‘Gold is Where it’s At,’ Says Soulja Boy who’s Spent 3M on Gold Jewelry

Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images North America

Rap sensation and record producer Soulja Boy Tell’em says that he has spent about $3 million in gold jewelry, during an interview on MTV News’ “RapFix Live.”

The 20-year-old star told the program's host, Sway Calloway, that his attraction to the precious metal isn’t just about its bling appeal but also its value as an investment. “Gold is the best thing going, all the people that’s watching, honestly,” he said. “Gold is where it’s at.”

He also gave a shout out to diamonds on the program. Video below:

There’s an App for Pandora

The Pandora jewelry company, known for its charm bracelets and its $2 billion initial public offering, has launched iphone and Facebook applications designed to create an interactive shopping experience.

The Copenhagen-based jewelry company’s first iPhone app allows consumers to share Pandora fine jewelry pieces via Facebook, e-mail or by adding it to their personalized Pandora “Wish List” page online. Consumers will have instant access to all of Pandora’s collections, including customizable charm bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces and watches.

Pandora’s “Bracelet Designer” is a bracelet building Facebook app. Its 150,000 Facebook fans can select charms from the company’s “Moments” collection to create a personalized charm bracelet and share their unique bracelet designs with others. This app actually launched in October. Consumers can select from seven different sterling silver or 14K gold bracelet options and more than 800 charms.

The Facebook app tracks the cost of each charm selected along with the total cost of the bracelet. When done designing their personal bracelet, consumers can find the nearest Pandora store locations and print or download a picture of the bracelet with the list of selected charms to take to the store or share with others as a gift idea. They also can post their newly created Pandora bracelet to their Facebook status and Twitter page. Once a bracelet is designed, consumers can share comments and "like" designs of other fans as well as view international and local top ten charts listing the bracelet designs that have received the most "likes" and bracelets with the most comments.

Lopez Sparkles in Brumani Jewelry

Photo: Bauer Griffin 

Jennifer Lopez shows off her Brumani Looping Shine earrings and ring in white and pink gold with diamonds and champagne topaz during a recent Boys & Girls Clubs of America event in Los Angeles. Lopez, along with actor Denzel Washington, is a spokesperson for the organization. The jewelry from the Brazilian-based company worn by Lopez is pictured below.

                                                             

Architecture and Adornment at Elements + Alloys Trunk Show

EnA Gold Spine Earrings

The newly renovated Philadelphia home of Kevin Rasmussen and Vivian Su, principals of the architecture firm Rasmussen/Su, served as the base for a trunk show by their friends, jewelry designers Karen and James Moustafellos, better known as Elements + Alloys (EnA).

Clasp Pendant

The couple produces fine jewelry from their studio in Philadelphia and gradually built a business that now extends coast to coast. Like the hosts of the event, they too are architects so naturally they approached jewelry making with a balance of art, engineering and function. They specialize in gold, silver and steel jewelry for women and men focusing on minimalistic geometric designs and modular elements. In many cases, customers can gradually build their jewelry by purchasing pieces over a period of time—that attractive bracelet could one day be expanded into an elegant necklace with a mix of gold and silver elements. The precise craftsmanship enhances the subtle differences in each piece they make.

Button Earrings in silver and gold

James told me at the December 1 event that they are adding touches of diamonds and gemstones into their metal figures, such as a diamond points for their thin, cylinder-shaped earrings and pendants in their droplet collection (gold pendant with diamond point pictured left). Their price points range from just over $100 to more than $10,000. Judging from the number of people leaving the Rasmussen-Su household with little boxes in their hands, the company will continue to gain more fans and a bigger reputation.

Karen and James Moustafellos busy with customers.

Revolve cable necklace

Sharon Stone, Damiani Designed Jewelry to Benefit Water Projects

Actress Sharon Stone recently unveiled a new jewelry collection co-designed with Damiani in which part of the proceeds will be used to construct clean water wells in Africa.

