De Beers Diamond Jewellers Unveils 'Imaginary Nature' in Asia

De Beers Diamond Jewellers unveiled its jewelry collection, Imaginary Nature, for the first time in Asia today. The event was attended by award-winning actress, Gigi Leung and Taiwanese actress and model Bianca Bai. De Beers stated that the Imaginary Nature collection exhibits a journey of light, where heightened imagination meets natural beauty with diamonds.

Francois Delage, the chief executive of De Beers Diamonds 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 Jeweller 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, and we are delighted to now unveil them in Asia.”

Each Imaginary Nature piece balances the contrasts of the natural world with the drama of an ascent and the grace of gliding, according to De Beers. These rich contradictions are conveyed through an array of diamond cuts and settings. Radiant pear-cut diamonds were set on a tilt in a way to engage light and trace movement. By contrast, the definite angles of the baguettes against round brilliant diamonds punctuate each piece with tradition and brilliance.

Leung (pictured) said, “It is so refreshing to see a contemporary take on high jewelry, the three-dimensional aspect and the interplay of light between different diamond cuts is truly unique.”

Hollie Bonneville-Barden, the jewelry designer, added, “Imaginary Nature 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.”

http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=41084

Best Brands in Luxury Jewelry; Graff, Asprey and Mikimoto Take Top Honors in Luxury Institute Survey, but Tiffany Proves Most Popular

Ultra-wealthy U.S. shoppers with at least $200,000 per year in household income and minimum net worth of $5 million rank U.K.-based Graff Diamonds highest among 22 luxury jewelers in the 2012 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey by the independent and objective New York-based Luxury Institute. LBSI scores comprise respondents’ evaluations of each brand’s products, customer service experience and reputation.

With the top overall LBSI score of 7.98 out of 10, Graff ranks first on brand reputation and product quality considerations, scoring highest in evaluations of materials and craftsmanship.

Graff is also the brand that pentamillionaires are most likely to deem worthy of charging premium prices, followed by fellow U.K. jeweler, Asprey, and Japanese pearl specialist, Mikimoto. Asprey (7.82) and Mikimoto (7.77) also rank second and third, respectively, in overall LBSI scores.

Top luxury jewelers serve an exclusive clientele. Just 1% of pentamillionaires have purchased one of Graff’s diamonds in the past 12 months, 3% have shopped Asprey and 4% have purchased from Mikimoto. Tiffany & Co. is the most popular luxury jeweler: 13% of ultra-wealthy shoppers made a blue box purchase in the past year; 75% plan to buy Tiffany goods in the coming year.

“Quality in craftsmanship and materials are primary considerations for any luxury goods brand, but especially so in jewelry,” says Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza. “The top-ranked jewelers also pay attention to delivering an outstanding customer experience to create true brand value and a competitive advantage.”

Survey participants reported average income of $682,000 and average net worth of $14.6 million.

http://luxuryinstitute.com/blog/?p=1991

September Birthstone

Birthstone Color: Deep Blue
The striking deep blue of a quality sapphire is reminiscent of a cloudless night sky. Ancient civilizations believed that the world was set upon an enormous sapphire, which painted the sky blue with its reflection. This legend, as well as the belief that the ten commandments were inscribed upon tablets made of sapphire, gives September’s birthstone a royal place among gemstones.

Named after the Greek word "sapphirus", meaning blue, Sapphires have long been a favorite among priests and kings, who considered them symbolic of wisdom and purity. These gemstones are prominent among the British Crown Jewels, and Prince Charles chose this as the engagement stone for his fiancée, Princess Diana.

In ancient times, Sapphires were thought to be protective against envy, and even against poisoning. A common belief was that a venomous snake placed in a Sapphire vessel would rapidly die! Ground to a powder, the blue stone was believed to cure colic, rheumatism and mental illness, and to strengthen eyesight.

Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum. Corundum is found in every color of the rainbow, with red being designated as ruby and all other hues Sapphire. But the most prized color of Sapphire is a rich, deep blue. These gemstones were mined as early as the 7th Century BC from India and what is now Sri Lanka. They are found today in Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Myanmar, Thailand, Australia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, China, Madagascar, and the United States. Large specimens of Corundum crystals are rare, although the 563-carat Star of India can be seen in the American Museum of Natural History. This is the largest and most famous of star Sapphires, which are cut to reflect light from inclusions within the stone, revealing a bright six-legged star pattern.

