jeweler

South African jeweler Shimansky is getting their share of the focus brought to the country by the World Cup with a couple of dazzling projects. The jeweler recently showed off the world's most expensive tattoo. The tattoo is only temporary, made of 612 Shimansky Ideal Cut .5 carat diamonds applied to the skin using a water-based adhesive. South African model and Shimansky brand ambassador Minki van der Westhuizen wore the tattoo valued at $924,000.

Should that not be enough to get your attention, the company has also unveiled a diamond soccer ball. The nearly five pound ball is covered in 6,620 white and 2,640 black round brilliant cut diamonds, all sourced in South Africa, a total of around 3,500 carats of stones. It has a value of around $2.6 million. Replicas of the ball rendered in crystals will be in Shimansky's seven national stores for the duration of the World Cup. Afterwards each replica will be auctioned with the proceeds being given to each regional store's chosen charity. The jeweler has also created a World Cup ring and silver soccer shoe cufflinks. The rest of the world may not have been familiar with the jeweler before the World Cup but they will be now.

Jewelry designer, Orianne Collins, a jewelry designer with boutiques in Switzerland, is making her U.S. debut in a big way, signing a long-term lease agreement for 655 Madison Avenue in New York City. Her new neighbors will include luxury brands like Barneys New York, Baccarat, Hermés and the Pierre Hotel.

Her "O.C. Concept Store," will offer both her fine jewelry as well as other luxury lifestyle items in a two-level, 3,400-square-foot space. The store will open this fall and will sell items like beauty and cosmetics, art pieces, TVs, laptops, books and music on the first floor. On the lower level Collins will sell her jewelry line, watches and other pieces from designers and contemporary furniture. There will also be a champagne bar.

Collin is of mixed Swiss and Thai origin and grew up in Switzerland. She chose jewelry as her main medium of expression because "it is the most universal form for immortalising the inspiration." The Collins last name comes from musician Phil Collins, her ex-husband. She was his third wife and the couple have two sons, Nicholas and Matthew. She reportedly received a £25 million settlement when they divorced in 2006 which is the same year she began designing jewelry. Her New York City boutique will open in the fall.

Could the jewelry market really be seeing signs of an upswing? Jewelry has been one of the hardest hit economic sectors in this recession leading to the the bankruptcies of several jewelry retailers. But new data from Unity Marketing shows that average jewelry spending by shoppers with minimum household incomes of $100,000 leaped up 31 percent to $4,813, in the third quarter from a year earlier. What's really interesting is that is compared against sharp drops in shoes, handbags and clothing. Does this signify a new status for jewelry as a purchase that holds its value?

Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing told Marketwatch that affluent consumers are "selectively indulging once again" but that the spending was mostly driven by affluent consumers with average household incomes of $233,000 while the "aspirational" shoppers making below $125,000 are still more thrift-minded.

The news comes as it was revealed that Zale Corp, the company behind Zales Jewelers, has canceled some orders with suppliers and delayed payments. The Wall Street Journal said that Zale did not accept tens of millions of dollars of inventory at the end of November. The fact that a jeweler refused inventory just before the busiest time of the year appears to be a major sign of trouble. This reflects the fact that for the most part the Zales customer falls within the aspirational demographic which is still waiting to get back into the stores.

Sad news for fans of jeweler Henry Dunay. Over the summer Henry Dunay Designs filed Chapter 11. Now it has been announced that the brand is officially over. An auction of the company's inventory is scheduled for December 16. Dunay told National Jeweler that he is not giving up the jewelry business completely and that he will still be doing special orders and custom pieces. As he puts it, "they're not getting rid of me yet." Good news for anyone who is a fan of Dunay's unique wearable works of art. He can be reached for special orders by calling the numbers used for Henry Dunay Designs: (800) 888-2525 or (212) 768-9700. For more information on the Dec. 16 auction, contact Jay Silverberg, Dunay's attorney from the New York office of Sils, Cummis and Gross, PC, at (212) 500-1587.

David Yurman opened up a brand new "shop within a shop" at the iconic Bloomingdale's on 59th Street in NYC last week. Located right on the mezzanine with the cosmetics, the new David Yurman 775 sq. ft space is completely separate in design from the surrounding department store fluorescence. The opening party included not only David and his wife, Sybil, but members of the board at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, as a portion of the proceeds from the first week of the new shop will be donated to The Society of MSKCC.

The opening was an absolute madhouse (which is what happens when someone shows up at Bloomingdale's with free champagne), and definitely got the word out about David Yurman's new home at Bloomingdale's. I managed to pull the charming and jovial David Yurman himself away from the masses of adoring women for a quick interview about the new shop, working as a husband and wife team, charity and inspiration.

Luxist: So, why a shop within a shop?

David Yurman: Oh, why not? We've had a smaller shop here [at Bloomingdale's] for about six years, but this is the biggest shop [within another shop] we have, probably, in the world. We have our own ceiling, we have our own video ... it's as large a size as I would imagine I would want.

L: And did you design it yourself?

DY: No -- well, I designed it with Michael Gabellini. Originally we designed the furniture, the show cases. We worked for about 5-6 months with Michael -- great designer, great person to work with -- sometimes it can be difficult; two creative people with their concepts, but to me, [the shop] is like, warm, minimal, not even minimal. Warm modern. Very functional. I mean, we used oak, solid black walnut, and it's connected to our flagship, which opened in March. Not all our stores look alike. We have five different looks in fifteen stores. This is our new design and we love it. It will be here, it'll be in our flagship, we're opening up in Paris in March, but this is -- I call it 'the pavilion.'"

L: It's a pavilion within a shop.

DY: It's a pavilion within Bloomingdale's!

L: You work with so many charitable organizations -- what's your philosophy as far as giving back?

