Diamond Stars Archives
Tribute To A Diamond Legend
William (Bill) Goldberg.
In whose factory I had the good fortune of working in for over 10 years. His Passion for Diamonds, his Enthusiasm, and above all being a 'Mentsch'.
Read more about a great Man who we, in the industry called "Mr. Diamond" here in the GIA Newsletter.
William Goldberg Family Honors His Legacy with Major Gift to GIA
May His Memory be a Blessing.
Diamond Stars come to New York
Much was made about "Mr. Congeniality" (RJ) blowing up at a TV photog.
New Yawkers don't care, "JUST WIN BABY!"
Diamond Industry Saddened by Loss of a True Gentelman
Jeffrey Comment, CEO Helzberg Diamonds
The diamond industry mourns the loss of one of its "diamond stars", Jefferey W. Comment, Chairman and CEO of Helzberg Diamonds.
Jeffery, a noted philanthropist and well respected member in the diamond trade died unexpectedly on Oct. 30. He was 60.
Comment is credited with helping to expand the Helzberg Diamonds retail chain from 72 to 265 locations throughout the United States during his 16 years with the company. His focus was on (diamond) brand protection - a topic he recently lectured on for GIA students at the institute's world headquarters and Robert Mouawad Campus in Carlsbad.
"Jeff Comment was a true gentelman, intelligent, articulate and giving as a leader, and as a human being," said GIA President William E. Boyajian.
Comment was active in many charitable causes, including the United Way
here is a link to a recent tribute to Mr. Comment from their website:
Comment is survived by his wife of 34 years, Martha, and his two children, Kristen and Ryan.
Diamond In The Rough.
Above: 'What time is it, Herm?'
"Clock Management" is a four-letter word to this "Star" of New York.
The most amazing thing about Herm's chronic inability to manage the clock in the last two minutes of a game is that after several clock management fiascos last season, "Coach" went out and hired himself a
"Clock Management Coach" whose only responsibility during the game is to manage the time clock and keep count of the number of time outs still available to the team. His name is Dick Curl and his title is "Director of Special Projects". You can't make this stuff up, folks.
You think Bill Belicheck knew what he was getting out of when he quit as Jets Coach four years ago after a tenure of one day.
Could these perennial Jet disasters be the Curse of the Babe? Did the Babe ever play Football?
If you did your job like this, would you still have one?
Famous Diamonds: One Of A Kind.
Famous Diamonds
For all Diamond Lovers!!
To see some of rarest and most famous fancy diamonds under one roof, Click Here for Bling Bling!
Diamonds Going and Coming
Delgado: Florida Bound.
Mientkiewicz: Say "Shea"
Mientkiewicz brings his World Series ball to Shea Stadium.
We can live vicariously, can't we?
Diamonds in the Right Places: Surprise her for Valentine's Day.
Tyra Banks models this Diamond Bra, created by Mouwad.
Bra is made of a 70 carat Pear shape in the Center with 2900 diamonds in 10 Karat Gold. I wonder what are the straps made of, Titanium?
Valerie Crenshaw thinks this is a great fashion idea but needs advice on what to wear with it.
Platinum Star: Mark Morrell-Magic Man
Mark Morrell is known in our trade and among consumers as a superb craftsman in finely crafted Platinum jewelry. His unique and innovative designs, attention to detail, and meticulous craftsmanship are unique and in high demand.
His website is here: Mark Morrell
"You got to know when to Hold 'em, & when to Fold 'em.
It's time to say goodbye, Allan.
"Bent on Wounded Knee"
Diamond On The Move
"Cork" is a four-letter word
Diamond Star: Anna Christy, Metropolitan Opera Star
Judah and I were privleged to have the beautiful and talented Opera Star,Anna Christy and her fiancee ( scientist and physician) recently visit with us in our Diamond showroom.
We wish her every success.
Anna Christy
Anna and her Mom with Placido Domingo
A Diamond For Valentine's Day In New York City
A heartsick Millionaire has a generous Valentines Day gift prepared for New Yorkers in honor of his late wife. Read about it here.
Denver Jewelers Ready For All-Star Hoops Weekend.
Jewelers in Denver, Colorado, plan their own show during the 2005 NBA All-Star Game scheduled for February 20. Hyde Park jewelers in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center will debut the Tourbillon timepiece diamond watch for $190,000 in rose gold -- $245,000 for platinum.
Oster Jewelers on Steele Street has hooped-up its inventory for the weekend as well with an Audemars Piguet trunk show. Oster will feature an oval ring with yellow, blue, and pink diamonds, and a selection of white and yellow diamonds commanding prices tags in the hundreds-of-thousands of dollars.
Play Ball!
Spring is in the air and "The Boys Of Summer" are back!
Do you remember hearing Ernie Bank's call out:
"We've got sunshine, fresh grass, so let's play TWO!"
De Beers; The Monster of The Diamond Industry
Love em' or (in most cases...) hate em', there is no denying that De Beers is the biggest name in the diamond industry and is solely responsible for the majority of the worlds diamond mining and output.
In the past couple of years De Beers has been at the forefront of a concerted marketing effort for diamonds and jewelry. They are responsible for the creation of the 3 stone diamond ring concept which has become known as the De Beers diamond ring. They are also responsible for the marketing of the "Diamond Right Hand Ring".
It is almost impossible today to travel in any city or read any magazine without stumbling across a De Beers diamond and jewelry ad that looks something like this:
De Beers isn't just about diamond manufacturing anymore; but has pushed the envelope for the "branding" and marketing of diamonds and jewelry products as a means of survival and continuity in the diamond industry. Their "Supplier of Choice Program" is a reflection of this philosophy.
Much of the diamond marketing is done over their website at www.adiamondisforever.com.
More recently De Beers has announced that they will be opening a chain of diamond and jewelry stores, bringing diamonds and jewelry directly to the end consumer.
Diamond Star: Audrey Hepburn
A 44-year-old movie character with a soft spot for a well-known jewelry store has been voted cinema's most stylish character of all time, reports Yahoo News.
Holly Golightly, played by Audrey Hepburn in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's, topped the list of best-dressed movie characters in a poll of 4,000 people, conducted by the BBC's What to Wear magazine.
"Breakfast At Tiffany's"
Based Truman Capote's novel, the classic, romantic 1961 movie helped bring attention to the Tiffany & Co. building on Fifth Avenue, thanks in part to the character's admiration for the luxury jeweler's stylish atmosphere.
Second place went to Uma Thurman's Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction and Cameron Diaz's Natalie Cook in Charlie's Angels.
Eduard Gubelin
Leading gemologist and authority on inclusions in gemstones Eduard J. Gübelin died March 15, one day short of his 92nd birthday.
Gübelin was born to a watchmaking family in 1913, and joined his father's business at an early age. He became involved with gemology after his father started a gemological laboratory in Lucerne.
An authority on inclusions in gemstones who was ell-known for his research, Gübelin authored many publications including Internal World of Gemstones: Documents from Space and Time, a work that showed how gemologists could determine the source of stones based on their inclusions.
"While his death saddened me greatly, no one who knew him can feel anything but joy," said Richard R. Hughes, of the American Gem Testing Laboratory, in a statement. "Eduard Gübelin was the father of modern gemology. We are all his children."
The History of the World Famous Cullinan Diamond.
Beautiful loose diamonds and diamond engagement rings have captivated people for centuries! One of the most famous loose diamonds is the Cullinan Diamond.
Willem Prinsloo, owner of the Elandsfontein farm in South Africa, discouraged prospectors from exploring on his property. He was, in fact, famous for discouraging prospectors. After Prinsloo’s death, Thomas Cullinan, a Johannesburg building contractor, purchased the farm. He bought it for 52,000 British pounds and registered the Premier (Transvaal) Diamond Mining Company Limited on December 1, 1902; mining on the farm began immediately thereafter. The Premier Mine was one of South Africa’s most productive, employing more than 2,000 people by the end of 1904.
The Discovery
As the sun was beginning to set on Thursday afternoon, January 26, 1905, Superintendent Captain Frederick Wells was making his daily inspection. A crystal caught light on the shaft wall; it was only nine meters from the surface. Thinking the miners were playing a joke, Wells took it for a piece of broken glass and pried it out with a pocketknife. The crystal weighed 1.5 pounds, was 37/8 inches long, 21/4 inches wide and 25/8 inches high. Wells was sure it was worthless…well, almost sure. So he sent it to be analyzed. It turned out that the uncut stone was a perfectly clear and colorless diamond weighing 3,106 carats and was twice the size of any other diamond ever found. There is talk that the stone was originally much larger; experts surmise that since one side of the crystal was smooth the stone was cleaved by natural forces. Named for Cullinan, the diamond was sold to the Transvaal Government for 150,000 pounds and Wells received 3,500 pounds as a reward.
The Cullinan In The Rough: 3106 carats.
The Cullinan In Pieces.
The Prime Minister of Transvaal, Louis Botha, suggested that the diamond be presented as a gift to King Edward VII. Due to lingering rancor after the Boer War, the gift did not sit well with Parliament, which only voted 42 to 19 in favor of its acceptance. After much debate and at Winston Churchill’s urging, the king accepted The Cullinan. In gratitude, Churchill was presented with a replica of the diamond; he enthusiastically displayed it to friends, sometimes exhibiting it on a silver platter. The Cullinan was presented to the king on November 9, 1907, for his 66th birthday.
Cutting
How The Cullinan was to be cut was of primary importance because the stone’s greatest value was in the number of stones that could be produced. The firm I.J. Asscher and Company of Amsterdam was chosen for the task. For three months, Joseph Asscher February 10, 1908, at 2:45 pm, Asscher prepared himself for the greatest responsibility of his professional career — cleaving The Cullinan. Placing the cleaving blade at the prearranged point, he gave it a blow with his hammer. Snap…the blade broke. The stone was unharmed; it had not even moved. Another blade was quickly procured and Asscher struck the stone again. This time it split perfectly, just as he had hoped. Amidst cheers, shouts and pats on the back for a job well done, Asscher fainted.
Now there were two stones, weighing 1,977.50 and 1,040 carats, respectively. Additional cleaving produced nine major stones, 96 brilliants and 9.50 carats of unpolished pieces. The total weight was 1,063 carats; there was a 65 percent cutting loss. King Edward VII was given the two principal stones and he purchased an additional stone, the sixth Cullinan “chip” for Queen Alexandra, which weighed 11.50 carats. The rest of the diamonds were retained by the Asschers as compensation.
The pear shape, a 530.20-carat diamond commonly known as Cullinan I, but also known as the Star of Africa, now resides in the Tower of London and is set in the British royal scepter. Cullinan II is a massive 317.40-carat cushion-shaped diamond that sits in the center front in the band of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. These jewels were specifically used for the coronation of King George V on June 22, 1911.
Cullinan "Star Of Africa" 530.20 Carats!
The stones that were in the possession of the Asschers were eventually purchased from them and presented to Queen Mary on June 28, 1910. In 1910 Queen Mary set Cullinan III and Cullinan IV, known as the Lesser Stars of Africa, into a brooch. Cullinan III, a 94.40-carat pear drop, hangs from Cullinan IV, a cushion-cut diamond weighing 63.60 carats. Always impressively arrayed, Queen Mary would also hang the Cullinan I as a pendant from the Koh-i-Noor brooch.
Cullinan III and IV.
As for some of the other Cullinan diamonds, Queen Mary had the Cullinan V, an 18.80-carat triangular-pear shape mounted in a platinum brooch with the silhouette of the design echoing the shape of the stone. The brooch was part of a very large stomacher that includes the legendary Cambridge emeralds, which the Queen received in 1910; each element of the stomacher can come apart and be worn as a separate brooch. Queen Elizabeth II frequently wears the Cullinan V brooch.
The Cullinan VII is an 8.80-carat marquise diamond, which Queen Mary added as a pendant to the 6.80-carat oval cushion Cullinan VIII brooch; this brooch was created at the same time as the Cullinan V. A photograph from 1919 shows Queen Mary wearing a platinum diamond pendant and chain that incorporates some of the 96 smaller Cullinan stones. Although she inherited the necklace in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II has never been known to wear it in public; the queen says, “It gets in the soup.” The Cullinan IX is a 4.39-carat pear, which was placed in an engraved ring presented to Queen Mary. It now belongs to Queen Elizabeth II.
Cullinan VII and VIII.
The Cullinan II Diamond. The two tiny platinum loops on the edges allow the stone to be worn as a brooch, alone or with the Cullinan I
attached. However, it usually resides in the front of the Imperial State Crown.
Diamonds Power New Bionic Eye: The Sightless Will See.
A bionic eye that allows blind people to see has now got a protective coat of diamond that should significantly improve its performance.
The silicon chip retinal implant is being developed by Second Sight, a company based in Sylmar, California, along with a consortium of university researchers. The device needs a hermetic case to prevent it from reacting with fluids in the eye.
Retinal implants coated with Diamonds could give sight back to people blinded by disease.
Researchers have developed an ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) film that is guaranteed to be safe, long-lasting, electrically insulating and extremely tough. The coating can also be applied at low temperatures that do not melt the chip's microscopic circuits.
The UNCD film is the first coating to meet all the necessary criteria for the implant, says Xingcheng Xiao, a materials reseach scientist who developed the film.
The tiny diamond grains that make up the film are about 5 millionths of a millimetre across. They grow from a mixture of methane, argon and hydrogen passing over the surface of the five-millimetre-square chip at about 400 °C. Xiao and his colleagues have already tested the implants in rabbits' eyes, and saw no adverse reaction after six months. He will present the results on 1 April at the Materials Research Society meeting in San Francisco, California.
The full article is here:
Diamond Stars are Back. Play Ball!
"The Boys of Summer" are back.
To quote Ernie Banks: "We got sunshine, fresh air, and green grass; so let's play two!!
Diamond Engagement Proposals May Require a Pre-Nup-Nup!
Hey guys! Wanna get engaged? Wanna make sure she says YES!!
Before you speak to her Pop and get down on bended knee, you may want to get it in Writing.
That's because a jilted lover wants back the engagement ring that he gave his fiancée? William Christopher Thompson filed in Santa Fe County court (New Mexico) to do just that. Thompson served his bride-to-be, Rodina Lucero, a chocolate cake with the ring embedded.
Lucero accepted at first, which according to court papers was the second time, but the following day she broke-off the engagement and refused to return the 18-karat gold 1.5 carat Marquise diamond ring.
Thompson's attorney, Ernest L. Padilla, wrote that Lucero accepted the engagement ring under false pretenses in an effort to defraud Thompson of the ring. Padilla argues that the ring was a conditional gift and in order to keep the ring Lucero must marry first.
Thompson is asking the court to award him the return of the ring or ask Lucero for the ring's fair market value.
He's from Mars; she's from Venus. Or is it the other way around?
Henry Grossbard
Master diamond cutter Henry Grossbard, innovator of the Radiant Cut, died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Hoboken, New Jersey, on April 23 around 10:30 p.m.
The 79-year-old Grossbard was strolling with his family dog in the suburb of New York City at the time of the accident. Hoboken police Sergeant Costello told Rapaport News that there were a couple of eye witnesses, but the agency continues to seek more information. Grossbard was struck at 3rd Street and Sinatra Drive by what is believed to be a late-model Honda Odyssey. The mini-van is light color, perhaps silver or light green, and is likely to have front-end damage and perhaps a broken windshield Costello said.
"Whoever did this and left the scene, the fact that it is a mini-van leads us to believe" the automobile is used for transporting children to school or general household shopping chores, Costello said. Anyone with information should contact the Hoboken police detective bureau at 201.420.2110.
Grossbard was known worldwide for the Radiant Cut, and he received worldwide patents for the Radiant Cut design in 1977, among the first patents ever granted for a diamond cut.
Diamond Named After Nobel Prize Winner.
A 77.62 –carat diamond has been named after Mikhail Sholokhov, a well known Soviet writer and Nobel Prize winner. The announcement was made at the Russian Literature Awards Ceremony in Moscow on July 1, reported the Soviet TASS news agency.
The Sholokhov diamond has been added to Russia’s collection of over 400 Yakutian diamonds named after famed writers, scientists, historical events and finders of diamond deposits. Other large diamonds in Russia have been named after, Marshal Zhukov (79.7 carats), Sergei Prokofyv (79.6 carats), Mikhail Bulgakov (64.2 carats), Arkady Gaidar (50.4 carats) and Yevgeny Leonov (73.9 carats). One of the world’s largest diamonds is named after writer and poet Alexander Pushkin (320.6 carats).
Sholokhov lived from 1905-1984. In 1922 he became a journalist and published a number of short stories in newspapers. He made his literary debut in 1926 with a volume of stories called Donskie rasskazy (Tales from the Don), 1926, about the Cossacks of his native region. In 1926, he began writing Tikhi Don (And Quiet Flows the Don) which became the most read work in Soviet fiction. In 1939, he became a member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and later vice president of the Association of Soviet Writers.
War of The Worlds Returns Tonight!
Well, folks; the All-Star Game is over and we start the second-half of the Baseball Season with the Yankees and Bosox meeting in an important 4 game series up at Fenway Pahk beginning tonight.
I Love You!
Yup, "Play Ball" will declared by the Home Plate Ump and the opposing players will also be exchanging some other choice 4-letter words!
Fasten your seatbelts. This should be Fun!
Rare Australian Cognac Diamond Extends Hand Of Friendship!
Australia's "Daily Telegraph" newspaper reports this morning that Janette Howard, wife of the Austalian Prime Minister has kept a low profile since arriving in Washington with husband Prime Minister John Howard, but a $20,000 diamond drew her into the public spotlight today.
The glittering 2.09 carat, cognac-coloured diamond was presented to Washington's famous Smithsonian Museum by Mrs Howard on behalf of Sydney jeweller Nicola Cerrone and Rio Tinto's Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia.
The museum has an extensive collection of gemstones from around the world, but the Argyle diamond is its first from Australia.
Wearing a borrowed gold Cerrone broach featuring champagne and cognac diamonds on her pale lemon suit jacket, Mrs Howard was slightly reluctant to hand over the Argyle diamond to the Smithsonian during a function at the Australian Embassy in Washington.
"It's mine, it's mine," she laughed.
Mrs Howard said the diamond's beauty was typical of Argyle diamonds, which were internationally renowned for their brilliance and colour.
"It is not at all surprising that these diamonds should be found in the Kimberley region in the northwest of Australia," she said.
"The spectacular natural beauty spot in this ancient and remote area and its awesome, gorgeous and pristine beaches is a worthy match to the stunning and fine beauty of the Argyle diamond and reflects very much the colours that you see in the Australian landscape in that area."
Mrs Howard said the donation of the Argyle diamond to the Smithsonian highlighted the friendship and mutual respect between Australia and the US.
