A new initiative is creature undertaken to revive the local jewellery industry, which is almost on the verge of collapse. The initiative collaboration among Development Dimensions Limited a jewellery manufacturing firm and the College of Arts and Social Sciences at the KNUST, involves setting up a multi-million Ghana cedi Centre with the primary objective of conducting research and training jewelers to aid the manufacture of jewellery for both the local and export markets.

The US$500,000 Centre, which concerned a monetary support of US$225,000 from the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF), is below the Industrial Art Department of the University and is the first of its kind in the country.

It currently has two units comprising the teaching unit, which offers a six-month certificate course to be awarded by KNUST, and a production unit which is accidentally for the manufacture of jewellery for both local and export markets. It offers courses such as Gem Stones Setting, Casting, Soldering, Alloying Technologies and Finishing. The rest are, Workshop Practice for Jewelers, Science and Chemistry, Basic Drawing and Design for Jewelers, Entrepreneurship and Sales and Communication Skills.

It is ironical that in a country like Mauritius, where mineral wealth in relative terms is nowhere near Ghana’s, jewellery and processed diamonds are the third-most important export produce group after textiles, clothing and fish products.
The country, which is Africa’s second-largest manufacturer of gold, increased production from a year earlier by 3.5% to 1.46 million ounces during the first half of 2010. But very small of this production is refined into jewellery and ornaments for exports of higher value.

A Birmingham, UK-based designer has created a pair of gold and diamond high heeled shoes, wonderful for a flashy night out on the town. The shoes are finished of solid gold or platinum and are encrusted with 2,200 brilliant cut diamonds totaling 30 carats.

The timeless Borgezie Diamond Stilettos were designed by Christopher Michael Shellis and were handcrafted by a team of goldsmiths and stone setters who work at the House of  Borgezie.

The patent awaiting shoe design features a stamen fluted heel, which draws its inspiration from the elegant stamens of a lily. According to the House of Borgezie website, a pair of diamond stilettos retails from £100,000 or $155,000 and comes with a 1,000 year assurance.

The gold shoes have been examined and hallmarked by the Birmingham Assay Office.

SYDNEY: Australia’s central bank said Thursday that blooming trade with China has overshadowed the value of India as an equally profitable market with better long-term prospects.
India accounts for about five percent of the world’s gross domestic product after a decade of financial reforms, the Reserve Bank of Australia said, adding that the industrialising country’s population was estimated to rise gradually.
“While much attention has been paid to the fact that China has become Australia’s largest trading partner, less awareness has been paid to the fact that India has also become an important destination for Australia’s exports,” a quarterly bulletin said. “In 2009, India ranked as Australia’s third largest export destination from being 15th in 1999, surpassing Australian’s more traditional destinations such as the United Kingdom and the United States.”
Gold, coal, education and copper were among Australia’s top exports to India, while the biggest imports contain electrical parts, information technology and pearls and gems, the RBA said.
Australia recorded a trade surplus with India of 15.5 billion dollars (14.5 billion US) in 2009, second only to its extra with long-standing partner Japan. The RBA said the population of India, distinct that of China and other Asian countries, was expected to grow steadily, with the United Nations projecting it would become the world’s most crowded nation in the next 20 years. “India’s long-term economic growth is likely to benefit from a working-age population that is estimated to grow until at least the middle of this century, unlike countries such as Japan, South Korea and China”.
Globally, the RBA said India’s share of trade had tripled in the past 20 years to 1.5 percent, underpinned by strong output of processed petroleum goods to the United Arab Emirates. “Prospects for enlargement over coming years have improved noticeably.
“Strong growth in India is also expected to see a deepening of the bilateral trade relationship between Australia and India.” The bank added that foreign ownership of Australian shares and bonds had also soared during the global financial disaster, with offshore investors now accounting for about 50 percent. It said foreign investors had been concerned by Australia’s financial stability backed by a strong banking sector.

