Jewelry

Warren Buffett To Turn Jewelry Salesman For One Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 28th 2011 at 6:01PM

For one day only, financial guru Warren Buffett will be taking on a new role, jewelry salesperson. The Berkshire Hathaway will be behind the counter at Borsheims in Omaha, Nebraska during Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders' Weekend. You can buy your jewelry directly from Mr. Buffett on Sunday afternoon, May 1 at the Borhsheims store. Borsheims is a Berkshire Hathaway company. In a release, Borsheims President & CEO Susan Jacques said, "We are thrilled and flattered that Warren wants to come and sell at our store. I'm sure he'll be a record-setting salesman within a few minutes of being on the sales floor!" Given the fact that his charity lunches go for millions, I'm guessing there will be a line out the door.

As the video below explains, the Buffett family in Omaha goes back for generations explaining why, although he has the means to live anywhere in the world, Warren Buffett has always chosen to remain close to home. Buffett's success as one of the world's top financial minds has turned the annual shareholder's weekend for Berkshire Hathaway into a well-attended event bringing the world to Omaha each year. It has become the Super Bowl of shareholder meetings with major media and thousands of shareholders in attendance.

[via JCK Online]

Tags: berkshire hathaway, berkshire hathaway shareholders meeting, omaha, warren buffett

Rare Large Yellow Diamond Goes On Display

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 28th 2011 at 8:05AM

Model Jerry Hall was on hand as the world's largest known vivid yellow pear-shape diamond went display at the Natural History Museum in London. The Cora Sun-Drop diamond is a 110-carat yellow diamond which was mined in Africa and loaned to the Museum by Cora International, the diamond company that crafted the original rough diamond. The stone gets its sunny color from small amounts of nitrogen in its carbon structure. Diamonds of this size with a strong vivid yellow color are very rare. It will be on display from February 25 for up to six months.

Tags: cora sun-drop diamond, jerry hall, natural history museum in london, yellow diamond, yellow diamonds

Big Bling: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) — Feb 26th 2011 at 10:01AM

You probably won't ever have the chance to see another jewelry exhibition like "Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels." The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum on Fifth Avenue in New York City is the dramatic home until June 5 of some 350 dazzling high-art jewelry. Billed as the most comprehensive exhibition ever organized of Van Cleef & Arpels' masterworks, it covers some 100 years of the company creations -- not just jewels, but timepieces, extraordinary cigarette cases and evening bags.

Tags: Cooper Hewitt, cooper-hewitt, cooper-hewitt-museum, Diamond jewels, Jewelry history, Princess Grace of Monaco, Van Cleef Arpels

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Red Carpet Preview: The Beautiful Jewels of Gilan

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 24th 2011 at 9:02PM

Everything we are hearing about the Oscars this season is that this could be the most exuberant Oscars in years. Bold colors, dramatic gowns and the return of dramatic jewelry. We've seen it already at other awards shows, stars wearing hundreds of thousands or even million-dollar gems. But more than just big pieces, we're seeing intriguing jewels, bright colors and unusual settings.

Luxist popped into the Gilan suite at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills to see some red-carpet worthy stunners. With the Academy Awards just a few days away many pieces were out being evaluated to see if they would work with the celebrity gowns but we got to see a few of these intriguing pieces.

Tags: gilan, jewelry, red carpet

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Shirley Ephraim Designs For Donna Karan

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 22nd 2011 at 1:00AM

Sometimes it's the divergent threads of an artist's life that come together to form a beautiful, creative whole. Nigerian born jewelry designer Shirley Ephraim has a fascination with woven and embroidered accessories that began in her father's village of Calabar where she spent summers among the local artisans as a young girl. She also learned the intricate craft of Spanish needle-point lace from her Costa-Rican mother at a young age. Later, in the U.S. she studied modern dance and also worked with jewelry designers. These components of her path come together in her jewelry line which features woven details and pieces with movement and drama.

Ephraim pursued an education at Parsons The New School for Design and during her studies, she interned with Donna Karan. She has a special capsule collection for Donna Karan which was featured in the Donna Karan Spring 2011 runway show and is now sold in Donna Karan stores in the U.S. and UK and online. The necklace shown at right is a long draped silk piece crocheted with crystals. It sells for $1,295.

Tags: donna karan, jewelry, jewelry designers, shirley ephraim

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Verdura Brings Legendary Jewelry Online

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 20th 2011 at 11:01AM

Duke Fulco di Verdura (1898–1978) a Sicilian Duke, began his career with the one and only Coco Chanel. She hired him as a textile designer and he went on to become the head designer for her private and boutique jewelry collection. This collaboration led to the establishment of Verdura as one of the most glamorous and exciting jewelry brands of the early 20th century, dazzling European royals and Hollywood stars alike.

Today, his legacy continues into the new era as the Verdura brand launches a new website that looks both toward the future and back toward the past. The website tells the story of the brand's origin in magazine-style pieces rich with images from Fulco's past that make a vintage-loving heart ache for the glamour that was the 1920s in Paris.