"Political and economic bonds between our countries are of great importance, but it is clear to me when I visit that we owe much of the strength of these bonds to the cultural links and the friendships between everyday Australians and Americans," she said.
Smithsonian's undersecretary for science David Evans assured Mrs Howard the Argyle diamond would be happy among the museum's gem collection.
"Many millions of people will have an opportunity to see it in the Natural History Museum, five or six million people a year typically and almost all of them visit the national gem collection," he said.
"So I think it will be a special opportunity for people to see the connection between our two countries while focusing on something bright and glittering that makes almost everyone smile."
JFC Is A Diamond Star!
National Jeweler reports that Jewelers for Children (JFC) has committed $4.15 million in donations to its four charity partners and other organizations that benefit children.
The four partners, which JFC calls its Legacy Charities,are: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Association. Each of the four was pledged a $975,000 donation by JFC's board of directors at the group's annual Facets of Hope fundraising dinner in Las Vegas in June.
Additionally, the board donated $150,000 to Make-A-Wish Foundation International to fund the group's program in India and $100,000 to the Jeffrey W. Comment Memorial Endowment Fund, which provides to additional youth charities and was named for the late Helzberg Diamonds' CEO and JFC board member.
JFC receives support from jewelry trade organizations, jewelry and watch manufacturers, retail jewelry stores, individual members of the trade and consumers. Over the years, JFC has raised more than $18 million for young victims of illness, abuse, and neglect through various vehicles, including the Facets of Hope dinner, sales of JFC holiday cards, in-store collections, Hero for Hope membership, charity golf tournaments and raffles.
Shine On!
Hey Raffy!
You used the wrong finger!
Golconda Diamonds: What Are They?
The Golconda diamond mines are located in south central India in what today is the state of Hyderabad. This region was the first known source for rough diamonds from approxiamtely the 4th century B.C. until 1730 when diamonds were discovered in Brazil.
The defining characteristics of Golconda diamonds and what sets them apart and in a class by themselves are their incredible transparency, "whiteness", and purity.
Both the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the world reknowned Gubelin Gem Lab characterize diamonds displaying the finest white color and transparency as type IIa, signifying that they are free from nitogen and are therefore chemically pure and colorless. The term "Golconda" has come to define diamonds of the finest white color and transparency.
Some descriptive terms used to define Golconda diamonds have been; "whiter than white", "like a clear river stream", and brighter than bright".
Golconda diamonds are very, very rare in today's market and if you do come across one it will usually be at a Christie's or Sotheby's auction.
Bring LOTS OF CASH!
Diamond Breaks!
Nasty collison between Met outfielders Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron chasing fly ball in San Diego.
Cameron suffered broken nose and cheekbone fractures.
Get well, Mike.
Want Imelda Marcos' Diamonds? Step Over Here, Bud!
The Phillipine Daily Inquirer today reports that the Phillipine government is ready to auction off the diamond jewelry once owned by Phillipine First Lady, Imelda Marcos.
The Philipine government expects to recover around $10 million from the sale. It said the collection included a yellow gold 30.71-carat diamond-studded bracelet with a central marquise cut diamond crafted by Bulgari. When appraised by Sotheby's in 1990, it was reportedly valued conservatively at from $800,000 to $1.2 million.
The jewelry, now being held in escrow in a Phillipine Central Bank vault, has been independently appraised and found to be genuine.The Phillipine government is finalizing the conditions and details of the auction, including the venue and date of the auction,with the expectation that the auction and sales will be consummated by the end of 2005.
Gem and Diamond Appraisers have described the jewelry pieces as "works of art" because of their exquisite designs, breathtaking size, and the superb quality of the gems.
Now in her early 70s, Imelda Marcos faces several graft cases before local Phillipine courts. The cases are linked to her stint as housing minister and governor of Metro Manila.
The Phillipine government has recovered Marcos-linked assets in the Philippines amounting to P50 billion and $683 million from Swiss bank accounts.
But, hey guys!! What about her SHOES!!?? Probably worth more than the diamonds and gems!
Black Diamond With A Curse.
In what is being called the world's largest exhibit of diamonds underway at the London Natural History Museum, a new diamond joined the display on September 21.
The Black Orlov or The Eye of Brahma, joined the Diamonds show begun at the museum July 8. A 65-year old curse is associated with the Black Orlov and lore tells that the jewel was responsible for deaths of two Russia princesses after it was removed from a Hindu shrine in southern India.
A monk removed the original rough 195-carat diamond from the eye of the Idol of Brahma at a shrine near Pondicherry, India. This act forever cursed all future owners of the precious stone by bringing a violent death.
In 1947 princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov and princess Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky (both former owners of the Black Orlov) leapt to their deaths in apparent suicides. Fifteen years earlier, J.W. Paris, the diamond dealer who imported the stone to the United States, had jumped to his death from one of New York's tallest buildings shortly after concluding the sale of the jewel.
In an attempt to break the curse, the diamond was re-cut into three separate gemstones and has since been owned by a succession of private owners, all of whom seem to have escaped the curse. The 67.5-carat Black Orlov is set in a 108-diamond brooch suspended from a 124-diamond necklace.
Black diamonds are incredibly rare. Only one in 10,000 diamonds mined are colored. Most colored diamonds get their color from chemical impurities or defects in the stone itself. Black diamonds are different: Their color comes from the presence of tiny mineral inclusions.
Recent studies have shown that these inclusions are predominantly the iron oxide minerals magnetite and haematite along with native iron itself. When these iron-rich inclusions occur in a high enough proportion they can even make diamonds magnetic.
Dancing Diamonds for Imelda! The Saga Continues!
Diamondvues has been following the story of the Phillipine Government trying to recoup the money they claim Imelda Marcos stole from them by litigating to seize her diamond jewelry.
In this continuing saga, todays Phillipine Inquirer reports that the Phillipine gov't is confident that the world's fascination with her mystique will fetch a price running into the millions of dollars, the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) says it is also now considering auctioning off former First Lady Imelda Marcos gowns and famous shoe collection along with her jewelry.
PCGG Commissioner Ricardo Abcede said he will discuss this possibility with three international auction houses he had earlier invited to bid for three collections of jewelry seized from the Marcoses after the 1986 People Power revolt that ended Ferdinand Marcos 20-year rule.
In an interview with the Inquirer yesterday, Abcede said that, like the jewelry, Imeldas gowns and shoes were nonperforming assets that should have been sold a long time ago.
Abcede said he expects that the jewelry alone, earlier estimated to be worth around $10 million, would fetch as much as $150 million, or about P8.4 billion, in an international auction.
Fascination with Imelda
Abcede believes that the worldwide publicity that the jewelry has received, plus the fascination with Imelda, the total price could be 15 times what has been previously estimated. This has happened several times with auction houses, Abcede said. He recalled that a rocking chair once owned by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy fetched a price 15 times its original estimated value.
Its a celebrity auction, meaning the price will be dictated not by the item itself but by its association with the celebrity, Abcede said.
He did not say how much the gowns and shoes would fetch or who would be interested in them.
Displaying Imeldas gowns and shoes as done in the past is no longer feasible because people lose interest after around three months, according to Abcede. He added that, like the jewelry, they could be put to better use by being sold, with the proceeds going to the governments land reform program.
3,000 pairs of shoes!
At the time of the Marcoses ouster, the former first lady was reported to have around 3,000 pairs of shoes, including many designed by such world-famous names as Ferragamo, Givenchy, Chanel, and Christian Dior, all size eight-and-a-half.
She had admitted owning only 1,060 pairs, saying they were mostly given to her as presents by Filipino shoe manufacturers in Marikina. Nonetheless, this massive shoe collection has gained her international notoriety.
Her gowns, mostly ternos, were designed by top Filipino designers like Pitoy Moreno, Ramon Valera and Joe Salazar, and international designers Valentino and Jean Paul Gaultier (in the 70s before he became famous).
The PCGG has been negotiating for some time now with three major international auction houses, namely, Sothebys, Christies, and Bonhams, for the right to sell the Marcos jewelry.
While the auction was planned initially to be held abroad, the PCGG is now considering holding it in the Philippines in hopes it would attract tourists and funnel taxes from the sale directly into the national coffers instead of going to some foreign government. Abcede said March would be a good time to hold the auction in Manila because it would fit in with an international jewelry fair in Hongkong.
Mrs. Marcos is seeking a court injunction to stop the sale, claiming she is the rightful owner of the jewelry, but nothing has come out of this thus far.
The jewelry consists of three lots: the Malacanang collection consisting of around 300 items left behind in Malacanang when the Marcoses fled; the Honolulu collection of around 400 items confiscated by U.S. Customs in Hawaii when the Marcos landed there in 1986; and the so-called Roumeliotes collection, supposedly the most expensive, confiscated at the Manila airport in 1986 from Greek national Demetriou Roumeliotes, said to be a friend of the Mrs. Marcos.
Abcede said keeping the jewelry on display as some quarters want goes against the mandate of the PCGG and would require a congressional amendment of the law creating it.
I have one question, friends: Abcede heads the Commission on Good Government; isn't that an oxymoron? Talk about non-performing ass-ets!
Salesclerk, This Bud's For You!!
The most annoying thing a salesperson can tell a customer is, "It's not my department," according to research by retail industry consulting firm MOHR Access.
Among those surveyed, 28.9 percent of consumers selected "It's not my department" as the most annoying statement. The second most irksome statement uttered by salespeople was "If it's not on the rack, we don't have it," chosen by 24.9 percent of survey participants.
Other annoying salesperson responses included "That's the policy," selected by 10.2 percent of those surveyed; "I'm on break," chosen by 9.95 percent of those surveyed; "Ask that person over there," picked by 8 percent of survey takers; "I'm new here," selected by 6.2 percent of those surveyed; "You'll have to wait your turn," chosen by 5.3 percent of survey takers; and "The computer's down," picked by 2.7 percent of survey takers.
The results come from interviews of 230 customers in shopping malls on both U.S. coasts.
Be alot easier if ya just put a sign on your forehead, "GONE FISHING"!
It's Good To Have a Diamond Connection!
A diamond encrusted tiara worth $317,000 was stolen from a Hankyu Department Store showcase in Japan, reports today's Mainichi Daily News on October 10.
The tiara had been on display in a locked showcase on the first floor of the Osaka store, according to police. While many customers were at the store, there were no witnesses to the robbery. Security guards were not present at the scene of the robbery and the showcase was located where it could not be identified by security cameras.
The display was part of an English product promotion and the tiara was one of 30 jewelry items from a major British company.
So, the showcase was located out of view of the security cameras???!!!
How convenient!
Camilla and Her Diamond Tiara
The Duchess of Cornwall arrived at Buckingham Palace last night wearing her first royal tiara.
The diamond head piece, loaned to her by the Queen, was the tiara previously worn by Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar to celebrate the coronation of King George V.
It was last worn in 1947 by the Queen Mother for an official visit to South Africa.
The circle of brilliant-cut diamonds mounted in gold and set in platinum was made by Garrards in 1911 and Queen Mary wore it in Delhi to mark the start of King George V's reign as King and Emperor of India.
It was lent to the Queen Mother for her visit to South Africa and remained with her but she is not believed to have worn it subsequently.
The tiara previously included five of the Cambridge cabochon emeralds and also was occasionally worn with two diamonds from the Cullinan stone. But the emeralds were removed by Queen Mary and made into another tiara now owned by the Queen - the diamonds were kept separately as a brooch.
Looks like he should be wearing the Tiara, don't you think? Cheers, Mate!
Gemology As A Career? Ask Jared.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) selected its outstanding graduate for 2006. The award recipient, Jared Ross, was inspired by the industry while working for a family jeweler in Nebraska at the age of 17. Ross said he knew that earning a jewelry education was essential to reaching his goal of one day running his own operation.
When Ross was 23 years old when he earned GIA's Jewelry Business Management diploma while working full-time, and he excelled in the GIA School of Business with an A average, according to GIA's statement.
The annual award is presented by the Distance Education Training Council (DETC,) and is given to one exceptional GIA Distance Education student who has achieved extraordinary standards of academic and personal excellence. DETC is the national accrediting commission, which sets standards for and accredits GIA's Distance Education courses and programs.
"We chose Jared as this year's outstanding graduate not only because of his excellent academic record and strong work ethic, but also because of his remarkable passion for the industry," said Brook Ellis, GIA vice president of education.
Ross currently works for Tiffany & Co., at the luxury retailer's boutique located at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. He said, "It's not a job, or a career, but a dream come true." Ross says he takes pride in sharing the passion of buying jewelry with his customers.
"When I work with an engagement client, I not only want him to have a passion for the woman that he is about to marry, but I want him to have a passion for that diamond that he is about to buy," Ross, who is a newlywed, said. "Having a great education is the backbone to getting that done."
Ross is in the process of completing GIA's Graduate Gemologist diploma program through Distance Education.
Mind-Body Expert Chopra to Address GIA.
National Jeweler reports today that mind-body medicine pioneer Deepak Chopra will present "Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life" at a special luncheon during the Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) 4th International Symposium in San Diego Aug. 27-29, 2006.
Recognized for his philosophy on expanding traditional Western medicine with natural healing traditions, Chopra will discuss the concepts as told in his latest best seller, The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life. A book signing will be held immediately after the lunchtime presentation on Aug. 29.
"Deepak is a highly regarded leader in the areas of modern health philosophies, and he will add a great motivational and inspirational flavor to Symposium," said Kathryn Kimmel, GIA vice president of marketing and public relations and co-chair of the event, at which U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is scheduled to be the lead keynote speaker.
Time magazine named Chopra one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century, dubbing him "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine." He has authored 42 books and issued more than 100 audio, video, and CD-ROM titles totaling over 20 million copies sold in 35 different languages worldwide.
Chopra served as chief of staff for Boston Regional Medical Center and led an endocrinology practice before launching the Chopra Center for Well Being in California in 1995. Through the center, he created a medical system based on the belief that perfect health is more than just the absence of disease, but rather the integration of body, mind, and spirit.
Just what we need, some more touchy-feely bulls--t. What a waste of money. For me, gimmee a Bud-Lite!
Check Out These Diamonds!!
The Boys Of Summer Are Back!
Diamonds, Gems, and Designer Jewels At The Oscars 2006!
Don't know how many of you guys watched the Oscars last night, but if you are a diamond and jewelry enthusiast like me you must have been blinded more by the stunning (and gaudy :)) diamonds and jewelry hanging from the Holywood stars than from the stars themselves!
I mean, you literally had millions of dollars worth of borrowed inventory from all of the major jewelry designers and manufacturers on display last night.
I couldn't help but wonder whether these items were all insured or if Tiffany, Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels all sent over special "chaperones" to keep a close eye on these magnificent baubles!
Read the full coverage article by the Associated Press below to see who was wearing what.....
Continue reading "Diamonds, Gems, and Designer Jewels At The Oscars 2006!" »
Custom Designed Princess Cut Diamond Engagement Ring!
Hiya Folks!
Here is a beautiful custom made princess cut diamond engagement ring that we just built for one of our customers!
The center diamond is our Exclusive, Branded SuperbCert 1.32 carat, F color, ..........now hold on to your seats...I1 clarity (yes you heard right) Princess Cut Diamond.
Because of this diamonds incredible brilliance, the inclusions are masked and it is virtually impossible to detect with your unaided eye!!
The diamond engagement ring is completely hand crafted of solid 18kt. gold and features exceptional detailing, matching side trillion diamonds, and round brilliants pave set in the band!
We also placed a custom basket on the ring with special V tips (chevron tips) to protect the four corners of the princess cut diamond.
A masterpiece that picture don't quite do justice to.
Enjoy!
Tiffany To Open Two New Diamond & Jewelry Stores In China.
Luxury retailer Tiffany & Co., plans to open two new stores in China during 2006. One store will open at Beijing's Oriental Plaza, and a second store at Shanghai's Plaza 66. Beijing is scheduled to open in May, and Shanghai could open towards the end of the year, the company reports.
"The Oriental Plaza in Beijing and Plaza 66 in Shanghai are ideal environments for a Tiffany store," said Darren Chen, group vice president at Tiffany & Co. "These convenient locations expand our presence both in Beijing and Shanghai, cities of growing importance as global business centers and as destinations for both domestic and overseas tourists."
Once the new stores open, Tiffany will have a total of two stores in each of those prominent cities. Tiffany currently has a boutique in Beijing's Peninsula Palace Hotel, which opened in 2001, and a boutique in the City Plaza shopping complex in Shanghai, which opened in 2004.
How do say "Bling-Bling" in Chinese?
"Bring-Bring"!
Heidi Klum Promotes Jewelry Line
Supermodel Heidi Klum displays a piece from the Heidi Klum Collection for Mouawad, Heidi’s lucky charm based on the clover shape, during a press preview at Theodore at The Grove in Los Angeles,California March 1, 2006. The jewelry line ranges from sterling silver accessories to high-end 18-karat gold and diamond statement pieces.
Heidi
I'd bet our Signature SuperbCert Diamonds would really look good on her!
Stolen Diamond Slippers Returned!
Three Toronto photo lab workers will share a $25,000 reward for helping recover a pair of slippers stolen from the Bata Shoe Museum.
Stolen Diamond Slippers
These rare, jewel-encrusted slippers, once worn by an Indian prince, were stolen from the Bata Shoe Museum on Jan. 22.
The jeweled slippers, worth $160,000, were stolen from the Toronto museum in late January in a daylight robbery.
A gold toe ring, set with diamonds and rubies and valued at $11,000 and a gold anklet, set with diamonds, rubies and emeralds and valued at $45,000, also were taken.
The theft led museum founder Sonja Bata to offer a $25,000 reward for return of the items.
Tom Hamilton, the owner of the photo shop, was packaging some photos when he spotted a picture of one of the slippers.
When a man returned to pick up the photos, Hamilton and his staff diverted his attention enough to secretly snap his picture and call police.
A gold toe ring set with diamonds and rubies and a gold anklet set with diamonds, rubies and emeralds also disappeared.
During their investigation of the robbery, Toronto police released photos of "persons of interest" in the case, without saying where they got the photos.
That led to a break in the case. A man was arrested on March 3.
Filip Djukic, 35, was charged with possession of property obtained by crime.
The slippers, once worn by the Nizam Sikandar Jah of Hyderabad, and the other two items were recovered in a Toronto church after an anonymous call to a museum employee.
Diamond Cleaning: Use Efferdent and Smile!
Saw this humorous posting today on Bridal Blog
Here's her story:
I keep meaning to stop in at a jeweler to have it professionally cleaned, but my mother-in-law to be (MILTB) told me this ridiculous slash terrifying story where she swears a friend of a friend of her cousin Phyllis did just such a thing and had her ring replaced with a fake. I realize that the chances of this story being true are infinitesimal, but I’ve yet to stop in and have it done, so clearly there is a tiny part of me that truly believes Phyllis’s friend’s friend. My MILTB went on to say that the BEST and ONLY means one should be using to clean a ring like mine is Efferdent—as in denture cleaner Efferdent.
