JAR's Ruby Brooch Raises a Stunning $4.3 Million for Charity

Cult-favorite jeweler JAR, aka Joel Arthur Rosenthal, set a new standard for pavé work with this circa 2003 floral brooch. Marrying various sizes, hues, and cuts of rubies, he set out to mimic the slight tone variations of real-life camellia petals—to spectacular effect.

The scarlet stunner—which sold for $4.3 million (well above its $1.5 million high estimate) at Christie’s Jewels for Hope: The Collection of Mrs. Lily Safra sale in Geneva on May 14—was offered as part of the largest single-owner collection of JAR pieces ever auctioned. (The 18 pieces earned $11.5 million for charity.) But this brooch “really is JAR at another level,” says Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry at Christie’s. “JAR collected the rubies one by one over the course of I don’t know how many years. It’s a truly monumental creation, and it made a monumental price.”

-www.jckonline.com

STK’s $30,000 Pink Sapphire and Diamond Steak Knives

Celebrity guests and VIP’s of a popular Las Vegas steakhouse can now eat their meat with a very sparkly, expensive knife.

“Female friendly” steakhouse STK has collaborated with celebrity jewelry designer Jason of Beverly Hills on a set of diamond- and pink sapphire-encrusted knives. The set, which includes one $18,000 diamond knife and a new $12,000 pink sapphire knife, is only available at the restaurant’s location in the Cosmopolitan hotel.

Jesse Mancha, general manager at the Jason of Beverly Hills location in the hotel, said the new knife contains “300 full-cut pink sapphires set into a signature steak knife.” The 6.5 carats of sapphires took a craftsman 20 hours to hand set into the stainless steel knife.

“The original idea came about over drinks with Jason, myself and Tyra Bell-Holland, director of marketing and events,” said Mancha.

Jason had created a whole dinnerware set for the royal family of Saudi Arabia as a wedding gift. The dinnerware set included diamond plates and was one of the jeweler’s first big projects.

He “wanted to bring it to diners in general,” said Mancha. “After the first diamond knife was created, Tyra was telling us about issues that everyone wanted to dine with the knife but there was only one knife.”

The sapphire knife was created to complement the set and designed with VIP couples in mind. Leann Rimes and Eddie Cibrian used the knives when they celebrated Valentine’s Day together at the restaurant.

Musical group Foster the People, known for their hit song “Pumped Up Kicks,” went around sharing the knife during dinner.

After their meal, they came to the store in the hotel hoping to purchase it, explained Mancha. The knives aren’t readily available to purchase but “we could make it custom for them.”

Singer Gavin Rossdale and his band, Bush, enjoyed a dinner at STK last year after a private show at the hotel. The singer used the knife to cut his Waygu beef filet.

“We ask any guest presented with the opportunity to use either of the knives to kindly sign our knife guest list…fun for them and for us it memorializes their experience at STK,” said Tyra Bell-Holland.

Rossdale signed the book writing it “cut like a knife but glitters like the best girl.”

Who decides who uses the knives? “It’s really a combination of minds here at The ONE Group…but we’re in the hospitality business…we treat everyone’s knife like it’s diamond-encrusted,” said Bell-Holland.

Jason of Beverly Hills designed Jessica Alba’s engagement ring as well as Nick Cannon’s anniversary gift for wife Mariah Carey.


-http://abcnews.go.com/

Kate Middleton's $78,000 Olympic Necklace: Love It or Leave It?

Kate Middleton's royal wardrobe is on target for a gold medal in Extreme Style.
The Duchess of Cambridge was in full 2012 Olympics mode on Thursday as she launched a series of Olympic-themed royal events in London.

According to People, she wore an electric-blue crepe dress by Stella McCartney, along with one of her own pieces of jewelry — a necklace made from white and yellow gold, featuring a large gold ring and four other rings along the chain.

