Jewelry designer Mark Schneider's designs are a step away from the traditional. Schneider creates both diamond bridal jewelry and unique dramatic pieces that incorporate colorful gemstones. Schneider believes in letting the stones "talk to him" before he creates a design.
The engagement rings from Mark Schneider Designs have a unique feature. Each design in the collection features a Secret Heart, small yellow or white gold heart at the base of the ring set with a tiny diamond inscribed with a message that says "Love you Forever." The styles range from traditional to more contemporary and each features smaller diamonds set along the sides of the ring. All of the rings can be made in either platinum or gold and set with center stones in a variety of sizes. The gallery below features a few of Schneider's bridal designs as well as some of his award-winning gemstone creations.
I can't believe that a handbag made of platinum, over 2,000 diamonds, and valued at almost $2 million doesn't have a name other than "diamond and platinum handbag." We first mentioned this beauty of a bag about a year ago when it was on display in Tokyo and now it seems it will be making it's way around London in honor of London Jewelry Week.
Designed by Ginza Tanaka, the bag features a diamond shoulder strap that can be removed and worn as a necklace, plus the large (8ct) pear-shaped diamond decorating the front of the bag can be removed and worn as a brooch.
The bag is available for sale but due to security concerns the locations where it will appear will not be given to the public ahead of time -- I guess it's just a lucky "right place at the right time" kind of guessing situation if you want to see it!
I've never been a big fan of diamonds (I even have a solitaire ruby on my wedding band instead of a diamond) but these raw diamonds in jewelry designs by Todd Reed are something else altogether. Not only are they colorful, but unique and not as flashy as traditional diamonds, which I'm sure is a love it/hate it sort of thing. To me there's something very cool about enjoying a stone thats been in the earth for ages without cutting or polishing it -- just appreciating it as it is. Although Todd Reed's latest release is a line of raw diamond cuff links for men, the rest of his collection is equally beautiful. My favorite is this cluster ring made of gold and raw diamonds for $9,375.
The highly anticipated 72.22 carat "Perfect Pear" diamond was withdrawn from the Sotheby's Hong Kong auction on April 10th after the final bid failed to reach the reserve price. Originally the stone was expected to sell for upwards of $13 million but the highest bid maxed out at only $9.4 million. That didn't seem to dampen interest, however, as within just a few hours of the auction closing the stone was sold to a private buyer for an undisclosed amount.
Experts say the bidding prices were likely lower than expected due to confusion over the exchange rate of different currencies. Hm, does that mean they got their $13 million after all? Seems like people spending that much money would have a handle on that kind of thing.
Okay, this doesn't seem wise: putting an enormous diamond-encrusted hood ornament on the front of your Rolls-Royce. Aren't you just asking somebody to pop it off as they run by? Well, regardless, it certainly does look sparkly and it's really just a bit of promotional bling created by a jeweler for The New York International Auto Show. It's a one-of-a-kind diamond version of the Rolls-Royce mascot designed by Manhattan jeweler Jean Kemanjian and is exclusive to Manhattan Motorcars. Called "The Spirit of Ecstasy," it measures 4"h x 2"w and consists of mostly diamonds and platinum, plus a few other rare metals. Valued at $200,000.
Tefaf, the world's largest art and antiques fair, closed Saturday with a bang as a 70.12 carat yellow diamond was sold for about $11 million! The enormous emerald cut stone was sold by London jewelry dealers Graff to a European client. Of course there were stunning pieces of art and other jewelry to be found at the exclusive fair and even with financial markets in a downward turn Tefaf experienced a 3.3% increase in attendees compared to 2007. When one buys a diamond that large, do you actually wear it or just keep it in a glass box to show your dinner guests...personally I think it would seriously weigh down my hand, not to mention completely keep me from ever putting that hand in a pocket. Click through for more exciting sales and a thief's prize.
A diamond that could fill a tablespoon is the latest object of desire for gem buyers. The 72.22 carat stone comes with naming rights and is expected to bring in up to $13 million when it goes up for sale on April 10 at Sotheby's Hong Kong. Unlike some other larger stones where cut has to be sacrificed for size, this D-color, flawless gem is a perfect pear shape.
If you just can't seem to fit enough diamonds into your life then here's a new place to put them: on your bathroom faucets. Designed by architect Nilo Gioacchini, the Oz Diamond Edition faucet consists of gold with a strip of 282 sparkling natural diamonds. For the room that just needs more bling I guess. Of course they're beautiful, and any sink with one of these faucets will also be beautiful, but diamonds in the kitchen and the bathroom? It kinda strikes me as a waste of jewels (not to mention a pain to keep clean).
Made by E.K.D.O and called Icepiks, these jewelry accent pieces are quite beautiful and although they're tiny they're definitely not subtle or understated. Made of bright gold in yellow, white, or rose and encrusted with jewels like diamonds, rubies, and sapphires they're designed to let the wooden end of the toothpick take care of business while the end you're holding brags style and luxury. What a gorgeous little bit of glitter to give this Christmas! $800-$3000+
For all of you who've been waiting patiently, the world's first gold and diamond Bluetooth headset is finally here! The result of a collaboration between Motorola and Amosu, it's called the Diamond MOTOPURE H12 and it's got both beauty and brains. It comes with all the usual Motorola Bluetooth features, plus it's the first headset to come equipped with CrystalTalk noise-reducing technology. Only 100 of these beauties will be made, so couple that with your choice of yellow or white gold with white, pink, or black diamonds and you could easily end up with a one-of-a-kind gadget. £4,000-£6,250
The charm bracelet never truly seems to go out of style. John Christian has created a new "Jewelry for Life™ Collection diamond charm bracelet collection. A starter set of a 14K white gold bracelet and one charm sells for $790. The charms are available in numerals, letters and a variety of different shapes. Each charm has approximately .10 carats total weight of G color VS1 clarity diamonds. The charms are on swiveling lobster claw fasteners that let you easily move the charms around on the bracelet. Each additional charm is $490.
Children are precious. Taking that phrase literally is Princess Marie Chantal of Greece who designed girl and boy stick figures in diamonds. The Princess wears one for each of her four children. The boy and girl figures are done in white gold and each features approximately 1.03 carats of diamonds. The 18K gold chain sells for $200 and each figure is $1,800.
Rich gamers want bling too, you know, and they only want to play with the very best of gaming equipment. So both of those statements might be true (I admit I don't really know) but I doubt either of them refers to bling or equipment like this diamond encrusted Sony Playstation controller. Made up of solid 18k white gold and over 68ct in black diamonds it's actually a pendant meant to be worn on a chain.
Yes, because that makes it all better.
No word on how much this little beauty is worth -- the owner claims it was a gift.
The Daily Mail has an interesting story on a case of celebrity diamond sharing. Celebs are often loaned diamonds to wear for red carpet event but what happens when two girls want the same piece? The Daily Mail says that both model Elle Macpherson and Academy-Award-winner Hilary Swank each wanted to wear a £5million Montblanc diamond necklace to a party to launch the new Montblanc collection. What to do, what to do? The situations often provide an easy measure of star power. In this case, Elle got the gem for daytime while Hilary got the more prized night time gig. I guess those Oscars are worth something...
---98300_thumbnail.jpg "Cosmos Pendant")
