ICA Newsletter - June 2018
ICA Appoints Maxim van Oppens As New Ambassador to Belgium
An FGG Gemologist and GIA AJP graduate, Maxim van Oppens inherited his passion for the gemstone trade from his family, who have been in the diamond trade since 1953. In 1995, the family founded the colored gemstone cutting and wholesale company, Metro Stones bvba. Traveling the world to source the best deposits and supply a vast range of gemstones for an international public, Maxim is an advocate for natural gemstones and for high standards in the trade . He is a partner at Metro Stones and is the owner of VomDiam. He also works as a business consultant in the gemstone trade and financial sector.   To Read His First AMBASSADOR'S REPORT From Belgium, Click Here.
Import Duties on 18 Categories of Jewelry Reduced by China. Average Drop of 67.7%
As part of tariff reductions on a wide range of consumer goods, China will slash import taxes on jewelry starting July 1 . Read More
De Beers Launches New "Lightbox" brand with Lab-Grown Diamonds
De Beers Group has announced the launch of a new company called Lightbox Jewelry that will begin marketing a new fashion brand of laboratory-grown diamond jewelry in September, offering consumers high-quality, fashion jewelry designs at lower prices than existing lab-grown diamond offerings. Read More
Rapaport Says DeBeers Is Destroying Transparency in the Diamond Industry
Martin Rapaport says that “De Beers is extending its market power from rough to polished markets through exclusive polished distribution networks...making it impossible for independent third parties to source-certify their diamonds, thereby disabling legitimate diamond distribution systems.” Read More
China’s Jewelry Market Is Quietly Improving
The 2005-2013 boom in Chinese gold jewelry demand was followed by several years during which demand declined by one third. Last year, however, saw modest growth, aided by industry efforts to better engage with modern consumers. And continued innovation by the trade could bear fruit over the coming years. Read More
Record Results for Gemfields Ruby Auction
The Gemfields ruby auction , held June 5 to 9, 2018 in Singapore, resulted in an all-time record for the miner. Of a total of 86 lots offered, 82 were sold (95%) with an average price of US$122 per carat for total revenues of US$71.8 million. Read More
Don't Rip Each Other Off! A Look at Plagiarism in the Jewelry Industry
Design plagiarism has been hampering the integrity of the jewelry industry for a long time. As times change, accusations of copying are popping up far more frequently now than ever before, thanks to Social Media. Indian Jeweller looks into how deep-rooted the issue of plagiarism is . Read More
India to create a national domestic council to promote nation's gem  and jewelry sector
A GJEPC official stated that the aim of the council is to form an association at the national level which could consist of members from states regional associations. Read More
ACE© It Conferences by NAJA - A ppraisers C ontinuing E ducation
The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA) announces its 50th Annual Mid Year ACE© It Education Conference to be held in Baltimore, MD on August 11 - 14, 2018.  Read More
Creativity and Color Shown in the Winning Jewels of the Saul Bell Design Awards
The much anticipated Saul Bell Design Awards has announced the winners in its 2018 competition. The winning pieces were chosen among hundreds entered for the competition. Read More
Bourbon-Parma Family Royal Jewels to be Auctioned by Sotheby's
Going under the hammer in Geneva on November, the “Royal Jewels from the Bourbon-Parma Family” will span centuries of European history, from the reign of Louis XVI to the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Read More
Changes in BaselWorld's Management
After 15 years as managing director of BaselWorld, Sylvie Ritter has stepped down from her role, as the winds of change reach the top echelons of the fair's management.  Read More