I wish everyone a Blessed Holiday Season

and a Happy New Year. 

 Here's to 2015, may it be a wonderful year for all.

 

 

The Diamonds in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Watch owned by the 'King’ up for sale at Antiquorum.

This Omega Black Dial Constellation Calendar was previously owned by Elvis Presley and later was gifted to his friend and musician Charlie Hodge. The sale will be held on Dec. 11.

 

 

Did you know that Garnets come in a variety of colors?

 

Most people are familiar with the traditional red shades of garnets, known as Almandine or Pyrope.

These shades are the most common and readily available.  It’s the exceptional greens of Tsavorite and Demantoid as well as the orange of Spessartine and the raspberry shades of Rhodolite that are really catching the eyes of the public.

There is a wide number of garnet species and no garnet is ever pure in nature, meaning that often the species mix to create varieties with a wider range of colors and characteristics.  One benefit garnets have over other gemstones is that many of them, with a few exceptions, are untreated.  They are found in nature with their exceptional colors and clarities.

Today, most garnets on the market are sourced from African countries, but some come from India, Russia and Central and South America.

Beautiful Greens
Demantoid Garnets are the most expensive kind of garnet currently on the market.  Demantoid garnets usually are small, rarely exceeding 1 carat.  They are special because they are one of only a few gemstones where an inclusion increases the value of the stone. The appearance of a horsetail inclusion makes the stone one of the rarest in the world and can greatly increase the price a collector is willing to pay. 

Another popular green shade of garnet is known as Tsavorite.  Tsavorite Garnets are a great alternative to Emeralds. They’re easier to work with, and despite being rarer than Emeralds, they are generally less expensive.

Warm Colored Garnets
Mandarin Garnet, also called Spessartine, is getting harder to find and more expensive than a few years ago.   Yet, even with it being harder to find this stone continues to be a mainstay for the jewelry consumer.

Rhodolite Garnets with their raspberry hues is very popularity, benefiting from their similarity to Rubellite Tourmaline while offering an exceptional color and clarity at a lower price point.

 

 

 

 

Can you tell which Rolex Daytona is real? 

 

http://youtu.be/RzQcj1ulIkQ

 

Link to view the Henry Graves Jr. Super complication by Patek Philippe.


http://www.sothebys.com/en/news-video/videos/2014/09/henry-graves-watch-ge1404.html

Superstar! The Holy Grail of Watches Scores New World Interscope Records.

The Henry Graves Jr. Super complication, dubbed the “world’s most famous watch,” scored $24 million at Sotheby’s Nov. 11 Important Watch auction in Geneva, reaffirming its status as the world’s most valuable timepiece.

The Super complication has been called the holy grail of watches, in part because of its fabled and quite complicated history. It was created as the result of a 1925 “contest” between two watch collectors, New York City banking magnate Henry Graves Jr. and automaker James Ward Packard, to see who could create the most complicated watch.

Eight years later, at the height of the Depression, Patek Philippe delivered to Graves the final product, which claimed the title of the most complicated watch in the world for 56 years, when another Patek Philippe watch, fashioned in part by a computer, finally topped it with 33 complications. (The Super complication is still considered the most complicated watch ever built by hand.)

The 14k gold watch comprises 900 individual parts and boasts 24 complications (features other than time), including a perpetual calendar that extends to the year 2100, indications for the time of sunset and sunrise, a stopwatch for hours and minutes, an alarm, a map of the sky over Graves’ New York City apartment, and chimes that sound like Big Ben.

Design Inspirations

From the Past

Part 5 of a 5 part series

 

 

Retro Period circa 1940-1950s      

The Retro Period is also known as Retro Modern.  During this time the American jewelry market came into its own.  Hollywood and all its glamour became the leading influence.  The streamlined geometric and linear looks of the Art Deco Period evolved to become larger and more thee dimensional with curves and asymmetric motifs.  Bold, sculpted curves were often featured with sparingly set small diamonds and rubies (often synthetic) or less expensive larger gems such as citrine, amethyst and garnet.

During the war years, platinum was conscripted for the war effort.  Jewelry designers focused on using large expanses of highly polished gold.  Bicolor and tricolor gold became the norm including rose (pink), yellow and white.

