Happy Fourth of July from America's Largest Diamond

In honor of the Fourth we're taking a look at the largest American found

diamond, Uncle Sam.

Discovered by Wesley Oley Basham, Uncle Sam was unearthed in 1924 from the Prairie Creek Pipe Mine in Murfreesboro, Arkansas.  The hefty rough was named after Basham’s nickname “Uncle Sam” and weighed in at 40.23 carats. Its discovery drew attention to the failing Arkansas Diamond Corporation, rescuing the company from its debt and inevitable closure that winter.  Now the mine is known as The Crater of Diamonds State Park. It is the only mine in the world open to the public and has become a popular vacation destination for American rockhounds.

Uncle Sam was decided to be stylized as an 12.42 carat emerald cut fashioned by

Schenck & Van Haelen of New York. The stone was graded as an M in color, for it has been described to be a pale brown or slightly pink.  The VVS1 clarity was demonstrated beautifully in the stepped facets as a viewer could not see an inclusion without the assistance of a loupe.

Uncle Sam was sold to a private collector in 1971 for $150 million and is unfortunately not

on display but is still a celebrated American treasure.

From Uncle Sam, have a very happy and safe Fourth of July!

Sources:

http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam_(diamond)

Admiring the Strength of the Elephant

One of my favorite animals is the elephant.  They're majestically massive and at the same time incredibly intuitive and nurturing.  They are complex creatures which explains why they are so prominent as a motif in several cultures.  Here I'm wearing some of my favorite LAGOS pieces while taking a look at the iconography of the elephant.

One of the most popular depictions of the elephant is through the Hindu religion.  The god Ganesha is easily identifiable with his large elephant head on a human body.  His likeness will be found across South Asia in countries like India, Nepal, and Thailand.  Ganesha is a patron of the arts and sciences and looked upon as the remover of obstacles.  A steadfast god to look to in times of trial.

In Buddhism you will find the presence of the elephant pair Kangiten, represented as male and female elephant headed humanoid figures embracing as a symbol of the unity of opposites.  Enforcing the belief of the oneness of all things though they may be seemingly different.

In Islam, the Quran has a chapter entitled "The Elephant".  A story of a Abraha's white elephant, Mahmud, that refused to cross into Mecca, foiling Abraha's plan to lead Yemen to conquer the holy city.  Mahmud could not be persuaded to cross by reason or violence, once again depicting the elephant as a creature of intelligence and resolve.

The elephant is not indigenous to Europe but was discovered through their exploration or Asia. Awed by the ferocity of the war elephant in battle, Europe adopted the beast as a symbol of militaristic strength. Napoleon even commissioned a giant cast bronze elephant fountain to be made from guns confiscated in victorious battle.  The fountain was never completed (hello Waterloo).

America adopted the elephant to represent the Republican party in 1884.  The origin is a political cartoon done by Thomas Nash.  The elephant is shown charging in dispersing other smaller animals representing other political interests at the time.  Another account of dominance and strength.

Lastly Elephants are native to Africa and usually where most people imagine them. In Africa the elephant is revered for its strength, wisdom, and memory. The elephant was depicted on several coat of arms throughout time in Africa including South Africa, The Ivory Coast, the kingdom of Laos, and the kingdom of Dahomey.

Globally you can see the elephant is respected and admired for it's strength, it is looked to for it's wisdom, and it is a symbol of conquering obstacles and embracing change.

Van Cleef & Arpels' Noah's Ark Exhibition

Last weekend I had the pleasure of embarking on an enticing visual journey curated by Van Cleef & Arpels’ interpretation of Noah’s Ark as imagined by famed set designer Robert Wilson.  The Parisian designer is known for producing masterful pieces of high jewelry that set a scene for the wearer or admirer.  The whimsical figures are expertly produced allowing a person’s focus to shift from execution into intention.  What is the story being told through the piece’s movement and color?

To immerse the viewer into the story of Noah’s Ark, Wilson selected an art space in Chelsea New York City, which he transformed into a page out of a children’s story book.  As we walked into the space, I needed to lower my head as if I was garnering passage upon a vessel.  Once inside I was encapsulated into a serene bluish room whose walls rippled like waves due to projected lighting.  Suspended from the ceiling was a wireframe wooden model of an ark, gently suggesting we had set sea and the only place that existed anymore was what was in the room.  Within the room were shadow boxes set into the walls beckoning us to peep in on the jeweled creatures inside as if they were residing in a stall on the ship.

