Vegas preview: Betting on silver

source : nationaljewelernetwork.com
By Catherine Dayrit
May 26, 2010

In Las Vegas, Calgaro will be offering its "Jealousy Collection" bracelets, evocative of fabric and crafted in sterling silver with a patented colorized silver fabrication; suggested retail price is $795. (818) 319-4200 or CalgaroUSA.com

With Las Vegas Market Week fast approaching, retail jewelers are spending a last couple of days examining their inventory and fine-tuning their shopping lists.

While fill-in staples such as bridal, diamond solitaire pendants and anniversary bands are sure to make the cut, buyers are likely to hone in on two other specific merchandise categories: the high-end couture sector and the entry-level price-point arena.

Recent reports in the press, combined with market surveys, point out that activity has been returning at the very high end of the market. It's good news, but still, that is just the very tip-top of the market and many consumers remain cautious about spending. ...

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Nice ice - Diamond jewelry still tops for retailers

source : nationaljewelernetwork.com
By Catherine Dayrit
May 04, 2010

Carla Amorim's "Champagne" ring in 18-karat yellow gold with 1.5 carats of diamonds; suggested retail price is $9,000. CarlaAmorim.com

New York--Despite widespread efforts to reduce inventory, there are some items that jewelers simply must keep in stock.

Diamond hoops and studs, as well as delicate pendants, are can't-go-wrong options for need-it-now customers, while trendy diamond charms and colored diamonds might catch the eye of customers seeking the unique.

Diamond jewelry continues to represent the largest category of sales among jewelry retailers, bar none, thanks in part to a marketing machine matched by no other jewelry category. Credit is also due to innovative new styles--who would have thought rough cuts and brown diamonds would become designer darlings?--offering a welcome retreat from the familiar. ...

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Sotheby's blue diamonds set another color record

source : nationaljewelernetwork.com
May 12, 2010

This 7.64-carat, cushion-shaped fancy intense blue diamond ring sold for $8.03 million, or $1.05 million per carat, Tuesday at Sotheby's in Geneva.

Geneva--Two blue diamonds broke records Tuesday in Geneva at Sotheby's "Spring Sales of Magnificent and Noble Jewels" in yet another display of the strength of natural colored diamonds at auctions worldwide.

In what Sotheby's terms the "standout moment of the day," a 7.64-carat, cushion-shaped fancy intense blue diamond mounted in a ring sold for $8.03 million, or $1.05 million per carat, following fierce competition from three buyers. According to a news release from Sotheby's, the sale sets a new record per-carat price for a fancy intense blue diamond sold at auction. ...

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The bridal category remains solid as a rock

source :nationaljewelernetwork
By Michelle Graff
Nisan 12, 2010

Natural blue and pink diamond ring by Scarselli Diamonds, Scarselli.com. Blue was the second hottest natural color diamond choice (behind yellow), with 22 percent of the vote, while 7 percent picked pink.

While consumers may remain hesitant to splurge on fashion jewelry, nothing seems to stop them from falling in love and getting married, the results of National Jeweler's Product Panel on bridal jewelry show.

Nearly half (47 percent) of the retail jewelers who took the survey reported that their loose diamond, diamond engagement ring and wedding band sales have increased over the last three years, while 36 percent said they have remained steady.

As the economy continues to bounce back, bridal will no doubt remain central to any jewelry store's success, as retailers find creative ways to adjust to a post-recession world and continued Internet interference. ...

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Historic stones rule the day at Christie's

source : nationaljewelernetwork.com
April 23, 2010

Legend has it that the Archduke Maximilian, who once ruled as emperor of Mexico at the urging of Napoleon III, had the Emperor Maximilian Diamond in a pouch around his neck when he was executed by a firing squad. The 39.55-carat cushion-cut stone sold for $1.76 million at Christie's on Thursday.

New York--Two stones with colorful histories sold above their estimates Thursday at Christie's "Jewels: the New York Sale."

According to a news release issued by the auction house, a private U.S. buyer paid $1.76 million for the 39.55-carat, I color Emperor Maximilian Diamond, which was estimated to fetch between $1 million and $1.5 million.

The cushion-cut stone has a long and interesting history, having once been owned by the Archduke Maximilian, who ruled as emperor of Mexico at the insistence of Napoleon III but was later executed. It is believed that he was wearing the diamond around his neck when he faced the firing squad.

After passing through a number of owners, the stone fell into the hands of diamantaire Laurence Graff, who bought it at Christie's in 1982 and sold it to Imelda Marcos, widow of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. ...

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'Emeralds for Elephants' collection to hit London

source : nationaljewelernetwork.com
April 23, 2010

Designed by Sabine Roemer, the "Emerald Queen" featuring a 679-carat emerald will be one of 250 elephant statues that will be displayed in London this summer and will also be the highlight of a pop-up collection of bespoke emerald jewelry opening at Selfridge's in London next month.