Called “Maji,” which means water in Swahili, the collection for women is crafted in brushed yellow gold with rough diamonds arranged in irregular patterns, creating an “unfinished” effect, Damiani said in a statement. The materials are designed to evoke Africa. The collection includes rings, pendants, earrings and tennis bracelets. There's also a men’s Maji collection.

Proceeds from the sale will go toward Drop in the Bucket, an organization that provides ways to bring water to sub-Saharia Africa.

At the unveiling in Beverly Hills, Calif., Stone and Silvia Damiani, vice president of the Italian jewelry house, presented a $200,000 check to John Travis of Drop in the Bucket, which, along with a private donation from the Damiani family, will underwrite the construction of 50 new water wells in Africa, providing clean water to more than 10,000 people.

Italian Gold Jewelry the Focus of Arezzo Tradeshow

Nemesi

The city of Arezzo is a gold jewelry manufacturing center that symbolizes Italian design and craftsmanship. It’s where jewelry for the masses meets with the artistry and craftsmanship that are the hallmarks of Italian jewelry design.

Unoaerre

It is in this Tucson region where the Gold/Italy jewelry trade fair was held, October 25-27. With its focus on Italian jewelry design and craftsmanship from 220 companies in the region, the show attracted jewelry industry professionals throughout Italy and from 50 countries around the world. 

Eurocatene

Fashion was a big focus of this year’s show with runway events matching jewelry to apparel ranging from street clothes to elaborate gowns. It’s not going to be a one-year theme as the officials of the local gold jewelry industry sees its future as a partner with fashion companies. 

Artur Gold

“Made in Italy jewelry is the result of excellent manufacturing skill and a historical goldsmith tradition. We have an extraordinary product which must be taken advantage of. Only those who innovate can hope to change the world,” said Andrea Boldi, president of Arezzo Fiere e Congressi, which owns Gold/Italy and Oroarezzo. “Arezzo is the home of jewelry, and in our territory, we have always been linked to another top quality and world famous excellence, fashion.”

Fratelli Chini

He added, “We are working towards having buyers from the fashion world directly at the show because, nowadays, in an increasingly dynamic and global world, we must be able to create further business links. For this show, we have managed to achieve an important result. We will have 240 top international buyers who are estimated to create over 1.5 billion dollars in Made in Italy sales.”

Fratelli Bovo

This year’s show provided a good representation of the region’s artistry, with new creative designs, more traditional solid-gold fare, mixed jewelry pieces incorporating precious and semiprecious stones, and silver jewelry.

Gruppo Eclat

One of the things these artisans do well is create designs using finely woven gold mesh, in threads that in some cases are half the thickness of a human hair, shaped and molded into elaborate necklaces, earrings, brooches, and bracelets. The same type of variety and detail is present in gold-beaded pieces. Big, bold pieces, something Italians are noted for, were also evident as well color in many of the designs.

Mulino d'Oro

Two companies, Fratelli Bovo and Fratelli Chini, provided different examples of the mesh technique, with the first shaping the fine gold threads in a corkscrew pattern for a necklace, earrings and ring set; while the latter uses crisscross patterns that extend out into a series of semicircles for a bracelet. 

New Line

Unoaerre created a fine-beaded bracelet in a woven pattern that looked like ribbon. Another bracelet by Gruppo Eclat mixed yellow gold with a brown colored gold finished for a two-color thick bracelet in a tight woven pattern. 

Prestige

A few years ago, jewelry manufacturer, Nemesi, turned to 3D printing to create its jewels and now 90 percent of its pieces are made with this technology, which has freed the company creatively, said Paolo Cerofolini. “We can do anything,” he said. “The only limit is the market.” 

Aqua

He adds that the company has been in “full production” for the past five years and business continues to pick up as the price of gold has declined. 

Nemesi’s offerings included a two-stone ring made with threads of gold in random-like patterns and topped with a Japanese cultured pearl and a round faceted citrine. 

