As we pull the party poppers and jump into a new year, it’s time to reflect on the most important trends and stories of 2017 and think about how these will shape the next 12 months… 1. Retailers are returning to gold The branded boutique boom is fading, and now retailers are reflecting on which…
Sotheby’s prepares to sell largest round diamond ever auctioned
Sotheby’s will offer the largest round diamond ever sold under the hammer at its next Magnificent Jewels and Fine Jewels auction. Being auctioned on December 17 in New York City, the round brilliant stone is 110.92cts. While it is a far cry from some of the rough stones and other cut styles which have gone…
Mappin & Webb creates exclusive diamond to stand out from competitors
Luxury British jewellery retailer Mappin & Webb has created an exclusive diamond in a bid to stand out from competitors. In a competitive marketplace where brands and retailers are fighting against competitors slashing prices, and/or offering similar products of lower quality and lower price tags, national retailer Mappin & Webb wanted to created a high…
Natural diamonds trump synthetic copies for transparency, claims Forevermark
Responsible diamond jewellery brand Forevermark believes that mining is more transparent than laboratory-manufactured diamonds as a result of regulation. Forevermark, which is part of the De Beers group, specialises in responsibly-sourced diamonds that can be tracked from mine to store. This week marks the launch of Positive Week, an initiative run by Positive Luxury designed…
Blue diamond fetches £2.7m after 30 years of private ownership
A Fancy Intense Blue diamond went under the hammer at Bonhams Fine Jewellery sale in London this week. The pear-shaped 4.03 carat precious stone, which has been held in a private collection for nearly 30 years, was snapped up for £2,68m. Graff Diamonds, who bought the gem, paid £638,464 per carat. Jean Ghika, Head of…
Rare 4.03ct blue diamond goes under the hammer
A rare four-carat blue diamond is set to go under the hammer with an estimated price tag of £1.5m at Bonhams London Fine Jewellery today. The sale of 188 lots includes a selection of white and coloured diamonds, sapphires from Kashmir, Burma and Sri Lanka, signed jewellery from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, and…
Hatton Garden BID puts spotlight on bridal at summer festival
The Hatton Garden BID is hosting a summer event to celebrate all things bridal jewellery. Taking place July 21-22 2017, the ‘Hatton Garden Festival’ offers consumers two days in the London jewellery quarter packed with entertainment, competitions, talks, workshops and, the big Diamond Hunt. Across the two days (Friday and Saturday), visitors will get to experience…
Car-boot diamond ring fetches £656,750 at auction
The 26ct diamond ring bought at a car-boot sale for £10 sold at Sotheby’s in London for £656,750. When the news first broke about the diamond ring being mistaken for a piece of costumer jewellery, it was predicted that it would fetch £350K at auction, after L Guess Watchmark & Jewellers advised the owners of…
Colour inspires the latest collection from Amore
This year consumers have been exploring different colours and making bolder decisions when it comes to jewellery. Amore Oro raced ahead with this growing trend and launched a ‘Colour of Carnivals’, a collection of diamond and gemstone dress rings, earlier this year. The ‘Carnival of Colour’ collection of diamond and gemstone dress rings are…
Diamond ring bought for £10 expected to fetch £350,000 at auction
A large diamond ring purchased for £10 at a car boot sale is expected to fetch £350,000 under the hammer at Sotheby’s July auction. The ring, which was bought 30 years ago for £10 when the original owner had mistaken it for a piece of costume jewellery, has been described by Sotheby’s as a 26.27ct,…
