The R&M “Lettre”

London – A new report states that the per-ounce price of gold might have already hit its high for the year and could briefly sink as low as $1,100 in the coming months.

Columnists sometimes do the strangest things, like writing a column about something they know very little, and sometimes nothing, about, tossing some figures to give credence to their writings, and in the process causing damage.

With clients now forced to wait as long as four months to have their gems graded and returned, the Gemological Institute of America announced a new suite of measures designed to decrease its labs’ much-derided turnaround time.

Investors in the Hong Kong-based retail jewelry giants have had better months than in April.

At the recent American Gem Society Conclave, speaker Peter Sheahan gave an excellent presentation about how all industries are dealing with rapid change. “Don’t build your future on the beliefs of the past,” he exhorted.

If it is true that diamonds find their raison d’être in emotions, rather than necessity, then one can see why good marketing is twice as important as in other goods.

Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that one section of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s conflict mineral rule, its response to Sect. 1502 of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, was unconstitutional.

This past winter, one of my esteemed industry colleagues included a saying in one of his blogs that I had never heard before: If you really want to be wary of the mass media, read an article on a topic about which you are particularly well informed.

The world’s largest flawless blue diamond, a 13.22-carat stone, is to lead Christie’s auction of Magnificent Jewels in Geneva next month.

Few issues in the diamond industry raise more concern than financing. Bank financing is what allows most businesses to expand, overcome temporary cash flow hardships, purchase new equipment, make long-term plans and execute programs.

Last week, Israel Diamond Exchange unveiled a new slogan: “Natural is real.” The slogan is a clever play on the word Israel, and a less-clever poke in the eye to lab-grown diamond producers, who do, in fact, produce real diamonds.

To a chemist, diamonds are a three-dimensional cubic lattice of carbon atoms. To most of us, they are the ultimate status symbol – but how long will they remain so, now that they can be mass-produced?