The Diamond Studio Daily 28/11/2013

Here at The Diamond Studio we have some wonderful american friends and it all started with DaMarcus Beasley who went from wonderful friend to collaborating on a jewellery range with us! We have watched his career go from strength to strength and we couldn't be more proud as he and his teammates heads off to the World Cup in Rio next year. So on this day of Thanksgiving we would like to give thanks for friendships that span continents and don't change a bit ! To truly get in to the spirit of the day we researched a history of Thanksgiving. The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, to commemorate the harvest reaped by the Plymouth Colony after a harsh winter. In that year Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving. The colonists celebrated it as a traditional English harvest feast, to which they invited the local Wampanoag Indians. By the mid–1800s, many states observed a Thanksgiving holiday. Meanwhile, the poet and editor Sarah J. Hale had begun lobbying for a national Thanksgiving holiday. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, looking for ways to unite the nation, discussed the subject with Hale. In 1863 he gave his Thanksgiving Proclamation, declaring the last Thursday in November a day of thanksgiving.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond a 31.06 carat (6.21 g) fancy deep-blue diamond with internally flawless clarity. Laurence Graff purchased theWittelsbach Diamond in 2008 for £16.4 million. In 2010, Graff revealed he had had the diamond cut by three diamond cutters to remove flaws. 

In at number 41 of our celebrity engagement countdown is Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon’s wife has a whopper of a ring to match her larger-than-life personality. Not only is it a $2.5 million 17-carat sparkler, but it also exudes girliness with an emerald-cut pink center diamond surrounded by 58 (yes, 58!) intense pink diamonds and two half-moon rocks on either side. We wonder if she had to chip in?

The Diamond Studio Daily 25/11/2013

In 1992 two brothers, Magnus and Fergus MacFarlane-Barrow from Scotland, watched the TV news from the Bosnian conflict with increasing horror. They were so moved that they decided to organise an appeal for food and blankets. Today they as Mary's Meals provide life changing daily meals to over 822,000 hungry children worldwide. It costs just £10.70 to feed a child for a year. The Diamond Studio in partnership with Mary's Meals are raffling off three signed football strips (Aberdeen,Rangers and Cetic FC) for the cause and have written an published a short story about our good friends at Mister Singh's Restaurant which they have kindly agreed to sell for a minimum one pound donation. We hope to raise as much as possible so if you are passing either the studio or the restaurant come in from the cold and give what you can for children worldwide. 

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Eureka Diamond. This 10.73-carat brilliant is not, by ordinary standards, exceptional. However, it was cut from the first diamond found in South Africa and therefore has historical significance. In 1866 a shepherd boy found a small, shiny stone on the south bank of the Orange River near Hopetown. The pebble was kept for a while by a 15-year-old boy named Erasmus Jacobs, who later gave it to his neighbour, farmer Schalk van Niekerk, a collector of unusual stones.

In at number 43 of our Celebrity Engagement ring countdown is the beautiful Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem proposed to the Nine star with a vintage 3-carat sapphire ring worth roughly $30,000.

The Diamond Studio Daily 13/11/2013

The Gold Guide - Caratage

The carat weight of gold is an important factor in buying gold jewellery. It indicates the percentage of real gold in any piece of jewellery. 24 carat gold is pure. It is soft, almost flexible and easy to break. That is why it is not always used in the making of modern jewellery that often features delicate designs. Other metals like silver, copper, and zinc are added to pure gold in small quantities to make it workable, durable and even colourful.

Gold jewellery is available in a variety of caratages. The preference for a certain caratage of gold is usually based on cultural, regional or traditional factors. For example, 22 carat gold is predominately used in India, while 21 carat gold is preferred in the Middle East. Most Europeans prefer 18 carat gold 24 carat gold, pure gold, is predominately used in the Far East, and is often used as a mode of investment or exchange.