The prevalent themes of Retro Jewelry were feminine, patriotic, or industrial motifs.  Feminine styles included flowers, birds, ribbons, bows, scrolls and fabric like folds. Patriotic and industrial styles included tank tread bracelets, with large repetitive links evolving tank tracks and war industry production lines as well as red, white and blue stones used stylized flags and military type insignias.

                               

                  

 

Design Inspirations

From the Past

Part 4 of a 5 part series

 

Art Deco, 1920s and 30s

Emerging after World War 1, the Art Deco period replaced the soft tones of the Art Nouveau era with bold geometric and cubism designs coupled with dramatic contrasts of color.  The discovery of King Tut’s tomb in the 1920’s created an international fervor known as “Egyptomania.”  Jewelry designs with ancient Egyptian motifs such as falcons, scarabs and griffins appeared on jewelry.  The gemstones found in the jewelry of King Tut’s tomb such as lapis lazuli, onyx, and carnelian was frequently used in Art Deco jewelry. 

Popular during the Art Deco period were plaque and link bracelets created with bold geometric and linear designs.  Bracelets were made in the all-white look using platinum or white gold and diamonds. Other jewelry was made using contrasts of brightly colored gemstones, such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds creating a tutti-frutti look.  Van Cleef and Arpels introduced the invisible setting for gemstones in the 1930’s.

Technical advances in diamond cutting allowed diamonds to be cut into modern, three dimensional geometric designs such as triangles, hexagons and octagons.  The round brilliant cut diamond was introduced into the market, eventually replacing the Old European, rose and single cut diamonds.



Beautiful Tutti-fruitti Bracelet

Design Inspirations

From the Past

Part 3 of a 5 part series

 

 

Edwardian, 1900-1915

King Edward VII reigned over England for only nine years from 1901-1910, yet the style of jewelry known as “Edwardian” was popular until World War I broke out.  Edwardian jewelry was understated and feminine in style.  It was luxuriously flaunted among the affluent to purposely display wealth. The hallmark of this era was the use of platinum in intricate designs.  The strength of platinum allowed master jewelers to create delicate designs that had lace like appearance.

New techniques in cutting allowed for diamonds and gemstones to be cut and set to look delicate in contrast to earlier diamonds of the Georgian and Victorian periods.  New cuts such as the marquise, emerald, baguette and briolette were often used in earrings and lavaliere necklaces.  Edwardian jewelry was created to complement the white silk and lace being worn by affluent and stylish women.  In addition to diamonds and natural pearls, stones such as amethysts, peridots (a favorite of King Edward), blue sapphires, aquamarines, alexandrites, and rubies were often used.

King Edward was passionate about horse racing, and horseshoes became a popular motif in Edwardian jewelry.  Other popular and highly feminine motifs were stars, hearts, bows, garlands and flowers.  Filigree details were added to the feminine nature of designs.

Beautiful Example of Edwardian Style

                                                

 

 

 

 

 



Design Inspirations

From the Past

Part 2 of a 5 part series.

Art Nouveau, 1890-1914

Art Nouveau (the "new art") was a widely influential but relatively short-lived movement that emerged in the final decade of the 19th century.  It was a radical departure from historic revival styles.   The style of Art Nouveau jewelry takes from a number of different influences.  Europeans were fascinated with designs from nature.  Impressionism was a major theme of the era.  Artists conveyed nature in a sensual and emotionally charged way, as opposed to merely a literal interpretation of a flower.  Soft, dreamy colors with flowing lines and cherub like images were the order of the day.  Flowers, animals, butterflies and insects were common, along with fantasy figures, such as fairies and mermaids. Themes of women being transformed into exotic creatures prevailed.  Expert hand craftsmanship and individual design was emphasized in opposition to the standardization of goods during the Industrial Revolution.  René Lalique’s jewelry designs are a prime example of this “new art".

  

Beautiful examples of Art Nouveau Jewelry

 

 

 

Design Inspirations

From the Past

Part 1 of a 5 part series.

 

All that was old is new again – at least when exploring historic trend-setting jewelry styles of the 19th and 20th centuries. Today’s jewelry designs often reflect this, using the same gemstones, shapes, and motifs of bygone eras. 

