‘Designing jewelry has been a passion of mine,’ Cocktails with JNN: Mayuri Vara of Vara of London

Smoky quartz is the main stone for the Fleur de Chine ring with black diamond pave center mounted on 925 sterling silver and lucky Chinese coin gallery on the back.

Every year that I go to Hong Kong to attend the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair I discover something new. Last year, I attended a press conference at the Portuguese Heritage Club in the city’s Central district hosted by Qeelin, a luxury jewelry brand purchased by French luxury holding company, Kering. Afterward, I interviewed Dennis Chan, the creative director and co-founder of the brand. 

Taylor and Fleur de Chine Cuff uses gold plated textured 925 sterling with amethyst and pink tourmaline.

This year I found myself at the Gray Café Deluxe, on the 49th floor of the Upper House hotel, one of the city’s finest, with a spectacular view of the Kowloon skyline as it turned from day to night. This is where I met with Mayuri Vara, the founder of the new jewelry brand Vara of London, where she showed me her first jewelry collections over well-made martinis.

Bamboo Leaves ring uses chrome diopside for the leaves and 925 sterling silver.

Articulate and soft-spoken, the self-taught jewelry designer explains that the collections reflect her diverse heritage, experiences and personal influences. She is of Indian descent, raised in London and was on course to follow her father and brother’s footsteps in the medical profession before she veered off into more creative ambitions.

The upper part of the Diva drop earrings extend up the earlobe set with amethyst with with pink tourmaline. Lower hoop set with diamonds and amethyst center drop stone.

“I have always been fascinated by art and design, and designing jewelry has been a passion of mine,” she says, “having always made handmade jewelry as far back as I can remember.”

She has lived in Hong Kong for the past five years with her husband who is a lawyer. Her outside influences are equally diverse and include Elizabeth Taylor, Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American movie star and a fashion icon, and Maharani Gayatri Devi, the last queen of Jaipur.

925 sterling silver is used for the Serpentine open bangle with smoky quartz and black diamond surround.

“I draw inspiration from the Chinese culture, artworks and architecture,” she adds. 

For someone with such a diverse background her first offerings are focused and for the most part classic and elegant. It’s a well thought out mix of products where individual pieces match but in a variety of ways so it doesn’t look like a formal suite. Most of the pieces are large and bold enough so they can be worn alone. They also are designed to be worn daily. 

The left side of Le Boteh open ring is set with smoky quartz with a black diamond centre; and the right side set with amethyst and pink tourmaline.

Nearly all of the pieces are made of 925 sterling silver plated with either gold, black rhodium, or white rhodium. She says her next line will be in 18k gold. She is particularly proud that the quality of craftsmanship, done in China, can be seen on both sides of the pieces. “I’m fortunate to find the right people who understand my flow,” she says.

The Cleopatra Noir ring features smoky quartz surrounded by two snakes and black diamond pave on head and tail with red garnet eyes. Black spinel surrounds body of the ring.

The black rhodium finishes add an edge to the classic styles. She also provides contrasts by using classic Lotus flower and paisley shapes with pieces that feature serpents. She is fond of colored gems, with smoky quartz, amethyst, citrine, peridot and tourmaline among her favorites. A few pieces have a sprinkling of diamonds.

The collections were launched in June during the Jewellery & Watch event at London’s Saatchi Gallery and are also available at the Quintessentially Gifts in London. 

Noor drop earrings uses 925 sterling silver set with Rose de France amethyst stones. The upper part is set with white topaz surrounding a single amethyst stone.

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Sidney Mobell’s Gold and Jeweled Monopoly Set on Display

The Museum of American Finance will unveil a gold and jeweled Monopoly set by world-renowned artist and jeweler Sidney Mobell on Oct. 15.

Created in 1988, the game includes a full-size 23k gold-plated board with tokens, hotels, houses, and dice done in solid 18k yellow gold with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. The game is set with 165 gemstones weighing a total of 51.21cts. It is on loan from the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History.