The Sapphire is second only to the Diamond in hardness, making it a durable gemstone for setting into jewelry. A gift of Sapphire represents sincerity and faithfulness. As nourishing to the soul as gazing up at the sky on a summer day, this brilliant blue gemstone is truly a heavenly choice!

http://www.about-birthstones.com/septemberbirthstone.html

Add Some Sparkle to Your Portfolio, Buy Diamonds

This could be the best time to invest in diamonds as falling supply coupled with growing demand for the precious stone means prices could double over the next decade, one diamond expert says.


“There is a depletion of diamond resources in the world. The last mine was discovered about 15 years ago and today if we discover a new diamond mine in the world it could take 8-9 years to bring it to full production. So this is leading to a continuous decrease in the supply of diamonds,” Alain Vandenborre, Founder of the Singapore Diamond Exchange told CNBC Asia’s “Squawk Box”.

“Demand is growing in double digits, with about 10-12 percent annual growth in China and India. This growth is primarily driven by consumption and the retail market,” he added.

There have been signs that demand for diamonds is gaining favor among Indian consumers who have traditionally favored gold. The World Gold Council, for instance, reported that the gold jewelry sector recorded an annual decline of 15 percent in the second quarter following a sharp fall in demand from India.

Investing in diamonds, however, is not as straight forward as investing in gold which can be bought through exchange traded funds such as the SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold ETF. That could be changing, however, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission saying earlier this year it would look at proposals for the first-ever diamond-backed exchange-traded fund. Vandenborre, who has set up an investment fund for investors keen on putting money into diamonds without buying actual diamonds, says the trend in prices is in investors’ favor.

“What’s important is the trend in diamond prices. So over the past 10 years, diamond prices have been going up,” he said, adding that the price of a 3 carat, triple-A rated diamond has gone up 200 percent since 2009.

“In the last month the market has softened a bit, but because of the long-term diminishing of supply, specialists are predicting that diamond pricing will increase by 6 percent annually, which means that over the next 10-15 years diamond prices could potentially double,” Vandenborre said.

- By CNBC's Dhara Ranasinghe

Diamonds: Masterpieces In the Making

Accounting for 90 percent of the world’s gem trade, diamonds are the rarest and most coveted of all stones.

Raw diamonds
Considered as investments, symbols of wealth and unique works of art, few objects surpass their perfection and nothing has comparable longevity, as the diamond is passed from one generation to the next. (Read More: How to Invest in Diamonds)

Diamonds are found throughout the world from Southern Africa to Russia, from Brazil to Australia. Approximately 100 miles below the surface of the Earth the requisite heat and pressure 1300ºC and 50,000 times normal atmospheric pressure — for the formation of diamonds can be found. Carbon molecules, present in abundance at this level of the Earth’s mantle, forge together as diamond crystals.

Magma, bearing the crystals, is then forced to the surface, and solidifies in formations known as ‘pipes’, some of which are miles wide. Only 100 in every 500 pipes will yield a profit: Just 25 carats of diamonds can be expected from 100 tonnes of mined earth and of this, 5 carats will be of gem quality.

Extracting the diamonds from the earth creates another problem and separation takes advantage of the physical properties of the stones — being significantly heavier than most other gem minerals and fluorescing under X-rays.

Once mined and processed, the next step is to sort, classify and value the diamonds according to size, shape, quality and color. Using more than 16,000 categories, the diamonds are sorted and then sold to a small group of the world’s leading diamond cutters.

Before any cutting takes place, the marker carefully examines the diamonds to decide how they should be shaped to yield the greatest value and beauty.

The process of cutting a diamond is full of complex decisions and the shape of the rough determines the form of the polished stone.


In order to maximize the optical properties of diamonds, there must be a good understanding of the geometry of each stone and a decision is made whether to sacrifice weight for beauty. Retaining 50 percent of the carat weight of the original rough crystal is considered a good yield.

Once the shape and size of the diamond are determined, the diamond is marked for cutting. Although diamonds are the hardest material known to man, this hardness is variable and a diamond crystal has planes of relative strength and weakness, allowing it to be cleaved or sawn effectively.

The next step is bruting, which involves grinding away the edges of the stone to provide a basic outline. The stone is then given its facets — for a round brilliant-cut diamond there are 58 facets — in two phases: An initial 16 facets (the main crown and pavilion facets and the culet) are the responsibility of a cross-cutter, while the brillianteer grinds the remaining facets and gives the overall polish to the stone.

When grinding the stone, the facet angles must be adjusted to ensure the maximum amount of light entering the stone is transmitted back out by its internal facets — known as total internal reflection. This quality is termed as ‘brilliance’.

