Diamonds

Katherine Hughes, of Stuart Hughes, has designed what is likely the world's most expensive iPod. The iPod Touch SUPREME's body was re-formed using 149 grams of solid, 22-carat gold, with a rear Apple logo from 21 grams of gold that houses 53 VVS1, color F diamonds. The front outer section has been set with 300 VVS1 diamonds, also color F. The main navigation buttons has 12 diamonds of the same quality set in 16 grams of gold, all of which surround a single cut pink 2.10-carat diamond, color G-H. A true limited edition -- only three available. £139,995, or $231,776 USD at today's exchange rate.

Not all dreidels are made out of clay. Over the years, they have come in many forms, but now, Mervis Diamond Importers is claiming to have created the world's very first diamond dreidel.

The Platinum Micro-Pave Diamond Dreidel (right) is priced at $1,800.00, and is available in very limited quantities. It features .96 carats of diamonds hand-set in platinum. For those of you in-the-know, the diamonds are graded G/H in color and VS2/SI1 in clarity.

It must be ordered by December 9 to ensure a delivery by Hannukah. This is not only an exceptional gift for those of the Jewish variety, but for diamond collectors and anyone fascinated by religion. For more information on dreidels (how to play, what the different sides mean), check out the Judaism.com page, or click here to play virtually.

Hong Kong's fall sales have been great for records, for Christie's in particular. After several were broken at the art auction this week, the gem scene was ignited. A pink diamond no larger than a chickpea went for $10.8 million, according to Bloomberg News. The stone had the second-highest rating available (potentially flawless) and a weight of 5 carats. It shattered the per-carat record set back in May. Back then, Hong Kong property investor Joseph Lau picked up a 7.03-carat blue diamond at an auction in Geneva for $10.5 million.

The pink diamond was sent under the gavel by Graff Diamonds, a London-based jeweler. The stone was sold to a phone bidder who beat out Liu Yiqian and his wife, Wang Wei. But, those two have bought enough already, right?

Overall, the 255 lots sold (an 89 percent sell rate) brought in HK$372 million, with the action pushed forward by mainland Chinese, a growing trend in the auction world this year. Donald May, a ruby and sapphire dealer based in Hong Kong, attended the auction and told Bloomberg, "There's a lot of mainland Chinese buying; either they didn't know what the items are worth or they wanted them so badly that price didn't matter." He believes that prices were pushed way out of control.

There were other records set in Hong Kong, as well. A sapphire weighing 16.65 carats, set by Van Cleef & Arpels, brought in HK$18.6 million, also setting a per-carat record.

[Photo courtesy of Christie's]

More big diamonds and big prices were seen at the Christie's Geneva auction on November 18. A 62.30-carat, D flawless diamond sold for $8.051 million amid a sale which sold 82 percent by lot and 93 percent by value. Aleks Paul of Essex Global Trading in New York paid $130,000 per carat for the 62.3-carat, Type IIa flawless diamond. Paul was on a buying spree, he also submitted the top bids for two natural color diamonds, bidding $2.68 million for a diamond ring by Wolfers that paired a 3.30-carat, rectangular-cut, fancy intense blue diamond with a 3.90-carat E, VS2 diamond estimated at $580,000 to $740,000. He also spent nearly another $2.68 million on a fancy vivid, fancy intense and fancy blue diamond clasp, circa 1950, which had been estimated at $500,000 to $650,000. He has a history of buying or trying to buy important stones. Last year he was the underbidder against Laurence Graff for the Wittelsbach diamond.

In the same sale a 65.20-carat fancy intense yellow, cushion-shaped diamond pendant sold for nearly $1.04 million and a 4.42-carat fancy intense, square-cut green diamond ring sold for $783,000. The largest recorded fancy grayish-yellowish-green "chameleon" diamond in the world, cut into a 19.13 carat briolette and mounted as a pendant, sold for $987,000, setting a new world record price for a chameleon diamond.

Asymmetric diamond layouts are in. Harry Winston showed us this here on the Talk To Me, Harry Winston Snowflake watch, and not Montblanc gives us a taste of what this design aesthetic can produce. coming in January, Montblanc will reveal the new Star Pluie d'Etoiles watch for women. I do quite like the look. The case and dial work together harmoniously, as the watch wouldn't be what it is without both.

