Lalique Launches Exclusive Jewellery Store In Paris Dubai

SPECTRUM
Photo Credit: Pustetto Agency
Lalique Launches Exclusive Jewellery Store In Paris
The store front and interior of Lalique’s first exclusive jewellery boutique in 110 years.
French high-end jewellery design house Lalique opened
its first store entirely dedicated to fine jewellery in the
heart of Paris’ golden triangle, an upmarket shopping
area, at number 20 rue de la Paix. Established 110 years
ago, the brand reconnected with its origins not far from
the shop where glassworks artist René Lalique (18601945) exhibited his works as a jeweller between 1905
and 1935, at 24 Place Vendôme. In 1935, Lalique left
the Place to set up at 11 rue Royale, Paris 8th.
The new 80 sq m fine jewellery store will feature two
levels. On the ground floor, under a lofty 3.5 m ceiling,
a 40 sq m space will display some 200 pieces from the
fine jewellery and high jewellery collections, as well as
a selection of iconic Lalique pieces, while engagement
rings and wedding bands will also be on show at a bridal
counter.
Earrings from Lalique’s Soleil de
Gaïa collection.
On the underground level, a special 40 sq m area will
host a private salon in a more intimate setting reflecting
the 1900 World’s Fair. This atmosphere will spotlight the
house’s crystal craftsmanship and its latest collaborative
designs, featuring limited edition pieces such as table
clocks, crystal perfume bottles, and the Caran d’Ache line
of pens.
In a tribute to René Lalique, the architecture for this
new shop is inspired by both Art Nouveau and Art Deco in
which Lalique was the master of avant-garde in terms of
materials. The preciousness of this new showcase sparkles
in the dazzling light of 2,500 Gourmande rings suspended
from a majestic chandelier in a tribute to the famous ring
designed by René Lalique in 1931. The store celebrated
the new Lalique jewellery collection, Soleil de Gaïa, during
Haute Couture Week in July. 
Dubai Diamond Exchange Honours Chaim Even-Zohar
Chaim Even-Zohar accepting the honorary DDE membership from
DMCC executive chairman Ahmed Bin Sulayem and Peter Meeus.
18 solitaire INTERNATIONAL august 2014
The Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE), a DMCC platform,
presented diamond trade journalist and analyst Chaim EvenZohar with an honorary DDE membership in recognition of
his outstanding contributions to the diamond industry. The
accolade was presented to Even-Zohar at Almas Tower in the
presence of DDE board members and DMCC officials.
Peter Meeus, chairman of the board of directors of DDE
said: “As the DDE raises its profile on the international
stage, we aim to recognise the contribution made to the
development of the industry by influential participants.
Chaim Even-Zohar is a diamond veteran who has changed
the face of the industry through his unique form of
investigative journalism and continues to take strong stances
in supporting better practices.” 
GIA team members overlook the Belmont emerald mine open pit mining operation with a Belmont employee during filming.
Photo by Duncan Pay; © GIA.
Brazil Field Expedition
Leads GIA Researchers to
Significant Gem Mines
Team interviews Heitor Barbosa, first discoverer of Paraíba tourmaline
F
rom March 31 to April 17, a
team of field researchers from
the Gemological Institute of
America (GIA) journeyed to
the most important gemstone mining
areas in Brazil to gather information and
document the current state of coloured
stone mines, particularly emerald and
tourmaline. The researchers visited the
states of Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do
Norte and Paraíba, and had the rare
20 solitaire INTERNATIONAL august 2014
opportunity to interview Heitor Dimas
Barbosa, the first discoverer of Paraíba
tourmaline, in the original mine tunnel
in Batalha where he first encountered the
now famous gem.
The GIA team of field gemmologist
Andrew Lucas, director of west coast
identification Shane McClure, video
producer Pedro Padua, and Gems &
Gemology (G&G) editor-in-chief Duncan
Pay spent 18 days travelling to various
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The Cruzeiro tourmaline mine produces massive amounts of
tourmaline. These crystals transition from rubellite colour to
green and terminate in black. Photo by Andrew Lucas; © GIA.
mines to interview, photograph and film
important sources. Brian Cook, geologist
and co-owner of Nature’s Geometry, and
Sergio Martins, president of the Brazilian
gemstone cutting and marketing firm Stone
World, also participated in the expedition.
