De Beers

De Beers Valentine's Day Offerings In Hearts, Pink Gold And More

Filed under: Jewelry

De Beers has a variety jewelry options for Valentine's Day that feature diamonds in a variety of ways. Building on the idea of coin jewelry, De Beers launched the Lucky Coins Collection, which includes different coins each with different symbols including hearts, stars, clovers and more. The Heart Coin shown above with five carats for a total of .3 carats in diamonds is $850 at De Beers online.

In time for Valentine's Day and Spring, De Beers has added special editions in pink and yellow gold for various lines including the delicate Adonis Rose collection and the popular Clea and Reverie Collections. Have a look in the gallery below.

Gallery: De Beers For Valentine's Day

Tags: de beers, diamonds, jewelry, pink gold, valentines day

De Beers Opens Flagship Store At The Marina Bay Sands

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Earlier this month I mentioned that Miu Miu opened a store at in Singapore at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. This week another big name had its grand opening at the ultraluxurious resort. The first De Beers flagship store in Singapore opened with 200 of Singapore's elite in attendance to view one-of-a-kind haute jewelry creations especially flown into Singapore for the occasion. François Delage, Global CEO of De Beers Diamond Jewelers, and Tay Liam-Wee, Chairman of Sincere Watch, the Brand's partner in Singapore were joined by one of Asia's top female stars, Karen Mok to cut the ribbon. Mok wore the De Beers Pear Collar, a dazzler of 678 matching pear shaped diamonds totaling over 122 carats. To complement the Pear Collar, she also wore the Cocktail Fizz earrings and a five-line ring made of woven lines of diamonds.

Tags: de beers, karen mok, marina bay sands, singapore

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De Beers AntiTrust Lawsuit Deal Set Aside

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Big news in the De Beers antitrust deal which promised millions in damages to those who bought diamonds between 1994 and 2006. This week a U.S. federal appeals court rejected the De Beers antitrust deal on a major technical issue. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the lower court had improperly certified a nationwide class of indirect purchasers. The $295 million ruling was for two types of claimants, direct purchasers that acquired rough gem diamonds directly from De Beers or one of its competitors and indirect purchasers,entities or individuals that acquired either rough or cut-and-polished gem diamonds but did not do so directly from De Beers or its competitors. Both consumers and jewelry retailers fall into this second category. The direct purchasers were to receive $22.5 million of the $295 million fund, while $272.5 million was allotted to the indirect purchaser claims so this ruling affects the bulk of the lawsuit. A website had been created to help those looking to to file claims.

In a 75-page ruling, Judge Kent A. Jordan accepted an appeal made by 34 of the indirect purchasers, which said that purchasers had claims under widely varying state laws and that some of those plaintiffs would be barred from pursuing the claims under the laws of their own states. A comprehensive piece on Law.com explains that a single objector from Texas had exposed a fatal flaw in the lower court's class certification analysis. The variation in state laws represents an "insurmountable hurdle to certification of the indirect purchaser class" according to Judge Jordan.

Under the terms of the indirect purchaser settlement, De Beers had agreed not to contest certification of a settlement class of indirect purchasers and promised to establish a settlement fund of $250 million to be paid to class members of that class. In May 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Stanley R. Chesler granted final approval to the settlement but the appeal said that Chesler had been too quick to certify the class as a whole, ignoring the various state laws that precluded some members for pursuing an indirect purchaser claim.The case has been returned to the U.S. District Court in New Jersey for further consideration which means that anyone expecting a payout in this case is going to have to wait a while longer.

Tags: class action, de beers, diamonds, lawsuit

De Beers Creates Unique Window Display In Japan

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The world of 3D has come to diamonds. De Beers has created a special exhibition in the setting of world famous department store,Isetan, in Tokyo. The Art of Diamond Jewelry exhibition will run until July 21st in all the windows of Isetan, giving customers an insider view of De Beers Diamond Jewelry through photography and multimedia displays. A specially created 3D film by Holition, leaders in advanced 3D technology applications for retail, and Pointy Stick brings the magic and allure of the jewelry to life in a new way. The 3D film is shown on a customized screen that doesn't require 3D glasses. The stereoscopic display is a first for Japan and the jewelry world.

