Jewelry News

Renderings are a key component when custom designing jewelry pieces. It gives your bauble a dry run and helps the jeweler define the work ahead. This auction capitalizes on the artistry that goes behind a rendering…and for good reason: these sketches are amazing!

Leading American auction house Rago has organized a sale of jewelry and couture for December 7. A collection of more than 250 jewelry renderings (circa 1920 to 1950) is one lot that caught our eye. The group includes some examples from Dreicer & Co., which was one of the top luxury jewelry retailers in America during the first quarter of the 20th century. The sketches and gouaches were produced on cards or celluloid and depict rings, brooches, earrings, necklaces, and other accessories.

Source: Architectural Digest

If you’re turning green with envy, join the club!

This pear-shaped 3.51ct Fancy Intense green diamond ring, flanked by two white diamonds was expected to achieve between US$800,000 and $1.2 million at Christie’s last month. This color grade is rarely seen, even at auctions.

Yesterday marked the largest climate change march in history, with hundreds of thousands gathering worldwide  to bring awareness to a very real ecological problem.

So today, in honor of the march, we’d like to bring your awareness to eco-friendly jewelry.

Q: Is there such a thing as eco-friendly jewelry? How can I be sure the necklace I’m buying doesn’t have any Earth-killing karma?

A: Good question. Any industrial jewelry mining can have numerous harmful negative impacts on the environment, ranging from erosion of the land, to leakage of harmful chemicals into the water supply, to the alteration of an entire ecosystem. And let’s not forget about the carbon footprint of the heavy machinery that’s used in the process. So yes, there most definitely is such a thing as eco-friendly jewelry — that is, any jewelry that was mined with the least possible negative impact on the environment, or not mined at all.

 

First, a few retailers out there offer recycled gold jewelry. By buying recycled gold jewelry, you’re not only being environmentally responsible; you’re also lowering the demand for newly mined gold. And while you’re at it, why not recycle your old gold trinkets?

 

Another option is to consider vintage jewelry, which recycles valuable resources and doesn’t require new mining. And a vintage necklace or ring is always in style.

 

One eco-friendly jewelry option (and my personal favorite — hubby dearest, are you reading this?): Pearls! The pearl industry is quick to point out that pearls aren’t mined at all and say that they are more eco-friendly than your average mined gem. That being said, aquaculture can be damaging to the environment because of the use of high-powered hoses to clean the oysters. There is an eco-friendly solution though — some pearl farmers use tropical fish to scrub the oysters clean.

 

Read more information here.

Nobody is quite sure why Apple dropped its infamous lowercase “i” from it’s premiere timepiece. But nobody expected the watch to look like this either. The designers went with a more classic, simple look that certainly doesn’t screen “Apple.” Take a look or read The New York Times piece on the watch (who called it stunning! Hmmm…not sure about that).

“A wearable device that combines health and fitness tracking with communication.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktujsc4ZUTo

As most of us know by now, comedienne Joan Rivers died last week at 81 years old. We wanted to take a moment to highlight her jewelry line and the personality behind it.

Joan Rivers, the entertainer, seemed to spend as much time on the QVC home shopping channel as she did telling jokes and critiquing celebrity fashion. For years, she ceaselessly hawked her line of jewelry, clothing and beauty products on television.

It worked. In 24 years of appearances on the channel, she managed to sell over $1 billion in merchandise, according to QVC.

Her big-sellers included the Pave Crystal Lovebirds Brooch, (shown below) for $150 and the Starlet Style 20 necklace (also shown below) for $112. Shoppers – or at least those claiming to be – inevitably left positive comment on the website about her products. For example, the necklace garnered a 4.8 out of 5 rating, including 98 five-star reviews.

Source: Fortune -http://fortune.com/2014/09/04/joan-rivers-legacy/

 

It’s not a great shot but its the closest we’ve come to seeing Angelina Jolie’s wedding ring after her secret ceremony wedding on August 23rd. But we can tell you a little about the designer and his process working together with Brad Pitt.

The newlyweds turned to luxury jewelry designer Robert Procop for their wedding bands, Procop confirmed to Us Weekly. Jolie, 39, previously worked with Procop for a 2010 jewelry collection, which benefitted her Education Partnership for Children of Conflict charity. The jeweler also spent time with Pitt, 50, to design Jolie’s engagement ring.

