Aquamarine: Classic Beauty

With its “sea blue” color, large size and often flawless interior the aquamarine has been treasured by jewelry designers throughout the 20^th Century. The aquamarine is found in a range of beautiful pale blues to a strong greenish-blue, hence its name. It is in the beryl family, which is the same family as the emerald, but aquamarines are generally free of eye visible inclusions and and it is not uncommon to find them in sizes of 10 carats or larger. It has a relatively good hardness for jewelry of 7.5 to 8 on the Moh’s scale for hardness, the diamond scores a 10.

Old tradition promises the wearer of aquamarine joy and wealth. Whether you believe this to be true or not it is a joy to wear such a beautiful stone: perhaps framed by diamonds in an Edwardian brooch, featured in a Retro rose gold cocktail ring, or set in a contemporary necklace by Faraone Mennella with alternating pink tourmalines with diamond accents.

Aquamarine is the birthstone for the month of March.

Recommended Jewelry Reading

Whether you are building your own jewelry library, or looking for a perfect gift for yourself or another jewelry enthusiast, I have a few suggestions of titles that would sparkle in any collection.

Bulgari From 1884 to 2009: 125 Years of Italian Jewels, by Amanda Triossi. An elegant book featuring over 300 color photographs of Bulgari jewelry. It is written by the curator of the Bulgari vintage collection, who is also author of several other well-known jewelry books and is a jewelry expert at Sotheby’s London.

Amazing Cartier: Jewelry Design Since 1937, by Nadine Coleno. With a focus on trend setting creations, this book features over 100 pieces of Cartier jewelry, archival drawings, and society photographs. The author is a well-known fashion writer, and has also written several other books.

Read My Pins: Stories From A Diplomat’s Jewel Box, by Madeleine Albright. The book features the brooch collection of the U.S. Secretary of State, both costume and fine, and accompanied an exhibit by the same name at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York. The book tells of international diplomacy and how the brooches were “tools” in many of the talks.

Brooches: Timeless Adornment, by Lori Ettlinger Gross. A beautiful addition to any jewelry book library.

Scottish Jewellry: A Victorian Passion, by Diana Scarisbrick. The author is a well-know jewelry historian, curator and author of several other jewelry books. If the subject is of interest, the book is sure to delight.

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels

On December 9^th Sotheby’s will hold a jewelry auction in their Manhattan showroom. The sale contains a collection of magnificent jewelery spanning over a hundred years of jewelry history and several loose stones that are poised to sell at new record prices, including a 30.48ct D, Flawless, oval brilliant cut diamond.

The sale includes some museum quality pieces, both in rarity and beauty. Lot 88 is a pearl, diamonds, enamel and glass brooch by Rene Lalique, circa 1900. The piece features three pinkish-orange glass roses in a cluster framed in red enamel branches, diamond-set branches and button pearls. The shape is very organic and represents nature in all of its splendor and perils, beware of the thorns. The sale also includes a rare and important Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond and emeralds ring (lot 222), by Louis Comfort Tiffany, circa 1910-1915. The full page catalog description of the ring was written by Janet Zapata, renowned jewelry historian and author of many books including The Jewelry and Enamels of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

The sale would not be complete without some stunning pieces by Cartier, the famed French jewelry house that is celebrating its 100^th anniversary in the United States. Finally, offered for sale is a collection of jewelry and fabulous Cartier handbags from the late Brazilian model and philanthropist, Lucia Moreira Salles, which includes the three rings shown here designed by JAR.

Sotheby’s website is also quite spectacular and easy to navigate. It hosts a new e-catalog where each lot is photographed and can be examined up close, with a condition report available at a click of the mouse. I looked at the online catalog before I had the book and found it more captivating. The photographs are the same color and quality as the catalog, but the e-catalog features each lot separately, so no jewel is overshadowed by another that it might share a page with in the catalog. The public exhibition will be held in New York the week prior to the sale.

32 Carat Diamond Sells for Record Price at Christie’s

October 21st, at Christie’s in New York, an anonymous buyer paid $7.7 million for a ring set with a 32.01carat square emerald-cut D flawless diamond, which had belonged to the late Mrs. Leonore Annenberg. The mounting was designed by David Webb and was composed of two pear-shaped diamonds weighing 1.61ct and 1.50ct.