The "carat code" shown on the hallmark in the UK will tell you how much pure gold your jewellery contains. The word "carat" comes from Arabic, meaning "bean seed", because years ago seeds were used to measure the weight of gold and precious stones. Now though, carat literally means the amount of gold an item of jewellery contains. For example pure gold is 24 carat or 99.99% pure.
Traditionally most jewellery in the UK is 9 carat, though there are also 14, 18, 22 and 24-carat gold standards. You will find: 9 carat gold (37.5% pure) is shown on the hallmark as 375, (9 parts pure to 15 parts alloy). 14 carat gold (58.5% pure) is shown on the hallmark as 585, (14 parts pure to 10 parts alloy). 18 carat gold (75.0% pure) is shown on the hallmark as 750, (18 parts pure to 6 parts alloy). 22 carat gold (91.6% pure) is shown on the hallmark as 916, (22 parts pure to 2 parts alloy). Pure gold is defined as 24 carat or 99.99% pure. It is a common belief that 9 carat gold is harder wearing and more durable than 18 carat but to explode the popular myth, 9 and 18 carat gold have an identical resistance to wear and tear.
In the U.S. “Karat” with a “K” is a measure of gold’s purity. “Carat” with a “C” measures the weight of a gemstone. The karat mark tells you the percentage of pure gold to alloy. In Europe the karat markings are: 999 is 24K gold, 750 is 18K gold and 585 is 14K gold. There are also other marks with other meanings on fine gold jewellery. Ask you local jeweller to explain the marks and what they mean.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Earth Star Diamond
The Earth Star Diamond was found at another South African mine of De Beers, the Jagersfontein Mine on May 16, 1967. The diamond came from the 2,500-foot (760 m) level of the volcanic diamond-bearing pipe. The rough gem weighed 248.9 carats (49.8 g) and was cut into a 111.59 carats (22.32 g) pear-shaped gem with a strong brown color and extraordinary brilliance. The diamond was bought in 1983 for $900,000.

 

In at number 44 in the Celebrity Engagement Countdown is Gwenyth Paltrow With a square-cut diamond ring, the Coldplay frontman declared his love.

The Diamond Studio Daily 12/11/2013

The Gold Guide - Colour

Although gold's natural colour is a beautiful warm yellow, different colours of gold are wonderful to wear. Whatever colour you choose, just remember they're all real gold, it's a matter of fashion and personal individuality and taste. As a result of cutting-edge technical know-how and continuous industry research and development, carat golds are now available in a variety of colours: brown, black, purple, green, blue and apricot. When carat gold is alloyed with other metals it is possible to use these alloys to produce varying colours of gold. Gold alloys are usually a mixture of silver, copper and zinc and the amounts of each can be varied to affect the final colour.


White Gold - Gold plus alloys like palladium or silver - cool, sleek, elegant 


Yellow Gold -  The natural colour - warm, sunny, energising. 


Rose Gold - Gold plus alloys such as copper - vintage, romantic, feminine

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Cora Sun-Drop Diamond is the largest known yellow pear brilliant-shaped diamond, weighing 110.3 carats (22.1 g). It was sold for $10.9 million at Sotheby's auction in Geneva and set a world record price for a yellow diamond.





In at number 44 of our Celebrity Engagement ring countdown is Jennifer Garner 
Ben Affleck could never be accused of being thrifty when it comes to engagement rings. After the Jennifer Lopez proposal, he wooed Jennifer Garner with a 4.5 carat cushion-cut diamond

The Diamond Studio Daily 11/11/2013

The story of gold is as rich and complex as the metal itself, Wars have been fought for it love has been declared with it. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs portray gold as the brilliance of the sun; modern astronomers use mirrors coated with gold to capture images of the heavens. By 325 BC the Greeks had mined for gold from Gibraltar to Asia Minor. In 1848 AD James Marshall found flakes of gold whilst building a sawmill near Sacramento and so triggered the gold rush in California. Held securely in national vaults as a reserve asset, gold has an irrefutable logic; released from the tombs of pharaohs and emperors alike, gold has an undeniable magic. This week we will teach you everything you need to know about gold as an investment as a luxury and everything in between so lets start with the basic facts.