Victorian, 1837-1901
During the reign of England’s Queen Victoria, a variety of distinct styles became popular. The Early Victorian period (1837-1861) was characterized by romantic or sentimental symbols and reflected youth, courtship and marriage.  The motifs of this time were pansies, animals, for-get-me-nots, flowers, trefoils, grapes, hands, insects, starbursts, horseshoe, lizards, snakes, birds, and ivy.  The Mid-Victorian period (1861-1880), following the death of her husband Prince Albert, brought about mourning jewelry.  She was overwhelmed at his death and jewelry styles reflected this.  Black stones like jet and oak bog were common.  The styles included book chain necklaces, massive brooches and earrings.  The Late Victorian period (1880-1901) brought in the Industrial Revolution.  Jewelry could now be mass produced allowing the middle class to purchase these goods.  We saw lighter, more delicate items.  The most popular gemstones of this time were amethyst, aquamarine, chrysopraise, chrysoberyl, opal, moonstone, sapphires and rubies. Some Victorian jewelry was a revival of past cultures, and was inspired by ancient Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Egyptian, Gothic and Renaissance themes. 

 

Archaeologists in the U.K. have uncovered a collection of 1st-century gold and silver jewelry thought to be the finest discovery of Roman jewelry in Britain’s history. 

By Logan Sachon

The find includes “three gold armlets, a silver chain necklace, two silver bracelets, a substantial silver armlet, a small bag of coins, and a small jewellery box containing two sets of gold earrings and four gold finger-rings,” according to the Colchester Archaeological Trust, which discovered the hoard.

Courtesy Colchester Archaeological Trust 

In this world of smart phones, tablets and computers we have forgotten the importance of human contact with others. 

Please take a moment to watch this video.
http://youtu.be/Z7dLU6fk9QY

                                                     
                                           The Uncle Sam Diamond
The United States has the world’s only diamond mine open to the public. The Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas is a dig-for-fee operation for tourists and rock hounds. Since 1906, more than 70,000 diamonds have been discovered there, including the Uncle Sam diamond, weighing 40.23 carats. To date the Uncle Sam, discovered in 1924, is the largest diamond ever found in the U.S.

Happy 4th of July America!!!

 

Photo by Robert Weldon, Courtesy of Treasured Gems and Jewels LLC/Benjamin Zucker

Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” with its vivid blues and hypnotic swirls, has captivated art lovers for more than a century. This 112ct Burmese "Starry Night" Sapphire, has a magnificent star that dances across its surface, evoking Van Gogh’s enchanting masterpiece. Gemstones that display this optical effect – asterism – are referred to as “phenomenal” gemstones.

Christie’s sale sets new record

The sale of “The Winston Blue” helped bring Christie’s auction held Wednesday in Geneva to the status of highest total ever for a jewelry auction. The diamond sold for more than $23 million.

"The Winston Blue"

 

 

The largest fancy vivid blue diamond in the world sold for $23.8 million at Christie’s Wednesday, pushing the auction total past $150 million and setting a new world auction record for a jewelry sale.

A record-setter in its own right, the 13.22-carat blue diamond went for $1.8 million per carat, which is now the highest price per carat paid for a blue diamond. 

Nearly 1,000 ounces of gold was recovered from the first diving expedition to the Ship of Gold, the legendary 150-year-old shipwreck that may hold millions in buried treasure.

Among the excavated pieces were five gold ingots and two $20 Double Eagle coins. The gold ingots weigh from 96.5 to 313.5 troy ounces. 

The SS Central America was nicknamed the Ship of Gold, because it carried one of the largest cargoes of gold ever lost at sea. The steamship sank on Sept. 12, 1857 off the coast of South Carolina, during a hurricane.  The huge amount of gold lost in the accident was believed to have been worth more than $1 million in 1857.

Gold Ingots recovered for SS Central America 

Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles sold a pair of Marilyn Monroe’s earrings for $185,000. 

The star wore the rhinestone earrings to the premiere of the Burt Lancaster and Anna Magnani film The Rose Tattoo in 1955. The clip-ons are composed of a single full-cut rhinestone and five strands of cascading baguette-cut rhinestones, all prong-set. 

The earrings were last sold at Christie’s 1999 auction The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe in New York.

Grammy-winning singer John Mayer has sued timepiece dealer Bob Maron, alleging his boutique sold him seven vintage Rolexes with counterfeit parts. 

 

According to the suit, filed March 18 in Los Angeles superior court, Mayer met Maron in 2007 and over the years bought $5 million in watches from him.

In 2010 Mayer sent one of the purchased Rolexes in to be serviced by the company and was told it was not authentic.  Maron called this an error, and applied a credit to the musician’s account.

