Luxury Jewelry

Cullinan Blue Diamond Is Now 'Star of Josephine'

The 7.03-carat blue diamond that broke records at the recent Sotheby’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction now has a name. Its new owner Mr. Joseph Lau Luen-Hung, a renowned collector and connoisseur in Hong Kong, has christened the cushion-shaped diamond ‘Star of Josephine’.

We first brought you news of the auction of this diamond from Petra Diamonds’ famed Cullinan mine in early April. One of the world’s most important gems, this rare, internally flawless stone fetched $9,488,754, making it the most expensive fancy vivid blue diamond sold at an auction to date.

This works out to an eye-popping price of $1,349,752 per carat, setting yet another world record for the highest value per carat for any gemstone sold at an auction. 

True Blue: Rare Diamonds at Sotheby's

Come May, one of the world’s most important blue diamonds will go under the hammer at  Sotheby’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction.

Weighing in at 7.03 carats, this rare cushion-shaped gem will be the centerpiece of the sale with a pre-sale estimated price of US$5.8 to 8.5 million (CHF 6.8 to 10 million) which will also include the honor of naming the diamond.

The rare stone hails from  Petra Diamonds’ Cullinan mine in South Africa, a site which has yielded many of the world’s largest and most magnificent diamonds, and is recognized as the world’s single most reliable source of blue diamonds.

Among the rarest of all gems, blue diamonds get their unique color from the presence of the element boron during their formation.

The diamond on sale has been certified as internally flawless in clarity with a fancy vivid blue coloration by the Gemological Institute of America, and will be displayed in Hong Kong, Paris, New York and London before traveling to the Magnificent Jewels show in Geneva.

Cocktail Jewelry - Piaget Limelight Paradise

Fancy a spot of Sex on the Beach then? We are referring to the nightclub staple of course, along with other perennial favorites such as the Caipirinha and the Blue Hawaiian. Luxury jeweler and watchmaker Piaget introduces these intoxicating elements in the Limelight Paradise collection. The items seen here were created by the brand to gently tease the senses.

The Caipirinha is a 18-carat white gold ring with 214 brilliant-cut diamonds, one round-cut green tourmaline and one citrine. The Sex On The Beach ring is in the same white gold with the same diamond count but with one round-cut pink tourmaline and one peridot instead. The Blue Hawaiian is a 18-carat white gold ring with 121 brilliant-cut diamonds, with a single cushion-cut blue topaz and white chalcedony with a round yellow sapphire.

Chopard Robbed In Paris By Daring Jewel Thief

Apture™

Jewellery worth more than 6m euros (£5m, $8m) has been stolen from an exclusive Paris store in broad daylight by a lone gunman, police sources say.

Dressed in a suit and fedora, the man entered Chopard on Place Vendome and reportedly made staff hand over 15 pieces of jewellery at gunpoint.

The heist, which took place in mid-afternoon, came after a gang of armed men stole gems worth 85m euros from jewellers Harry Winston in Paris in December.


Place Vendome is an elegant old square known for its luxury hotels, and is also home to numerous jewellery stores as well as the French justice ministry.

Oscar-worthy Jewelry

Jewelry and couture traditionally play important roles on the red carpet at the Academy Awards and it was no different in 2009. Given the uncertainty of current time, there’s a surfeit of vintage material, such as seen on Viola Davis, or in unusual interpretations such as blackened platinum items worn by Diane Lane and Evan Rachel Wood. Nevertheless, a few stars choose classic options from the major brands, including Marissa Tomei (Van Cleef & Arpels), Taraji Henson (Piaget) and Teri Hatcher (Piaget). 

Cullinan Blue Diamond Is Now “Star of Josephine”

The Hong Kong collector who bought Cullinan’s blue diamond has named it the ‘Star of Josephine’, Petra Diamonds said on Tuesday.

The flawless cushion shaped diamond, weighing 7.03 carats was purchased by Hong Kong collector Joseph Lau Luen-Hung on 12 May.

“Mr Lau bought the diamond for HK$74-million (US$9.48-million) and he has already exercised his right to name the diamond, which is now known as ‘Star of Josephine’,” said the company.

The sale on auction at Sotheby’s in Geneva set two world records – the highest price per carat for any gemstone at auction and for a fancy vivid blue diamond at auction.

The diamond was cut from a 26.58 carat rough discovered in 2008 at Petra Diamonds’ historic Cullinan diamond mine in South Africa.

The mine has been the world’s most consistently reliable source of blue diamonds.

De Beers woos safe-haven investors

De Beers has launched a global campaign to convince investors that diamonds are an alternative to gold as a safe-haven investment.

The move is a sign of the pressure on the world’s biggest diamond miner to find new markets following the collapse of traditional sales.

Stephen Lussier, De Beers’ executive director for corporate affairs, told the Financial Times the group had been approached in the past two months by “half-a- dozen” brokers linked to sovereign wealth funds and wealthy individuals.

He refused to identify them but said talks were in early stages.

Rare stones, like that big blue diamond that sold for $9.5 million recently will always find their purchasers.

Big stones, stones of unusual color or clarity, stones with a unique historical provenance, these stones will likely grow in value over time.

