The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has announced that BULGARI, one of the world's most famous jewellery Houses, is the first Italian Member to achieve certification, meeting the ethical, human rights, social and environmental standards as established by the RJC's Member Certification System.  

"RJC warmly congratulates BULGARI on its certification. The successful verification assessment was conducted by Arnaud Herrmann from Ernst & Young, one of the independent third-party auditing firms accredited to the RJC's Member Certification System.

The Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce (IACC) has honored Eshed Diam, a global market leader in the procurement, manufacturing and marketing of large diamonds, for its outstanding contribution to expanding Israel's exports to Asia in 2010. The company received an Award for Excellence during a ceremony held as part of the annual IACC members meeting earlier this fall.

Antwerp-based Espeka and New York diamond manufacturer Christopher Designs have announced that they are moving their New York headquarters to the International Gem Tower. The two firms join the elite group of domestic and international diamond, gem and jewelry companies that have purchased office space in the new building, currently under construction in New York's Diamond District.

One of the highlights of Christie's Magnificent Jewels auction on November 29 in Hong Kong is likely to be a "set of multi gems gaming chips" designed and created by the Swedish artist and jeweller Kristian Ståhl. The outer frames of the 120 chips included in the set are made of 18K white gold and are set with a total of 5,160 calibrated top-quality gems, including diamonds, rubies and sapphires. But what makes the set unique is that each chip is created from a calibrated circular slice from the Muonionalusta meteorite which fell to Earth almost one million years ago.

The Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) has announced a make-over to change the look and design of its Diamond Grading Reports, Gemstone Reports and Test Reports. SSEF Director Dr. Michael S. Krzemnicki said that the new design and layout made the reports easier to read.

Moti Ganz, who has served as President of the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association (IsDMA) for the past seven years, has concluded his term as head of the organization. At the annual general meeting of the association Ganz was unanimously elected Honorary President in recognition of his work on behalf of IsDMA during his tenure. He continues to serve as President of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) and Chairman of the Israel Diamond Institute (IDI).

The deadline for jewelry design entries in the IU Awards, a gem cutting and jewelry design competition organized by the International Colored Gemstone Association and UBM Asia is fast approaching. The last day to submit entries is 21 November.

ICA and UBM partnered on the IU Awards with the aim to spotlight talents and recognize achievements in the lapidary and design arts in colored gemstones. Competition categories include jewelry design, which is further divided into four sub-categories: wedding, formal wear, manufacturer, and theme concept.

The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has announced they had agreed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work cooperatively on advancing their shared objectives.

In an extraordinary meeting of the CIBJO Pearl Commission held in Hong Kong last September, a prestigious group of individuals with intimate involvement within the natural and cultured pearl industries, including producers, wholesalers, retailers, auction houses and gemmologists, discussed and shared their views on the use of the term "pearl" in a manner that will help avoid confusion or misrepresentation throughout the supply pipeline of pearls and in particular among consumers.

Global diamond conglomerate Eurostar has increased its presence in the International Gem Tower. The Antwerp-based company will now occupy 8,000 square feet in the new tower.

"The new space meets our vision for the next decade for our North American operations" commented Vice President of the company's New York office, Harsh Mehta.