Tags: 3D, 3d display, de beers, isetan, japan, stereoscopic, stereoscopic 3D, stereoscopic-3d, tokyo

Sky Blue Diamond Fetches Sky High Price

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions

A sky blue diamond fetched a sky high price at the Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong this week. The 5.16 carat blue diamond auctioned off at the Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Spring Sale on April 7 was estimated to bring in between $4.6 million and $5.8 million. It sold for HKD 49.94 million ($6.4 million) healthily above the high estimate. London's Moussaieff Jewelers has been identified as the buyer of the stone.

The rarer-than-rare pear-shaped fancy vivid blue diamond is internally flawless and was the first blue diamond from the De Beers Millennium Jewels Collection to appear at auction. The phenomenal collection was presented by De Beers in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium. At $1.25 million per carat, the De Beers Millennium Blue exceeds the price per carat of the famed Wittelsbach Diamond and nearly approached the record setting price of $1.35 million per carat for a 7.03 carat blue diamond and the 5 carat fancy intense pink diamond sold in Hong Kong last year for $2.1 million per carat.

Andrew Coxon,who personally selected the diamonds for the collection based on their beauty and rarity, says of the sale: "Impeccable provenance is worth millions to sophisticated diamond buyers. The timeless beauty of a De Beers selected Millennium Blue diamond will be remembered long after its near record-setting price has been forgotten. Personally, I wish I could have bought it back for De Beers, but professionally speaking, I sincerely congratulate the new owners and I am happy that the new owners appreciated this particular De Beers selected diamond."

Tags: blue diamond, blue diamonds, colored diamonds, de beers, diamonds, hong kong diamond auction

Rachel Bilson Designs For The Diamond Empowerment Fund

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Charity, Celebrity Design

Last December Rachel Bilson traveled to Botswana and South Africa to see the work being done by Russell Simmons' Diamond Empowerment Fund. Now the actress has created a new bracelet to benefit the cause. The leather bracelet features a 1/6 carat diamond in an Everlon Diamond Knot setting (the latest design from De Beers). The round-cut diamond is set in 14k gold over sterling silver. The bracelet sells for $100 at Macy's and $20 from each sale goes to the Diamond Empowerment Fund to support the education and empowerment of African people.

The Diamond Empowerment Fund was founded in 2007 and first raised money with the selling of a malachite bracelet crowned with a rough diamond. The non-profit international organization raises money to support education initiatives that include the fund's first project, the CIDA City Campus, located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The four-year school educates students and sends them back to the townships as teachers. It offers liberal arts education and business classes and the students do all the work at the school except teaching. Profits from Bilson's bracelet will help purchase additional student housing for the campus.

[via In Style]

Tags: de beers, DeBeers, Def Jam Records, diamond empowerment fund, Diamond Empowerment Initiative, DiamondEmpowermentFund, everlon, rachel bilson, RachelBilson, russell simmons, RussellSimmons

Diamond Body Scanners Could Work For Airport Security

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Body scans have been in the news lately following the recent attempted terrorist attack over the holidays in which a Nigerian man aboard a plane headed to the United States had explosive sewn into his underwear. Full body scans are still relatively new when it comes to the travel industry and there are not a lot of scanners in place but the diamond industry has been working on scanning technology for years. Security to prevent diamond smuggling from mines has included scans for a long time. In many mining and polishing facilities workers are scanned on a regular basis.

DebTech, the research and development arm of De Beers, has announced that it will make its body-scanning technology available to airports. Engineering News Online reports that the Scannex X-ray body scanner, a machine created to find even the smallest diamonds concealed on someone's person, may be pressed into service as an airport security device. The scan is non-intrusive and scans take only about 10 seconds. DebTech marketing manager Nico van Zyl told Engineering News Online that it plans to market the machine as a body scanner to airports. Scanners cost around $500,000.

Tags: body scanner, BodyScanner, de beers, DeBeers, debtech, full body scans, FullBodyScans

How to Clean Diamond Jewelry

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Diamonds are among the hardest of all minerals. Still, they require special care to keep them looking their absolute best.

The brilliance of any diamond depends on the amount of light that can enter the stone and reflect back to the human eye. However, the smallest deposit of grease on the surface of a stone can dull its reflection. Even a touch from a finger will leave a smudge of natural oil, according to De Beers, one of the world's leading diamond companies.