A source at the Cartier store in London told People Kate’s Olympic-style necklace was priced at $78,000. A spokesman at Kate’s office confirmed to People that it was from her “private collection” but wouldn’t comment on the price or whether she received it as a gift. As we've said before, Kate could just snap her fingers and have designers and jewelers just drop every luxury item they have at her feet, but she's made a point of not accepting free clothes from designers. But if, say, her hubby or a family member got her the necklace as a gift? Different story.

UsMagazine also has a story on Kate’s dress, Prada pumps and Trinity de Cartier necklace — but they price the five-ring piece at $70,500.

Do you think the necklace is worth the high price?

Record Haul Of Silver Bullion Recovered From WWII Shipwreck

A record 48-ton haul of silver bullion has been recovered from a World War II shipwreck off the coast of Ireland.
The treasure, worth 1.4 million troy ounces of silver, was found on the wreckage three miles beneath the Atlantic.
The operation to retrieve the 1,203 bars from the SS Gairsoppa was the heaviest and deepest underwater mission to remove precious metal from sunken vessels.

It was discovered last September and the metal was reportedly valued at around £155 million in today's prices.
The Gairsoppa, a cargo ship, sank in February 1941, 300 miles south-west of Galway in Ireland.

It was being used by the British Government as part of its War Risk Insurance programme.

The boat carried 83 crew and two gunners but only one officer survived the evacuation to reach the shore after it was hit by a German torpedo.

The silver belongs to the UK after the Government paid £325,000 to the owners of the cargo.
It was recovered by deep ocean exploration firm Odyssey Marine Exploration.

Greg Stemm, Odyssey chief executive, said: "Our capacity to conduct precision cuts and successfully complete the surgical removal of bullion from secure areas on the ship demonstrates our capabilities to undertake complicated tasks in the very deep ocean.

"This technology will be applicable to other modern shipwreck projects currently being scheduled as well as our deep ocean mineral exploration activities."

The haul has been moved to a secure location in the UK.
The firm will also try to rescue 600,000 ounces of insured silver believed to be on another shipwreck, the SS Mantola, 100 miles away from the Gairsoppa.

Odyssey said the recovered Gairsoppa haul was about 43 per cent of the insured silver bars, or a fifth of the total silver cargo which its research indicated may have been on board.

The deep sea operation will feature on television specials on the Discovery Channel in the US and Channel 5 in the UK.


http://www.businessinsider.com

De Beers Jewellers Debuts Nature High Diamond Jewelry Collection

De Beers Diamond Jewellers debuted a new collection that was inspired by a mythical world where heightened imagination meets natural beauty. The De Beers Imaginary Nature High Jewellery Collection was designed by Hollie Bonneville who describes the pieces as taking ''flight for a journey of light.''

As the boundless creativity of dreams takes hold, lines of reality are blurred and a magnificent moment of transformation is conjured, according to the retailer. These illusions are captured in the eight pieces of the Imaginary Nature High Jewellery Collection by De Beers. Petals disperse and feathers unfold, instinctive movement and natural rhythm release soaring beauty, which twists and turns around the admirer, wrapping them in wonder.

One featured piece, the Embrace Ring (pictured) highlights a pear-cut 8.88-carat, D, VS2 center diamond along with 131 baguettes, 319 round brilliant and 16 pear-cut stones.

Bonneville added, ''It represents an exhilarating yet elegant display of evolution, inspired by the beauty of transformations within nature, which are realized in a story of metamorphosis. Each piece reveals a unique gesture inspired by the essence of nature. With the diamond as our muse, the collection is centered on diamonds of character, focused on pears and baguettes to create a language of movement and fluidity.''

Each piece balances the contrasts of the natural world --the drama of an ascent and the grace of gliding-- where contradictions are conveyed through the sensitive selection and detailed array of diamond cuts and settings. Radiant pear-cut diamonds are set on a tilt, for example, to engage the light and trace movement. By contrast, the definite angles of the baguettes against round brilliant diamonds punctuate each piece with tradition and brilliance.