London--Over the years, Chicago residents have strolled past life-sized "Cows on Parade" statues and Washington, D.C., denizens have corralled "Party Animals," an outdoor art exhibit of brightly decorated elephant and donkey statues. Now, Londoners will greet a vivid herd of elephant statues all their own, including one featuring a staggering 679-carat emerald.

In May, the "Emerald Queen," a life-size fiberglass elephant designed by U.K. jeweler Sabine Roemer, will debut in the Wonder Room of London-based department store Selfridge's. Decorated with Zambian emerald dust and featuring a hefty oval-shaped emerald as a headdress, the Emerald Queen will serve as the highlight of "Emeralds for Elephants," a pop-up collection of bespoke jewelry created by eight renowned designers.

The Emerald Queen is one of 250 elephant statues set to be displayed around London, from May through July 2010, as part of an effort to create public awareness about the plight of the endangered Asian elephant and to raise more than $3 million for the cause. ...

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Red-hot diamond on block at Sotheby's Australia

source : nationaljewelernetwork.com
April 01, 2010

The 0.82-carat center stone of this ring will mark the first red diamond to be offered for public auction in Australia. The ring is estimated at as much as $921,556 and also features fancy blue diamonds and brilliant-cut colorless diamonds set in platinum.

Sydney, Australia--Sotheby's Australia's upcoming April 12 sale of antique and contemporary jewelry will be a significant one for the auction house. The event will mark the Australian branch's first standalone jewelry sale, with the highlight slated to be the first red diamond ever offered for public auction in Australia.

The 0.82-carat, fancy purplish-red Argyle diamond is set into a ring and is flanked by a pair of fancy blue diamonds in a round brilliant-cut diamond surround, all mounted in platinum. Its value is estimated at between 700,000 and 1 million Australian dollars (between about $645,065 and $921,556) and will be accompanied by a letter from Argyle Diamonds attesting to its rarity.

Sotheby's said in a media release that despite the notable discovery of the Argyle pink diamond deposits in Western Australia, less than a handful of red diamonds have been discovered, and connoisseurs have long considered red diamonds to be among the most precious and rare of diamonds.

The April 12 sale will offer even more superb examples of colored stones, including a double strand of graduated emerald beads accented with diamond-set rondelles (estimated between $9,676 and $11,519), a sapphire and diamond ring (estimated between $23,034 and $32,248) and an emerald and diamond ring (estimated between $64,497 and $82,907). ...

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Swarovski latest to fall under silver’s spell

source : nationaljewelernetwork.com
April 23, 2010

Swarovski's first sterling silver collection, the "Manhattan Collection" features pieces like these featuring silver and black cubic zirconia.

New York-Austrian crystal giant Swarovski clearly has a thing for New York: Besides releasing the "Manhattan Collection," its sterling silver debut, the brand's boutiques worldwide will be decorated with a Sex and the City 2 theme, playing up the jewelry and accessories featured in the film.

In a departure from its predominantly costume jewelry focus, Swarovski is bringing its fashion-forward ethos to the company's first sterling silver jewelry collection, the "Manhattan Collection," unveiled as part of its fall collection.

The collection features a modern chain-link silhouette, with pieces crafted in .925 sterling silver with rhodium plating, and offered at price points ranging from $260 to $320. The designs deploy a black-and-white motif, mixing sterling silver with the brand's black cubic zirconia stones.

The silver collection will be available in early August in Swarovski boutiques, through authorized Swarovski retailers and on the brand's Web site, Swarovski.com. ...

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A Storied Name in Jewelry Makes a Comeback

source : nytimes.com
By JULIA WERDIGIER
Published: September 9, 2009

A firebird brooch from the Fabergé jewelry collection.

LONDON — Fabergé, jeweler to the last Russian czar and creator of the legendary Imperial Easter eggs, made a comeback of sorts Wednesday when it presented its first jewelry collection in more than 90 years, even as other luxury goods makers are bracing for a tough year.

The collection is the result of a two-year effort by Fabergé’s owners, a group of investors led by the British private-equity firm Pallinghurst Resources, to revive the brand by reuniting it with two heirs of the Fabergé family.

The firm also assembled a management and design team that includes Mark Dunhill, former president of Alfred Dunhill, a leather and accessories maker owned by the Swiss luxury goods company Richemont, and Frédéric Zaavy, an avant-garde Parisian jeweler. ...

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By choice or not, jewelers fall off brand-wagon

source : nationaljewelernetwork.com
By Michelle Graff
April 15, 2010

Hearts on Fire says it is renewing its focus on bridal pieces, like this "Beloved" ring, featuring a 0.75-carat center stone and 0.37- to 0.47-carat side stones; setting retails for $2,650.

New York--In a month known for hearts and cupid's arrows, some of the industry's biggest brands weren't showing recession-battered retailers any love.

