A 478-carat rough diamond recovered from the bowels of the Letseng mine in the small, land-locked Kingdom of Lesotho (entirely surrounded by South Africa) earlier this year made its public debut and received its official name at a recent press conference held at the Atlantis Hotel on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, UAE. The stone will now be known as ‘Leseli la Letseng’, which means ‘She is the light of Letseng’ in the local Sesotho language. The diamond ranks as the 20^th largest rough diamond ever to be recovered and the third largest rough diamond this decade.

According to Clifford Elphick, Chairman, Letseng Diamonds that owns the Letseng mine said that the stone could yield a D flawless diamond of up to 300 carats, the largest D flawless polished diamond since the production of the British Crown Jewels. The impressive attendee list at the naming ceremony, part of the inaugural Middle East-China Diamond & Jewellery Summit hosted by the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) included Tusetso Sello-Mafatle, Managing Director, Letseng Diamonds (Pty) Ltd.; Varda Shine, Managing Director, Diamond Trading Company & Peter Meeus, Executive Director, Diamonds for the DMCC.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that a potential, unidentified buyer from the Middle East is considering the purchase of this very distinctive diamond.

HE Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research, will be the patron and opening speaker of the First Rolex Middle East Forum to be held in Dubai on 19 November 2008. The day-long forum is a high-level public event developed by the Rolex Awards for Enterprise in association with the Higher Colleges of Technology.

The Rolex Middle East Forum will feature nine international experts from diverse disciplines and nine of their counterparts from the UAE and moderates Hal Gorani of CNN International and Georges Kordahi of MBC. The distinguished participants include world-renowned heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, pioneering NASA astronaut Dr. Kathryn Sullivan and Ecuadorian Environment Minister Yolanda Kakabadse.

The inaugural Middle East-China Diamond & Jewellery Summit opened on 8 November 2008 at the Atlantis Hotel on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, UAE. The summit saw the participation of over 800 traders and jewellery retailers who converged to discuss best practices and the outlook for the global diamond industry. The event is a maiden venture of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and aims to enhance trade relationships between the Middle East and China.

Industry experts were optimistic about trade prospects with China, despite the current gloomy economic situation. They discussed a broad range of topics including key trends in the evolution of the industry, outlook for diamond polishing, marketing strategies, drivers for future growth and prospects for boosting demand for diamonds.

Montblanc CEO, Lutz Bethge visited Dubai on 12 November 2008, part of a five-day visit to the region to announce the diversified luxury brand’s expansion plans in the Gulf. The CEO’s visit was timed to coincide with the opening of the brand’s largest boutique in the Middle East.

According to Joe Nahhas, Regional Brand Director, Montblanc, the brand has embarked on a GCC-wide expansion plan, which entails the opening of several new boutiques throughout the region including its own outlets as well as through strategic partners. “The boutique in the UAE underlines a paradigm shift in our regional focus as we place more emphasis on the watch & jewellery segment of our business along with leather goods and writing instruments business,” Nahhas affirmed.

To support and nurture the art and craft of fine watch-making, Harry Winston and the Time aeon Foundation, (a non-profit organization founded in Switzerland in 2002 to support, promote and safeguard the art and craft of fine watch-making), have announced the Pleiad Project, with the aim of selecting a promising watchmaker and underwriting the development and promotion of their timepiece.

The name ‘Pleiad’ refers to a cluster of brilliance, in this instance, independent master watchmakers. The master watchmakers of the Time aeon Foundation are Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey, Philippe Dufour, Vianney Halter and Kari Voutilainen. The limited series of timepieces will be sold under the Harry Winston brand with the name of the winner featured on the watch.

Italian jewellery brand Calgaro has announced massive expansion plans across the Middle East, in partnership with Damas, brand franchisees in the region. These include the setting up of 20 jewellery stores in Dubai and Abu Dhabi; three in Istanbul and other forthcoming store openings in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.

Calgaro and Damas will jointly host a lavish reception, limited to only 250 special invitees, at the Al Falak Ballroom in the prestigious Burj Al Arab in Dubai on 16 November 2008 to announce their partnership. Details of the event will be reported in the next edition of the Weekly AWJ Newsletter.

Opera star Katherine Jenkins, the only singer in musical history to simultaneously hold the number 1, 2 and 3 positions in the classical charts performed live in Dubai at the invitation of luxury brand Montblanc. The private and exclusive event took place on 12 November 2008 to celebrate the brand’s expansion plans in the Middle East.

