Jeweler News

Sure, the name isn’t particularly glamorous as, let’s say, a sapphire or a ruby. But don’t let that fool you. The Spinel is all gem, baby.

A traditionally lesser-loved stone, the spinel is fast capturing the attention of the contemporary fine jewellery market. The Hope Spinel sold for £962,500 at Bonhams in September 2015; a new world record for a spinel. The stone once belonged to famous gem collector Henry Philip Hope and had not been on sale for 98 years.

In ancient times, southeast Asia’s mines yielded exceptional large spinel crystals, which became the treasured property of kings and emperors, often passing through many hands as spoils of war. – GIA

Source: The Telegraph

Some things are rare, like the Haley’s comet or your kid doing the dishes without complaining or a blue moon.

And then some things are really rare, like this flawless Blue Moon diamond, named after the rarity of it’s lunar counterpart. What’s even more unlikely? That any of us could afford it.

This fall, the largest cushion-shaped fancy vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction will go up on the block at Sotheby’s, with a chance of setting a new auction record.

The 12.03-carat diamond, named the “Blue Moon” because of its rarity, will lead Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale scheduled to take place Nov. 11 in Geneva.

The cushion-shaped, brilliant-cut stone boasts an exceptional clarity, declared internally flawless by the Gemological Institute of America.

It comes to market with an estimate of between $35 million and $55 million. If it sells at the high end of that range, the stone could become the most expensive diamond in auction history.

Source: National Jeweler

While we customize all kinds of jewelry, this might go beyond the scope of our team.

Now you can have a customized pendant designed from your particular DNA. I’m not sure how you would test it for accuracy…but it sure is an interesting concept.

According to 10x:

British designer Alexander Davis, creates DNA pendants that are unique to each wearer and inspired by his degree in biochemistry.

When a DNA pendant is commissioned by a client, they take a blood sample from the wearer and send it to a lab for DNA sequencing, Davis told me over email. They then find an area of their DNA that is likely to contain some unique code on which they can model the pendant.

The combination of gemstones on the necklace corresponds to a unique part of that sequence, representing their four-letter DNA code.

This particular one pictured here is made in platinum and set with diamonds, sapphires, and amethyst and priced from £15,000 (roughly $23,800).

Put your sunglasses on for this dazzler or you might go blind from the beauty!

Courtesy Borsheims

Borsheims is celebrating its parent company’s 50th anniversary with a 50 ct. fancy yellow diamond.

The ring features a 50.02 ct. natural fancy yellow cushion-cut diamond from Rahaminov Diamonds. The retail price for the ring is $2.3 million, but Berkshire Hathaway shareholders can get the ring for $1,725,000.

Berkshire Hathaway was actually founded in 1839 as a textile company in Rhode Island, but Buffett Partnership Ltd., owned by Warren Buffett, bought and took control of the company in 1965. It is that anniversary that Borsheims is celebrating with the diamond.

 

Source: JCK

We’ve discussed jewelry as a form of protection in historical times (to ward off evil and bring luck) but this story gives a whole new meaning to its magical properties.

Janeice Frisbee of Humboldt, Tenn., was shot point-blank in the chest last week, and by all accounts, she survived because her necklace stopped the bullet.

“No one can believe that bullet didn’t go through that necklace,” Frisbee told WMC Action News 5.

The $45 Tree of Life necklace, made of sterling silver wire and small gemstones, was a gift from Frisbee’s son and daughter-in-law. It was purchased from Colorado-based designer Amanda Toddings’ Etsy store, Mandala Rain.

WBBJ 7 News spoke to Toddings about her design. “If I purposely tried to break the necklace myself with pliers I could do it in seconds,” she said. “It’s not a bulky, silver belt buckle or a medallion, it’s just wire and beads.”

“The things that we choose to do for other people, like giving them a gift, you really never know what the far-reaching effects are going to be,” she said.

The necklace is currently with the FBI as evidence, but the family says it is still intact.

Source: JCK

As we’re seeing more and more, jewelry is no longer just mere adornment in the 21st century. Not only is smart jewelry expanding out into the market but one woman decided that jewelry can also be a perfect weapon for self-defense. Read on.

