Queen's 10,000 diamonds on display in London

On Thursday, June 28, 2012, a press preview provided the first entrance to 'Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration,' an exhibition which forms part of the summer opening of Buckingham Palace. This exhibition, part of the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Queen Elizabeth II, displays over 10,000 diamonds set in works that were commissioned and acquired by six monarchs over three centuries.

The items are from the Queen's personal collection and the Royal Collection. Pieces such as the Delhi Durbar Tiara (shown in slideshow) are being displayed to the public for the first time. The tiara, which King George V fondly referred to as "May’s best tiara," was made in 1911 for Queen Mary to wear to the Durbar, a ceremonial gathering in Delhi which marked the succession of King George as King Emperor.

The Diamond Diadem, despite its feminine associations, was commissioned for George IV at his coronation in 1821. Queen Elizabeth II is shown wearing it on British and Commonwealth stamps, as well as on some coins and bank notes. It contains 1,333 brilliant-cut diamonds, including a four-carat pale yellow brilliant diamond.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara (see slideshow) was a present to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck from the ‘Girls of Great Britain and Ireland’ on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later King George V, in 1893.

As if anyone needs a reminder of the glory of royalty, these beautiful gems show how monarchs over the centuries have used diamonds as a display of power, might and magnificence.

The exhibition opens on Saturday, June 30, 2012 and runs through July 8. The exhibition is closed through July, then opens again from July 31 to October 7, 2012.


- www.examiner.com

Brooches:The New Accessory Trend for Summer 2012

Brooches have made a big comeback recently and are a great way to accessorize an outfit without breaking the bank. An attractive, inexpensive brooch can transform your look in the same way as a statement necklace, but it does not have to be big to be eye-catching.

Most recently, young Hollywood actress Emma Stone shot her first cover of Vogue with Mario Testino.

Showcasing a deluge of designer clothing, Emma’s July editorial shows off her serious and sultry side. Wearing a Dries Van Noten blazer embellished with a brooch by Marni, it’s clear that this is a one-to-watch accessory worn by the one-to-watch girl of the moment.



An interesting and creative way to wear a brooch this summer is on the waistline. This could be the waistline of a dress, a summer skirt or your favorite pair of trousers. A small bow-shaped diamante brooch, for example, would add interest to the waistline of a delicate flowing summer dress without overpowering it.

Use a larger brooch to hold in place a summer scarf. If the scarf is patterned, pick an enameled brooch in one of the colors so that it complements the scarf. Alternatively, nestle a small brooch in the soft folds of the material to add interest. Bird and butterfly scarf designs lend themselves to this idea, with the addition of a vintage bird or butterfly brooch.


A cluster of three small brooches adds flair to a plain sweater or top. You can express yourself with various combinations, whilst still coordinating with other accessories such as earrings and bracelets. The brooches need not be expensive as there are many outlets specializing in fashion jewellery throughout the UK. Brooches make great gifts too, so if your birthday is approaching, make sure they are on the list.


Embellish a crossover handbag by placing a brooch on the bag strap. Brooches can be mixed and matched depending on your mood. Alternatively, place a brooch on the handbag itself for a simple but effective look. A range of brooches can be found in most high-street and online stores.

Brooches that are also fitted with a hairpin make two accessories in one. Large brooches look stunning worn in long wavy hair and are perfect for keeping an ‘up-do’ firmly in place. Flower brooches in particular will look lovely in your hair this season.

Shoulder brooches add a dramatic finishing touch to an outfit. From vintage animal brooches to large art deco bar brooches, wearing a shoulder brooch makes a powerful fashion statement.

Brooches are not just an accessory trend for women this summer. There are many different styles of brooches and pins for your man. Medals of honor are commonly worn on a jacket, while a simple arrow-shaped pin worn on a tie is also popular. This classic and simple trend adds personality to office or casual wear.

There is an overwhelming choice of styles when it comes to buying a brooch. Contemporary or vintage, they add a lovely finishing touch to any outfit. Vintage styles need not be expensive and are readily available at car boot sales and flea markets every weekend throughout the summer. Alternatively, ask your grandma to donate one or two from her collection.

Source: The Los Angeles Fashion

Round to fancy cut, shape of a diamond does matter

Think of diamond and the image of a sparkling round stone crops up in your mind. However, the trend among diamond consumers in the country and abroad, especially in the US, Hong Kong, UAE and China is fast changing as far as a diamond's shape is concerned.

Diamond consumers have now begun to drift away from traditional round and princess-cut diamonds towards shapes such as pears, heart, radiant, ovals, marquise, emerald, asscher and cushion.

