The World Gold Council’s (WGC) first quarter report on gold demand trends shows that demand for gold jewelry in the United States increased 6 percent in the period, tracking positive year-over-year for the first time since the third quarter 2005.

Italian brand Adami & Martucci, defined by its innovative mesh and sterling silver designs, displayed a number of its collections, including its Mesh Collection.

Spanish jewelry brand Bohemme showcased pieces for spring/summer 2013 from its many collections, offering buyers darkened silver designs with pops of 18-karat gold and gemstones.

Diamond prices will rise by an average of 6 percent annually through to 2020 due to constrained supply not being able to meet rising demand from China and India, according to BMO Capital Markets analyst Edward Sterck.

The per-ounce price of platinum is expected to range between $1,415 and $1,710 from now until October, averaging $1,570 an ounce during that period, Johnson Matthey predicted in releasing its Platinum 2013 report earlier this week.

Johann Rupert, the chairman of Richemont, will step away from the company for a year beginning this fall, the company announced when reporting its fiscal year results on Thursday.

The discount retailers that reported their first-quarter financials on Thursday didn’t have a strong quarter due to an unseasonably cold spring and the payroll tax increase, which has taken a bite out of consumers’ take-home pay.

The Women’s Jewelry Association recently announced the 2013 honorees for its Hall of Fame and the nominees for its Awards for Excellence, annual distinctions the association grants to recognize individuals in the jewelry industry.

Three students will attend their final year of school at London’s Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design for free, thanks to a deal the school has inked with jewelry and watch brand Avakian.

Multiple auction records were set at Sotheby’s Geneva on May 14 when a fancy yellow diamond sold for $2.9 million and a pair of pearl and diamond earrings garnered $2.3 million.

Same-store sales increased 4 percent year-over-year in the first quarter for Macy’s Inc., with an unseasonably cool spring in the north and “weakness” among consumers at both ends of the income spectrum impacting sales.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, Rolex has introduced a version of the watch made for the first time entirely in 950 platinum.

The International Gemological Institute is supplying loose diamonds, ranging in size from melee to one carat, to Carnegie Mellon University for a lunar competition slated to take place in 2015.

A Patek Philippe Ref. 5002 Sky Moon tourbillon, the most complicated watch ever produced by the brand, sold for $1.2 million at Antiquorum’s May 12 auction in Geneva.

Pandora reported a “strong start” to 2013, with year-over-year comparisons boosted by the fact that delivery of the Valentine’s Day collection and the Easter holiday fell in the first quarter this year.

Just weeks ahead of the Las Vegas shows, Couture has updated its online appearance with the launch of a revamped website.

Efva Attling has designed an exclusive sterling silver jewelry collection for the newly opened ABBA the Museum, which pays tribute to the Swedish pop band of the 1970s and 80s.

The American Society of Appraisers (ASA) recently announced a new partnership with the Gemological Institute of America to offer advanced training for gem and jewelry professionals.

Francis J. (Frank) Mastoloni, who headed his eponymous pearl company for almost 56 years and was considered one of the world’s few true experts on the gemstones, died on May 9 following a long illness. He was 86.

Independent retailer Mervis Diamond Importers recently seized upon a mistake made by a much larger competitor in order to net themselves a new customer, a woman who is a self-described “jewelry person.”

New CEOs at LVMH, Jaeger Le-Coultre and Montblanc are among the most recent appointments in the jewelry industry.

E-commerce sales topped $50 billion in the first quarter, marking only the second quarter on record when online sales have exceeded that dollar mark.

Supplier and De Beers sightholder Stuller Inc. announced Monday that it is now the official distributor of BlingGuard products to the retail jeweler. BlingGuard makes invisible ring guards and earrings supports designed to keep jewelry in place.

WR Cobb Online is publishing a new e-book called “Social Media 2.0 for Jewelers--Tips for Maximizing Your Online Efforts,” a follow-up to the successful online book the organization offered last year.

Swatch Group confirmed Friday that Nayla Hayek, chairwoman of The Swatch Group Ltd., is now the CEO of Harry Winston Inc.