“Katherine Jenkins is one of our international brand ambassadors and subscribes to the brand’s commitment to arts and culture,” affirmed Joe Nahhas, Regional Brand Director, Montblanc.

A TAG Heuer Brand Ambassador since 2003, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton recently won the highest honour in motor sport by clinching the FIA F1 Drivers’ World Championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix to become Formula One’s youngest world champion at age 23.

“Once again, Lewis Hamilton has shown the world what he is made of,” said TAG Heuer President & CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, commending the champion’s win.

Scintilla Monaco has confirmed its participation at Jewellery Arabia 2008, the Middle East’s long-running, largest and best-attended industry exhibition to be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain from 25 to 29 November 2008.

The brand will showcase its entire range of fine jewels crafted with the most exquisite fancy shaped diamonds. On this occasion, the brand will also unveil its latest collection ‘One thousand & one nights’ inspired by the world famous Tunisian calligrapher Nja Mahdaoui’s art which combines spiritualism with romantic mysticism and the ‘La Rose’ collection, a creation of designer Susie Otero.

Swiss-Californian watch brand Icelink has signed an exclusive deal with Santa Claus as the brand’s Ambassador. Starting this year, Santa Claus will fly back and forth across the skies of the five continents with the 6Timezone Santa Snow on the wrist.

Andy Soyogan, founder & creator of the brand said he was especially proud of having succeeded in convincing this living myth. “Entrusting the task of transporting our image to the man who brings such happiness to people all over the world in less than 24 hours was a decision that just seemed to come naturally,” he said in a press statement.

Renowned & veteran 290-year old Swiss watchmaker Favre-Leuba has entered into a partnership with Damas to launch its new brands in the UAE. The new collection combining the brand’s watch-making excellence and technical superiority was recently unveiled at a specially convened press conference in Dubai.

Present on the occasion was the visiting CEO of Favre-Leuba, Clement Brunet-Moret and Tamjid Abdulla, Deputy Managing Director, Damas. “Favre-Leuba enjoys unmatched reputation for producing time-tested, quality timepieces and together with Damas we are confident our collections will acquire a greater share of the market,” he said self-assuredly. The Swiss manufacturer took the opportunity to introduce the new water-resistant Mercury Chronograph FL 301, fitted with automatic movements and additional manufactory-made modules.

A gala reception on evening of final day of the ten day Rome International Film Festival witnessed the presentation of awards to the best films and actors from the Official selection and the Marc Aurelio gold achievement award presented to this year’s recipient Gina Lollobrigida. This special award, a sculpture created by Maestro Sinisca was embellished by a remarkable Damiani diamond, furthering the bonds between the brand and cinema.

Designed around a concept of high-performance and advanced technologies unique to Richard Mille, the brand’s watches offer radical styling with an emphasis on perfection and luxury. A distinguished veteran in the haute horlogerie watch industry, Richard Mille founded his namesake brand in 2002 after a long and illustrious professional career.

The enormously complex Richard Mille Planetarium-Tellurium is a rare and unique object of its kind, containing a vast number of precise indications and astronomic representations within the limits of mechanical design. It is reportedly the ‘most precise watch mechanism’ in the world. This distinctive creation, will be unveiled at a special private preview in the presence of the maestro Richard Mille at a leading hotel in Dubai on 25 November 2008 in partnership with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, brand franchisee for Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Since its founding in 1912 in the historical Italian town of Bassano del Grappa, Montegrappa has represented Italian style worldwide through its beautifully crafted, iconic pen creations. Montegrappa has combined in its ingenious creations the sophistication of its streamlined shapes and use of superior materials and distinctive techniques for which the brand has now become famous globally. The NeroUno and Piccola are two of the newest introductions from this celebrated brand.

Innovation and experienced craftsmanship have come in a harmonic blend to present NeroUno. The characteristic octagonal shape manifests itself in NeroUno with a slightly conical line endowing the pen with an essential and refined line. The nib is made of 18-carat gold and the NeroUno cap is enhanced by the historical logo on the top and the rotating sphere on the side.

All the femininity and grace from Montegrappa’s Piccola collection is epitomized by the harmony of the model. The traditional clip with the rotating sphere is redesigned with a more sinuous shape; the band is enhanced by the special plisse decoration. The fountain pen with an 18-carat gold nib of Piccola is a luxurious accessory for every woman who cherishes luxury.

