gem

Gem Records set at Christie's Hong Kong Auction

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]

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Tags: auction, auction-house, AuctionHouse, auctions, china, christies, diamond, diamonds, gem, gems, graff, graff diamonds, graff jewelers, GraffDiamonds, GraffJewelers, honk kong, HonkKong, jewel, jewelry, jewels, pink diamond, PinkDiamond, sapphire, sapphires, van cleef, Van Cleef Arpels, VanCleef, VanCleefArpels

Valentino Kaleido Gem-Embellished Tote, Handbag of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Totes aren't really party pieces but this one is so pretty and fabulous I would probably find an excuse to make it work as one. It's the Kaliedo Gem-Embellished Tote by Valentino, and they weren't messing around with the gems -- not a single visible surface is gemless aside from the shoulder strap, handles, and designer-embossed logo plaque. This glitzy number will make daily errands a glamorous occasion in graduated clear to brown faceted gem embellishments and a dove gray satin lining. Magnetic push-stud closure at the top, interior pockets, and protective silver feet. $2,995

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Tags: gem, gems, handbag, handbag of the day, HandbagOfTheDay, tote, valentino

Gem, A Jewelry Boutique

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Jessica Kagan Cushman's wildly popular scrimshaw bangles are just some of the treats at Gem, a jewelry boutique in Chicago. The store features a wide variety of designers who work in materials ranging from leather to diamonds including plenty of gemstones that don't usually get the fine jewelry treatment. The ring here is a delicate slice of agate mounted on 14k green gold and sells for $380.

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Tags: bracelets, cuffs, gem, gemstones, jewelry, necklaces, rings

Golden Cradle Studded with Diamonds, Rubies, and Emeralds

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Events

Wow, way back in the 18th century they really knew how to bling things up. And unlikely things too, like this baby's cradle. Covered in gold and set with more than 2,000 gems including diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, it's currently on display in Tokyo at a special exhibit that includes about 140 other antique treasures from the Ottoman Empire (which came before the Republic of Turkey). The items will be on display through September 24th in honor of the birth of Prince Hisahito to the Japanese Emporer's son Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko (got that straight?). No word on what the cradle's valued at, although since it isn't for sale I guess it's more about admiring it's gaudy beauty than hoping to get one for yourself.

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Tags: baby, cradle, crib, diamond, diamonds, emerald, emeralds, gem, gems, gold, golden, infant, jewel, jewels, prince, princess, rocker, rocking, rubies, ruby, tokyo

What Is A Pink Emerald?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

When I came across a press release from The Pink Emerald Company today I was a bit confused. I have never heard of a pink emerald. I checked my gem reference book which stated emphatically that emeralds are always green. So what to make of a press release touting the world's largest heart-shaped pink emerald? A little research reveals that the "pink emerald" is actually Morganite, a stone I mentioned earlier in the week.

The story of the fight over the pink emerald name is quite an involved one. Over the past few years, Dr. Christopher W. Hartnett has bought up mass quantities of the pink beryl and wants to increase public awareness and price for the stone. He's got a pretty decent start, this 169-carat near flawless, intense vivid fancy stone is priced at $2.6 million. But I think that it may take a while before the public is ready to spend big bucks on the pink emerald.

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Tags: beryl, gem, gemstone, pink emerald, PinkEmerald, stone

Largest Clean Tsavorite Up For Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

It may not have the flash of a diamond but Tsavorite, a form of green garnet, has its own charms. The gem, which was originally discovered in the Tsavo region of Kenya, has a bright green hue that makes it a popular choice for those who like emeralds but want stones with a bit more fire. Tsavorite is rarely found in large clean stones which explains the preciousness of the 325.13 carat stone shown here. National Jeweler reports that Michael Coach and Associates has acquired the largest clean Tsavorite in the world and will be showing it at the American Gem Trade Association GemFair beginning at the end of January in Tucson, Ariz. The stone was found in the Karo area of Mereloni, Tanzania and from one rough stone four stones were cut: a 62-carat clean, a 120-carat clean, a 307-carat included and the 325.13-carat clean. The asking price for the gem is $2.2 million. It seems to be that a stone like this deserves a name like the gobstopper diamonds get. Is Jolly Green Giant too undignified?

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Tags: gem, jewel, jewelry, tsavorite

Mottainai Crystal USB Drive

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

This gem of a USB drive is made by SolidAlliance and is known as the Mottainai. The 2 GB memory stick looks like gold, although it is actually made of bronze, and has beautiful, multi-faceted crystals from Statsuma Kiriko embedded in it. Apparently, it was made "as a tribute to the Japanese craft industry," although we suspect the manufacturer didn't mind the idea of adding a little bling to computers, either. Price: $765.

[via SciFi Tech]

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Tags: computer, gadget, gem, japan, japanese, memory stick, MemoryStick, usb

Lesotho Promise Sells For $12.36M

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

A 603-carat diamond, named the Lesotho Promise after the country in which it was found, was sold last week in Antwerp for $12.36 million. The giant raw diamond will most likely be cut into several smaller diamonds, which will have a collective value of approximately $20 million. The white diamond - the most popular color for a diamond to be - was the 15th largest ever found in the world, and the largest to be discovered this century.

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Tags: antwerp, diamond, diamonds, gem, lesotho, lesotho promise

Greenland's Largest Carved Ruby

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The largest recorded ruby ever discovered in the northwestern hemisphere, according to True North Gems Inc., has now been unveiled in its new carved format. The Canadian exploration company, unearthed the 440 carat uncut ruby in 2005 in the Fiskenaesset district of Greenland. It took Canadian gemstone carver Thomas McPhee 10 months to produce this 302 carat gemstone which is the first ever carved Greenland ruby. It has an estimated value of $500,000 Canadian.

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Tags: gem, greenland, jewel, ruby

The Vinci Diamond

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Shlomo Cohen, who is credited with the 1982 development of the Princess Cut diamond, has created a new cut known as the Vinci Diamond. Based on the "divine proportion," a golden ratio that was studied intensely by Leonardo da Vinci, who inspired the diamond's name, the diamond features a 62-facet pentacle cut. By contrast, a standard round-cut diamond has 57-facets. The perfect proportions of the diamond include three pentacle stars and give a stone with this cut unprecedented brilliance. The design is patented in Japan, Israel, Belgium, and the United States, and Cohen already has marketing plans in place.

[Image Israeli Diamond News]

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Tags: brilliance, cut, diamond, facets, gem, pentacle, princess cut, shlomo cohen, stars, stone, vinci, vinci cut, vinci diamond

Earthwise Jewelry

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The New York Times pointed out that the negative environmental impact that gold mining can have has prompted jewelry companies to join Leber Jeweler, Inc. in a campaign called "No Dirty Gold," which hopes to push the industry towards responsible mining practices. Leber has a commitment to quality that has lasted over the past 85 years. They sell a line of Earthwise Jewelry that is not only beautiful, but socially conscious. The gold and platinum settings for the jewels are actually made from recycled metals and their gems come from sources that guarantee fair-labor policies. Their 18-carat white gold used in the collection is alloyed with palladium, rather than nickel, to avoid potential allergic reactions in their clientele; they are as conscientious about their customers as the environment. The 18-karat white gold Twisty Sapphire ring, pictured here, is a stunning solitaire that carries a message as well as a sparkle. Price $800.

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Tags: earth wise, earthwise, environment, ethical, fair labor, gem, gems, gold, jewelery, leber, palladium, platinum, ring, rings, sapphire, twisty ring