Greetings, everyone. The results from Phillips Geneva Great Jewels auction are in and so many of you were intrigued by that 18-carat ruby, I decided to follow up.  The ruby was the top seller at $5.4 million or $300,000 a carat.

Next up was a 20.49 carat emerald which sold for $1.5 million, about $500,000 more than its top estimate.

Third, the “Red Miracle,” ring holding a gorgeous fancy-red 1.21 carat diamond sold for $1.1 million, which was well over the top estimate of $800,000.

Keeping it global…  more soon.

Diana

I hope this finds you well. On a recent to New York, my dear Mother gave me a collection of my Father’s tie tacks. I remember him wearing these when he dressed up in suit and tie and I was always curious to see what motif he would choose for the evening. There are about a dozen of these, including his fraternity pin, which is not a tie tack but still a little treasure. 

When I work with clients on heirloom projects, we spend a lot of time talking about the original wearer and your memories of that person wearing the piece. That gets folded into whatever we decide to do with the piece, whether it’s reusing the stones, the setting, or both. Maybe we just resize a ring, maybe we set a new stone in that ring, or maybe we turn a pin into a pendant. If the piece is rare or no longer manufactured by a famous maker, we definitely don’t melt it for the gold content. 

I love doing this for so many reasons and it is an honor to help you carry your loving memories into the present by creating something you will wear and pass down to your heirs. 

Bring it in! If you’ve got something to revive, bring it over and let’s recycle it into something that will see the light of day.

Warm regards from the studio,
Diana

The lucky November babies have warm autumnal-colored birthstones in the form of citrine and topaz. 

Citrine, a quartz gem, comes to market in a range of golden honey yellows to a rich, maple-syrup hue. Citrine has been used in jewelry for thousands of years and was believed to quiet a temper and bring calm to the wearer.  Ancient Greeks and Romans believed citrine could manifest desires, so the gem was kept as a talisman, carved into small statues, and worn assiduously. 

Citrine’s close cousin is the amethyst, the rich purple quartz that is such a beloved jewelry gem. In fact, most citrine now on the market is heated amethyst, although the two colors can appear side by side in nature. One cool gem I when I find a good one, is ametrine, a mixture of the amethyst purple and citrine’s golden yellow. So, citrine and amethyst are both, quartz, but different colors.

Image courtesy KC Colored Gems

Ametrine pendant by Diana Widman

Topaz Birthstone Meaning & History

According to my research at GIA, “The variety of topaz hues includes colorless, light blue, yellow, orange, pink, violet, brown and, very rarely, red.”  Citrine and topaz are two separate species. 

“Most blue topaz seen today is the permanent result of treating colorless topaz with irradiation and heating.  Blue topaz is very popular, offering bright, dramatic pops of the world’s favorite color for a reasonable price. 

This November birthstone was long thought to have many benefits, almost a multipurpose gem.  The ancient Greeks believed that topaz gave them strength. From the 1300s to the 1600s, Europeans thought it could thwart magic spells and dispel anger. “For centuries, many people in India have believed that topaz worn above the heart assures long life, beauty and intelligence,” according to GIA.  This gemstone was also thought to cure insomnia, warn someone of poisoned food and drink, and provide clear thinking. I guess everyone needs a topaz in their stash!

This brooch holds both Imperial topaz and light citrine.
From the Jewellery Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Topaz naturally appears in golden shades (sometimes confused with citrine,) clear white, pale pink and the most coveted orange-pink color, which the trade calls “Imperial topaz.”  Imperial can also be pink to purple and sometimes, red.  The Imperial designation has different stories of royal attachment to this stone, so I’ll leave that topic alone.

You might also hear the term “Precious” topaz, which refers to yellow-orange hues.

This comes under the heading “because I had to share…”  Something we mortals never see and I’ve always wondered if it existed.  On November 11, 2024, Phillips Auction House will hold its Jewels Auction” of this 18-carat Burma ruby.  For comparison, fine rubies are almost never available over 5 carats, and this one, weighing 18 carats is “a natural wonder,” according to Phillips. This ruby has “exceptional clarity” and a deeply saturated red hue. The stone is unheated, which means it emerged from the ground like this. Natural wonder, for sure!  