The diamond itself is spectacular: very large and perfect by most standards. The diamond also had a provenance, a history of ownership, which is impressive. The diamond had been owned by the philanthropist Leonore “Lee” Annenberg, purchased on the occasion of her 90^th birthday. While the name is familiar to most of us, the true depth of the generosity of the late Honorable and Mrs. Walter H. Annenberg is astounding. The Annenberg Foundation has donated an estimated $4.2 billion dollars to cultural, educational and medical institutions. Among these gifts was a $500 million donation to public education, one of the largest gifts in philanthropic history. In 2002, upon Ambassador Annenberg’s death, the couple’s collection of Impressionist art, valued at $1 billion, was given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

It appears that in this tough economic climate there is still a market for rare, collectible gemstones. This year has seen several record setting sales, including the previous record for a 30 carat D flawless diamond, which was set this year in Geneva in May; and a 7.03ct rare blue diamond which sold at Sotheby’s for $9.5 million.

Victorian Style Today

The reign of Queen Victoria lasted from 1837 to 1901; and various styles are associated with the long reign of Queen Victoria. Parurers, or matching suites of jewelry, remained a constant throughout the period, although later giving way to smaller demi-parurers. These often contained a necklace, drop earrings, brooch and a bracelet or two. Victoria’s reign can be divided in to early, mid, and late for fashion influences in jewelry.

Early Victorian jewelry can be referred to as the Romantic period. Throughout this period the jewelry was primarily composed of yellow gold, hardstones and semi-precious gemstones. Coral, cameos, turquoise, seed pearls and garnets are prevalent in the early Victorian period.

The mid-Victorian period is marked by the death of Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert; in 1861 a twenty-year period of mourning jewelry was begun. During this period black material such as jet, gutta percha and black enamel were greatly used in jewelry. Pietra dura and micro mosaics were very popular. Various motifs of applied gold embellishments on jewelry were influenced by different revivals, including Etruscan, Egyptian and Renaissance.

In late Victorian jewelry we begin to see the introduction of white metal, initially silver topped gold and later platinum. Jewelry is set with diamonds and lighter colored stones in general including moonstones and sapphires. Designs become lighter and more delicate. Finally in 1896, we see the addition of beautiful, delicate enamel pieces to commemorate the Jubilee of Victoria’s Coronation.

Bangle and cuff bracelets were as popular with the Victorians as they are today.  Mid-Victorian, predominately yellow gold, bracelets were often sold in pairs; and can still be found in the estate market. Wearing Victorian jewelry today is fun, and believe it or not…fashion forward.

Opals: Beauty and Mystery

Opals are one of the most incredibly beautiful gemstones, and the one most surrounded by myth and misunderstanding.

Opal is a mineral species which displays a phenomena known as “play of color”. This means that the stone can display different hues, or flashes of hues in just about any color, depending on the viewpoint, orientation or lighting conditions. The play of color only appears to change. This pattern of colors and vibrancy are one of the major determining factors of value.

Perhaps the biggest myth about the opal is that it is somehow bad luck. Since the beginning of civilization the opal has been highly regarded, often seen as a symbol of strength. One story I came across, which I think is lovely, is one told by Australian Aborigines of the Creator traveling via rainbow to spread the message of peace on earth, with each step the stones underfoot turned to rainbows – opals. The modern myth of bad luck is widely attributed to a mid-19^th Century novel by Sir Walter Scott titled “Anne of Geierstein”. In the novel he used an opal to reflect the changing fortunes of the heroine, and the myth was born.

Opals do require some special care. Opals are soft stones, they score only a 5- 6.5 on the Moh’s Scale of Hardness (remember diamond is a 10). Never put an opal in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner, sudden changes in temperature can cause the stone to crack or craze. But opal is not a mood stone, your temperature can not change the color of the stone. So, if you are lucky enough to own an opal bring it out of the jewelry box!

Opal is the birth stone for the month of October.

Tiaras Will Be Worn

At least they used to be, and what fun it must have been. While the idea of wearing a tiara, at least to me, is glamorous and exciting; the history of the tiara is long and emblematic.

In antiquity the tiara was a symbol of respect, adorning the mummies of royalty. The Greeks used them to adorn the heads of divine statues and priests. Tiaras were regarded as a symbol of honor, and because of their divine association, were awarded to victors of state contests. It was the Romans, men and women, who wore the tiara to indicate social position, as well as rank and honor.

