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 Diamond Studio Daily 4/11/2013

                                                                                                                                                                                                  We where so pleased to go to Belfast on Saturday to show off some of our different collections, We where overwhelmed by how warm and inviting the city and it's people are. Its truly a magical place and we hope so very much that we can return to work their on a regular basis! So much to see and do in this vibrant city, not to mention the amazing breakfast we got from Failte's restaurant.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Archduke Joseph a colorless, antique cushion-shaped brilliant, originally weighing 78.54 carat. It originated in India's Golconda mines, where the colorless Koh-i-Noor, the Blue Hope Diamond and other famous diamonds also originated. It was named after Archduke Joseph August of Austria, its first recorded owner who had it deposited in the vault of the Hungarian General Credit Bank on 1st June 1933. This was the first record of the existence of the Archduke Joseph diamond. In 1936 it was sold to an anonymous buyer who is believed to have been a European banker and kept in France, locked away in a safe deposit box, where it remained undiscovered from the German occupation powers during World War II. It surfaced at auction (but not sold) in 1961 in London and again at Christie's in Geneva in November 1993. On November 13, 2012 the Archduke Joseph (76.02 carat) was sold for more than 20m Swiss frank.

Today's celebrity engagment ring comes from Colleen Rooney in at number 48 on our top 50 countdown. Wayne Rooney might have proposed to a 17-year-old Coleen McLoughlin in a petrol station in 2003, but he more than made up for that with the four-carat, emerald-cut diamond ring he gave her. Estimated Value: $46,000

The Diamond Studio Daily 1/11/2013

"Who first comes to this world below
In dreary November's fog and snow,
Should prize the topaz amber hue,
Emblem of friends and lovers true."

November Birthstone - Properties of the Topaz
For those who were born in the month of November the Topaz is the traditional birthstone. The November birthstone poem reflects some of the properties with which the Topaz is associated - constancy, loyalty, faithfulness and friendship. The traditional metaphysical properties for the November birthstone Topaz are strength, releasing tension and balancing emotions. The healing properties of the birthstone are reputed to be effective for health problems relating to  sanity, asthma, blood disorders, tuberculosis and insomnia. The Topaz is also used to enhance spiritual rejuvenation and feelings of happiness. At The Diamond Studio we can source any colour of Topaz and set it any way you would like, So why not treat a fiend or love one to a birthday surprise with extra special meaning.

Today's Diamond of The Day is the striking "Angola Star" it was unearthed in its namesake country of Angola, after nearly a billion years in the making. Extremely unique in size, shape and character, it is the prize jewel of Diamond in the Rough's impressive collection. The 217.39 carat central natural rough diamond is set in Pave diamonds which accent this historic, conflict-free natural rough diamond, on a 32 inch chain containing 12 additional rough diamonds for a total carat weight of 237.54 carats.

In at number 49 of our Celebrity Engagement Ring countdown is Emma Bunton with this stunning 3 stone engagement ring from her longtime partner Jade Jones. This baby (couldn't resist the reference) has a 3-carat brilliant round cut for a center stone with 1-carat pear shaped stones as a side stone. Estimated cost? Around £60,000.

Diamond Studio Daily 30/10/2013

Today's diamond of the day is The Amsterdam Diamond, a black diamond weighing 33.74 carats (6.75 g). It's cut to a pear shape and was sold in 2001 for $US352,000, the highest price paid for a black diamond at auction.

• Black diamonds are also called Carbonado. A name coined by Portuguese because of the diamonds resemblance to porous charcoal.

• They are found in the Central Africa and Brazil, with Brazil being the major source.

• The natural colour of a black diamond ranges from black to dark greys.

With celeb power couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West getting hitched to the tune of a 15 carat rock we decided to choose our top 50 celebrity engagement rings and give you a daily dose of love. 

50 - In at number 50 its Scarlett Johansson, Romain Dauriac proposed to Scarlett Johansson, not with an enormous, chunky rock, but a delicate Art Deco-designed ring. It features three round-cut diamonds laid vertically to create an eye-catching rectangular shape. Beautiful.

