Jewelry News

5 carats for 5 million. That’s approximately the asking price of this one-of-a-kind pink gem…and boy, she’s a looker:

Known as “The Vivid Pink,” this precious gem is set to lead Christie’s Hong Kong sale this fall.

According to a media release from the New York-based auction house, The Vivid Pink is the largest potentially flawless fancy-vivid-pink diamond ever offered for sale at auction.

Property of a private collector and set in a ring by renowned jeweler Laurence Graff, the diamond is expected to go for about $5 million-$7 million. Better break that piggy bank of yours!

The Vivid Pink will be on display in the following cities: New York, Oct. 17-20 at Christie’s Rockefeller Center Galleries; Singapore, Oct. 29-30 (by appointment only); Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 11-12 (by appointment only); Geneva, Nov. 15-17 at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues; Taipei, Taiwan, Nov. 21-22 at the Fubon Life Assurance Building; and Hong Kong, Nov. 27-Dec. 1 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

According to the release, Christie’s holds the world-record price for a pink diamond at auction and has achieved three of the five top prices for pink diamonds in the international auction jewelry market.

The current record for a pink diamond sold at auction is $7.4 million, fetched by a 19.66-carat rectangular-cut fancy-pink diamond with VVS2 clarity, which sold at Christie’s Geneva in November 1994.

Source: National Jewelry Network

If the Vivid Pink seems a little out of your price range, remember, we offer fancy colored gems for a fraction (and we do mean a fraction) of the price:

Choose Your Style

Custom Made Jewelry Using Gemesis Cultured Diamonds

Do you have a design in mind using Gemesis and Chatham Cultured Diamonds but don’t see it on our site? We can custom make just about any design. Call our toll free number 888-724-8222 and we’ll help you find the perfect cultured diamond and make the perfect piece.

Many people walk into Joseph Schubach Jewelers, confessing they know very little about engagement rings. Of course, we're more than happy to help them through the process. An ill-executed engagement ring, well…could end up in a lack of an engagement!

So here, for your amusement (and warning!) are several photos of some of the worst engagement rings we could find:

Okay, now erase those images from your memory…please. And take a look at one of our decidedly non-ugly engagement rings…so you know the difference:

Cushion Cut Moissanite Ring With Pave' Diamonds And Six Genuine Sapphires

The Oscars are known for uber-glamor and decadence. But during these tough economic times, how can a star shine, while showing some sensitivity and awareness to our current situation. Certainly, there was less bling to be seen in general. The choices were more selective and simpler, yet glamorous nonetheless.

So while overblinging may be taking a backseat as we all watch our collective wallets, stunning jewelry still can be seen, just a little more on the "simple and effective" side.

As one commentator put it: "It's a recession, not an apocalypse."

Here's a few examples of bling on stars, even during penny-pinching times:

It
seems that our good friend and colleague Todd Cislo over at Climate
Pearl
has some connections with the Obama Inauguration Celebration.

We
asked Todd if he would be our Jewelry Correspondent for the
festivities while hobnobbing with celebrities and dignitaries. We're
hoping he'll find some moissanite
jewelry
or Gemesis
cultured diamonds
in the crowd to report on. If not we're sure he'll find plenty of
other interesting pieces.

Todd
Cislo at Climate Pearl, Jewelry Man about Town

Todd
Cislo, basking in the radiant beauty of Ashley Judd and her rare South sea cultured pearl necklace

The
first dazzling star Todd came across was the luminous Ashley Judd
with a stunning set of rare and distinguished South Sea cultured
pearls grazing her neck.

South
Sea pearls have a longstanding history of being the hotshot
pearl – large, rare, expensive and deeply lustrous, changing color
and luminescence according to the existing light. Full strands of
matched pearls are even more difficult to find, falling comfortably
in the $100,000 to $300,000 range (with the
perfection in size of these pearls, we’re guessing this
necklace falls in the higher range!)

This
kind of pearl comes from the largest and rarest oysters in the world,
the Pinctada maxima, found only in the stretches of ocean in the
South Seas, hence its name. The sensitivity of
this oyster makes the cultivation of these pearls considerably more
difficult and the pearl itself, more expensive than any other.

Judd
made a smart fashion choice with this timeless piece, complimenting
the radiant quality of her ivory skin as well as showcasing her
upbeat satiny dress.

Here’s
another classic
necklace
that would have complimented Ashley’s Inauguration Day look.