These stones are not the norm however and analysts and investors say that the closed nature of the diamond market made them a much less attractive option than gold.

Not all pop divas are blessed to be showered with diamond gifts again and again. But Mariah Carey certainly is one lucky dame as its not the first time that she has received diamond jewelry worth millions as gifts. Following her high-rated performance at the launch of the most expensive luxury hotel Mardan Palace, apart form her soaring charges ($1.5 million), she was also gifted millions more in form of sparkling jewels. She flew high with a huge five-carat diamond ring in the shape of her signature butterfly. And that’s just a part of the big, fat, dazzling gift collection. However its not only diamonds that is showered on her as the singer cum actress also loves to get dusted with 24-karat gold dust.

SoKoBe.com offers the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyroturbillon 1 wristwatch for an exceptional price of $339,995

If you love to collect exquisite timepieces you probably are aware of the Gyroturbillon 1 wristwatch by Jaeger-LeCoultre which has been produced in limited runs of 20 per year since mid-2004. The extravagant watch has 679 parts and is adorned with 117 jewels including a sapphire crystal. The 43 mm platinum case with a transparent case back and a black crocodile leather strap are just some of the amazing features of this watch that boasts of functions like hours, minutes, power reserve, perpetual calendar, date, month, leap year, and a gyroscopic tourbillon. The exclusivity along with its fine features and design make this watch a must have for every watch collector. In case you have failed to get your hands on this timepiece, here is some good news. SoKoBe.com has one for sale and is offering it at an unbeatable price of $339,995! The excellent price point is more than 20 percent off the average price of more than $400,000 for this Swiss-manufactured collector's piece. The online jeweler is promoting this watch as its weekly special and claims that it is one of only 75 Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyroturbillon 1 wristwatches available worldwide.

Boucheron is a French producer of jewelry. Founded by Frédéric Boucheron, the company is over 150 years old and one of the most venerable French jewelers.



The company offers some of the most exclusive jewelry and watches in the industry and is praised for its unique crafting and Art Nouveau style. Along with its jewelry, Boucheron is well known with its fragrances and timepeice distribution.

 In 2000, Gucci Group acquired 100% of Boucheron as well as many other labels. Two years later Boucheron unvealed its new store concepts in Tokyo, Milan, London, San Francisco, and Honolulu.

Italian jeweler Bulgari (often written "BVLGARI") was founded in Rome by Greek emigrant Sotirio Boulgaris in 1884. Once only known for its jewelry, the company today markets a whole line of products, including handbags, fragrances and wristwatches. The name "Bulgari" is an adaptation of the founder's last name.

There are more than 150 Bulgari retail locations worldwide. Bulgari's New York outlet is located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The Bulgari family also owns the luxurious Bulgari Hotel in Milan.



Today, Boulgaris's grandsons Paolo and Nicola Bulgari are chairman and vice-chairman of the company, respectively. The Bulgaris' nephew Francesco Trapani has been CEO of Bulgari since 1984.

Trapani's goal to diversify the company was first acted upon in the early 1990s, with the release of the Bulgari perfume line. Bulgari grew in popularity as it offered more products, and the company was listed on the Milan stock exchange in 1995.

The company has seen 150 percent revenue growth between 1997 and 2003. Outside investors hold 45 percent of Bulgari's stock.

Popular among millionaires and celebrities, Bulgari jewels often fetch tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At number 12, one of the 18th century's most famous private homes, the Baudard de Saint-James mansion owes its names to the treasurer of Louis XVI's Navy. It is within these walls, echoing with history, that Chaumet set up his shop. Napoleon III met his future wife, Eugénie de Montijo, there. And in 1847, the composer Chopin died in one of the upstairs salons. In these rooms, with their ornately decorated, wood-embellished ceilings, Chaumet houses a charming museum bearing witness to the creativity of this jeweler, which boasts a royal clientele. In the 20s, its specialties were aigrettes, the jeweled decorations that the belles of the époque's balls placed in their hair, and above all, tiaras. Today, Chaumet offers more contemporary creations, and recently brought out two fresh and elegant perfumes -one for men and one for women- whose image is less elitist but as refined as ever.

The House of Graff is synonymous with the most fabulous jewels in the world. The name symbolises rarity, beauty, excellence and, above all, the best quality, craftsmanship and diamonds. A diamond company extraordinaire, Graff produces polished diamonds from the rough sourced from mines around the world, making it one of the world's leading diamond companies. Tens of thousands of carats of rough diamonds are cut and polished by a team of over 300 in Graff's diamond cutting facility based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Each jewel is unique, from the perfectly cut diamond to the magnificent hand finished piece.

     

A cohort of stars, including Marlene Dietrich, the Blue Angel, soon fell under the spell of its unique creations A perfume with seductive oriental notes, named in her honor and launched a year ago, is presented in an iridescent-glass bottle shaped like a spinning top. The crowning touch? The fragrance's violent tint has turned into the jeweler's signature color.

  
Over a century has passed since Mikimoto succeeded in pearl culturing for the first time in history. Since that day, Mikimoto has continued to make history, creating is hown distinctive style.