Coronet® achieves Guinness World Record title at Baselworld 2018

Global record for 'Most diamonds set on a handbag' with nearly 10,000 embedded in a Coca Cola-inspired accessory, has been confirmed. Coronet® successfully achieved the Guinness World Records title in the main hall of Baselworld 2018 jewellery show. This Coca Cola bottle-shaped diamond handbag contains 9,888 natural diamonds, weighing 120 carats, and took 15 highly skilled craftsmen nearly 100 days to complete

This is the third time the jewellers has earned a Guinness World Records title following two other successful attempts in 2015 and 2016 - the Most valuable guitar (with 400 carats of diamonds) worth $2 million and Most jewels on a guitar (16,033 Swarovski gemstones)

Baselworld 2018

For five days last month, the world’s most prestigious watch and jewelry brands came together in Basel, Switzerland, to unveil their most dazzling creations, showcasing their mastery of high jewelry-making and an unrivaled technical prowess. Jewelry watches were some of the most riveting pieces at Baselworld 2018, combining contemporary interpretations of the art of watchmaking with superlative jewelry designs. Chopard’s “Secret Watch”

Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires and signed jewels top Bonhams sale

Rubies and sapphires of exceptional provenance and signed jewels were among the top lots at Bonhams New York. Top lot was a 10-carat round brilliant-cut diamond that sold for $492,000. An Art Deco ruby and diamond bracelet by Cartier, circa 1935, sold for $324,500, nearly tripling its high estimate of $120,000.

Centered with a 40.07-carat cushion-shaped untreated Ceylon (Sri Lankan) sapphire, a necklace made $312,500. A sapphire and diamond ring sold for $175,000, topping its $120,000 high estimate. The 9.85-carat emerald-cut Kashmir sapphire is untreated.A ruby and diamond ring by Mermod & Jaccard sold $131,250 against a high estimate of $120,000. The ring features a 3.24-carat antique cushion-shaped ruby.

Michigan's state gem : Chlorastrolite

Michigan's state gem is found in one place -- and you won't find it anywhere else. Chlorastrolite is a variety of the mineral pumpellyite, and it is exclusively found along the Keweenaw Peninsula and throughout the Isle Royale archipelago -- Michigan's most remote national park. Commonly called Isle Royale Greenstone, ancient lava flows cooled into basalt. Within that basalt were small pockets of empty space left behind from gasses in the lava -- and that is where chlorastrolite eventually formed.

Chlorastrolite is difficult to find because of its size. Large pieces are extremely rare.

3.5-Carat Blue Diamond makes $6.7 Million

Sotheby’s held three jewelry auctions selling more than 400 lots that fetched more than $34 million with 83.3% of all lots sold. The star was a 3.47-carat fancy intense blue diamond that sold for $6.66 million, smashing its $2.5 million high estimate. A 6.33-carat unmounted emerald-cut emerald from Colombia that sold for nearly $1.1 million ($172,986 per carat), nearly doubling its $600,000 high estimate.

An 11.24-carat cushion-cut Kashmir sapphire mounted on a diamond ring that sold for $999,000 ($88,879 per carat), doubling its high estimate. A 7-carat square-cut fancy intense pink diamond mounted on a ring with an estimate of $4.2 million - $5.2 million.

Bonhams Lapidary Works of Art Gemstones, Minerals and Natural History

Rhodolite Garnet, Malawi, 30.06 carats. US$ 6,500 - 8,500

Bonhams Lapidary Works of Art Gemstones, Minerals and Natural History is 16 May 2018 in Los Angeles. Marra Mamba Tiger's Eye Bowl. Mount Brockman Station, Western Australia. US$ 6,000 - 8,000

Orange-Red Spessartite Garnet. 15.96 carats. US$ 1,500 - 2,000

Spessartite Garnet. Mozambique. 15.74 carats. US$ 8,000 - 10,000

Large Demantoid Garnet. Ural Mountains, Russia. 4.62 carats. US$ 25,000 - 30,000

Two Conch Pearls. Strombus gigas or "Queen Conch". Caribbean Sea. 11.32 carats and 9.15 carats. US$ 16,000 - 20,000

Exceptional Peridot. Pakistan. 47.83 carats. US$ 7,000 - 9,000

Red Rhodochrosite. South Africa. 15.16 carats. US$ 8,000 - 10,000

Ruby Parrots on Spinel and Pargasite base by Peter Mueller. US$ 20,000 - 30,000

Pakistan Ruby - Hunza Valley

The Hunza valley is home to Pakistan's ruby deposits. After Burma, one of the very few regions in the world to produce ‘Blood Red’ ruby is Hunza valley. The Hunza is situated in the extreme northern part of Pakistan. The real 'Shangri-La', it is a stunningly beautiful valley, towered over by five snowcapped mountains. The ruby belt in Hunza Valley stretches over an area of about 100 kilometers.

Ruby is a rare gem because the chromium pigments embedded in the earth’s crust are not plentiful and the chromium had to meet up with the element alumina at the exact moment that crystallization occurred. Without these two elemental factors the gem won't be red. The ruby deposits occur in metamorphosed re-crystallized limestone marble in a narrow belt from Hunza Valley to Ishkoman.

De Beers 1888 Master Diamonds collection

The 1888 Master Diamonds collection showcases combinations of intensity and clarity and reflect a dramatic display of coloured brilliance. Each design is conceived to compliment the character of the diamond and not to detract from the beauty. They have been given the title of ‘1888 Master Diamonds' in recognition of the founding year of De Beers and the 125 year heritage of the brand.

Neon Apatitie

Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually referring to hydroxylapatite, fluorapatite and chlorapatite. Apatite is a very soft (five on the Mohs scale) and heat sensitive gemstone. Brazil and Mexico have been the traditional sources of gem quality apatite.

Madagascar is known to produce a neon blue-green material that is highly desired as a much cheaper substitute to Paraiba tourmaline. These electric colored stones have become by far the best known variety of this gem. While smaller stones in the one to 2 carat range are plentiful, neon apatite gemstones larger than 10 carats are very rare.

Madagascar deposits were heavily mined for a decade and produced a lot of gem material. The deposit is now mined out. A rare variety is a rich purple from Maine. Blue Brazilian stones are also prized. Light-green apatite carries the trade name 'asparagus stone'.