Francois Delage, the chief executive of De Beers Diamond Jewellers, said, ''We wanted through imaginary nature to truly establish our legitimacy as a jeweler and to express our vision through a strong creative and contemporary gesture. Our unique designs inspired by our DNA bring to life our brand essence – the jeweler of light - by creating exquisite pieces, moments and movements from a journey from earth to light. The eight one-of-a-kind creations sublime our diamond mastery and jewelry know-how.''

-www.diamonds.net

Where Do Olympic Gold Medals Come From?

The 2012 Olympic games will begin on July 27 in London, awarding top athletes with medals for their achievements.

World-class athletes around the globe dream of having gold medals placed around their necks with their country’s national anthem blaring on the sound system in celebration of their hard work and dedication.

But are these golden prizes actually made exclusively of gold? And what are the silver and bronze medals given to all the second- and third-place finishers really made of?

JCK spoke to Kennecott Utah Copper, a division of Rio Tinto Mines, which provided the metal used to create the 4,700 medals awarded at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Advisor of communications Kyle Bennett explained: The gold medal is made of 92.5 percent silver, 1.34 percent gold, with the remaining percentage copper; silver medals are composed of 92.5 percent silver, and 7.5 percent copper; bronze medals consist of 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc, and 0.5 percent tin.

The medals started out as iron ore in the Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah. The ore was extracted through a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week process of drilling, blasting, loading, hauling, crushing, and conveying. Valuable materials were then filtered during the concentration process. The smelting process—which entailed heating and melting the copper concentrates—removed the copper from the other elements in the ore. During the refining process, precious metals—including gold and silver—were separated from the copper.

Rio Tinto then shipped the gold, silver, and copper to the Cookson Precious Metals Group, where the metal was pressed into flat discs. The Royal Mint in London inscribed the medals with the official design of the Summer 2012 Olympics, which was designed by David Watkins, jeweller and professor of goldsmithing at London’s Royal College of Art.

The Olympic Committee’s pledge to be the most eco-friendly games to date played a key role in Rio Tinto’s involvement in producing the medals. “Our commitment to sustainable development is an integral part of how we do business and one of the reasons we are able to sponsor the greenest games ever,” Bennett says. “We can trace every gram of metal we produce back to the mine to ensure the metal meets our stringent standards.”

-www.jckonline.com

Make a Statement with Cuffs and Bangles to Wear Now and Later

Despite the hot temperatures outside, let’s talk fall fashion. I realize it is hard to think about chunky knit sweaters and leather leggings now, so we won’t. We will focus on jewelry, pieces that you can buy now, wear now and through the fall.

I am loving statement bangles and cuff bracelets. For summer, I like to wear my oversize brass cuff by Made, with my most feminine summer frocks. In the fall, I pair it with super shiny legging, a soft tie-neck blouse and motorcycle boots.

Look for bangles and cuffs with detail. Pieces with cut-outs, laser cut patterns, stones, or embellishment. Statement jewelry is just that, so don’t over do it. Two oversized cuffs, one on each wrist, may have been a lifesaver for Wonder Woman, it is off-limits to the rest of us.

Try mixing your statement piece with unexpected looks. A simple tee-shirt with a pencil skirt keeps your silhouette streamline and allows your jewelry the attention it deserves. Play with different textures. If your jewelry is shiny and sparkly pair it with a casual look. You can wear your softest, prettiest, dress and put on your giant cuff bracelet. Instantly super girly becomes super modern. For me, it is all about classic with a modern twist.

-http://303magazine.com/

Different colored diamond jewelry options

Diamonds are available in a wide variety of colors. Find out the colors and background information here.
When you think of diamonds, you think of those gorgeous colorless stones adorned by most engaged and married women, right? But I bet you didn’t know that diamonds are available in almost any color, from blue to red, and white to almost black.


