What is the Gold Market?

The Gold Market refers to the buying and and selling of gold worldwide. Gold has been used as a trading commodity for over a thousand years. Even today, its essential value makes it a smart choice for moving wealth internationally and investing long term.

How is the Gold Marketing Currently Doing?

Currently, the gold market is expressing minor gains. U.S. gold jewelry sales rose only 1% in the first quarter of 2019, possible due to the prolonged government shutdown.

A recent report states that “the prolonged government shutdown hit demand in January, as demonstrated by a drop in gold jewelry imports that month.”

This was the ninth quarter in a row that U.S. gold jewelry sales have expressed year-on-year growth, although the 1% amount is less than the 4% recorded in the final quarter of last year.

According to JCK:

“The higher-end jewelry segment remains robust,” the report said. “And independent retailers in more affluent and/or Hispanic-dominated areas reported a strong quarter.”

But the numbers weren’t as good from mass-market retailers, which are “less resilient,” according to the WGC report.

The United States is the world’s third-largest gold jewelry market.

When I read about camp jewelry in the latest Town and Country, I harkened back to my childhood years, when my parents quietly celebrated my summer departure for several weeks each year. But we didn’t wear much jewelry at camp, except for a mood ring or maybe a necklace with my name dangling on it.

After a little more reading, I came to understand camp jewelry to mean jewelry that was a little ostentatious, perfect for the upcoming Met Gala. Not quite tacky but instead fun and bold, meant to make a statement–but not one that is overly serious.

According to Town and Country:

“The idea of ‘Camp’ is to push boundaries,” says Siegelson, who has loaned Met Ball guests select pieces for the evening. “Susan Sontag said it was to ‘dethrone the serious.’ I read that as expecting fashion that is really fun, and nothing is more fun than the right jewelry. We have loaned out an interesting array of pieces, from brightly colored stone-set jewels that are pure accessories to what will likely be an exceptional ensemble to jewelry that is a strong and eye-catching statement on its own.”

For the Met Gala this week, we can expect yellow gold, brightly colored gems  and more campy surprises from guests like Lady Gaga and Lauren Santo Domingo.

We love the idea of jewelry for the sake of theatricality and fun. Campy jewelry doesn’t have to be tacky–its a celebration of all that is bright and bold in jewelry making.

Aishwarya Rai wearing a Michael Cinco gown.

If you’ve ever dreamed of combining your blingiest engagement ring with your wedding band, it might look a little something like this:

For custom designer, pieces like this make us so proud to be working with lab grown diamonds.

An all-diamond ring from a 155-carat plate of lab-grown material

Unromantically dubbed “Project D,” this amazing one-off ring was polished using laser cutting as well as traditional techniques. The final product showcases 133-facets and a total weight of 3.86 carats.

More info on this stunner: 

HRD Antwerp, Europe’s leading authority in diamond grading, determined that the ring has a clarity grade of VVS2 and a color grade of E, with excellent symmetry and very good polish.

“DD might be relatively new to cut diamonds for the jewelry market,” noted Michel Janssens, CEO of HRD Antwerp, “but they have created an impressive ring for their 10th anniversary. The outstanding cutting and polish work has resulted in a brilliant light reflection which emphasizes the beauty of the ring.”

“For our 10th anniversary we wanted to create something stunning that would highlight our innovative and high-tech techniques,” said Ton Janssen, CEO of Dutch Diamond Technologies. “I think we’ve more than succeeded with the one-off “Project D” ring. It’s a true ‘European’ ring: Grown in Germany, cut in the Netherlands and graded by HRD Antwerp in Belgium.”

The quality and carat weight of CVD synthetic diamonds has increased drastically over the past 10 years. DD reported that the 155-carat plate from which “Project D” was carved took five weeks to grow in its laboratory.

Synthetic diamonds have indeed come a long, long way. As early adopters, we’ve experienced this phenomenon first hand. If you’re looking for an anniversary band using beautiful, affordable and eco-friendly materials like synthetic diamonds, contact us.

While they aren’t sure of its worth yet, we’re guessing its a smidge more than the amount in your piggy bank. According to JCK:

Dominion Diamond Mines announced that a 552 ct. yellow diamond has been discovered at the Diavik mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The mine says the stone is the largest gem-quality diamond ever found in North America.

A Dominion statement says it doesn’t plan to sell the stone as a piece of rough but will find a partner to cut and polish it, noting that “only a handful of master cutters” are qualified to do so.

This diamond will replace its predecessor (as the largest diamond in North America); the 187.7 ct. Foxfire, found in 2015.

It’s “too soon” to approximate its worth but we can’t wait to hear every detail about this stunning gem’s transformation.

“The color and texture of the diamond are a unique example of the journey that natural diamonds take from their formation until we unearth them.”

“The Farnese Blue,” a 6.16-carat pear shaped fancy dark gray-blue diamond.

Most gems of this magnitude have a storied history. And the stunning 6-carat Farnese Blue Diamond is no exception.

Passed on to generations of Spanish royalty, the Blue Diamond makes it way to the auction block soon. “The Farnese Blue” will be offered at the Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale at Sotheby’s Geneva on May 15 where it’s expected to sell for between $3.7 million and $5.3 million.

