Tanzanite is the gemstone of the purple/blue variety of the mineral zoisite. It is notable for its remarkable color, which can change from blue to purple to burgundy, depending on the light and the angle it is viewed at. Due to its fascinating color (shown here) it has gained prominence in the jewelry trade in the relatively short time is has been discovered. New York jewelry company Tiffany&#...

Sapphires are gem varieties of the mineral corundum, which due to the presence of other trace elements such as iron, chromium or titanium can be found a number of different colors, such as blue, purple, pink, orange and yellow. The exception is red, as a red sapphire is labeled as a ruby. Sapphire has a remarkable level of hardness (nine on the Mohs scale, and exceed by only that of the diamond, t...

Today’s article looks at the unusual story of how one man’s childhood experiments of creating fire using a magnifying glass has evolved into a unique and profitable jewelry business. As a teenager, Bretwood Higman would experiment with a magnifying glass on the beach near his Alaskan home, transforming gravel into black glass and setting fire to zinc-based pennies. Today this has progr...

In these days of major chain stores and the decline of retail independents, in this article we take a step back and tell the story of the Folsom Jewelry Store, which was located on the corner of North Main and Hampton Avenue in Sumter, South Carolina, in one of the city’s oldest and most historic buildings. F. Haltom Folsom worked as a watchmaker for the Mason jewelry store until the America...

The recent Las Vegas jewelry shows saw top manufacturers Swarovski and Le Vian both offer their predictions for jewelry trends in 2010. Le Vian unveiled their predictions on Sunday May 31 at its Red Carpet Revue, its annual event held in collaboration with Harper’s Bazaar. The trends from the runways of fall 2009 were examined, and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Eddie LeVian, was th...

It is often said that a top-quality gem is ageless, but a recent story published in the Deseret News, Utah’s second largest daily newspaper, appears to prove that a top-quality jeweler can also continue to shine. McKay Diamonds in downtown Salt Lake City has just turned 60 years old - no mean feat in the days of high-street chains and busy malls, but even more admirable when you discover tha...

With the ever-increasing popularity of video games consoles, and in particular the Nintendo Wii, it seems it was only a matter of time before kids were collecting virtual gems as well as real ones. The new series of ‘Charm Girls Club’ games for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS will have young girls collecting sparkly virtual charms from locations such as the Mall and at Pajama Parties,...

When your father is one of the world’s most renowned suppliers of gemstone-quality sapphires, emeralds and rubies, it is easy to see how you may grow up to become a jewelry designer. But although Eve Sperling began working for her father at the age of fifteen, in the family-owned gem company Precious Gem Resources, it was a different path that she first ventured out on. After receiving a Bac...

A major International exhibition of platinum wedding rings heads to London later this month. Featuring rings created by some of the most celebrated Italian designers, ‘Eternal Platinum: The Ultimate Symbol of Love’ is on display at I.N.C Space, Covent Garden between 8th and 12th June, as part of the Coutts London Jewelry Week. The unique collection recently took Milan by storm, and con...

We already wear jewelry on our fingers and toes, in our ears, eyebrows, belly buttons, noses and goodness knows where else, - but would you wear jewelry in your eye? For designer Eric Klarenbeek the answer is a resounding ‘Yes’. The Dutchman recently trialed a new range of eye jewelry and after receiving positive feedback has decided to put his range into full production. But before yo...

The recession has hit almost every market around the world, but the Russians continue to bring in bags of diamonds by the plane load. These bags are unloaded from the planes and taken into processing plants. There they are emptied into the hoppers within the plants receiving room, then washed and sorted by several hundred workers, who categorize them depending on their shape, size, clarity and qua...

More than 300 top jewelers will head to Las Vegas at the end of the month, for the five-day Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show. The show, held during Jewelry Week from Thursday May 28 to Monday June 1 at Bally’s Hotel & Casino, is a trade-only event that showcases a spectacular range of antiques, jewelry and gems, including rare and vintage pieces from top brands such as Rolex, ...