So, today I did it. I walked into Duane Reade with purpose and conviction, found a box of denture cleaner and bought it. I was so excited to come home and try it out, I could barely contain myself. I heated up some water in a small teacup, dropped in the efferdent tablet, plopped in my ring and stood there watching the water fizzing for five long minutes. Even my dog looked up at me as if to say “you’ve officially crossed the line.”
When I couldn’t handle the suspense for one second longer, I fished my ring out of the icky blue solution, rinsed it off and Bing. Bam. Boom. Seriously, WOW. I may have been temporarily blinded. Dammit all if my ring didn’t look just as sparkly and shiny as the day I got it.
Now I just wonder if an Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner can have the same cleaning results for dentures?
Smile!
Diamond Hunting: You Can Do It.
Want to prospect for your own diamonds? Pamela Selbert tells you how to do it!
Finding Your Diamond In The Rough: Here's How!
Plumbers AND Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend!
The Washington Post reports this morning that not only Diamonds but also Plumbers just may be a girl's best friend.
Say what? Well, sometimes plumbers just know. And after 24 years turning wrenches on the campus of Mount St. Mary's University, plumber Ronnie Bledsoe had one of those hunches about where a missing engagement ring might turn up.
Not just any old engagement ring, either, he was told, but a $20,000 rock that got sucked down an automatic-flushing toilet weeks ago.
The loss devastated Debbie Squiccimarri, a New Jersey high school teacher who was visiting the Emmitsburg campus Feb. 20 with her 17-year-old daughter, her sister and her niece when the ring vanished down a toilet in the Cogan Student Union Building.
"Everybody thought the big deal was how much it cost," said Squiccimarri, 43, who first slipped on the two-carat diamond ring after her fiance popped the question on Christmas night. But its real value was closer to the heart than the pocketbook: "I didn't feel engaged anymore after flushing it."
Bledsoe tore apart the toilet that day; Squiccimarri visited the campus's sewage treatment plant before heading home to Ramsey, N.J. Bledsoe even tore apart more pipes over spring break. No luck. Friends, especially ones with plumbing know-how, told Squiccimarri to kiss the ring goodbye.
But maybe, just maybe, Bledsoe figured, if the ring traveled the maze of underground plumbing to an L-shaped juncture under the fourth manhole from the building, where a new six-inch pipe opened, and spilled onto an 18-inch horizontal ledge before dropping down another eight-inch pipe drain . . .
The hunch paid off. On March 20, Bledsoe lifted the manhole cover, spied something bright in an inch of water and fished out the ring with needle-nose pliers.
Yesterday, ring and betrothed were formally reunited. Not a man of many words, Bledsoe said in a telephone interview yesterday: "I was really happy about it because I remembered how down she was the day she lost it." Squiccimarri said she gave Bledsoe a reward but did not want to publicize the amount.
Squiccimarri was visiting the campus on a frigid weekend when she blew her nose and lost the ring.
"I heard it go in. As soon as I moved to the bowl, it flushed -- and they're so loud, those flushes, it was like a freaky feeling when it went," she said. "I just screamed, 'Oh, my God! My ring!' "
She made a tearful call to her fiance, Frank Eufemia, 46, a former professional baseball player who teaches at the same high school.
"Is your arm caught in the toilet?" he asked her. "Because if it's not, stop crying." Later, he even joked: "Well, that was a short engagement."
Bledsoe, 70, of Gettysburg, Pa., said that about half a dozen rings have vanished on campus over the years, usually down sink drains. He estimated that Squiccimarri's ring traveled at least 250 yards from the toilet to the odd twist under the manhole.
"This is just one of those things plumbers understand," he said.
How does that song go? "Finding Love In all the right places"
David Yurman Jewelry: Evolution of a Jewelry Designer.
The Orlando Sentinel has an interesting feature on David Yurman today.
David Yurman jewelry is like your favorite blue jeans -- only much more expensive. The jewelry is "comfortable," says Yurman, 63, who recently visited his new boutique, which rubs shoulders with Cartier and Tiffany in Orlando's Mall at Millenia.
The jewelry is also versatile, he says. "You can wear it anywhere, day to evening." Just like blue jeans.
It wasn't always that way with jewelry. Before the 1980s, when Yurman's now-iconic cable bracelets became the most coveted, and copied, arm candy in the United States, there were two kinds of jewelry: Costume for everyday wear, and fine jewelry for special occasions.
The relaxed elegance of Yurman's designs bridged the divide. The jewelry is classic but with a modern twist that gives it go-anywhere elan.
Fashioned from gold and silver, many pieces also feature coral and turquoise, a sparkling array of gemstones and Yurman's current favorite, South Seas pearls. Signature motifs include a squared "cushion" shape, a hook-and-eye closure and the widely recognized twisting "cable" pattern.
The designs are "a combination of art, fine jewelry and fashion," says Yurman, who wears several of his creations: A ring, a bracelet and a square-faced watch.
Dressed all in black, his thick white hair swept straight back, his chin fashionably stubbled, he looks every inch the artist from Tribeca, the New York neighborhood where he and his artist wife, Sylvia, live and work.
Before designing jewelry, Yurman was a sculptor, hanging out with prominent Beat artists of the 1960s; writer Norman Mailer, painter Franz Kline, sculptor Ron Boise.
"I did these funny little silver angels," he says.
It was one of those angels, fashioned into a belt buckle, that sparked his career as a jewelry designer.
The buckle was a gift to Sybil, his girlfriend at the time. She wore it to an art opening, where it caught the eye of the gallery owner. He asked if it was for sale. Yurman said no, but Sybil said yes -- and within weeks they found themselves in the jewelry business.
Ever since, they've had good-luck angels perched on their shoulders. Their collections are in more than 450 stores around the world, and David Yurman is one of the best-known luxury brands on the planet.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Barbra Streisand wear the jewelry; Steven Spielberg and Kevin Spacey the watches; hip-hop moguls Jay-Z and Damon Dash the men's designs. Their ad campaigns have featured models Amber Valetta and Kate Moss, and the company's newest "face" is Naomi Watts -- who recently flashed Yurman earrings of rose quartz and diamonds at the Oscars.
Orlando real estate agent Virginia Morales, 49, collects Yurman bracelets. "I wear three, four at a time," she says. "My husband always knows what to give me for my birthday, anything David Yurman."
Since founding their company in 1980, the Yurmans have worked as a team.
"I have the vision; I design the collections," explains Yurman. "My wife does the styling and merchandising."
Their son, Evan, is part of their ever-expanding creative team. And let's not forget the lawyers.
The couple's designs, which range from about $300 for a simple bracelet to more than $7,000 for a multistrand couture necklace, are among the most copied in the world. Yurman is not flattered by imitators and spends $1 million a year protecting his brand.
"Copying is stealing," he says. People who wear copies are deceptive. "And that's not cool."
Worse, he says, they are supporting counterfeiters who may pay no taxes, have ties to illegal operations or use child labor.
As his company grows, Yurman finds himself more in the role of executive than artist.
"It's less like playing an instrument, more like being the leader of the band," he says. "I'm about ready to do more art work."
But that is not likely to happen anytime soon. First, he plans to introduce a line of Yurman eyewear and a Yurman fragrance, followed by Yurman handbags and luggage.
No wonder he believes in angels.
Loose Baguette Diamond: What Is It & What To Look For.
A straight baguette is a relatively small, elongated diamond that usually is rectangular in shape. The cut is characterized by square corners with rows of step-cut or steplike facets parallel to the table. Baguettes do not conform to the Federal Trade Commission's" 17 -facet" requirement for diamonds.
Straight Baguette.
The name of the cut must proceed the word diamond. Baguettes today are most often employed as side stones, although they also can be the main shape in full-band rings or fashion rings. When used as side stones they serve to camouflage the shoulders of the center stone, masking it £rom the girdle to the culet. Baguettes can also be lined up to produce a continuous flow of diamonds on a ring, bracelet, brooch (i.e. circlet) or necklace.
Baguettes are usually channel-set, but sometimes prong set. Less-expensive baguettes are often channel-set into bracelets. Measured in millimeters more often than weight because their size must be precise for their function, typical sizes for today's side baguettes are from 1.5 mm to 3 mm in length. For larger, more important pieces, designers and retailers may order straight baguettes of 2.7 mm to 4.7 mm, for example.
The word "baguette" is a French word for a long, narrow loaf of bread. This shape, beginning in costume jewelry, is a fashion outgrowth of the 1920s to mid-1930s. During that time, interest in functionalism in architecture and the Bauhaus movement influenced the applied arts and dominated contemporary design. In the Art Deco period, many stones were cut in strict, geometrical shapes, typified by the calibre technique or elongated baguette. In contemporary times, jewelry houses like Bulgari have sustained their use and passion for the baguette. Nicola Bulgari once exclaimed, "We flirt with the baguette." The yield for a baguette from the diamond rough is 38 to 42 percent.
Baguettes are extraordinarily clear. If baguettes are to be used as side stones or as other matched pairs, they must be of similar quality, color and clarity to one another, and to the stone they are enhancing. The step-cut appearance is unforgiving and does not allow for little imperfections in the diamonds. Stay with VS clarity and higher. SI clarity must be examined to insure that the imperfection(s) are not eye-visible. A small chip is much more obvious on a baguette than on a heavily faceted diamond.
Chameleon Diamond: What Is It?
In Nature, Chameleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are large lizards that belong to one of the best known lizard families. They are famous for their ability to change their colour, and also because of their elongated tongue and their eyes which can be moved independently of each other. Their eyes are the most unique among the reptiles. Among other things they can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects simultaneously.
Chameleon
Some Chameleon species are able to change their body colour, which has made them one of the most famous lizard families. Contrary to popular belief, this change of colour is not only an adaptation to the surroundings but also an expression of the physical and physiological condition of the lizard. The skin colour is changed under influence of mood, light and temperature. The skin colour also plays an important part in communication and rivalry fights.
There is also such a phenomenon as a Chameleon Diamond. Certain natural green diamonds react to heat or dark storage by temporarily changing color, often becoming bright yellow. This color change is short-lived as the diamond soon reverts to its stable color. Most specimens observed in gem laboratories show even color distribution, aiding in the dramatic transformation, and both color changes are documented on laboratory reports. Faceted chameleon diamonds of 2 carats or more occasionally appear on the market; the more sizable stones offer the maximum opportunity to see color change.
A color-change diamond is such a rare and curious gem that very little has been written on the subject. The first documented report on chameleon diamonds appeared in 1943, according to the GIA Diamond Dictionary. Peter Kaplan, of the Peter K. Kaplan Inc., was astonished to witness a diamond change color on the very hot polishing wheel. The peculiar diamond was later graded light yellow green. It sold, but the baffled customer promptly returned it for a refund when the yellow-green diamond changed to dark green after storage in a jewel box.
Phenomenon Not Well Understood.
An article in GIA's Award Winning Journal, Gems & Gemology, Spring 2005, acknowledged that “...the mechanism behind chameleon coloration is not yet well understood. Nevertheless, chameleons are among the few green diamonds that can be conclusively identified as natural color, since their behavior cannot be created or enhanced in a laboratory.”
Fine-quality phenomenal diamonds often carry certificates verifying their natural characteristics. One such report by Gübelin Gem Lab, Lucerne, Switzerland, added, “Chameleon diamonds are one of the great mysteries of the diamond world. It is still not known why these diamonds change from deep green to yellow when heated or left in darkness . . . these qualities make ‘chameleons’ among the most fascinating of colored diamonds.”
A rare subset of natural fancy color diamonds, chameleons are so named for their repeatable color-change property. Prolonged dark storage, or photochroism, changes a “Classic” chameleon from its typically stable color of grayish-yellow-green to a temporary or unstable color of greenish-orangish-yellow. A few hours of dark storage might be all that is needed to bring on a color change. Also, heating a Classic chameleon, termed thermochromism, likewise results in a prominent temporary color change. At about 150º C, the induced color should be evident within a few seconds. The term “Reverse” chameleon refers to phenomenal diamonds that change from yellow in stable conditions to green after subjection to dark storage. Heating does not produce a color change in Reverse chameleons. With both groups, the change is infinitely repeatable.
Rarer still are some “maverick” color-change diamonds that have been found in Australia that exhibit this phenomenon with their own unique pair of colors. Australia’s Argyle diamond mine, famous for its fancy color diamonds, occasionally produces hydrogen-rich diamonds that also exhibit a “chameleonlike” color-change behavior. The stones are distinguished by either a blue-violet-gray color or a gray-olive color. They are thought to owe their phenomenon to high hydrogen content, but this has yet to be proven.
Identification of Chameleon Diamonds is by heating and observation. Be careful with this because heating an enhanced diamond, however, might lead to an unwanted permanent modification of color. If you suspect that the green diamond might just be an enhanced stone, the recommended course of action would be to send it to a laboratory for testing. In a laboratory, the spectroscope reading, coupled with an ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaction, will positively separate a chameleon from another type of green diamond.
Rarity.
Because of their rarity Chamelon Diamonds are not well understood by the Public or by Jewelers. Chrisities, or example, auctions a color-change diamonds in Hong Kong, because, according to Daphne Lingon, senior vice president, jewelry department, the Asian market is well-informed about phenomenal gems,which are avidly collected. During Christie’s Magnificent Jewellery & Jadeite Jewellery Hong Kong auction in May 2001, a platinum ring featuring a 4.41-carat “superb fancy dark-gray-yellowish-green chameleon diamond” went on sale and brought a sale price of $240,000.
Online jeweler Ariel Friedman of IceStore Inc., Beverly Hills, California, speculates that a combination of phosphorescence and fluorescent properties contribute to the chameleon effect in these special diamonds. Friedman estimates that he sells between five and ten chameleons a year, attributing that success to his customers, who only buy high-end goods. Recently, one of his best phenomenal diamonds went to a well-known actor who desired a one-of-a-kind gem. Friedman’s clientele understands fancy color diamonds and that “with chameleons, they own something clearly unique among the fancy colors.” A 2.95-carat, round brilliant chameleon is offered on his website for $63,720.
From Israel Comes The Divine Diamond
National Jeweler reports of the design of a special diamond shape that takes a page from a fiction bestseller to hopefully drive sales. This is the focus of Israeli diamond designer Shlomo Cohen, credited with developing the Princess Cut in 1982.
Now, taking the idea of the "Golden Ratio" or "Divine Proportion" popularized by author Dan Brown's phenomenally successful novel, The Da Vinci Code, Cohen has released "The Vinci Diamond," a 62-facet "pentacle" cut incorporating the Divine Proportion's precise ratios.
h its table. In the end, he met this challenge: Three pentacle shapes, conforming to the exact dimensions of the Divine Proportion, are visible.
"The completion of my work at the same time as The Da Vinci Code has enjoyed such amazing international success is a happy coincidence," Cohen said. "And, the fact a major Hollywood movie by the same name will soon be released is an added bonus."
The cut has been patented in Japan, Israel, Belgium and the United States.
Fad or a diamond design that will withstand the test of time? We have blogged on this topic previously here:
New Diamond Shapes: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?
Watts & Schrieber Engaged?
Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber have reportedly become the latest celebrity couple heading for the wedding chapel after the King Kong star accepted her actor beau's marriage proposal.
The couple has been spotted shopping for engagement rings in Los Angeles.
An insider at top store Antiquarius tells America's In Touch magazine the couple were shopping for $400,000 rings earlier this month.
Death Of A Diamond Salesman.
One Of A Kind Jeweler In Kansas.
A dying breed. You can truly say this guy is a "Last Of The Mohicans".
Diamonds Have Magical Powers!?
So says Will and Grace' star Debra Messing.
The actress is convinced the jewels have special powers because her hands tremble whenever she touches them.
She told America's InStyle magazine: "When I put diamonds in my hands they start to shake."
Messing first 'learned' that diamonds are magical from a friend.
She added: "One of my girlfriends says there is actually magic in them, and the wearer gets influenced by them. I believe her." The actress loves vintage jewellery stores. Her wedding ring is a 1916 diamond eternity band.
WOW!
Jacob The Jeweler Named Year's Trendsetter.
Celebrity jeweler Jacob Arabo, the founder and CEO of Jacob & Co., has been named the jewelry trendsetter for 2006 by Modern Bride magazine.
According to a media release from Jacob & Co., Arabo (aka "Jacob the Jeweler") has been recognized by the publication as having "shaped, influenced, re-imagined and in general, elevated the world of weddings to a whole new level."
In particular, it said he's known for transforming bridal with his use of bright colors and modern-shaped diamond solitaires. Jacob & Co. was the sole fine diamond jewelry designer to be recognized among a group of 25 design trendsetters such as Kate Spade, Monique Lhuillier and Stuart Weitzman.
Arabo said his designs are inspired by the lifestyles of his famous clients, who include David Beckham, Justin Timberlake, Bono, Jessica Alba, Madonna, Sir Elton John, Naomi Campbell, Sean Combs and Derek Jeter.
Tribute to Bill Goldberg: Mr. Diamond!
Father's Day (June 18, 2006.) will be a very special day for those of us in the Diamond Industry here in New York.
New York City will honor the legendary Bill Goldberg by renaming East 48th Street, between Fifth and Madison avenues, as William Goldberg Way. The street renaming ceremony will take place at noon on June 18.
"He was the face of our industry for so long, a father to so many more than just us," said Goldberg's daughter Eve, who is also the vice president of sales and marketing of the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation.
"My father was the most incredible teacher," she said, "I know my father would be very proud."
Undoubtedly William Goldberg would also be proud of how his family continues to carry on his vision. "My father taught us the importance of integrity, honesty and how essential it was to love what we do," said Goldberg's son Saul, who is the president of the firm. "His passion and charisma was infectious. This memorial to my father is such a tribute to his life."
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) is expected to join the Goldberg family for the dedication ceremony. The sign will sit just below the building of William Goldberg's corporate offices where Goldberg worked to build his company into a prestigious diamond house.
William Goldberg served as the president of the New York Diamond Dealers Club from 1978-1984, and he is given much credit for supporting women in the diamond industry, opening up the Dealers Club to the media, and making 47th Street a safer and cleaner business area. He was also known for his philanthropic efforts raising funds for the United Jewish Appeal, the Gesher Foundation, Yeshiva University, and the American Society of Yad Vashem.
Known for his love of beautiful stones, William Goldberg founded his own company in 1973 after he split off from Goldberg & Weiss. The company continues with the next generation -- run by his wife Lili and children, and son-in-law Barry Berg. His daughter Deborah also worked by his side for more than 20 years.
"Bill had the greatest ability to make an impression on someone," said Berg, "even if he met them for a short period of time." Berg is vice president of William Goldberg. "He always had something interesting to say, and it always made an impact."