The researchers found the Belmont
mine in Minas Gerais moving to new
open pits while continuing to develop
their underground mining and building a
new state-of-the-art rough processing and
sorting facility; they are also cutting around
60% of their own production, focusing
on higher quality stones. In Nova Era,
production at mines like the Monte Belo
mine yield high quality emeralds
from pockets.
The GIA team prepares to interview Paraíba tourmaline legend, Heitor
Dimas Barbosa, in the original Batalha mine entrance. Photo by
Duncan Pay; © GIA.
The Cruzeiro tourmaline mine
has prolific production from huge
pegmatites, and all of its rubellite
tourmaline goes to Shenzhen, China for
cutting and then sale. “We’ve never seen
a mine produce the amount and quality
of material as the tourmaline we saw
coming from the massive pegmatites at
the Cruzeiro mine,” added Lucas.
Meanwhile, “the value of Paraíba
tourmaline has risen unbelievably and
the passion to find more material at
the mines was contagious,” said Lucas.
Mining and prospecting remains very
strong in the sates of Paraíba and Rio
Grande do Norte for highly valuable
Paraíba tourmaline.
Videographer Pedro Padua shoots a video while being lowered down a vertical shaft at the
Monte Belo emerald mine. Photo by Duncan Pay; © GIA.
When illuminated by a strong flashlight, this
Cruzeiro tourmaline crystal displays vibrant
colors. Photo by Andrew Lucas; © GIA.
“I’ve wanted to go to Brazil for 20
years… and this trip far exceeded my
expectations,” said McClure. “For me,
one of the highlights was our interview
with Heitor Barbosa, original discoverer
of Paraíba tourmaline. He believes there’s
still much more of this fabulous gem to be
found deeper in the mine,” added Pay.
In keeping with its mission to ensure
the public trust in gems and jewellery,
GIA regularly conducts research field trips
to important gem and jewellery centres
around the globe, incorporating findings
into research practices and education
programmes and relaying information to
the trade and public through a series of
channels. Findings from the Brazil field
trip will be featured in an upcoming G&G
article, as well as field reports and video
documentaries on www.gia.edu. n
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SPECTRUM
Hari Krishna Exports Announces New CSR Initiative
Hari Krishna Exports, a
leading Indian diamond
manufacturer and exporter,
commemorated its
22nd anniversary in the
diamond industry on July
2 with a corporate social
responsibility (CSR) initiative
to provide meals to 100
underprivileged persons,
including destitute children,
senior citizens, widows,
etc. on the birthdays of its
customers.
In addition, the company
organised a blood donation
drive among its employees,
customers and bankers, and
successfully collected 315
units of blood. Managing
director Ghanshyam
Dholakia remarked, “Change
for the better, simply
put, can be adopted in
one’s personal as well as
professional life. It is almost
like a resolution – one starts
with implementing shortterm changes and moves on
to long-term changes for the
betterment of oneself and
the company.” 
Satyug Gold Launches Gold Plan
(From left) Karvy Computershare CEO V. Ganesh, Satyug Gold CFO
Hemant Vastani, Raj Kundra, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, and Sameer Patil
of Satyug Gold.
Satyug Gold Pvt. Ltd., a
gold bullion and jewellery
company promoted by
Bollywood actor Shilpa
Shetty Kundra, launched a
new gold plan called Satyug
Mera Gold Plan (SMGP),
which is backed by IDBI as
the trustees and has Brinks
as safe keepers.
“Gold has always been an
important part of our culture
and a safety haven when
markets are in turmoil. We
22 solitaire INTERNATIONAL august 2014
have seen gold give good
returns in the past years
and above all, is a very liquid
asset. Our ‘Mera Gold Plan’
makes gold buying much more
affordable, easier and 100%
safe. I thank IDBI and Brinks
for tying up with us in this
innovative gold plan initiative
and look forward to a long
association,” said chairperson
Shilpa Shetty Kundra.