The Graziella Group provides jewelry in gold and silver in classic, modern and fashion designs for women of all ages. Its products extend to accessories, such as leather handbags and a quartz watch line. They sell to retailers and directly to consumers. Its major markets are in the Middle East, Dubai, Russia and China. 

Serena Cutini, a sales representative with the company, said it was not affected by the global downturn.

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Temple St. Clair Enters the World of High Jewelry

Flying Fish bracelet made with sapphire, Paraiba tourmaline, tsavorite and Royal Blue Moonstone.

Luxury jewelry designer Temple St. Clair held a public unveiling of her first high jewelry collection at The Salon: Art + Design show in New York. 

Titled Mythical Creatures each of the nine, one-of-kind pieces represents artistic representations of the work she has done for 30 years. Nature themes with more colored gemstones, a few either extremely rare or almost never used for jewelry, used in a variety of intricate ways go together with the goldsmith and jewelry craftsmen in Florence, many of whom having with St. Clair for decades. The pieces are complex and elaborate but still retain a sense of refinement.

Secret Garden Serpent necklace made with tsavorite scales, a tanzanite head, Royal Blue Moonstone eyes and diamond accents.

To reinforce their status as works of art and collectibles, she collaborated with artists outside of the jewelry world to create a complete individual package for each piece. Her main partner in this project is fine contemporary artist and personal friend, Nancy Lorenz—known for working with precious materials such as mother-of-pearl inlay, lacquer, and gold leaf—who created a signature jewel box for each piece. She also brought in the services of photographer Robert Clark, best known for his work with National Geographic. His stylized photographs, along with St. Clair’s sketches and stories behind each piece are included in a personalized, hand-bound leather book designed and built in Florence. The book and each jewel are sized to fit inside the wooden box, which were made in Kyoto and then lined in leather in Florence.

Sleeping Fox ring made with spinel, mandarin garnet, emerald & diamond.

The display at The Salon: Art + Design art show at The Park Avenue Armory in New York, opened Friday and runs till Monday, is the first public viewing of the jewelry creations. The only other public viewing will be at Les Arts Decoratifs, January 29, 2015, during Paris’ Haute Couture Week. After that, these pieces, which are commanding six-figure prices, will be sold and delivered to private owners. In fact, in an interview months ago, St. Clair says that the interest is so strong that she expects the entire collection will be sold before the Paris exhibition. 

Sea Dragon earrings using emeralds, rubies, sapphires, Royal Blue Moonstone and diamond..

For St. Clair this project is the culmination of a life in jewelry, art and design. 

“Three years in actually making (the collection) and 30 years of having it come together,” St. Clair said during an interview in her New York studio. “I do a lot of bespoke work in the high jewelry realm (for private clients) but I haven’t worked in that realm necessarily on my own. And most of the bespoke work and high jewelry work goes to individuals. So we can’t show it or really talk about it that much. This is my first entrance into this level.” 

Medusa Moon Jellyfish ring in 18k gold with Australian Andamooka opal, Lightening Ridge black opal, sapphire, tsavorite, hauyn & rock crystal.

She continued, “I love nature and animals so I played with my interpretation. I refer to them as my mythical creatures but I’m actually making natural creatures mythical.” 

Each piece uses a variety of gemstones, cut, polished and set in many ways. Several are extremely rare, such as Paraiba tourmaline and Australian Andamooka opal. One gem known as hauyn, considered too soft to be set in jewelry, makes an appearance in at least one piece. 

Phoenix Chicks earrings using 18k gold with tanzanite, Lightening Ridge black opal, tourmaline, Royal Blue Moonstone, tsavorite & sapphire.

“No one puts this in jewelry,” she said. “I’ve seen it for years at gem shows but I’m told it’s only for collectors, not to be put in jewelry. But we managed.”

In addition, a variety of gem setting techniques and elaborate gold adornments are used for each item. They are extremely complex pieces. For example, the Secret Garden Serpent necklace has more than 1,000 gems. Green garnet serpent tsavorite cut in cabochons is used for the vertebrae, finely crafted with flexible joints to give it a proper look and feel.

