The 9.6 Million Dollar Blue Diamond

Diamontologists everywhere are in a frenzy over the new record breaking sale that occurred at the Bonhams Auction in London last Wednesday. Bonhams is an auction house, established in 1793, that specializes in the fine arts, antiques, and collectibles. So it is not surprising for Bonhams to gain access to such a rare treat of a 5.3 carat blue beauty such as this.  Sold at $1.8 million per carat, shattering the previous record for the sale of a blue diamond at $1.6 million per carat, makes this the most valued blue diamond sold in auction.


Blue diamonds themselves are a rare treat.  Diamonds are comprised purely of the element carbon.  However when boron, similar in structure to carbon, makes its way into the mix of heat and pressure, you are left with a blue diamond. Why is that? Because boron absorbs low energy red light which filters through as that gorgeous blue hue that we have all fallen in love with.  Most colored diamonds are lighter in color leaving a want for rich saturation. Excitingly enough, this piece has been unquestionably been graded a fancy deep blue in natural color.  A hard find indeed, but it gets better with VS2 clarity.  No inclusions to be seen by the naked eye allowing us to revel in the deep blue cushion cut paradise. It's okay to drool over it because I know I am.

The diamond was not sold loose, which is often the case with these larger rarer gems.  It was set in 1965 by Bulgari in a Trambino setting which truly accentuates it's center with the use of the baguette side stones.  As you can see, the baguettes are set in a channel on either side of the center. This creates movement by utilizing the lines between the baguettes and the channel itself to forcefully drive the viewer's eye to the center.  I applaud the daring of the design because quite frequently designers play it safe and leave large gemstones to stand alone. Here the designer took that beautiful stone and gave it importance when they made the bold move of placing the baguette channels on either side.

This stone has definitely earned it's place as the most expensive blue diamond sold in auction.

Please be sure to check out Bonhms' video of the auction! http://www.bonhams.com/video/13456/

Sources :
http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20622/lot/118/

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/1643/20130429/rare-5-3-carat-blue-diamond-sells-record-breaking.htm

Tiffany's Homage To The Great Gatsby

On Wednesday April 17th Tiffany & Co. revealed their newest window display in homage to Baz Luhrmann's upcoming film "The Great Gatsby".  The original book, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was set in the roaring 1920's. This Jazz Age is the latest jewelry craze, and I absolutely applaud Tiffany for making that connection. The hottest designs selling right now are the micro beaded creations of Scott Kay and Neil Lane.  Both designers openly admit to drawing inspiration from the glitz and glam of old Hollywood, but bring a modern twist for today's woman.

Tiffany & Co. remain the pioneers of jewelry design and really stay ahead of the curve by realizing that display and delivery of a design is equally as important as the design itself.  When you display your jewelry, that's your moment to have a conversation with your viewer and convey your message.  Tiffany & Co. is unique in that they can successfully mass produce jewelry on a large scale, and yet at the same time, masterfully produce one of a kind pieces that become groundbreaking in the jewelry design world.

Here we see one of those times where Tiffany & Co. flawlessly bring the Jazz Age to life from the watercolor designs in their Blue Book all the way to the vintage display cases on the fourth floor of their location on Fifth Avenue.  Even the interior decoration of the display room was antiqued to resonate the glamour of that era.  Jay Gatsby was written to be the life of the party, larger than life, and I do believe Tiffany created the perfect environment to echo that persona.


                                                                                                             
                     

                       

                       

                       

                      

https://www.facebook.com/Tiffany?fref=ts images found on The Tiffany & Co. Facebook page

Alright kids, so I'm giving this blogging a go.  I am an assistant designer on Jeweler's Row in Philadelphia, so here you can look forward to many posts on what is going on in the design world and how it affects the jewelry industry.  It's exciting for me to be part of the blogging community that is so rampant in the design community as of right now. Hopefully soon I will be able to link and engage with other bloggers to keep an open discussion on what's going on in our field. I think it's important for designers to remain in open contact with one another.  That way we can give and receive positive and negative feedback to continue to push ourselves further.  In this contemporary day and age, we have many more options to feed our artistic outlets as well as many more peers than ever before.  This is the golden age of design, and I am very excited to share my experiences with you.