sapphire

Colorful Jewels by Mallary Marks

Filed under: Jewelry

Who says you have to succumb to darker hues in your wardrobe just because the fall season is here? If you're missing the warmth of sunshine against your skin, impromptu water gun battles and eating ice cream in the park like I am, perhaps wearing some candy colored jewels by Mallary Marks will brighten up your mood – and your attire.

With over 10 years of jewelry making under her belt, Mallary Marks continues to design well crafted pieces that playfully experiment with color and shape all the while maintaining a timeless sense of style and broad appeal. Overall her work includes pieces that are adventurous in her choice of color and stone selection against a subdued and understated backdrop of commonly used design patterns.The result? Marks' jewelry will last a lifetime and could easily be passed from one generation to the next.

Featured, is a stunning pair of dangling earrings ($2054). Made with pistachio green chrysophrase and tobacco brown zircon stones, what is initially an uncommon color combination becomes an unexpected dose of elegance offering a polished look for any occasion.

Browse through the gallery below for additional vibrantly colored jewels by Mallary Marks.

Have tips or suggestions? Contact me @marsha712

Gallery: Colorful Jewels by Mallary Marks

Double Stone Earrings with Paraiba and Peridot

Peacock Tail Earrings with Mandarin Garnet and Red Sapphire

Green Sapphire and Pale Pink Opal Drop Earrings

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Tags: amethyst, bracelet, carnelian, citrine, diamonds, earrings, garnet, gold, hessonite, jade, lapis, mallary marks, necklace, sapphire, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise

Blancpain L-evolution Carrousel Sapphire Watch Hands-On

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

A trend over the last few years has been to take complex tourbillon movements and make them either skeletonized or bare bones. This watch from Blancpain is a perfect example. Although Blancpain nowadays prefers the carrousel versus the tourbillon. The different? Well it is minor to say the least, but Blancpain wants to set itself apart by using this type of rotating escapement carriage versus a tourbillon. In operation they are both similar looking. If you want to know more about the difference between a tourbillon and a carrousel you can read here.

The watch movement, while highly decorated, is certainly bare bones. What you mainly see (aside from the hands) is the carrousel and the mainspring barrel. The rest of the watch seems to be the winding gear assembly and the gear train. The movement uses only sapphire crystal plates. This is what gives the movement its incredible floating looking. The sides of the 18k red gold case are also set with sapphire crystals for an additional view into the movement. Due to the shape of the case, the watch is included in Blancpain's newer L-evolution collection. This watch will likely prove to be a hard to find niche object, but will be a marquee look for the Blancpain carousel watches. Priced at around $240,000.

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

Gallery: Blancpain Carrousel Saphire watch

Tags: blancpain, carrousel, l-evolution, saphir, sapphire, watch

Quinting "Mysterious" Watches Hands-On

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

One of the most interesting watch movements around is made by Swiss Quinting. It is a quartz movement that is barely visible. Look at the watch and you just won't get how it works. The dials are totally transparent and you can see right through them as the hands of the watch seem to float in space. Quinting makes the movements and the watches. The movements are quartz based and actually fitted inside the watch around the dial in the case. It uses a series of motors that move sapphire crystals that the hands are attached to. Complex models like the Chronograph use many, totally parallel sapphire discs to achieve the functionality. The design is flawless and the engineering is very clever.

I got to handle the watches at the Geneva Time Exhibition in January. They had their diverse line up of models in various case sizes and tones. Some of them are richly decorated in diamonds and are in gold. The watches typically aren't too little, but rather come in healthy sizes (for men and women). You really get an appreciation for how difficult it was to make the watches when you wear them. Seeing your wrist through the watch without any gears or pieces really goes to the heart of the "Mysterious" part of the name. Their new watch for 2010 uses an interesting set of two discs that have "spokes" on them. These turn in opposite directions and help regulate each other in terms of the watch accuracy. What it means for you is a cool looking dial that is constantly moving. Quinting also makes movements for other brands that want to showcase their technology. For example they produced a watch for Dior that I discussed here. Prices for these watch is pretty expensive for a quartz movement, but they have the craftsmanship of a nicer mechanical watch. I'd say the prices for non jewelery versions are typically in the $5,000 - $10,000 range.

