Michele della Valle

Designer-jeweller Michele della Valle was born in Rome and began designing costume jewellery at the age of 16. He dreams in colour, conjuring up lyrical compositions from a treasure trove of gemstones. Rare and precious or unexpected and mysterious, he has become celebrated among elite collectors and connoisseurs.

Whether in his design studio overlooking Lake Geneva, visiting the atelier in Rome or on his boat in the Mediterranean, Michele della Valle developed his distinctive style and became one of the most sought-after jewellers in the world.

High Jewelry by Cartier

Cartier is a passionate observer of beauty throughout the world, always hunting for rare, unique stones.

Tanzanie bracelet - white gold, one 79.52-carat sugarloaf cabochon-cut tanzanite, two triangular-shaped diamonds, rock crystal, onyx, calibré-cut diamonds, brilliant-cut diamonds.

Brooch - white gold, one 13.71-carat cat's-eye tourmaline, colored sapphires, yellow diamond eyes, yellow and white brilliant-cut diamonds.

Earrings - white gold, six oval-shaped emeralds from totaling 12.80 carats, pear-shaped rose-cut diamonds, brilliant-cut diamonds.

Platinum brooch with one opal, one ribbed emerald, brilliants, emerald eyes. Platinum necklace with eight Ceylon sapphires, diamonds, onyx, emeralds.

Butterfly Brooch – white gold, yellow gold, 42.77-carat pear-shaped yellow sapphire, yellow sapphires, colored diamonds, black lacquer, brilliants. Bird of Paradise Brooch with 20.22-carat pink sapphire and six padparadscha sapphires.

Bracelet with 77.3-carat carved emerald, emerald beads and diamonds. Cartier Urban ring - Platinum, 10.77-carat square-shaped emerald, baguette-cut diamonds, onyx, brilliants.

Platinum, 10.04-carat padparadscha sapphire, black lacquer, brilliants. White gold, brown, orange and yellow diamonds, onyx, yellow-orange diamond eyes, brilliants.

Necklace/brooch - Platinum, 91.34-carat emerald drop from Colombia, pear-shaped diamond, brilliants. Platinum, cabochon-cut 36.74-carat ruby, pear-shaped rose-cut diamond, brilliants.

Teinte Bracelet – white gold, onyx, chrysoprase, coral, brilliant-cut diamonds.

Sapphire from Baffin Island, Nunavut - Beluga spinel

The Beluga spinel has an unusually intense blue colour with the chromophore (colouring agent) being cobalt.

In 2002, gem quality blue sapphire was discovered in the Canadian Arctic, near the hamlet of Kimmirut. In late 2005 True North Gems discovered an extremely rare, cobalt-rich variety of spinel.

Gemstone exploration, with the exception of diamonds, is not common in Canada. A decade ago, emerald mineralization was discovered in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Ontario which generated a brief period of interest. There have been sapphire discoveries in British Columbia, Nunavut and Ontario.

These discoveries led to a number of scientific papers but gemstone mining remains a speculative and unfamiliar market for most.