The case is 36mm wide and in 18k white gold. The out bezel is lined with baguette cut diamonds, while the inner side of the bezel is done in what looks to be round cut diamonds. The diamonds are top Wesselton, and there are 298 of them on the watch. The dial itself is in black Tahitian mother-of-peal, with a nicely engraved Montblanc star "falling" with the diamonds. Movement is a Swiss ETA automatic, and you know it is a Montblanc by the logo on the side of the case, as well as the characteristic "12" in their standard font. It is all on an alligator strap. A nice wintry ladies' watch this season.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

While I was running around Amsterdam on Museumnacht (an annual event where museums across the city stay open into the wee hours), I found something for which I didn't know I was looking: the world's most expensive cocktail shaker.

The Boston Shaker, as it's called, is located in the gift shop of the House of Bols, a flavored liqueur company whose on-site museum/training facility is worth visiting -- they won the the Dutch Design Award for Best Exhibition & Experience in 2007 and you get to play "guess what flavor you're smelling." It's just across the street from the Van Gogh museum.

The Boston Shaker was created as a collaboration between The House of Bols and their neighbor, Coster Diamonds. It comes packaged as above, in a unique leather case designed and made by French family business Établissements Bernard RDB. The shaker itself is silver, 18 karat gold, and is encrusted with 480 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 19.05 carats.

The price tag on this one-of-a-kind blinged-up barware is €35,000.00 or approximately $52,164.00.

This trip was paid for by the Netherlands Board of Tourism, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

Natural colored diamonds and other colored stones did very well at the Sotheby's "Magnificent Jewels" sale in Geneva this week. The Roxburghe Rubies, a parure of a ruby and diamond necklace and earrings brought $5.77 million, five times the set's estimated price. A rare 2.52 carat vivid green diamond sold for $3.08 million. It was the largest vivid-green diamond ever to appear at auction and the sale set a new world-record price per carat for a green diamond at auction. Swiss jeweler Chatila paid $2.52 million for a 3.17-carat fancy intense blue diamond which set a new world-record price per carat for an intense blue diamond sold at auction. Chatila also paid $3.13 million for a 74.8-carat fancy vivid-yellow diamond ring. The sale brought in $36.68 million putting it safely above the pre-sale low estimate of $29.5 million. A total of 79 percent of the lots up for sale sold.

If you've ever seen celebrities on the red carpet at one of the major awards shows you've probably seen Fred Leighton jewels. The estate jeweler routinely outfits many top stars with glittering jewelry for special occasions. It's been a tough year for the jeweler, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2008 but now rescue comes from diamond jewelry brand Kwiat. National Jeweler reports that Kwiat Enterprises, LLC and two other partners have purchased the assets of Fred Leighton in a $25.8 million deal.

Kwiat will take over the Fred Leighton business, including its boutiques in New York City and Las Vegas, continuing to run them under the Fred Leighton name. Kwiat's other partners are Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC--partnering as FL Acquisitions LLC and FOF Inventory Holding, which consists of four estate and jewelry dealers including Windsor Jewelers, Robert Sadian and Mark Emanuel of European Arts and Antiques, Sima Ghadamian of Sima G. Ltd., and Moonbeam Consulting, whose principal is the company's original founder Fred Leighton.

Greg Kwiat, who will be chief executive officer of Fred Leighton, told National Jeweler that he see Fred Leighton as a "very complementary acquisition for Kwiat." After all both brands court the favor of Hollywood stars and both have retail stores on Madison Avenue in New York City and in Las Vegas. Kwiat hopes to boost Fred Leighton's retail presence and its wholesale presence in fine department stores and independent jewelers.

