Gems and Jewels

Buying Emeralds

  Seeing Green: All About Emeralds   I’m a great lover of colored gemstones, and I particularly love a really great emerald. When you find a really clear, dark, big emerald, it ignites something ...

Van Cleef & Arpels: A Love Story

A Van Cleef & Arpels brooch from the Jogani collection Van Cleef & Arpels is one of the most respected high jewelers in history. This world-famous firm was the result of a marriage between...

Love & Jewelry: Boucheron

If you’re passionate about jewelry, Boucheron is a name you’ll want to know. Frédéric Boucheron was a jeweler ahead of his time - an artist who created some of the most prolific jewelry items in hi...

‘World’s Large Jewelry Box’ Reimagined to Mark 150 Years of AMNH

As part of its 150th anniversary celebration, the American Museum of Natural History in New York unveiled the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals on June 12, a completely reimag...

Animal-Themed Jewels Delight in ‘Beautiful Creatures’

To celebrate how fine jewelry designers have been forever inspired by nature, the American Museum of Natural History in New York has unveiled its “Beautiful Creatures” exhibition, an unprecedented ...

Diamond Superpowers: diamond Brilliance, Fire and Scintillation

Diamonds are the superheroes of the gemstone world. They’re basically indestructible and have been known to save the day (ask any guy who’s been in the doghouse). Like most superheroes, diamonds h...

Elsa Peretti Leaves Legacy of Iconic Jewelry Designs

Elsa Peretti, the fashion model turned jewelry designer whose creations for Tiffany & Co. revolutionized women’s jewelry, expanded the role of diamonds to everyday accessories and elevated ste...

Sri Lankan Sapphires: The Big Shots of the Blue Stones

For centuries, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) has been the world’s leading producer of top-quality natural blue sapphires, as well as some of the largest. Their vibrant lighter and brighter blue has d...

Wallace Chan’s Jeweled Art Transcends the Imagination

To behold a piece of Wallace Chan jewelry is to recall the famous words of American author Napoleon Hill: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”  Chan’s deep desire to...

Christie’s Sets Record for Jewel Sold in Online Auction

Christie’s online jewelry sales were at an all-time high in 2020, with a 38 percent increase in jewelry lots sold online and a 241 percent increase in the value of online jewelry sales year over ye...

Russian Alexandrite: Meet the Gem World’s Great Chameleon

“Emerald by day, ruby by night” is often used to describe alexandrite, a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl that displays the phenomenon known as “color change.” Early deposits found in Russi...

AGTA Honors Excellence in Lapidary Arts

The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) recently awarded the 2020 AGTA Cutting Edge Awards™, a special division of the AGTA Spectrum Awards™, which honor excellence and creativity in the lapidary...

AGTA Announces Gem of a Winner at Spectrum Awards

A pair of pear-shaped spessartite garnets took top honors at the 2020 AGTA Spectrum Awards™ in October, an annual competition that honors designers and lapidaries whose work uses natural colored ge...

Padparadscha: What’s Special About the Rarest Sapphire

Padparadscha sapphires have an exquisite pinkish-orange to orangey-pink hue unlike any other colored gemstone. This unique color is likened to that of a lotus blossom in Sri Lanka, the most celebra...

Spinel Unmasked: Get to Know ‘The Great Imposter’

For hundreds of years, spinel was mistaken for other colored gems, most notably ruby. But today, this Cinderella stone, with its great brilliance, depth of beauty and array of spectacular colors su...

Colombian Emeralds Are the Preeminent Green Gems. Here’s Why

Colombian emeralds are one of the most sought-after precious gems in the world. Originating mainly in the renowned Muzo, Chivor and Coscuez mines, Colombian emeralds uniquely form in sedimentary...

Burmese Rubies: What Makes Them the Supreme Red Stone?

Burmese rubies are renowned for their clarity, silk inclusions that give them a soft glow, and, of course, their vibrant color—a combination of purplish-red body color and fiery red fluorescence...

Kashmir Sapphires: The Legendary Blue Sapphires You Should Know

Discovered in the Himalaya Mountains of northwest India in 1881, the legendary Kashmir sapphires, with their extraordinary vivid blue color—often called “cornflower blue”—and velvety luster, are th...

Gemstone Inclusions: The Universe Within

One of the most wondrous things about a gemstone is what’s called “inclusions,” the irregularities that are created within the stone as it’s being formed in the earth. Inclusions are, if you will, ...

Antique Cut Diamonds: Briolette Cut

The beautiful briolette cut is an antique gemstone cut unlike any other. It has a three-dimensional mainly teardrop or oval shape without a flat table, girdle or pointed culet. It’s also surfaced o...

How to Store Your Jewelry: Tips and Tricks

For many women, one of life’s little frustrations is an untidy jewelry collection. Save yourself—and your jewelry—from the stress, and follow these simple tips. They’ll teach you how to store your...

Antique Cut Diamonds: French Cut

The French cut, a simple cut with a pretty play of light, is an antique diamond cut that evolved from the table cut, which is considered the first of the faceted diamond cuts. It essentially adds a...

Antique Diamond Cuts: The Usual Suspects

An antique diamond does not always signify an antique jewel. Jewelry collectors use visual tools to determine the workmanship and quality of a piece, thus being able to estimate the age and even ma...

Antique Cut Diamonds: Portrait Cut

Thin, flat diamonds with crown-consuming tables, polished upper and lower surfaces, and slight facets on their sides are known as portrait cut diamonds, which were historically used to clearly view...