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

Gallery: Quinting watches

Tags: high-end quartz, High-endQuartz, movement, quinting, sapphire, Swiss, transparent, watch

Gem Records set at Christie's Hong Kong Auction

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions

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

Century Grace Diamond & Sapphire Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

century grace diamond and sapphire watch

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.

Tags: 25.7.M.206.55.W73, century, diamonds, grace, sapphire, watch, watch of the day, WatchOfTheDay

Corum Golden Tourbillon Panoramique Grey Sapphire Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Watch companies like to get creative with the use of synthetic sapphire crystals, but it is difficult given the fact that the material can be very fragile. The problem isn't so much in risk of it breaking once it is made, but rather that the fabrication of synthetic sapphire crystal into all sorts of organic shapes requires a lot of stress of the material. So pieces can break with relative ease. That is why the finished result is not always as impressive as possible without knowing what a pain in the ass the watch was to make. This is probably the fact with this limited edition of just 5 pieces Corum Golden Tourbillon Panoramique Grey Sapphire watch.

What is interesting here is the application of gray PVD on the sapphire giving it that special look. The movement is a manually wound tourbillon based movement with a long 90 hours of power reserve. As you can see, the movement mainplate and bridges are all in sapphire! Something truly remarkable from a practical and aesthetic standpoint. The rest of the watch case is in 18k white gold with 309 diamonds decorating most every surface. Plus, the watch case has four sapphire crystals to help appreciate the movement from any angle. It is really a nice combination of luxury indulgence and mechanical intrigue. Expect prices to make your skin as light as the gray sapphire of the watch.

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

Tags: corum, golden, gray, grey, panoramique, sapphire, tourbillon

Ocean Ripple Necklace

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Convertible jewelry hits the high end in this piece from Mikimoto from the Elements of Life: Ocean collection. The Ocean Ripple pendant can be worn three ways. It has an Akoya cultured pearl topped by a .04 carat diamond which can be worn alone or with a white gold ring set with a spectrum of graduated shades of blue sapphires meant to invoke the rippling beauty of the ocean in the sunlight. The sapphire pendant can also be worn separately. The pendant is on a 18" white gold chain. This necklace sell for $4,050.

Tags: jewelry, mikimoto, necklace, pearl, sapphire

Rolls-Royce Sapphire

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The latest treasure from the bespoke department at Rolls-Royce is the Phantom Sapphire. The Sapphire is built on the long wheelbase spaceframe and painted a deep Milori Sapphire blue, a color inspired by the gemstone. The leather interior is available in either navy blue with seashell highlights or seashell with navy blue highlights. The walnut burr veneers are inlaid with handmade diamond-pattern marquetry. A two-bottle cool box lis located beneath the rear lounge seat and incorporates a drinks holder milled from a single billet of aluminum that can be concealed in the facia of the cool box. A lounge seat glass cabinet holds a pair of crystal tumblers and champagne flutes. The glassware bears the same diamond motif featured in the Phantom Sapphire's marquetry. A blue decorated Rolls-Royce clock is set with a sapphire and the driver receives matching blue accented silver key fobs and a Conway Stewart fountain pen set in a lacquered, walnut veneer box.

[via Autoblog]

Gallery: Rolls-Royce Sapphire

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Tags: bespoke cars, exotic cars, ExoticCars, luxury cars, LuxuryCars, rolls-royce, sapphire

Bombay Sapphire's "Revelation"

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Charity

Described as a "collaboration between the drinks, crystal, art and design worlds," Bombay Sapphire Revelation is a collection of 5 absolutely gorgeous bottles. Bombay Sapphire is the drink (of course), Baccarat is the crystal, Garrard is the art/jeweller, and Karim Rashid is the bottle designer. The Revelation line consists of 5 bottles shaped like enormous jewels, all the same with the exception of their caps -- each uniquely decorated with diamonds and sapphires.

The entire collection is worth $1 million, but each bottle (priced at $200,000) will be displayed separately at one of 5 airports around the world (New York, London, Dubai, Sydney, and Singapore) starting around the end of March with proceeds to benefit The Smile Train charity. And along with the beautiful Revelation bottle the new owners will also receive a years supply of Bombay Sapphire gin.

