A promising tool to help develop gem-producing areas led to the creation of an award-winning documentary.

For some years now, many people in the gem industry have tried to improve the lives of local communities near gem producing areas. Among the most popular types of projects involved those designed to increase the knowledge of gem miners and their families so they could better understand the potential of the gems they were producing.

Several other projects provided tools and training to extract and cut the gems. Donating cutting machines and/or setting up lapidary offices helped change these communities.

In places such as Madagascar, I witnessed, in 2005, a gem cutting center and a gemology school being set up with significant support from the World Bank. With regular trips to Madagascar afterwards, some changes in the Malagasy gem trading industry were evident. Cutting at local gem shops improved, as many young Malagasy (and a few foreigners) received training. Still, though, after 15 years, the gem industry in Madagascar has not changed all that much. With few exceptions, it is still dominated by foreign buyers (mostly from Sri Lanka, Thailand, and West Africa) coming to purchase rough.

Over the years, I regularly met several people who studied gem cutting at the IGM. They stated that, despite the useful knowledge they had acquired, they were struggling. The reason was simple. Madagascar was not really on the map for people buying faceted gemstones. Only foreign buyers looking for rough were coming. Because the foreigners had good markets back home, they could pay better prices in Madagascar than local cutters. As a result, local cutters struggled to get good rough and good prices for their products, and most stopped cutting and changed businesses.

If the industry really wanted to help local mining communities, it had to find something more efficient than merely setting up gem-cutting centers or distributing books about gemology.

Having traveled regularly to gem-producing areas around the world for the past 20 years, it was clear to me that good intentions were not enough. If the industry really wanted to help local mining communities, it had to find something more efficient than merely setting up gem-cutting centers or distributing books about gemology. After few visits to Vietnam and Myanmar, I realized that gem paintings could be a very efficient tool to help local industries.

Since 2005, in the ruby mines near Yen The in the Luc Yen district of Vietnam, the miners collected not only colorful transparent gem material but also everything else. One day I asked: Who was buying this low-quality material? One of the miners replied, “I sell the material to people doing gem paintings.” And at a good price? I asked. “Well, they don’t pay much but what I get is enough to keep mining,” was the answer.

That day, with that simple answer, it was obvious that gem paintings were the backbone of the gem industry in North Vietnam. Thanks to this handicraft, local small-scale miners receive the daily income they need to cover their mining expenses, allowing them to sometimes find gems that are large, colorful, and transparent enough to be faceted.

Visiting the Mogok gem area in Myanmar in 2014, it was surprising to see how much it had changed since my last visit in 2004. While good stones were difficult to find, the small-stone and low-quality stone markets were very active.

Such a change from the past, when nearly everything that was not a fine ruby was rejected since there was no market for it. What were the changes? Gem paintings were the main new endeavors. Since their introduction in Mogok, more than 50 family gem-painting factories were working.

It was obvious that gem paintings were the backbone of the gem industry in North Vietnam.

In the past, the Burmese believed that it was unlucky to crush low-quality gems because of the spirits that inhabited them. Now, they are beginning to think differently. Like in Vietnam, gem painters provided a good market for the people who collected stones from the reject piles of the large mining operations. In Mogok, the Kanase people did this work, and with the arrival of gem painting, the kanase were busier than ever. They collected all types of material, which they sorted at home and sold everything unsuitable for cutting to the numerous gem painting operations in town.

The great attraction of gem painting compared to lapidary work is that gem painters don’t need foreign buyers in order to have a successful business. Although gem painters were selling some of their products to tourists, most of the companies (in Myanmar and Vietnam) were selling their paintings in the local market. Some motifs were religious (from simple Islamic or Chinese calligraphy to complicated portraits), while others were landscapes, historical or nationalistic illustrations such as propaganda posters, or portraits of Ho Chi Minh. Gem paintings can be used to decorate homes, hotels, official and religious buildings, and of course, can be sold as souvenirs to visiting tourists or exported to foreign markets.

Gem paintings are, however, not that new. The author first saw a few in 2002 while working for Mr. Henry Ho in Bangkok. He said that his family introduced gem paintings into Thailand in the 1980s after a visit to Jaipur, India. But they remained quite anecdotal in Thailand despite a few incredible factories such as Than Thong Art. Why? I wondered.

