Purple Diamonds

Purple diamonds are the result of plastic deformation of a diamond's crystal structure, the same condition that produces red diamonds. Purple stones are as equally rare as red diamonds and command the same high prices when they (rarely) appear for sale.

Purple is the colour of royalty, of courage and honor. For hundreds of years, it was the colour of kings, as only royalty could wear purple. Purple heart medals are given to soldiers killed or wounded in action, as a recognition of their bravery and sacrifice. Pure purple diamonds are nearly impossible to find. Most natural purple diamonds are lightly shaded with hints of pink, red, blue, gray or even brown, tinting the diamond slightly and lowering the overall perceived quality of the gem. Purple diamonds are most commonly found in Australian mines.

The Royal Purple Heart Diamond is the largest Fancy Vivid Purple diamond known to exist. The stone, believed to have originated in Russia, weighs 7.34 carats, has a clarity of I-1, and was cut into its perfect heart shape by the Julius Klein Diamond Corporation. The diamond's current owners are unknown.

Even more mysterious is the Supreme Purple Heart. Despite its name, the diamond is a round brilliant cut. Its precise color grade is not known, nor is its clarity. Even its weight is a matter of conjecture, with estimates ranging from two to five carats. Like the Royal Purple Heart Diamond, the Supreme Purple Heart's origins have not been confirmed, but most believe it was mined in the Amazon basin within the last 30 years. The diamond is remarkable in that its color changes – when viewed from one angle, it appears deep purple, and from another angle looks deep red.

Even celebrities have a hard time getting their hands on purple diamonds. In 2003, Lakers star Kobe Bryant – who at the time was facing rape charges – appeased his wife, Vanessa, by buying her an eight-carat purple diamond ring worth about $4 million.

See -----> http://pennystockjournal.blogspot.ca/2014/02/red-diamonds.html

See -----> http://pennystockjournal.blogspot.ca/2014/02/blue-diamonds.html

See -----> http://pennystockjournal.blogspot.ca/2013/11/yellow-diamonds.html

Tiffany & Co - The Blue Book

Tiffany & Co was founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young in New York City in 1837 as a "stationery and fancy goods emporium", the store initially sold a wide variety of stationery items, and operated as "Tiffany, Young and Ellis" in Lower Manhattan. The name was shortened to Tiffany & Company in 1853 when Charles Tiffany took control and established the firm's emphasis on jewelry.

Tiffany & Co. operates jewelry and specialty retail stores and manufactures products. The Company operates retail stores and boutiques in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. The Company’s principal product category is jewelry, which represented 90% of worldwide sales. The Company also sells timepieces, leather goods, sterling silver goods, china, crystal, stationery, fragrances and accessories, which represented 8% of worldwide sales in 2012.

For over 175 years, Tiffany & Co. has produced world-renowned jewelry collections. Tiffany’s celebrated Blue Book is an annual publication that showcases the latest and most spectacular jewels, and has been arriving in customers’ mail boxes since 1845. It is the first mail order catalogue in the U.S.

(Click to enlarge images)


See -----> http://pennystockjournal.blogspot.ca/2014/02/radiant-orchid-jewels-pantone-color-of.html
See -----> http://pennystockjournal.blogspot.ca/2013/12/famous-gemstones.html
See -----> http://pennystockjournal.blogspot.ca/2013/11/gems-of-smithsonian-i.html

Ancient Gold Coins redux

Example of the most successful coin denomination in history; an antique fine gold ducat or Zecchino, minted under the 82nd Doge of Venice, Lorenzo Priuli. Struck 1556 - 1559 in Venice, Italy. The gold ducats of Venice were first struck in 1284. Their very high gold content (99.40%) made the coins extremely desirable and they are considered to be the earliest examples of a globally accepted currency. Ducats continued to be struck for over 500 years - longer than any other coin issue in history. $1,250.00

An ancient Indian gold Maiores Domus dinar from the Kushan Empire, struck under Emperor Vasudeva II circa 270 - 310 A.D. The obverse with Vasudeva II, nimbate, standing left, sacrificing over altar and holding filleted scepter; in left field, filleted trident. The reverse with the goddess Ardoxsho, nimbate, seated facing on throne, holding diadem and cornucopia. $850.00

An ancient Greek hekte from Cyzicus, Mysia, struck circa 500 - 450 B.C. The obverse with naked youth kneeling right, hair bound by taenia with frontal projection, holding knife and tunny fish (emblem of Cyzicus). The reverse with quadripartite incuse square punch. Kyzikos was a wealthy ancient town located between the Aegean and the Black Sea, its advantageous position made it a major center for commerce and trade. $2,250.00

Ancient Celtic gold stater struck by the Chief of the Corieltauvi tribe, Volisios Dumnocoveros. Dating to the Late Iron Age circa 20 - 35 A.D. The obverse with a vertical wreath made up of square leaves running in opposite directions from the centre of the coin. Across this in two lines is the legend: VOLISIOS The reverse with disjointed Celtic horse, galloping left. $3,250.00

An ancient Byzantine gold solidus of Emperor Basiliscus, (Flavius Basiliscus Augustus.) Struck January 475 - August 476 A.D. at the Constantinople mint. The obverse with a superb portrait of Basiliscus, shown wearing an ornate cuirass and pearl diademed helmet, carrying a spear which rests over his shoulder and holding an oval shield, decorated with a horseman spearing a fallen enemy. The legend reading: D[ominvs] N[oster] BASILICVS P[ater] P[atriae] AVG[vstvs] "Our Lord Basiliscus, Father of the People, Augustus"

The reverse with the goddess, Victory standing left holding a long, jewelled cross and wearing loose drapery. $7,000.00

Evidence of Viking 'Sunstone' Found

In March 2013 it was reported that a Viking Sunstone had been found.

Ancient lore has suggested that the Vikings used special crystals to find their way under less-than-sunny skies. Though none of these so-called "sunstones" have ever been found at Viking archaeological sites, a crystal uncovered in a British shipwreck could help prove they did indeed exist. The crystal was found amongst the wreckage of the Alderney, an Elizabethan warship that sank near the Channel Islands in 1592. The stone was discovered less than 3 feet (1 meter) from a pair of navigation dividers, suggesting it may have been kept with the ship's other navigational tools, according to the research team headed by scientists at the University of Rennes in France.

A chemical analysis confirmed that the stone was Icelandic Spar, or calcite crystal, believed to be the Vikings' mineral of choice for their fabled sunstones, first mentioned in the 13th-century Viking saga of Saint Olaf. Today, the Alderney crystal would be useless for navigation, because it has been abraded by sand and clouded by magnesium salts. But in better days, such a stone would have bent light in a helpful way for seafarers.

Because of the rhombohedral shape of calcite crystals, they refract or polarize light in such a way to create a double image. This means that if you were to look at someone's face through a clear chunk of Icelandic spar, you would see two faces. But if the crystal is held in just the right position, the double image becomes a single image and you know the crystal is pointing east-west. The study’s authors say the crystal could be used to determine the sun's location with an accuracy of one degree, even when it was invisible to the naked eye.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/mythical-viking-sunstone-could-have-really-worked-study-1.1185469#ixzz2tuArOHpT

http://news.discovery.com/earth/rocks-fossils/viking-sunstone-shipwreck-130311.htm