Clean your diamonds with a simple mix of six parts water to one part ammonia and apply with a soft, natural bristle brush. If you have no ammonia in the house, you can substitute with a mild liquid detergent. Rinse with fresh water and dry with a soft, non-abrasive cloth. If your diamond has a crack or inclusion, De Beers advises owners not to use ultrasonic cleaners, as the vibrations of the cleaners can enlarge flaws.

A few words of warning. De Beers recommends that jewelry not be cleaned in or near the sink. If there is no better location for the cleaning, be sure the plug is in, to avoid the jewelry going down the drain. If you are using a brush, be gentle: diamonds can work loose from their settings if treated roughly, warns De Beers. If you use hand lotion, wait for at least 10-15 minutes before putting your rings back on, as the ring might easily slip off.

While most people believe that diamonds are impervious to scratches, that simply is not the case. Indeed, another diamond can easily scratch another. To prevent such scratches, separate diamond jewelry in your jewelry box, advises De Beers. Diamonds also can scratch other gems or jewelry, especially soft items like pearls. And even though diamonds are hard, they can be brittle, especially along thin edges. Try not to wear your diamond when it might be struck sharply, and if you have an especially thin cut, keep it protected. If you are traveling, use a secure travel pouch, which will keep individual pieces safely apart, according to De Beers.

De Beers recommends having important pieces of jewelry checked quarterly to be sure the stones are secure in their settings.

Tags: accessories-award, accessories-pedia, cadillac-pedia, cleaning jewelry, CleaningJewelry, De Beers, DeBeers, diamonds, luxist-awards, main-pedia

Spring Payout Expected For Diamond Lawsuit

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

It's been a long time coming but members of the De Beers class-action lawsuit settlement might finally get a payout next spring. National Jeweler reported on the recent meeting of the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America in New York City. At that meeting president Ronald Friedman provided an update on the eight-year-old case and read a letter from one of the attorneys involved. The letter says that several consumers filed various objections to the settlement and a hearing on these appeals is set for January. Once an opinion on those hearings has been reached and provided that the court overrules the objections, payouts could begin next spring.

The De Beers class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of two classes: jewelers and other direct purchasers of diamonds (both rough and polished) between Sept. 20, 1997 and March 31, 2006 and indirect purchasers of diamonds (resellers and consumers) who bought diamonds, diamond jewelry or other products containing gem-quality diamonds between January 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006. The suit claimed that De Beers charged anticompetitive prices for the rough diamonds it sold, monopolized the rough diamond market, and disseminated false and misleading advertising. The $295 million settlement has been divided so that $22.5 million will be distributed to the direct purchaser class and $272.5 million to the indirect purchaser class. Given the number of claimants (said to be as much as $60 million) the payout per person will be pretty small.

Source

Tags: class action lawsuit, ClassActionLawsuit, de beers, DeBeers, diamonds, jewelry

De Beers Wildflowers Collection

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

South African rare wildflowers bedecked in diamonds makes up De Beers Wildflowers Collection. As a tribute to their mining facilities in that very geography, De Beers' collection is made up of necklaces, bracelets, pendants, earrings, and rings all highlighting this simple floral design that is both whimsical and sophisticated. Most of the collection is composed of white gold and diamonds but some pieces feature chocolate diamonds paired with yellow gold -- the second jewelry feature I've written about with chocolate diamonds included -- delicious!

Gallery: De Beers Wildflowers

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Tags: de beers, de beers wildflowers, DeBeers, DeBeersWildflowers, wildflowers, wildflowers collection, WildflowersCollection

Will The Next Big Idea From De Beers Drive Shoppers To Stores?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

De Beers is famous for their ad campaigns around specific jewelry designs like the three-stone ring and the journey pendant. The latest "big idea" is the Everlon Diamond Knot. The knot jewelry includes earrings, rings and pendants with a Hercules knot, with two metal intersecting loops held together by a diamond.

The ad campaign will tout the idea that the only thing stronger than a diamond is love itself. Television ads are set to begin on November 16 and there will be print ads and a web campaign. Various retailers including Sam's Club, Zale, Macy's, J.C. Penney, Ben Bridge and tohers have signed up to be part of the program and sell the jewelry. The pieces are now available on the J.R. Dunn website where the ring shown at right, a 14K yellow gold ring with a .5 carat center stone (color grade-- H-I, clarity--I1) sells for $1.820.

