RAPAPORT… Joyalukkas opened its Joyalukkas Centre showroom concept in Ruwi, Muscat, Oman. This showroom features a large format store for the brand’s jewelry as well as a fashion section that will cater to both women and men with a wide collection of fashion and textile materials. The showroom is located on the popular Ruwi high street where there is ample parking.“It’s an absolute honor t…

Press Release: The Israeli diamond industry will once again have a significant presence at BASELWORLD 2012, with 17 Israeli diamond companies participating in this key show taking place from March 8 to 15, 2012.The Israeli Diamond Institute (IDI) will operate a prominently placed information and image booth in Hall 3.1, NO1. The Israeli diamond companies will exhibit in Hall 3, the loose diamond h…

RAPAPORT… During the month of January 2012, metrix firm comScore found that 84.4 percent of the U.S. Internet audience viewed an online video. In the company’s monthly trends report for marketing professionals, comScore stated that, on average, the duration of the each video watched was 6.1 minutes, while the average online video advertisement played with the c…

RAPAPORT… U.S.-based online flash sales website Fab.com acquired Casacanda  to expand its reach into Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Fab.com’s chief executive, Jason Goldberg, wrote on his blog that he’d quickly honed in on Germany, and Berlin in particular, as part of the planning process to decide whether to build a presence or acquire an existing ecommerce website in Europe.
”In ear…

RAPAPORT… The Diamond Mining Corporation, a joint venture between Zimbabwe and Pure Diam of Dubai, reportedly asked the government for additional diamond concessions in the Marange since the lifespan of its current operations was only expected to be four years at the present rate of production.
The Zimbabwe Standard reported that the Diamond Mining Corp.’s deputy general manager, Gilliam Sithol…

(RAPAPORT) News & Observer: Three armed men, their faces covered by ski masks, walked into the Bailey’s Fine Jewelry at Cameron Village in Raleigh, North Carolina, smashed a display case and left in moments with an undisclosed haul of diamonds.
“We were all trying to run for cover because they had guns,” said the woman who called 911 to report what had just happened on February 17.
The store…

RAPAPORT… Canada-based jewelry designer Reena Ahluwalia was recently honored as an international winner in the Rio Tinto Diamonds Global Design Competition. There were nine winners  chosen for four categories, which included Champagne Diamonds, Silvermist Diamonds, Canadian Diamonds and Sustainable Jewelry.  Ahluwalia received the prestigious Master Craftsman award for the Canadian Dia…

RAPAPORT… Jewelry Television (JTV) is celebrating Mardi Gras with a New Orleans-style  fete titled “Carnival of Carats” on February 21. The date, which is also known as “Fat Tuesday,” will be one where JTV shoppers can find savings on  jewelry collections that feature colored gemstones, according to the company’s promotion.
”Since JTV is the largest retailer of loose gemstones in the…

RAPAPORT… Graff opened in the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai through a partnership with Damas.  The new 121-square-meter Graff boutique is located on the first floor of the luxury hotel and carries the jeweler’s  Butterfly collection, Diamonds on Diamonds collection and Lotus for Jewellery collection, among others. Watches include GraffStar Grand Date, GraffStar Ladies, ChronoGraff and Sc…

RAPAPORT… Global diamond demand is likely to grow at a ”fairly nice” pace, driven by consumers across Asia coupled with tighter supplies in the absence of any new big diamond mines, said Varda Shine, the chief executive of the Diamond Trading Company (DTC). There haven’t been  any new big mines discovered during the past 20 years and the current mines are all ageing, Shine said at a …