I’ve written many times about Burmese stones and their standard-setting colors in both blue and red. This one thrills my gem-geek bones to the marrow.  Estimates range to about $5.5 million but, hopefully, it will go for more than that. 

There are other gorgeous stones in this auction, too, including a 3.24 blue diamond with pre-auction sales estimates of $4.8 million to $6 million. 

A 1.21 red diamond named the “Red Miracle” from a private collection is expected to fetch around $800,000.

Check back here for the auction results. I’ll be waiting.

Best wishes from your happy gem designer.

Diana

We all work so hard giving time and energy to the things that matter most—our family well-being, people in desperate need from afar, our close communities, and our chosen careers, some of which intersect with the above categories. I’m preparing my latest “Who are You?” client newsletter so you’ll get the annual profile of what my wonderful clients do to make this world a better place. 

I’m here to remind you that I have small and large treasures to brighten your self-expression and complement your most cherished colors. Shown here, some of my stash that is available.  Some pieces in these photos are sold but others remain and are looking for their forever homes. 

Give a call and let’s take care of YOU.

Always my best,
Diana

Greetings!  I love to offer creative jewelry solutions and here is one I found this summer.  The charm shown here is one I made after my granddaughter drew a tiny picture for me that just went straight to the heart. I was worried that I’d lose the original and found a charm company that uses a new technology to transfer an image of your choosing to a small, painted silver or gold charm that won’t get lost or rumpled in the ravages of time and full desks.

You can put travel images on charms, photographs of loved ones, including pets, and pretty much any 2-d image you want.   Below are a couple of examples of travel photos I took and how they would look on a charm. I’m imagining a necklace full of beloved pets, grandchildren, places. Or one special face to wear at all times.  Anyway, you get the picture…

The price of a 14KT yellow gold charm is $450 and the price of a silver charm with your image on it is $35.00.   

Call or write with questions… This is going to be fun!

Love from the Studio,
Diana

By now, you all know I love finding parallels between ancient design motifs and our modern sensibilities. Today’s chapter involves the excavation of a child’s gold and garnet ring dating back 2300 years ago at the City of David near Jerusalem’s Western Wall.

According to a group called Israel 21C, “The ring, set with a red gemstone — probably a garnet — was made by hammering thin pre-cut gold leaves onto a metal ring base and reflects the fashion during the Persian and early Hellenistic periods (from the late 4th to early 3rd century BCE) for gold with set stones, rather than decorated gold.” Archaeologists at the site believe that this finding along with a gold earring and a gold bead, tell the story of the early Hellenistic period in Jerusalem (332 – 167 BCE) where society was prosperous enough to think about making jewelry for children. Alexander the Great conquered Jerusalem in 332 BCE and so began the period of Hellenistic Judaism… But I digress.

“The character of the buildings — and now of course, the gold finds and other discoveries — display the city’s healthy economy and even its elite status. It certainly seems that the city’s residents were open to the widespread Hellenistic style and influences prevalent also in the eastern Mediterranean Basin,” notes Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Archaeology.

Here's to heirlooms!

Love and appreciation from the studio,

Diana

Dear Clients,

Sometimes, I love to share global jewelry news because it takes us from the quotidian into the stratosphere of gem rarity. You know I’m a gem geek, so here goes.

According to an industry publication “At Phillips’ recent Geneva auction, a fancy red diamond set a world record while a 6-carat fancy vivid pink diamond brought in over $10 million.The “Argyle Phoenix” sold to Laurence Graff, founder of Graff Diamonds, for more than double its estimate, going for CHF 3.8 million ($4.2 million, or $2.7 million per carat).”

The Phoenix weighs 1.56 carats and comes from the now-closed Argyll Mine in Australia. The Argyll was home to most of the world’s colored diamonds and last year, it was closed.  Red diamonds are in the top .001 for rarity, along with orange and pink. I have never seen such a vivid red diamond so, of course, I wanted to share it with you. Phillips said the stone set two auction records for a fancy red diamond, one for price and one for price per carat.

The pink one shown here is also exceptional because it weighs 6.21 carats (!), has VS clarity (almost unheard of for a colored diamond) and is a vivid pink, unlike many pinks which are paler and can have a brownish hue. This big girl sold for $11.9 million  ($1.9 million per carat.)

Stay well.

Diana