DY: It's actually for my parents. If you have enough, you don't need any more. What's enough? I mean, I definitely have enough, so, we give back. It's the DNA of our family. I mean, I was giving back on Saturdays when I was in high school. Or, three months every year, the last few years of high school, I worked at the MS Center, I worked with underprivileged and handicapped children.

L: Sounds like they raised you well.

DY: They told me giving back, working, being with people is just .. I would never [have done] this, personally. I wanted to play football, I wanted to hang out at the mall -- but it was the best thing I ever did. It's such a good feeling.

L: What's it like working as a husband and wife team?

DY: It's difficult and rewarding. We have a lot to talk about.

L: Who does what?

DY: We make one person. Sybil's probably more focused on marketing, but I weigh in on marketing. I'm more focused on design, product development.

L: She weighs in on that?

DY: She weighs in on that. Nothing happens without both of us signing off. If we don't both sign off, it doesn't happen. We've been married for 39 years.

L: What are you working on next?

DY: It's hard to describe in words, but a lot of extensions, evolutions. We're doing a lot more 'younger,' our son is doing the men's and watches, and bridal and also the high jewelry which is amazing materials, great design, and it's where he's growing in our business. It's a family.

L: And what keeps you inspired, where you you get your ideas?

DY: You know, the thing with the word 'get' -- you can't say 'get ideas' because you kinda make yourself available to them. It's a river, you sort of guide yourself.

L: So you're just open to [ideas], you don't go looking for them?

DY: No, I don't look -- well, I'm not blind. I look at women, like I was liking [a nearby woman's] earrings ... those are my earrings! Ha! I was saying I liked them, and they're mine.

He certainly is friendly and entertaining -- and it was hard to keep the ladies from ambushing him mid-interview! Be sure and visit the new David Yurman space next time you make it to Bloomingdale's in NYC, it's like a breath of fresh air amongst the fragrances -- and, of course, the jewelry is fabulous.

While I was checking out Rock Hall, the new Connecticut B&B I told you about last week, I noticed that the proprietress, Stella Flame, had simply gorgeous jewelery: pieces that were big, bold and yet totally tasteful.

I asked her about it, and it turns out that she's a jewelry designer, represented by Sola Showroom in Manhattan. Her inspiration is Istanbul, a city that she loves, and she aims to bring a modern twist to the feel of ancient Mediterranean designs. (This is a common theme with her bed & breakfast, a Mediterranean style estate in the heart of Connecticut.) Stella designs the pieces, which are crafted in Istanbul, using jewels set into a signature combination of oxidized silver and 24 karat gold. On the day of my visit, Stella was just about to fly out to Istanbul to confer with her master jewelers.

These pieces retail in the neigborhood of $1,500 to about $3,000, depending on the stones that are used, contact Sola showroom for prices.

Jewelry companies seem to be a bit behind the times on social networking. It took Cartier until last June to get a MySpace page and now Tiffany & Co. has joined Facebook. The company already has more than 124,000 "fans" on its official Facebook page which was created in February. The company uses the center of the page to showcase Tiffany eyecandy as well as video relating to Tiffany designers such as Paloma Picasso.

Harry Winston calls this necklace Attraction for obvious reason, it's practically large enough to have its own gravitational pull (or at least it seems that way). This dazzler has a 31.19 carat D color, internally flawless diamond which on its own is a rare and spectacular gem. But at Harry Winston they are all about gilding the lily and so this stone is set within a frame of pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds and hangs from a chain of pears and brilliants that is over 72 carats. The pendant can also be worn as a brooch. The one-of-a-kind piece is available at the Harry Winston New York salon.

Since jewelry is always a hot choice for the holidays, it's important to stop for a moment and take into consideration what it is you are purchasing. Those special prices can look tempting, but it's worth putting in a bit of extra effort (and perhaps a bit of extra cash) to ensure you get something worthwhile. It will pay off in the long run when you have a lovely diamond that will probably increase in value. In fact, that is just the point that the New York Times makes with their tips on the ABCs of diamond-buying. The first thing to do is forget the setting and look at the quality of the stone. Color, clarity and cut are paramount. Once you've got a good one, you can think about the setting and the jeweler. But don't let yourself be blinded by a special sale price unless you're blinded by the brilliance of the diamond you're buying, too.

Designed by Jacob & Co jewelers, this 18K gold Turntable Ring features an arrangement of black and white diamonds that make up a tiny turntable. The accessory could be a good one for a musician or a music lover, but at $12,900 it's probably going to end up adding some bling to the hand of a DJ or used as an engagement ring on an appropriate reality show.

[via Born Rich]

While the size of this picture is a little unusual for Luxist, there is no other way to showcase the tremendous amount of detail that went into the construction of this piece. The Twin Towers was designed by Nayna Mehta in memory of those who died in 9/11 and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the JA New York Show, which began this week. The Towers has an 18K gold base and 14,080 diamonds decorating it, for a total weight 255 carats. Overall, 38 designers and technicians were involved in putting the piece together, all after trying to find diamonds of the proper quality and weight demanded by the designer. Eventually, Mehta intends to sell the piece and will donate a portion of the proceeds to victims from the collapse of the World Trade Center.

Our friends at Autoblog found a company that produces "the perfect fusion between sport and jewels." The company is called Circuiti and, with designer Gianfranco Quartaroli, they make jewelery in the shape of internationally known motorcycle and auto racecourses.

Each piece in their collection can be made of steel or of gold, and are available with diamonds and without. A diamond is a popular way to mark the starting point of the course. The steel option might be the best choice of adornment for an everyday key chain, but the tracks set in gold with diamonds or other precious stones are the flashiest way for a fan to support his (or her) team. The stones can even be chosen to ensure that your pendant or cuff links will reflect your team affiliation. Prices start at around €64, depending up course and materials.