Peter Smith gives tips on leading meetings, developing marketing, and making trade show appointments in the age of short attention spans.
Gemfields Finds 5,655-Carat Emerald
The mining company has named the gemstone “Inkalamu” in honor of its conservation partners.

London—Gemfields recovered a 5,655-carat rough emerald from its Kagem mine in Zambia earlier this month, the colored gemstone miner announced Monday.
Geologist Debapriya Rakshit and veteran emerald miner Richard Kapeta discovered the emerald in the eastern part of Kagem’s largest open-pit mine on Oct. 2.
Gemfields said this area of the mine has proven to be “particularly fertile” in recent months, with the Kagem team recovering a number of significant crystals there.
The colored stone miner has dubbed the gem “Inkalamu,” or the Lion Emerald, in honor of the work carried out by conservation partners the Zambian Carnivore Programme and the Niassa Carnivore Project, which work to conserve Africa’s carnivores while also working with the local communities.
Gemfields said it will donate 10 percent of the proceeds of the sale of Inkalamu to the two organizations.
The giant gemstone, described as having “remarkable clarity and a perfectly balanced golden green hue,” will be included in its emerald auction next month in Singapore.
The company said in a statement that it was difficult to estimate how much Inkalamu will ultimately sell for, as well as how many individual gems will be cut from the rough stone, noting only that it expects “a number of large, fine-quality emeralds to be borne of the Inkalamu crystal.”
But the stone has been tagged with Gübelin Gem Lab’s “Provenance Proof” nanotechnology, in which nano-sized particles encoded with the mine of origin will allow for proof of origin in the future.
Gemfields, which only gives names to the rarest rough gemstones, last named an emerald in 2010 when it unveiled the “Insofu,” or “elephant,” emerald.
The Latest

The 11-piece “Medallions” capsule collection features five motifs: a crying eye, a heart on fire, a spiral, a flower, and a swallow.

From Gen Z’s view of luxury to “doom spending,” these are the six consumer trends to note this year.

With the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.

The partners have announced the second cycle of the program, which has expanded to include a $25,000 student scholarship.


The owners of Staats Jewelers are heading into retirement.

Jeffrey Gennette, who retired in 2024 after 41 years with Macy’s, is the newest member of the jewelry retailer’s board of directors.

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

May babies are lucky to have emeralds, a gemstone admired for centuries, as their birthstone, writes Amanda Gizzi.

The new module allows retailers to plan, promote, and measure the success of events from a single dashboard.

NDC said in an open letter that Pandora’s statements about the carbon footprint of lab grown versus natural diamonds are inaccurate.

She wore our Piece of the Week, Glenn Spiro’s “Old Moghul Golconda” earrings, featuring fancy brown-yellow diamonds totaling 51.90 carats.

Two pieces were named “Best in Show,” one from the retail category and one from the supplier category.

The jewelry retailer noted resilience among its higher-end customers while demand softened for its lower-priced offerings.

Led by the 6.59-carat sapphire, the sale garnered $9.7 million, a record total for a Heritage jewelry auction.

In his new role, sales specialist Billy Welshoff will focus on the eastern United States.

José Gaztelu has been promoted to the role, which has been vacant since last year.

It has also opened the application period for the Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship through June 30.

The company announced the change alongside its Q1 results, which showed that the jewelry brand’s year is off to a shaky start.

The retailer will cut 16 percent of its corporate workforce as part of its plan to exit bankruptcy.

Of the many examples used in the filming of “Le Mans,” this one is believed to have spent the most time on Steve McQueen’s wrist.

Megan Piccione dressed Lauren Wasser in layers of diamond jewelry, making her stand out in a crowd that included celebrities like Beyoncé.

Following decades of association leadership, the “semi-retired” colored gemstone expert is turning his focus to gemstone education.

The museum’s new exhibition will feature one of Jesse Owen’s Olympic medals, Yogi Berra’s crown, Super Bowl rings, and more.

The new program provides access to media exposure and editorial opportunities for exhibitors and retailers.

The “Eclipse” jewelry collection captures the fleeting moment where light and shadow align though onyx, diamonds, and freshwater pearls.

Buying discipline at trade shows starts with clarity about your inventory levels, Smith writes.