The William Goldberg brand is synonymous with the most renowned gemstones in history, including the extraordinary Premier Rose, the 137 carat 'D' flawless pear shaped diamond, the 89 carat Guinea Star, and the 5.11 carat Red Shield, the largest red diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America.
I had the privilege of polishing and cutting in Bill Goldberg's factory for ten years. A truly incredible Man. May his Memory be a Blessing.
Fly Me To The Moon. I See BIG DIAMONDS!
Outer space is full of diamonds. Big Icy white Bling-Bling! Just stretch out your hand and grab a fistful!
Book your space flight now.
The story is here: Diamonds In Outer Space!
Meet The Youngest Woman To Have A D Flawless Diamond
Here she is:
The story is here:
Tiffany Comes To Wall Street
Tiffany is going to where the money is.
The company plans to open a store inside a historic building at 37 Wall St. in fall 2007. The store will serve as the building's only retailer, occupying about 7,600 square feet on the ground floor and mezzanine, Tiffany announced Tuesday.
Skyline Developers has restored the original façade of the building, a 25-store Beaux Arts-style structure designed between 1906 and 1907 by architect Francis Kimball for the Trust Company of America. The building, one of Manhattan's first skyscrapers, remains
one of the oldest high-rises on Wall Street and will be home to 373 luxury apartments beginning this fall.
Tiffany's first store opened on lower Broadway in 1837, before moving to a larger site uptown.
The new store will carry an array of Tiffany's merchandise including diamond engagement rings; Tiffany's Celebration rings; designs by Frank Gehry, Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso and Jean Schlumberger; as well as watches, gifts and accessories.
Memorial Service for Jewelry Designer Steven Kretchmer
A funeral service for jewelry designer Steven Kretchmer has been scheduled to take place 11 a.m. Sunday at the Lasher Funeral Chapel on 100 Tinker St. in Woodstock, N.Y.
Kretchmer, known for perfecting the art of tension-set jewelry, died in a motorcycle crash Saturday afternoon. He was 52.
A New York City memorial service is being planned for July 29, and a Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Scholarship in metallurgy is being created in Kretchmer's name.
Kretchmer, a Palenville, N.Y. resident, began making jewelry in 1969. In 1976, he received a bachelor of fine arts degree in jewelry and metalsmithing from RISD.
He then traveled to Milan, Italy, where he worked as a goldsmith, learning from master craftsmen. While in Italy, he met his future wife and business partner, Alma, and his stepdaughter, Claudia.
Special Jewelry Tribute to 9/11.
As a tribute to the citizens of New York City and the 100th Anniversary of JA New York, Indian designer Nayna Mehta has built a special monument as a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Mehta, a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America, designed and created a statue of the Twin Towers, set in 18-karat gold. The endeavor took 25 weeks, 38 artists, designers and technicians. The iconic structure is created of 14,080 diamonds and over 3 kilograms of gold. It will be on display at the JA New York Summer Show this July 30-Aug. 2 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.
Business and Religion Can Mix: L.A. Diamond Dealers Find Place To Worship.
Rapaport News reports on The Boys of Summer thinking ahead to the Winter and while winter may seem as far off as the end of Los Angeles' current July heat wave; nonetheless, diamantaire Avraham Nektalov knows that when sundown comes early from November through February across Los Angeles' diamond district, business demand and heavy commuter traffic make it difficult for Jewish diamond dealers to attend services in outlying areas.
Nektalov, owner of Custom Carats LLC, decided to setup a branch of Shaarei Rachamim (a Pico Robertson area synagogue) in the heart of Los Angeles at his 12th floor, 550 Pershing Square, office.
The 32-year-old Nektalov is known to his associates as a problem solver and they describe him as one of the sharpest dressers in the diamond district. Less than one year ago he named his conference room as the Downtown Shaarei Rachamim. Jewish men of Sephardic heritage (a term used to group together descendants from Spain, the Middle East and Iran) began to trickle in to the high-rise diamond district house of worship.
Some attendees donned black velvet skullcaps, others exhibited their colorful central Asian tradition of wearing an elaborately embroidered cap. The daily prayers are led by different fellows -- each chanting in their own unique accents of Russian, Hebrew, French, English, or a rarer tongue, Bukharian, but all were united in the universal Jerusalemite tune.
On any given weekday since its opening, when services are completed, coffee and tea are available to those who have some time to spare. Jewish diamond salesmen visiting from Europe or Israel find a home-away-from-home at Downtown Shaarei Rachamim too.
During the 2006 Passover holiday, when Jews refrain from eating leavened products (using matzo instead of bread plus a multitude of other products that are deemed kosher for Passover,) Nektalov hosted a bevy of Chassidic salesmen. Nektalov’s wife Leora made sure the showroom and synagogue's pantry was stocked with food for the duration of the holiday.
Nektalov was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in the former United Soviet Socialist Republic. His forebears date back to Bukhara and the Jews of Babylonia, who are specifically known for their charitable and hospitable nature. He was raised in New York and arrived in Los Angeles in 1996 with his bride.
Ten years ago, Nektalov only had a window booth, which he said extended a bit to the sidewalk. He placed a table along side the street and between selling stones, he gave out prayer books while blasting Jewish music for all to enjoy.
It is a personal mission he said to bring the vibrancy of Jewish life and the love of Torah to those who sought it in the diamond and jewelry district. Jewish pioneers arrived 150-years-ago downtown in what was then the Wild West and established homes, businesses, and conducted their religious life in Los Angeles. Those first settlers’ families dispersed across a sprawling landscape. Downtown Shaarei Rachamim’s opening marks the renaissance of Jewish observance in the same locale where it began a century and a half ago.
Following orthodox halacha (law,) a small section of the synagogue is cordoned-off with a brown, lace curtain room divider for the women’s section. On the official opening day of Downtown Shaarei Rachamim on Labor Day weekend 2005, more than a dozen females of all ages participated in the services and also helped in the serving and preparation of the breakfast.
Mathieu Attar, a diamond dealer of French-Moroccan descent, said, “In all the years I’ve been here, no one has ever dedicated such a large space, and included a permanent home for a Torah. It shows how someone can successfully divide himself between his work and religion.”
“It reminded me of the biblical story of Abraham – who waited outside his tent, greeting and serving visitors. And I said to myself …this is in America!”
Weekly prayer services are conducted each morning at 8:45 a.m. Nektalov said, “It doesn’t matter whether I’m here, or if I travel. We’re keeping the faith at Shaarei Rachamim".
Fit For a Queen
The Queen celebrates her 80th Birthday with an exhibition of her diamonds and jewels.
The exhibit, timed to celebrate the monarch's 80th birthday this year, opened July 26 to the public as part of the annual opening of the palace's state rooms.
The 80 outfits include evening gowns and personal jewelry worn by the queen at both formal occasions and private events from the 1940s to the present day.
Many are in vibrant colors -- from deep pinks to bright greens -- which the queen prefers. Several are by couturiers Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies, who worked for the queen for decades.
Check it out:
When You Think Of Canada, Do you think of Diamonds?
Nope, and I don't believe you do either.
The fact is however, that Canada does have rich diamond deposits located in their Northwest Territories which the Canadian Gov't is seeking to publicize to the world.
A new marketing initiative from Canada will provide retailers with tools, tips and techniques to promote sales of government certified diamonds from Canada. On August 11, 2006, the government of the Northwest Territories, Canada, announced this second phase of a year-old program called "Rare in Nature;" to help diamond retailers sell Canada's certified diamonds.
The Northwest Territories partnered with Arslanian Cutting Works, Polar Diamond Group, Aurora College, the City of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Tourism and other partners to establish the club. The program was officially launched during the Jewellery World Expo 2006 in Toronto, which ended August 15, 2006.
From our viewpoint, we note that the pricing of these Canadian Diamonds carry a very steep premium relative to comparable quality goods being sold here in the U.S. and this will negatively impact sales. Canada's Industry, Tourism and Investment minister Brendan Bell, take note.
Jewelery at Emmy Awards Gets Colorful.
While platinum and diamonds remain the traditional choice for the biggest award shows, many of those attending the 58th Annual Emmy Awards Sunday night opted for yellow gold and gemstones.
A-listers like Sandra Oh, Cheryl Hines and Heidi Klum all donned yellow gold jewelry, either worn alone or mixed with pieces and elements in white gold or platinum. Actresses accessorizing with gemstones included Tina Fey, Helen Mirren and Stockard Channing.
Jewelry styles overall signaled a continued withdrawal from over-the-top "bling" in favor of a more understated glamour.
While many celebrities, including Ellen Pompeo, Tyra Banks and Geena Davis, opted for diamond-intensive looks, they went for pieces that appeared more elegant than opulent.
Trends included navel-grazing necklaces, thick diamond cuff bracelets and oversized cocktail rings. No singular earring style emerged, as various celebrities selected studs, hoops, chandeliers and stilettos.
Popular jewelry designers on the Emmy red carpet this year included Neil Lane, who dressed Pompeo, Hines, Jamie Pressly and Judy Reyes; and Harry Winston, who provided jewelry to Jennifer Love Hewitt, Chandra Wilson and Sara Ramirez.
Diamond All-Star Pitcher Jeff Reardon "Saves" Himself.
Former Major League All-Star pitcher and "Saves" Leader Jeff Reardon will not serve jail time for robbing a Florida jewelry store in December.
On Monday, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Stephen Rapp found Reardon not guilty by reason of insanity, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Reardon's attorneys used a voluntary intoxication defense, claiming the athlete was taking a dozen medications that impaired his judgment following the 2004 death of his son, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Reardon had been charged with robbing Hamilton Jewelers in Palm Beach Gardens on Dec. 26, 2005, after handing an employee a threatening note. Officers later found him at a nearby eatery with a cash-filled bag but no weapon.
The newspaper reports that two court-appointed psychiatrists and two defense psychiatrists concluded that there was no reasonable explanation for Reardon's actions.
Reardon will return before Rapp in six months for a court-ordered review of the case.
What Do These Diamond Stars Have In Common?
Madonna, Johnny Depp, Sharon Stone, Axl Rose, Carl Barat and Ozzy Osbourne.
The answer is here: Star Bright
Diamond Necklace Bling-Bling!!
Pop superstar Mariah Carey has a royal admirer. Carey was preparing to entertain 20,000 fans at New York City's Madison Square Garden when the jewels arrived. Prince Azim, the son of the Sultan Of Brunei, sent the eight carat diamond and platinum necklace and matching ring to the singer by courier. A representative of Prince Azim told a delighted Carey, "We were sent by private jet to deliver this gift."
I'll Dress You In Diamonds.
Lindsay Lohan Engaged?
Ya gotta be kidding!
Lindsay Lohan caused a stir in Venice last night by going to the premier of her new film with a huge diamond ring on her wedding finger.
Rumours have been rife that Lohan is set to marry her boyfriend Harry Morton after he was spotted looking at rings in LA’s Cartier shop last week.
He is said to have proposed to the Mean Girls star after they jetted off for a break in Hawaii at the weekend.
Lohan was in Venice to promote her film ‘Bobby’ which is about the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968.
How long will this one last? Place your bets.
Do You Like Pink Diamonds?
Many people do. They are exquisite, beautiful and very rare. Also mucho, mucho expensive.
High above Manhattan streets this week some of the world's rarest and most valuable Pink diamonds were on display as Rio Tinto Diamonds of Australia brought its annual pink diamond tender to the New York City.
This year marks the first time the Argyle mine tender, which includes 65 diamonds ranging in size from about 50 points to just over 2 carats, will be conducted under the auspices of Rio Tinto Diamonds, the sales and marketing division of the Rio Tinto Group. The tender has been re-christened the Rio Tinto Diamonds Argyle Pink Tender.
Underscoring just how rare the collection is, Faye Jenkins, manager of sales and marketing for Argyle Diamonds in Western Australia, says pink production at the mine is less than 1 percent of total production, while those pinks deemed worthy enough for the tender are a significantly smaller percentage. The estimate is that for every million carats of rough diamonds produced at the mine, one carat is suitable for sale at tenders.
Exclusive clientele from around the world are invited to view the diamonds in Perth, Australia, Hong Kong, London, New York and Geneva. The viewings began late last month and bids must be in by Oct. 3. The bids are confidential and the names of successful bidders and values are not disclosed. For the first time, the company's Select Diamantaires, core customers who do business with Rio Tinto year-round, will also have an opportunity to preview the diamonds.
Diamonds represented at the tender come from a year's worth of production. The stones are cut and polished at the company's facility in Perth and then sent for grading at two independent laboratories. About 80 to 100 stones are held back from regular sales and then the tender is chosen among these. Jenkins says the offering usually includes 55 to 65 diamonds. In addition to the pink stones, this year's collection includes two diamonds in the blue to grey range.
In July, Rio Tinto released "Diamonds as Art" a limited edition catalog displaying some of the stones available at the tender.
"Last year's tender was incredibly successful and we expect even greater accomplishments in 2006," said Jean-Marc Lieberherr, general manager marketing of Rio Tinto Diamonds, in a media release. Of the 60 diamonds from last year's tender, he said 22 clients were successful with no one company dominating, which meant the stones were evenly distributed to clients around the globe.
The demand for rare pink diamonds grows unabated as does the price for these gems. Diamond pricing is generally a reflection of the market dynamics of supply and demand and with Argyle's pink diamonds, they are truly a scarce product, popular but very rare. Therefore, a one-carat, good quality white diamond would be $20,000 and the equivalent pink diamond can command $400,000."
Interest from celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham have made Pink diamonds more sought after than ever.
Fortunoff Names "Humanitarian" As New Spokeperson
Here she is, folks!
Petra Nemcova
The Fortunoff press release goes on to say:
"Supermodel and activist Petra Nemcova is the first personality associated with the brand since Lauren Bacall, who served as spokesperson 26 years ago, the company said in a media release.
Nemcova—known for her charitable endeavors as well as her beauty—will serve as the face of the company's regional advertising campaign and its fall and holiday jewelry catalogs, reaching over two million consumers nationwide.
A portion of the proceeds from select items will benefit the Happy Hearts Fund, which Nemcova founded in 2005. The fund provides aid to children who have suffered loss or hardship as a result of natural, economic or health-related disasters."
Humanitarian? Utter Blasphemy by mentioning Petra Nemcova and Mother Theresa in the same breath.
Would You Buy A Diamond Engagement Worn By A Celebrity?
Good Question. Would you be influenced?
While luxury brands are eager to get celebrities to show off their goods, the impact may be negligible, according to a new study. In fact, the survey found celebrity endorsements are twice as likely to backfire as they are to produce immediate sales results among wealthy consumers.
The Wealth Report, compiled by the Luxury Institute, finds only one percent of wealthy consumers (median income of $250,000 and net worth of $1.5 million) will buy a luxury product based on an endorsement from a celebrity. Only five percent say endorsements would increase their consideration of such purchases.
Of those surveyed, 13 percent would definitely not consider a celebrity-endorsed luxury product, and 63 percent said celebrity endorsements do not affect their decision-making at all.
But the report finds celebrity endorsements do raise awareness of luxury products and services. Of those surveyed, 18 percent said celebrity endorsements help them become aware of luxury offerings.
In terms of products, celebrities have the greatest power in promoting fashion designers, with 30 percent of those surveyed admitting celebrity influence in this category.
This Matchmaker Was A True Diamond!
"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match, find me a catch", goes the song in Fiddler On The Roof.
This Matchmaker was special.
Read it here:
Vatche Jewelry, Vatche Diamond Engagement Rings, X-Prong & Lucida Rings
I've blogged on Vatche engagement rings before, and we are obviously delighted to be an Authorized jewelry retailer for the famous designer jewelry by Vatche...but let me tell you, these guys ROCK!!
First off, their stuff is incredibly elegant and timeless. None of these gaudy and cheezy looking diamond engagement rings that are so over the top, like so many designer ring companies are putting out these days.
Look at Scott Kay, look at engagement rings by Tacori, Verragio, Michael Beaudry (or Michael B. rings..as he is affectionately known), etc.
True, some are quite beautiful. However, so many of them look like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. There is more metal on some of these diamond rings then on a prison cell!
Here, you've got a stunning ideal cut center diamond that you bought after investing so much of your time and research into buying a diamond....'cept nobody sees it, cuz they are too busy being distracted by the metal of the ring that seems to pop up out from everywhere.
This, is after all, exactly what the ring designer wants. They need to promote their own designer jewelry brand. They could give two hoots about your exquisitely brilliant center diamond. This is, therefore, exactly how they accomplish their objective. The question to ask yourself is, is this your objective too? If your diamond looks like a piece of coal, then it may not be such a bad idea. If, however, you have a top of the line diamond, cut for a balance of optical beauty and cut precision, you want your center diamond to be center of attention. The engagement ring is supposed to complement the diamond, not distract attention away from it.
A really good article on this topic can be found here.
In this endeavor, and IMO, nobody from the designer brand jewelry companies does it better than designs by Vatche, and probably the all time classics, engagement rings by Tiffany and Tiffany inspired diamond solitaire rings.
This Wedding Is Going To The Dogs
From today's Sunday London Times.
Diamonds Can End Conflict and Bring Peace to The Middle East.
From the International Herald Tribune. Let's hope this grows.
Diamonds May End This Conflict
Vegas To Get New Jewelry Center.
The City of Las Vegas and real estate developer Probity International Corporation unveiled plans for one of the largest jewelry projects in the world on October 26, 2006.
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman welcomed guests and Probity's Robert Zarnegin and Bill Boyajian to celebrate this future one-million square foot mixed-use World Jewelry Center.
The World Jewelry Center is expected to host both corporate offices and trading offices of several hundred domestic and international gem and jewelry companies. The center will also have free-standing retail jewelry stores. The complex is planned to open for business between late 2009 and mid-year 2010.world jewelry center
Altoon & Porter Architects have designed the cornerstone of The World Jewelry Center, which will be an iconic, state-of-the-art office tower (one of the tallest office buildings in Nevada.)
Artists rendition of the new Las Vegas Jewelry Center
Tenants will own their own subdivided space in the tower and the structure will include meeting and exhibition facilities, international restaurants, a private club and a fitness center.
The top floors of the tower will be dedicated to luxury residential condominiums with panoramic views of the Las Vegas sprawling, desert landscape. An adjacent three-story retail jewelry center will offer a world-class gem and jewelry museum and exhibition space for the public.
"We're very excited about this global project coming to our city," said Mayor Goodman. "The World Jewelry Center will revolutionize the jewelry industry as well as change the way people and businesses view Las Vegas.
"The entire concept of the World Jewelry Center is very progressive and will fit in well with all the other innovative, international business projects coming to our city. The tower itself will change the face of the Las Vegas skyline and become a key landmark for the city."
