It’s Spectrum time again, all the latest diamond industry news and trends from the world of diamonds, jewelry and technology. This edition, we’ve got a world-record-breaking diamond, the best Instagram jewelry accounts according to the New York Times, and a very unexpected use for diamond dust. Plus, see what happens when Apple’s chief designer takes on a diamond - it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before! So, without further ado, here’s the news and views from the diamond world today:
By Myelle Lansat @Business Insider
Buying a diamond engagement ring isn’t what it used to be. One company specializes in helping people find the perfect diamond ring for their budget - and that often means steering clients away from the all-time popular round cut, which tends to be more expensive than other cuts, around 25% more expensive. The company, called Ring Concierge, often encourages clients to go for fancy shapes, such as oval, which can appear larger to the eye while costing significantly less. An interesting approach, and an example of the new consumer demand for different jewelry buying experiences.
By Luxury Launches @Style
Forget choosing a diamond. What if the diamond was the whole ring? That’s what we have right here, with a fascinating new design by Jony Ive, the British chief design officer of Apple, whose designs include iMac, iPad, iPhone and more. The ring, inspired by the “unibody” design of Apple products, is cut out of a single diamond, with some facets measuring just a few hundred micrometers. The ring, created for a charity auction in support of causes in Africa, will be laser cut and finished to perfectly fit the finger size of the lucky owner.
By Carol Besler @Forbes
This month saw a world record broken in the diamond industry. The Pink Legacy diamond, an 18.96 carat fancy vivid pink diamond belonging to the Oppenheimer family, previous owners of De Beers, was bought at auction by Swatch owned Harry Winston, for a sum of $50,375,000. This sets a new world record for the cost per carat of a pink diamond sold at auction. Understandably, immediately after the auction, the diamond was renamed “The Winston Pink Legacy”.
By Marrian Zhou @Cnet
Diamonds. Is there anything they can’t do? Now, in addition to everything else, it appears that diamond dust can be used to replace serial numbers and mark hardware during manufacturing processes. A startup company has developed what they call DUST, Diamond Unclonable Security Tag. DUST is a fine, invisible layer of coating containing diamond dust particles which is applied to the surface of products during the manufacturing stage, helping to prevent tampering and security breaches. Impressive stuff!
By Ming Liu @The New York Times
The internet and social media is overflowing with jewelry inspiration, and it can be hard to know exactly where to look. So the New York Times has made it a bit easier to find the “diamond in the rough” (so to speak), with this list of 6 Instagram accounts of jewelry designers that every jewelry lover should follow.
By Cherry Lai @Hong Kong Tatler
And now for something weird and wacky, a roundup of 5 bizarre trends that are rocking the jewelry industry in 2018. From preserved breast milk used in place of a gemstone, to dermal engagement ring piercing and diamond ashes, it seems that people are always looking for something wild in the jewelry stakes. How much these trends will catch on is definitely up for debate. And a final question: after this roundup, what on earth will 2019 bring?