Angelina Jolie Donates Unique Necklace To Smithsonian

Angelina Jolie wearing the “Jolie Citrine Necklace” that she donated to the Smithsonian. Photo by RP Studio

Angelina Jolie gave the Smithsonian Institution an early Christmas present.

The actress and humanitarian has gifted a citrine necklace to the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection. The piece is from the Style of Jolie jewelry collection, a collaboration between Jolie and American high jewelry designer, Robert Procop.

The 18k yellow gold necklace features 64 graduated bezel-set cushion-shaped citrine gems highlighted by a 177.11-carat pear-shaped citrine drop. The new piece, named the “Jolie Citrine Necklace,” will be displayed in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals beginning today and remain on view indefinitely. It’s the same hall that contains the Hope Diamond, the Star of Asia sapphire and other famous gems.

The 18k yellow gold necklace features 64 graduated bezel-set cushion-shaped citrine gems highlighted by a 177.11-carat pear-shaped citrine drop. Photo by RP Studio

“We are thrilled to receive this important piece for the Smithsonian,” said Jeffrey Post, curator of the National Gem Collection. “It is the first piece of citrine jewelry in the collection. The fact that it was personally designed by Angelina Jolie Pitt and Robert Procop makes it all the more significant.”

Jolie (who now prefers to include her husband’s surname, “Pitt,” with her name) added, “Robert and I are honored to have this great institution feature one of our jeweled creations. As the Smithsonian has educated so many of us, this jewel is a symbol of our efforts to help educate underprivileged children in conflict areas of the world.”

The Style of Jolie collection was developed by Jolie Pitt to promote education and establish schools in conflict-affected countries. Proceeds from the sales of jewelry in the collection are donated to the Education Partnership for Children in Conflict, which builds schools for children around the world. The first few schools were built in Afghanistan.

The National Gem Collection in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals is one of the most visited exhibitions at the Smithsonian. The mineral and gem collection consists of approximately 350,000 mineral specimens and 10,000 gems, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world. It is part of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

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Shanghai Jewelry Fair Opens Friday

The China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shanghai opens its doors Friday and will run till December 14 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

Celebrating its 11th anniversary, the Shanghai Fair will host more than 300 exhibitors from 24 countries and regions, including Australia, Austria, Canada, mainland China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Myanmar, Poland, Russian Federation, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, and Hong Kong and Taiwan regions.

The latest contemporary jewelry, classic bestsellers and inspiring up-and-coming trends will be displayed in more than 15,000 square meters of exhibition space. There will also be diamonds, gems, pearls, jadeite and coral; and jewelry making machinery and equipment.

In Shanghai, retail sales of consumer goods totaled more than $110 million in 2014, according to UBM Asia, which owns and operates the annual jewelry trade fair.

Attractions at the fair include:

* Premier Pavilion – This area is for high-end consumers, retailers and private collectors. Among the participants are AP Coral Sas, Bashari Diamonds (Shanghai) Ltd, CHQ GmbH, Cimmino (Shanghai) Import Export Co Ltd, Kim Dai Hook Jewellery Co, Moyuren Art Jadeite Jewellery Co Ltd, Robert Wan Shanghai Co Ltd, Triluck (HK) Ltd and United Jewelry Co.

* Country pavilions include Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Turkey.

* One-stop sourcing platform for colored gemstones – More than 40 exhibitors from Sri Lanka and Thailand will gather in this area to offer rough and polished colored gemstones including rubies, sapphires and emeralds.

Free translation services are available at the fair upon request. A free on-site professional product testing service to examine the quality of products is also available to help strengthen buyers’ confidence in the quality of products offered at the fair.

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7.8-Carat Tiffany Kashmir Sapphire Fetches $1.35M At Bonhams

A sapphire and diamond ring set a world auction record for a Kashmir sapphire under 10 carats, fetching $1.35 million at Bonhams New York’s Fine Jewelry auction Tuesday.

The turn-of-the-century Tiffany & Co. ring is centered by an oval-cut sapphire the auction house describes as “rare quality” and a “deep and rich blue.” It’s flanked by European-cut diamonds weighing 7.84 carats. It sold for $172,000 per carat.

“On the heels of three world-records at our recent Bonhams London jewelry sale, Bonhams New York sets another world-record in price per carat for a Kashmir sapphire under 10 carat,” said Daniel Struyf, senior director of International Jewelry. “It’s been a successful week for Bonhams’ international jewelry department and a sign that colored gemstones are on the rise.”