Jewelry collector and Fred Leighton owner Ralph Esmerian who filed the bankruptcy petition, bought Fred Leighton for $100 million in 2006 using a $178 million loan from Merrill Lynch and Co. Last year he planned a Christie's auction to recoup some of the brand's outstanding debt claims. Esmerian relinquished control of the company to a restructuring officer in January 2009 and earlier this month a bankruptcy judge signed an order that authorized the sale to Kwiat and the other two companies of Fred Leighton's assets, free and clear of all liens, claims, interests and encumbrances. The company's main creditor, Merrill Lynch will be the first beneficiary of the proceeds of the sale. In a press release issued by the company, Fred Leighton himself expressed enthusiasm that the Fred Leighton Madison Avenue store will continue to remain a New York landmark and that the brand "will continue to be the preeminent antique jeweler in the world."

Just when you thought there weren't any new ways to make a diamond watch, Century found something unique. The company known for unique uses of synthetic sapphire crystals has done it again. It combines 341 diamonds with 9 large clear sapphire crystals, and places them together in 18k carat white gold settings to bring you this Century Grace watch. A perfect timepiece for that goddess in your life who transcends concepts like value and wealth. Cause that is what it will take to afford the watch.

Even the dial of the watch is mostly a sapphire crystal. Cut and polished by hand complimented by 164 baguette cut diamonds (4.98 carats) on the case. The dial itself is mirrored with dauphine watch hands. Inside the watch is a quartz movement (of course). The Art Deco angularity of the watch continues into very nicely rendered bracelet. Again it is in 18k white gold, with the other eight Century sapphire crystals (one was used for the watch case) surrounded by 177 more baguette cut diamonds (whopping 8.70 carats). Not sure about the (equivalent to a small nation's GDP) price, but I do know that Century watches are mostly found in Asian markets (clue that their website is in English and Japanese only). A watch from Century, for your savings of the century.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

In England, specifically Titchfield, Hampshire a small family jeweler has taken it upon themselves to create the most expensive Christmas ornament in the world.

According to Mark Hussey as reported in the Telegraph, a partner in Hallmark Jewellers he had a vision about making something special and had done some research into the priciest ornaments currently available. He had been working on the piece for almost a full year starting just after Boxing Day 2008, which is traditionally the day after Christmas. Even though they would love to find a buyer for the fabulous piece he did mention that he wouldn't mind finding this special ornament on his own tree come Christmas Eve.

The ornament itself is composed of 18 carat white gold and is studded with over one and half thousand diamonds. Two rings consisting of 188 red rubies surround the body of the ornament. It took over 130 hours just to set the gems in the piece. The National Association of Goldsmiths independently valued the bauble at 82,000 British pounds which depending on the exchange rate is just over $130,000. All of this hard work and expensive gemstones are not going unprotected. In something out of a James Bond movie the decorative ornament is encased in a special container framed in steel an 6mm thick laminated glass. If the alarm is triggered a internal signal will fill the shop with smoke.

Will the name Hallmark become associated with Christmas the way Faberge is permanently linked to gorgeously designed and bejeweled Easter eggs? Only time will tell, but if you'd like a very splashy ornament for your tree you know where to look.

New from Piaget comes a fresh Limelight watch collection for 2009. Each Exceptional Limelight collection watch is known for being a serious haute joaillerie item of art. With Piaget's requisite level of beauty (and diamonds) the watches are interesting, original, and most important, beautiful. Brilliant-cut diamonds cover every surface of the timepieces (as much as is possible), and materials like mother-of-pearl make up the watch dials. The cases and bracelets themselves are each done in 18k white gold.

Literally hundreds upon hundreds of hours are dedicated to putting together each watch. This has to do with the copious amounts of time required to cut and set the diamonds, as well as craft the timepieces. Piaget does a remarkable job making metal look flowing. This is real horological art and passion - and again you see their penchant for making the watches "secret." Many Piaget Limelight watches prefer to cover the watch face when not being used, so as to give the pieces a dual watch and jewelry character. Inside, the watches have Piaget caliber 56P Swiss quartz movements. The timepieces have an intense amount of diamonds with weight up to 40 carats, and hundreds of stones per timepiece. These women's watches are marvelous to look at, exceedingly rare and exclusive, and of "word-class" expense. Look for them at select Piaget boutiques around the globe.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

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.

