COMINGS AND GOINGS
Sophie Stevens
>>?Bonhams appointed Sophie Stevens as a jewelry specialist in its London office. She had been a specialist with Lucas Rarities in London and reviews editor at the Society of Jewellery Historians magazine Jewellery History Today.
>>?The Indian Diamond and Colorstone Association has re-elected Mehul Shah of Shivani Gems as its 2014 president. Prakash Mehta of Interings will remain in his role as secretary. Nilesh Sheth of Nice Diamonds will step into the role of treasurer.
>>?Swiss watch brand Armin Strom appointed Barrie Olsen to manage the company’s public relations in the United States. Olsen previously worked in marketing and PR at Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers and Patek Philippe.
>>?Hearts On Fire has promoted vice president of marketing Caryl Capeci to chief marketing officer. Capeci joined the Boston-based company in 2007.
>>?Italian trade show organizer Fiera di Vicenza has appointed Matteo Marzotto its new president. He most recently served as the president of Italian business school Fondazione CUOA.
>>?Rebecca Foerster, who for seven years served as Rio Tinto Diamonds’ U.S. vice president, joined Leo Schachter Diamonds as executive VP of strategic planning and marketing. Her Rio Tinto replacement has yet to be named.
OPENING
>>?Swiss watchmaker Bovet 1822 has opened its first boutique in the United States in New York City. Located at 50 Central Park South, the salon is the brand’s fourth boutique worldwide after Moscow; Baku, Azerbaijan; and Berlin.
>>?On Dec. 12, David Yurman opened a boutique at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, the brand’s first in Canada.
>>?On Dec. 7, Jared The Galleria of Jewelry opened a store in Carle Place, N.Y.—its 200th. The off-mall superstore opened its first store 20 years ago in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
>>?Turkish jeweler Gurhan has opened its first retail boutique at 160 Franklin Street in Tribeca in New York City.
LEGAL
>>?Ingrid Lederhaas-Okun, the former Tiffany & Co. vice president of product and design who admitted to pilfering $1 million in jewelry from her ex-employer, was sentenced to a year and a day in jail by a federal judge on Dec. 23.
>>?On Dec. 27, Los Angeles jeweler Billy Lulo pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud after allegedly selling a Texas couple’s diamond without telling them and trying to convince them it got lost in the mail. He faces 20 years in jail.
EVENTS
>>?The Diamond Show, created by the Rapaport Group, will open March 27 in Basel, Switzerland. It will be located in the Markthalle building, which is walking distance from the Basel SBB train station.
>>?After raising $40,000 at the inaugural Rings of Strength event in Las Vegas last June, Jewelers for Children announced two more events in 2014—one at the JCK Tucson show on Feb. 5 and the other at JCK Las Vegas on May 29.
REMEMBERED
Jason Segal
>>?Longtime diamond salesman Jason Segal died Dec. 24 of lymphoma at age 76. Segal began his career at Napier and later worked at Seiko, Bulova, Simon Golub, Harry Winston, Kwiat, and MWI Eloquence.
ONLINE
>>?In January, Overstock.com became the first major online retailer to accept virtual currency Bitcoin.
AUCTIONS
Courtesy of Sotheby’s
A 61.35 ct. emerald ring sold for $4.6 million at Sotheby’s.
>>?On Dec. 11, a Sotheby’s auction took in $60.5 million, a record for a Sotheby’s New York jewelry sale. The highlight: a platinum, gold, and diamond ring with a 61.35 ct. Colombian emerald center, which earned $4.6 million.