Satyug Gold has partnered
with some of the best
commodity distributors for
the plan and has a pan-India
presence. All due diligence
and back office logistics for
Satyug Gold will be managed
by Karvy Computers.
The plan allows customers
to purchase 24-karat pure
gold coins from H50 a day,
and does not come with a
minimum lock-in period.
“It gives me great
pleasure to launch the
Satyug Mera Gold Plan,
a smart and efficient way
for the people in India to
buy gold in a systematic
manner. Our key features
are unique and we have our
own consistent supply of
gold directly from the mines
through our own refinery in
India that allows us to offer
competitive prices,” said
Raj Kundra, CEO of Satyug
Gold. 
SPECTRUM
De Beers Dispatches Automated Melee Screener To Sightholders
Dinesh Lakhani, Kiran Gems director of global sales,
posing with the AMS.
De Beers’ Antwerp-based International Institute of
Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR) announced that the
Automated Melee Screening (AMS) instrument was being
dispatched to sightholders across the globe, with the first
installation and training sessions having successfully taken
place at the end of June with Tasaki and Rosy Blue in
Japan.
The focus has now shifted to installing the AMS in
sightholder facilities across key diamond trading hubs such
as Antwerp, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Tel Aviv. This is a
phased roll out with IIDGR technicians working in parallel
in different locations to ensure timely yet comprehensive
installation and training.
Kiran Gems director of global sales Dinesh Lakhani
commented on the commissioning of the AMS at the
company’s headquarters in Bharat Diamond Bourse: “It
is one more step towards bolstering customer confidence.
This would now allow having even higher control on
distribution flow of goods and keep the integrity of
diamonds. Kiran Gems is the forerunner in technology
adoption and would remain so, as it goes a long way in
adding value to the relationship with customers.”
The AMS is the result of several years of development,
exhaustive testing and production. “De Beers is committed
to sustaining trust in diamonds, supporting sightholders
and the wider diamond industry which employs more than
one million people globally,” said IIDGR president Jonathan
Kendall.
The AMS instrument can be located in any type of
environmentally controlled facility and operates as a single
machine or multiple units. It screens near-colourless and
colourless round brilliant diamonds from 0.20 carat down
to 0.01carat (roughly 1.4 mm diameter) to determine
whether they are natural or not.
The AMS instrument does not screen for treated natural
diamonds. The instrument is fully automated and will take
up to 500 carats at any one time. Larger parcels may be
split across multiple machines. The instrument can be run
unattended overnight, and its throughput is approximately
360 stones per hour. Each instrument is controlled by a
compact computer which is supplied with the machine. 
The Zimbabwe Diamond Conference 2014, scheduled to
take place in Harare on November 6 and 7, has confirmed
the participation of important global diamond industry
leaders. Among the keynote speakers are Eli Izhakoff,
honorary president of the World Diamond Council, the
World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), and
the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO); Ernie Blom,
president of the WFDB; and Gaetano Cavalieri, president
of CIBJO.
The conference theme is “Completing Zimbabwe’s
Diamond Potential for the Future”. The event will be
moderated by diamond industry analyst Chaim Even-Zohar,
president of Tacy Ltd.
Izhakoff said: “I look forward to participating in this highprofile event. Zimbabwe is a significant diamond producing
country and can evolve into an important trading centre
which will benefit all its citizens.”
24 solitaire INTERNATIONAL august 2014
© Steve Allen | Dreamstime.com
Diamond Industry Leaders To Attend Zimbabwe Conference
Blom added: “Zimbabwe, with its vast mineral
resources is well positioned to take advantage, as a
major supplier of rough diamonds, in a world market
that has seen challenges with current supply lines.” 
SPECTRUM
Forevermark’s Jaipur Forum Sees Strong Participation
De Beers’ diamond brand
Forevermark successfully
hosted its third annual
forum for key associates and
stakeholders in Jaipur from
July 2-4. It was attended by
India’s leading Forevermark
jewellers, diamantaires,
manufacturers and
potential jewellers from
across the country.