In February, both diamond company Hearts on Fire and the Richemont Group-owned Cartier acknowledged they were severing ties with under-performing retailers, and both cited essentially the same reason: They wanted to maximize their brand's potential by partnering only with those retailers who really know how to push their product.

Stories detailing these divorces blew up online at NationalJeweler.com, remaining on the site's top-viewed list for weeks. But was the frenzy whipped up by the jewelers directly impacted or by the love-hate relationship jewelers often harbor when it comes to their favorite brands? Longtime retailers and industry observers suggest the latter. ...

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Yael Designs celebrates Earth Day with 'Pacifica'

April 13, 2010

Yael Designs' new "Pacifica" collection includes earrings, pendants and rings, such as this one above, featuring tanzanite and colorless diamonds set into recycled 18-karat gold.

San Francisco--Fine jewelry design house Yael Designs has launched a new ocean-inspired collection just in time for Earth Day, and has also announced its role in an auction that raises funds for environmental causes.

The sea-centric "Pacifica Collection" features deep blue tanzanite stones, ranging in size from 3 to 22 carats, and set into diamond-accented rings, earrings and pendants. The 38 pieces in the collection are available in 18-karat recycled white or yellow gold, and retail from $5,000 to $25,000.

According to Yael Designs Chief Executive Officer Yehouda Saketkhou, the collection was inspired by the beauty of the Pacific Ocean, noting that its crashing waves lie less than a mile from the company's headquarters.

"I was attracted by tanzanite's royal blue and violet hues," Saketkhou said in a media release. "I often walk around the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and think this beautiful stone tells the story of our blue planet, dominated by oceans that are in dire need of protection." ...

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QVC, Smithsonian partnering on jewelry line

April 09, 2010 Washington--In what may seem like an unusual pairing, multichannel retailer QVC is teaming up with the Smithsonian Institute to create a line of fashion jewelry inspired by the museum's collection of iconic pieces.

In a news release issued Friday, the Washington, D.C.-based Smithsonian, the world's largest museum and research complex, announced it was entering into a licensing agreement with QVC to offer a jewelry collection based on objects in the National Gem and Mineral Collection, which is part of the National Museum of Natural History. The QVC-Smithsonian collection is expected to launch this fall.

The National Gem and Mineral Collection contains more than 375,000 individual specimens, and counts among its ranks world-famous pieces such as the blue Hope Diamond and the Marie Antoinette Earrings, as well as a research and mineral collection used by scientists around the world, the release states.

The line with QVC will include earrings, rings, bracelets, pins and brooches, as well as replicas of pieces in the museum's collection.

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De Beers' 'Millenium Blue' sells for $6 million

April 08, 2010

Hong Kong--A 5.16-carat fancy vivid blue diamond, once part of De Beers' Millennium Jewels Collection, sold for $6.4 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong on Wednesday, as diamonds continued to show strength in the auction market.

According to a news release from the auction house, Moussaieff of London emerged as the winning bidder for the pear-shaped diamond, which sold for well over its estimated sale price of $4.1 million to $5.1 million following "intense" bidding.

The sought-after stone was once one of the 11 blue diamonds in the Millennium Jewels Collection, a group of rare diamonds selected by Andrew Coxon, president of the De Beers Institute of Diamonds, to mark the turn of the millennium.

Wednesday's sale of the 5.16-carat millennium blue marks the first time one of these stones has been put up for sale since the diamonds were placed with private collectors in 2000.

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Etruscan-inspired gold exhibit sets sail for U.S.

April 08, 2010
Gold jewelry from Italian master goldsmith Akelo, such as the necklace above, will be on display in a new exhibit opening June 5 in Columbia, Mo.

Columbia, Mo.--Ancient Etruscan-inspired gold jewelry designs will be featured this summer in a first-ever museum exhibition from Italian master goldsmith Andrea Cagnetti, also known as "Akelo."

The exhibition, "The Voyage of a Contemporary Italian Goldsmith in the Classical World: Golden Treasures by Akelo," was conceived and organized by the Museum of Art and Archeology at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., and will open to the public there on June 5.

Akelo creates one-of-a-kind pieces of 22-karat gold jewelry and precious golden objects inspired by the gold designs of the ancient Etruscans, who were known for their fantastic artistry and craftsmanship. The goldsmith's work is based on myths, legends and symbols derived from ancient worlds, which is then rendered in gold via a knowledge of alchemy that is the result of years of in-depth study of ancient and medieval texts.

The exhibition "concentrates on the artist's voyage and ultimate transcendence of the Etruscan, Greek and Roman influences that inspire him as an artist," Mary Pixley, museum curator and exhibition organizer, said in a media release. "Unparalleled technical perfection is married with a timeless classicizing language and the artist's own aesthetic sensibility in Akelo's golden creations."