Colored diamonds are much rarer than the colorless versions. It is estimated that there is one colored diamond for every 10,000 colorless (or near colorless) diamonds. The reason why some diamonds are colored is quite simple. A colored diamond is colored as such because of the light refracting from substances contained within the diamond itself.
Below I have outlined the colors of diamonds, and some background information that I hope you will find interesting.

Different colored diamond jewelry options

Brown:
The most common color of diamonds. Romans adorned rings with them around 1AD to 3AD. Modern connoisseurs were not impressed with them, so they were slated for industrial use. In the 1980’s, they regained popularity when Australian marketers promoted these diamonds as “champagne” and “cognac” diamonds.

Red:
There was an auction of a red diamond in 1987. It has been said that an agent for the Sultan of Brunei purchased it for the amount of $1 million dollars. This one particular sale has heightened the interest in colored diamonds.
Yellow:
After brown, yellow is the most common diamond color. These stones are found in abundance in Africa, where they are known as Cape stones. “Canary” diamonds, which have the deepest and most intense color of any of the yellow diamonds, is the rarest of the yellow diamonds.
Blue:
Blue diamonds, which can also be grayish in appearance, are incredibly rare. They have been found in many areas of the world including India, South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, and Australia. The most famous blue diamond is the Hope diamond, which has a reputation to bring bad luck to whomever owns it.

Black:
Typically found in Brazil, they can also be found in India and Africa. Many times black diamonds are artificially produced. When a low-clarity faceted diamond is irradiated, it turns a blue or green color, which appears to be black.

Green:
Although green diamonds are commonly found, the color is most always lost when the stone is faceted. The very thin surface layer of the green diamond, which produces its color, is shaved of when it is faceted. The famous green diamond, Dresden Green, is a 41-carat diamond that is well known for its apple-green coloration throughout the stone. It has been thought that it is of Indian origin, but many experts feel that it is from Brazil.

Pink, Red and Purple: Pink, red and purple diamonds are all closely related. The Argyle mine, in Western Australia, has become famous since the 1980’s for producing some of the highest quality of pink and red diamonds. Within just the last few years, it has been quoted that this mine received $1.6 million dollars for a top-grade pink diamond that weighed in at just under a carat. Violet and orange diamonds have also been found in the Argyle mine. These colors were not known to exist until found in Australia.

http://sleekgossip.com/

Turquoise Jane Austen ring sells for £150,000 at auction

A gold and turquoise ring belonging to Jane Austen has sold for more than £150,000 at an auction in London – more than five times its estimate.

The ring, which featured a large oval turquoise gemstone, was sold alongside a handwritten letter by her sister-in-law Eleanor Austen bequeathing the rare jewel to her niece Caroline.
The note, dated 1863, confirms the item belonged to the 19th-century British author.
"My dear Caroline," Eleanor wrote. "The enclosed ring once belonged to your Aunt Jane. It was given to me by your Aunt Cassandra as soon as she knew that I was engaged to your uncle. I bequeath it to you. God bless you!"
The rare piece is the latest in a series of the writer's pieces to be sold at auction.
Last year, a handwritten draft of an unpublished Jane Austen book was sold for just over £1 million. It was said to be the earliest surviving manuscript of the author's work.
The sale of Miss Austen's jewellery at more than five times its estimate yesterday appeared to demonstrate that fascination with the Pride and Prejudice writer has yet to wane.
After a tense battle between eight bidders, the item was eventually sold at £152,450 to an anonymous private collector over the phone.
"Jane Austen's simple and modest ring is a wonderfully intimate and evocative possession," said Dr Gabriel Heaton, a manuscript specialist at Sotheby's auction house.
"The price achieved today and the huge level of interest it has generated, is a remarkable testament to the author's enduring appeal and her place at the heart of our literary and cultural heritage."
Other items in the English literature, history, children's books and illustrations sale included early editions of works by William Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte and Geoffrey Chaucer, water colours by Beatrix Potter and letters from Jonathan Swift.
The auction generated more than £1.5 million, with many of the items selling above their estimates.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Tiffany's Christmas Season Designs Feature Diamonds, Colorful Gems

Tiffany & Co. provided a preview of its Christmas 2012 gift line, featuring handcrafted jewelry, diamonds and colorful gemstones. This year, the Rubedo™ metal, a unique innovation debuting in Tiffany 1837™ jewelry designs in honor of Tiffany’s 175th anniversary, adds rose luminescence highlights to the Return to Tiffany™ heart tag on a sterling silver bracelet.