YASMINE MUSTAFA, 32, of University City, Philadelphia, and Anthony Gold, 49, of West Chester, co-founded Roar for Good, a University City firm aimed at empowering women with fashionable safety accessories and educational programs. The startup is part of DreamIt Athena, a female-focused entrepreneur program by DreamIt Ventures. I spoke with Mustafa, the CEO.

Q: How’d you come up with the idea for Roar?

A: A woman was raped a block from my apartment shortly after I came back from a trip to South America last year. The original idea was a wearable bracelet called the Macelet, which had Mace in it. I started talking to women and they were afraid of self-defense tools that an attacker might use against them. So I pivoted to a device that’s fashionable and easy to use that has a loud alarm and light to distract a would-be attacker and message friends and family.

Q: The startup money?

A: I conceived a functional prototype and found a hardware person, who’s still an adviser, to help me build it. We bootstrapped it and it cost about $5,000, and then we designed it.

Q: The biz model?

A: The device, which will be priced around $100, can be worn as a necklace, charm or key fob. It also has a magnet so you can put it on clothing. After we developed the prototype, some women wondered: Why not teach men not to attack women? We decided the wearable had a safety purpose but we could use part of our revenues to support nonprofits teaching nonviolence and promoting a culture of consent and respect.

Read more at Philly.com

We like nothing better than jewelry that goes toward a good cause. A West Michigan woman is making it her mission to use jewelry to help senior dogs.

Carol Januszewski runs Golden Years Alaskan Malamute Rescue. It’s based out of North Muskegon and strives to find forever homes for the breed. She also sells jewelry on Etsy. The proceeds go toward her rescue center.

Source: FoxNews17

Found this fetching shot on JCK Online today. Compared to “the size of an avocado pit, it looked too big to be real, like a paste facsimile stolen from the prop department of a Hollywood film about the ludicrously rich.” Love it!

Two weeks ago, I snapped my most popular Instagram pic of all time: a close-up of a pear-shape diamond perched between a thumb and forefinger—250 likes and counting. The rock was remarkable for several reasons: Not only was it D color and VVS1 clarity, it boasted the unique watery translucence associated with type IIa diamonds (referring to gems devoid of nitrogen), with the GIA paperwork to prove it.

This shot blew up my Instagram feed: 250 likes and counting.

Those qualities, however, weren’t the things that blew up my feed. What earned the most attention was simple: At 89.23 cts., the diamond is enormous. When I first saw it, I gasped. About the size of an avocado pit, it looked too big to be real, like a paste facsimile stolen from the prop department of a Hollywood film about the ludicrously rich.

The color of jewelry is a major component of its attraction (of course) but the American Gem Trade Association took it a step further and voted for the most amazing colorful jewelry in the world. Simply amazing pieces.

The AGTA Spectrum Awards is considered by many to be the most respected and prestigious creative awards for the jewelry design industry. Launched in 1984 by the American Gem Trade Association, it honors, recognizes and promotes designers whose work uses natural colored gemstones and cultured pearls in fine jewelry design. The international competition serves as the benchmark for jewelry designers striving to gain recognition for their work. In addition, it is one of things the jewelry industry uses to establish trends through the use of color and materials.

The AGTA recently announced the 2014 winners of the competition, held in New York, and according to Douglas K. Hucker, CEO of the AGTA, the 500 or designers who participated stretched the boundaries in what can be achieved in jewelry design with colored gems and pearls.

Source: Forbes

Best of Show Leon Mege, Platinum ring with a 4.71 ct. Paraiba tourmaline accented with French-cut diamonds (1.31 ctw.).

Check out more amazing pieces here.

Julien’s Auctions said Saturday that bidders worldwide sought items from Madonna’s professional and personal life during the two-day Icons & Idols: Rock n’ Roll auction in Beverly Hills that started Friday.

The auction house says the gown and stole from her “Material Girl” video sold for $73,125, while the wedding dress the pop icon wore when she married Sean Penn in 1985 brought in $81,250.

Her jacket from “Desperately Seeking Susan” sold for a record $252,000 and one earring worn in the film fetched $34,375.

Other highlights include the gown from the film “Evita” — which sold for $15,000 — and her “A League of Their Own” uniform — which sold for $31,250.

Source: AP Press