Diamond News Archives

On October 11, the Jewelry Industry Summit will hold a first in a series of informative and timely webinars designed to support and activate businesses engaging in responsible sourcing.  The series, entitled "Fast Forwarding Sustainability" will provide guidance and real actions that jewelers can take now to engage in this important topic.

The title of this first offering: "Tools to Kick-Start Your Responsible Sourcing Journey" sets the tone for this important series of webinars to be offered starting now, and throughout 2020.  The goal is to provide actionable strategies for businesses to engage immediately in sustaining the supply chain for jewelry.

The first free webinar for jewelry designers, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers will provide up-to-date insights on how to set your business on a sustainable path. Valuable advice will be provided by the panelists who are experts in field of sustainable practices.

The webinar will provide insights as how to:  

• Build your business in a way that reflects your own responsible values.
• Understand the supply chain risks that could impact you.
• Navigate the complex world of compliance with sourcing standards.
• Find and use the latest free resources online.
• Communicate your responsible sourcing activity to your customers.

The webinar's panelists include: Christina Miller, Christina T Miller Sustainable Jewelry Consulting; Fabiana Di Lorenzo, Levin Sources and Julija Menise, CIBJO/TDI

Cecilia Gardner, Board Chair, Jewelry Industry Summit will moderate the event.

As with all events hosted by the Jewelry Industry Summit, there will be ample opportunity for input and participation by those attending. 

To register for this free webinar, visit the Jewelry Industry Summit web site,...

The US Constitution never granted the federal government authority to create a central bank. The Founders, having lived through hyperinflation themselves, understood that government should never have a printing press at its disposal. But from the very beginning of America’s founding, the desire for a crony central bank was strong. 

In fact, two attempts were made at creating a permanent central bank in America prior to the creation of the Fed. Fortunately, the charter for The First Bank was allowed to expire in 1811, and President Andrew Jackson closed down the Second Bank in 1833.

But, unfortunately, a third attempt was successful and the Federal Reserve was unconstitutionally created by Congress in 1913. Americans have been living under a corrupt and immoral monetary system ever since. The Federal Reserve is the printing press that has financed the creation of the largest government to ever exist. Endless welfare and endless military spending are both made possible by the Federal Reserve. The Fed can just print the money for whatever the US establishment wants, so those of us who long for a Constitutional and limited government have few tools at our disposal.

Despite all the propaganda claiming “independence,” the Fed has always been a deeply political institution. Because the Fed is a government-created monopoly with key government-appointed employees, its so-called “independence” is a mere fiction. However, the US Congress created the Fed with legislation; it can also abolish the Fed with legislation.

Last week, the facade of Federal Reserve “independence” was dealt a severe blow. Ironically, the person who broadcast to the world that the Fed is anything but “independent” was ex-New York Fed President Bill Dudley. Dudley wrote that, “Trump’s re-election arguably presents a threat to the United States’ and global...

In an interview published by the South China Morning Post, Victoire de Castellane, chief of jewelry at the French fashion, jewelry and luxury house of Dior, said that "precious gems will get terribly expensive and maybe we'll find something different and start using other materials," she says. "But I'm conflicted about lab-grown diamonds, because if you can make a lot of them, how is it going to be precious? Maybe you'll lose the magic. It's strange, but maybe that's the future. For me it's like cloning animals."

Castellane is celebrating 20 years at Dior.  An article in Vogue pointed out that she didn't have a predecessor. In 1999, LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault hired de Castellane (who was working for Chanel at the time) to develop and launch Dior Joaillerie. Two decades and 80 boutiques later, business is booming and de Castellane has earned legions of devoted clients and collectors."

Castellane told Vogue in June that she "sees her women wearing them in an almost casual way. "When I started making jewelry, I thought women only wore it for special occasions. But now I see more and more women wearing jewelry every day—really!" she said, gesturing to her colleagues at the table. "I think women see jewelry as cool now, and it's very personal. To me, it's precious makeup. You can have no makeup on, but if you're wearing earrings, suddenly they brighten you."...

The distinguishing feature of fiat money systems is that they are licentious – they are created by corrupt politicians so that they can act without restraint by, for example, promising the citizens the Earth in order to improve their chances of being re-elected. The population can pick up the tab later in the form of devalued money that buys them less. The current dollar fiat money system was created by then President Richard Nixon in 1971, hardly an edifying character, and, thinking about it, it was very apt that it was him who created it by getting rid of the gold standard.

It is inherent in fiat money systems that they self-destruct, since they are essentially fraudulent, their modus operandi being to enable politicians to go on endless spending binges, knowing that society at large will foot the bill as a result of their money being devalued. The current fiat money system, which can be dated back to the ending of the gold standard in 1971, is 48 years old and in its death throes. What happens with fiat is that money becomes increasingly worthless at an accelerating rate until it enters the final terminal phase which is a hyperinflationary vortex that results in it becoming utterly worthless – and we are right on the doorstep of that phase now.

When the global financial crisis hit in 2008 – 2009 the world was at a crossroads – it is was the last chance to clean up the mess and get back to the straight and narrow. Cleaning up the mess would have involved letting the banks and brokerage houses that created it go bust, but those responsible for it didn’t want to “face the music” and they had the political influence to make sure they...