79 - The atomic number of gold, which means there are 79 protons in the nucleus of every atom of gold.
49 - The 40,000 miners who joined the California Gold Rush in 1849 were called “49ers”. Only a very few ever got rich
1064 - Gold melts at 1064 degrees centigrade.
174,100 - This is the total number of tonnes of gold mined since the beginning of civilisation.
90 - Over 90 percent of the world’s gold has been mined since the California Gold Rush.
31.103 - The number of grams in a troy ounce of gold.
4,600 -Fort Knox holds 4,600 tonnes of gold.
1 - It is rarer to find a one ounce nugget of gold than a five carat diamond.
60 - The percentage of gold mined today that becomes jewellery.
482 - The % increase in the price of gold from Dec 2000 to March 2013.
750 - The number of parts per thousand of pure gold in 18 carat gold.
15,000 - Even at only 10 parts of gold per quadrillion, the world’s oceans are estimated to hold up to 15,000 tonnes of gold.
100,000,000 -100 million people across the world depend on gold mining for their livelihood.
99.5 - "Fineness" is a measure of gold purity, usually expressed in parts per thousand e.g. 995/1000 or 99.5% pure.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Chloe Diamond
Largest round brilliant-cut diamond ever put on auction. 








In at number 45 in the countdown of Celebrity Engagement rings is Reese Witherspoon. Jim Toth presented the Water for Elephants actress with a 4-carat Ashoka cut diamond ring set on a pave diamond-and-platinum band, created by jeweler William Goldberg in December.

The Diamond Studio Daily 08/11/2013

The appetite for coloured gemstones has grown in the UK and globally as consumers seek gems that stand out from the crowd or to own as investments. You only have to step onto Bond Street or peruse the windows of luxury jewellers from Paris to New York right now to spot a recurring theme: coloured gemstones. While gemstones have played a huge part in jewellery design for millennia, there has been a notable renaissance for punchy, juicy coloured stones that consumers are no longer afraid to wear. So what is it about coloured gemstones that is winning the hearts of the consumers? Popular trend and sales are showing gemstones are the new diamond, at least for brides-to-be. Jewellers have noticed an increase in coloured gemstones amongs consumers, especially those who seek alternatives to the traditional diamond engagement ring, Instead of a diamond solitaire or diamond three stone ring they ask for striking green tsavorite garnet and red spinel. Statement necklaces in onyx, coral or amber have been popular, and cluster rings are now very much in demand, as are particular hues of stone such as peach-coloured sapphires and aquamarine. The Gemological Association of America (GIA), while offering training and education for diamonds and stones, also keeps an eye on the evolving markets. Its senior industry analyst Russell Shor agrees that stones considered obscure have become increasingly popular in recent times. “For many years the popular notion of garnet was a brownish-red coloured stone, however garnets come in nearly every colour of the rainbow, and in all price ranges,” he explains. “The popularity of these so-called ‘obscure’ gemstones has increased exponentially in recent years because consumers have come to know their beauty through telvision and the internet. I believe that we have entered into a new era in which colour is going to play an increasing part in our lives, our jewellery and our luxury purchases.”

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Briolette of India a colorless diamond (weighing 90.38 carats) that was found in India. It is cut in a briolette shape, and is a D-coloured (colourless) type diamond. If the fables about it are true, it may be the oldest diamond on record, perhaps older than the Koh-I-Noor Diamond. In the 12th century, Eleanor of Aquitaine, the first Queen of France and later England, brought the stone to England. Her son, Richard the Lionheart, is said to have taken it on the Third Crusade. It next appeared in the 16th century when Henry II of France gave it to his blonde mistress, Diane de Poitiers. It was shown in one of many portraits of her while at Fontainebleau. After disappearing for four centuries, the stone surfaced again in 1950 when the jeweler, Harry Winston, of New York, bought it from an Indian Maharajah. It was sold to Mrs. I.W. Killam and bought back by Mr. Winston, following her death, about 10 years later.


In at number 45 in our Celebrity Engagement ring  is 
Khloe Kardashian Odom.  The 12.5-carat radiant-cut engagement ring from Lamar Odom is worth $850,000.

