Colored Gemstones Light Up The Emmys
from AGTA
Despite fashion's focus on statement neckwear these days, TV's biggest stars at the 61st annual Primetime Emmy Awards sported some amazing earrings, many styles of which popped brilliant color. "Once again we saw the importance of color and colored gemstone jewelry on the red carpet," stated Douglas K. Hucker, AGTA CEO. "There was an amazing array of gemstones featured, from the classic rubies, sapphires and emeralds to a rainbow of hues in tourmalines, beryls and fancy color diamonds." More

Spectrum Awards Deadline This Friday!
from AGTA
The deadline for the 2010 AGTA Spectrum Awards™ and Cutting Edge competition is set for this Friday, Sept. 25, 2009. Great media exposure is just one of the reasons to enter - and what better opportunity than to have your piece on display in the Platinum Guild International USA's Red Carpet Jewelry Preview suite at the Emmy Awards? Two 2009 Spectrum Awards Platinum Honors-winning pieces, a multi-color brooch featuring fancy color diamonds, sapphires and rubies by Fortune's Fine Jewellery and morganite and diamond drop earrings by Richard Krementz Gemstones, were on display in the suite. Could your design be in the spotlight next year?More

Augment Your Staff Training with Seminars from AGTA GemFair
from AGTA
The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) recorded the GemFair Seminar Program in Tucson using a new technology that combines audio recording synched with the speaker's PowerPoint presentation. The DVD-Rom contains 25 individual sessions with over 24 hours of content. This is a great reference or staff training tool at a very affordable price. "A large part of AGTA's mission is keeping our members, and the industry as a whole, informed about current issues, trends and better ways of doing business," stated Douglas K. Hucker, AGTA CEO. "This series of seminars accomplishes all of these things by providing an incredible wealth of information by the most knowledgeable presenters in our industry and beyond."More

World's Biggest Stars Go Platinum for Emmy
from Platinum Guild International USA
While the awards might be gold, the stars opted for platinum jewelry on the red carpet at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. Style expert Michael O'Connor notes that "classic Hollywood glamour is the hottest trend on the red carpet this year." O'Connor adds that "celebrities are choosing to make a statement with their jewelry by highlighting either their neck, wrists or ears with bold pieces." Platinum is favored on the red carpet because it's a naturally white metal so it maximizes the brilliance of rare gemstones. More

Learn the Varieties of Jade
from Blue Ridge Now
Jade is the toughest gem material known, even moreso than diamonds. Toughness is resistance to fracture or breakage, while hardness is resistance to being scratched. Consider rubber: it is very easy to scratch rubber but very hard to break it. Jade is more like rubber. More

Oceanic Inspiration
from the Color N Ice Blog
Designers often look to nature for inspiration in stimulating their distinct creative expression. Sometimes artists look to the gem itself for motivation in understanding what that gem wants to become. And on rare occasions both nature and the gem assists the jeweler in this mystical process. More

True Blood Jewelry Line Launches
from Luxist
The HBO series True Blood based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels has, along with the Twilight series of books, made all things vampire quite popular lately – including blood red rubies. More