Sapphires of Kashmir and Ceylon origin were quite popular at the sale, which represents the final jewelry auction for the fall season and for the year at Bonhams. Other top lots include:

* Sapphire and diamond ring: centered by a 29.74-carat cushion-shaped sapphire of Ceylon origin (pictured above), sold for $269,000.

* Sapphire and diamond ring: centered by an oval-cut sapphire of 5.23 carats of Kashmir origin (pictured above), sold for $269,000 

* A sapphire and diamond ring centered by a 24.16-carat sapphire of Ceylon origin, sold for $125,000. 

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Sabina Belli Becomes CEO of Pomellato Group

Sabina Belli, a veteran luxury brands executive, was named CEO of the Pomellato group. Kering Group, the French luxury goods holding company that owns a majority stake in the Italian company, which consists of the luxury jewelry brands Pomellato and Dodo, made the announcement Thursday. 

Belli replaces Andrea Morante who will leave the company by the end of the year “after having completed a harmonious handover period with the new CEO, as planned since the acquisition agreement,” Kering said in a statement. She will report to Albert Bensoussan, CEO of Kering’s Luxury – Watches & Jewellery division.

Belli joined Kering in April 2015 as general manager of the Pomellato brand. “She has a deep knowledge of the luxury sector and of the development of high-end products on an international scale,” Kering said. Previously, she held senior-level positions in the jewelry, wine and spirits, and cosmetics industries. As part of her new role, Kering said she will support Pomellato’s and Dodo’s development and strengthen their positioning globally, Kering said.

“Since she joined, she has demonstrated a deep knowledge of the brands and their organizations. I am confident that her professional background and expertise of the luxury sector will be of great value to the brands’ development,” Bensoussan said in a statement. 

Before joining Pomellato, Belli, an Italian national, was a longtime executive with the LVMH Group where she was most recently brand executive VP of Bulgari. She joined LVMH in 1996 where she was international brand director for the Christian Dior Parfums and image and marketing director for LVMH Moët Hennessy; before working as international brand manager for Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin from 2009 to 2012. She began her career in advertising. 

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Reena Ahluwalia Paints For Women’s Empowerment

“The Portal of Empowerment” by Reena Ahluwalia

By Gretchen Friedrich, Jewelry News Network’s social media manager

Reena Ahluwalia is an award-winning diamond jewelry designer whose works have prominently appeared on fictional heads of state (Elizabeth Hurley's character in the television show The Royals) as well as on actual government-issued postage stamps. 

More recently Ahluwalia has replaced her jewelry workbench with a paintbrush, creating art works based on her love of diamonds under the name, “Jeweler Who Paints” (#jewelerwhopaints). This week she is showcasing two of her works at Art Miami 2015, one of the many art shows that appear alongside Art Basel Miami Beach. The show will run till Sunday at the Art Miami Pavilion Midtown in the Wynwood Arts District.

For the Art Miami display, Ahluwalia collaborated with fellow jewelry designer, Kara Ross, using Ross’s “Diamonds Unleashed” logo as the focal point for the paintings, “The Portal of Empowerment” and “Radiate Brilliance.” 

“Radiate Brilliance” by Reena Ahluwalia

Kara Ross—who works under the established nationally known jewelry brand, Kara Ross New York—invited Ahluwalia to paint her interpretation of the logo. Diamonds Unleashed is a for-profit group founded by Ross to support and promote women’s empowerment. 

Ross initiated the program after resetting the diamond from her own engagement ring. Instead of a symbol of love and devotion in the form of a gift, Ross says she wants diamonds to become synonymous with strength, purpose and independence. 

The Diamonds Unleashed logo, designed by Ross, is two diamonds, one pink, one blue that form a heart. The pink diamond elevates the blue diamond, symbolizing women enabling and encouraging other women. The heart formed by the diamonds embodies the goal of unanimous support among women all over the world. Plus, the symbol is derived from the most durable substance on earth. 

Ahluwalia’s previous involvement in women’s efficacy includes her design of the Courageous Spirit jewelry collection. The Rio Tinto mining group commissioned Ahluwalia to design the assembly as a tribute to the women of Madhya Pradesh, Ahluwalia 's birthplace. 

This latest endeavor by Ahluwalia and Ross epitomizes Ross’s core intention to encourage women to support women. As Ross states in the social media portion of the Diamonds Unleashed campaign: “strong women are beautiful.”

