Diamonds

Polished markets quiet, with prices soft due to summer vacations. Trading in India improving amid expectations of strong Mumbai show. Polished buyers very price conscious, while manufacturing profits remain low.

An underground visitors center gives the initial impression that Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve is un-mistakably unique. Once the site of coal and sand mining, as well as cattle ranching, the once bustling area is now part of over 5,000 acres of regional preserve. Located outside of Antioch, the park is dominated by beautiful rolling hills and steeped in rich history.

Pouring fresh intrigue on to what is already shaping up to be one of the most remarkable legal cases of recent times, involving a supermodel, a former warlord and a blood diamond, a court focusing on war crimes in Sierra Leone has granted Naomi Campbell "protective measures" ahead of her appearance at the Hague to give evidence in the case against the former rebel leader, Charles Taylor.

Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies found that although 24 percent of U.S. consumers only made minor cutbacks to spending during the Great Recession, another 33 percent who did reduced their spending now plan to continue managing these tight budgets even when the economy comes back to life.

The American Gem Society (AGS) celebrated its Circle of Distinction Dinner at the Plaza Hotel in New York on July 25. This year's event was sold out. AGS did not hold the dinner in 2009.

U.S. weekly chain-store sales rose 3.9 percent for the final week of July 2010, compared against the same week of 2009. The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs reported that the weekly measure fell slightly compared with the previous week, however. ICSC determined that comparable-store sales for the chains were on track to reflect an increase of 3 percent to 4 percent for July.

Becka Johnson Kibby and Bart Boydston have joined the Q Report, a new jewelry coverage concept for consumers in the U.S. Kibby, previously of the Robbins Brothers chain, was appointed national sales and training manager for Q Report. Boydston, a past president of the Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California, joined as national sales and training representative. He has held positions at JWT, NW Ayer and the World Gold Council.

Diamond Power Systems Selects Trojan OverDrive(TM) AGM 31 Battery to Power Its All-Electric Truck A/C and Heating Systems

The U.S. Department of Labor issued an updated list of products that federal contractors must certify did not involve the use of child labor. Diamonds from Sierra Leone and gold from Burkina Faso were included on the list of 29 products for which the U.S. government held "reasonable basis" to believe might have been mined by forced or indentured child labor.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Thailand will host a pearl lecture, “Melo Reflections,” by Nicholas Sturman, GIA supervisor of pearl identification, on July 28 at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Bangkok. This presentation will take attendees through the melo pearl phenomenon that has captured the attention of connoisseurs. Sturman will share information on all aspects of this type of pearl, from its origins to the gemological characteristics that make it so sought after by collectors and dealers alike.