I learned that the likely reason for the boom in Vietnamese and Burmese gem paintings is because they were introduced in the gem producing areas rather than in the main cities. Being close to the mines makes it easy for the painters to get cheap rough to crush in order to make the powders they need. Because low-quality rough is easily available, the technique can spread rapidly, with families following other families who had created profitable businesses.

The benefits of gem painting went beyond the painters. Miners were able to get a regular income from the low-quality stones, thus allowing them to continue searching for quality gems. This in turn, allowed for more mining and thus the discovery of more quality and even exceptional gems. Jobs were created all around, thus helping to eliminate poverty.

Over the years, impressed by an industry that produced beautiful objects, the author regularly talked about gem paintings to industry friends, as well as showing them to people accompanying him on trips to Vietnam or Mogok.

It’s easy to imagine the benefits of introducing gem painting to other producing areas such as Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Afghanistan and even Greenland. Yet, when bringing it up to the corporate types, the reply is the same: “It sounds great, but can you provide us with documentation to support this interesting idea?” Alas, this information was scarce.

In 2018, while planning a visit to Vietnam to collect reference samples for the DANAT Lab, I invited my old friend Philippe Brunot—the author of Follow the Zebra, a documentary about small-scale miners in East Africa—to come along, and make a 20-minute documentary about gem paintings. We interviewed people in Thailand and Vietnam and completed the documentary on time for the 2019 ICA Congress in Bangkok.

Thanks to gem painting, small-scale miners get the needed daily income to cover mining expenses, allowing themto perhaps find gems that are large, colorful, and transparent enough to be faceted.

Called Gem Painting, it was presented as an illustration of the author’s talk about how the industry can help develop gem-producing areas. It was well received by industry members, and to give even more exposure to this beautiful handicraft, we entered the film in several festivals. It won the award for the Best Short Documentary at the Paris Film Festival in 2021.

Hopefully, this award will help raise the awareness about this wonderful technique and how it can be a promising tool to help develop gem-producing areas around the world.

Gem Painting is available for viewing on Youtube on the Field Gemology channel.

• East Africa – Mining and Rough Supply
• The Unmasking of Beatrice Matiash
• Industry Upheavals – The Big Picture
• The Lapidary Revolution
• Trade Shows

The post Gem Painting – Where Art Meets Nature appeared first on Incolor Magazine.

The season’s major auctions, conducted by Christie’s and Sotheby’s in Geneva, Hong Kong, and New York, continue to affirm the trend that color is still in control. While important emeralds, sapphires and rubies took a large piece of the spotlight, other colorful gems, such as Paraiba tourmaline, spinel, alexandrite, and even some spectacular imperial green jadeites, were definitely not left in the shadows.

The global pandemic changed our lives in many respects and forced us to search for new ways to conduct business. The important gem and jewelry auctions were no exception, and we saw the normally live sales give way to online events.

Previewing the lots has always been an important part of any auction, but the ongoing health crisis limited viewing to by appointment- only, and then only in particular time slots. While some auction houses instituted a protective glass separation, others organized an entirely separate space where only a very restricted number of people could attend.

In 2021, with the worst of the pandemic hopefully behind us, the seasonal live auctions seemed to do better than those in 2020. After registration, it was possible for a small number of clients to attend in person. I was fortunate to be able to preview the jewels in Geneva and then attend the auction.

It was a pleasure to hold some of these magnificent treasures in my hand, not only in Geneva, but also pieces that were flown in for viewing from New York and Hong Kong.

At the major auctions in these three cities, we observed a stable demand for high-quality colored gems. Buyers from around the world, attracted to the rarity of the stone as well as the brand name of the creator, kept the prices relatively stable.

As in past years, the most popular colored gems were stunning Colombian emeralds, Kashmir sapphires, and Burmese sapphires and rubies. Except for the emeralds—generally certified with Insignificant or Minor oil, which is a common practice—the other colored gems that reached premium prices were generally non-treated and non-heated.

Besides the Big Three, other colorful gems attracted a great deal of attention. These included spinels, alexandrites, Paraiba tourmalines, and Imperial jadeite, which do not appear regularly in the major auctions outside of Hong Kong.

As in the past, jewels made by global luxury brands achieved premium prices. This was especially true for pieces from a significant period or those set with exceptional gems. Antique jewels continued their upward trajectory. On these pages are just a few of the spectacular colored gemstone jewels that showed the color-full magnificence on sale at the major auctions, along with their final sales price.

