The Gemological Institute of America is betting on the number seven in Las Vegas this year, with the institute giving retailers exactly that many reasons to visit its booth at the JCK show.

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.

The Gemological Institute of America’s newly updated website now includes a Gem Encyclopedia that details the science and lore behind more than 20 gemstones.

Synthetic diamond company Gemesis has created a 1.29-carat E color VVS2 emerald-cut diamond, and has set the stone’s price at $7,634.

Mining company Petra Diamonds Ltd. unearthed a 25.5-carat piece of blue rough at the Cullinan mine in South Africa this month.

Leibish & Co. has turned an Argyle fancy pink diamond into a fancy intense pink diamond by sending the stone back to the polishing wheel.

A young woman from Gentry, Ark. visited the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Ark. in the hopes of finding a special treat to mark her 30th birthday, and she did.

The Natural Color Diamond Association’s (NCDIA) director of education is slated to give two interactive presentations at American Gem Society Conclave this month in Phoenix.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) will display five rare heart-shaped colored diamonds in its new exhibition, The Lady Heart Diamond Collection, from Feb. 1 to June 30.

The next Presidents’ Meeting of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) is scheduled to take place this June in Turkey, the organization announced.

Kim Pascarella of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., is the winner of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers’ (NAJA) 2012 ACE It Conference Scholarship, and now will attend the 39th Annual ACE It Winter Educational Conference in February.

American Gem Society CEO Ruth Batson has been appointed to the additional role of CEO of AGS Laboratories.

Engagement ring and fine jewelry brand Ritani has launched Ritani Reserve diamonds, a collection of round stones that the company said has “exceptional sparkle characteristics.”

The Crater of Diamonds State Park recorded its second-largest find of the year last week when a Florida nursing assistant turned up a 1.95-carat rough brown diamond.

The International Gemological Institute has announced plans to move its offices here to the Fred F. French building, located at 551 Fifth Ave. between 45th and 46th streets.

Accredited courses from the Diamond Council of America are now available to individuals who want to learn more about diamonds and gemstones, the DCA announced recently.

Full-time gem and jewelry appraisers now have until Jan. 15, 2013, to enter to win a trip to England and Scotland next year, the contest’s sponsor announced.

Synthetic diamonds once again will be the focal point of an industry lecture, this time at the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, slated to take place later this month.

The next New York/New Jersey meeting of the American Gem Society will cover the detection of synthetic diamonds and their impact on the jewelry industry and consumers. The meeting is scheduled for Sept. 6.

The Gemological Institute of America will open a new laboratory in Israel in early September. The new facility will provide diamond grading reports, diamond dossiers and related services.

Laboratory Gemological Science International has adopted a stretch of road here as a way to give back to the local community while jump-starting a widespread street-cleaning effort.

More colorless lab-grown diamonds are showing up in grading labs worldwide, some without proper disclosure. Still, the industry’s largest graders say they aren’t worried.

The American Society of Appraisers announced recently that it is hosting a gemology event from Aug. 9 to 12 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Gem Certification & Assurance Lab, Inc. has passed its annual ISO 17025 audit and expanded its ISO scope in the field of forensic testing for diamonds and gemstone analysis.

Another, albeit smaller parcel, of undisclosed synthetic diamonds has turned up at one of the industry’s major grading labs, the Gemological Institute of America’s facility in Hong Kong.