“He feels so real and scaly,” she said.

Turtles on the Rocks ring using 18K gold with diamonds and Paraíba tourmalines. 

Some pieces move with the light like the Flying Fish bracelet, which is taken from her time spent at sea actually viewing these fishes. Different shades of green tsavorite along with various blue gems (Paraiba tourmaline, blue sapphires and blue moonstones) are used to recreate the changing colors of scales when it reflected in the sun. 

“You catch a fish and turn it at different angles and it shows its colors differently,” she said. “It’s a super intricate piece. I’ve seen flying fish so I know what they should look like.”

Frog Prince ring in 18k gold with Mandarin garnet, tsavorite, sapphire and cat's eye.

St. Clair says that as her children have grown and become more independent and with her business is doing well, she is able to take time to create in new ways, which will lead to similar projects in the future.  

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5% Increase in Q3 Gold Jewelry Demand

Gold jewelry demand for the third quarter of 2013 increased 5 percent year-over-year to 486.7 tons, the World Gold Council said Thursday, marking the best third quarter performance for the precious metal since 2010. 

In terms of value, gold being used for jewelry for the period fell by 15 percent year-over-year, due to a drop in the trading price of the precious metal, according to the WGC’s Gold Demand Trends report for the third quarter of 2013. Demand for the period was worth $20.8 billion, the lowest quarterly value since the third quarter of 2010.

Global growth for the period was led by high-karat gold jewelry purchases in Asia, the Middle East and the US, 

“An almost universal phenomenon in the third quarter was the increasing popularity of higher carat jewelry,” the WGC said in its report. “Across Asia, the Middle East and in the US, higher carat jewelry was noted as an area of particular growth as the increased investment properties associated with gold of higher purity came to the fore. The fact that jewelry retailers in a number of markets were increasingly stocking investment products (small bars and coins) provided further evidence of the greater blurring of the jewelry/investment distinction.”

Consumers in China generated 163.7 tons of jewelry demand in the third quarter, making it by far the largest single jewelry market. The country’s year-to-date, demand of 518 tons already equals the same amount for the full-year 2012.

“To some extent, exhaustion set in towards the end of Q3 after such a frenetic second quarter, but continued expansion of the retail network confirms that the trade sees prospects for growth,” the WGC said.

Increases were reported in 24k jewelry (known as “chuk kam”), which has a purity rating of 95.95 percent and in “four nines” gold (gold jewelry of 99.99% purity, compared with the typical 24-carat purity of 99.95%). The WGC explained that the former is unique to China and is most popular with consumers in lower tier markets and rural areas as an investment hedge.

Mainland Chinese consumers also attributed to a 28 percent increase in gold jewelry consumption in Hong Kong to 7.5 tons.

In the US, the WGC noted that “demand was a key development.” Gold jewelry demand for the third quarter rose 14 percent year-over-year to 43.4 million tons.

With the exception of fourth quarter demand (driven by holiday sales), the third quarter was the first quarter in four years in which gross jewelry demand exceeded recycling—creating net positive jewelry demand,” the WGC said. “Since Q3 2009, gross new quarterly jewelry demand had been exceeded by the recycling of old gold jewelry as distress selling took off during the economic downturn,” WGC said. “Increasingly positive sentiment among US consumers during the third quarter reversed this trend.”

The report also notes a shift towards 18k jewelry from 14k.

“Given recent developments in the US, consumer sentiment has taken a hit early in the fourth quarter, but the seasonal impact, together with prices holding below US$1,400/oz, suggests a certain amount of resilience,” the WGC said.

India, one of the world’s largest markets for gold jewelry, saw demand drop by 23 percent year-over-year to 104.7 tons due to import restrictions imposed by the government. “Demand for gold jewelry among Indian consumers remains strong, but reduced supply has prevented this demand from being fully realized,” the WGC said.