The Center will be built with every amenity and service in mind to make it the world's premier fully integrated, service-oriented business hub catering to international and domestic retailers, manufacturers, dealers, and wholesalers in the gem, jewelry, and pearl industries.
Other features include state-of-the-art security; secure shipping and receiving; gem grading labs and educational facilities; trade associations; and plans for a dedicated Foreign Trade Zone.
The World Jewelry Center will be located in downtown Las Vegas (not on the Strip) within the prominent master-planned community of Union Park.
Give Her This Diamond for her Engagement Ring and You'll See RED!
Liz Taylor Voted Jewelry Industry's Top Icon
Timeless, ageless, Liz Taylor Does it Again!!
House of Taylor Jewelry, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOTJ), today announced that principal
shareholder, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, graced the cover of The National
Jeweler magazine's 100th Anniversary Edition.
The venerable trade publication said Dame Elizabeth Taylor was selected
as the jewelry industry's top style icon based on an online poll of jewelry
industry professionals.
"My Love Affair with Jewelry is one of the great passions of my life. I
enjoy the special magic that precious gems radiate. I thank the members of
the jewelry community who have acknowledged the special relationship that
we have shared for so many years. This is a very thrilling celebration of
that relationship," said Dame Elizabeth.
"Everyone knows that in the world of jewelry there is no greater genius
and icon than Dame Elizabeth. This honor is richly deserved by the most
beautiful and gifted leader in the arena of fine jewelry. Everyone at House
of Taylor Jewelry joins me in congratulating our mentor and our leader,"
said Kathy Ireland.
Meet A King Of Diamond Branding
The art of creating a brand identity for any product is certainly a daunting and sometimes overwhelming task.
Creating a successful brand requires careful planning and effective strategies.
A proper and effective brand identity is crucial to the success of any company selling a niche product. The successful marketing of any product is almost always a byproduct and commensurate with the effort in launching a well designed brand image/theme for that product.
This is especially true in the world of loose diamonds and designer diamond jewelry, since it is often exceedingly difficult to differentiate one diamond from the next.
It takes the special and creative talent of a select few to successfully market a diamond brand; bringing it to the attention of the general public.
Hearts on Fire Diamonds, & The Tiffany Lucida Diamond are a few examples of successful diamond marketing.
One strategic branding and marketing agency in New York City, is spotlighted in Raymond A. Nadeau's ground-braeking new book, Living Brands: Collaboration + Innovation = Customer Fascination, for its approach to developing unique brand identities for its clients.
This company is spearheaded by Jim Feldman and his creative partner Barbara Bonn.
Nadeau calls Jim Feldman and his creative partner, Barbara Bonn, among “today’s finest creative and cultural minds.” He focuses on their work for one of the world’s largest producers of yellow diamonds; the Louis Glick Diamond Corporation. Acknowledging that customers have been “brainwashed” about the superiority of white diamonds, JFCD rejected the sentimental stereotypes of traditional jewelry marketing, instead identifying a new, fashion-oriented target market for the company’s stones, and naming them Blonde Diamonds®. The agency’s launch ad campaign featured glamorous dark-haired women and headlines such as “Meet a Natural Blonde” and “New Blonde in Town.”
Jim Feldman, President of JFCD, says, “In essence, we created the first brand-name for yellow diamond jewelry, which had always been treated as a commodity. Our campaign strategy was to engage the emotions of women for whom acquiring diamond jewelry involves self-worth, self-esteem and often self-purchase. ‘Blonde’ has connotations of luxury, sophistication and passion that resonate with these women. The humor of the headlines caught their attention; the remarkable beauty of the jewelry brought them into the stores. We love the idea that our brand name is becoming the generic for yellow diamonds.”
GIA Founder Dies.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) lost one of its founding fathers G. Robert Crowningshield --a brilliant gemologist, legendary research scientist, and industry pioneer-- who passed away at age 87 in New York.
Former vice president of the GIA Laboratory, Crowningshield is considered the father of modern gemological research in spectrometry. One of the original founders of the GIA Laboratory in New York, Crowningshield was a paramount scientist who established hard-hitting, results-oriented, ongoing research as a key tenet of the Institute. For more than 55 years, he gave selflessly to GIA and its people, building a body of gemological knowledge personally and deliberately, gemstone by gemstone.
Crowningshield made thousands of significant contributions to the study of gems. His achievements helped lay the foundation of modern gemological research, instilled credibility in the jewelry business, and made Crowningshield one of the most respected and honored men in the industry.
His career was distinguished by an extensive list of "firsts," including groundbreaking findings in the spot method of refractive index determination on Rayner and similar refractometers; spectroscope recognition of treated colored diamonds; a comprehensive study of gem-quality synthetic diamonds; and dyed jade. Crowningshield was also renowned for his expertise in nomenclature and is widely recognized for his contributions in that field, including an acclaimed 1983 treatise, "Padparadscha: What's in a Name?"
Crowningshield made fundamental advances in the understanding and identification of treated and synthetic diamonds; of colored stones such as tanzanite and amethyst, padparadscha sapphire and heat-treated corundum; and of natural and cultured pearls.
He also helped develop and teach the GIA diamond grading system, now the standard system worldwide. Along the way, he shared his wealth of practical experience in hundreds of articles, lectures and industry presentations. Crowningshield's prodigious body of published work across five decades, much of it published in Gems & Gemology, included landmark articles on his discoveries and more than 1,000 entries in the Lab Notes section alone.
In recognition of Crowningshield's immeasurable contribution to the science of gemology, GIA in 1997 formally named its research facility the G. Robert Crowningshield Gemological Research Laboratory. Acknowledged as one of the finest gemological research centers in the world, it continues the tradition of scientific advancement begun by Crowningshield in areas of gem identification and detection. It also continues to build a vast compendium of gemological information on more than 100,000 gemstones in a growing database that began with Crowningshield's own hand-drawn spectrographs of thousands of gemstones he personally identified.
A Pioneer and Star. R.I.P.
Diamond Rings By Leo Ingwer...A Jewelry Star!
Periodically, I will showcase some real talent in the world of diamond engagement rings and designer jewelry.
Previously, I blogged on the incomparable jewelers, Leon Mege, Designs by Vatche and others.
This entry is dedicated to the old and reputable manufacturing company for some of the finest diamond engagement rings and jewery designs on the market; Leo Ingwer.
Ingwer's huge selection of diamond rings, mens and womens wedding band, pendants, necklaces, and anniversary rings are of excellent quality, at competitive prices.
Our company is proud of our long relationship with this manufacturer, who does not sell to the public and we are an Authorized retailer for this brand.
Paris Hilton in The News, Again.
Paris Hilton’s spokesperson has denied that the heiress is engaged to on-and-off boyfriend Stavros Niarchos after she was spotted with a glitzy diamond ring on her engagement finger.
Paris and Stavros - and Paris’s finger gem - were spotted out and about together in Los Angeles last week and then again in Florida over the weekend.
The pair were seen looking loved up at the Ink nightclub in South Beach, Florida on Friday night and Paris even treated Stavros to a lapdance before the party, which included Paris’s sister Nicky Hilton and Brandon Davis, moved onto the Mokai club in Miami Beach.
A source told People magazine: “Not only are she and Stavros together, but they are in love.”
Elliot Mintz, Paris’ publicist, though hit back against the engagement rumours: “Paris is not engaged. She does wear rings on different hands and fingers and depending on what’s comfortable, but she is not engaged.”
WHO CARES??
Profile In Courage.
Happy Holidays.
Diamond Quandary: What Would You Do?
Teddy Allen, writing in The Shreveport Times asks this question:
"-- If you're a man and marry a jeweler, do you buy your engagement and wedding rings from her? Is it more tacky to buy from her and expect a discount, which you might not get, or buy from somewhere else so she'll be surprised? Romance is not without its questions ..."
Well, I know one thing is for sure: If you do buy it from her, you'll get the finger sizing correct on the first try.
Shane McClure of GIA Diamond Lab Wins Prestigious Award.
The Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA) has named Shane McClure of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Gem Trade Laboratory the recipient of this year's Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology.
Shane McClure
The award, named in honor of the AGA's founding father, was created to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the gemological field.
For the last 28 years, McClure has served on the staff of the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory, now located in Carlsbad, Calif., where he currently works as director of West Coast identification services, managing both gem-identification activities and numerous research projects. McClure joined the GIA in 1978 after earning his Graduate Gemologist diploma from the institute.
McClure is also an accomplished writer and photographer, and is a seven-time recipient of the Gems and Gemology award for the most valuable article, an award voted on by the readers of that journal.
Gems & Gemology, The Premier Gemology Journal published by the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory.
This year's announcement of the award winner comes before the Tucson Gem Show and Jan. 31 AGA conference—a break with the former tradition of announcing the winner at a gala following the all-day conference.
"We wanted to make the gala a celebration of the winner, so we decided to publicize the winner in advance this year," Antoinette Matlins, daughter of Antonio C. Bonanno and founder of the award, said in a statement.
The award includes a check for $2,000 and, in addition to calling attention to the outstanding contributions of the recipient, also draws attention to the responsibility of the gemological community to encourage and reward ongoing research and education.
The GIA Gem Trade Laboratory is the Leader in Diamond and Gem research and education.
Congratulations, Shane!
WhiteFlash.com Raises Awareness For Conflict-Free Diamonds
Diamond and jewelry e-tailer, WhiteFlash.com has launched a campaign to raise awareness for Conflict Free diamonds..
In conjuction with their campaign, Whiteflash.com has produced the 'Dreams of Africa’ diamond pendant to raise awareness for and bring financial relief to African children, particularly those affected by the illicit trade of rough diamonds. Co-founders Debi Wexler and Brian Gavin hold these issues close to the heart.
The pendant’s sparkling conflict-free diamonds symbolize innocence. On the other side, its bold sapphires symbolize truth. The beautiful 'A Cut Above' center stone represents mother Africa and the sweeping spirals portray the dream of expanding awareness of the plight of these children to the strong outer circle, symbolizing the world we live in. Worn near the heart, this artistic expression is intended to touch the hearts of all who share their 'Dreams Of Africa.'
WhiteFlash intends to give 100% of the profits on the pendant, which sells for $4350, to the World Centers of Compassion for Children International (WCCCI) for the children who are affected by conflict diamonds.
Whiteflash has also recently launched a separate website at www.dreamsofafrica.org with special diamond merchandise from this line as well as various other products, a "dreams of Africa" song and a blog which adresses this important topic.
Kudos to Whiteflash for this incredible initiative!
Dreams of Africa Pendant, Designed and Produced by Whiteflash.com
Golden Globe Awards Sees Mucho Bling-Bling.
So much for the Blood Diamond-fueled war between Hollywood and the diamond industry.
Celebrities from Little Miss Sunshine Abigail Breslin to The Queen Helen Mirren, sported bling at last night's 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood.
The Diamond Information Center said 82 of Hollywood's finest from film and television wore diamonds to the event.
Beyonce
Breslin, 10, star of the Globe-nominated hit Indie film, wore diamond loop earrings and a three-stone diamond-drop pendant by Harry Winston.
Helen Mirren—who won Globes for best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama for The Queen and best performance by an actress in a miniseries or motion picture made for television for Elizabeth I—wore 3-carat kite-shaped diamond earrings set in white gold, a diamond bracelet, and a Tahitian pear-shaped Golden Diamond pendant set in micro pavé on a white-gold and diamond chain by Chopard.
Actress Sienna Miller in diamond chandelier earrings from the Cartier Private Collection.
Jolie—known for her philanthropic efforts in Africa as well as her A-list association with Brad Pitt—worked with fashion stylist Jen Rade to create a glamorous look that included a vintage-style uncut-diamond necklace, earrings and bangles set in 22-karat yellow gold by Bochic.
Sienna Miller
Best actress in a motion picture drama nominee Gyllenhaal chose vintage Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry consisting of a 1937 Ludo Hexagone bracelet with the company's sapphire Mystery setting in the center with diamonds, a 1937 Pont oval sapphire bracelet with round-cut diamonds, and 1923 Pampilles earrings with sapphires and baguette-cut diamonds. All the pieces were mounted in platinum.
Penelope Cruz
Overall, top diamond trends at the Golden Globes included right-hand rings, earrings and vintage-inspired necklaces.
Diamond right-hand rings were worn by best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy nominee Beyoncé Knowles, in a 25-carat grey-, yellow- and white-diamond right-hand ring valued at $110,000 by Lorraine Schwartz; Jennifer Lopez, in a yellow-diamond right-hand ring by Lorraine Schwartz; and best actress in a motion picture drama nominee Penélope Cruz, in a diamond and platinum right-hand ring by Chopa.
Diamond earrings were worn by Jennifer Hudson, best supporting actress winner for Dreamgirls, in 19th-century old-mine-cut diamond earrings by Fred Leighton; Cruz, in diamond studs by Chopard; Lopez, in yellow- and white-diamond earrings set in yellow and black gold by Lorraine Schwartz; and Sienna Miller, in diamond chandelier earrings from the Cartier Private Collection.
Diamond necklaces were worn by Heidi Klum, in a diamond and platinum choker with diamond-heart locket, valued at $1 million; and best actress in a motion picture drama nominee Kate Winslet, in a heart-shaped diamond pendant by Chopard.
Kyra Sedgwick, best actress winner for the TV drama "Closer," in Piaget's white-gold and diamond "Golden Globe" right-hand ring.
In one of the more interesting accessory choices of the evening, Kyra Sedgwick, winner of the award for best performance by an actress in a television drama series for Closer, arrived on the red carpet with a "golden globe" already in hand. She wore Piaget's Golden Globe right-hand ring in 18-karat white gold with diamonds, which features an intricately faceted globe that reflects light as it dangles.
Kyle Sedgewick
You Can Run, But You Can't Hide. I Have X-Ray Eyes.
From this morning's Scotland Daily Record:
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A THIEF who swallowed an engagement ring was caught after police ran a metal detector over his stomach.
Then a hospital X-ray showed up the platinum and diamond sparkler in his gut, a court heard yesterday.
And police kept Simon Hooper in custody for three days until nature took its course and the £1750 ring reappeared.
Jobless Hooper was jailed for 12 weeks after he admitted the bizarre theft at the Clock House jewellery shop in Dorchester, Dorset, in November.
Jeweller Fred Burgess, 57, said after the case: "He walked in and told me his girlfriend had just had a baby and so he wanted to ask her to marry him.
"We discussed what type of ring he was after and I showed him a platinum princess cut ring from the window.
"As he held it in his hand, I turned back to the window to get two more rings but when I looked at him again the ring had gone.
"I asked him where it was and he claimed he had given it back to me. I asked him to empty his pockets.
"I still couldn't find the ring and I could only assume he had swallowed it because there wasn't anywhere else it could be.
"He was eating peppermint cream sweets at the time - I don't know if they helped him to swallow it."
Police took Hooper for an X-ray after a strip search failed to produce the ring.
Even when it appeared on the image, Hooper claimed it was a piece of foil he had eaten by accident. But police refused to swallow his story and put him in a cell.
Justine Gayford, prosecuting, told Blandford magistrates: "By the following day, the ring had still not passed, so his detention was extended by magistrates for 36 hours.
"By November 26, his time was up and at that moment he passed a single stool which contained the diamond ring."
Hooper, from Fordington, Dorchester, who is still with his long-term girlfriend, avoided paying compensation to the jeweller because the ring was recovered.
But Mr Burgess said another buyer had backed out after being told the ring's history.
The jeweller said: "I had to tell her what had happened. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't want the ring now.
"I don't want to sell the ring in my shop now I know where it has been so it will be polished up then sold through the trade.
Desmond Reynolds, defending, said Hooper's judgment had been affected by alcohol."
What's In A Diamond-Jewelry "Name"?
Do "Brand" names make a difference in the purchasing decision of consumers?
They do if the "Brand" stands for consistent quality over time.
In the world of Diamonds and Jewelry, The Luxury Institute of New York ranked leading jewelry brands based upon results from a high net-worth customer survey. The Institute's 2007 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey of luxury jewelry, ultra-wealthy consumers rated Harry Winston the leading brand by a wide margin. Buccellati ranked second, slightly above third-place Cartier, among 20 luxury jewelry brands surveyed.
Brands rated, in alphabetical order, included: Asprey, Blue Nile, Boucheron, Buccellati, Bulgari, Carrera y Carrera, Cartier, Chanel, Chopard, David Yurman, De Beers LV, Dior, FRED, Graff, Gucci, Harry Winston, Mikimoto, Piaget, Tiffany, and Van Cleef and Arpels.
Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute, said they developed the brand reputation survey at the request of luxury CEOs to provide objective, independent tracking metrics that luxury executives can use to efficiently gauge where they and their competitors stand with wealthy and ultra-wealthy consumers. The Institute considers high net-worth consumers to be those who have a minimum household income of $200,000 and a net worth of $5 million.
"Many luxury brand market research teams use our surveys as a 'second independent opinion' versus their own internal surveys. This year's survey includes a new 'brand referral' metric, as well as 'next brand purchase intent' metrics to better understand the strength of each brand," Pedraza said.
Beautiful Diamond Choker For Heidi Klum!
My Dad blogged recently on some of the gorgeous diamond jewelry worn by the celebrities at this years recent Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
He left out one particularly stunning piece worn by an equally beautiful celebrity!
Supermodel Heidi Klum strolled down the red carpet at the Golden Globes in this diamond choker with a stunning locket from her Heidi Klum Collection for Mouwad.
Excel Diamonds Has A Customer For Life!
Here is a beautiful and heartfelt testimonial we received yesterday for Excel Diamonds.com.
This diamond testimonial was originally posted on a popular diamond discussion forum, here.
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Having been ripped off in the past by a Portland, OR-based internet jeweler, I was skeptical about buying a substantial piece of jewelry online again. Let’s face it, wiring thousands of dollars to someone you don’t know for something you haven’t seen in person can be a leap of faith, add the fact that you’ve been burned once before, and it’s even more stressful!
I was looking for a shared prong eternity band, wasn’t sure of carat weight, but I wanted something blindingly substantial. I’m wise to the 200% - 300% mark-up scams and hard-sell tactics of bricks and mortar jewelers, so buying locally wasn’t an option. What to do, what to do? I contacted 3 internet-based jewelers about this piece and based on my gut feeling, one stood out from the rest…it was Judah at Excel Diamonds.
In my early communication, I mentioned wanting 5 carats, but Judah advised me to go with 4 saying, “the price differential would be significant and the ring would not look better, IMO…I’d love to take your monies on a bigger and more expensive ring, but not at the expense of my integrity and honesty.” Wow! There’s something different for you
I’d initially contacted Barry and Judah in early December and despite being right in the middle of the holiday rush, Judah always responded to my emails within an hour or two. When he hadn’t heard from me in a couple of weeks, he sent an email to find out if I was still shopping for a ring. It was great that he cared enough about my business to follow-up.
