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On June 8, a 55.22 carat ruby discovered by Canadian company Fura Gems in Mozambique will be up for auction in New York. Named Estrela de Fura (or Star of Fura in Portuguese) it’s expected it to fetch “in excess of” $30 million.

Color is one of the most important factors in a diamond’s overall beauty and value. When selecting a setting it’s important to remember that the type of metal used can have a significant impact on how a diamond’s color appears. White, yellow and rose gold settings can all affect how a diamond looks.

The IGI GemBlog has improved its position among thousands of blogs and websites, ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness according to Feedspot, the internet’s largest human-curated database of bloggers.

Christie’s is preparing for what may be a record-breaking jewelry sale featuring The World of Heidi Horten, a two-part live auction boasting over 700 pieces of exquisite high jewelry from the estate of the late European collector.

IGI’s grading lab and offices in New York City have relocated to 545 Fifth Avenue. On March 16th the institute […]

Join us March 15th at 2:00 pm ET for ‘Lab Grown Diamonds: What’s now? What’s new? What’s next?’ a webinar presented by IGI and THE MVEye, as part of National Jeweler’s Supplier Spotlight webinar series.

Students of the Eugenio Montale Institute in Italy participated in a series of learning sessions involving gemstones and human values. Gemologist Francesco Sequino added his professional experience and insight on behalf of the International Gemological Institute.

The world’s largest diamond cutting and polishing center exists in Surat, the second largest city in India’s Gujarat province. There are well over 5,000 cutting and polishing factories, ranging from family run businesses to many of the diamond industry’s biggest players.

Australian mining company Lucapa has unearthed a 150 carat D color Type IIa rough diamond at their Lulo alluvial mine in Angola. Last year five rough crystals over 100 carats were recovered from the Lulo deposit, including crystals weighing 113, 131 and 160 carats in September alone.

Amethyst, the birthstone of February, is an appealing gemstone with a long and fascinating history. Throughout the centuries, amethyst has been valued for properties other than its purple aesthetic. Here are some fun facts about amethyst.

As lab grown diamonds gain popularity consumers have questions about the “post-growth treatment” comment seen on many IGI grading reports. Post-growth treatments are commonly used to reduce, eliminate or change the diamond’s color-appearance. Logically, people want to know “are the treatments permanent?”

There are two sophisticated ways of producing lab-grown diamonds. One process assembles the diamond in vertical layers and the other uses a metal catalyst to dissolve carbon. These different approaches produce inclusions which differ from those seen in natural diamonds.

Natural diamond continue to command record breaking prices at auction. Looking back at 2022 we see a diverse set of exceptional diamonds, spanning a range of sizes, which the fall of the gavel transferred to new owners.

In the 1980s a young young girl in the DRC decided to explore a pile of rubble located near her uncle’s house. While playing she found a large golden-colored rock in the pile and took it home to her uncle…

If the emotional aspect of diamond engagement rings resonates with you, ‘Only Natural Diamonds’ has a beautiful pictorial essay – covering their history from Mary of Burgundy all the way through ‘Bennifer.’

The Future Rocks (TFR) is a Hong Kong based platform offering ‘future-forward’ jewelry, espousing the shared values of sustainability, innovation and creativity. Since launching last year the online marketplace has more than tripled its roster of brands and products.

IGI provided a ‘Behind the Scenes’ tour to attendees of last month’s NYC Jewelry Week in Manhattan, showcasing the institute’s grading and appraisal processes for diamonds, gemstones, and jewelry.

On November 17 IGI honored Leysen with a diamond craftsmanship award, recognizing the jewelry Maison’s ‘Blue Flame Diamond.’ The ceremony, attended by diplomats, industry principals and members of the press, took place at the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Belgium in Shanghai.

Last month IGI instructed a Polished Diamond Course in Antwerp attended by 15 students from 12 different countries; the most nationalities hosted in one class at IGI’s 14 worldwide schools since the pandemic.

A 20 minute bidding war for a pink diamond culminated in a final bid of $49.9 million, exceeding the pre-sale estimate by over 230%, and setting a record for the highest price per carat ever paid for a diamond at auction.

Diamond Standard’s coin, the world’s only market-traded diamond commodity, is up 30% in the two years since launch, outperforming gold by almost 40% and the S&P 500 by 20%. Last week that commodity’s first spot market was established, giving all investors in the product liquidity.

The IGI GemBlog has earned a top position among thousands of blogs and websites, ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness according to Feedspot, the internet’s largest human-curated database of bloggers.

Earlier this month IGI participated in a presentation at the Antwerp Diamond Bourse. The session, staged in the heart of Antwerp’s historic diamond district, was part of a ‘diamond immersion tour,’ arranged for a group of 60 jewelry enthusiasts.

Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas has now yielded 35,000 diamonds to visitors – and counting – since opening to the public 50 years ago. The park’s 37.5-acres field is the world’s only diamond-bearing site accessible to the public.