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Celebrity Diamond Engagement Rings run the Gamut

Posted By Leanne in Celebrty News

If you are looking for flashy engagement rings you need look no further than Hollywood. Celebrities have somewhat of a reputation when it comes to sporting extremely large and flashy engagement rings. While a one or two carat diamond engagement ring might seem like a lavish ring to the girl next door, nothing less than a three carat diamond engagement ring will do for many celebrities. Multi-carat diamond engagement rings in elaborate settings are definitely ‘in’ when you have photogs trailing behind you and trying to snap pictures of every second of your day.

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In Pictures: America's Most Popular Diamond Cuts

Round

With one out of every three diamonds sold in the U.S. being a classic round brilliant diamond, this cut is far and away the most popular.

Scarlett Johansson and singer Fergie both sport classic rounds.
Princess

The princess diamond was created in 1980 but has catapulted into massive popularity, making it the second-most popular diamond cut in the U.S. Diamond analyst Kenneth Gassman estimates that princess cut diamonds make up approximately 13% to 20% of diamond sales.

Freddie Prinze Jr. proposed to Sarah Michelle Gellar with a princess cut.

Emerald

The third-most popular cut has long clear "step cuts," which emphasize the diamond's clarity and gives it a more subtle appearance than the "brilliant" cuts of most diamonds.

Nick Cannon proposed to Mariah Carey with a reported $2.5 million emerald-cut diamond.

Pear Shape

The pear shape, the fifth-most popular diamond, is also called a "tear drop" for its single point and rounded end.

The most famous pear-shaped diamond has to be the 69-carat pear-shaped diamond given to Elizabeth Taylor by her fifth and sixth husband Richard Burton. Taylor wore the Taylor-Burton diamond in a necklace.


Asscher

The Asscher cut has been around for a century but soared in popularity, especially in Hollywood, after being featured in an episode of Sex and the City in which nice-guy Aidan proposed to protagonist Carrie Bradshaw.

Kate Hudson and Elizabeth Hurley were both given Asscher cuts by their soon-to-be husbands.

Source: Kenneth Gassman, The Diamond Source of Virginia, Blue Nile.
source : http://forbeslife.nl/2009/04/17/engagement-weddings-diamonds-forbes-woman-style-retail_slide.html?partner=contextstory

World's most famous 'unseen' diamond

By Jane O'Brien
BBC News, Washington

The room was dimly lit. Armed guards stood at both entrances and enormous ironclad doors were slid shut to seal the gallery.

Nobody spoke above a whisper as we waited for the first glimpse in half a century of one of the world's most extraordinary gems.

The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond was last seen in public at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels. After that, it disappeared and its whereabouts remained a mystery until Laurence Graff, a billionaire diamond dealer, bought it at auction in 2008, appending his surname.

He and his son Francois were in the gallery of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC as the blue stone, was brought up from a secret vault and finally revealed.

Flawless beauty

"I've been privileged over the years to own some of the world's most important and famous diamonds, but I would say that the Wittelsbach-Graff is the most valuable and the most beautiful," he said.

Sitting unadorned on a silken white cloth, it glittered grey and blue in the low light. Classed as "internally flawless" it is said to have exceptional colour and becomes intense orange when viewed under ultraviolet light.

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Color Diamonds Dazzle New York

March 18, 2010, jevelry.com

The American Museum of Natural History has a natural color diamond exhibit so magnificent, they're extending the run until further notice.


The American Museum of Natural History knows a good thing when they see one. The Manhattan institution decided to extend its natural color diamond exhibit, featuring The Olympia Diamond Collection, following the positive response from its many visitors.

The Olympia Diamond Collection consists of five diamonds that have been graded as 'vivid', the highest level of color saturation possible, by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

The diamonds range in size from 1.01 carats to 2.34 carats and represent five of the strongest colors that naturally occur in a diamond, namely blue-green, orange-yellow, purplish-pink, blue and orange.

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Blinged Out Bluetooth

Jewelry.com, 05/12/2008

If you're not worried about little things such as a mortgage, bills, car payments, the price of gas or what your friends would say, Jewelry.com has found a little Bluetooth headset that might just be what you've never wanted.
Motorola knows that sometimes practicality can get rather staid, so they've thrown diamonds to the wind and come up with a bluetooth that every blinged out millionaire should have. The Motoral Motopure H12 is no ordinary headset. This one is made from either yellow or white gold and covered with 184 diamonds.
The price - a mere $17,000.

News : Red-Hot Rocks - July’s Birthstone

Jewelry.com, 07/16/2008

There’s a saying that the ‘price of wisdom is above rubies’. That is certainly true, but hey, you can’t wear wisdom on your finger or around your neck. Ok – so wisdom is probably somewhat more useful than a ruby or two – but this saying just goes to show how highly prized these little red gems have been throughout history. Read More