Another item, a diamond contour ring, features a rare 3.04-carat, fancy intense Tiffany Yellow Diamond, mounted in a setting of white diamonds in platinum and 18-karat gold.


Earrings from Tiffany's Victoria collection enhance Christmas season fashion with four marquise diamonds forming an almost ice crystal design.

To celebrate Tiffany's famed designer Jean Schlumberger, the retailer handcrafted his famous Bird on a Rock brooch setting with an 86.60-carat green tourmaline, diamonds in platinum and 18-karat gold.

The new Tiffany Enchant collection features ornate patterns of traditional 19th-century garden gates. Tiffany designers captured the elegance of the swirling motifs in a scroll band ring of diamonds in platinum and 18-karat rose gold.

This year, the Tiffany Keys Collection, inspired by keys from the Tiffany Archives that were designed to open country manors and salons, diaries and jewel boxes, added the Open Knot Key in 18-karat rose gold, Knot Key in 18-karat yellow gold, and Open Knot Key in diamonds and 18-karat white gold.

The Tiffany Gallery watch captures the vitality of art deco in New York City during the 1920s. This collection includes a stainless steel timepiece with stylized numerals, a black lacquer dial and Swiss-made movement.

Other items include the Sabrina frame clutch in bronze, silver and gold metallic leather; Tiffany Locks sunglasses in acetate with silver metal and the Tiffany Snowflake tree ornament.

-www.diamonds.net

Ruby.... the red, the passion - July birthstone

The gemstone ruby is the red variety of the mineral Corundum, the second hardest natural mineral to diamond. Ruby is the July birthstone, and the Capricorn Zodiac stone. Ruby has been associated with the values of love, success, integrity, passion, and promise.

All colors of corundum other than red or white are called Sapphire The red color in ruby is caused by trace amounts of the element chromium. The best shade of red for ruby is often given the name "pigeon blood red", but ruby can be any shade of red up to almost pink.


The Hixon Ruby Crystal is a 196.10-carat gem that was donated to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles in 1978 by Frederick C. Hixon. It is considered to be one of the most perfect large ruby crystals in the world.


Known variously as the Alan Caplan Ruby or the Mogok Ruby, this 15.97-carat untreated Burmese stone was sold by Sotheby's of New York in October 18th, 1988 for $3,630,000; a whopping $227,301 per carat. It was purchased by Graff of London, who reportedly sold it to the Sultan of Brunei as an engagement ring for one of his wives.



Weighing 138.7 carats, the Rosser Reeves Ruby is one of the world's largest and finest star rubies. This Sri Lankan stone is renowned for its great color and well-defined star pattern. Advertising mogul Rosser Reeves, who donated the piece to the Smithsonian in 1965, carried it around as a lucky stone, referring to it as his baby. He often stated that he had acquired the stone at an auction in Istanbul in the mid-1950s. He actually bought the stone from Robert C. Nelson Jr. of New York who was acting on behalf of Firestone & Parson of Boston. Firestone & Parson were selling the stone for Mr. Paul Fisher of New York. Mr. Robert Fisher, Paul's father, had bought the ruby at an auction in London in 1953. At the time the ruby then weighed just over 140 carats, but was very heavily scratched, and a few carats were removed in the repolishing. The repolishing also helped to center the stone's star. Articles in the New York World-Telegram and The Sun in 1953 mentioned this fabulous gemstone.


www.famousdiamonds.com