Forevermark was
represented by CEO
Stephen Lussier; senior vice
president of brand strategy
and innovation Costantino
Papadimitriou; and India
president Sachin Jain.
The company organised
a series of interactive
sessions that were
well attended by key
industry influencers and
opinion makers, offering
perspectives outside that
of regular business with
speakers such as Patu
Keswani, entrepreneur and
master hotelier of Lemon
Tree Hotels, and Guneet
Singh, head of consumer
marketing at Google. 
Alrosa Commissions Udachny Underground Mine
Mine surveying at the Udachny underground mine.
On June 27, Alrosa
commissioned the Udachny
underground mine, which
will play a crucial role
in its ambitious longterm strategy to ramp
up production to 40
million carats annually.
Upon reaching its design
capacity, Udachny will
become the largest
underground diamond
mine in Russia with an
output of 5 million carats of
diamonds per year.
In the second half of
2014, diamond mining at
Udachny will be ancillary to
the ore body development.
Commercial production is
26 solitaire INTERNATIONAL august 2014
to start in 2015 to reach
2.4-3.0 million tonnes of
ore per year by 2016, and
4 million tonnes per year
by 2019.
Open-pit mining at
Udachnaya kimberlite pipe,
one of Alrosa’s largest
deposits discovered in
1955, started in 1971.
Rough diamonds mined at
Udachnaya throughout its
operation totalled some
$80 billion.
Open-pit mining at
Udachnaya pipe is expected
to be fully completed
in 2015, until then
underground mining and
operations in the open-pit
mine will be parallel.
Udachny is the forth in
succession and the largest
underground mine operated
by Alrosa. Alrosa currently
operates the International
and Aikhal underground
mines with the design
capacity of 5,00,000
tonnes of ore per year and
the Mir underground mine
with the design capacity to
reach 1 million tonnes of
ore per year.
“An ambitious programme
for the construction of
underground mines is an
integral part of Alrosa’s
development strategy
aiming to keep its world’s
leading position in terms of
rough diamond mining and
ensure the diamond mining
growth up to over 40 million
carats. The launch of the
Udachny underground mine
will allow the company to
maintain stable volumes
of diamond production in
Western Yakutia for many
years,” Fedor Andreev,
Alrosa’s CEO, said. 
SPECTRUM
KGK Acquires Judith Ripka’s Wholesale Jewellery Business
Sanjay Kothari, vice chairman,
KGK Group.
Xcel Brands Inc. has signed
an exclusive licensing
agreement with KGK
Jewellery Manufacturing
Limited to take over
the wholesale jewellery
business under the
Judith Ripka brands. This
agreement will give KGK
the licence to manufacture,
source, sell and distribute
jewellery, including
fine jewellery, diamond
jewellery, and bridal
jewellery, under the Judith
Ripka label. Distribution
will include luxury retailers,
high-end department stores
as well as speciality fine
jewellers worldwide.
Robert D’Loren, chairman
and chief executive officer,
Xcel Brands, said, “This is
a powerful alliance for Xcel
and KGK with strong growth
potential for the wholesale
jewellery business under
the Judith Ripka brands.”
Judith Ripka, chief design
officer, Judith Ripka, said, “I
am delighted that KGK has
been chosen as our licensee
for the wholesale jewellery
component of Judith Ripka
businesses. Having worked
with KGK for over 30 years,
I have tremendous respect
for the Kothari family.
They have demonstrated
loyalty, courtesy and the
best business practices
while operating a very
successful and vertically
integrated business. I am
pleased to join forces with
a company that is not only
one of the largest De Beers
sightholders, but which also
has access to the highest
quality coloured gemstones.
I look forward to designing
jewellery which will continue
to be made by the best
craftsmen, using the finest
materials and workmanship
that my customers have
come to expect.”
Sanjay Kothari, vice
chairman, KGK Group,
said, “The partnership will
give us the opportunity to
combine Judith’s distinctive
designs with our unrivalled
product development and
bring exemplary quality
product to the marketplace
under the Judith Ripka
brand. We are currently
undergoing a vertical
integration, getting closer
to consumers with our retail
ventures and closer to our
supply chain by acquiring
mines.” 