Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Rainbow of Africa Collection


A 65.72 carat Tsavorite Garnet
An array of spectacular stones drew enthusiasts to the sale held by Heritage Auctions in New York in 2015. The collection was started by Morton Taylor in the late 1950s.
Pink Spinel from Morogoro Region, Tanzania

A 51.07 carat Cuprian Tourmaline from Mozambique est. $70,000

283 carat Scapolite

41.76 carat Mandarin Garnet from Namibia est. $50,000

293 carat Cuprite.

Color Change Blue Spinel - 14.33 carats, Tanzania.

Morganite - 114.39 carats, Mozambique.

Iolite - 15.12 carats, Madagascar

Red Spinel - 15.87 carats, Tanzania.

Tanzanite - 35.66 carats.

Rubellite Tourmaline - 29.44 carats, Zambia

Aquamarine - 26.47 carats, Zambia

Spessartine Garnet - 12.04 carats, Nigeria

Morganite - 73.59 carats, Mozambique.

Monday, 21 November 2016

Lucara sells 224.5 carat rough diamond for $11.11 million

Lucara Diamond (LUC.t) sold Lot 1001, a 224.5-carat Type IIa diamond, for $11.11-million or $49,497 per carat on November 18th. The stone sold on the one-year anniversary of the recovery of the historic 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond.
The Lesedi La Rona diamond is the second-largest gem quality diamond ever found, second only to the Cullinan.

Friday, 18 November 2016

Jewels by Hemmerle

Hemmerle is a fourth generation family run house at the vanguard of jewellery design. Stefan and Sylveli Hemmerle run the business with their son, Christian, and daughter-in-law, Yasmin.

Hemmerle remains renowned for its dedication to craftsmanship, exceptional quality, innovative material combinations, and bold creations.

A Rose-Cut Ruby Ring.

Multi-colored Diamond and Gold Serpent Bracelet.


Spinel and Sapphire Tassel Ear Pendants.


Pink and Purple Spinel Ear Clips.


Brooch featuring amethyst, sapphires, white gold, silver and wood

Green Diamond, Cat Eye Chrysoberyl and White Gold ‘Gecko’ Brooch, 1,524 diamonds - 62.16 carats.

Coral and Orange Sapphire.

A Yellow Sapphire of 55.35 carats.

Amethyst Ear Pendants

White gold, green tourmaline, demantoide garnet

Turkish diaspore - Csarite/Zultanite

Diaspore is one of the three component minerals of the aluminum ore bauxite. Though most forms of diaspore are of little interest, large crystals unlike any others were found in Turkey in the 1950's in a commercial bauxite deposit.

This deposit has become the only source of gem-grade crystals. Diaspore is one of the lesser known of the color-change gemstones. Diaspore has good hardness at 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale, but it is known to be brittle and can cleave.
In 2014 two large, rare, color-changing gemstones were donated to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Gem Collection, thanks to Milenyum Mining Ltd.

The Dubai-based miner donated the stones, a 44.48-carat faceted oval-shaped diaspore and a 159.33-carat cat’s eye cabochon diaspore, at the American Gem Trade Association’s GemFair.
The trade name Csarite was first applied to this naturally color-changing diaspore. It is now referred to as Zultanite. Milenyum is the only company that mines the gemstone.

Saturday, 12 November 2016

Van Cleef & Arpels - High Jewelry

Van Cleef & Arpels is a French jewelry, watch, and perfume company.

It was founded in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his brother-in-law Salomon Arpels.
Van Cleef & Arpels are known for their expertise in precious stones and for a gem-setting procedure known as the Mystery Setting.

The Mystery Setting is a proprietary mounting technique for gems. There are no visible prongs; instead the individual stones are hand grooved to fit into a mesh of gold or platinum wire. This type of setting was perfected by Van Cleef & Arpels in the 1930s.
Since its inception, Van Cleef & Arpels has been synonymous with royalty, the famous and the affluent, providing the elite with exceptional and unique pieces of jewellery.