"The smaller Asian markets had robust growth for the period, with the exception of South Korea where weak consumer sentiment and a sluggish domestic economy dampened demand," the WGC said. "Across the rest of the region, there was a trend for higher karat jewelry pieces of relatively simple design as consumers across the region took advantage of gold’s increased affordability."

Gold jewelry demand in the Middle East increased 9 percent to 51.2 million tons, due to lower prices across the region, the WGC said. The “unsurprising” exception was Egypt.

“The emphasis on 22-karat gold at the expense of 21- and 18-carat diamond-set jewelry suggests demand was stronger among domestic consumers relative to western tourists.”

The third quarter in Turkey, which is traditionally strong, saw year-over-year demand increase 14 percent. In value terms, demand was virtually flat, due to a 12 percent decline in the local currency price of the precious metal.

Russia’s growing middle class, armed with greater disposable income, helped generate a 7 percent year-over-year growth in jewelry demand.

“European markets were again the exceptions to the more positive global picture, with both UK (-14%) and Italy (-7%) posting year-over-year declines due to “economic concerns,” WGC said.

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British Firm Mappin & Webb Reinvents Itself with New Creative Director and Jewelry Collection

The motif of this elaborate 18k white gold cuff from the "Empress" collection is repeated in concentric circles set with 6.15 carats of diamonds and 5.84 carats of round-cut pink gems.

Mappin & Webb is a company that has undergone many changes in its 238-year history but always had Great Britain running through its veins.

Founded in 1775 in Sheffield as a cutlery firm, the company eventually developed a specialty as a metalsmith. It is now primarily known as a jewelry and gift retailer. It has been commissioned by royalty since 1905 and currently holds Royal Warrants (given to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal persons) as a silversmith to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles.

Today, it is undergoing another transformation under the direction of its new creative director, Elizabeth Galton, best known as the creative director of Links of London. This means revitalizing just about everything, from store concept and advertising campaigns through to collections and brand packaging. 

The Fortune Drop Necklace uses the infinity band as a small pendant, suspended from a double-loop 18k yellow gold chain.

"We feel we have a moral duty to return this glorious British brand back to an international stage and it is a journey we feel very passionate about," Galton said.

Galton recently unveiled new collections that reinterpret historic motifs from the company’s archives, making them relevant to a modern audience through contemporary designs.

The “Empress” collection was inspired by a bespoke Mappin & Webb design for the Queen of Siam, commissioned in the 1920s and rediscovered in the jewelry house’s historic archive.

The delicate and decorative circular motif was characteristic of brooches beloved by the Eastern aristocracy of the time. The 24-piece collection of diamond rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings unite mythical exoticism of the East with a playful, modern spirit. It features modern-18k white, yellow and rose gold set with brilliant round-cut diamonds and, in some cases, pink sapphires.

The Fortune collection includes infinity bands, bracelets, necklaces and earrings pairs gleaming 18k white, yellow or rose gold with strands of sparkling diamonds.

Platinum necklace with Gemfields’ Zambian emeralds, 33.86 carats and diamonds, 7.26 carats.

The company also provided a one-of-kind necklace using emeralds provided by Gemfields, a colored gemstone miner and marketer. It was part of a bespoke jewelry collection created by leading designers with emeralds, rubies and amethysts from Gemfields.

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Gold Exhibit at Chicago Field Museum

Crystallized gold, Leadville, Colo., American Museum of Natural History. © Denis Finnin, AMNH

With the value of gold breaking records daily now is the perfect time for The Field Museum in Chicago to host an exhibit on the precious metal that will explore how the mineral is found, mined, processed, and turned into both beautiful and useful objects. The traveling exhibition opened Wednesday and will run through March 6, 2011.

18K Picasso Gold Brooch,Tiffany & Co., designed by Paloma Picasso Scribble Collection, Graffiti Line, New York, 1988, Tiffany & Co. Archives.

The exhibit will explore gold’s physical properties and examine the history of how cultures around the world have valued the mineral as a status symbol, religious emblem and form of currency.