The ‘fire’ or rainbow-like effect also associated with a diamond is caused by the dispersion of light rays and again the correct balance must be achieved to have a stone that displays both fire and brilliance. Once cut, the stone is then graded for cut, color, clarity and carat weight – the so-called four C’s – by a gemological laboratory.

This incredible journey shows the importance of the knowledge and care required by Sotheby’s Diamonds in order to deliver stones of the necessary quality to form the basis of our diamond based jewelry collection.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/48802727

How to Wear Chandelier Earrings

Without a doubt the most glamorous earrings you can wear are chandelier earrings. These have the biggest WOW factor when walking into a room and add instant glamour to any outfit. As beautiful as they are they are not always the easiest piece of jewelry to wear. Here are some do’s and don’t on chandelier earrings that I wanted to share with you.

Do – Select the right size for you. Depending on the shape of your face you can go smaller or bigger. If you’re very petite with small features steer clear from extra large earrings or they will just make you look smaller. Round face will be elongated with longer chandeliers.

Don’t wear with a statement necklace. Your earrings are a statement piece so no need to clutter your look by adding more bling around your neck. Stick with a simple pendant to accessorize but chances are you don’t even need it.

Do – Put your hair up. Show off the beauty of your chandelier earrings by putting your hair up in an elegant bun or high ponytail. Sweep your hair away from your ears to let your jewels really shine.

Don’t wear them to the office or during the day. Chandeliers are elegant and sexy. They dress up an outfit and sparkle beautifully at night. Not very professional for the office. If you really want to, opt for shorter chandeliers.

Do – Use them to dress up your daytime look. Chandelier earrings are the perfect accessory to go from daytime casual to nighttime chic with the same outfit. If you have plans after work, simply drape your ears with dramatic chandeliers to dress up your regular work attire like in this outfit below.

Don’t wear them for an entire day – Put these earrings on at the last moment before going out. Since they do tend to get heavy it would be wise to not wear them for a long period of time. Reserve them for nights out rather than all-day glamour.

Do – Wear chandeliers at any age. Everyone deserves a little glamour. I often hear middle-age women say they are too old to pull off this look. I couldn’t disagree more. Ladies, put them on! They are look fab whether you’re 20, 40, 60, etc.

Do you wear chandelier earrings? Tell us how you like to wear yours.

http://blog.ice.com/the-list/how-to-wear-chandelier-earrings/

DIAMOND AND JEWELRY BUYING GUIDE

People have been wearing jewelry for over 100,000 years, and even back then, chances are it wasn’t the easiest thing to shop for. There are just so many options when buying jewelry – so many materials, metals, styles and gems to choose from. You can shop better by taking the time to learn how to buy jewelry. It can seem like a lot, but with a little help from this jewelry buying guide, you’ll be shopping like a professional in no time. And if you are still stumped buying jewelry, feel free to ask an AGS-certified gemologist for help. They may know a lot about metals and gems, but they also know tons about styles and trends.

Here are a few basics to get your shopping jump-started, and be sure to click to the left to continue the guide:

WHAT ARE NATURAL GEMSTONES?

Natural gemstones come from the earth and are mined worldwide. Some natural gemstones can be enhanced, which means sometimes they are treated in some way (such as heat) to improve their color.

WHAT ARE LABORATORY-CREATED GEMSTONES?

These stones, which can also be referred to as laboratory-grown, manufacturer-created, or synthetic, have essentially the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as natural gemstones. Laboratory-created gemstones do not have the rarity or value of natural colored gemstones. Although they are similar in many ways to natural gemstones, a professional gemologist will be able to recognize their difference with proper testing.

WHAT ARE IMITATION GEMSTONES?

Imitation stones look like natural gemstones in appearance only. This includes tinted glass, cubic zirconia or other material that resembles natural stones when treated. Laboratory-created and imitation stones should be clearly identified as such.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GEMSTONE?

Gemstones may be measured by weight, size, or both. The basic unit for weighing gemstones is the carat, which is equal to one-fifth (1/5th) of a gram. Carats are divided into 100 units, called points. For example, a half-carat gemstone would weigh .050 ct. or 50 points.

WHAT IS AN ENHANCED OR TREATED GEMSTONE?

Gemstone treatments or enhancements refer to the way some gemstones are treated to improve their appearance or durability, or even change their color. Many gemstones are treated in some way. The effects of some treatments may lessen or change over time and some treated gemstones may require special care. Some enhancements also affect the value of a gemstone, when measured against a comparable untreated gemstone. Treatments and/or enhancements should always be disclosed by the seller, along with any special care that might be required.

http://www.americangemsociety.org/jewelry-buying-101