Who knows? Maybe an inscribed diamond by Warren Buffet will bring you financial good luck?
In conjunction with the upcoming Berkshire Hathaway shareholder weekend, the Berkshire-owned two-store retailer is offering 51 gems with a reproduction of the billionaire’s signature inscribed on their girdle. Buffett is expected to personally sell some of them when he takes his fourth spin behind the Omaha, Neb., retailer’s sales counter on May 4.
In addition to Buffett’s signature, the stones are inscribed with the store logo and a maple leaf, signifying their environmentally friendly Canadian origin.
There have been tons of adjectives used to describe jewelry but this might have been the first time I stumbled across “velvety” blue to describe a gem. With that said, the descriptor seems to be spot-on. Read more about this one of a kind gem and the ring its seated in.
The April Sotheby’s sale will offer one of the finest Kashmir sapphires ever to appear at auction. The Exceptional Platinum, Sapphire and Diamond Ring (est. $4/5 million) features a square emerald-cut Kashmir sapphire weighing 28.18 carats set in a tapered baguette diamond mounting designed by Oscar Heyman & Brothers.
The stone has no indications of heat treatment and is described by the American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) as “a gem of singular importance.” According to the AGL, “It possesses the quintessential, velvety blue color that distinguishes a fine Kashmir sapphire….The pleasing color of this sapphire is further enhanced by a square emerald-cut fashioning which resulting in deep, internal color reflections and brilliance that complement the overall visual appearance of the stone, as well as a high clarity that results in a heightened degree of transparency.”
Daan Roosegaarde found a way to incorporate a noxious mixture like pollution and fog to create a high-end designer product, the smog ring. Credit Studio Roosegaarde
More and more eco-friendly jewelers are coming up with pieces that contribute to a cleaner world, whether using recycled materials, or in this case, smog.
“It’s weird how the city [Beijing] is covered in smog and no one is doing anything,” Daan Roosegaarde remembers thinking.
What started as a common — albeit worrying — observation, soon became a quest for the designer: He wanted to find a way to incorporate the noxious mixture of pollution and fog in another one of the poetic-pragmatic projects for which he has become famous since founding Studio Roosegaarde some six years ago.
The result is a highly ambitious project by Studio Roosegaarde to create smog-free parks in Beijing.
Daan Roosegaarde found a way to incorporate a noxious mixture like pollution and fog to create a high-end designer product, the smog ring. Credit Studio Roosegaarde
And a by-product of that project is the smog ring, an elegant piece of designer jewelry intrinsically linked to the new reality of urban pollution and the fight against it.
“I like the notion that you take something high-end and combine it with the problematic,” he said.
The ring — which is still in its design phase — will be a simple band mounted with a small clear center stone containing smog particles extracted from Beijing city air. The black dust, which is largely carbon soot from coal, will be configured in a millimeter cube, to symbolize a cubic kilometer of smog that each ring has cleared.
Kate Middleton continues to break ground as a royal fashionista, frequently wearing the works of jewelers from the countries she visits. This time, the lucky winners are New Zealand’s Tory and Ko.
Designer Victoria Taylor and business partner Kirstin O’Brien said she was “very specific” in her choices and selected two pairs of earrings from Tory & Ko’s “Pretty Collection”, another pair of pearl and diamond white gold earrings and a matching pearl necklace with diamond keepers from the “Bespoke Collection”.
A beautiful clip from an amazing documentary. Sharing the Rough gives a unique view of the process of a gem’s journey from mine to finished jewelry.
The documentary follows the life of one gem (the type will remain secret until release) through the whole process–from the hands of the East African miners, to the gem cutter before finishing with the designer that brings it to life in fine jewelry–and looking at the relationships formed in between. [Source: 10x.]
Red was the “it” color last night at the Golden Globes. Jewelry was minimal but certainly classic and captivating.
Roll the red carpet!
A swirl of Marquise-cut diamonds from Chopard’s Green Carpet Collection finished Cate Blanchett’s red carpet look to perfection as she took home the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture.
Nominated for Best Foreign Film for Blue is the Warmest Color, Adèle Exarchopoulos opted for Chaumet’s Frisson earrings in white gold and diamonds.
Recognized for her supporting role in American Hustle, Jennifer Lawrence chose emerald and diamond jewelry from Neil Lane.
With the bright diamonds from Chopard setting off her black dress, Uma Thurman opted for 22 carat chandelier earrings and a platinum bracelet featuring a 40 carat Asscher-cut diamond.