Diamantaires in the world's biggest diamond cutting and polishing centre in Surat say rounds are considered expensive and with their relatively lower prices, fancies offer buyers bigger pieces for less money.

Gujarat Heera Bourse (GHB) secretary Praveen Nanavaty, a leading diamantaire, told TOI, "Fancy cut diamonds are in high demand in the world markets. Earlier, round diamonds were ruling the global market. Now, out of 10 pieces of diamonds sold in the world, two are fancy cut diamonds."

Fancy shaped diamonds are less expensive. Manufacturing fancy cut diamonds requires less precision compared to the rounds and that the wastage is relatively much less.

The global polished diamond market is pegged at $60 billion per annum. While round and princess-cut are most popular, fancy cut diamonds have a $10 billion worth of market.

Nanavaty said fancy shaped rough diamonds from the mines are assorted as per their shapes. While there is 70 per cent wastage in processing round-cuts, fancy-cuts have a lesser wastage of 10 to 15 per cent. On the contrary, the time, skill and per piece wages required for cutting and polishing the fancy-cuts are much less than the round-cuts.

Surat's diamond industry is the world leader in manufacturing fancy-cuts. About 80 per cent of fancy cut diamonds - 10 out of the eight fancy cut diamonds - in the world are supplied by the diamantaires here.

"The fancy cuts like cushion, emerald, marquise, princess etc. are really in fashion as more people in the world want them even though they are less common in the market. Even people prefer fancy cuts in the wedding rings in US, China and Indian markets," said Rakesh Gandhi, a leading diamantaire dealing in fancy cut stones.

-www.timesofindia.com

Skinner's Jewelry Sale Nets Nearly $3M

Auction house Skinner Inc. grossed $2.8 million, including buyer's premium, for its fine jewelry sale on June 12. Colored stones, Art Deco pieces, diamonds, and natural pearls were especially strong performers, according to the firm.

Highlights of the sale included an Art Deco diamond pendant necklace by Cartier, which sold for $325,000 and featured a 7.93-carat, F, VS1, pear-shaped diamond and a 3.92-carat diamond ring (pictured) by Tiffany & Co., which sold for $142,200. An antique Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring, set with a cabochon sapphire weighing 9.92 carats, with no evidence of heat treatment, fetched $189,600, surpassing its presale high estimate of $50,000.

Skinner will hold its next fine jewelry auction on September 11, in Boston.

-www.diamonds.net

"Volatile diamond prices not forever'...

A weakening Indian rupee is likely to contribute to volatility in rough diamond prices for the rest of the year, but longer-term price prospects are bright, the chief executive of London-listed miner Gem Diamonds Ltd (GEMD.L) said.

Clifford Elphick, who formed Gem Diamonds in 2005, said prices would eventually resume their upward trend because of the simple fact that demand will continue to exceed supply.

"There's no question that the volatility in Europe is having an impact, and on top of that the appreciation of the dollar against the rupee is a big issue," Elphick said in an interview.

"But at the end of the day, supply and demand determine price and I'm confident that prices will get better," he said.

"There are only so many diamond mines, and the population of the world is wanting ever-more diamonds ... people are consuming diamonds more than they are being mined."

India is the world's biggest importer of rough diamonds and vies with Japan and China as the second biggest consumer of polished diamonds.

However, a six percent decline in the value of the rupee against the dollar since January has made it more expensive for Indians to import raw diamonds, while exports of cut diamonds are being restrained by the euro zone debt crisis.

Economic growth in India has also slowed markedly.

Rough diamond prices fell sharply in the second half of 2011 as markets tumbled and investors retreated. Prices stabilized in the first few months of 2012 but have since turned volatile.

"In the very short-term, between now and October-November, we may well be in for choppy rides as confidence disappears," Elphick said.

"Prices will continue their upward trend over the long-term, definitely over the medium term. Over the short-term, I can't be so confident."

Elphick's optimism about the longer term is shared by BMO Capital Markets, which said earlier this month that it expected rough diamond prices to increase by between 3 and 7 percent a year from 2013.

Gem Diamonds said earlier this week that initial production at its Ghaghoo mine in Botswana, which is under development, would be delayed until the first half of 2014, following a ground collapse that killed two employees.

Elphick declined to say when he expected operations to return to normal at the site.

"They're not back to normal today; they may well be quite soon," he said. "I don't want to get back to normal operations if there is any risk of such a thing happening again."

Production at Ghaghoo was scheduled to start in 2013 at an initial rate of 100,000 carats per year, rising to a peak steady-state production of 780,000 carats per year, according to the company's website.

Gem Diamonds has two mines in production, the Letseng mine in Lesotho and the Ellendale mine in Australia.

