Pantone Color of the Year ~ Emerald

Emerald is the color of the year! No jewelry collection is complete without a beautiful deep emerald piece. Don't like the current setting of your emerald? Take it to your local jeweler and have it reset into something really you!

Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, OH MY! JCK-Repost

75 Carat Briolette Diamond Necklace Sells for Record $11.1 Million

By Daniel Ford, Web Editor

Posted on May 30, 2013

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On May 28, a 75.36 ct. briolette diamond pendant necklace sold for a world record $11,145,734 at Christie’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels sale.
The leading pendant necklace, originally valued at $8.5 million to $12.5 million, contains a 75.36 ct. D-internally flawless briolette Type IIa diamond, the biggest briolette diamond ever to appear at auction.

Briolette diamond pendant necklace (Photos courtesy of Christie's)
A diamond and emerald drop fringe necklace, consisting of eight emeralds set with old European and cushion-cut diamonds, each weighing 10 cts., sold for $5,712,245.

Colombian emerald and diamond necklace
Other highlights included:

• A pair of Burmese ruby and diamond ear pendants fetched $3,899,245.
• An 8.88 ct. oval-shaped Burmese ruby and diamond ring sold for $2,883,965.
• A 44.53 ct. cushion-shaped Burmese sapphire and diamond necklace by Cartier raked in $2,811,445.

The entire Magnificent Jewels sale netted $82,947,664.

Check Out "My Jewelry Love Story" Under Pages

Masters of Dreams (Promo)

I cannot wait for the release of "Masters of Dreams." It is a four part documentary that gives a behind the scenes look into eleven legendary jewelry design houses, such as Bulgari and Verdura. I have already purchaed my copy and am very impatiently waiting to watch the masters at work!
Here is a sneak peak. Enjoy!

JCK-Re-post

Harry Winston Pays Record $27 Million for 101.73 Carat D Flawless Diamond

By Rob Bates, Senior Editor

Posted on May 16, 2013

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101.73 ct. pear-shaped Type IIA flawless diamond (Photo courtesy of Christie's)

On May 15, a spectacular 101.73 ct. D flawless diamond fetched an equally spectacular price at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva—$26.7 million, or $254,400 per carat, a new world record for a colorless diamond sold at auction.
The buyer was Harry Winston, in one of its first moves under new owner Swatch. The diamond will be named the “Winston Legacy,” in keeping with "the founder's tradition of buying only the best," says Christie's international head of jewelry Francios Curiel. Swatch did not reply to a request for comment on its plans for the gem.
Other bidders were mostly from Asia, Curiel says, including one private collector.
The final price fell within the stone’s $20 million to $30 million estimate. Unlike most high-profile stones sold in the last few years at auction, the gem was discovered relatively recently in De Beers’ Jwaneng mine. It came from a 236 ct. block of rough that took 27 months to polish.
The 101-carater was not the only diamond to set a record at the sale: A 1.92-ct. fancy red sold for $3.2 million ($1.63 million a carat), setting a world auction price for a red diamond, well above its $1.9 million to $2.9 million estimate. The buyer was a member of the U.S. trade, the auction house said.
Also setting records:

• A single-strand natural pearl necklace measuring from 13.7 mm to 10.4 mm garnered $8.4 million, a world record for a single strand natural pearl necklace.

• The Star of Kashmir, a cushion-shaped 19.88 ct. sapphire sold for $3.4 million ($175,202 per carat), a world record per-carat price for a sapphire.

• A pair of drop-shaped natural pearl ear-pendants of 261.66 and 216.37 grains apiece sold for $2.4 million, a record price for a pair of pearl ear pendants.

Gina Lollobrigida's Earrings, 74 Carat Yellow Diamond Set Records at Sotheby's

By Daniel Ford, Web Editor

Posted on May 15, 2013

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Gina Lollobrigida wearing the record setting pearl earrings (Photos courtesy of Sotheby's Geneva).

Screen legend Gina Lollobrigida may have turned heads during her days as a sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s, but her jewels—including a 74 ct. yellow diamond that once belonged to a Persian Shah—were the center of attention at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva on May 14.
Lollobrigida’s collection sold for a total of $4.96 million, led by pair of natural pearl and diamond pendant earrings that fetched $2.39 million, setting an auction record for natural pearl ear pendants. The earrings beat the price paid for a pair of Elizabeth Taylor’s pearl earrings in 2011. A Bulgari diamond necklace and bracelet combination that Lollobrigida wore while accepting her 1961 Golden Globe sold for $783,851.

1964 natural pearl and diamond earrings

1954 diamond necklace/bracelet

A 74.53 ct. cushion shaped fancy yellow diamond formerly in the collection of the Persian Shah, Ahmed Shah Qajar, earned $2.9 million, setting an auction record for a fancy yellow diamond and a record price per carat for a fancy yellow diamond ($40,061 per carat).

74.53 ct. cushion shaped fancy yellow diamond

Other highlights of the sale included:
A 27.90 ct. cushion modified brilliant-cut D color diamond mounted on a ring sold for $4.45 million.

A 6.93 ct. brilliant-cut light pink diamond necklace, with two circular-cut diamonds—a 34.78 ct. diamond with an 11.38 ct. briolette diamond—sold for $2.39 million.

A 31.35 ct. cushion brilliant-cut diamond ring fetched $1.83 million.

In its entirety, the sale totaled $78.2 million.

Red Diamonds!

Argyle Finds Three Ultra-Rare Red Diamonds

By Rob Bates, Senior Editor

Posted on May 20, 2013

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The Argyle Phoenix (Photos courtesy of Argyle)

Argyle announced that it will feature three ultra-rare red diamonds in its upcoming Pink Diamond Tender—the most it has featured in its 30-year history.
Among them is a 1.56 ct. I2 fancy red, dubbed the Argyle Phoenix.
“Since mining began in 1983, only six diamonds certified as Fancy Red by the Gemological Institute of America have been presented for sale at the annual Tender,” said Argyle Pink Diamonds manager Josephine Johnson in a statement. “To have three of these rare red diamonds in one tender is very special.”’
This is a notable time for red diamonds, with one recently fetching a record price at an auction at Christie’s.
In addition, for the first time in eight years, the tender is featuring a diamond greater than 3 cts.: a 3.02 ct. fancy intense orangey pink radiant, named the Argyle Imperial.
Other notable stones in the collection include:

• The Argyle Seraphina, a 2.02 ct. fancy intense purple-pink princess, SI2 clarity

• The Argyle Aurelia, a 1.18 ct. fancy intense purplish-pink oval, SI2 clarity

• The Argyle Dauphine, a 2.51 ct. fancy deep pink radiant, SI2 clarity

• The Argyle Celestial, a 0.71 ct. fancy dark gray-blue heart, VS1 clarity

Diamonds in the upcoming Argyle Pink Diamond Tender
In other news, the Perth, Australia-based Argyle will have its life extended with underground mining.