Tags: finepix, jewelry, jewelry designers, verdura

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Ekati Spirit Diamond Sets New Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 17th 2011 at 4:03PM

A 78-carat rough diamond from the Ekati mine in Canada's Northwest Territories sold in Antwerp this week at BHP Billiton's diamond center. The diamond sold for $2.8 million which is a record for Canadian stones. The previous record was for a 10.22 carat gem, also from Ekati, which sold for $1.2 million. The stone was named the Ekati Spirit by an employee after a company contest.

The stone is internally flawless and is considered to be the mine's most significant gem-quality find in the last 13 years. It's not the biggest stone to come out of the mine, that would be a 182-carat stone found two years ago, but that stone was of poorer quality.

No word yet on who the buyer is, although it's hard not to see a big stone and wonder if Laurence Graff or maybe Lev Leviev is behind the transaction. It's also not clear if the stone will be cut and set. Stones lose a significant amount of weight when cut so it will be interesting to see what this stone looks like after the master cutters get their hands on it. With stones of this size and value, the diamond plotters often strategize for months, using computer modeling and other methods, before making that first fatal cut.

Tags: BHP Billiton, diamond, ekati diamond, ekati spirit

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Gameplan Launches Diamond NBA Jewelry

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 16th 2011 at 11:01PM

Just in time for this weekend's NBA All-Star game, basketball gets a major bling-up. JCK reports that Gameplan Concepts, a division of Lamont Jewelry brands, has created a diamond-studded line of basketball-themed jewelry.

Geary's in Beverly Hills is selling the line which features team logos in white gold set with black and white diamonds. The prices vary depending on the elaborateness of the team logo. The Lakers piece shown at right runs a cool $16,800 but fans of the Pistons will only pay $7,800 to represent for their team with a diamond logo.

Tags: basketball, black diamonds, jewelry, nba

Delaire Graff Estate, A Diamantaire's South African Paradise

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 13th 2011 at 8:01AM

Perhaps the world's most famous living diamantaire, Laurence Graff,is also in the resort and wine business. The Delaire Graff Estate is luxury South African resort in the Stellenbosch area, home to some of South Africa's best vineyards. Graff opened the estate last year but has owned the land for years. The estate has just 10 overnight lodges but also includes a state-of-the-art spa, Indochine--an Asian fusion restaurant and a fully operational vineyard producing high-quality Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz and other wines.

Tags: delaire graff estate, delaire graff spa, laurence graff, south africa, south africa travel, south african wine, stellenbosch

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Sweet Temptations: Valentine's Day At City Center, Las Vegas

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) — Feb 11th 2011 at 8:01AM

I have written about City Center, Las Vegas in Luxist before, the last column was on the many the New Year's Eve celebrations. Because of those, I thought New Year's was surely the city's most attractive holiday. Silly me! I now realize that Valentine's Day contains as much or more of the sybaritic Las Vegas DNA than New Year's. New Year's defines new beginnings, but Valentine's Day? It's about risk-taking -- in romance, infatuation, and sensuality -- essentially carpe diem-ing (seizing the day) in excelsius (in the highest manner) for at least 24 hours.

So here, in honor of St. Valentinus, Patron Saint of love, young people, and joyous marriage, is an image of a Tabu Lounge Chocolate Martini (above) to toast lovers and other strangers who find themslves at CityCenter, celebrating the sweet, varied enjoyment of Valentine's Day.

ARIA Resort And Casino has a Romance Package that includes a two-night stay in a tower suite, combining an in-suite couples' massage and aromatherapy bath, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries and two day passes to The Spa at ARIA. The package is priced at $830 (Sunday – Thursday) or $1,030 (Friday – Saturday) and is valid through May 2011.

Tags: Aria Resort and Casino Las Vegas, Aria resort and Casino Valentines Day, CityCenter Las Vegas, Romance packages City Center Valentines Day, Tabu Lounge Las Vegas, The Spa at Aria Valentines day, Valentines Day City Center, Valentines Day Las Vegas, Vdara Hotel Valentines Day, Vdara Spa Valentines Day

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New Fast Sale Jewelry Site Ajaline Launches

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 10th 2011 at 1:01AM

The world of fast sales has been involved with jewelry for a while but it moves into a luxurious new level with Ajaline.com. The new site which launched recently features only fine jewelry and watches. Ajaline's launch week included Buccellati (an Ajaline exclusive), Paolo Costagli, and Lagos. New brands will debut on the site each week with designs in silver and 18K gold as well as diamond jewelry and rings set with precious gemstones. The sale prices range from $200 to $40,000+.

The site works similarly to other private fast sale sites. Members are given a preview window that shows what is coming up 24 hours before the sale starts. Each brand will be on sale for three days with an average of 35 styles per brand. Shipping is free and items can be returned for refund or store credit up to two business days after receipt. There is also a Referral Rewards Program in place. Invite friends and family to join Ajaline and receive 5% of their total purchases for the first year as credits towards your own future purchases on the site. We've also got a promo code for you. Enter code AJATAKE10 during checkout. It is good for 10% off any purchase on Ajaline.com through 2/28/11.

