intelligence

IGI Education Director John Pollard will join Rob Bates, Tanya Nisguretsky and Marty Hurwitz to present “The State of Lab Grown Diamond Industry” this Thursday. Rather than the usual “pro/con” arguments, the panel will address evolving new topics including melee, the implications of patent expirations and paradigm shifts in planning and cutting.

IGI recently graded 27.27 carat, 20.24 carat and 15.16 carat lab grown diamonds produced by Greenlab Diamonds LLP as part of their “sustainable and affordable luxury” project. The 27.27 and 20.24 carat gemstones are the largest polished lab grown diamonds ever produced.

Handheld gemstone testers are commonly used to differentiate between diamond and diamond-simulants like CZ and moissanite. However, as diamond growing technology advances the technology used in those devices becomes more limited.

After a heated 11 minutes of bidding, the 205 carat Red Cross Diamond “rocked” Christie’s Geneva by selling for $14 million dollars, a whopping 40% over its high pre-sale estimate. The famous Fancy Intense Yellow diamond, originally unearthed in 1901,  was fashioned with a pavilion distinctively crafted in the shape of a Maltese cross.

In the normal diamond color range ‘Z’ is classified as most tinted while ‘D’ is classified as most colorless. So what happened to A, B and C? Are they reserved for new diamond discoveries? Extraterrestrial diamonds? What could possibly be more colorless than most colorless? If there are 23 classifications why not start with ‘A’ and end with ‘W?’

In 2020 Synova, introduced the “Da Vinci Diamond Factory,” an automated system capable of transforming rough diamonds into fully polished round brilliants. Synova has continued to increase its range and recently made it possible for rough diamond scans, used by many entities, to be incorporated into its planning and execution.

Petra Diamonds, owner of the legendary Cullinan diamond mine, is looking to sell their Koffiefontein mine, a sister operation acquired from DeBeers’ in 2007. Established in 1870, Koffiefontein is one of South Africa’s oldest diamond mines, located just 50 miles south of Kimberley.

Round brilliant, cushion, and other shapes with depth are historically most popular because they’re both aesthetically pleasing and economically practical. Flat shapes are not as common, which is why we wanted to spotlight these creative, rarely seen shapes.

The Red Cross invests 93.5% of dollars they spend on people in need and, according to Christie’s, a “significant” cut of the $11 million dollars this diamond is expected to bring in on May 11 will, again, be donated to its namesake organization.

A team of international researchers have discovered a fast-moving exoplanet, nearly 13 times larger than Earth, with vast clouds of liquid metal and corundum – the mineral which forms rubies and sapphires – blowing across the planet.

Fancy colored diamonds are very rare to find in nature. They represent less than 0.01% of diamonds mined in the world – or, about 1 in 10,000. Furthermore, nature produces some colors with far more frequency than others, so a diamond transmitting your favorite color might be, literally, 1 in a million.

The Zoe Report (TZR), one of BDG’s brands which collectively reach over 100 million readers per month, recently cited input from IGI on sustainability in the diamond and jewelry industry.

On May 11 a 228.31 carat diamond discovered in South Africa more than 20 years ago, will become the largest white diamond ever sold at auction, according to auction house Christie’s, with a presale estimate between $20 and $30 million.

Most of Earth’s diamonds formed billions of years ago, during the supercontinent cycle, as carbon fragments around 100 miles deep were crystallized by unimaginable forces of heat and pressure. But diamonds can also flash-form due to meteorite impact.

Anglo American’s newest diamond recovery vehicle, the Benguela Gem, was recently inaugurated at the Port of Walvis Bay, Namibia. In addition to increasing Debmarine Namibia’s annual production by 45% the vessel is expected to create 160 new jobs for the local workforce.

Creativity in diamond design continues to expand, thanks to the expanded possibilities offered by the CVD growth process. IGI recently graded another groundbreaking creation, an 8.96 carat Fancy Intense Green cannabis-inspired lab grown diamond.

This Hamsa-inspired pendant, recently graded by IGI, features a single 13.28 carat Fancy Vivid Blue lab grown diamond as the […]

Many things have evolved or changed since the turn of the century, and especially in the last 2 years. These changes have impacted many aspects of life, including how we interact and how we buy things.

Winifred Mason created her first piece of jewelry in 1940, a pendant made of bronze, copper and silver. In the years that followed she began filling orders for prestigious Fifth Avenue stores in New York, including Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdales. She is considered by many to be the first commercial black jeweler in the USA.

Sotheby’s is taking an exceptional 15.10 carat fancy vivid blue diamond on a world tour, with a pre-sale estimate of $48 million.

The world’s largest cut diamond, a 555.55 carat fancy black named has a new owner and a new name. Purchased by Richard Heart, founder of cryptocurrency company HEX, the diamond’s name will change from The Enigma to the HEX.com diamond.

Art Smith was a visionary jewelry artist who pioneered many innovations in the mid 1900s, including bold geometric pieces that both cover and reveal the body. Today we spotlight this 11 minute video, celebrating Art Smith.

In Diamond 4Cs analysis, clarity evaluates a gemstone’s relative freedom from inclusions and blemishes. There are 11 different clarity grades which descend gradually from flawless. However, nuanced gemological analysis notwithstanding, many buyers just want to know, is it “eye-clean?”

In 2017 Nick Boulle became the first certified Rolex retailer to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona. This weekend he’ll compete in the 24 hour sunset-sunrise event again, driving the No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R, which boasts the name of his family’s Texas based jewelry store.