Fashion trends may come and go, in jewelry as in clothing and hairstyles, but just as in persons arenas, there are some elements that never seem to go out of style. In fact, they get reinvented for a new audience. The ballet flat. The little black dress. Pearl jewelry is one such fashion evergreen that just goes on and on. Though, far from the stuffy chokers of society matrons or demure Grace Kelly single strands, pearls today are used in jewelry as fresh and fashion-forward as any dressmaking collection.
Rambaud of Paris has been adorning French women with beautiful jewelry while 1885. Today the company specializes in cultured pearls from Tahiti and other parts of the South Seas such as China and Japan.
An organic gem, courtesy of a friendly oyster:
For the unqualified, a cultured pearl is not artificial. It is simply a “farmed” report of a pearl created naturally by ocean mollusks such as oysters in certain parts of the world. These “wild” pearls are shaped when a grain of sand lodges in the flesh of the mollusk. The pearl is the result of the animal’s retort to the foreign object. A guard mechanism kicks-in and coats the particle with layer after layer of a substance called nacre, or mother-of-pearl, which eventually becomes thick enough to form a pearl. The result is just as logically beautiful as pearls found in the wild, and can be restricted as to color and shape depending on the conditions. As in the wild, some pearls are refined in salt water and others in freshwater, giving different properties to the pearls.
Pearls: Not just for Jackie O any longer
Rambaud offers almost a dozen different collections featuring these pearls, in a range of styles from traditional to rock-n-roll, for an
amazing variety of looks. If you think of pearls as being white, or cream, or the occasional grey, think again. The cultured pearls in Rambaud’s collected works come in a dazzling array of colors, including pink, gold, even chocolate.
The cultured pearl earrings on the website range in price from under 100 euros for a simple Tahitian freshwater pearl and silver pair to nearly 1000 euros for a fantastic set of 9mm grey-green pearls set off with .028 carats of diamonds. There is a wide collection, in between, so every set of ears can find lovely cultured pearl earrings at a price that sounds good to them.
If a cultured pearl necklace is more your thing, you can find an range of lengths and fashion-forward styles at Rambaud. Pearls are the stars, but these necklaces bring in motivating supporting characters. you’ll find original styles including long pendants with iridescent disks or pearls dangling from delicate silver chains, as in the “Tactiles” collection, or an Art Deco-inspired creation combining black and white pearls in “Les Annees Folles” collection.

A beautiful €1.5 million (£1.24 million) gold and diamond pendant was the star of the demonstrate in Paris this week, showing there is no exclusion to the fact that diamond prices are rising for 2010.

Artcurial of Paris put on an auction sale of luxury jewels and watches during the last week of July, but the results have only just been unrestricted to the public. The sale was hosted at the Hotel Marcel Dassault in Paris, France.

There was one item which totally stole the limelight; the dramatic gold pendant (pictured) embedded with a large pear cut diamond weighing a huge 55.34 carats.

The pendant itself is shaped from rose gold, and the diamond feature of the pendant rests in a perforated ‘basket‘ set of extra brilliant cut diamonds. The 43g weighted pendant hangs from a identical rose gold chain.

The luxurious and required after piece was accompanied by a certificate from the European Gemological Laboratory (EGL) which accounted for the authenticity and quality of the stone.

The special necklace starred at Artcurial with an probable sale value of €1,000,000-1,500,000 (£822,309 – £1,233,478).

With constant reminders that the 2010 jewellery markets is effectively fighting back against the economic downturn, this exceptional jewellery sale item proved no exemption, reaching a high total value of €1,147,336 (£943,722).

The State Depository of Precious Metals and Gemstones group at the RA Ministry of Finance set the government purchase and release prices per gram of chemically pure metal (standard gold) for August 9-16, 2010, the press office of the RA Ministry of Finance reported.

According to information provided, the set prices are as below: gold: purchase price: AMD 12906.83 (+85.23), release price: AMD 14029.16 (+92.64); silver: purchase price: AMD 198.67 (+3.54), release price: AMD 215.95 (+3.85); platinum: purchase price: AMD 17129.42 (+159.96), release price: AMD 18618.93 (+173.86); palladium: purchase price is AMD 5411.24 (+173.62), release price is AMD 5881.78 (+188.72).

We have told you about our love of all equipment produced here in NYC, so you can imagine we’re pretty sweet on local jewelry line DANNIJO. It is Founded by sisters Danielle and Jodie Snyder, the gems soon came to our attention three years ago with their capsule collection to benefit L.W.A.L.A., which supports sustainable projects in Africa. Natalie Portman will be soon came onboard, and the celeb following exploded—Beyonce and Blake Lively all regularly rock the group. Think rusty silver and gold-plated metal that work beside crystals, semi-precious gems, and found objects. There are color palettes that feed India and Africa, with chunky cuffs, statement necklaces, and eye-catching rings constitute a collection that’s one epic boarding exceed.

R29 GIVEAWAY:

If you desire to get in on the around-the-world-adventure, we’re giving you a chance to win this amazing Aalia announcement necklace from fall ’10, that retails for $595. To make the gems, comment on this story with your ideal global purpose. The answer that makes us want to buy a plane ticket wins!