Intelligence from IGI Worldwide
Following a similar benchmark set three months ago, IGI Hong Kong recently certified the largest laboratory-grown diamond received to date. With a finished weight of 12.75 carats, this collection-quality man-made gemstone was fashioned from a staggering 46.20 carat CVD-grown rough crystal
Shopping by computer and smartphone is on the rise, with no sign of stopping. In the interest of serving consumers and retailers alike, IGI recently introduced a new digital platform for loose or mounted diamonds, gemstones and jewelry items.
Yesterday, while Americans woke to cast their votes for president of the USA, a quiet retirement took place in the land down under. Australia’s famous Argyle Mine, which has produced 90% of the world’s pink diamonds since 1983, officially closed her doors on November 3.
Do you remember when our friends at Diamond DNA had us grade that incredible 10-carat lab-grown diamond transformed from intense yellow to vivid pink using an electron beam? This time…
In just 20 days this 14.83 carat Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink diamond will find a new home, when it's offered via live auction by Sotheby's Geneva. The auction house estimates this incredibly rare find could command up to $38 million.
The easing of COVID-19 restrictions, combined with growth in online shopping, has seen a steady rise in diamond jewelry sales across the USA and China. This marks several months of improvement across a broad spectrum of shoppers.
Rob Bates is a highly regarded diamond and jewelry industry journalist. Now, drawing on his wealth of knowledge and experience involving the worldwide trade of gemstones and jewelry, Rob has created a fun, fictional work... A mystery novel entitled "A Murder Is Forever."
Anglo American is reporting that DeBeers' rough diamond sales during the eighth cycle of 2020 brought in $467 million USD. Not only is this is a significant surge over 2020's seventh cycle, which brought in $334 million, it's a noteworthy increase of 57% over the $297 million realized during the same cycle in 2019.
A private, anonymous collector bidding by phone from Japan is the new owner of the first high-value item of its kind ever offered "without reserve" by Sotheby's. Originally a 271 carat rough diamond unearthed in 2018 at the Victor Mine in Ontario, Canada, it was cut into this 102.39 carat D Flawless oval shape by Diacore.
IGI has provided insight and advice to diamond, gem and jewelry industry professionals in tandem with JCK Online's sponsored-content initiative: "Solving New Trends in the New Normal" addresses explosive growth in two disruptive industry areas.
DeBeers has launched an initiative titled ReSet; a series of collaborations with jewelry designers spotlighting the positive impact of natural diamonds and stimulating conversations about sustainability.
Kevin Kinard visited Crater of Diamonds State Park regularly for more than 25 years, but never found a diamond until Labor Day 2020. Now he has the distinction of discovering the second largest diamond to ever come from the popular Arkansas tourist site, at just over nine carats.
Following a 40 day period of submissions and evaluation, IGI’s international panel of prestigious judges has advanced 30 design concepts to the final round of the 2020 IGI JEWEL Jewelry Design Contest. These creative works, which can be seen here, were selected for creativity, use of materials, budget, feasibility of production and wearability.
Earlier this month IGI received two large HPHT-produced lab-grown diamonds for analysis and grading. One of those stones has become the Guinness World Record Holder for the largest black lab-grown diamond in history.
We are pleased to announce a new, elevated design for our identification and grading reports. This design update comes 45 years after our first Diamond report was issued in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1975.
Can we call them the Blues Brothers? Individually weighing 25.75 carats, 21.25 carats, 17.57 carats, 11.42 carats and 9.61 carats, Petra Diamonds reports that these spectacular siblings were assessed to be individual stones, not originally part of a larger diamond.
Another independent analysis has concluded that IGI's loose diamond grading ranks among the world's strictest. In an independent comparison of dual-certified diamonds IGI's color grading was stricter than that of GIA in a majority of cases, with clarity the same or stricter in most cases, as well.
ALROSA reported more than $20 million in revenue generated by special-size rough diamond auctions in Belgium and Israel this month. The diamonds were sold to clients from Belgium, India, Israel and United Arab Emirates.
USA jewelry sales are climbing. Signet Jewelers, the parent of Kay and Jared, saw sales rise at the end of the last quarter and continue to climb in August. Tiffany & company reported the same trend. And diamond jewelry was one of the top product categories at both Macy's and Bloomingdale's during the quarter ending August 1.
An exceptionally rare, clear diamond "the size of a lollipop" is being offered without reserve at auction by Sotheby's. According to the auction house, an item of this historic importance and value has never been offered with no-reserve before.