After wearing Elizabeth Taylor’s Bulgari jewelry to Cannes, Jessica Chastain chose a different piece from the Heritage collection for the Golden Globes: a platinum and diamond necklace dating back to 1930 and a matching diamond ring.
Where does one wear them? Or does one? Perhaps you simply keep them on a display with a team of round-the-clock security guards. Or like Cinderella’s glass slippers, they await the perfect fit on some lucky woman.
We can’t say we love the style, but the craftsmanship can’t be denied.
They may be covered in diamonds, but there’s no guarantee that a pair of boots created in an event dedicated for Belgian creativity will be to everyone’s taste. The black leather ankle boots feature a paisley pattern completely covered in 1,550 carats of natural fancy colored champagne, grey and pink diamonds from Antwerp-based Diarough/UNI-Design. They were designed by A.F.Vandevorst and Filip Arickx for the Business of Design Week in Hong Kong, which is highlighting Belgian creativity. Apparently, it took 30,000 man hours to create the boots, including the setting of the 39,083 diamonds by a team at the Indian manufacturing plant of UNI-Design. The A.F.Vandevorst cross-shaped logo was created out of rare redish-pink diamonds.
Not only are these cases beautifully crafted but practical in their sturdiness. Talk about a luxury gift this holiday!
Jewelry for your iPhone®, the design of these cases was inspired by some of the rarest and most precious mineral stones cherished by luxury-good artisans since earliest antiquity. Known for their natural strength and luster, the varied striations and warm tones of each gemstone is thoughtfully contrasted with a polished and brushed aluminum accent creating a classic look of sophistication and elegance. Handcrafted of natural gemstone finished with golden brushed aluminum.
Let’s get it out of the way first: Aaaaaah!!! Ooooooh!!!
A 59.60-carat fancy vivid pink diamond called the “Pink Star” set a new world auction record price for any diamond, gemstone or jewel at Sotheby’s Geneva Wednesday when it sold for $83.2 million.
The stone’s new owner, New York diamond cutter Isaac Wolf, renamed the oval-shaped mixed-cut diamond the “Pink Dream.” (We like Pink Star better.)
The sale of the Pink Dream eclipsed the previous world auction record price of $46.16 million, set in 2010 with the sale of the 24.78-carat “Graff Pink” diamond, purchased and named by diamantaire Laurence Graff. The auction of the Graff Pink also took place at Sotheby’s Geneva.
“The Pink Star (Dream) is a true masterpiece of nature. Its immense importance was reflected tonight in the strength of the bidding and we are thrilled that the record price it achieved earned it a place in history,” said David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby’s jewelry division in Europe and the Middle East and chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland. “Today’s record sale is a further testimony to the strength and depth of the diamond and jewelry market.”
As colored gems remain an undeniable trend, Gemesis wanted to throw its “rocks” in the ring with a eye-fetching collection of blush and brilliant pink lab-made gems. And why not? Not only does this strategic move make fancy colored gems more affordable but once can rest easily knowing it’s an eco-friendly choice.
The Gemesis Diamond Company, producer of lab-grown diamonds and jewelry, added a fancy pink collection to its ecommerce Gemesis.com channel. The new palette of pinks include “blush” and “brilliant” shades. Gemesis previously only offered lab-grown yellow and type IIa colorless stones on its website. Gemesis’ fancy pink collection is marketed to consumers as high-clarity stones in a selection of rounds.
“We are so pleased to present consumers with this breathtaking selection of fancy pinks for the very first time,” said Martin DeRoy, Gemesis’ director of marketing. “Before now, only the elite have been able to own fancy color diamonds of this quality and beauty – but now, these stunning yet sustainable styles are accessible to mainstream consumers.”
Gemesis chose October, the month recognized for Breast Cancer Awareness, to launch the pink stones and is hosting a special pink pendant giveaway on its Facebook page from October 25 to 29. The brilliant pink angel halo pendant features a 0.50-carat center stone (0.66 total carat weight) set in 14-karat white gold and was priced with a retail value of $2,348, according to Gemesis.
The company explained to consumers that lab-grown diamonds guarantee no conflict or blood was shed in their production, and that all lab-grown diamonds over 0.23-carat that are sold on Gemesis.com are certified and laser-inscribed by the International Gemological Institute (IGI). Gemesis sells engagement rings, wedding and anniversary bands, earrings and pendants in a variety of metals.