The Smithsonian received the game as one of 20 jeweled art objects from Mobell’s personal collection of. A long-time resident of San Francisco, Mobell is known for his fanciful and innovative employment of everyday household items as works of art.

Mobell will be at the New York museum during the unveiling and will attend a press conference. Afterward, there will be Monopoly tournaments for children and adults. The first tournament, scheduled to run from 10:15 am - 12 pm, is open to students under the age of 18. The second tournament, to be held from 1 - 3 pm, will be open to adults 18 years and up. Both tournaments are free and open to the public and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Prizes will be awarded to a winner at each table.

“We are thrilled to have this one-of-a-kind item and its creator here,” said museum president David Cowen. “The game is symbolic to America and was popularized during the difficult economic times of the depression. We again face difficult economic times, and this incredibly valuable item will bring joy to our many visitors.”

The Museum of American Finance, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the nation’s only public museum dedicated to finance, entrepreneurship and the open market system. The museum is located at 48 Wall Street.

GIA Opens Lab in Hong Kong

The Gemological Institute of America formally opened its fifth international laboratory in Hong Kong with a quick ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 15 attended by more than 125 industry leaders and media members.

“The Hong Kong trade is so vibrant, it’s essential to be here,” said Donna Baker, GIA president and CEO, as she officially opened the lab. “Hong Kong is home to a thriving and sophisticated gem and jewelry industry.… We believe our lab will make it even more convenient for those professionals to access our services and promulgate the international gemological standards.”

Officiating at the opening were Lawrence Ma, the founding chairman of the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong; Gregory So, undersecretary of Commerce and Economic Development for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Cheng Yu Tung, chairman, New World Group; Ephraim Zion, managing director of Dehres Ltd. and GIA board member; Thomas Moses, senior vice president of GIA Laboratory and Research; Wai Man Cheng, director of the Hong Kong laboratory; and Kathryn Kimmel, GIA chief marketing officer.

The lab, located in New World Tower, 18 Queen’s Road Central, will offer on-site services for GIA Diamond Grading Reports and Diamond Dossiers, laser inscription and diamond sealing services. Prior to opening the new lab, GIA operated a diamond and gemstone take-in facility there for four years and a school for nearly 20 years.

India’s Gem and Jewelry Exports Up 40%

Gem and jewelry exports from India for the month of July grew 40.4 percent, year-over-year, to $ 2.34 billion, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India said in statement Tuesday.

Exports of cut and polished diamonds in July increased 36.8 percent year-over-year to $1.68. Gold jewelry exports for the month grew 25.2 percent to $454.87 million. And colored gemstone exports grew at a more modest pace of 5.3 percent to $19.6 million.

How much of that jewelry is being exported to the U.S. wasn’t revealed in the GJEPC statement. The U.S. has been by far the largest purchaser of jewelry from India. However, in recent years because of the economic recession in the U.S., jewelry, diamond and gem manufacturers in India have been working harder to gain inroads in domestic and regional markets.

What to Expect at IJL

Bohemian Butterfly's boho-chic Scale earrings in silver and an unusual green onyx

London-based trade magazine Retail Jeweller has come out with its list of trends to expect at the International Jewellery London trade fair, to be held September 5-8, at Earls Court 2.

Among the trends are a range of gold jewelry mixed with assorted shades of citrine, passion topaz and amethyst. In fact, color gemstones will be in full display at the show, according to the editors. Also, be on the lookout for jewelry with soft, organic shapes.

Read the entire story and view more images here.

Pamela Froman Launches Two Collections during Jewelry Week

Fine jewelry designer Pamela Froman launched two collections in Las Vegas that will be available in stores in the fall. The award-winning artist specializes in hand-crafted works in 18k and 22k gold and platinum with diamonds and gemstones.