The following year, the legal papers continue, Rolex told Mayer that another watch he purchased had a counterfeit bezel and dial.  Rolex states “The addition of non-genuine parts to any Rolex renders it counterfeit as defined by Federal Law.”  Rolex has since confirmed that seven of the timepieces sold to Mayer contain counterfeit parts. 

Mayer’s complaint charges fraud, breach of oral contract, and negligent misrepresentation, and seeks a refund of the $656,000 Mayer paid for the seven watches, as well as legal fees.

A Midwest metal dealer purchased a gold item at an antiques mart and was shocked to discover it was a rare Fabergé egg worth $33 million.

The man paid $14,000 for the item and intended to sell it, but no one was interested, fortunately.

In despair, the man typed “egg” and “Vacheron Constantin” into Google and came up with an article on surviving Fabergé eggs that showed a picture of his egg.

It has since been identified as one of the lost Imperial Easter eggs designed by Carl Fabergé. Of the 50 Imperial eggs, the whereabouts of 42 of them are known, but eight are missing. Five of them are believed to have been destroyed, but the other three escaped Russia. This was among those three.

The egg has been reported to have been sold for $33 million to a private collector. 

The Third Lost Imperial Egg.

 

THE CIRCULAR BRILLIANT DESIGNATION

GIA addresses older-style diamonds that do not meet the cut grade standard criteria of the Old European Cut or the new Round Brilliant Cut. Previously, GIA graders had to decide whether to call a stone a round brilliant and grade it according to contemporary standards, or to call it an old European cut and simply record color and clarity without a cut grade.

Circular Brilliant Cut Diamnds resembled the old European cut style, but do not meet GIA's required proportion parameters for that description.  GIA decided to introduce a new description for 58-facet round brilliants. The requirements for a stone to fall into this new category are:

•  Lower half length: less than or equal to 60 percent
•  Star length: less than or equal to 50 percent
•  Culet size: medium or larger

The new description used on GIA reports for these diamonds is “circular brilliant.” All three criteria must apply for the diamond to be designated as a circular brilliant on the GIA grading report. This designation acknowledges that the diamond is not a modern-day round brilliant, suggests a description for rounds of earlier times, and keeps the historic old European cut definition unaltered.

Jewelry of Cartier devotee to go on display

An exhibition of remarkable pieces made by Cartier for one of the brand’s most devoted clients is scheduled to open at the Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens in Washington this summer.

The exhibition, called Cartier: Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Dazzling Gems, will be on view from June 7 to Dec. 31.

Marjorie Merriweather Post, who was born in 1887 and died in 1973, inherited the Postum Cereal Company at age 27 when her father died. The company later became General Foods Corp. She was a businesswoman and philanthropist, and was known for her extravagant and lavish tastes that included many homes and possessions.

Hillwood’s exhibition will offer perspective on the taste and refinement that characterized Post’s style, her criteria for collecting and her way of life.

Post began collecting Cartier pieces in the 1920s and remained one of the jewelry house’s most important clients for the rest of her life.

The pieces that will be shown at Hillwood represent some of the best examples of Cartier patronage in the 20th century. Included in the exhibition will be Cartier jewelry Post donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1964, which are on loan for the display from the institute’s National Museum of Natural History.

“Marjorie didn’t just purchase jewelry off the shelf, she was a connoisseur who knew gems and chose only those of the highest quality. She recognized great design and knew how to wear her jewelry to show it to its best advantage,” said Hillwood Estate executive Kate Markert.

Jewelry highlights in the Hillwood exhibition include a 21-carat Colombian emerald once set in a ring worn by the former Mexican Emperor Maximilian I. The stone was remounted for Post into an Art Deco-style ring set with baguette diamonds.

A brooch featuring seven 17th century carved Mogul emeralds weighing a total of 250 carats will be displayed, as well as a necklace set with 24 baroque-cut emerald drops.

A diamond and sapphire necklace in the exhibition is an example of the transformations Cartier jewels often underwent over time in response to evolving tastes or owners, Hillwood said. The necklace’s centerpiece is a large cushion-shaped sapphire surrounded by cascading diamonds, which can be detached and worn separately as a brooch.

“Post’s interest in Cartier coincided with the very apex of its rise toward becoming one of the 20th century’s most distinguished jewelers,” said Liana Paredes, Hillwood Estate’s director of collections and exhibition curator. “The exhibition of Post’s most important Cartier acquisitions offers a snapshot of the very time at which Cartier in the 1920s boldly embraced the modern sensibilities of the Art Deco period and attracted the interest of the world’s most visible and fashionable clientele.”

