Lab Grown Diamonds and Jewelry sales to benefit children.
New York (August 16, 2021) — The International Gemological Institute (IGI) and Virtual Diamond Boutique (VDB) have partnered with Jewelers for Children (JFC) to host the first-ever international lab-grown diamond charity auction. More than $75,000 worth of loose lab-grown diamonds and lab-grown diamond jewelry, all with verified grading reports from IGI, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders.
This digital auction will take place during JCK Las Vegas and Las Vegas Jewelry Week, with bidding opening August 16, in advance of the shows, and closing during the JFC “Facets of Hope” dinner Aug. 29 at 8:30 pm.
IGI will certify and provide grading reports for the donated items, as well as donate logistics services such as storing, shipping and sealing of loose stones. “As a leader in the lab grown and mined diamond industry, IGI is committed to bringing the industry together in support of meaningful causes, like the charities benefitted by Jewelers for Children,” says IGI North America President Avi Levy. “When IGI pioneered lab grown diamond certification over 15 years ago, the goal was to provide accurate and reliable reporting, which is still true today, but the opportunity to contribute our knowledge and resources to this all-important fundraising initiative is truly priceless. We are honored to use our trusted services as the vehicle for the international lab grown diamond community to offer compassionate, tangible support to children with catastrophic illness or life-threatening abuse.”
The total dollar amount raised by the auction will be announced in closing remarks at the in-person “Facets of Hope” event in Las Vegas on Sunday, August 29.
Anyone interested in participating can download the Jewelers for Children auction app on their smart phones (Apple app store or Google Play store for Android) or by visiting vdb.guru/jfc. Following registration on the app, bids can be placed between August 16 and August 29.
About IGI
The International Gemological Institute (IGI) has 20 laboratories in all major diamond and jewelry centers around the world, as well as 14 education facilities. For 45 years, IGI has provided the fine jewelry community and consumers with a broad range of services including independent diamond grading reports, colored stone reports, identification and appraisal reports, diamond authentication and attestation of origin, laser inscription services, as well as the issuing of the traditional jewelry identification report. Regardless of location or marketplace, an authentic IGI Laboratory Report is the common language of trust and confidence in the gemological world.
About Jewelers For Children
Since 1999 JFC has donated over $57 million to charity partners Make-A-Wish® America, Make-A-Wish® International, the National CASA Association, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the Organization for Autism Research, the Santa America Fund and others, to the benefit of children who are victims of catastrophic illness or life-threatening abuse and neglect.
About Virtual Diamond Boutique
Virtual Diamond Boutique (VDB) is a global technology company serving the jewelry industry with a marketplace app and an entire digital toolbox for retailers and suppliers. They have combined deep jewelry industry knowledge with top technical talent to create jewelry technology that helps build store traffic, facilitates in-store engagement and assists jewelers at all levels of the industry with sourcing, buying, connecting and selling