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JNA Awards Presents New Categories For 2016

The JNA Awards, now in its fifth year, has announced changes to its award categories for 2016. 

The organizer of the annual event, Jewellery News Asia, adjusted a few award categories to encourage greater participation from more regions and at the same time consolidate some categories that are judged against a similar set of criteria. 

The JNA Awards, which recognizes innovative and high-achieving individuals and enterprises, will have 11 categories in 2016, including the Lifetime Achievement Award—who will be selected by Jewellery News Asia.

The award categories for 2016 are as follows:

* Lifetime Achievement Award
* Brand of the Year - Retail    
* Industry Innovation/Sustainability Initiative of the Year 
* Manufacturer of the Year - Cutting & Polishing
* Manufacturer of the Year - Jewellery  
* Outstanding Enterprise of the Year - ASEAN/Korea 
* Outstanding Enterprise of the Year - India   
* Outstanding Enterprise of the Year - Greater China     
* Retailer of the Year (450 outlets and below) 
* E-tailer of the Year   
* Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Age 40 and below) 

The two Manufacturer of the Year categories have been broadened to encourage wider involvement from that sector, says UBM Asia, which owns Jewellery News Asia publishing group. The scope of the Outstanding Enterprise of the Year categories has been expanded to inspire companies from regions outside of the ASEAN and Mainland China to join the awards.

“As the organizer, we challenge ourselves each year to improve the event and attract more qualified entries,” said Letitia Chow, founder of JNA, director of Business Development— Jewellery Group at UBM Asia, and Chair of the JNA Awards judging panel. “We also listen to the voices of industry and respond to their feedback. A few categories that have similar judging criteria have been combined and will make these categories more competitive.”

She added, “We have expanded the Outstanding Enterprise of the Year category to include companies in Korea and Greater China. Hence, companies in Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan have the opportunity to enter this category and share and showcase their best business practices.”

Since its inception in 2012, the JNA Awards has dedicated its efforts to promoting the achievements of industry stakeholders, raising industry standards and upholding best business practices.

The JNA Awards 2016 has Rio Tinto Diamonds and Chow Tai Fook as its Headline Partners, with Diarough Group, Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI), Shanghai Diamond Exchange, and Guangdong Land Holdings Limited (GDLAND) serving as Honoured Partners.

For more information, visit www.JNAawards.com or contact:
JNA Awards Marketing 
UBM Asia (Hong Kong) 
+852 2516-2184 
marketing@JNAawards.com

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15-Carat Burmese Ruby Sets World Auction Record

Photo credit: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

“The Crimson Flame,” an exceptionally rare Burmese ruby, set a world auction record per carat of $1.2 million at Christie’s Hong Kong sale of Magnificent Jewels Tuesday.

The 15-carat “pigeon’s blood” colored gem sold for sold for $18.3 million, surpassing its high estimate of $15 million. The auction house said it is “undoubtedly the most important pigeon’s blood ruby to come to auction in Asia.” 

“It’s the year of the ruby at Christie’s Hong Kong,” declared Vickie Sek, deputy chairman Asia & Director of Christie’s Asia Jewellery department.

To underscore this, a suite of ruby jewels called The “Mogok’s Fiery Red” by famed Burmese ruby jewelry house, Fai Dee, took in commanding prices. The jewels offered as two individual lots and sold as follows:

Photo credit: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

* A necklace of 32 cushion-shaped pigeon’s blood Burmese rubies (pictured above), weighing approximately 5.05 to 1.04 carats, alternating with cushion-shaped diamonds, mounted in platinum and gold took in $7.2 million, within its estimate. 

* Pigeon’s blood Burmese ruby and diamond earrings sold for $3.1 million, within its estimate. 

In addition, the “Afghan Emerald,” a 10.11-carat flawless gem fetched $2.2 million, establishing a world record price for an Afghan emerald at auction. It surpassed its $1.5 million high estimate.

The auction of 320 lots at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre included diamonds, colored diamonds, colored gemstones, jadeite and signed pieces that took in $96.9 million with 80 percent of items sold by lot and 83 percent by value, Christie’s said. The sale attracted 160 buyers from 16 countries across three continents.

Other items of note include:

Photo credit: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

* A 7.53-carat Fancy Intense Pink diamond ring (pictured above) sold for $6.25 million, within its estimate; and 

Photo credit: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

* A two-strand jadeite bead necklace with a diamond clasp by Cartier (pictured above) sold for $7.5 million, well above its 4.8 million high estimate. 

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