Going Once, Going Twice, Going Green

Emeralds and emerald jewelry were a large portion of the jewels on the block. Many were unsigned; some came from the major brands; others were antique pieces; and some even had impressive pedigrees or interesting stories. Prices ranged from a few thousand to well over a million dollars. The vast majority sold within their estimated range, while some went way above.

As expected, those with an interesting story or name brand recognition—Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co., Harry Winston, and Graff—commanded the highest prices, as did those with insignificant or minor treatment. As for origin, Colombian emeralds were the hands-down favorites.

In 1947, Harry Winston was crowned by Cosmopolitan Magazine as the “King of Diamonds.” It was believed that he owned more than one-third of the world’s diamonds including the Hope and Oppenheimer. Yet, Winston also created fabulous colored gemstone jewels. Several of the brand’s emerald pieces up for auction from the Noble Collections commanded high prices.

One example was a pair of emerald (21.20 and 20.20 carats) and diamond pendant earclips from the 1970s. Of Colombian origin, the emeralds exhibited a moderate amount of oil. The pair sold for CHF1,230,000, nearly three times the highest estimate of CHF470,000 at Sotheby’s in Geneva.

Another Harry Winston piece, also from the same important Noble Collection, was an impressive emerald and diamond brooch-pendant. The 80.45-ct Colombian emerald was described as having saturated color and fine purity, with minor oil. It sold for CHF3,166,000 just under its highest estimate of CHF3,300,000.

At Sotheby’s New York, a Harry Winston emerald and diamond necklace, in platinum, pulled in US$2,803,000, above its highest estimate of US$2,500,000. With insignificant to minor treatment, the Colombian emeralds weighed between 34.01 and 13.12 carats.

Another Harry Winston piece was a 39-ct heart-shaped cabochon Colombian emerald with moderate oil, medium strong saturation. It sold way above its estimate of CHF28,000 – 42,000 Sotheby’s in Geneva for CHF151,200.

Cartier-signed emerald jewels were also on the block as seen in a 12.16-ct Colombian cushion-cut emerald and diamond ring in platinum at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. With no indications of clarity enhancement, medium dark bluishgreen and medium strong saturation, it sold within its estimate for HKD5,983,000.

An unsigned ring with a superb octagonal step-cut 12.50-ct Colombian emerald with no indications of clarity enhancement, sold for HKD10,450,000 at Christies in Hong Kong.

Another unsigned Colombian emerald, this one weighing 24.38 carats, showing minor oil, also reached over US$1,000,000. It sold at Sotheby’s in Geneva for CHF927,500.

An unsigned bracelet with nineteen Colombian emeralds weighing a total of 23.80 carats with insignificant to minor treatment, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in the middle of its range, for HKD1,000,000.

A few unmounted emeralds were also for sale, including a 108.12-ct heartshaped carved cabochon. Of Colombian origin with moderate oil, it was described as having typical inclusions and a few visible pyrite crystals. It sold at Sotheby’s Geneva for CHF81,900 within its estimate of CHF65,000 – 110,000.

Also unmounted and of Colombian origin, with insignificant clarity enhancement, were a modified rectangular step-cut 288.38-ct emerald and a square step-cut 272.51-ct emerald. The pair sold at Christie’s New York for US$600,000, more than double the high estimate of US$250,000.

Bidding up the Blues

Sapphires also occupied a popular space at the auctions with Kashmir sapphires as ever the most coveted, followed by gems from Myanmar.

Bvlgari had a number of pieces that sold above their estimated prices. One was a 25.29-ct cushion-cut Kashmir sapphire ring, flanked by two diamonds set in platinum. The stone was described as Royal Blue, medium deep color, strongly saturated, with an overall high degree of clarity.

One of the crowning items was a 19th-century crown from a Royal Family, originally owned by Queen Maria II, Queen of Portugal and the Algarves (1819-1853), and later by William, Prince of Hohenzollern (1864-1927). Circa 1840s, it featured octagonal and oval Burmese noheat sapphires and old-cut diamonds. It sold at Christie’s Geneva for CHF1,770,000, five times its highest estimate of CHF350,000.

A noted 1930s Kashmir no-heat sapphire and diamond brooch, formerly in the collection of Maureen Constance Guinness, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, who was famous for her travels and philanthropy, was one of the star lots at Sotheby’s Geneva. Set with a 55.19-ct oval and a 25.97-ct cushion sapphire, the jewel was accompanied by a copy of the inventory from Hariot Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava (1843-1936) that mentions: Two large sapphires set with diamonds as pendant – given me by people of Punjaub & sent after my return.

