Posts Tagged ‘blue diamond’

It is worthwhile visiting the Smithsonian's museum of Natural History in Washington DC these days, the exhibit of the biggest Flawless deep blue diamond of 31.06 carat, the Wittelsbach Graff, was extended until first of Sept 2010. It is displayed in

a ring at the Harry Winston Gallery next door to the world famous Hope diamond that is in the Hall of Geology, Gems & Minerals.

The Wittelbach diamond via Wikipedia

The amazing Wittelbach diamond was first publicly shown in 1722 at the marriage of Maria Amalia to Charles of Bavaria (one of the Wittelsbach family) in Munich. It was first mounted on the Bavarian's chain of the Golden Fleece Order in 1745. When Maximilian Josef of Wittelbach became the first king of Bavaria in 1806 he set the family famous blue 35.56 carat

s diamond in the Bavarian Royal Crown.

Maximilian of Bavaria

Later it was seen in 1921 at the funeral of Ludwig the 3rd, the last king of Bavaria. In 1931 the Wittelbach family tried to sell the diamond with no luck. They sold it finally in 1951 and it was exhibited at the World Trade show, Expo, that took place in Brussels, Belgium in 1958.It was in private collection until 1964 thereafter it was given as an Engagement Wedding present by Helmut Horten to his beloved Heidi (known today as the worlds 3rd richest billionaire woman).

Heidi Horten via picturedesk.com

In the end of 2008 the 35.56 Wittelbach was sold to the famous jeweler Lawrence Graff for no less than 16.4 million UK Pounds. It was the highest price ever that was paid for a diamond at an auction. He then re cut it to enhance the color and clarity of the gem. It ended up losing 4.45 carats to be the famous Wittelbach Graff 31.06 carats.

Golden Eye
The Golden Eye diamond is a 43.5 carat Canary yellow diamond, claimed to be the world's l

argest and perfect cut. Along with Its size it considered to be a very rare gem.
History: This big yellow wonder somehow got related with some drug dealing and money laundering in Ohio and it now belongs to government and being auctioned around $20 million.

(pic via goldeneyediamond.com)

Spirit of de Grisogono
The Spirit of de Grisogono is the world's largest cut black diamond as well as the world's fifth largest diamond of any kind. It weighs 312.24 carats and was 587 before it was cut and set in a ring.
History: This breath taking black diamond was born in Africa and was taken by swiss jeweler, De Grisogono, who cut it and set it in a white gold ring with 702 other small white

diamonds.

(pic via www.sybarites.org)

Eugenie blue
This blue heart shaped diamond is one of the most famous diamonds in the world and it's now presented at the Smithsonian museum. It weighs 30.82 metric carats and is of a rare deep blue color.
History: This rare gem was bought In 1910 by Cartier and later on was purchased by Van Cleef and Arpels. In 1959 it was Harry Winston that acquired the diamond. He sold it five years later to a European family and the Blue diamond was finally donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

To be continued…

» Paris Haute Couture Fall/Winter – Jewelry on the runway

Despite the recession, diamond sales continue to perform well. When comparing sales figures for In recent months both Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses have suffered badly due to the recession. However they both have recently confirmed that one sector that both see positive positive sales figures are diamonds sales.

According to the New York Times article, David Bennet, chairman of Sotheby’s jewelry departments in Europe and the Middle East, is quoted at recent auctions “it felt like being back in the good old days of the mid-1990s.”

In recent auction lots, the “Star of Josephine,” a vivid blue colored diamond, with a weight of 7.03 carats., sold for $9.48 million equivalent to just over $1.34 million a carat, making it the most expensive gem per carat ever sold in any auction. At a similar period in an auction in Geneva, a rare pink pear diamond weighing almost 5.29 carats, sold for over $2.04 million, or $385,633 per carat.

Also selling well were jewelry pieces that were either already collectible, or interpreted by the market as being collectible.

Tiaras necklaces and earrings all with documented ownership by European royalty at times almost quadrupled their estimates. For example, a pair of ear clips described as “the property of a German Princely and Liechtenstein Ruling Family,” did just that when it just barely missed sold for $420,000.

Because of the desire for collectible pieces, 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s stamped and marked pieces by famous designers are also doing well. A mystery set by Van Cleef & Arpels designed in the form of two intertwined leaves set with sapphires and diamonds hauled in $112,845, well over the expected price.