June 26 Aurea Informatio: Your Friday Web Roundup

By Karen Dybis | June 26, 2026

A judge on Thursday approved the private sale of Charles & Colvard’s assets to AJS Creations LLC, according to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Raleigh division.

AJS, the parent company of e-tailer Grown Brilliance, was the highest bidder for Charles & Colvard, at $2.7 million, the court filing said.

Charles & Colvard, which for years was the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of moissanite, had filed for Chapter 11 on March 2. AJS owns and operates several lab-grown diamond and e-commerce jewelry brands.

Here is a look at what else made JCK’s collective brain click this week.

News Worth Reading

Bloomberg says Watches of Switzerland is not going to achieve its earnings estimate. (subscription needed)

Reuters followed up on Bloomberg’s report, adding that Watches of Switzerland declined to comment before its planned July 14 release of annual results. (subscription needed)

Mining minister Bogolo Joy Kenewendo said that Botswana is seeing a soft recovery in diamond demand and that talks on the De Beers sale are in their last stages.

First it was the neck mess. Then the bracelet layering. Now it’s the “wedding stack.” (subscription needed)

London Jewelers is getting a special 100th anniversary watch.

Pandora is opening a flagship store in Milan. (subscription needed)

India must use “simplicity, trust, and convenience” if the country is to unlock the vast stock of idle household gold.

Speaking of gold, the spot price dropped below $4,000 this week, and it felt wild.

Consumers want to buy from brands that align with their values—and that means greater sustainability and more secondhand shopping, an inaugural Mastercard survey on the circular economy finds.

The good folks at WatchPro ask whether cruises are the next sales frontier for fine watchmakers.

Watches and Wonders to include Breitling’s House of Brands in 2027.

Nicolas Chrétien asks: How can natural diamonds step up heritage marketing (and maybe better packaging) to gain luxury buyers?

The Knicks just keep giving. Here’s how retail will continue to benefit from the NBA Finals hype.

Native New Yorker and jeweler Bernard James creates rings honoring his hometown champs. Blue and orange forever!

Georgia Benjamin tells WatchPro—and we agree—that watches don’t need to be gendered.

Spirit Halloween is going on a record-setting hiring spree this year. Spooky!

Obsessions

If you can afford (and gets your hands on) a Birkin, definitely add this diamond touch.

The Literary Jewelry Box Substack asks: Why can’t fine and costume jewelry coexist in the same neck stack? Let’s go high-low.

We’d say quiet hours are the best store innovation since cup holders on grocery carts.

Could Reddit make Wendy’s stock the next big bet?

Takeaways from JCK Las Vegas about colored gemstones, via AGTA.

Podcast Queue

Avi Krawitz’s Pressing Matters hosts J.R. Dunn Jewelers president Sean Dunn to examine whether branding can counter an increasingly commoditized diamond market.

A Thousand Facets welcomes Karen Cheung from Kerchung! (Yes, there’s an exclamation point.)

The 1916 Company talks through some of its favorite hidden horological gems.

Technology expert Cal Newport says AI companies must stop “doom trolling” and fear mongering.

The Luxury Society chats with Guido Terreni, chief executive of Parmigiani Fleurier, about what it means to be a part of one of watchmaking’s most venerable houses.

Influencer Jewel_Boxing (aka Xarissa) shares insights with the Rough Cut podcast on jewelry and collaborations.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)