Jumping ahead about 2000 years of tiara wearing to modern history, the Edwardians, in my opinion, wore the tiara best. From the turn of the 20^th century until the outbreak of the First World War, tiaras were worn for all sorts of occasions where they were previously not seen. The fashionable Pompadour hairstyle easily accommodated a tiara and many women were having their family jewelry re-set into tiaras. The light, open platinum mountings were set with diamonds in delicate yet dramatic designs predominantly of the “garland style” which was so popular. French jewelry maker’s had a tremendous impact on this style. Chaumet’s salon in Paris at that time had a display wall of tiaras that looked strikingly like a display of jeans that one might see at the Gap today; a tiara for every body type and occasion. While I hold out no hope of bringing the tiara back, one might remember to add an extra piece of jewelry or change your stainless steel watch for Grandma’s diamond watch the next time you head out for the evening.

The Jewelry of Raymond Yard

The jewels of Raymond Yard are simply exquisite.  They can be viewed in fantastic number, color and splendor in Yard: The Life and Magnificent Jewelry of Raymond C. Yard, by Natasha Kuzmaovic, The  Vendome Press. The book is not new to the market, published in 2007, but it is new to me and I would like to tell you it is sure to delight and educate all.
Kuzmanovic tells the tale of Raymond Yard, the man and the enterprise in four sections dividing the story of Raymond Yard, his firm, his clients and his style. Mr. Yard’s personal story, which has an almost fairy tale like quality, begins after the unexpected death of his father in 1898, the very young Raymond Yard began his career in the jewelry industry at the esteemed American jeweler Marcus and Company…as the door boy.  He worked his way through the company developing a keen eye and a loyal customer following.  With the encouragement of some of his most influential clients, Raymond Yard opened his own shop in 1922.  Mr. Yard’s clients and business associates read like the who’s who of 20th century America. Kuzmanovic demonstrates in word and careful selection of accompanying photographs the attention to detail, fashion and taste of the firm and its clientele. Throughout the style changes of the 20th century: Art Deco, the war years, post war years, the 60s and onward, Raymond Yard produced exquisite jewelry. The choice of stones and workmanship was always top notch, which is even evident through the photographs in the book. The pieces are not totally without whimsy, there is a chapter of the book dedicated to figural pins: rabbits as waiters, mice and houses.
The book closes with an afterword by Robert M. Gibson, who became President of the firm in 1989. Mr. Gibson’s father worked for Mr. Yard and took over the firm along with two other employees upon his retirement.  Raymond Yard continues to produce jewelry, drawing inspiration from its magnificent jewels of the past and maintaining the firm’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship. A very interesting and beautiful book.

Rubies: The Color of July

Ruby is the birth stone for the month of July.  This month when we think of red we recall boiled lobsters, strawberries and the Red Sox! Red is, however, a very emotionally charged color. It is the color of fire, but also of love and passion. Rubies have every bit of the allure as the color they bear.

Rubies are a variety of the corundum species, the same as sapphire, so they are relatively durable, scoring a 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness (diamond scores a 10). Rubies are red, ranging in color from an orangy-red to a purplish-red. The very finest rubies come from Burma. In September of 2008 the US government placed an embargo on these stones.  These are the stones that earned the now outdated, but descriptive, term “Pigeon Blood Red”. Rubies are also found in Thailand, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and parts of Africa.

Throughout history Kings, Queens and even the King of Diamonds, Harry Winston, have sought to assemble and exhibit the finest color rubies. Red has long symbolized courage, which is why it is present in many national flags; and energy, which are the pure emotions drawn from the color itself. Red jewelry is very vibrant and attracts attention. Rubies “pop” right out of a piece when put next to diamonds.

Happy 4th of July!

Diamonds by the Yard

Diamond-set chains have been popular throughout jewelry history. Examples from the Edwardian Period, early 20th Century, can still be readily found.   It was not until 1974, when the Italian designer Elsa Peretti joined Tiffany & Co. that they became known as “Diamonds By the Yard”.  This name is a wonderful play of words equating diamonds with other common apparel components that are sold by the yard. Peretti’s necklaces are designed as a neck chain, often a cable link, accented with bezel-set round brilliant cut diamonds at measured distances.  This style of chain can make a simple elegant statement or a Wow! with ribbons of never ending diamonds.

Diamonds-by-the-yard-style necklaces come in many variations of size and number of diamonds. The number of diamonds is generally an odd number, beginning with one very small round brilliant cut diamond to the limit of your imagination. These necklaces are elegant, yet casual enough for everyday, but take on a whole new look when worn in a dramatic rope length chain that can be worn long or wrapped around the nape of the neck or a combination of the two lengths. This style looks great with the tunic tops and dresses that are so popular this Summer.

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