In keeping with family tradition, the sapphires were mounted in the brooch by Cartier in the 1930s. It sold for CHF3,529,000, above its high estimate of CHF2,800.000.

At the same sale, an unheated 11.33-ct step-cut Kashmir sapphire, set between triangular diamond shoulders and framed with baguette diamonds, sold for CHF1,012,200, above its highest estimate of CHF800,000. Another unsigned no-heat 16.33- ct cushion-shaped Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring sold for nearly the same price, CHF1,134,000, just under its high estimate of CHF1,200,000 at Christie’s Geneva.

Ruby Reds

Several important rubies were sold at the auctions. Among them was an antique cushion 6.04-ct Burmese pigeon blood red ruby and diamond ring that sold for HKD14,050,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong. It showed no indications of heating.

Graff pieces in particular featured strongly. One of the world’s most recognized modern jewelers and a market-maker at auctions, Laurence Graff began his career as a bench jeweler in London doing repairs and making small pieces of jewelry. He founded his first retail shop under his own name in 1962 and, by the early 1970s, he created Graff Diamond Limited, which eventually became the single name Graff that is renowned today throughout the world.

A Graff piece for sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong was a ruby and diamond necklace set with 77.5 carats of rubies and 41.20 carats of diamonds. It, too, sold, within its estimated range for HKD2,520,000.

One of the most expensive jewels at Sotheby’s Hong Kong was a 9.10-ct Burmese no-heat ruby and diamond ring in platinum by Cartier, that settled for HKD18,930,000. The ruby was described as Burmese origin, with a medium deep purplish red color, medium strong saturation and typical inclusions and blemishes.

Fourteen oval Burmese no-heat rubies weighing a total of 28.10 carats, some considered pigeon blood red, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong for HKD1,625,000, less than its high estimate of HKD3,000,000.

One of the more spectacular prices was reached by a cushion-cut 13.02-ct Burmese no-heat ruby, accented by diamonds. Mounted by Carvin French, it was sold by a distinguished collection to benefit a charitable foundation. The hammer went down at Sotheby’s New York for US$2,500,500, above its high estimate of US$2,000,000. The ruby was a medium slightly purplish pinkish red, richly saturated, and slightly included.

Not all rubies attaining high prices were Burmese. A 6.86-ct cushion Afghan ruby and diamond ring by Cartier drew a lot of attention, selling at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong for HKD3,780,000, well above its high estimate of HKD2,400,000. Set in platinum, accented by brilliant cut diamonds, it was described as medium slightly purplish red color, with no indications of heating.

Mozambican rubies were also on sale, including a 10.13-ct ruby ring in platinum from Tiffany that sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, for HKD7,798,000-nearly double its high estimate of HKD4,000,000. It was described as no-heat, medium red, strong saturation, few natural inclusions, and exceptional quality for a Mozambican ruby.

And the Magnificent Others

Aside from the Big Three, the auctions offered many other fine colored gemstone jewels.

Spinel has surged in popularity over the last few years, and several pieces of spinel jewelry were up for sale. Of note were several rings, including a 32.87-ct cushion-shaped stone from Tajikistan, with diamond accents, which sold above its estimate for CHF300,000 at Christie’s in Geneva.

A 10.39-ct Burmese spinel, with no indications of clarity enhancement, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for HKD1,134,000, just under its highest estimate.

An impressive bracelet featuring 15 Burmese no-heat spinels, weighing 36.20 carats, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong for HKD4,750,000, above the highest estimate of HKD2,800,000.

Paraiba tourmaline was also a big hit at the auctions. A Lorraine Schwartz 4.22-ct Brazilian Paraiba ring sold at Christie’s New York for US$112,500.

Another Brazilian Paraiba tourmaline, weighing 14.20 carats, with indications of heating and accented by diamonds, in gold, realized HKD6,250,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong.

A few alexandrite jewels were sold, including an 18K gold ring set with a 3.51-ct cushion-cut gem decorated with various cuts of diamonds. Of Brazilian origin, with no evident treatments, the degree and quality of the color change was judged as excellent. It exhibited blue-green color in daylight and purple-pink under incandescent light. It and sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for HKD378,000 above its high estimate of HKD280,00.