The first collection is called “Arabesque Crush,” in which the Los Angeles-based designer uses one of her favorite elements: the undulating “S”-shaped scroll. In these new designs, Forman forms 18k pink and yellow gold into different shapes and sizes of scrolls. “I find the curves of a scroll to be very feminine,” Froman says. In some pieces she uses Ethiopian opals that flash with pinks, reds, and oranges complementing the colors of her gold.

Pictured is the Arabesque Crush Ball made with sections of 18k yellow and pink gold shaped into undulating s-scrolls that alternate with sections of diamond-studded crushed gold. The ball fades from yellow to pink in Pamela’s signature. The globe hangs from an 18k yellow “scroll crush” chain.

The next collection features a variety of colored gemstones along with gold and platinum in which she calls, “Color Crush.”

The collection includes three distinct earring cap styles—each piece begins with the gemstone and, depending on it size, shape and color, Pamela decides which cap style, color of gold, and amount of diamonds would best complement the specific stone. 

Pictured is the “Royal Cap” earrings set made of 18k yellow gold with carnelian briolettes.

Diamond and Gem Jewelry Designs by John Apel

Turkish born American jewelry designer John Apelian introduced three new collections during jewelry week using diamonds, gemstones and 18k gold or platinum, under the company name of John Apel.

The first (pictured above) is an 18k yellow gold necklace with beryl stones and diamonds. It is part of the Colors Collection.

The Marquees shaped platinum and rose cut diamond earrings from the Shimmers Collection, one of the company's signature lines.

Below is Larissa micropave diamond and platinum setting with round center cut diamond from the Serendipity Collection. The ring also is available in 18k gold.

The New York-based company was formerly known as DiLaro Jewelry Co.

Eastern China Jewelry Event Targets New Luxury Consumers

Hangzhou—the capital city and political, economic and cultural center of Zhejiang province—will host, Treasures Hangzhou, a new jewelry event in Eastern China October 24 to 26 at the Hyatt Regency Hangzhou.

The event will give the province’s jewelry consumers, private collectors and high-end jewelry retailers the opportunity to purchase jewelry, diamonds, gemstones, pearls and jadeite from international jewelry designers and manufacturers. Among these exhibitors are Hini Star Ltd, Golden Dynasty (HK) Ltd, Shenzhen Color And Diamond Jewellery Co Ltd, SYM Jewellery Co Ltd and Houlang Jewellery (Shanghai) Co Ltd.

The show is jointly organized by UBM China, the International Colored Gemstone Association and the Jewelry Jade Industry Association of Zhejiang.

Hangzhou, located about 100 miles southwest of Shanghai, is one of China’s second-tier cities whose consumer market is growing. Like in the rest of China, there are a growing number of high-end consumers in Hangzhou eager to enjoy a better lifestyle. According to the 2010-2011 World Luxury Association survey, Hangzhou ranks first among China’s second-and third-tier cities as having the highest consumption of high-end goods apart from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. A report released by Goldman Sachs showed that over the next five years, second-and third-tier cities including Hangzhou, Wenzhou and Ningbo, will account for much China’s high-end consumer market.

Nationwide, total consumption of gems and jewelry reached 70 billion Chinese yuan renminbi ($11 billion) in 2010. Of this figure, diamonds account for more than $1.1 billion, making China potentially the world’s largest diamond consumer market and the world’s second largest diamond processing country, according to the World Luxury Association. Jade also accounts for a large part of the total figure.

Treasures Hangzhou will be held concurrently with the “Liang Zhu Bei” Zhejiang Jade Carving Exhibition, also at the Hyatt Regency Hangzhou. This prominent carving art event in attracts art lovers and collectors throughout China, including high-net-worth individuals. During the Fair, a series of professional seminars will be held to give visitors the chance to enrich their knowledge of collecting and investing in high-end jewelry.

India’s February Gems and Jewelry Exports Down 39%

Fewer orders from western markets have resulted in a 39.3 percent decline in February gems and jewelry exports to $2.7 billion, according to India’s Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council.

