Luxist

In the world of rare necklaces, a couple million dollars doesn't get you much. Even ten million dollars is cheap for the rarest of the rare. The most expensive necklace may likely be one built around the Blue Empress, a rare natural blue diamond. The pear-shaped diamond weighs about 14 carats. It is set in 18k white gold and surrounded with white diamonds. The Blue Empress necklace is estimated to be worth $16 million.

The runner-up for rare necklaces is a $12 million piece in the Robert Mouawad private collection. It has a 70 carat diamond surrounded by a multitude of colored diamonds, which appear to include yellow, pink, and blue.

Who knew that The Necklace Satine, worn by Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, would be considered a bargain next to these two. It's got 1,308 diamonds for a total of 134 carats, and was made just for the movie. It's gorgeous, but "only" worth about a million dollars.

The world's rarest gem is believed to be painite, a gem that most have never even heard of. Rarity does not equate to beauty in gems, however. The painite is an orangish or reddish brown, with the brown tint coming from iron in the crystal. It was first discovered in Burma in the 1950s and was widely considered to be the rarest of all gems, with only two faceted crystals in existence. Within the last couple of years, however, the source of the original painite crystals was discovered, and now a few hundred faceted stones exist.

A more widely recognized (but still very rare) gem is the red diamond. There are many more red diamonds available than some other rare gems, but very large red diamonds are extremely rare. The largest cut natural red diamond may be the one owned by Moussaieff Jewellers Ltd, a 5.11 carat trillion cut.

The rare blue diamond, made famous by the Hope Diamond, gets its deep blue color from traces of boron in the stone. It is a natural blue diamond, in contrast with most of today's blue diamonds, which are turned from clear to blue with a process involving irradiation and heat.

The Hope Diamond was believed to be originally over 112 carats, but was poorly cut. It was recut in the 1600's, resulting in a stone just over 67 carats. It changed hands many times, and got its name from Henry Philip Hope, who acquired the diamond in 1839. After it changed hands a few more times, the Hope Diamond came to rest in the care of the Smithsonian, and now weighs over 45 carats.

Jewelry designed by Wendy Rachel has been featured in high-profile publications like Elle Girl, Style, and InStyle. Her earrings have been worn on E! News Daily and she's quickly building a reputation for herself and her designs.

Wendy does bracelets, necklaces, and earrings with a variety of semi-precious stones. All items are hand made, and the designs change with the season, offering the latest trends and colors. Some of her designs are one-of-a-kind pieces, but all are at least part of limited quantity runs, ensuring that you won't see your piece every time you turn around. My favorites include the Silver Goddess Pastel necklace ($433) and the blue topaz briolettes pictured here, 17.25 carats each ($374).

Part of the company's marketing efforts include the "Bracelet of Hope." It's a specially designed bracelet from which 20% of the profits go to breast cancer research in the United States and Canada. In addition to this, $1 from each sale of all other pieces in Wendy's collection goes to breast cancer research.

Okay, so you can destroy this Movado if you really want to. But I dare you to successfully scratch it. Don't believe me? It's true. This watch is made of tungsten carbide, a material that is next to impossible to scratch.

Tungesten carbide has become popular in recent years for watches and men's wedding bands because it is so durable. Watches and jewelry look so beautiful when they're brand new or freshly polished by the jeweler. Now your watch can have that look everyday. It looks like the stainless steel watch that is so popular, but with a bit of a darker hue.

The suggested retail on these watches is about $800 to $1,000 more than the traditional stainless steel versions... but the like-new look of it is worth it.

Bernard K. Passman crafted jewelry and sculptures from black coral from 1974 until his death earlier this year, at age 91. His pieces are sold exclusively in Passman Galleries in St. Thomas, Las Vegas, Ketchican, Maui, Beverly Hills, and the Grand Caymans.

Passman crafted one-of-a-kind sculptures and jewelry for royalty, presidential palaces, and celebrities around the world. His pieces were only crafted from pieces of coral that had broken off naturally, as he did not want to harvest any living coral.

Each piece sold in the Passman Galleries was signed by Passman. Following his death, the company began signing pieces with a distinctive symbol, to differentiate those pieces from the ones made while he was still living.

The jewelry and sculptures have a distinctive style that is cherished by collectors around the world.

The company known around the world for the million-dollar ornamental eggs made for Russian Czars is taking a chance on gemstones. Fabergé owner Pallinghurst Resources sees an opportunity in colored gemstones, with plans to market top quality emeralds, rubies, and sapphires.

Fabergé plans to offer both rough and polished stones, and is planning on modeling its business after the De Beers diamond mine-to-market approach. The holding company in control of this venture is currently acquiring a portfolio of mines from which to source the gemstones.

They're banking on the Fabergé brand to add value to the gemstones, and each stone will be laser-engraved for authenticity. The company is also planning an expansion into luxury goods based upon the Fabergé brand.