but rather inspirational in nature, created by some of the foremost American jewelry designers alive.  Due to the unique nature and concept of the show, it is sure to excite and inspire its audience.”

Since its establishment in 1988, the AJDC has worked to educate and promote the awareness of jewelry as an art form. Members of the American Jewelry Design Council are dedicated to elevating the caliber of jewelry design through educational activities and to challenging professional jewelry designers worldwide to actualize their creative potential. This year’s theme “Wave” delivered awe inspiring works of art which were debuted at the JCK Jewelry Show in Las Vegas this past June.

About the AJDC
Formed in 1988 by a group of American designers, The American Jewelry Design Council is a non-profit educational corporation, which recognizes and promotes the appreciation of original jewelry design as art. Up until this time, much of the industry still felt that only European designers knew how to design original jewelry. Although American designers had not followed the same schooling and classic apprenticeship as the European tradition demanded, many were self-taught creating brilliant, original designs that went unrecognized.  Founding members include: Whitney Boin, Michael Bondanza, Henry Dunay, Michael Good, Ron Hartgrove, Jose Hess, Cornelis Hollander, and Pascal Lacroix.

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#JWLV – SUTRA – The Stuff Of Bollywood Dreams!

September 11, 2013

#WordlessWednesday is a photo album of truly beautiful things – complete contact information will be in each post, but no commentary….Today we Shine the Spotlight on:Sutra JewelsClassic designs with Modern Appeal, clean in finish, Fashionable in Styl…

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