Here is a taste of extreme luxury with the Sarcar Carrousel. The name refers to the large diamonds placed in the dial that freely move around the circular path around the watch face - a similar concept to what you find in the free floating diamonds in Chopard Happy Sport watches. The difference is really in the size of the diamonds. The Carrousel has 12 half carat diamonds set in gold, which rotate freely against a mother-of-pearl backdrop, not to mention the many other diamonds that decorate the dial and 18k white gold (or red gold) 40mm wide case. There are a total of 13.21 diamonds on the watch - 399 of them.

The watch dial itself is small, but visible and powered but an automatic mechanical movement. Nice contrast with the black hands against the diamond dial. The crown is off-centered a bit and fitted with a nice diamond cabochon. Strap is crocodile with a gold folding clasp. At 40m wide, the watch is probably sized for a man, but suitable for a woman. Anyone lucky enough to brandish a decadent number like this should at least wear it once in a while. A luxury watch truly of the excess and fortune ilk. The materialistic personification of "if you got it, flaunt it." Prices at $300,000 each. Want one? Call (954) 600-9492 or e-mail info@crossbowintl.com.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Out of all the luxury watch brands I know, I feel like Harry Winston comes in first a giving their women's watches odd names. They certainly aren't the weirdest names, but they just feel the most awkward. No better example that the "Talk To Me, Harry Winston" line of watches. This version being the Talk To Me, Harry Winston Snowflake. I can't tell if it is a question, a phrase, a term of endearment, or just someone who doesn't speak English making up watch names.

This new Talk To Me, Harry Winston watch takes the same case style and adds a diamonds-as-snowflakes dial. The dial is available in either a black or silver tone with 111 set diamonds in a falling snowflake display. The dial is rotatable, and the entire disc is moved via turning the disc that is accessible on the side of the watch case. A little thing, but something to play with nonetheless. The white gold case is 33mm wide and 40mm tall. The case itself is lovely in shape having strips of polished surface space to serve as the hour indicators, while the rest of the case is covered with 164 more diamonds. Then another 24 diamonds on to rotating ring, and still another 29 diamonds on the white gold buckle attached tot he black satin strap. Total diamond weight for the watch is 4.1 carats. The movement is Swiss quartz. Price is yet unknown, but in the ultra luxury range, of course.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

The largest vivid-green diamond ever to appear at auction is one of the rare natural-colored diamonds and historical jewels being sold at the Sotheby's November 17 sale at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva. A total of around 400 lots are set to be auctioned off and could bring close to $30 million. The green diamond, shown above at right, is a cushion-shaped stone with a modified brilliant cut. It weighs 2.52 carats but because of the rarity of natural diamonds of this color it is estimated to sell for $3.1 million to $5.1 million. Shown above at left is another expensive rare stone, a pear-shaped fancy vivid-blue diamond with a modified brilliant cut. it weighs 5.96 carats and is expected to fetch between $5.5 million to $7.5 million. Other gorgeous colorful diamonds up for sale include a cushion-shaped fancy pink diamond weighing 6.63 carats and a a cut-cornered rectangular-shaped fancy vivid-yellow diamond with a modified brilliant cut, weighing 74.8 carats and mounted on a yellow gold ring.

The sale also includes pieces from the collections of Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia and society figure Daisy Fellowes. Many pieces signed by Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, Harry Winston, Tiffany and Co., and Van Cleef and Arpels, and other jewelry houses past and present will be up for sale. A sapphire and diamond demi-parure, circa 1900, was inherited from Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna by her daughter Princess Elena of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess of Russia, and has been consigned by its present owner, a member of a European imperial family. The set is estimated to sell for $137,000 and $176,000. The group of jewels--which left Russia just before Pavlovna's flight from St. Petersburg during the 1915 Revolution--includes a brooch set with an oval Burmese sapphire within a border of cushion-shaped diamonds, and a pair of matching ear clips.

Speaking of the sale, David Bennett, Sotheby's Chairman of Jewelry, Europe and Middle East, said: "We are thrilled that we are able to follow on from our achievement of the world record price per carat for any gemstone at auction with the "Star of Josephine" this past May in Geneva by offering a magnificent Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond of 5.96 carats, as well as an extremely rare vivid green diamond – the largest to ever appear at auction."

[via National Jeweler]