The Diamond Studio Daily 06/11/2013

Rose gold is what’s trending this season in both the fine jewelry and fashion jewelry markets. While this lovely, pink-hued metal has been used in jewelry pieces for decades, recently rose gold jewelry has increased in popularity in every jewelry avenue. Rose gold is now seen in fine jewelry, engagement and wedding ring settings, watches and also fashion jewelry pieces. In fact, now men’s watches and other jewelry pieces are even sporting rose gold accents! The warmth of rose gold jewelry brings out the underlying pink tones of skin in contrast to the bling factor of white and yellow gold. Also, rose gold brings out the natural beauty of diamonds as well as many colored gemstones.     
Rose gold jewelry’s recent increased popularity can be attributed to several factors. First, it’s different. For the woman, or man, who is less traditional, rose gold jewelry offers an alternative to the more common white or yellow gold jewelry. Also, the soft pink tone of rose gold pieces works well with the colors and hues of the soft colors and feminine styles
popular in women’s fashion right now.
Second, rose gold provides another color to add for mixing and matching metals as well as materials. The two-tone look for mixing white and yellow gold has been popular for years. Women are now mixing rose gold with either white or yellow gold pieces and sometimes they mix it with both. Rose gold adds another color and dimension. Women mix different gold colors of bangle bracelets, stacking rings, and necklaces to create an individual look.
Cartier helped introduce this look in the late 1920’s when they introduced the Trinity band, a ring made of three intertwining bands of rose, white and yellow gold. Customers and fans of rose gold may be surprised to learn that there is actually no such thing as pure rose gold. Gold in its purest form always has a gold or yellow color. But, gold in its purest form is soft. Jewelers have to add other metals to the mixture not only to increase gold’s durability and strength but also to change the color. Rose gold is typically a mix of yellow gold and copper alloy. The ratios can be adjusted to create a deeper or lighter color. The more copper alloy used, the deeper and darker the color.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Beau Sancy. As soon as she set eyes on the Beau Sancy diamond, Marie de Médicis, wife of the French king Henri IV, knew she wanted it, and she nagged her wayward husband until he bought it for her.

It was to bring neither of them great pleasure. In 1610, a day after her coronation – for which the large pear-shaped gem was set atop her crown – Henri was assassinated, leaving six children under the age of nine. So began the Beau Sancy's 400 year journey through European royal history.

The 34.98-carat jewel became the oldest diamond ever to go under the hammer at auction, selling for eight million francs (£5.3m) at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland. 

In at number 46 in our Celebrity Engagement ring 

countdown is Natalie Portman. Natalie Portman has kept relatively quiet about her engagement and secret wedding with Benjamin Millepied, but that hasn't stopped us from drooling over her ring. Not only is it gorgeous, but it's also eco-friendly. Millepied designed the ring himself, making sure to use recycled platinum and conflict-free diamonds. Beautiful and good for the planet – we love it! 

The Diamond Studio Daily 05/11/2013

Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Who where led by Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate the Protestant King James and replace him with his daughter, third in the line of succession, Princess Elizabeth. Fawkes was described as "pleasant of approach and cheerful of manner, opposed to quarrels and strife,loyal to his friends". It was this mixture of piety and professionalism which endeared him to his fellow conspirators. Fawkes's final role in the plot was settled during a series of meetings in October. He was to light the fuse and then escape across the Thames. Simultaneously, a revolt in the Midlands would help to ensure the capture of Princess Elizabeth. Acts of regicide were frowned upon, and Fawkes would therefore head to the continent, where he would explain to the Catholic powers his holy duty to kill the King and his retinue. The King however ordered Sir Thomas Knyvet to conduct a search of the cellars underneath Parliament, which he did in the early hours of 5 November. Fawkes had taken up his station late on the previous night, armed with a slow match and a watch. He was found leaving the cellar, shortly after midnight, and arrested. Inside, the barrels of gunpowder were discovered hidden under piles of firewood and coal. Fawkes admitted his intention to blow up the House of Lords, and expressed regret at his failure to do so. His steadfast manner earned him the admiration of King James. This admiration however was not to save Guy Fawkes and the conspirators who where put to death by hanging.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Ashberg Diamond The diamond is one of the first diamonds discovered in South Africa in the mid 1860s and used to be part of the Russian Crown Jewels, a collection that started in 1719. After the 1920s, the Crown Jewels were transferred to the Kremlin Diamond Fund. In 1934 a Russian trade delegation made a visit to Sweden and sold the Ashberg diamond to Mr. Ashberg. The gem was mounted to a diamond necklace and displayed at the Amsterdam Exhibition a few years later. In 1959 it was put up for sale, however, the buyer remains unknown. In the 80s the stone was failed again to reach its reserve at an auction. Maybe you are interested?