During those weeks, I was shopping locally to get a feel for carat weight, color and clarity. Similar rings were only available at high-end stores, and the color and clarity was inferior to what Judah was offering for about 1/3 the price of what the local stores were asking, and they wouldn’t even talk “cut” with me saying that it didn’t matter in an eternity band. Really???
I finally placed my order about a month after my first contact with Excel, Judah really earned it! He spent a lot of time with me in the month leading up to my purchase. He never dismissed me as a “browser”. He promptly and patiently answered every question I had (including the stupid ones), even before I’d committed to placing an order.
Once ordered, Judah said it would be about 3 weeks before they could deliver the ring. 3 weeks is an eternity when you’re waiting for a 4 carat sparkly, so I followed up with him early in the second week and he told me the wait was still as expected, but 2 days later on my way home from work, I got the call that my ring was ready and would be overnighted!
Now, the moment of truth…
Judah delivered exactly what he’d promised! A substantial ring, 16 quarter carat stones, white and full of fire, set in a nice heavy platinum setting. It’s even nicer than the two I saw locally for 3 times the price, and people (including me) constantly stare at it! I was having some other pieces repaired by a local high-end jeweler, and the saleswoman wanted to know where I got the ring, and called her coworker over to ogle it. Yes, it’s THAT stunning!
Excel diamonds has a customer for life! This is the first that a piece of jewelry has exceeded my expectations, I’m tough to please, but I couldn’t be happier, and I will be back for more!
I still need to have my ring appraised, and will post an update (and some hand photos) once that’s in, but my guy is booked for a while and I wanted to get this testimonial up ASAP because the guys at Excel really deserve it!
MissS.
Now, the eye candy…
Designer Diamond Engagement Rings by Kelege
Diamond engagement rings by designer Jack Kelege has been catching my eye recently.
Beautiful diamond rings by Jack Kelege
This guy has some really beautiful and unique engagement ring designs and does a superb job of mixing precious metals with precious gemstones!!
We wish him the best of luck and applaud him for his beautiful and tasteful diamond jewelry designs!
Please visit www.jackkelege.com for more information.
SuperbCert Diamond Competes With Solasfera, Hearts on Fire, and Wins!
We just got a beautiful testimonial from one of our satisfied customers for our exclusive SuperbCert Signature Hearts & Arrows Diamonds. In fact, the testimonial is so nice and based on extensive and exhaustive research I feel compelled to share it here on our diamond information blog for our many Diamond Vues readers.
The fact that I have also received permission to share a few photos of this beautiful and photogenic young couple, is an added bonus and icing on the cake!!
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Hi Barry,
I hope you are doing well. Everything went great and she said Yes :-). She loves the diamond :-). I think she has decided that she wants a different style setting than the Tiffany though. Even though she thinks it's beautiful she has her heart set on a different style, so I will confirm with her today, since I think today is our 10th day, and see what she wants to do. I love the simplistic elegance of the Tiffany and the fluted prongs, and the way it draws attention to the center diamond, but I guess she's the one that has to wear it.
Since we have been looking at settings the past few days it has given me a chance to compare the Superbcert with all of the other diamonds on the market that claim to be the best in the world, and the Superbcert blew them all out of the water!! I was able to compare it to the Leo, Peerless, Solasfera, Hearts on Fire, and AGS000 and GIA EX EX ideal cuts.
The Superbcert gave off more light than all of the other diamonds, even though they were loose and hers is mounted.
It was most apparent while the diamond was moving. One thing that really stood out to me was the color difference. Even when we would compare it to an equivalent F VS2 the Superbcert was noticeably whiter against all of the best branded cuts out there. It even looked whiter than the E's we saw.
It was particulary impressive when the Superbcert was better than an equivalent size Hearts on Fire that cost $30,000 vs. $11,800 for the Superbcert!!
Actual Photo of this SuperbCert Diamond in the SuperbCert Tiffany Channel Diamond Replica Ring.
We took the ring to be appraised by a Gemologist that has been doing appraisals for 34 years, and he said that it was cut as closely to ideal as you can get, and he appraised it for $18,000.
At all of the retail stores in the mall that we saw, a similar diamond would have been at least $6,000 to $10,000 more. So we are both very happy, and I think that not only did we get the most beautiful diamond there is, but we got it at a phenomenal price.
Also, everything that we received was top notch quality and class. The ring box is beautiful and really complimented the diamond and platinum. I also enjoyed the toolkit and I spent at least several hours being fascinated with examining the Superbcert and the two CZ's. Even the brochure was great! She wanted to know why I was so obsessed with comparing the diamond to all of the other ones out there, and one night she read the brochure and then understood why, because I wanted to get her the best because she is the best :-).
I proposed at the Drake hotel in downtown Chicago. The Drake is an older hotel with much history and is very elegant and romantic. She thought we were just going there for a weekend getaway, and thought that I would propose on Valentine's day instead. When we first arrived we went for afternoon tea which is a tradition at the Drake. They have a harp player there and the setting is relaxing and beautiful. Afterwards we had to find a store that sold camera cards because she forgot hers, and I was a little nervous walking around downtown chicago knowing that I had the ring in my pocket. We got back to the room and got ready for dinner, which was a surprise since she didn't know where we were going. Right before we left I told her I had a surprise for her and I gave her a box of gold covered chocolates (I saw them on one of Judah's blog posts, and even though they were ridiculously expensive, I thought it would make for a memorable experience. Thanks Judah :-)). With the chocolate was a card that said "Happy anniversary, I want to show you how much I love you so go to www.joeloveslisa.com and watch and listen. This was a website that I made for her that had pictures and songs of us throughout our dating. You have to click the heart to start the slideshow playing.
After she watched the slideshow I told her that I had something else for her. I then presented her with a long white box. She opened it and saw a preserved rose plated in platinum. It was in a presentation case and on the top of the case I had a plaque inscribed with "I love you endlessly and eternally, Will you Marry Me? Joe" She didn't see the plaque at first and when she turned it over she got the shock of her life :-).
Lisa with Her Rose
I then knelt down and asked her to marry me and presented her with the ring and she said yes. After that I then told her I had one more thing. She had always jokingly said that if I ever proposed that her dog needed a ring too, LOL, so I found a stuffed dog toy engagement ring in a stuffed toy box and presented it to her with pictures of my dogs inside, LOL, and we got a good laugh out of it. After that I told her where we were going for dinner which was the Green Dolphin jazz club where we had first met. I then told her that not only were we eating there but that Lynne Jordan, her favorite singer, would be there, so she was very happy. We had dinner and then we went and listened to Lynn. Lynn made an announcement that we had just got engaged, and she dedicated a song to us that we got up and danced to alone in front of everyone there. We then stayed a while and listened to music and had some champagne and apple martinis. We got back to the room and opened the door, and she saw a trail of rose petals that led to the bed and they were arranged in a heart pattern on the bed. I had the concierge arrange it while we were gone :-).
Joe & Lisa...what a stunning couple!
I really appreciate all of the help and honesty that you and Judah gave me, and I appreciate the extra effort you guys made in getting the ring done so that I could present it to her on the special day that I had planned. Even though I bugged you guys mercilessly with questions on diamonds, settings, and when the ring would be done, you never lost patience with me and were always willing to help and talk. I have an industrial equipment business that has a website, and I have learned a lot from dealing with you guys about how to bring a personal touch and excellent customer service to such an impersonal medium as the internet. I'm starting to incorporate these things into my business and I'm already seeing positive results from it. Who knows, maybe with incorporating the things that I learned from you guys it may pay for the ring, LOL.
Thanks,
Joe
P.S. I'll send the pics in a separate email in case the size is too big. Also, I'll post a testimonial on Diamond talk tomorrow so that everyone can know what a great diamond and buying experience I had :-)
Master Jeweler & Designer Wins Prestigious Award
The recent 2007 Spectrum Awards Competition for the jewelry industry, showcased some of the best, finest, and most unique designs in colored gemstone jewelry.
One particular jewelry designer who immediately caught my attention, is master jeweler Alan Friedman.
Friedman won an award in the mens jewelry category for first place, second place, and third place!!
Here is a photo of his third place winner; a beautiful pair of cufflinks with 14 blue sapphires set in 18kt. red and white gold.
third place winner
This guy is the real deal and deserves an honorable mention in my "Diamond Stars" category as a master jeweler and designer who is at the top of his field in creating breathtaking custom diamond jewelry.
Check out these two incredibly beautiful custom made diamond rings, also by Alan Friedman.
Breathtakingly beautiful diamond jewelry by Alan Friedman
Stunning Diamond Jewelry By Rina Limor of J.R. Gold
Recently, I've come across some really exquisite jewelry designs by jewelry designer, Rina Limor of J.R. Gold Designs.
Rina Limor - Jewelry Designer
Her expertly crafted diamond jewelry is so unique and tasteful, it is almost incomparable even amongst competing designer jewelry creations.
We wish J.R. Gold designs the best and hope you'll check out their beautiful designs on the web.
Stunning pearl and 4.89 carat diamond bracelet by Rina Limor
Price: $17,760.00
Blue Topaz & Diamond Fashion Earrings by Rina Limor
Price: $2208.00
Wedding Rings and Walt Disney: Perfect Together!
Every girl fantasizes about being Cinderalla and being swept off their feet by Prince Charming!
Well, Gals, now you can make your fantasy a definite REALITY!!!
Walt Disney has made a fortune of money turning little girls into princesses. Now Disney is going one step further by targeting big girls and the multi billion dollar bridal business by coming out with a line of bridal dresses and accessories.
Teaming up with fashion designer Kirstie Kelly, brides will be able to walk down the aisle in dresses inspired by Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine or Ariel. At a cost of $1,100 to $3,000 for each gown, brides will be transformed into their favorite princesses, complete with billowing gowns and crystal tiaras.
The full story is here: Cinderalla Diamond Wedding!
Bling Bling Diamond Night At The Oscars!!
If last nights Oscars is any indication of where our "society" stands on issues, then the recent "blood diamond" movie by Leonardo DiCaprio did little to hurt the diamond industry.
Indeed, the night was dominated as much by the major diamond bling bling and 'drool worthy" diamond jewelry, as by the stars who wore them.
Jennifer Hudson showed up at the ceremony looking radiant in an 80’s cropped jacket over an Oscar de la Renta chiffon gown. To accentuate the look, she had beautiful Fred Leighton diamonds on.
Jessica biel actully looked pretty drab and boring...fortunately her bling bling (earrings and a stunning diamond bracelet) picked up the slack.
Best Actress Helen Mirren looked ageless as always in a floral Christian Lacroix gown capped with embroidered lace and an absolutely eye popping 62-carat Chopard diamond brooch.
Rachael Weiz looked the quintissential Oscar actress in a platinum satin Vera Wang gown and a breathtaking vintage diamond Cartier pendant.
Penelope Cruz sparkled in Versace with Chopard diamonds.
Nicole Kidman looked a bit too ready for Christmas in a crimson Balenciaga dress with a huge bow. The saving grace was her custom L’Wren Scott diamond bracelet. Pregnant Naomi Watts didn't fare much better (imo) with her old school retro look, but provided the necessary distraction with some major bling bling of her own...
Eva Green looked absolutely awful and even her fashionable diamond earrings couldn't save her.
My advice; get a new hairstylist and fire your personal shopper!
I'm not sure what Cameron Diaz was thinking with her off-the-shoulder white satin Valentino gown that looked more like a bad tablecloth. In fairness though..... maybe she wasn't "thinking" at all, given she's probably still messed up from all that weed she was caught smoking with Drew Barrymore yesterday in Hawaii. Might also explain the weird pigeon feet stance in the photo and the goofy "howdy doody" grin/wave.....
Really...who cares though...bottom line is; she was wearing 2.9 MILLION (yes that's right..) dollars worth of smoking Catier jewelry!!! Gotta love her just for that!!
Gwyneth probably should have stayed home...
This...whatever...was an apricot tulle-and-chiffon Zac Posen gown.
Who knows...maybe she's angling for a role as a mermaid in the next film.......
Kirsten Dunst sported a look that alternated between laughable and forgettable in this Holloween Peacock costume. Even her jewelry did little to avert attention away from the mess that was her "gown". She definitely wins the "worst dressed" award of the 2007 Oscars. Here is a mantra that might help... "Spider-man - 3"...Spider Man - 3"....Spider Man - 3"...........
Well....Katie Holmes looked great and Tommy boy wasn't jumping up and down on a couch.....an altogether successful evening for both.....
Kate Winslet looked happy in this lime green Valentino with yellow Choppard diamonds.
Beyonce selected a stunning array of diamond jeweles to accentuate her gown...or whatever little there was of it...
J.Lo looked more like Julius Ceasar...but hubby, Marc Anthony was happy so that's all that really matters..... Is she Preggers??
Cate Blanchett looked absolutely captivating with an Armanai Privé gown and Lorraine Schwartz diamonds!
See The Diamond Jewelry List For Celebs at 2007 Oscars!
This weeks Oscars was full of diamond bling bling.
Ineed, there were so many dazzling diamond jewelry pieces, it was hard to tell who wore what...
Nicole Kidman's diamond bracelet
Naomi Watts looks radiant with this gorgeous diamond necklace.
IDEX Online did a great job of putting together a comprehensive list of what each Hollywood celebrity wore in terms of fashion diamond jewelry.
See the full list here!
Wedding Bells Ring For This Special Couple
Once in a while we hear or read a story so touching, it literally brings tears to our eyes.
I read such a story this morning and I'd like to share it with you all.
It is a story of courage and bravery under the most adverse conditions and how nothing can conquer the the human spirit and the unyielding power of love.
Married couple Dawn Berry and Robert Carter after their moving ceremony at St Richard's
hospice in Worcester. Picture by John Anyon
Read their story and live differently today.
Diamond Engagement Rings By Lieberfarb
I just got a chance to view some beautiful diamond engagement rings by Lieberfarb.
Lieberfarb designs are beautiful in that they manage to be elegant and classic while incorporating some modern elements at the same time.
Designs by Lieberfarb advertisement
Needless to say, I was very impressed with engagement rings by Lieberfarb.
Check them out at www.lieberfarb.com
Billionaires Love Diamonds and Jewelry!
Beth Braverman of National Jeweler has an excellent posting on how the jewelry industry and billionaires seem to get along incredibly well!
Indeed, a good chunk of the people on Forbes' recently released list of the world's 947 billionaires in 2007 have some connection to the diamond and jewelry industry.
Ranked at No. 2 (behind Bill Gates) is Warren Buffett, worth $52 billion, whose company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns several of the country's top jewelry chains, including Helzberg Diamonds, Borsheim's and Ben Bridge Jeweler.
Warren Buffett Loves Diamonds.
With only half the fortune of Buffett, Bernard Arnault ranks No. 7 on the list. Worth $26 billion, Arnault owns 51 percent of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, and serves as chairman of both companies. LVMH owns a bevy of luxury brands, including TAG Heuer and Zenith.
Francois Pinault, worth $14.5 billion, appears at No. 34 on the list. Pinault is the majority shareholder of luxury goods group PPR, which owns Gucci, Boucheron and Bedat & Co. He also owns Christie's auction house.
Want to Buy A Diamond Mine? Grab Your Checkbook.
The London Financial Times reports today that Debeers is looking to sell one its most famous diamond mines...The Cullinan Mine.
Cullinan, which was first opened in 1902 and includes the legendary 3,106 carat Cullinan Diamond among its gems, is still a major mine. It produced 1.3 million carats in 2006. By comparison, the Letseng mine in Lesotho which Gem Diamonds bought in 2006 for around R860 million and which was the main reason for Gem's successful London listing last month produces only 50,000 carats annually, though Gem is now investing to double that rate of production.
Cullinan will make an attractive acquisition opportunity, says James Allan of corporate advisory firm Allan Hochreiter. The problem for most diamond explorers and juniors is to get their first project developed into a producing mine. De Beers is now putting one up for grabs, says Allan.
Some diamond industry executives are confused by De Beers' decision to sell such a valuable asset. The group is also selling its underground operations at Kimberley, but they have already been shut down.
One CEO says: "I don't understand why they are selling Cullinan when everybody is scrambling to secure production volumes, given the predicted shortage of rough diamonds. The sale seems to be part of a radical shakeup of De Beers by new managing director Gareth Penny, who took over last year."
De Beers spokesman Tom Tweedy says Cullinan no longer fits into the new De Beers business model, which is focused more upon profitability than production volumes. He points out that Cullinan's output will be replaced by production from two new operations: The Voorspoed mine in the northern Free State, which will produce about 1 million carats annually, and the 250,000 carats a year that De Beers expects to recover from new marine operations off the west coast of South Africa. Until now De Beers has carried out marine mining only off Namibia.
For the past decade De Beers has been considering extending the life of Cullinan through a project called the C-Cut. This would have cost around R6 billion and would have involved a new mine at greater depths on the kimberlite pipe, which is being mined at Cullinan. De Beers shelved the C-Cut project several years ago, citing the negative impact of the strength of the rand against the dollar.
Tweedy says De Beers estimates Cullinan's remaining life at five years without the C-Cut, meaning operations would shut down in about 2012. There are two key attractions for would-be buyers of Cullinan. The first is that junior diamond mining companies might be able to operate at Cullinan more cheaply than De Beers, because of lower overheads. That would improve profitability and probably extend the life of the mine, so delaying the need for a project like C-Cut. Secondly, Cullinan like Letseng is an unusual mine in that it's known to produce large diamonds of greater than 100 carats on an erratic basis. Such diamonds are extremely valuable.
Since Gem bought Letseng, the mine has produced two stones of this type, of 603 carats and 216 carats. The 603-carat stone sold for $12.4 million, equivalent to $20,500/carat. The average value of the production from Cullinan is $50/carat but the large stones sell for around $10,000/carat and upwards. It's not all good news for would-be buyers, because of the sensitivity of the net present value calculations on the worth of the mine to the discovery of these large stones.
One industry executive says: "Assume that 2 percent of a mine's production comes in the form of that kind of stone. A minor positive adjustment to the recovery rate or the valuation per carat of those stones can treble the estimated net present value. A minor negative change can result in a negative net present value."
Mining is a risk-taking business and some diamond industry executives believe De Beers is selling because it is no longer prepared to accept the risk at Cullinan. Not only would it have to invest around R6 billion, but the group faces paying the proposed 6 percent royalty on turnover from 2009, which could be fatal for a marginal operation.
There's one other aspect: Within the next 10 years, De Beers must start to prepare for the shift to underground mining from open-cast mining at its three most important mines Venetia in South Africa and Orapa and Jwaneng in Botswana. One of De Beers' biggest problems, says the executive, is going to be finding the technical skills to handle these projects, so management may have decided not to waste time and effort on Cullinan.
The "Star of The South" Diamond. Trouble In Paradise.