What was on view was breathtaking, each animal was coupled with a partner as dictated in the old bible story having them boarded “two by two”.  Some jewels were expected, such as colorful sapphires and garnets, but there were unexpected treats on view as well such as snowflake obsidian carved into the likeness of rabbits.

One of my favorite minerals is jasper and I was elated to see it carved into a majestic depiction of resting rams.

Viewers were only given about 20 minutes to view the room, while experiencing light and sound effects articulating heavy rainfall.  Needless to say 20 minutes was not enough time for me to take it all in, thankfully the staff was very kind and allowed my friend and I to cycle through again while treating us with a canvas bag containing a booklet explaining the event.

On the second viewing I noticed a little more intention in the way the room was set up.  Similar colors and figures were set parallel from each other across the room.   Such as the geometrically heavy in design giraffe was set directly across from the similarly colored and set chameleon.  

The more polar like animals were set to the back of the room, decadent in pearls.

In the center of the wall a large opal with lively play of color and creatures giving off the illusion of movement.

And the feeling of texture.

The exhibit is on display for another week, more information can be found on the site here.

In celebration of the world renowned exhibit the Van Cleef & Arpels store is also displaying the jeweled creatures, though the same in figure, much different and warmer in hue.

The whole experience was otherworldly, giving a sleepy dreamlike illustration of a familiar story.

Trend spotted, Wonder Woman Arms

The “bracelets of submission” are worn by DC comic book Amazon Diana Prince, better known as Wonder Woman.  Recently this comic book princess was depicted by Gal Gadot in the heroine’s record breaking silver screen debut.  Canonically the bracelets were a reminder for the Amazon women to balance their power.  If removed, the Amazon would rage into a destructive frenzy, but when worn, the cuffs are a tool of protection from harm.  We often seen Wonder Woman able to deflect bullets with her arm wear.

More than breathtaking cinematography, the film re-ignited the cuff jewelry trend.  Cuffs have always been around, since the ancient Romans to Disco Divas in the 70’s. I personally always associated them with my grandmother, since she liked loud costume jewelry and meticulously styled the perfect piece for every one of her outfits.  One of her staples was to have a large bangle pushed up her forearm. So naturally, I love that Gal Gadot’s depiction of Wonder woman has brought this accessory back to the forefront, empowering a new generation of women to wear bold jewelry.  

Gal Gadot graces this month’s Rolling Stone cover fully featuring her Wonder Woman arm gear. Here’s to hoping to see fashion editorials to follow suit of having large cuffs and Athenian styled dress for fall.

Below I took a look into some Philadelphia fall fashion inspiration for the inner Amazonian.

LAGOS Cuff

Forge and Finish Warrior Cuff

Moon and Arrow Crescent Shield Neck

Favorite Jewels at NY Fashion Week

This past week the style savvy lurked online seeing the new trends to look for to reign in fall and spring.  Glossing over cold shoulder blouses, velvet dresses, suede skirts, and mixed patterns galore.  But no outfit is complete without the perfect accessories to compliment the style story being created. Taking a look at what was accessorizing the runway, I picked a few of my favorites.

First up is Tory Burch accessorizing skeletal fish pieces.  Whimsical, fun, but not distracting.  In fact the bronze earring was a great bold shape complementing the model’s hair and face, but the neutral color blended into the look instead of taking away from it.

Next Altuzarra smartly utilized boldly colored hoops to emphasize their pieces.  The design is simple, a large twisted hoop that was used throughout the entirety of the show. The size was perfect, not large enough to distract but large enough to give a pop of color from a distance and really round a look.

Tibi went with emphasis on one ear, creating a torqued of kilter energy to the models walk.  Having the earring dangle on a thin wire gave the illusion an amorphous metallic shape floating above the model’s shoulder.  It was an interesting decision to add heaviness to that area of the body, but one that really worked. The earring really elevated the looks of the show by subtly setting a mood. The earring itself appears to be fold formed metal which gives off a feel of liquid metal, setting the tone for the model’s walk, fluid and with intention.

Rodarte styled beaded headpieces to complement lace looks. Once again there was a lot of emphasis on one side of the head but this this time beaded strands strung along below the chin to connect to the other ear.  The draped strands swayed rhythmically to the models walk feeding into the energy of the show.  The headpiece created a regal look reminiscent of Hindu wedding jewelry making it by far one of the more romantic jewelry choices used this year.

Source:

http://www.elle.com/fashion/trend-reports/g28724/spring-2017-jewelry-trends/?slide=2