August 14 Aurea Informatio: Your Friday Web Roundup

By Karen Dybis | August 13, 2026

There’s an interesting phenomenon happening around Anglo American and its much-discussed sale of De Beers Group: More consumer-facing publications are weighing in on what they think is happening—and the stories are revealing.

Newsweek had an opinion piece, saying the diamond industry has a “trust problem.” Financial Mail’s headline riffed on R.E.M. and announced, “It’s the end of diamonds as we know them (but lab growns are fine).” The list goes on and on.

All of this comes at a time when the Natural Diamond Council’s new CEO, Amber Pepper, is making the rounds (literally around the world) to talk about how natural diamonds should be marketed. It’s a huge conversation that needs to be had, and as more of these headlines accumulate, it’s a conversation that is going to affect how consumers view diamonds, their worth, and what they’ll buy next.

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

News Worth Reading

The Melee show was a product extravaganza with diamonds, Montana sapphires, and creativity everywhere in the show, JCK‘s Britt Siminitz says.

Swarovski’s head says “women buy their own diamonds now” because less expensive lab-grown stones are ready made for the self-purchasing consumer. (subscription needed)

Bloomberg says luxury resale is booming and will continue to grow through brands like Vestiaire, The RealReal, and Vinted. (subscription needed)

Gas prices are rising again–and consumers are still feeling that pinch, AAA said.

Sabyasachi is going to New York Fashion Week in September with a new jewelry collection and starting a multiyear collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Tiny Tags makes the Inc. 5000 list again for the third time in four years.

Kinn Studio is making redesigning your engagement ring a marketing vehicle and long-term client relationship tool through the revamp of its Vow collection.

WatchPro’s Rob Corder rounds up some of the silliest watches of 2026—and the photos alone are worth a look.

It’s hardly hard news, but TMZ offers this shopping list of some of the less expensive celebrities watches out there.

National Retail Federation says retail sales rose again in July, marking the 10th consecutive month of gains.

Gold could go as high as $5,000 in the near term, this firm says.

Casual Carats is leveraging its expertise in easy luxury to use both natural and lab-grown diamonds in its work, including its new partnership with Stephanie Gottlieb.

How “vibes” and late-night impulse shopping are some of the major insights around Gen Z shopping habits.

WWD takes a look at the latest high-jewelry and independent jeweler trends. (subscription needed)

The Toronto Star asks: What’s up with Canadian diamond mines and why are they no longer relevant?

Obsessions

A long lens on how Meghan Markle has styled the jewelry Princess Diana once wore. (subscription needed)

Sonia Esther Soltani outlines her favorite books about gemstones in her latest Substack and we see a few we’d like to read on that list.

What can we learn from the success of the big Hollywood blockbusters like The Odyssey or Spider-Man? (subscription needed)

Did you know the story behind the beloved s’more? Neither did we!

The My Way ring is the hero piece for Statement Paris—and it has a great career shift story.

Here are the 22 books that F. Scott Fitzgerald said were required reading. We’d add most of his books to this list as well. Cheers, old sport!

Podcast Queue

The 1916 Company Podcast harkens back to the lessons and regrets they have in selling watches.

Actress and model Vanessa Williams is getting into jewelry, and she guests on If Jewels Could Talk with Carol Woolton.

The Couture crew talks bridal and retail.

The Business of Fashion examines what the best fashion brands are getting right in their stores.

NPR’s Life Kit teaches how to do a time audit if you feel too busy all of the time. You, too?

Video Yaya

Sabyasachi adds a few more selections to what the brand might show during New York Fashion Week in September as part of its new Met museum collaboration.

Rolex introduces Rosa Vásquez Espinoza as one of the keepers of the Amazon.

(Photo courtesy Getty Images)