The Times of India reports this morning that The Star of the South, one of the most famous diamonds in the world, may become the latest bone of contention between scions of the royal Gaekwad family of Baroda.
Star of The South Diamond.
The 128.8-carat diamond has been shown as a part of the disputed property of the royal family, like the Baroda Pearls. But the diamond that surfaced in Mumbai has already been sold, while the hammer is yet to strike on Baroda Pearls at Christie's. The Star of the South was bought by Cartier.
The value of the diamond is estimated to be $94 million on the international market. In a recent book titled 'After Ambassadors, Before Dukes', author KRN Swamy dedicates an entire chapter 'The Most Flamboyant Maharani' to Sita Devi, the second wife of Maharaja Pratapsinh Gaekwad.
The author states, "The jewelry world lost traces of the Star of the South and English Dresden diamonds, until they emerged recently in Amsterdam, and were bought by the famous jeweler firm Cartier." Interestingly, Sangramsinh, the youngest son of Pratapsinh, has been claiming that the Star of the South is among the heirlooms that is under dispute and was in possession of the palace here.
"In fact, the diamond, along with other world famous diamonds like 'The Akbar Shah' and 'The Empress Eugenie', among others, was in the list of properties disclosed in wealth tax returns furnished by late Fatehsinhrao Gaekwad as on March 31 1988. Later even his wife Shantadevi had mentioned the diamond in her wealth tax returns," said Sangramsinh's lawyer Kailash Jethmalani. "We are tracing the route through which the diamond reached Cartier and are examining possible legal action," Jethmalani said.
Discovered in 1853 in Brazil by a slave woman working in a mine, gemologists record that the Star of the South was originally sold at a modest sum of $3,000, after which the purchaser disposed it in Rio de Janeiro for $30,000. The rough stone passed through many hands before it was sold to Costers of Amsterdam for $35,000 and cut to a cushion-shaped stone with a faint pinkish-brown hue.
It was purchased by Halphen and Associates of Paris and was given the name the Star of the South. It changed hands and eventually was sold to prince Malharrao. Its last recorded presence in India was in around 2002, when Cartier bought it from Rustomjee Jamsetjee of Mumbai.
"Breakfast at Tiffany's", this isn't.
Verragio Jewelry and Engagement Rings. | Meet The Designer!
I was always impressed with jewelry designs by Verragio.
In my opinion, Verragio is one of the best designers of exquisite diamond engagement rings and bridal jewelry. His engagement ring designs are quite timeless and I would say he is up there with the likes of Vatche, Scott Kay, Ritani, and Tacori.
Bridal Jewelry by Verragio.
To see how he made his debut in the jewelry marketplace, read this excellent short blurb by The Jewelry-Weblog.
Phyllis Bergman is Enterprising Woman Of The Year.
Monica Smiley, publisher and CEO of Enterprising Women Magazine, has announced that Phyllis Bergman, president of Mercury Ring Corporation, is a 2007 Enterprising Women of the Year Award Winner.
The Enterprising Women of the Year Award honors the country's finest women entrepreneurs and their remarkable success. The award recognizes winners as leaders who have mentored and given back to other women in business, and have had a profound impact on their community. Award recipients were honored at a gala dinner on Feb. 23 at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Famous Fancy Yellow Tiffany Diamond Now On Display
One of the largest fancy yellow diamonds ever discovered, the Tiffany Diamond, has made its debut in the U.S. capital at Washington’s Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Tiffany's Bird on a Rock
The diamond, which weighed 287.42 carats when unearthed in South Africa in 1877, will be on display until September 23.
The diamond was named after its purchaser, Tiffany & Co., and subsequently cut into a cushion shape of 128.54 carats with 82 facets, 24 more than what is customary.
The cut stone is now part of the “Bird on a Rock” jewel, designed in the early 1960s by jewelry designer Jean Schlumberger. The “bird” is gold and platinum with white and yellow diamonds with a ruby eye.
The display of the diamond follows a $1.1 million Tiffany & Co. Foundation donation to the Smithsonian in June 2006. The gift established an endowment for the acquisition of gemstones for the Smithsonian’s collection.
According to the Smithsonian, the gems and minerals halls of its National Museum of Natural History attract more than five million visitors a year. The National Gem Collection, started in 1884, includes the Hope Diamond, the most popular museum object in the world.
Via: IDEX
Hey Mom! You're Special!
Consumers are expected to spend $15.73 billion this Mother's Day on jewelry, flowers, clothing and even trips to the spa, according to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2007 Mother's Day Consumer Actions and Intentions survey.
According to the survey, conducted by Big Research, consumers are expected to spend an average of $139.14 on the holiday, compared to $122.16 in 2006.
The study found that the majority of consumers (84.5 percent) plan to celebrate this year, and will spend nearly $1.6 billion on clothes and accessories (37 percent), $2.1 billion on jewelry (32.8 percent), $2.3 billion on flowers (72.4 percent) and $3.1 billion on a special dinner or brunch at mom’s favorite restaurant (61 percent).
Other popular gifts for the holiday include greeting cards (86.8 percent), gift certificates (39.3 percent), books or CDs (29.3 percent), housewares or gardening tools (18.5 percent), and consumer electronics or computer-related accessories (11.3 percent). In recent years, pampering mom with a personal-service gift such as a trip to the spa or beauty salon has become a favorite gift choice, with 19.7 percent of consumers planning on spending $1.3 billion on these gifts. Last year, only 14.5 percent of consumers purchased this type of service for mom.
A large majority (37.5 percent) of gifts will be purchased at a specialty store such as a florist, jeweler or electronics store. About a quarter of consumers will shop at a discount store, 29 percent will head to a department store and 2.9 percent will buy from a catalog. As online shopping continues to become a favorite way to shop, 20 percent of consumers will shop for mom online, compared to only 16.9 percent who did so last year.
"Although it's hard to measure our love for mom, consumers continue to spend on special, one-of-a-kind gifts for her," Big Research Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. "Luxury gifts such as jewelry and special services such a gift card to a spa allow mom to indulge on something she normally does not spend her own money on."
Men plan to spend the most this Mother's Day, with the average male consumer planning to spend $172.91, compared to women's estimated $107.18. Shoppers ages 25-34 will spend the most this year ($151.42), followed by 35-44 year olds ($147.30), 55-64 year olds ($138.14) and 18-24 year olds ($137.73).
The NRF 2007 Mother's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey polled 7,859 consumers from April 4-11. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent.
Bill Gates and Engagement Rings.
When Bill Gates speaks, people sit up and listen, seriously. The Oracle of High Tech speaking at a forum in Beijing forcast some of the high tech innovations for the Internet that are literally just around the corner.
Bill Gates and Engagement Rings
Just imagine how easy, pleasant, and delightful it will be to shop on-line for your diamond engagement ring!
Interactive videos, live demonstrations, perhaps even a robotic arm coming out of your computer screen and handing you that beautiful setting and diamond to examine!
Rod Serling would be proud!
Fishing For Diamonds
DeBeers, the Diamond cartel is going "fishing" for Rough Diamonds.
National Jeweler reports that De Beers is taking another plunge into marine diamond mining, this time in South Africa, with its announcement of the naming and blessing of "Peace in Africa," the first marine diamond mining vessel to operate in South African waters.
The ship, which was christened Friday, will allow De Beers to mine for marine diamonds in the Atlantic Ocean off Namaqualand in the Northern Cape Province. De Beers will use technology similar to the type that has been deployed off the Namibian coast, where marine production has reached about a million carats per year. Namibia's marine diamonds account for more than half of the nation's total production, exceeding that of its land-based mines.
Peace in Africa is equipped with a large undersea tracked mining tool called a "crawler" and also has a specialized diamond-recovery treatment plant on board. De Beers has invested a billion rand (about $141.6 million) in the project.
"The production expected from the South African Sea Areas offers the prospect of additional, good quality, profitable diamond production for De Beers, which will make a valuable contribution to the South African economy," David Noko, managing director of De Beers Consolidated Mines, said in a statement from De Beers.
Mining is expected to start in June, and, once fully commissioned, the mining vessel is expected to yield approximately 240,000 carats a year, with an estimated lifespan of 30 years. De Beers will consider adding more vessels in the area if production exceeds expectations, the company says.
"We believe that this new venture illustrates our confidence in the future of diamond mining in South Africa, coming as it does just six months after the start of construction of the company's other new mine, the one-million-carat-a- year Voorspoed Mine in the Free State," Noko said.
Noko also commented on the positive impact that the mining vessel will increasingly make on the economic prospects in the communities in the Northern Cape coastal region, and noted that during the development of the project, 76 percent of the total local procurement spend in South Africa went to Black Economic Empowerment companies.
'I lost my legs on 7/7 but vowed I'd stand by Lisa on our wedding day'
On the morning that Dan Biddle was blown apart by a terrorist's bomb, his fiance Lisa Flint was dreamily planning their wedding day.
She'd chosen her princess-style ivory gown, colourful bouquet and co-ordinating bridesmaids dresses and the home they shared was filled with bridal magazines.
But their fairytale exploded at 9.17am on July 7, 2005. On his way to work, Dan took the full force of a suicide bomb at Edgware Road underground station.
He lost both legs, his left eye, his spleen and 87 pints of blood, spending five weeks in a coma as Lisa sat by his bedside, urging him to survive.
Click here to read the full story of this courageous couple's triumph over adversity.
Ellis Receives GIA Award
Brook Ellis, the Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) vice president of education, has been given the 2007 Distance Education and Training Council's (DETC) Distinguished Service Award.
Brook Ellis (left) received the 2007 Distinguished Service Award from Mike Lambert, DETC executive director.
According to the DETC, the award is one of the highest and most coveted awards in distance education worldwide. It is given to individuals in the distance-education field for outstanding service that has enhanced the image of distance education or significantly furthered the work of the DETC.
Ellis has held his position with the GIA since 1996 and served on its board of governors from 1983-1995. He is a past director of the American Gem Society (AGS) and chairperson of the AGS's Examination Committee. In addition, he was formerly vice president of fine jewelry for Henry Birks and Son Ltd. in Canada.
"Brook Ellis is deeply respected and admired in the distance-education field, and GIA's global reputation for the highest academic quality in the distance-education community is legendary," DETC Executive Director Michael P. Lambert said in a statement. "Quality is not an accident. Ellis and the GIA team are thoughtful, accomplished leaders in our profession."
In awarding Ellis the plaque, Marie Sirney, chairman of the DETC Awards Committee and executive vice president of the American Graduate University, said, "The members of the DETC know Brook's position at GIA requires a great deal of responsibility and hours of international travel, yet he still devotes an enormous amount of his personal time to the DETC. It's a great pleasure to award this distinguished service award to Brook—his outstanding support for distance education has more than earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues."
62 Year Old Wins Gemology Award!
Knowledge is a wonderful thing and something no one can take away from you.
Rapaport News reports that Gayle Webb, a gemologist working in the Geosciences Unit at the Australian Museum of Natural History in Sydney, has become the first woman in Australia to be awarded a research diploma in gemology by the Gemmological Association of Australia (GAA.)
The diploma is one of the highest accolades given by the GAA recognizing outstanding, original research in which the applicant must provide a thesis that forms a distinct and original contribution to gemology. Only five diplomas have been awarded since the GAA was founded in 1945.
Webb’s thesis is entitled Ruby Suites from New South Wales; their chemistry, color, and origin, was a comprehensive study of ruby suites from seven alluvial gem localities in New South Wales, Australia.
Rubies are the red variety of the aluminum oxide mineral, corundum. Particular localities in New South Wales produce a range of pink, red, and purple corundum in addition to the more common blue, yellow, and green sapphires.
The study was based upon trace element analyses of a range of pink to red corundum samples from each locality. The analyses were done on the PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) probe at the Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation (ANSTO,) Lucas Heights.
The PIXE technique needs no sample preparation and is non-destructive. It works by directing an ion beam to the surface of the sample. The changed particles destabilize electrons in their path, causing them to give off x-rays. Energies of these x-rays are characteristic of an element, thereby enabling trace elements to be identified and also quantified.
Elements with atomic weights between those of aluminum and uranium can be analyzed by this method. “This technique was useful for my samples because the chromophores of corundum lie within this range,” explained Webb.
The analyses gave trace element concentrations for each individual grain, providing valuable insight into causes of color. The stones were further studied for their gemological properties and inclusions.
Webb's field work was primarily set in and around New South Wales where she collected and worked on gem concentrations.
GAA's chairman Bill Sechos said, "Webb's thesis is the first in-depth gemological study of Australian ruby occurrence and provides a welcome addition to information on Australian gemstones, especially the rare ruby of Australian origin."
So far, Webb has completed a fellowship with the GAA, earned diplomas for diamond technology and for research in gemology. She also holds a bachelor's degree and post-graduate diploma in museum studies.
Congratulations, Gayle!
Gomelsky Wins Jewelers Press Award
The Jewelry Information Center (JIC) honored Victoria Gomelsky for exceptional coverage of the fine-jewelry and watch industries at a luncheon held on Tuesday in conjunction with the JA New York Summer Show.
Victoria Gomelsky
Editor since 2004 of Couture International Jeweler, and with a Master's Degree in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, Gomelsky was previously the diamond and gemstone editor for National Jeweler. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Escape, The Sun and an anthology called Waking Up American: Coming of Age Biculturally.
Congrats Victoria! LOVE those earings !!!
Can You Smell A Diamond?
Star Singer Beyonce says, Yes you can!
Emporio Armani Diamonds is the latest perfume project for her. She was on hand yesterday at the NYC Macy’s Department store to promote the new fragrance.
As a bonus, the first 150 people that picked up a bottle got a chance to meet the Destiny’s Child frontwoman and received her autograph.
Smells Good!
Looks even better !!!
Israel's "Mr. Diamond" Passes.
Moshe Schnitzer, a founding father of the Israeli diamond industry, past chairman of the Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) and honorary president of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) and the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), died on August 17th. He was 86.
Moshe Schnitzer
Schnitzer was born in Chernowitz, Romania, in 1921 and immigrated to Israel in 1934. He studied history and philosophy at Hebrew University in Jerusalem before beginning his career in the diamond industry as a diamond sawer in 1942. He advanced in the industry and opened Schnitzer-Greenstein with a partner in 1952. His own company, M. Schnitzer and Co., founded in 1980 with his son and son-in-law, would become a leading firm in the industry.
Schnitzer helped found the IDE in 1947 and was a leading force in the expansion and development of the exchange, now the largest in the world. From 1967 to 1993, he served as president of the IDE. Under his leadership, polished-diamond exports increased from $200 million to $3.4 billion annually.
He was also president of the WFDB from 1968 to 1972, and again from 1978 to 1982. He became lifelong honorary president of the WFDB in 1982 and lifelong honorary president of the IDE in 1994.
Schnitzer received the Order of King Leopold of Belgium for his contributions to the international diamond industry and to the development of ties between Israel and Belgium. He also received an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University.
He established the Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum in Ramat Gan and served as its chairman until July 2003. The municipality of Ramat Gan named the plaza adjacent to the diamond exchange Moshe Schnitzer Plaza, and the campus of the diamond exchange was named the Israel Diamond Center in his honor in 2002. He was also named an honored citizen by the city of Tel Aviv.
Schnitzer received the prestigious Israel Prize in 2004 for his contributions to the State of Israel and Israeli society.
"Moshe Schnitzer is identified more than anyone else with the Israel diamond industry, and his vision and personality have contributed greatly to Israel's stature in the world," stated the official announcement for the prize. He was called "the highest-ranking ambassador of the diamond industry."
His three children, Hanna Gertler, Etty Yovel and Shmuel Schnitzer, and their families, survive Schnitzer. His wife, Varda, died in 2002. His son Shmuel also served as president of the IDE and the WFDB.
A Unique and Romantic Marriage Proposal
I found a really cool and unique marriage proposal someone just put together recently.
This guy spent a ton of time putting this all together and even shot an increasingly popular You Tube video to capture the entire saga.
To watch this really cool video of the entire proposal, click here.
MTV Awards A Total 'Bling-Fest'!
The evening lights went up In Las Vegas September 9, 2007, as music television channel MTV hosted its annual video music awards. Wherever you looked, diamonds and jewels sparkled like mad. The Hollywood celebs., were seemingly trying to "out-perform" each other with gaudy and ostentatious diamonds and baubles.
From the red carpet right on up to the awards stage, this season’s diamond fashion trends featured diamond bangle bracelets, Right Hand Rings, and diamond studs.
Ashanti sparkled in a glitzy diamond Right Hand Ring set in platinum.
To see the comple list of celebrities and to find out "who wore what" click on this link!
Remembering 9/11: What Is Love?!
From todays Boston Globe:
No Editorial Comment necessary.
I Will Not Write About The Emmy Awards!
Every blog/website in the world is already dissecting the Emmy awards and "who wore what"...
Suffice to say....IT WAS A TOTAL BLING FEST!
End of story ;-)
Is that a diamond spear she is wearing??
This man is not ready for prime time!
Did You 'Hair' About This? A Beethoven Diamond Engagement Ring!
Classical music aficionados with i-pods plugged into their ears can walk around and listen to Beethoven. Very soon they will be able to wear a diamond engagement ring fashioned from Beethoven's hair on their hands.
Lifegem, a company that has heretofore made diamonds out of people's ashes has now used strands from Beethoven's hair to form a half-carat diamond which will soon be auctioned off on Ebay.
Story is here: Beethoven Shines!
"Texted" Engagement Rings
Text messaging is the rage today and Couples-in-Love are adding Text Messages to their Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands.
The story is here: I Text My Love To You
Just make sure that your Jeweler engraves your text message in the area that ranges from the mid-point to the top of the shank and not at the bottom of the shank. This is because should you ever have to have the ring re-sized, the re-sizing is done from the bottom and placing an inscription there will guarantee that some if not all of the inscription will be erased at additional and unnecessary cost to you. See the illustration below:
Happy Texting!
Matching Hearts & Arrows Diamonds For Studs!
I just took these pictures a few moments ago for one of our customers!!
This is why I love diamonds so much...YUM!!
Buy Your Diamond Engagement Rings and Get Gas.
That's right. The title is not a typo and I did not make one L'Chaim too many.
News today from India that Consumers can shop for gold, diamond jewelry, and engagement rings while lining up to buy gasoline. Diamond firms Gitanjali Group and Sanghvi Exports, through a joint venture with Spectrum Jewelery, have partnered with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. in a deal that places the jewelry line at gasoline stations.
The stores, called a jewelry C-Store, are designed with 1,500 square feet of retail space. The first store opened in Bandra at a Hindustan Petroleum pump station.
So, it has come to this: Buying an item of infinite beauty that symbolizes Love, Dedication, Commitment, and Romance in the same place where you can buy Toilet paper, Antacids, Car-freshener, Pepto-Bismol, and Pretzels.