In at number 47 in our Celebrity Engagement Ring countdown is Cathrine Zeta Jones. This 10 carat monster diamond studded creation that shines on the ringer finger of Catherine, Is enigmatic. It features 28 miniature shimmers encircling the giant marquise cut at the center. Reports are that Michael Douglas spent a slice of his fortune for this $1,million engagement ring.

The Archduke Joseph Diamond

Last week, the Archduke Joseph Diamond was sold for a whopping 20m Swiss francs (that's £13m or $21m!) at Christie's Auction House in Geneva!

An anonymous bidder bought the giant stone, after being lovingly kept by Alfredo Molina, the chairman of a Californian-based jeweller, for several years.

The diamond is thought to be over 400 years old and is named after an Austrian prince who it once belonged to. It originates from the famous Golconda diamond mines in India, where other such treasures such as the Koh-i-Noor diamond and the stunning blue Hope Diamond also came from.

The cushion-cut Archduke Joseph Diamond weighs a staggering 76.02 carats, has Internally Flawless clarity and is graded D in colour - meaning it is regarded as being a 'perfect' diamond and it is one of the most admired diamonds in the World!

We're featuring pieces which contain lots of sparkling diamonds this week, have a look at them:

Three-Tiered Diamond Bangle
The Boxer Ring
Trilliant Diamond Earrings
'Radiance' 8.23ct Diamond Necklace

The Rangers Diamond!

There have been some very exciting times here at The Diamond Studio recently - we have created the world's FIRST diamond that is laser-engraved with a football team crest!

After launching the Spirit of '72 Collection in collaboration with Rangers FC in May 2011, we have had a strong business partnership with the club and have very much enjoyed working with them. The Diamond Studio made valued friends in current and former players such as current Team Captain Lee McCulloch (pictured below with the Diamond) Maurice Edu, Alejandro Bedoya and of course DaMarcus Beasley, who we also have a collection with.
We are also working with a Belgian diamond company, owned by the family of Jeroen Van Den Broeck, who was in the Under 21s team for RFC. As well as continuing to play football in Belgium, Jeroen is also part of the business and we consider him to be a good friend as we have a love of both football and diamonds!
This is why we felt that launching the diamond with Rangers was definitely the natural thing to do!

The diamond is a Round Brilliant cut, 0.36ct in weight, G colour and VS2 clarity, so it was already a stunning stone before it even had the Rangers FC crest on it!
Below you can see how the crest looks on the diamond!

We had Ally McCoist, Rangers FC manager in to see us last week, and he was utterly thrilled with the Rangers Diamond!

Of course, the Rangers Diamond is only the beginning. Any logo or lettering can be laser-engraved onto a diamond and we think that they would provide excellent promotional opportunities for any organisation!
Imagine being the first business of your kind to have its logo on a diamond!
Any diamond of any colour or cut can be engraved, so the possibilities are endless and it is truly something that will last forever.

Commitment Rings

They might be all the rage these days, but commitment rings (also known as 'pre-engagement rings' or 'promise rings') are actually nothing new. In fact, they supposedly date back to the 16th century!
In those times, if a man could not afford to marry the woman he loved at a certain point, he would give her a ring to show that they would get married eventually.
Commitment rings with this purpose are still quite popular today, particularly among young couples who intend to get married, but perhaps aren't at that stage in their lives yet when they're able to afford to get married and have children.