De Beers is bullish on the concept. They say that in a survey of American consumers, 61 percent of females and 58 percent of males expressed interest in acquiring an Everlon piece. I'm ambivalent about the potential popularity of the design so I decided to conduct my own survey. Vote below on what you think of the concept or let me know in the comments.

What Do You Think Of The Everlon Knot?
Love it	365 (50.5%)
Not A Fan	133 (18.4%)
Meh	225 (31.1%)

Source

Tags: de beers, DeBeers, diamonds, everlon knot, EverlonKnot, jewelry, ring

De Beers Wants To Convince The Public That Diamonds Are A Good Investment

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Diamond company De Beers is looking for more than just weddings and other lifechanging events to sell their stones in this economy. The Financial Times says that De Beers has created a global campaign to pitch investors on diamonds as a good, safe investment similar to gold. They have been in touch with brokers who are "linked to sovereign wealth funds and wealthy individuals" to further the cause of diamond investing. It seems a desperate search for people to buy in a stones in a time when jewelry stores around the world are reporting plummeting sales and De Beers has been struggling to turn a profit.

Are diamonds really a good investment? Yes and no. Rare stones, like that big blue diamond that sold for $9.5 million recently will always find their purchasers. Big stones, stones of unusual color or clarity, stones with a unique historical provenance, these stones will likely grow in value over time. These stones are not the norm however.

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Tags: de beers, DeBeers, diamonds

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Bid on Madonna's $3 Million Diamond Versace Tiara

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions, Charity

On March 23rd, online jewelry retailer Bidz.com will auction off a gold and diamond tiara designed by the late Gianni Versace to benefit the Aid for AIDS charity. The one-of-a-kind tiara, which contains over 1,200 diamonds and is worth an estimated $3 million, has been worn by celebrities including Madonna, Amber Valletta and Donatella Versace. The opening bid for the precious piece is $699,000. The Versace Tiara won the famous De Beers Diamonds International Award in 1995 due to the meticulous detail and craftsmanship Gianni Versace put into creating the piece.

The tiara, the star of Versace's famous Atelier Collection, has previously been held only by private collectors. This is the first time in the history of the piece that it is being made available to the public for purchase. A substantial amount of the funds raised from the online auction will go to Aid for AIDS, a non-profit premier service provider for Los Angeles County whose mission is to provide direct financial assistance and critical support for the necessities of life to those impoverished and disabled by HIV/AIDS. Click here for more info.

Gallery: The Versace Tiara

Tags: Amber Valletta, AmberValletta, Bidz, Bidz.com, De Beers, DeBeers, Diamonds, Gianni Versace, GianniVersace, Italian fashion, ItalianFashion, Los Angeles, LosAngeles, Madonna, tiara

De Beers Gets $500 Million Loan

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The other day I questioned whether a diamond investment fund was a good idea and now here's more news that suggests you might not want to put your money in diamonds right now. The grandaddy of all diamond companies, De Beers, has announced plans borrow $500 million from Anglo American Plc and other shareholders to bulwark itself against a falling gem market. The loan is a preventative measure in response to the fact that jewelry sales are plunging around the world. Diamond prices have already dropped, some say by as much as 50 percent and exports are down across the globe. De Beers has already cut the amount of rough stones it is offering to clients by half until April and has enacted production slowdowns at several of its mines. It is being predicted that diamond demand might not rise until the end of 2010 and even that may be optimistic.

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Tags: de beers, DeBeers, diamonds

Ponahalo Diamonds Up For Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

A couple of big diamonds will be showing up at Christie's during their October 15 Jewel sale in New York, Two rectangular cut stones, of approximately 102 and 70 carats diamonds will be sold. They were cut from the Ponahalo diamond, a 316-carat stone which came from the De Beer's Venetian mine in South Africa. The name comes from the word for vision in Sotho, the language spoken by the Venda tribe which lives in the area.

The Ponahalo yielded four polished diamonds and one which was left rough. The two being sold at Christie's are the biggest two. National Jeweler reports that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Ponahalo diamonds will be donated to Russell Simmons' Diamond Empowerment Fund, benefiting educational programs in Africa.

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Tags: auction, christies, de beers, DeBeers, diamonds, ponahalo