The company considered buying the Ekati mine in Canada earmarked for potential sale by BHP Billiton Plc (BLT.L) last year but decided not to proceed.

A deal could have edged Gem closer to FTSE 250-listed Petra Diamonds Ltd (PDL.L) or even put it ahead of its rival, in a sector dominated by giants De Beers - soon to be majority owned by Anglo American Plc (AAL.L) - and Russia's state-owned Alrosa.

Gem Diamonds, which counts upscale jeweler Tiffany & Co (TIF.N) among its customers, continues to explore options for the Ellendale mine, famous for its prized yellow diamonds.

"This is a mine that has a short life," Elphick said. "It probably has another three or four years of life to it, and short-life operations are not really what we want to have in our portfolio," Elphick said. "If a buyer emerged at the right price, we would certainly consider an offer."

Gem Diamonds' shares, which have fallen about 18 percent over the past 12 months, have risen 4 percent since the beginning of this year. They closed at 200.5 pence on Wednesday on the London Stock Exchange.

-www.reuters.com

Elvis Presley’s Omega Constellation Sells for a World Record Price of $52,500

An Omega Constellation watch that once belonged to Elvis Presley sold for $52,500—a world record for the reference—at Antiquorum’s auction of Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces, Part 2, in New York City on June 12.

The bids for the timepiece quickly escalated from $10,000 to the final total, which was over five times its pre-sale estimate.

The auction raked in a total of $4,437,225 resulting in a combined spring total of $9,073,713.

The top lot by value was a Patek Philippe tourbillon minute repeater with a custom grey dial that sold for $542,500 to a Chinese phone bidder.

A yellow gold Patek Philippe minute-repeating perpetual calendar raked in $380,500. A. Lange & Söhne's yellow gold Pour le Merite timepiece sold for $188,500, while the Ulysse Nardin Trilogy of Time watch brought in $164,500.

-Jckonline.com

The 5 most popular engagement ring styles of 2012

Jewelers typically do not like to use the word “trend” when helping customers select an engagement ring because it suggests a passing fad rather than a timeless symbol of love. But the truth is, engagement rings are much like any other aspect of fashion or style; they vary in popularity from year to year, and whatever the “next big thing,” you’ll see it first on the red carpet. Here are some of the engagement ring styles in demand for 2012.


Yellow Gold and Rose Gold. In the 1930s, demand for yellow gold jewelry gave way to the Art Deco-inspired aesthetic of white metals. The leading ladies of old Hollywood adorned themselves in platinum jewelry, and “platinum blondes” were synonymous with beauty. The 80s saw the return of yellow gold as the ultimate symbol of wealth, but by the late 90s, white metals were back on top, falling in line with the sartorial minimalism of designers like Calvin Klein.

Today, we’re seeing a renewed interest in yellow gold and rose gold as a way to add extra visual interest to even the most traditional ring style. The perfect example is Miley Cyrus’s 3.5 carat cushion-cut diamond set in 18-karat gold–youthful and fashion forward, yet elegant and timeless.


Emerald Cut Diamonds. Bridal jewelry styles often take their cue from the red carpet, so it’s no surprise that emerald cut diamonds have dramatically increased in popularity since the debut of Angelina Jolie’s engagement ring. Other fashionable celebrities like Kate Hudson and Beyoncé are also wearing emerald cut engagement rings. It’s the perfect look for the bride with sophisticated yet edgy sensibilities.


Colored Gemstones. Colored gemstones have long been the choice for royal engagements, from Princess Diana and now Kate Middleton’s stunning sapphire ring, to Facebook royalty Mark Zuckerburg’s new bride’s ruby engagement ring. Whether a woman’s style is classic or bold, the variety of colors and gems available make these rings unsurpassed in individuality and style.


Micro Pave and Halo. This is the perfect look for someone who wants to offer his bride a ring with a “wow factor.” A type of pave, micro pave uses ultra-miniature diamonds that are delicately set to give the illusion of a solid diamond surface. We often see this technique used in combination with a halo setting around the center gemstone, which gives the illusion of a bigger diamond, making it really stand out. It’s perfect for the bride-to-be who wants extra sparkle.


Vintage Glam. Old Hollywood glamour never goes out of style, even for fashion-forward celebrities like Jessica Biel, who’s newly sporting a stunning 6-carat, cushion cut ring from Justin Timberlake. New vintage-inspired rings combine romantic charm with the intricate metalwork of antique rings. Platinum is the metal of choice for these ornate rings.
Staying on top of engagement ring trends is a great first step to selecting the perfect ring, but be sure to take into account the bride-to-be’s personal style. This will show her that you took the time to find a ring as unique and special as she is.

-http://blastmagazine.com/