Famous Diamonds Examined by the GIA

The Hope Diamond may be the most famous coloured diamond in the world. GIA graded the cushion antique brilliant of 45.52 carats as Fancy dark grayish blue. GIA described the 41 carat Dresden Green as Fancy green, with a modified pear-shaped brilliant cut. The green has medium tone and slightly grayish saturation.

The Portuguese Diamond weighs 127.01 carats and is colour graded M with a VS1 clarity. The Portuguese has a strong blue fluorescence. The Idol’s Eye weighs 70.20 carats. Its colour grade is Very Light blue and its clarity is VVS1.

The Moussaieff Red weighs 5.11 carats and is the largest pure red diamond known to exist. It was cut and polished from a 13.9 carat rough. The 30.62 carat Fancy Deep blue Blue Heart Diamond.

The two stone Bvgari Blue made $ 15.76m at auction. It features a 10.95 carat VS2 Fancy Vivid blue diamond, and an 8.87 carat G colour VS1 diamond. The Pumpkin Diamond is Fancy Vivid orange and 5.54 carats.

The 59.60 carat Flawless Fancy Vivid pink Pink Star was formerly known as the Steinmetz Pink. The 101.29 carat cushion cut Allnatt is graded Fancy Vivid yellow.

Vivid Dreams, The Extraordinary Colors of Tiffany

Tiffany & Co. will showcase its high jewellery collection — Vivid Dreams, The Extraordinary Colors of Tiffany in April. The collection makes its debut outside of the US.

House of Garrard

Garrard has an unrivaled heritage. First commissioned in 1735 by Fredrick, Prince of Wales, and appointed Crown Jeweller by Queen Victoria in 1843, Garrard has served each subsequent British monarch, as well as many royal families around the world. Garrard has created many of the world's most beautiful jewels.

Christie’s to offer 8.42-carat, fancy intense pink diamond

Christie’s New York spring sale will feature an 8.42-carat, fancy intense pink diamond ring, estimated at between $4m and $6m. The cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, VVS1-clarity stone has the potential to be recut to IF. Other lots include an oval-cut, 22.76-carat, D-color, type IIa, VVS1 “thread” ring, designed by JAR, estimated at $2.5m to $3.5m.

Aquamarine and diamond ring by Cartier

Nirav Modi - The diamond tycoon behind India’s alleged US$2 billion fraud

The opening of Nirav Modi’s jewellery store on New York’s Madison Avenue in the autumn of 2015 attracted top A-listers. It also celebrated the expansion of an Indian business that is now near ruin amid an investigation into an alleged US$2 billion fraud.  As investigators probe Modi’s alleged use of fake guarantees from the Punjab National Bank to solicit loans, his past decade’s business dealings are also coming under scrutiny.

The fallout over the scandal threatens to hit the borrowing firepower of the nation’s jewellers, who are involved in cutting or polishing 12 out of every 14 diamonds sold in the world. Modi’s father and grandfather were, like him, “diamantaires” – a French term for specialist gem-cutters and members of an established diamond-dealing family. Seized items include a Rolls-Royce Ghost, a Porsche Panamera, two Mercedes-Benz vehicles, dozens of imported watches, a farm, and residential and office properties in Mumbai and Pune. Modi established his company in 1999 and took it abroad five years later. With Nirav Modi boutiques in at least six cities, he was eyeing 30 more outlets in 12 countries by 2020. Those plans have been shelved.

See ----->http://highlifelivingluxury.blogspot.ca/2018/01/nirav-modi.html

'Farnese Blue' Diamond up for grabs

The 6.16-carat, pear-shaped, ‘Farnese Blue,’ is to be auctioned for the first time after three centuries in the hands of a European royal family. The Golconda diamond was first acquired by the family in 1715. It was a wedding gift to Elisabeth Farnese, then-queen of Spain, from the governor of the Philippine Islands.  Over the next 300 years, the diamond was passed down to various descendants of the queen, including Spanish, French, Italian, and Austrian royalty. Estimate is US$3.7 million to US$5.3 million.

Truth About Synthetic Diamonds

Heavily touted as an eco-friendly alternative to natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds or synthetic diamonds are gaining in popularity. They look identical to natural diamonds, and, according to manufacturers, are 30-40% cheaper than their naturally mined counterparts. Independent research says there's a catch: They're not cheaper at all. On average, synthetic diamonds are actually about 20% more expensive than comparable natural diamonds. Companies selling lab-created diamonds are using looser grading-the International Gemological Institute-that gives higher grades than the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). When you compare apples to apples, they're actually more expensive.

Synthetic diamonds have little to no resale value. No jeweler will buy them back. From a value perspective, you would need to buy the lab-created diamond at a large discount to justify giving up the value retention of natural diamonds.

James Taffin De Givenchy

James de Givenchy moved to New York in the early 1980s. After getting a degree in Fine Arts from Manhattanville College and an associate degree in graphic design from F.I.T. in New York City he joined Christie's auction house where he ultimately ran the West Coast Jewelry Department in Los Angeles between 1991 and 1994. He left the auction world to work for the jewelry house of Verdura and then started his own jewelry concern in Manhattan in 1996.

James Taffin de Givenchy, designing under the name Taffin, has become one of the world's most sought-after jewelry designers.