My opinion: Tasteless and No Class.
Diamond Billionaire Buys A New House! {Pic!}
Like this house?
Well you cannot have this particular house, since it was just purchased by famous Diamond billionaire Lev Leviev.
However, if you work a bit harder you may find yourself in a position where you can actually buy something similar! ;-) ;-) ;-)
Project Never Forget. Honoring Our Fallen Soldiers
Is it possible to honor our fallen soldiers with jewelry?
The answer is yes.
Check out this website and you will cry.
Diamonds, Diamond Rings, And Stars Dazzle At the Screen Actors Guild.
With the Golden Globes running via press conference this year and the Oscars broadcast still in question, Hollywood's A-list swarmed the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards last night, dressed to impress in dazzling diamond "power" earrings, bracelets and right-hand rings.
Diamond power earrings, defined as large diamond studs, diamond drops and diamond chandelier earrings, were seen on numerous starlets, including actress Kate Beckinsale, in diamond stud earrings by Van Cleef and Arpels, The Sopranos' Edie Falco, in triple-drop diamond earrings by Kwiat valued at more than $250,000, and Desperate Housewives' Teri Hatcher, in diamond flower-pendant earrings by Neil Lane.
Ugly Betty's Ana Ortiz, was seen in diamond cluster earrings, a vintage diamond and platinum bracelet, and a diamond and platinum flower brooch by Kwiat.
Marg Helgenberger in one of today's top accessory trends: super-large diamond hoop earrings.
Guys: That Cubic Zirconia Is More Valuable Than You Know!
Mention the term "Cubic Zirconia" and what's the first thought that comes to your mind?
"Cheap" is correct. Cubic Zirconia has been the first and last refuge for setting into diamond engagement rings from either well-meaning guys who are on limited budgets, tightwads, or RTN's (Room Temperature Nerds) who don't have a clue and never will.
But wait! Today comes exciting news about the valuable properties and use of zirconia that will warm the cockles of the every tightwad and RTN out there.
Engineers at Ohio State University are using zirconium dioxide (the ceramic from which we get synthetic diamonds) to protect jet engines from high-temperature corrosion.
The fan blades in modern aircraft engines are coated with a protective ceramic to keep them from overheating. When the metal heats up, it expands, and the ceramic coating expands with it. But when grains of sand are inevitably sucked in and contact the many thousand-degree blades, they melt and make glass. The glass not only breaks down the coating when hot, but when it cools, it forms an inelastic layer on top of the protective coating. When the blades heat up again, the glass doesn’t expand and breaks off the ceramic, shortening the life of the engine.
Planes Drawing Sand into Engine at Takeoff: Photo by Department of Defense
On the right, the zirconium coating protects from the molten glass. The left, with its conventional coating, is easily damaged.
The promise of the zirconia lies in its ability to force the glass to bond with other elements in the coating, changing it into a stable crystal. It in effect turns the glass into an additional layer of protective ceramic every time new sand contacts the blades and melts.
But unlike the CZ you put into your Gal's engagement ring, this zirconium application doesn’t come cheap. It’s a cost-intensive process to manufacture and has yet to be tested on complex shapes. But even in its early stages, it promises to be a boon for efficiency not just in aircraft engines, but ultimately for automobiles and all types of heat-producing engines as well.
So for all of you CZ guys out there, you can start struttin like a Peacock and begin to feel that Mojo.
NY Football Giants Unveil Super Bowl Ring
The Giants today unveiled the design of their Super Bowl ring, which will be made by Tiffany & Co. and will feature white gold, diamonds and three Super Bowl trophies, one for each of the Giants’ victories in the title game.
The Super Bowl ring will feature white gold, diamonds and three Super Bowl trophies
The design was created after several meetings that included team president John Mara, chairman Steve Tisch, general manager Jerry Reese, head coach Tom Coughlin and a four-player committee of Eli Manning, Michael Strahan, Amani Toomer and Shaun O’Hara and representatives from Tiffany. The players had great participation in the design process.
The ring’s top is covered in diamonds and features three Super Bowl trophies accented with marquise diamonds signifying the team’s Super Bowl XXI, XXV and XLII victories, along with the team’s “NY” logo in bead set round diamonds. “World Champions” is emblazoned in raised letters on the top and bottom bezel, with channel set diamonds on left and right bezel.
The NFL shield; player name, along with player number in raised letters appear on one shank; and the final score (NYG 17 NE 14), “Super Bowl XLII,” date (02.03.08) and ‘AZ’ appear on the other shank.
Beautiful!
Now let's hope our other NY teams; Rangers, Mets, Yankees can reprise this in 2008.
The Diamond Mouse That Roared!
Diamond Intelligence Briefs reports today that Diamond manufacturer and distributor Lazare Kaplan International (LKI) has unveiled a diamond-encrusted figurine in the shape of a rat, which will be auctioned off in Malaysia for a starting price of $20,000.
The piece, called The Mouse, is the world’s largest diamond mouse, weighing 12.36 carats. Its body and face feature 563 round diamonds produced by LKI while the ears, feet and tail’s end are set with round pink diamonds. Aside from diamonds, the piece, which can serve as a display piece as well as a brooch, is made from 18k yellow gold with a silver base.
Until The Mouse is auctioned off, it will be on display at DeGem boutiques in Malaysia along with LKI’s other diamond novelties, the Million-Dollar Ice-Cream Cone and the Ideal Evening Bag, worth nearly $50,000.
Pass the cheese!
Diamonds and Ruby Trophy Ring: It's a Player!
Few of us have the talent/ability to become a Professional sports athlete and so we use our imagination and live vicariously through our hometown teams. All of us have at one time or another fantasized about making that winning shot or play to win a championship and get that Ticker Tape parade down Main Street. One of the rewards is getting that Championship Ring-Bling!!!
The Boston Red Sox, 2007 World Series Champions received their rings yesterday. The new bling - made by the ring kings at Jostens - features a pair of Red Sox, on the top, each one containing four specially cut rubies for a combined weight of 2.14 carats.
There are 14 princess-cut diamonds in a diamond-shaped bed below the Sox, and 28 more round-cut diamonds running around the top of the ring.
Eight players - David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Doug Mirabelli, Mike Timlin, and Kevin Youkilis - received rings that featured the Sox’ “B” and two World Series trophies on the side because they were on the team in both 2004 and 2007. The rings for the rest of the team feature just one trophy.
On the other side of the ring are the words “7th Word Series Championship,” with a replica of Fenway Park underneath and the words “4-0 Sweep.”
The rings have been appraised at $20,000 and the Sox Team Officials are expected to hand out about 50 of them to players, coaches and staff.
Jostens also made all three of the New England Patriots Super Bowl rings, and are ready to design a ring for the Boston Celtics should they win the NBA Championship this year.
For the rest of us? Dream On!
Diamond Exhibit In Toronto.
If you're going to be in Toronto anytime between October 25, 2008 until Sunday, March 22, 2009, make it a point to visit the Diamond Exhibition at the ROM’s Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall on level B2 in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal where on display will be a dazzling collection of Diamonds, gemstones, and jewelry.
More details here: Beautiful Diamonds In Toronto
Bring your sunglasses!
You Can Find Platinum With Diamonds
Scientists have traced the origin of the unique platinum deposits in a South African region by using diamonds.
The worlds richest source of platinum and related metals is in South Africa known as the Bushveld Complex.
Researchers from the Carnegie Institution in the US and the University of Cape Town in South Africa have traced the origin of the unique ore deposits by using diamonds.
Platinum group elements (PGEs), which include platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium and iridium, are extremely rare in the Earths crust.
Previous isotopic studies of rocks from the Bushveld Complex had suggested that a significant fraction of the magma that formed the complex and deposited the ores came from shallow parts of the crust, despite the rarity of PGEs there compared to the Earths mantle.
Shirey and Stephen H. Richardson of the University of Cape Town studied minute mineral inclusions in about 20 diamonds mined from areas surrounding the Bushveld Complex.
These diamonds formed at depths of 150-200 kilometers within the Earths mantle.
By measuring the ratios of certain isotopes of strontium, osmium, and neodymium in the mineral inclusions, the researchers were able to determine the isotopic signatures of the different regions of the mantle where the diamonds grew.
They then compared these signatures with those of ore rocks in the Bushveld Complex.
Richardson and Shirey found that the isotopic signatures of the ores could be matched by varying mixtures of source rocks in the mantle beneath the continental crust.
Wedding Bells Ring For This Profile In Courage.
Erika Heller is 30 years old.
Erika Heller has cancer.
Erika Heller is getting married.
Her story: He Says: Marry Me!
Diamonds From Tequila!
The instrumental "Tequila" is still very popular today and was originally introduced back in 1958 by the Band Champs .
Now comes the news that scientists have discovered a new method to manufacture a type of synthetic diamond from Tequila!
The Times of India reports that Researchers at the University of Nueva Leon near Monterrey in Mexico found that when the Mexican spirit is heated under pressure, it produces diamond structures, which are able to conduct electricity. The crystals, used to make diamond film, have previously been made from a number of different chemicals, often including nitrogen.
However, this experimental attempt is believed to be the first time that researchers have proven that any type of alcohol can be used to produce synthetic diamond.
Diamond film is tougher than silicon, so it could be useful for devices that must operate at high temperatures or under other harsh conditions.
However, diamond films are expensive and difficult to make. Now, researchers from Mexico have shown that the crystals can be created by heating the country's national drink.
For the experiment, the researchers heated 80% proof 'tequila blanco', which has a short aging process and is bottled soon after distillation, in a low-pressure chamber. The drink formed into crystals which tests later confirmed had a diamond structure and were able to conduct electricity.
Imagine: Some years from now you diamond engagement ring may be Tequila derived.
Now that's something good to which we can drink a toast!
L'Chaim!!
Jacob The Jeweler Going To Jail.
The Associated Press reports today that Celebrity jeweler Jacob Arabov, known in the hip-hop world as "Jacob the Jeweler," has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for lying to investigators in a case involving the laundering of drug profits.
Arabov pleaded guilty in October 2007 to falsifying records and giving false statements as part of a deal with federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn to impose a minimum sentence of three years and one month. Cohn, however, today sentenced Arabov to a total of two years and six months, citing Arabov's extensive charity work, the AP reports. He also ordered Arabov to pay a $50,000 fine and to make a $2 million forfeiture to the government.
Authorities accused Arabov and others of conspiring to launder about $270 million in drug profits for the "Black Mafia Family," a ring that operated out of the Detroit area beginning in the early 1990s. A seven-year investigation culminated in Arabov's arrest in 2006 and the indictments of Arabov and at least 41 others.
A favorite among hip-hop artists and rappers, Arabov launched a line of religious-themed jewelry with Kanye West and manufactured Lil' Kim's line of Royalty watches.
Arabov will report to prison Jan. 15, 2009.
Diamonds: Is Smuggling Across Borders Finito?
Diamond smuggling may become a thing of the past if Israeli Customs has anything to say about it.
The ‘Millimeter Waves’ device, manufactured by Transportation Security Administration of the USA, is the United States agency established after the terror attacks of September 11 2001 to be responsible for the security of the transportation systems in the United States, can be used to detect smuggled diamonds, Rafi Gabay, Head of Customs at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, told Israeli daily Ma’ariv.
More here: Huggle, Don't Smuggle Your Diamonds
Sure, Diamonds Are Love; But Diamonds Are Also Now A Hot Commodity!
Guys, Giving her a diamond engagement ring symbolizes your love, emotion, and long-term committment.
But not to get you depressed or disallusioned, diamonds are now also a very, very hot commodity.
Bloomberg News reports of the astronomical sums being paid for large high color high clarity diamonds and colored semi-precious stones in todays market. Factors responsible for this are the weak dollar, high oil prices, weak stock markets, and falling real estate values which place world economies into recession/stagflation modes.
Could you see your girlfriend wearing a D-Flawless Emerald Cut 243.96 ct Diamond costing $100 million!!!! Or how about a 5 carat Gem at $1 million?!
Who would have thunk that diamonds would one day be traded just like cattle futures?! Well that day is here and now.
Which would YOU rather have?
Read more here: Diamonds Are Not cattle Futures
What Is A Radiant Cut Diamond?
The Radiant Cut has 70 facets and is distinguishable by its cut corners. The Radiant shape combines the best elegant elements of the Emerald Cut with the brilliance of the round brilliant shape.
Radiant Cut diamonds may either be rectangular or square in shape. GIA refers to rectangular radiants as "Cut Cornered Rectangular Modified Brilliant" and the square Radiant shape as "Cut Corner Square Modified Brilliant".
Here are pictures of both radiant shapes. Both are beautiful. Which do you like best?
Beautiful Diamond Engagement Ring!
A picture worth more than words.
Diamond Perfection!
Present her with this beauty in an engagement ring. Make sure you bring the smelling salts!
2.13 carat E color Internally Flawless. Graded by GIA.
What Do Jewelry and Hockey Have in Common?
Everything if your jewelry designer Donna Distefano.
Distefano has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the owners of the New Jersey Devils Hockey Team of the National Hockey League and will launch a private collection of high-end jewelry for the pro hockey team.
Distefano's collection features a complete line of jewelry and accessories for both men and women, with designs including cuff links, money clips, key rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings. The pieces will be crafted in 22-karat gold, 18-karat gold, fine and sterling silver, diamonds, rubies and semi-precious gemstones.
Distribution will be limited to the Devils' owners, managers, players and select VIPS.
The line will make its debut in the Platinum Suites of Newark, N.J.'s Prudential Center during the Feb. 9 game with arch rivals the New York Rangers. Good Luck, Donna!
Past Distefano commissions for the New Jersey Devils include a hand-engraved, life-sized regulation hockey puck in fine silver weighing more than 80 ounces. The piece was crafted in honor of the team's silver anniversary.
Me? I'm a long suffering NY Rangers fan and the best jewelry would be a Stanley Cup this year!
LET'S GO RANGERS!
For The Diamonds In Our Lives! Happy Mother's Day!
We Love You!
Cynthia Nixon Getting Married.
Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon is set to marry girlfriend of six years, education activist Christine Marinoni.
Cynthia has an engagement ring but also reveals her fiancee chose not to have one: “[Christine] did not get a ring. She will have a wedding ring but she does not want an engagement ring.”
Beautiful Ideal Cut Hearts & Arrow Diamond Video
More information and diamond data here:
1.70 F/VS-2 AGS Ideal Hearts & Arrows
Jay Leno Finds Diamonds!
Have You Ever Seen A Red Diamond?
They really exist, but are very rare.
Leibish & Co .52 Carat Natural Purplish Red Argyle Diamond
You're looking at the .52 carat, SI-1 Clarity Radiant shape Argyle Natural Purplish Red Diamond, mined from the Argyle Diamond mine in Western Australia and now owned by the Israeli Diamond Wholesaler, Leibish & Co. The diamond was grade by the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory. The majority of the current red diamonds weigh less than one-half carat. The Argyle Mine accounts for 95% of all the red and pink diamonds in the world and supply is expected to run out by 2018.
According to Robert Kane of the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory, intense and vivid pink diamonds are rare and red where the primary dominant hue is purplish red is the rarest of all. Red diamonds are among the rarest of fancy color diamonds with only 20 known natural red diamonds in the world and have sold for record breaking prices.
In 1987, the fancy purplish red .95 carat Hancock Red Diamond sold for $926,000 per carat, and in 2007, a 6.04 carat flawless fancy blue diamond was sold by Sotheby's Auction House for $1.3 million per carat! Compare this to to the price for the highest colorless and flawless diamond which trades at $100,000 per carat.
In the world of fancy colored diamonds; "Do you see red", can take on a whole other positive meaning.
Diamond Engagement Rings On Neptune and Uranus?
Not so far-fetched.
The journal, Nature Physics in a recent article reports that oceans of liquid diamond, filled with solid diamond icebergs, could be floating on Neptune and Uranus.
This research is based on first detailed measurements of the melting point of diamond and found that diamond behaves like water during freezing and melting, with solid forms floating atop liquid forms. The finding gives scientists a new understanding about diamonds and some of the most distant planets in our solar system.
Diamond is an incredibly hard material, tough to melt and thus its difficult to measure its melting point. When diamond is heated to extreme temperatures it physically changes from diamond to graphite. The graphite then melts into a liquid.
Ultrahigh pressures such as found in huge gas giants like Neptune and Uranus are some of the places where ultrahigh temperatures and ultrahigh pressures exist. In this study, scientists liquefied a small diamond weighing a tenth of a carat at by blasting it with lasers at ultra high pressures 40 million times greater than what a person feels when standing at sea level on Earth. From there they slowly reduced the temperature and pressure.
When the pressure dropped to about 11 million times the atmospheric pressure at sea level on Earth and the temperature dropped to about 50,000 degrees solid chunks of diamond began to appear. The pressure kept dropping, but the temperature of the diamond remained the same, with more and more chunks of diamond forming. Then the diamond did something unexpected. The chunks of diamond didn't sink. They floated. Microscopic diamond ice burgs floating in a tiny sea of liquid diamond. The diamond was behaving like water.
With most materials, the solid state is more dense than the liquid state. Water is an exception to that rule; when water freezes, the resulting ice is actually less dense than the surrounding water, which is why the ice floats and fish can survive a Minnesota winter.
Up to 10 percent of Uranus and Neptune is estimated to be made from carbon.
Diamonds, Diamonds, Diamonds!
Bring the Bling!
Diamond Cake!
Wane.com reports that a cake at the Dallas Bridal Show is under armed guard. The cake's on sale for $1 million.
The nine-tier cake is decorated in diamonds and sapphires. It will serve about 320 people, which comes out to $3,125 per slice.
No doubt The American Dental Association is very happy.
Saturday Night Live! Finds A 4 Carat Diamond!
The New York Post reports that Saturday Night Live's Staging Director came to the rescue of Bree Candee, an event planner by finding her 4 carat diamond.
Bree Candee celebrated her 36th birthday last weekend by attending a "Saturday Night Live" rehearsal -- and noticed later at the chic eatery Nobu 57 that her 4-carat diamond was missing from her engagement ring. Restaurant staff and patrons searched unsuccessfully.
Candee's despair turned to utter joy when husband Brian phoned "SNL" staging director Tom Popple -- whom they had met before the rehearsal. Popple calmly told him, "Brian, I'm holding it in my hand as we speak."
Brian, 35, who learned that Popple found the rock under his wife's seat, said yesterday, "It's like winning the lottery. You can't believe it."
Bree said she was "still shaking" after Brian went to 30 Rockefeller Plaza to retrieve the diamond and then returned to put it in her hand -- just as he did three years ago when he proposed.
"It's one of my favorite things," she said. "I wake up in cold sweats dreaming that I'm going to lose my ring -- and the funny thing is, I did."