While a fair number of jadeite jewels were offered, there were only a few imperial green jadeite pieces, including a pair of Burmese jadeite earrings and matching ring, offered at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.. With no indications of treatment, the 24.85-ct ring sold for HKD5,983,000, 50% above the high estimate, while the earrings (13.30 and 12.20 carats), sold for HKD6,951,000, also 50% above their high estimate.

Photos are courtesy of the auction house mentioned.

• Trade Shows
• The November Auctions
• Colombia – New Realities in the Emerald Industry
• Breaking Boundaries – Astaguru
• An Explosion of Color

The post Color-full Magnificence at the World’s Major Auctions appeared first on Incolor Magazine.

High Jewelry has embraced a color palette that goes far beyond the hues provided by emerald, ruby and sapphire. This article traces the recent romance between high jewels and swathes of colored gems, including some rare varieties of tourmaline, topaz and beryl.

Let’s imagine for a second that high jewelry is a purely economic choice. There’s no falling in love with a story, feeling inspired by a devilishly tricky feat of craftsmanship, or admiring a kaleidoscopic array of colors. Instead, it’s purely logical. The rarest combination of sapphires, emeralds and/or rubies, in the highest possible qualities, combined with large diamonds equals the best investment opportunity and therefore signifies which piece should be purchased.

Even as recently as ten years ago, this mentality was rife among those with the economic power to purchase high jewels from the leading houses on the Place Vendôme. While it is unlikely that anyone ever acquired a piece of high jewelry that they actively disliked, there is a certain security when spending vast sums in sticking with the top three colored stones that have appreciated throughout centuries. It may be a restricted palette, but it’s a safe one.

Times change and so do tastes. In the last five years, there has been a swift shift away from emeralds, rubies and sapphires to a much broader and more nuanced kaleidoscope of colored gemstones in high jewelry. It certainly wouldn’t be over the top to say that color and gemological uniqueness have been trending in high jewelry for the last five to seven years and they still do now, with maisons appearing to compete to gather the most impressive display of Paraiba and rubellite tourmalines, spessartite and tsavorite garnets, imperial topazes, black and white opals, spinels and beryls, combined with rock crystal, pearls, diamonds and even quartzes.

So, what has changed? There are many interconnecting factors, including popularity of strong colors in fashion; an explosion of competition; new international markets to appease; growing upper classes in countries like India, China and the Middle East; and the power of the internet and social media, which has made high jewelry more visible than ever. Stories must be told to entice consumers and imagery must be visually arresting. Color is an obvious way to attract attention and cater to plentiful tastes; jewelers can present themselves as painters and not simply purveyors of treasures for a fortunate few. Gemstone variety, in terms of mineral species, shapes and sizes, can highlight this painterly creativity and add kudos.

But this isn’t the only reason for a gemological renaissance in high jewels. Clients are more curious about gemstones, their varieties and origins. This curiosity has led to greater levels of education, fueled by the internet and various short-term gemological courses available for consumers offline. They are more careful in their jewelry choices now and wish to own something rare, exclusive and unusual. Indeed, who wants what everyone else has if a one-of-a-kind piece is on offer?

Many of the gems that have become contemporary staples in high jewelry are far rarer in Nature than diamonds, including Paraiba tourmaline and tanzanite. Similarly, it is extremely hard to find two completely identical imperial topazes or spinels for a pair of earrings, especially when attempting to match hue, tone, saturation and carat weight. As the confidence of clients continues to flourish, the race to impress them with something they’ve no knowledge of or have never seen before is intensifying. There are eight stones that have had a strong presence in high jewelry designs within the last year alone: Paraiba tourmaline, opal, imperial topaz, spinel, rubellite tourmaline, spessartite garnet, tanzanite and morganite. Here are some examples of each, starting with Paraiba, which was the focus of Bulgari’s inaugural Color Journeys series that promises new capsule collections dedicated to a specific gemstone annually. Other examples emerge in all their neon glory, such as the Azure cocktail ring with a 16-carat Paraiba surrounded by 20 carats of turquoise in the David Morris Renaissance High Jewelry offering. There’s also the Les Ciels de Chaumet Passages necklace with Paraiba in starburst arrays that lead to a 28.11-carat Australian black opal.

This takes us nicely to the theme of opals, which Jeremy Morris of British brand David Morris describes as “a rainbow of ever-changing color with a varying depth in color and form.” He continues: “This is what makes an opal such an incredibly interesting gem to work with. I am a very visual person so I would say the stone itself and its inherent beauty inspire the design.”

