July 24 Aurea Informatio: Your Friday Web Roundup

By Karen Dybis | July 23, 2026

London’s venerable black cabs look different this summer thanks to two jewelry brands.

FoundRae has decked out one of the iconic vehicles in honor of its London store opening, and London-based 77 Diamonds added its branding on the city’s taxis as well, putting its diamonds front and center for locals and tourists to see.

“A fun addition to our advertising for the summer, this is visibility with a London twist,” 77 Diamonds cofounder Tobias Kormind says. “Although we have showrooms across Europe and the Middle East, it’s been great to roll out these taxis where it all started and to support London’s fantastic cab drivers, to boot.”

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

News Worth Reading

Jewelers, online commentators, and archeologists grapple with whether Zendaya should have worn earrings made from ancient artifacts. Likely more on this to come.

CIBJO issues another special report in advance of its September meeting; this one focuses on colored stones.

Botswana is coming to terms with the fact that it may not gain a controlling stake in De Beers. (subscription needed)

Hermès is still tops in the world of luxury stocks, but Richemont is catching up. (subscription needed)

Donna Jewel, as Laura Inghirami is known on social media, attended Paris High Jewelry Week and shares five key trends she saw with the industry.

How to find vintage jewelry, via Martha Stewart and her team of editors.

Diamond and engagement ring trends by city and region? Fascinating.

Steve Forbes thinks gold is not an investment, it’s insurance for financial troubles. He says keep the insurance.

Watch enthusiasts are gathering in August for the third iteration of Watch Week Aspen.

JCK’s Victoria Gomelsky pays tribute to Philippe Stern in a wonderful New York Times obituary. (subscription needed)

Vic also offers a guide on how to buy your first vintage watch.

And if you love unique watch shapes, read this. (subscription needed)

The secondary watch market was flat in June, WatchCharts finds.

As noted above, FoundRae has a new London store, and Beth Hutchens is making us swoon with how beautiful the space is.

AAA said the national average for a gallon of gas jumped 15 cents from last week, to $4.09.

Consumers blame inflation for why they feel they can shoplift.

Gap has been feeling the negativity from customers who object to unnatural fibers in clothing.

Obsessions

Is Taylor Swift the reason, or nah? Revlon and Elizabeth Taylor’s estate are rebooting White Diamonds perfume.

We agree with The Literary Jewelry Box: Please give us all the fruit and fun-filled jewelry.

Breaking potato chip news: Utz is going private. Yes, one of our writers is a potato chip expert, so this qualifies as an obsession. (subscription needed)

Unpolished takes a look at the history of Stern Frères dials.

Podcast Queue

The 1916 Company chats about the future of watch collecting, centering on undervalued brands and changing industry dynamics.

Hodinkee’s The Business of Watches dives into Worn & Wound’s acquisition of Lorier.

The Luxury Society catches up with John Shmerler, chief executive of the 1916 Company, to examine how the primary and secondary watch markets are converging.

Video Yaya

Avi Krawitz on Richemont’s jewelry boom.

GIA shares where emeralds come from worldwide.

ING expects inflation to start to ease, and that has implications for U.S. monetary policy over the next 12 months.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)