About that name, Ajaline is the Estonian word for "time" and was chosen not just for the exotic sound but for the idea of time being precious. Not a bad move for a company selling jewelry and watches.

Tags: ajaline, fast sales, private sale websites

Kwiat's Silver Teardrop For Charity

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 9th 2011 at 3:01AM

The latest charity initiative from Kwiat is a partnership with charity:water, a non-profit organization that focuses on bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. The Kwiat Waterdrop bracelet features a silver water drop set with a tiny .02 carat diamond on a woven leather bracelet. It is available in two lengths and is unisex. It sells for $100. Order by today Wednesday, February 9 in order to get it in time for Valentine's Day. All profits from this Kwiat diamond waterdrop bracelet will go to fund the charity: water organization and allow them to give one hundred percent of public donations to fund water projects.

This isn't Kwiat's first foray into charity jewelry. Last year they partnered with golfer Cristie Kerr to bring attention to her Birdies for Breast Cancer foundation selling a pink sapphire version of Kwiat's Signature Platinum Star Collection.

Tags: cause jewelry, charity jewelry, charity:water, kwiat

Soap Star Tracey Bregman Launches Jewelry Line In Canada

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 7th 2011 at 7:01PM

Soap opera actress Tracey Bregman, who plays Lauren Fenmore on CBS' "The Young and the Restless" spent her Super Bowl Sunday in an interesting way, she launched a new jewelry line in Canada. Her line, the Tracey Bregman Collection debuted on The Shopping Channel, Canada's only nationally televised shopping service yesterday. Items range in price from simple silver pieces for less than $100 to fancier items featuring sapphires and diamonds in 14K gold. The items are available online at The Shopping Channel. Check out Tracey's interview on the Marilyn Denis show here. When it comes to celebrity jewelry lines, Bregman joins a packed field that includes everyone from Kim Kardashian to Serena Williams.

Tags: celebrity jewelry, Celebrity Jewelry Lines, Tracey Bregman, young and the restless

A Short History Of Super Bowl Rings

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 6th 2011 at 4:01PM

Super Bowl teams don't just fight for the Lombardi trophy, they also get the chance to wear some pretty fancy rings. The NFL pays for 150 rings to be given to the winning team (players, staff, owners) of the Super Bowl. The league pays up to $5,000 for each ring, although adjustments may be made for the prices of gold and diamonds. Rings are generally more expensive that that these days with the team owners often footing the bill for lavish and impressive art pieces. ESPN has a special section on Super Bowl rings that delivers some interesting trivia like the biggest ring size (William "The Refrigerator" Perry wore a size 25).

Shown above is the ring that last year's winners received. The Super Bowl XLIV championship rings for the New Orleans Saints were designed by Tiffany & Co. and feature a bunch of touches that resonate with fans of the Saints and their city. The rings are yellow gold and feature the New Orleans Saints fleur-de-lis logo set with round diamonds. The words "world champions" are set into the bezel of the ring with eight diamonds on each side (a total of 16 symbolizing the games the Saints won during the season). The rings also bear the score of the game, the NFL shield, images of the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square and the Louisiana Superdome, a scene from the championship parade and the first few notes of the song "When The Saints Come Marching In." The underside of the ring bears inscriptions of team mottoes from last season: Be Special; Finish Strong; and Smell Greatness. They are believed to have a value of around $30,000 each.

Tags: super bowl rings

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Designer Jewelry Line Marina B Makes A Glittering Comeback

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 6th 2011 at 11:01AM

Marina B, the luxury jewelry line created by Marina Bulgari decades ago, is being given new life under the aegis of Windsor Jewels. The brand picks up where the prior designs from the 1980s and 1990s left off with bold, vibrant pieces. Marina Bulgari, who lives in Monte Carlo, created jewelry for Bulgari until the mid-1970s. After the death of her father, she started her own eponymous brand, Marina B, in Geneva. It was an instant hit especially among the rich and famous of Europe.

Windsor Jewelers' CEO Paul Lubetsky is a passionate fan of Marina B designs and plans to base the new collection on the best archive pieces and designs of Marina B. Lubetsky, a passionate fan of Marina B's designs, acquired hundreds of original sketches from Marina B herself. All of the new Marina B jewelry will be made using 18K gold, and many pieces will feature precious gemstones and pavé diamonds. Pieces will be fashioned by the same artisans in Italy that Marina B trained and worked with. Retail prices will begin at $5,000, but unique, one-of-a-kind pieces will be more expensive. There is a new Marina B showroom at 589 Fifth Avenue. The designs will be showcased at the Couture Show in Las Vegas in June when jewelry buyers from around the world will convene for the annual shows.

Lubetsky has enviable taste in jewelry. In 2009 Windsor Jewelers picked up the collection of another fine designer, Henry Dunay and he also acquired Fred Leighton pieces.

Gallery: The Beautiful Jewels of Marina B