Need some entertainment while you’re waiting out a three-hour flight delay? Itching for an escape from your bickering in-laws? Click through this list of thought-provoking, fun, and just plain bizarre stories.
As I do every year, I would like to spotlight my favorite articles from the year on jewelry and related industries and topics that did not appear on JCKonline.
And once again, let me apologize in advance for leaving out many excellent pieces and writers from this roundup.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year. And if we end up having to stay in this winter (again!), well, I hope these pieces give you good food for thought.
BUSINESS
![Sothebys flag Sothebys flag](https://www.jckonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Sothebys-flag-Getty-Images-Plus-Alena-Kravchenko.jpg)
Product placement comes to auction houses.
CRIME
![Smashed window of jewelry store Smashed window of jewelry store](https://www.jckonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Smashed-window-of-jewelry-store-Getty-Images.jpg)
How authorities tracked down a group of million-dollar jewel thieves.
The curious case of the Miami jewelry designer and the PPE scandal.
DIAMONDS
![Stack of diamond solitaire rings Stack of diamond solitaire rings](https://www.jckonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Stack-of-diamond-solitaire-rings-Getty-Images.jpg)
The strange story of a diamond discovery, a dog, and rivalries in the Canadian Arctic.
Why inclusivity is important in diamond traceability.
How diamonds are stolen at mines using homing pigeons.
How the media kept quiet about a “diamond disaster.”
Tablet looks at Serge Muller and the pink diamond.
How allies of South Africa’s infamous Gupta family gamed the diamond trade.
Why lab-grown gems may not be an ethical alternative.
Disruption in the diamond industry doesn’t have to be a “zero sum game.”
Why we should learn from the history of diamond pricing.
E-TAIL
![Woman holding smartphone and credit card Woman holding smartphone and credit card](https://www.jckonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Woman-holding-smartphone-and-credit-card-Getty-Images.jpg)
“Inside the mind of Jeff Bezos.”
How eBay execs harassed the editors of EcommerceBytes.
How digital advertising became the “internet’s original sin.”
The “imminent collapse of digital advertising.”
How Facebook’s marketplace became a “haven for scammers.”
How Shopify became the new retail empire.
GOLD
![Gold curb link chain Gold curb link chain](https://www.jckonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Gold-curb-link-chain-Getty-Images.jpg)
Vogue Business on the “challenge of cleaning up gold.”
RETAIL
![Mall interior Mall interior](https://www.jckonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Mall-interior-Getty-Images.jpg)
The “harsh reality” of working customer service.
The “customer is always right” has become a “license for abuse.”
Will suburbia save the mall?
WATCHES
![Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer 36 mm Oystersteel 18k yellow case Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer 36 mm Oystersteel 18k yellow case](https://www.jckonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Rolex-Oyster-Perpetual-Explorer-36-mm-Oystersteel-18k-yellow-case.jpg)
President Biden, “watch geek in chief.”
Ben Clymer tours all four Rolex facilities.
MISCELLANEOUS
![Bling Empire season 1 Bling Empire season 1](https://www.jckonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Bling-Empire-still.jpg)
Ethical consumerism shouldn’t be a “shopper’s burden.”
English jewelry hub threatened by gentrification.
Breaking down the jewelry on Bling Empire.
This Ringer writer tried (and failed) to get ring implanted in forehead.
A found engagement ring led to some unusual places.
Jewelry designer gets first solo museum show at age 97.
Happy reading!
(Top: Getty Images)