Buccellati

Buccellati is known for the impeccable quality of its Italian gold. Founded in 1919, it is the patriarch of haute Italian jewelry. Italian Goldsmith Mario Buccellati opened his shop in Milan, and was the first among Italian Goldsmiths to open a shop on Fifth Ave in New York and later in Palm Beach. As his popularity gained, his clientele came to include the Vatican and the Royal Courts of Europe, leading to his nickname, “The Prince of Goldsmiths.”

Mario Buccellati drew upon the work of the Renaissance and Eighteen Century craftsman for design. The brand has cultivated a style all its own, distinguished by the use of refined techniques such as tulle, lace and honeycomb. The house also gives jewelry a fabric effect by brushing and mattifying metals, and it often mixes silver and gold for texture and light enhancement. Dense gem encrustation gives Buccellati’s jewelry its rich texture.

The company works through a stable of nearly 300 artisans throughout Italy. The company only produces one of a kind or extremely limited editions of their pieces. It produces about 4,000 pieces per year, including handmade silver objects and watches.

Colombian emerald mine Esmeracol

Fura Gems, a new gemstone mining company headed by Gemfields veteran Dev Shetty, has purchased 76 percent of Colombian emerald mine Esmeracol for $10.2 million.

Current owner Emporium will continue to hold a 21.71 percent interest in the mine with the other 2.29 percent retained by minority holders.

Open for 400 years, it has produced some of the finest emeralds in the world. Lately, it has operated on a small-scale basis. Fura plans to modernize it and ramp up production. Colombia's emerald production has plummeted in recent years.

The Donnersmarck Diamonds up for auction

The Donnersmarck Diamonds are two yellow diamonds, named after their one time owner Henckel von Donnersmarck. One, a baguette-shaped diamond weighing 102.54 carats, was last sold for $3.246 million in 2007. The second, tear drop in shape and weighing 82.48 carats, was sold for $4.666 million. The combined estimate is $9 - $14 million.

Sotheby’s is also offering “The Raj Pink” at the sale, the world’s largest known fancy intense pink diamond, weighing 37.30 carats with an estimate of $20 - $30 million. Sotheby’s Geneva auction of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels runs November 15 at the Mandarin Oriental, Geneva.

Centuries of Opulence: Jewels of India

According to the Indian life science Ayurveda, wearing a diamond will guarantee long life, endurance and beauty. Quality was paramount. Only the finest gems and purest gold would evoke maximum power to honor the gods and serve as talismans to ward off evil. Gemologists were valued members of royal courts in India. The exhibit runs at GIA in Carlsbad from October 13, 2017 to March 1, 2018.

Alrosa's Dynasty collection

Alrosa, the world’s top diamond producer by carats, introduced The Dynasty, a unique collection of diamonds manufactured at its cutting and polishing facilities. The centerpiece of the collection is a 51.38-carat round brilliant-cut. The Dynasty collection was created from a 179-carat rough diamond recovered from the Nyurbinskaya kimberlite pipe in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in 2015.

The second-largest stone in the collection, the 16.67-carat round brilliant Sheremetevs diamond

The collection will be sold at a special online auction scheduled for November 2017.

Namibia's Oranjemund open for tourists

After decades, a diamond-mining town in Namibia that previously restricted visitors has opened it's doors to the public in hopes of boosting tourism. The remote town of Oranjemund, which lies in a diamond-mining area called the Sperrgebiet, or “prohibited area” in German, declared an end to its isolation from the rest of the country.

Namdeb, a joint venture between Namibia and De Beers, operates in the Oranjemund area. Diamond mining on land has been winding down, with efforts redoubled on offshore operations. Diamonds have been mined in Namibia since 1908, when a railway worker found a stone that would change the course of history of Namibia, and alluvial mining.

The stone was a diamond, and shortly after he handed it to his supervisor, a frenzied diamond rush to the desert sands near Luderitz took place which resulted in the mining of seven million carats for colonial Germany until World War I. Namibia is one of the world’s largest producers of gem quality diamonds, with about 95% being gem quality.

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Dubai factory to cut 813 carat 'Constellation'

Dubai’s first diamond-manufacturing facility, which officially opened last week, will cut and polish the world’s most valuable rough diamond. The 813-carat Constellation diamond was bought by Dubai's Nemesis in partnership with Swiss jeweler de Grisogono in 2016 for $63.1 million. At $77,613 per carat, the stone ranks as the most expensive rough diamond ever sold.

Cartier Haute Joaillerie Exhibition

The 'Cartier Haute Joaillerie Exhibition', a showcase of stunning, one-of-a-kind jewelry, opened to the public this weekend at Cartier’s Fifth Avenue flagship in New York. Featuring spectacular gemstones and unparalleled artistry, Cartier’s collection of high jewelry is rarely seen in a museum-style exhibition.