An extraordinary collection of over 350 Cartier jewels, many boasting significant royal provenance, is now on public display at London’s prestigious Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum.

The exhibition, titled “Cartier: Crafting the Exceptional,” offers an unprecedented look at the legendary jeweler’s artistry. Running until November 16th, this marks the first major Cartier showcase in the United Kingdom in almost three decades, drawing immense interest from jewelry enthusiasts and history buffs alike.

Among the exhibition’s captivating displays is the Manchester Tiara, an exquisite piece crafted by Cartier in 1903 for Consuelo, Dowager Duchess of Manchester. This stunning tiara boasts over 400 rose-cut diamonds and draws inspiration from elegant 18th-century French design.

Visitors can also admire a remarkable selection of Tutti Frutti jewels from the 1920s, celebrated for their vibrant, colorful gemstones and groundbreaking designs.

The exhibition itself is a testament to Cartier’s enduring legacy, bringing together an unprecedented array of treasures. These include pieces from the exclusive Cartier collection, items from the Royal Collection, and rare jewels from private lenders across the globe – many of which are seldom, if ever, seen by the public.

Ruby is the fiery birthstone for the month of July – and to mark the arrival of this sultry summer month comes a new collaboration featuring gems from Gemfields’ ruby mine in Mozambique.

The Arayian Jewellery x Gemfields capsule collection harnesses the allure and talismanic properties of Mozambican rubies in an array of designs, from elegant dangling ‘chandelier’ earrings to diamond-encrusted ruby rings, classic bracelets, and rich statement necklaces.

Renowned for its bold use of coloured gemstones and red-carpet-worthy designs, Arayian’s pieces are a perfect showcase for rubies from Montepuez Ruby Mining, located on one of the world’s most significant ruby deposits and majority-owned by Gemfields, a world-leading responsible miner and marketer of coloured gemstones. Though the deposit was only discovered in 2009, Montepuez has been the source of some of the most exquisite gems the world has ever seen, putting Mozambique firmly on the map when it comes to rubies.

Arayian is renowned for working with some of the finest coloured gemstones from selected suppliers, and then expertly cutting these and managing the entire process in-house, from sourcing to creation, to ensure the most exceptional quality. The new collection features refined, timeless designs, created by Arayian’s team of master artisans to highlight the natural beauty of each gemstone, with subtle modern elements woven into classic forms, resulting in pieces that feel current yet enduring: worthy of being passed down generations.

Arayian shares Gemfields’ passion for responsible practices, making it an ideal brand partner. Gemfields strives to operate with transparency, legitimacy and integrity at every stage of the mining process, ensuring that profits from sales of its coloured gemstones – rubies from Mozambique and emeralds from the Kagem mine in Zambia – bring tangible benefit back to their countries of origin, positively impacting communities.

“Each piece from the Arayian Jewellery x Gemfields collection features responsibly mined Mozambican rubies, chosen for their vivid colour and unique character,” says Elena Basaglia, Gemfields’ Head of Partnerships and Product – Downstream. “Gemfields takes great pride in seeing these gems showcased in striking designs that capture the glamour of the red carpet and the strength of the women who wear them,” adds Basaglia. Gemfields is delighted to see these treasures from Mozambique shining brightly in this exciting new collection – perfectly timed for ruby month, a high point of the year! The Arayian Jewellery x Gemfields ruby collection ranges from USD 7,500 to USD 150,000 and is available from 1 July 2025 on Arayian.com

More than nine in ten (95%) reserve managers indicated that they  expect central banks to continue increasing their gold holdings in the next 12 months,  according to new 2025 data released by the World Gold Council today.¹ This is a record  high since it was first tracked in the 2019 survey and represents a 17% increase from the  2024 findings. 

The 2025 Central Banks Gold Reserves (CBGR) survey, which collected data from a record  73 of the world’s central banks, also finds that nearly 43% of central banks plan to add to  their own gold reserves within the next year. Reserve managers’ favourable view of gold  persists even in the face of record-high gold prices² and 15 successive years of central  bank gold buying. 

Gold continues to be used as a safe-haven asset to help mitigate risks as ongoing  economic and geopolitical uncertainty continues to weigh on reserve managers. The top  three current motivations for holding the asset have shifted to its long-term store of value  (80%), its role as an effective portfolio diversifier (81%), and its performance in times of  crisis (85%). 

Central banks in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDE) have once again  maintained their positive outlook for gold’s future share in reserve portfolios. Notably, 28  out of 58 (48%) EMDE respondents thought that their own gold reserves would increase in  the next 12 months, compared to 3 out of 14 (21%) of advanced economy respondents,  more than last year. Although interest rate levels remained a key component of both  groups’ motivators for holding gold, inflation (84%) and the geopolitical situation (81%)  were top of mind for EMDEs, while 67% and 60% of advanced economy respondents felt  the same.  

Notably, more central banks are increasingly storing gold domestically: 59% said they  have gold in domestic storage, up from 41% in 2024. Additionally, most respondents (73%) 

see moderately or significantly lower US dollar holdings within global reserves over the  next five years. However, respondents also believe that other currencies, such as the euro  and renminbi, as well as gold, will increase their share over the same period. 

Shaokai Fan, Global Head of Central Banks & Head of Asia-Pacific (ex-China),  commented:  

“After eight years of conducting this survey, we have reached an important milestone:  nearly half of the central bank respondents intend to increase their own gold holdings in  the coming year. This is remarkable, especially considering how many record-high prices  we’ve hit so far in 2025. Notably, this reflects the current global financial and geopolitical  environments. Gold remains a strategic asset as the world faces uncertainty and tumult.  Central banks are concerned about interest rates, inflation, and instability – all reasons to  turn to gold to mitigate risk.”