In 2014, Louis Vuitton presented a necklace with an 87.92-carat Australian opal combined with tourmaline, sapphire and diamonds as part of its Acte V high jewelry collection. Many fine examples have since emerged, including pieces in the Dior et d’Opales collection from 2017 and the Cartier 2020 collection, [SUR]NATUREL, where black opals with a purple hue were combined with a 71.80-carat kunzite in one memorable necklace. Recently, the Boucheron Opalescence necklace from the Holographique collection has kept the play of color alive in high jewels.

Imperial topaz has emerged as a coveted gemstone in high jewelry circles, with some examples being the Les Ciels de Chaumet Lueurs d’Orage necklace with a 37.68-carat imperial topaz, as well as the Tweed de Chanel necklace with a 20.40-carat imperial topaz Button inspired by the house’s legendary tweed fabrication.

Speaking of Chanel, its high jewelry team has also proven adept with spinels of late, which is well-demonstrated through the Collection N°5 Blushing Sillage necklace from earlier this year with spinels, rubies, garnets, sapphires and a spinel solitaire of 4.37 carats.

Italian brand Pomellato used a fantastically broad palette of gems in its 2020 high jewelry collection La Gioia di Pomellato that included tsavorite garnets, tanzanites, rubellites, pink rhodolites and orange spessartines. What makes this even more interesting is that it was the brand’s first complete high jewelry offering since its inception in 1967, which seems to suggest a bold color palette is an essential requirement for new injections into the market. And, under the spessartine garnet umbrella, there are fiery Mandarin garnets, which have been featured beautifully by Harry Winston’s Candy collection, Chopard in its latest Red Carpet 2021 collection, Louis Vuitton in its Conquêtes collection from 2017 as well as Piaget and Dior.

Finally, we have to mention morganites and kunzites that have long been favored by Tiffany & Co. As recently as its 2021 Colors of Nature High Jewelry collection, the American brand was combining colors, including blue, purple and pink spinels with purple sapphires, green tourmalines with blue sapphires, and almost every color in the rainbow in its Earth necklace, which stars a 30.17-carat cushion-cut morganite. The new Il Giardino de Buccellati high jewelry collection is also worthy of note, especially its Bouganville cocktail ring with a 25.85-carat kunzite.

There is one gemstone that was not mentioned among the top eight as it is so rare that it was unimaginable to one day see a whole high jewelry collection featuring it— Russian alexandrite. Viktor and Natalya Bondarenko, the founders of Milan-based ultra-luxury brand Rubeus fell under the spell of alexandrite and came up with the idea to create the first jewelry collection in history to showcase Ural chrysoberyls titled Eternal.

Finding jewelry-grade alexandrites of more than 10 carats after cutting and polishing may seem simply impossible. However, this did not stop the couple who collected various alexandrites, from the round cut weighing 2.52 carats to the outstanding 69.37-carat emerald cut Ural treasure—undisputed as the largest faceted Ural alexandrite known in the world. All gems were set in unique jewels designed by Frederic Mane and crafted by Jothi Seroj in France.

It’s true to say that the face of high jewelry is changing in the gemologist’s favor. Broad spectrums of colored gemstones aren’t just used to add color and interest, they’re also a fresh requirement to tempt clients who’ve “seen it all” and need to feel reawakened to new possibilities, new rarities and new ideas of what’s actually and authentically rare.

Emeralds, sapphires and rubies are still a requirement, but they are only three of the tools in an arsenal that now includes earthly, oceanic and even meteorological treasures. Waiting to see what comes next is now more exciting than ever, which is exactly how the customers on the Place Vendôme feel.

Images are courtesy of the brand mentioned.

• Australia – Colored Gemstone Mining and Supply
• Imperial Jadeite the Divine Green
• Color-full Magnificence at the World’s Major Auctions
• The Smithsonian National Gem Collection – Unearthed
• Color Predictions for a Bright Future

The post An Explosion of Color appeared first on Incolor Magazine.

In early 2020, a collaboration began with Idar-Oberstein’s Constantin Wild to create an exclusive 2022 Forecast Color Palette to commemorate his family enterprise’s 175th year anniversary to take place in 2022. Katinka Champion shares the inspiration behind her palette, created to foreshadow future color trend drivers and to bring together some of Wild’s exquisite and rare gemstones sourced from all over the globe.