Antique Cut Diamonds: Table Cut

When the early lapidary artists first applied a flat facet to the top of a natural diamond crystal, the table cut was born, representing a significant breakthrough in diamond cutting and the first ...

Oscar Heyman: When Classic Meets Modern

The Heyman BrothersIn the early 1900s, a family of six brothers and three sisters emigrated from Latvia to America, making them part of a large wave of Eastern European immigrants. Three of the bro...

Paul Flato: Jeweler to the Stars

Katharine Hepburn wearing a brooch by Paul Flato (photo source: EraGem) “(Paul Flato) was the first of the major American jewelers to do highly imaginative work on par with European jewelers.'' --...

Raymond Yard: An Art Deco Legend

A piece by Raymond Yard (photo source: Christies.com) Best known for his exquisite platinum mountings and for using only the highest quality gemstones, Raymond Yard redefined the jewelry world in w...

The Point Cut: The Antique 'Diamond Cut' That Started Them All

Point cut diamonds are well-shaped versions of diamond crystals in their natural octahedral and dodecahedral crystal forms, which were highly revered by ancient civilizations and believed to posses...

Edwardian vs. Art Deco

Anyone who’s dipped their toes in the jewelry world has undoubtedly heard the terms Edwardian and Art Deco thrown around. And still, you might be wondering: what exactly do these terms mean? While ...

Significance of the Golconda Mine

Anup Jogani explains the significance of the Golconda mine from a dealer’s perspective. As a dealer and connoisseur, the Golconda mine represents a specific time and place that produced some of the...

The Constitution of Fine Craftsmanship

How does a dealer like Anup Jogani determine quality craftsmanship? The first distinction to make is the difference between jewelry made over eighty years ago and modern craftsmanship. Modern metho...

The Allure of Fancy Color Diamonds

Anup Jogani shares the dealer's perspective: What makes the distinction between fancy colored diamonds and colorless diamonds (white diamonds) so considerable? The majority of interesting fancy col...

Tiffany & Co

The Brand We All Know and Love A 1920s Tiffany pearl necklace from the Jogani collection It’s time to talk about one of my favorite jewelry brands: Tiffany & Co.!Everyone knows the iconic blue...

Cartier

Since its genesis over 170 years ago, Cartier has been a dominant force in the jewelry industry, adorning the elite all around the world: from Europe, to Asia, and into the United States. Cartier w...

Caring for your Jewelry

Jewelry is so much more than adornment - it’s our spiritual armor. Everyday, we wear the pieces that symbolize who we are: pieces rich in sentiment and love. If you’re passionate about jewelry, you...

Thoughts from a 2015 show

 2015 We’re on the heels of the New York Antique Jewelry and Watch Show, which ran from July 24th to 27th in Manhattan. What a trip! Our time in the city was a typical sleepless combination of gem ...

A Cutting Insight

  When it comes to diamonds, size is not everything. Nothing highlights the natural beauty of a diamond like the right cut, and there are many reasons why we may take a diamond to the wheel and los...

Historical Collections

Those who are passionate about jewelry know that the most extraordinary pieces aren't defined solely by their appearance or price, but also by their historical value. Around the world, there are co...

The History of Jewelry

The art of jewelry-making has existed as long as humankind. In prehistoric times, people crafted jewelry out of shells, bones, and stones: natural gifts from the earth that both provided protection...

Famous Diamonds

Throughout history, there have only been a handful of diamonds to truly astonish the jewelry world with their grandeur and beauty. Many of these gems were possessed by royalty, and all have histori...

Historical Characters in the World of Jewelry

The world of jewelry is timeless and far-reaching - almost everyone owns a piece of jewelry, and many have even tried to craft a piece themselves. But there’s a select group of people who will go d...

Introduction to Gems

The Hope Diamond is one of the most well-known diamonds in the world (photo source: Vogue) The history of gems For thousands of years, humans have been captivated by the most beautiful and intric...

Rose Cuts

Rose Cuts   While the brilliant cut is America’s most popular diamond, connoisseurs have been driving a recent surge in the popularity of rose cut stones, collectors loves these alternative, more c...

Old European Cuts

Gem School : The Old Euro Cut This is a blog post I’ve been anticipating for a while! It’s time to talk about my favorite diamond cut: the Old European, also known as the Old Euro, and the predeces...

Emeralds

Muzo. Coscuez. Chivor. These names don’t mean much to the average person - but in the world of fine colored gems, they’re titanic. Colombia has long held a reputation for being the source for the w...

A Treasure Hunting Story in Baltimore

Treasure Hunting with Anup Jogani   “I’m sorry, we’re not buying right now.” On the road in any business, you’ll hear this from time to time. Many dealers go through phases of buying and selling in...

Deco Influence

Art Deco pieces from the Jogani collection If you’re familiar with my work and inventory, you’ll know I love Art Deco pieces. My earliest original designs draw an abundance of inspiration from t...

Intro to Golconda Diamonds

The Last Golconda Often referred to as “the beginning of diamonds”, Golconda diamonds come from a small group of mines that surround the Krishna River in the Golconda region of India. For nearly tw...

Old Mine Cuts

If you want to hunt for treasure, you have to know what you’re looking for! This is going to be the first in a series about the diamond cuts I find the most intriguing, the most beautiful, and the ...