Gallery: Bombay Sapphire Revelation

Via My Selection

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Tags: baccarat, bombay sapphire, BombaySapphire, diamonds, garrard, gin, karim rashid, KarimRashid, Revelation, sapphire, sapphires

Fiore Fiore Pearls

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

I have a weakness for jewelry that uses gradient coloring of gemstones in the design. The Fiore Fiore collection from Hodel Pearls is made of white South Sea pearls surrounded by white gold petals set with blue sapphires. The collection also comes in green, pink and gold with pearls of different tones to match. The necklace sells for $9,800, the ring is $9,000 and the earrings are $18,000.

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Tags: hodel, jewelry, necklace, pearl, sapphire

Cobra Hired To Guard Jeweled Sandals

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

In today's age of motion and touch sensors and every other kind of high-tech gadget we've got for security of precious goods, Harrods in London recently took a unique step to protect a pair of very expensive shoes: they hired a poisonous cobra to stand (sit? slither?) guard.

Obviously this was a publicity stunt, not a real security effort, but I say good for them. That's pretty clever, and for all intents and purposes it worked. The cobra has since returned to its owner and the shoes are, I'm sure, under a more traditional lock and key type security system.

Curious what kind of shoes warranted such a show? A pair of red sandals by Rene Caovilla that are encrusted with rubies, sapphires, and diamonds and valued at about $120,000.

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Tags: cobra, diamond, diamonds, gaurd, harrods, heels, high heels, HighHeels, london, rene caovilla, ReneCaovilla, renee caovilla, ReneeCaovilla, rubies, sandals, sapphire, sapphires, security, shoes, snake, snakes

Dynaudio Sapphire Speakers

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

We all want great sound, but all too often that sound comes from ugly and strictly functional looking speakers. And when spending as much as many people do on a set of speakers it's hardly fun to hide or camouflage them. The new Dynaudio Sapphire gives the best of both worlds with beautiful design and high-quality sound in one package. Shaped to resemble cut jewels when viewed from different angles, plus created in dark jewel-toned color (although it's not sapphire blue), these speakers will definitely fill your home with both great sound and awesome style. $16,500

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Tags: dynaudio, music, sapphire, sound, speaker, speakers

Montblanc Star Lady Moonphase Diamonds

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The perfect accessory to compliment your summer tan, this new Montblanc Star Lady Moonphase Diamonds is a bright glistening white with a mother of pearl dial, handmade alligator strap (also available in light blue if you prefer), and a 36mm 18K white gold case. With ETA 4810/908 movement, features also include a moonphase and small second display, 8 diamond hour markers, Breget numerals, domed antireflux sapphire crystal and sapphire crystal case back, fluted crown, and water resistance to 30m. Priced around $10,175.

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Tags: crystal, lady, montblanc, moonphase, sapphire, star, star lady moonphase, StarLadyMoonphase, time, timepiece, timepieces, watch

Koenigsegg's and Quinting's Transparent Watches

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

It seems to be the trend lately for exotic auto makers to delve into the world of electronics and accessories, and Koenigsegg is no exception. They have collaborated with Quinting to offer two unique limited edition transparent watch designs: the Ghost chronograph and the Advance.

Based on the concept of "Mystery Clocks," Quinting specializes in making watches with transparent inner workings made of fine cut sapphire crystal assembled by expert hands in a dust-free environment to ensure complete transparency. Unfortunately these two designs are only available in limited quantities to owners of a Koenigsegg supercar, but Quinting makes many other beautiful designs if you're not so lucky but are still hankering for one of your own.

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Tags: koenigsegg, quinting, sapphire, timepeice, timepiece, transparent, watch, watches

Largest Natural Sapphire For Sale in the U.S.

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Yesterday I brought you a big beautiful green tsavorite, today let's look at the largest natural blue sapphire in the United States. This stone was cut from a 129 carat rough which was found in Sri Lanka in 1952. It was originally cut into an 80-carat stone and sold. It has been cut down to 69.53 carats in an effort to improve the light and color reflection and create a better shape. It is for sale for $417,000. It's a bit large for a ring but would be beautiful set in a pendant with diamonds, citrines or spessartite garnets.

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Tags: gems, jewel, jewelry, sapphire

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