Developed from the perspective of the gem and jewelry industry, the palette features thoroughly researched and inspirational color predictions. With research gained from color-professional webinars and trade publications, much of the color noise found online has been distilled down to create a tool that can be used by gem professionals.

There are several color consulting agencies globally that provide color forecasts and palettes, which can be used to market their clients’ specific products. Many of these companies, such as Pantone, are active members of and acquire global forecasting data from Color Marketing Group (CMG), a not-for-profit association for color professionals.

Each year, CMG hosts global ChromaZone® forecasting workshops in spring to early summer, holding them online since the start of the pandemic.

The association facilitates the workshops through Zoom and Basecamp platforms to retrieve the color forecast data from the workshop participants. Each attendee gives a PowerPoint presentation to share their industry’s key color stories as well as color trend drivers that affect their color usage two years out. By implementing these virtual platforms, CMG was able to gather color trend data, and create their “normal” regional global forecasts.

In May 2020, at one of CMG’s virtual ChromaZone® workshops, I presented the 2022 Forecast Color Palette and my 2021 Forecast Color Ring Palette collaboration. The workshop’s participants were perhaps a touch too optimistic about COVID-19, thinking that, by now, we would be celebrating the end of the pandemic. For many, however, they are not yet ready to embrace the Bright and Happy colors. In December 2020, when Pantone released its 2021 Pantone Color of the Year, the company elected to go with a pair of colors which Pantone described as: Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating and Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray, a marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.

This positive color combo will still be needed in 2022, so they were featured in both my 2021 and 2022 Forecast Color Palettes.

The 2022 Color Palette showcases some fine examples of Happy gems: the warm glow of a yellow sapphire, exuding positive vibes perfect for these times, balanced with the elegance of a gray spinel with a hint of lavender.

A neon-green Paraíba-type tourmaline illustrates the vibrant neon-green hue forecast in many of the other industries’ palettes as well. Some sectors described the color as having a digital hi-tech virtual quality, while others call the hue a natural neon, occurring rarely and randomly in nature. Several of the gemstones in the Color Palette have nuanced colors that are infused with multiple hues. Some are parti-colored, the hues varying across the crystal, others are pleochroic, which, when viewed from different directions, exhibit different body colors. All are bright and happy colors, such as the bi-color imperial topaz ranging from golden yellow, to orange, to prized sherry red. Selecting the final gemstone for the palette from Wild’s vast collection of dazzling one-of-a-kind Brazilian imperial topaz was a challenge in itself.

Tanzanite, exemplifies the vivid gemmy blue hues in the palette, with a hint of violet. Its characteristic purple to blue pleochroism is responsible for these flashes of brightness.

Iolite can also exhibit a stunning eye-visible pleochroism, which too can satisfy a consumer looking for this purple-violet color at a more affordable price than tanzanite, although it might be hard to find an eye-clean gem larger then 5 carats. Iolite most likely will be free of any color treatments, and its trichroic properties can add another level of complexity and uniqueness to its color.

Violet spinel and fancy lavender sapphires equally capture Nature’s lavender flower calmness that speaks to the consumer looking for calm in their lives. Many forecasters foresee that this lavender color will experience a continual rise in popularity through 2022 and 2023. The London based trend-forecasting agency WGSN/ Coloro has named the color Digital Lavender and has already earmarked it for its 2003 Color of the Year. Apple’s iPhone 12 and iMac both sport this wonderful Digital Lavender color, which help its acceptance as a non gender specific, gender-inclusive color.

This year, the 2021 Forecast Color Ring Palette is a multi-brand collaboration incorporating some stunning designs from three American high jewelry brands: Los Angeles-based Erica Courtney; New York City-based Le Vian Jewelry; and Omi Privé out of Southern California. I chose four rings from each brand that support and demonstrate how the forecast palette can be used to help inspire the trade.

This Ring Palette reinforces how colors can be applied to jewelry and how the 2021 colors evolve into my 2022 Forecast. The 2021 palette incorporates many hyper pastels, which radiate a positive energy so needed this year. What is interesting is that these refreshing colors were forecast before any knowledge of the pandemic, as the forecast is projected two years out for most industries.

A resolution to the pandemic will help bring a sense of a new normal back to the world at large. This will create a sense of global joy and the stay-at-home hashtag will be a distant memory. Colors will no longer need to be only calming and nurturing, but bright and happy.

Gem photos are courtesy of Constantin Wild unless otherwise specified.

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