Although of course,commitment rings aren't just for women, or even just for one person in the couple.
Many couples who have been married for a while often choose to get commitment rings to perhaps mark a special milestone in their marriage, like a special anniversary.
There are also couples who choose to get commitment rings as an alternative to marriage. If marriage isn't what they want to do, commitment rings are the ideal way to show a partner just how much they mean and that the other person is in it for the long run.

Whatever you're looking for, whether you're married, thinking about getting married or looking for a way to tell someone just how much they mean to you, commitment rings are the way to do it!

Here at The Diamond Studio, we love working with customers to create bespoke designs and we can cater to any budget or taste.
We can make rings in any metal you would like and with any stones or gemstones you would like!

More about our Product of the Week - 17/9/12!

Our Product of the Week this week is our Hamsa hand pendant, in 9k white gold, 0.12ct diamond and turquoise.

The Hamsa is traditionally a palm-shaped amulet, to provide protection. It is popular in the Middle-East and North Africa in particular, and is depicted as an open right hand.
Hamsas are also known as the Hand of Fatima in Islam, the Hand of Mary by Levantine Christians and the Hand of Miriam in Judaism.

This amulet is believed to protect the wearer from the Evil Eye (I'm sure we've all given someone the evil eye at some point!) which directs injury or bad luck towards someone, as a result of envy or dislike.

The Hamsa is also regarded and used widely as a good luck charm, and also appears in the emblem of Algeria, due to its significance in Arabic and Berber (that's Berber, not Bieber!) culture.

So not only will this pendant look absolutely fabulous on you, it might just give you that little bit extra luck we could all sometimes do with!

Green Quartz

Apart from being completely stunning, our Product of the Week this week can also help you in other ways!
Everyone knows that Quartz has special, healing properties - but each form of Quartz has its own unique qualities.

Green Quartz is more formally known as Prasiolite (or Silicon Dioxide, to use its chemical name) and has special qualities which encourage Love, Intuition and Creativity.
If you're feeling like you need some inspiration, Prasiolite will help you get there!
It also helps the endocrine glands, to keep your body well-balanced, as well as transforming negative energy to positive energy.

Aside from those things, our Green Quartz ring also contains diamonds and is made in 9k White Gold. So even if you're not interested in healing properties, you can definitely enjoy wearing this ring - we think it's gorgeous!

Diamond Studio Stories!

Here at The Diamond Studio, we often find that some of the pieces we make and the customers we have often have brilliant and interesting stories to go along with them!

When engagement rings are involved, we put everything we have into making sure that the finished product is exactly how the couple want it to be.
This can involve searching the globe for the perfect diamond, designing and making a bespoke mount - or sometimes just re-sizing something we already have made up, if someone likes what they see in the Studio!

Since we gladly make bespoke pieces, we have had some fabulous ideas from customers, and amazing pieces made to their specifications!
Sometimes there has been a story to do with why a piece is being made, an inscription on the inside of the piece which has special meaning - or perhaps even something to do with the design itself!

Do you have a Diamond Studio Story?
If so, we'd love to hear from you!

Send us in your photos and videos of your Diamond Studio Story, and you could feature on our Facebook page or YouTube channel!

You can e-mail us info@thediamondstudio.co.uk

Looking forward to seeing/hearing all your stories!

More about our Product of the Week! (20/8)

Our Product of the week this week is our Sapphire and Diamond Cocktail Ring in 18k White Gold.

Its design is highly unique and is guaranteed to attract attention at any occasion - as well as adding glamour to any outfit!

Sapphires are the crystallised form of Aluminium Oxide and although usually blue in colour, other colours are often found naturally - including yellow, green, orange brown and even pink!

Natural sapphires can be found in Africa, Asia and North America, but in 1902, a French chemist - Auguste Verneuil - created the World's first synthetic sapphires. Synthetic sapphires are used nowadays in things like the windows in armoured cars and in military body armour, due to their toughness and scratch-resistant properties.

Even though the applications of synthetic sapphires are obviously extremely useful, we think real sapphires are far too precious to be used for things like that!
They definitely look better in our Cocktail Ring, don't you agree?