In 2012, Pitt presented his love with a massive diamond ring, estimated at 16 carats. “Brad had a specific vision for this ring, which he realized over a yearlong collaboration,” Procop told ABC of the engagement ring at the time. “He wanted every aspect of it to be perfect, so I was able to locate a diamond of the finest quality and cut it to an exact custom size and shape to suit Angelina’s hand. Brad was always heavily involved, overseeing every aspect of the creative design evolution.”

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-style/news/angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-wedding-rings-made-by-designer-robert-procop-2014288#ixzz3CA4uL0GB

Most of us don’t associate Ralph Lauren with high-end luxury items but know them more for polo shirts and the like. (Preppie casual, if you will.)

But Lauren decided to up the ante in his stores and his merchandise as you’ll see in this article in the Wall Street Journal.

Stores that used to be plush, clubby havens celebrating designer Ralph Lauren’s vision of stylish, casual American dressing are now transformed. Greeting shoppers as they cross the threshold at the designer’s New York City men’s store on Madison Avenue are $4,100 men’s watches with polished stainless-steel cases, crocodile bags and lace-up dress shoes starting at around $500. Polo Ralph Lauren RL +0.11% polo shirts have been relocated upstairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q46f5QYYJB4

This whimsical and eye-catching piece by actress Sarah Jessica Parker and designer Cindy Chao caught the attention of many A-list jewelry designers and buyers alike at the the Paris Haute Couture Week in July.

Ballerina Butterfly Brooch by Cindy Chao & Sarah Jessica Parker

Spectacular Brown Sparkle

The piece is constructed of 18-karat gold and titanium, and features a jaw-dropping 26.67-carat cushion-cut fancy brown diamond, three rough brown diamond slices totaling 47.71 carats, three conch pearl pieces weighing 7.25 carats, all surrounded by a staggering 4,698 diamonds and fancy colored diamonds weighing 98.09 carats.

According to the International Diamond Exchange, the brooch took two years to make. Rapaport reported that presale estimates indicate the brooch will sell between $750,000 and $950,000. Fittingly, all proceeds from the sale of the “Ballerina Butterfly” will benefit the New York City Ballet, an organization that Parker said is close to her heart.

Source: https://www.naturallycolored.com/blog/sarah-jessica-parkers-brown-diamond-brooch-for-sale/

Rising jewelry sales offer a solid indicator of an economy that can finally “breathe” a little again. JCK details how much it has risen and why people are (once again) deciding that jewelry is a smart asset.

Jewelry sales have risen for the last 27 months, thanks to consumers who see jewelry products as a lasting asset, according to retail measurement service SpendingPulse.

The gains have been slow and steady but will likely continue, predicts Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of market insights for MasterCard Advisors, which produces SpendingPulse.

“It feels permanent to buy jewelry,” she says. “Many people today can’t afford to buy homes. We are seeing new home sales dropping. But we do see discretionary income rising, like spending on restaurants and travel. People want to invest in something that is pleasurable to wear.”

She also says that, after a recession that destroyed value in stocks and bonds, some consider jewelry an item with lasting value.

The group has also seen double-digit jumps in the amount of jewelry purchased online. It estimates online jewelry sales constitute just under 20 percent of the market.

“Following the recession, consumers do not have a lot of time,” Quinlan says. “The consumer physically wants to go to the store, but wants to shop when and where she wants to shop.”

She adds that while gains for small businesses have been generally outpacing gains for larger ones, that isn’t true when the weather is bad, because people are more inclined to shop online.

Her advice for jewelers: Beef up online, and for those that shop with you, “make your store an experience.”

 

This video definitely contains an edge of mystery and sexiness while highlighting the beauty of Dolce & Gabbana’s beautiful jewelry.

Giampaolo Sgura directs Bianca Balti and Simone Nobili for Dolce&Gabbana Jewellery video. A statement of faith, a wave of passion, or a celebration of love: the most precious feature of any jewel is the emotion it stirs in the woman who wears it. For their first ever jewellery collection, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have combined the most exquisite materials — tri-colour gold, rubies, sapphires and pearls — with the most significant symbols at their disposal.