Buckle up: The week ahead promises to be a wild ride of blockbuster sales (an epic collection of art jewelry! The Queen Joséphine Necklace!), deep and meaningful discussions about artisanal gem mining, tip-focused webinars on jewelry photography and climate change, and a spotlight on former Army Rangers–turned–engagement ring specialists. So much to look forward to!
LISTEN
New Plumb Club Podcasts: Ongoing
The Plumb Club recently dropped a couple of new podcast episodes focused on two very different but equally relevant topics. “The Basics for Success With Pearls,” led by Josh Bazar and Kathy Grenier of Imperial Pearl, provides listeners with five tips—on everything from merchandising to product knowledge—to help store owners capitalize on the pearl boom. In “Wayfair Has Complicated State and Local Tax Collection. What Do Jewelers Need to Know?” Howard Hoff and James Brower, partners at Marks Paneth LLP, a top 50 accounting, tax, and advisory firm, summarize the complicated requirements for collecting sales tax across state lines, as codified by the Supreme Court’s South Dakota v. Wayfair decision. With internet sales growing, it’s more important than ever for jewelry retailers to learn how to avoid overpaying taxes, being fined, or even getting stuck paying sales taxes on their own goods.
BID
Wearable Art: Jewels From the Crawford Collection Sale at Bonhams L.A.: Oct. 12, 10 a.m. PT (in person and online)
Wearable Art: Jewels From the Crawford Collection features more than 300 pieces from Los Angeles–based collectors Byron and Jill Crawford, representing a cross section of important 20th-century artist jewelry—from master makers including Pablo Picasso, Charles Loloma, Art Smith, Betty Cooke, William Spratling, and Henning Koppel. “I haven’t come across anything like this in my career,” Emily Waterfall, head of jewelry for Bonhams Los Angeles, tells JCK. “The way [the Crawfords] collected was passionate: They didn’t just buy one of each artist—they would buy 20.”
Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels Sale (Part I) in Hong Kong: Oct. 12, 2 p.m. HKT (2 a.m. ET, in person and online)
If you want to bid on one of the historic jewels in Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels: Part I sale in Hong Kong, or simply be a witness to the fireworks, you’ll have to do so in the middle of the night—but that’s a small price to pay for a front-row seat at what’s sure to be a milestone event in jewelry auction history. The live sale is headlined by a number of blockbuster jewels, including the Queen Joséphine Necklace, which once belonged to the royal collection of Queen Joséphine of Sweden and Norway; the Ratnaraj of Mogok ruby and diamond ring; and “The Star of Sierra Leone” diamond brooch by Harry Winston. It’s sure to be a sale to remember.
ATTEND
Jewelry Industry Summit “Climate, Carbon, and the Jewelry Industry” Webinar: Oct. 13, 12 p.m. ET (online)
How can jewelers reduce their carbon footprint? That’s one of several topics expert panelists will tackle in this Jewelry Industry Summit webinar on all aspects of climate change, from how it’s measured to the options available to jewelers to reduce their carbon footprint through responsible sourcing and manufacturing. After attending this webinar, you will have a clearer idea of the progress that jewelry companies are making in measuring and reporting their actions to address climate change, which factors you should be looking at when choosing suppliers, and how to make your own operations more environmentally friendly.
Gemflix Webinar on Artisanal Mining With Richa Goyal Sikri: Oct. 13, 10 a.m. ET (online)
Singapore-based Richa Goyal Sikri spent 20 years as director of one of Asia’s largest aviation and luxury travel groups. She combined that expertise with her passion for jewels to found “Gem Journeys,” which bring enthusiasts inside gem mines, museums, and other jewelry meccas. During this week’s Gemflix webinar, Sikri will virtually guide attendees around Sri Lanka’s artisanal sapphire and moonstone mines and the world’s largest emerald mine, Kagem in Zambia. Steel-toe boots not required!
IAC’s Webinar on Large- and Small-Scale Mining: Oct. 13, 12:15 p.m. ET (online)
Initiatives in Art and Culture tackles large- and small-scale gold, diamond, and colored-stone mining in its latest webinar, examining best practices to reduce misunderstanding, conflict, and violence; bring more formalization to the artisanal sector; and incentivize the trade to embrace environmentally and socially responsible mining. Members of the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) will take part in the discussion.
Jewelers Circle Webinar on Jewelry Photography: Oct. 13, 2 p.m. ET (online)
London-based high jewelry photographer Leo Bieber leads this webinar chock-full of professional tips on how to create lighting and set designs that elevate the aesthetic power of jewelry and gemstones. Bieber combines art and science to create his images “in camera” and uses minimal digital enhancements. He builds layers of light and atmosphere that complement the specific structure of gem crystals and metal, all caught in a single image. In this Q&A, Bieber will share tips on lighting, styling, proportion, and visual storytelling, as well as best practices for working with a professional photographer.
JDPN Friday Night Live With Faubion Jewelry: Oct. 15, 5 p.m. ET (online)
In its latest Member Spotlight, the Jewelry Design Professionals Network turns its attention to Faubion Jewelry’s Brian Elliott and Andrew Wolgemuth, West Point classmates who served together as Army Rangers in Afghanistan. Inspired by personal struggles to navigate the engagement ring shopping experience, the duo founded Faubion Jewelry in Philadelphia to empower couples to codesign their own engagement rings and wedding bands with the help of a curated jewelry designer.
Top: Green enamel, silver, 18k gold, and white diamond Foglie necklace, price on request; Vendorafa
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