Gold Earrings, Hellenistic, Greece; c. late 400s-200s BC, American Museum of Natural History. © Craig Chesek AMNH

Cartier shell necklace

More than 550 gold items will be on display—including the largest placer nugget found in the Western hemisphere, the world’s first minted coins (from ancient Anatolia), pre-Columbian jewelry and sacred objects, doubloons retrieved from sunken Spanish galleons and the 2005 World Series Championship trophy.

 The Field Museum is located at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. It’s hours are from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. and is open every day except Christmas.

U.S. Double Eagle $20 gold coin

Pandora Raises 2 Billion in IPO

Danish jeweler Pandora charmed investors with an IPO worth up to $2.1 billion in one of Europe's largest market listings this year, Reuters and other media outlets report.

Pandora shares, priced at 210 Danish crowns in the initial public offering, closed up at 263, giving investors a 25 percent gain and valuing the company at about $6.1 billion, Reuters reports. More than 4 billion crowns ($739 million) of Pandora stock changed hands on the Copenhagen stock exchange—nearly double the normal daily turnover for the whole bourse. The company priced its IPO at the high end of a preliminary range of 175-225 crowns.

Analysts reportedly said Pandora's high growth and strong margins made the share offer attractive to investors hungry for new stock after a period of scant IPO activity, despite its short track record and heavy reliance on a single product.

Pandora's mass-market jewelry, sold mainly in the United States and Europe, is priced in an approximate $50-$1,500 range. The company makes customizable silver and gold charm bracelets, rings, necklaces and earrings at its three factories in Thailand, where it employs 3,300 people out of its total workforce of 4,500, and sells them in 45 countries.

Its big seller is charm bracelets, made of silver or gold, with the charms of stones such as amethyst, onyx or moonstone. It made 86 percent of first-half sales from bracelets and charms.

Pandora, founded in 1982 by husband-and-wife team Per and Winnie Enevoldsen as a Copenhagen shop, has grown rapidly over the past decade, with revenue of about $640.4 million in 2009. Axcel, the Danish private equity group, bought a 60 percent stake in the company from the Enevoldsen family two years ago.

Pandora made 41 percent of its first-half sales in the United States, the company reportedly said.

New Jewelry from Near and Far at the Hong Kong Show

A carved jadeite leaf pendant with diamond setting from Unique Brilliant Ltd., based in Hong Kong.

With more than 3,400 exhibitors from 46 countries and regions, the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair is a place to see new jewelry from around the world. For many of these companies it is their only opportunity to have their products seen in an international setting.

What follows is a small selection of the jewelry that was presented at the show:

A freshwater pearl ring sits upon a silver ring lined with cubic zirconia from ACH & Co., based in Hong Kong.

An 18k white gold acurved pendant with flower-shaped adornments set in rose gold. Dazzling diamonds of various cuts are set all over the surface to showcase a classy style. From Diaccents Exports in Hong Kong.

An opal ring surrounded with diamonds from Dreamtime, a Kyoto, Japan-based company.

A set of 18k gold earrings with blue sapphire and diamonds from Duang Kaew Jewellery Manufacturer Co Ltd., based in Thailand.

Gold-colored 11-17mm South Sea pearls of AA quality from Luen Hing Pearls & Jewellery Ltd., Hong Kong.

A heart and beads jewelry collection made of natural Madagascan labradorite by Shanghai Jade Gems Factory Ltd.

A silver bracelet with dentrite accents from Silver House Jewellery Ltd., Hong Kong.

A fresh water pearl necklace with silver parts by Tin Yin Jewellery Ltd., based in Hong Kong.

Wai Lun Jewellery Ltd, Hong Kong.

An 18k white gold and diamond bangle from Winstar Jewelery Manufacturer Ltd., Hong Kong.

A Two-tone silver and gold pendant with blue topaz cutting and graduation of amethyst all around from Yakhunit Co Ltd., Thailand.

A 16-inch necklace made with a variety of gemstones, including whisky quartz, prehnite and red chalcedony ZeYu Industries Ltd. ShenZhen, China.