The biggest losses among India's gemstone and jewelry manufactures were led by a 53.7% drop in polished diamond orders, followed by a 30.3 percent drop in gold jewelry exports. Exports of rough diamonds fell by 15.6 percent for the period and colored gemstones fell by a more modest 3.7 percent.

Gains for the month were led by silver jewelry (39.5 percent) and gold medallions and coins (15.7 percent).

GJEPC, the organization the leads the India gems and jewelry industry, reportedly blames the decline on fewer orders from the U.S. and Europe, whose economies are still struggling. Other major export markets for the gem and jewelry manufacturers are the UAE and Hong Kong.

The organization also reported that gems and jewelry exports increased by 4 percent from April 2011 till February.

GIA Accepting Fall 2013 Scholarship Applications

For those of you who are considering a career in the jewelry industry or would like to advance your skills, the Gemological Institute of America is offering a number of scholarships for its educational programs.

There are about 20 scholarships for prospective students all over the world ranging from $450 to $5,000. GIA offers programs for every aspect of the jewelry and gem industry from its headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif.; its campuses in London, Hong Kong, the Middle East and Taiwan; and through online programs that can be taken nearly anywhere in the world. The Gemological Graduate diploma (G.G.), which focuses on gem grading and identification, is considered by many to be the industry’s highest professional credential.

GIA bills itself as the “world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones and pearls.” It provides education, laboratory services for gem grading and identification, research, and lab instruments for the industry. It is also the creator of the 4Cs, the universal grading system for diamonds.

Scholarship applications will be available till April 30 on the Institute’s website. For more information on the scholarships follow this link or contact GIA at (760) 603-4131 or scholarship@gia.edu. For an application follow this link.

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Asia’s Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair to Feature Autumn and Winter Collections

The March edition of Asia’s Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair will run from 4-7 March 2013 in Halls 3, 6 and 8 of AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong. The show features Autumn/Winter collections that will land in stores the following year.

More than 400 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions are participating from Asia, Europe and North America, with over 80 percent of exhibitors from outside Hong Kong. Jewelry products on display include base metal, bead, bridal, gemset, silver and titanium.

Attractions include the “Fashion Accessories Zone,” “Sense Zone,” “Stainless Steel Jewellery Pavilion” and four group pavilions housing exhibitors from mainland China, Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan.

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China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shanghai Attracts More than 7,000 Visitors

The 10th edition of the China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shanghai ended with more than 7,000 visitors from 32 countries.

The event held November 6 – 9, at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, also featured 340 exhibitors from 21 countries.

“We always strive to make the Shanghai Fair an ideal springboard for jewelers who aim to enter China's vibrant jewellery market,” said Celine Lau, director of Jewellery Fairs, UBM Asia Ltd. “This year, we introduced a new element to the fair—the first-ever Korea Pavilion and the preview of Mineral & Gem Asia. This new feature joins other fair attractions, among them the Premier Pavilion, the largest Sri Lanka Pavilion in this fair’s history. Other group pavilions housing exhibitors from United States, Thailand and Taiwan region. The exhibits offered visitors a wide range of jewelry, diamonds, gemstones and jadeite from world-class suppliers as well as unmatched opportunity to network and see the latest trends.”

UBM China Holdings Ltd., hosted a seminar titled, “Investment and Collection of Mineral Crystals,” that provided information on the latest market information on gems and minerals.

“Shanghai is an important market for the jewelry trade, which is why we’ve been participating in the Shanghai Fair for many years,” said Safraz Jabir, color stone specialist of Safaiyers, a gemstone exporter of Sri Lanka, exhibiting at the fair. “We met many buyers, mainly from China, and received some orders with them. We are happy with the overall result.”

Con Arsenikakis of Olympic Opal Co Pty Ltd from Australia, said it was his first time at the fair.

“I am a retailer in Australia and I came to update myself with the latest trends,” he said. “The fair offers buyers a wide array of quality exhibits; I met my suppliers, mostly from Hong Kong.”

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