According to the National Jeweler:

It was uncovered in the Golconda mines of India, which also produced the famous Hope and Wittelsbach diamonds.

The stone was given to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain (1692-1766) and descendant of Pope Paul III, following her wedding to King Philip V of Spain, grandson of Louis XIV, King of France.

The wedding was celebrated in Parma, Italy in 1714, after the War of the Spanish Succession, which had depleted the country’s finances. To be able to offer a suitable dowry for the new queen, the Spanish government sent word to its colonies, demanding they send wedding presents to Madrid.

[Read more about its lengthy and fascinating history.]

 

Here’s some staggering facts about plastic use:

• 160,000 plastic bags are used globally every second!
• 5 trillion plastic bags are produced yearly. Side by side, they can encircle the world 7 times.
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is a floating landfill of garbage in the Pacific twice the size of Texas, is mostly composed of plastic.
• In 2008, a sperm whale was found beached in California. It died due to the more than 22 kilos of plastic found in its stomach.
• Plastic will only start degrading after 700 years and will only fully degrade in 1000 years. This means that all the plastic that has ever been produced has not degraded yet.
• Plastic bags remain toxic even after it breaks down. It doesn’t biodegrade, it photo-degrades. It means that after it degrades, it breaks down into smaller and smaller toxic bits of itself – and bleeds and contaminates the environment.
• An average family will use 60 plastic bags on four visits to the supermarket.
• Only 1 to 3% of plastic bags are recycled worldwide.
• Plastic bags cause the death of many marine animals when they are mistaken for food.

Which is why we tip our hats off to Rachel Kippen who has created jewelry from “items she finds during cleanups and wants to keep out of a landfill including bread clips, straws, plastic monopoly game pieces, bingo chips and scotch tape rolls.” [Santa Cruz Sentinel]

According to Kippen:

“These are items that have no end of life cycle plan. They cannot be downcycled like other plastics and they end up either going straight to the landfill or are a persistent waste item on our beaches and in our oceans,” she said. “Unweaving and untangling it from the earth also made me think about weaving it back together and symbology around that,” she said.

A recent New York Post article details the various ways that men discuss the cost of their wives’ engagement rings.

Interestingly, they usually fall into three categories: those who “never tell”, those who underestimate and/or exaggerate the cost of the ring and (of course) those who tell the truth.

“[Some] people truly believe that the more money you spend on the engagement ring, the more you love someone,” says Justin Insalaco, the founder of Legemdary, a site that connects diamond sellers with potential buyers and encourages underbidding.

So is there any hard and fast rules when relaying this kind of delicate information to your significant other post-engagement?

Well, we’d like to say honesty is always the best policy. But we often hear from clients who like to keep the final cost a secret. Which we can completely appreciate. This keeps the focus on the beauty and integrity of the ring rather than the nuts-and-bolts cost of it.

Plus…who doesn’t like a little mystery, right?

The sources of inspiration for jewelry design are endless. Why? Because design itself never stops. Look around you. Your room or office is packed with design and not just those of an interior decorator.

The smallest or most mundane item possesses its own particular design, from the lowly paperclip to a simple ballpoint pen.

Take the following examples. Designer Holly Paxton fashioned a throwaway tag that can also be worn as a brooch.

Now take a look at this below. A corner of candy bar packaging is the inspiration. Who would have thought this little corner of wrapper? [Same designer: Holly Paxton]

The takeaway: the sky’s the limit. Creativity knows no bounds. The simplest object around you possesses its own angles, lines, colors and unique design. Let’s celebrate the simple!

Source: Highsnobiety

Even during a precarious political and economic time world-wise, high-end jewelry brands continue to experience sales growth. Euromonitor International (a leading market research firm) recently reported that 2017 will yield a total of $37.8 billion spent in the luxury jewelry market. Wow.

Many of these established brands have a long history of popularity, with decades worth of marketing behind them. And that’s to say nothing of their amazing craftsmanship.

WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 DESIGNER JEWELRY BRANDS OF 2017?

1. Tiffany & Co.
2. Harry Winston
3. Cartier
4. Chopard
5. Van Cleef & Arpels
6. Graff
7. David Yurman
8. Buccellati
9. Bvlgari
10. Boucheron

[Source: WP Diamonds]

If there are any of well-known designer pieces that really speak to you, speak to us! We specialize in custom design that takes elements of what you like and combine them into the jewelry of your dreams.

Classic Tiffany style solitaire engagement ring for a square stone (setting only, does not include center stone).

While there are a wide variety of Harry Potter-related accoutrements to currently choose from, we took notice of this recent jewelry line that seems to be a “cult” above the rest. Hailing from eco-conscious jewelry company Alex and Ani (and partnering with Warner Bros.) this sophisticated jewelry line is geared toward the grown-up lovers of all things Potter:

According to The Daily Dot:

The 11 pieces in the collection—including necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings—are classy enough to wear to the office or more formal occasions, while providing a clear nod to J.K. Rowling‘s magical world. Fellow fans will recognize unique symbols like the Deathly Hallows and Harry’s iconic glasses crafted in sterling silver and gold plating. Even better, the collection is pretty affordably priced. The wrap rings start at $28, while the set of three expandable bangles top out at $98.

If you have a particular film or book whose symbols inspire you, we can custom design wearable art just for you!