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.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Black Orlov According to the legend, the Black Orlov is said to have taken its name from the Russian Princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov who owned it for time during the mid-eighteenth century. It is a 67.50-carat cushion-cut stone, a so-called black diamond (actually, a very dark gun-metal color). It is reported to have belonged to a nineteenth-century shrine near Pondicherry, India, and to have weighed 195 carats in the rough. Unfortunately the Indian origin of this stone is almost certainly false. There is no documentation of India having produced any black diamonds of note. 


In at number 45 in our Celebrity Engagement Countdown is Jessica Simpson. Eric Johnson gave Jessica Simpson a 5-carat ruby ring in honor of her July birthday. "The ruby design for Jessica was perfection," says Eric, "It's a classic design with a twist because the side stones are pear-shaped."

Feathers at Fendi

Leaves where big with Balenciaga.

Go gold or go home Dolce and Gabbana

 SS/2014 shows are in full swing here are some of the jewelry trends hitting catwalks next season.

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!