Marjorie Merriweather Post

The Obama administration wants to ban virtually all of the elephant ivory trade in the United States.

The ban will impose new restrictions on the import, export, and commercial sale of elephant ivory within the United States, with some exceptions. The exceptions include a narrow class of antiques that are exempt from regulation under the Endangered Species Act, and items imported for commercial purposes before 1990 when international commercial trade in these species was prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Anyone proposing to sell elephant ivory or rhino horn would be responsible for documenting that these ivory or horn pieces are exempt. The Service expects this to be a small fraction of the current domestic trade. Anyone who currently owns legally obtained ivory may keep it.

If rigorously enforced, the new rules should help slow the killings in Africa. The United States is the second-largest market for ivory in the world.



 

Court Okays Gold Hunt on 150-Year-Old Shipwreck

By Rob Bates

It carried one of the largest cargoes of gold ever lost at sea, so much so that it was nicknamed the “Ship of Gold.” And now Odyssey Marine Exploration has been given court approval to recover what it can from the SS Central America.

In 1857, the SS Central America shipwrecked 160 miles off the coast of South Carolina because of a hurricane, killing more than 550 people and taking it with an estimated 14,000 kilos of gold. According to Odyssey Marine, experts believe it still holds a commercial shipment of gold valued at $93,000 in 1857, as well as passenger gold valued in 1857 at between $250,000 and $1.28 million.
Spokeswoman Liz Shows declined to say how much that would be by today's value, but added, “It will be higher than the melt value because of the shipwreck premium.”

An Ohio court granted Odyssey Marine exclusive salvage rights to the shipwreck, the fate of which had been tied up in a long-running legal battle. A company statement said the shipwreck site was discovered in 1987 at a depth of approximately 2,200 meters (7,200 feet). Less than 5 percent of the site was investigated at that time, but an extensive collection of gold coins, bullion, and raw gold was found.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, that first expedition was led by scientist Tommy Thompson, and he and his crew emerged with a haul that was eventually sold for more than $40 million. But investors weren’t paid, and Thompson is now a fugitive.

In 2013, a receiver was appointed, who has now transferred the rights to Odyssey Marine. The expedition will begin in April, Shows said, and use “advanced robotics” to discover the loot.

Fancy Yellow Cushion Cut
Diamond Ring

Cushion Cut Diamonds

The most popular choice for a diamond shape is without a doubt the round brilliant cut.  Timeless and classic, this shape is known for having a bright and blinding sparkle that has been loved by many for generations.  That being said, there are so many more amazing shapes to choose.  Each shape has its own personality and distinct look.  Different personality types, in general, tend to be drawn towards specific shapes.  A shape growing in popularity is the Cushion Cut.

The cushion cut may seem like a new shape compared to the more well known classics.  However, the cushion cut has been around for over 100 years.  This shape is also known as the ‘pillow-cut’ or ‘candlelight diamond’ for its soft and rounded corners.   The proportions on this cut vary from rectangular to square.  Each cushion cut has its own unique and original look and pattern. 

Many of the world’s most famous diamonds are cushion-cuts, such as “The Hope Diamond” (45.52 carat) “The Regent Diamond” (140.50 carat) and “The yellow Tiffany Diamond” (128.54 carat).  Additionally, many modern celebrities such as Jennifer Garner, Molly Sims, Giuliana Rancic and Ivanka Trump wear Cushion Cut Diamonds.

 

 

 I already have an appraisal from the store where I purchased my jewelry....why would I need  another appraisal?

 

A free appraisal received from the jewelry store is really nothing more than a "documentation of purchase", also known as an "estimate to replace".  They are frequently not accepted by insurance companies as they lack critical information, such as a detailed description of the jewelry, gem identification, color, clarity and weight of gemstones, photographs, metal testing, as well as the actual replacement value.  These documents commonly have inflated valuations, making them nothing more than a marketing tool. 
It is always advisable to have a "second opinion" from a qualified unbiased source to confirm the quality and value of your jewelry. This will help you avoid paying excessive insurance premiums and help ensure your jewelry is replaced with a comparable item if you should incur a loss.

 

http://www.negemappraisals.com/FAQ_s.html