After the phenomenal success of the Titanic-DNA Collection, renowned Geneva-based Swiss watch brand Romain Jerome will launch the new RJ Collection dedicated to Legend II at Geneva’s Grand Hotel Kempinski on Wednesday, 12 November 2008. An MPParabia special correspond will cover the launch and a detailed report will appear in the next edition of the Weekly AWJ Newsletter.

Leading Swiss watch brand Zenith will announce the launch of the brand’s latest collection in the Middle East at the One & Only One Royal Mirage in Dubai, UAE on Monday, 17 November 2008. Mr. Thierry Nataf, CEO & President Zenith, will be present at the launch reception. More details will follow in the next edition of the AWJ Weekly Newsletter.

New Italian Art, founded by renowned Valenza jeweller Pinetto Mantelli in 1960, has released its newest contemporary collections. In 2002, the senior Mantelli was joined by his son Massimo.

All handmade according to the high goldsmithing traditions of Valenza, New Italian Art uses the finest materials and an array of semi-precious stones in a variety of colours. Massimo Mantelli presents new designs, new materials and a youthful style to cater to a ‘trendy’ market. The new creations will be made available to customers in the UAE through Azal, brand franchisee in the country.

Magerit, the Madrid-headquartered Spanish jeweller made famous by its sculptural approach to personal adornments, has launched three of its latest collections in the Middle East. These include Nature, Fire & Acecho. The newest collection comprising exquisitely crafted pendants, rings, earrings, bracelets and cuff links in 18-carat gold in different hues accentuated by sparkling diamonds, precious stones and handcrafted enamelwork were recently launched at an exclusive gathering held at the Damas Les Exclusives Boutique at the Dubai Festival City.

Present on the occasion was Antonio Calvo, Commercial Director, Magerit who flew in especially for the event and Tamjid Abdullah, Deputy Managing Director, Damas, retailers for the brand in the UAE.

British designer and entrepreneur extraordinaire Robert Tateossian, founder of the eponymous brand in 1990, made a special appearance in Dubai, UAE to launch his exceptional new collection of cufflinks made of rare and unique stones from nature. Robert Tateossian Rare Stones was unveiled at a recent dazzling ceremony at the Raffles Hotel in Dubai for which entertainment was provided by Daniela Maxova, illusionist, also known as Europe’s David Copperfield, who enthralled guests with several illusions to reflect the mysterious nature and allure of the Rare Stones product.

Rare Stones is a unique and limited edition range of spectacular cufflinks and male jewellery products that captures the spirit of Robert Tateossian’s adventurous travels. Rough diamonds, gold nuggets, druzy and Brazilian pyrites are only some of the unusual stones that adorn the collection.

Limes, the Pforzheim-based German precision watch brand since 1924, has introduced the Pharo Handwound with Power Reserve collection. The elaborate dial is dominated by elegant ‘Clous-de-Paris’ and sun ray guilloche pattern with the small second at the 6.00 o’clock position and the indication of the power reserve eccentrically positioned at the 12.00 o’clock position. The model is available with a silvered and tw0-tone dial.

Swiss jewellery brand Century has launched the new ‘Centimento’ line intended to capture all the dazzling facets of the feelings of love and romance. Centimento pieces are hand-crafted, hand-cut and hand-polished from a sapphire mass. These are then encircled with a delicate 18-carat gold, set with diamonds and at times studded with rubies. The collection comprises pendants, medallions, rings and earrings.

The 2008 edition of the Dubai International Jewellery Week (DIJW) will be held at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre from 11 to 15 November under the patronage of HH Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The announcement was made by Helal Saeed Al Marri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre at a recent press conference. Over 520 participating companies from 30 countries, 85 % of which are global brands, reflect an increase of 30 % in numbers of exhibitors and 20 % increase in exhibition space over the 2007 edition.

DIJW comprises of Areeq, (13 to 15 November 2008), a showcase of the world’s most prestigious watch & jewellery brands; Jewellery Collections, Dubai, an extensive display of jewellery & timepieces from all over the world and Jewellery Trade, Dubai, the only business to business jewellery event in the Middle East.

The Macau Jewellery & Watch Fair, dubbed Asia’s first and only international trade event for the jewellery industry held at the start of the year, will be held at Cotai Strip Convention & Exhibition Centre at the Venetian Macao from 8 to 11 January 2009.

The 18,000 sq. m. exhibition space at the Fair is expected to attract over 400 international exhibitors from 19 countries (including China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Colombia in Latin America to name some) who will display a wide range of desirable jewellery products. Antwerp (Belgium), Italy, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand the United States have country pavilions at the exhibition.