August 28 Aurea Informatio: Your Friday Web Roundup

By Karen Dybis | August 27, 2026

If you’re looking for a new event to add to your jewelry store’s roster, check out Brilliant Earth and its date-night appointments as part of its efforts to make its showrooms a “delightful experience.”

Chief financial officer Jeffrey Kuo at the 17th Annual Midwest IDEAS Conference on Wednesday noted that its Beverly Hills showroom is one of its most successful, and its “date nights” are among the reasons why.

This “very special experience” is often booked out weeks in advance, Kuo said: “A couple shopping for an engagement ring can come in and have Champagne and light bites while they shop for their engagement rings. So really making it a very special part of your purchase journey and your engagement experience.”

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

News Worth Reading

Financial Mail takes a swing at Anglo American and how it supposedly “squandered” De Beers and its brand power.

Smart ring maker Oura is looking to generate a cool $3 billion in its IPO. (subscription needed)

The Luffu looks a bit steampunk, but Fitbit is trying to connect to the sandwich generation hoping to find new ways to keep a virtual eye on their aging parents. (subscription needed)

Gap brought in a Walmart veteran to serve as its new “fashiontainment” executive.

Retail Edge Academy starts a video series to offer holiday tips for retail jewelers.

For the first time ever, AAA said the national average for gas prices in August has been above $4 per gallon every day. Sigh.

Consumer confidence is feeling the pinch of the economy and tanked in August.

Gold is…all over the place this week.

Over on LinkedIn, Sean Dunn has some very interesting thoughts about how natural diamonds could be marketing like coffee. Yes, coffee.

Richline Jewelry’s Armadani has a new retail support program aimed at helping independent jewelers merchandise and sell Italian gold during the fall and holiday seasons.

UBS predicts gold will get back to $5,000 and up.

The jewelry industry mourns the loss of one of its sparkiest fans: Dolly Parton.

AGTA updates ethics code to require the use of the word synthetic for lab-grown gemstones.

The RealReal releases its latest resale report. And, no surprise, brand names are big in resale.

Harry Winston is putting together a new brand exhibition in Shanghai.

Tiffany & Co. celebrates its intern class.

WatchHouse expands into New York City.

Birks brings in a Heated Rivalry actress as its new brand ambassador.

Want to know how much your luxury watch is worth? Check out this new AI tool.

Glossy examines which women’s watches are likely to blow up on the secondary market.

CIBJO president Gaetano Cavalieri pens an essay for the World Diamond Council on CIBJO’s 100th anniversary.

The Guardian examines how lab-grown gem auctions are all over TikTok right now, but some aren’t happy about it.

If you’re going to VicenzaOro, you can enter the AWDC contest to win a trip to Antwerp.

Obsessions

Jewelers should think differently about jewelry dupes and how to reach clients who want to wear a brand’s signature style, Spinelli Kilcollin says.

Charms are still going to be hot into the fall, Veranda says.

The Literary Jewelry Box ponders art deco apparel and jewelry.

The apparel industry is noticing the effect of GLP-1s…You have to wonder—will jewelry be next?

Podcast Queue

Issue Zero podcast invites Dorian Webb to talk her fabulous jewelry.

The 1916 Company Podcast asks: What makes the perfect watch?

The Business of Watches podcast chats about Geneva Watch Days with president and former CEO of Bulgari Jean-Christophe Babin.

The Business of Fashion Podcast examines why upcycling is showing up more frequently in the fashion industry.

The Luxury Item chops it up with Francois-Xavier Hotier, president of Ulysse Nardin Americas.

Video Yaya

Why mining stocks could finally break out.

India is using these steps to boost its diamond trading.

3 Graces of Gold talks about its path toward designing jewelry with antique diamonds and hand-picked gemstones.

Menta Watches joins Kevin O’Dell, one of the foremost Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso history experts, to trace the story of the most important art deco watch ever made.

(Photo: Getty Images)