The official birthstone for those born in the month of August is the Peridot. It is associated with love, truth, faithfulness and loyalty. The traditional colour associated with the peridot is lime green but it can also come in some other colours such as olive and dark green. The symbolic meaning of the colour green is renewal of life and nature. The word 'peridot' is derived from the Greek word 'faridat' which means 'gem'. At the Diamond Studio, we do a lot of  bespoke pieces - you can bring in ideas or just tell us exactly what you have in mind and we can design it for you. For example, we could set the stone in a ring, design a charm or even make it into a pendant or cufflinks! This is the perfect present for anyone celebrating their birthday or special occasion during the month of August. 

Signet rings are coming back in fashion and are appearing to be more & more popular! Many celebrities have recently been seen wearing signet rings including Lauren Conrad and Jennifer Carpenter. We can design you your own unique personalised signet ring. Or, we can also do letter engraving on a ring you already have! 

For further information regarding our bespoke service or any other enquiries please email info@thediamondstudio.co.uk

Also, see our fb & twitter for the latest updates:

facebook.com/thediamondstudio 

@DiamondStudio

Sapphire Bespoke Ring

One of the most exciting designs we have been working on over the past 6 weeks was for one of our customers in Essex. Initially he came to us with a picture of the type of ring he had in mind, and after much discussion we choose a design that suited his requirements but still fit within the original budget. 

From the initial design stages right through to production, he was involved in the entire process and this ensured that the final ring was exactly how he wanted. 

The ring was made with 18k white gold weighing a total of 13.15 grams. It was set with 35 baguette cut sapphires and 8 round brilliant cut diamonds, with a total of 0.14 carats. All stones used were natural, nothing was artificially enhanced. Please note, these specifications are for a size T ring, different sizes may be set with an alternative number of stones. 

Sapphires are the traditional birthstone for those born in the month of September. The sapphire is associated with truth, sincerity and constancy. The traditional colour related with the sapphire is a deep blue colour; however, they can come in many other colours' including pink.

For further details regarding the ring or enquiries on our bespoke service please email info@thediamondstudio.co.uk. We can do custom - made orders as well as hand engraving, personal messages or the Rangers & Celtic crest; whether it be on an old piece of jewellery, to a wedding ring or even just a key-ring.  

Tanzanite Bespoke Ring

Over the years, The Diamond Studio has been involved in many Proposals and it has been an honour to be a part of each and every one of them. The Studio has many fabulous pieces in stock to view and also offers a specialist Bespoke service which allows us to create you the perfect piece. We talk through your ideas and design you the ring to suit your style and your budget.

 The ring above was designed for the lovely Scott Strachan, a real gentleman who was brave enough to plan a surprise proposal and order the ring. Scott was delighted to have the ability to choose each part of the ring, from the diamond, the metal and the setting. Scott selected a beautiful 0.76 carat G Colour VS1 GIA Certified Diamond.

 This Diamond was mined in Canada, cut and polished in Antwerp, Belgium. Antwerp  is known as the Diamond Quarter of the world and around 84% of the world’s diamonds are passed through this district. This is the largest diamond centre in the world and is estimated to have a turnover of 54 billion dollars.

Scott helped design this stunning ring setting complete with Round Brilliant diamonds in the shoulders and with diamonds surrounding the centre diamond set in four claws to ensure maximum light shines through this fabulous stone.

The Diamond Studio put the piece into production and we waited impatiently to see the final outcome ... and so did Scott. It was truly wonderful to be part of their journey
and we rushed production to ensure Scott could take the ring with him on their planned snow boarding holiday. 

This is Scott proposing to his beautiful girlfriend Emma in Val D'isere France, in January! Emma wasn't expecting the proposal at all and was totally delighted

Their friends caught a fabulous picture of the proposal which Scott and Emma can both cherish forever.

See above the gorgeous, future Mrs Scott Strachan who came to visit us in the Studio when they got back and told us how in love she was with her ring. Scott and Emma are due to get married within the next 18th months. We wish them all the best ,it’s been a real pleasure thank you!

 For any inquiries relating to this blog or if you wish to create your own perfect ring then please pop in to the Studio . 1^st Floor, 29 Royal Exchange Square Glasgow, drop in at your leisure or appointments can be made for a consultation in a completely relaxed and informal environment. Or contact us via -

Telephone: 01412482389    Email: info@thediamondstudio.co.uk

 Also please follow us on Twitter @Diamond Studio and "like+share" us on Facebook at "The Diamond Studio".