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There is a diamond snowball effect occurring in the jewelry auction market this season. There are five, big fancy colored or white diamonds going on the block this fall. We are going to look at two. Christie's is offering "The Orange" (see below) on November 12th, in Geneva and Sotheby's is offering the remaining four diamonds. Two went on the block this past Monday, October 7th, in Hong Kong. One was the 118 carat, D, Flawless,Type IIa* oval diamond and the other was the 7.59 carat round brilliant fancy vivid blue diamond. The 118 carat diamond which was the size of an egg, went for $30.6 million and set a world record. The fancy blue diamond did not sell as it failed to meet it's reserve.
The remaining two diamonds will be up for sale in Sotheby's monumental Magnificent Jewels sale also in Geneva on November 13th. The 59.60 carat, oval shaped "Pink Star" diamond is expected to shatter all kinds of records. Last but not least, Sotheby's just announced that it will also offer the historic and iconic, "Walska Briolette Diamond" Brooch, created by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1971, at the same Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva this November. We will talk about the "Walska Briolette Diamond" Brooch in another blog.
These tremendous diamonds being offered at auction suggest an enormous strength in the market for large white and colored diamonds.
The diamond know simply as "The Orange" will be on the block at Christie's, in Geneva on November 12th, with buyers expected to pay as much as $20 million for the stone.
According to the Gemological Institute of America, strongly colored diamonds in the orange hue range are rarely bigger than three or four carats once polished.
"The Orange" is more than four times that size and is more than twice the size of the very few fancy vivid orange diamonds ever sold at auction, the largest of which was smaller than 6 carats. Known as "The Pumpkin Diamond," it weighed 5.54 carats and sold for $1.3 million at Sotheby's in 1997.
"The Orange," the largest fancy vivid orange diamond in the world is VS1 in clarity and weighs 14.82 carats, photo courtesy of Christie's.
Sotheby's is offering the 59.60 carat, oval shaped "Pink Star" diamond at its Magnificent Jewels sale in November. Estimated to fetch in excess of $60 million, the "Pink Star" is the largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of American (GIA). This historic stone joins the rare subgroup of Type IIa* diamonds, which comprise less than 2% of all gem diamonds.
The "Pink Star" a 59.60 carat, oval cut, internally flawless, Type IIa, fancy vivid pink diamond. Photo courtesy of Sotheby's
A model shows off the diamond during a press preview on September 25, 2013. AFP PHOTO/FABRICE COFFFRINI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The finished stone, at 59.60 carats, was whittled down from the 132.5 carat rough diamond mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999. Two years of meticulous cutting and polishing by Steinmetz Diamonds has produced a stunning stone ripe for the record books. Like other great pink diamonds in history, such as the "Hortense", the "Darya-iNur" and the "Agra", the "Pink Star" has certainly earned its spot among the world's rarest and most celebrated pink diamonds.
Commenting on the forthcoming sale of the "Pink Star", David Bennett, Chairman of Sotheby's Jewelry Division in Europe and the Middle East and Chairman of Sotheby's Switzerland said: "I have had the privilege of examining some of the greatest gemstones in the world over the past 35 years, and I can say without hesitation, that the "Pink Star" diamond is of immense importance".
*Type IIa diamonds contain so little nitrogen that it is not readily detected using infrared or ultraviolet absorption methods. Type IIa diamonds make up 1-2% of all natural diamonds (1.8% of gem diamonds). These diamonds are almost or entirely devoid of impurities and consequently are usually colorless and have the highest thermal conductivity. They are very transparent in ultraviolet, down to 230 nm. Occasionally, while Type IIa diamonds are being extruded towards the surface of the earth, the pressure and tension can cause structural anomalies arising through plastic deformation during the growth of the tetrahedral crystal structure, leading to imperfections. These imperfections can confer a yellow, brown, orange, pink, red or purple color to the gem. Type IIa diamonds constitute a great percentage of Australian production. Many large famous diamonds such as the "Cullinan" and the "Koh-i-noor", are Type IIa.
I love diamonds!
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Mrs. Jones
Well, sorry I missed a week. A variety of things happened....a friend of mine had surgery for a brain tumor and then I came down with a nasty virus and ten days later I am finally getting back on my feet. By the way, my friend is doing really, really well.
As you know, jewelry and fashion go hand in hand. While I was recuperating I had a chance to catch up on my fashion reading. So. Much. Fun. This will be the first of a series on fashion and jewelry. Let's dish!
Purple is the IT color of luxury and passion, of princely robes and papal vestments, dazzling gems and florid prose. And now it is one of the reigning colors of the season.
Moving from the runway to the jewel box, here are some beautiful dresses and amethyst and purple hued gemstones to kick off the fall season.
From L-R: Fall 2013 looks from the collections of Elie Saab, Zac Posen Carolina Herrera and Anna Sui. Photos courtesy of WWD
Versace, fall 2013. Photo courtesy of GoRunway
Amethyst Buccellati earrings. Photo courtesy of Buccellati, Town & Country Magazine
Roksanda Ilincic, fall 2013. Photo courtesy of GoRunway.
Bulgari diva pearl and rubellite earrings. Photo courtesy of Bulgari
Hemmerle amethyst and garnet earrings. Photo courtesy of Hemmerle, W Magazine
Amethyst, diamond, silver and 18 karat gold ear pendants by Taffin. Photo courtesy of Taffin by James de Givenchy
Alberta Ferretti, fall 2013. Photo courtesy GoRunway.
Wendy Brandes amethyst and tsavorite Marie Antoinette earrings. Photo courtesy of Wendy Brandes
Sorab & Roshi amethyst and green aventurine leaf earrings. Photo courtesy of Sorab & Roshi, 1stdibs.
Martin Katz amethyst and diamond grape earring. Photo courtesy of Martin Katz.
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Mrs. Jones
By Cathleen McCarthy, The Jewelry Loupe
This simple brooch of twisted brass wire is expected to sell for as much as $30,000 today, September 10, 2013. Why? Because it was made by Alexander Calder, one of the most famous American artists of the 20th century, and the only one who produced a significant body of jewelry by his own hand. As Calder once put it: “I think best in wire.” This is what he was thinking in 1939:
Brass pin designed and made by Alexander Calder, 1939, estimate $20,000-$30,000,at Skinner, Boston, September 10, 2013.
The pin going on the block at Skinner Boston’s fine jewelry sale was commissioned by Henry Sayles Francis, curator of prints and paintings at the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1930-1970, for his wife, Frances. (Yes, she became Frances Francis when she married(!). A letter from Calder, dated December 18, 1939, comes with it.
Peggy Guggenheim wearing mobile earrings by Alexander Calder (courtesy private collection)
Like other artists, Calder’s jewelry reflects motifs found in his larger works, including the iconic mobiles, a pair of which Peggy Guggenheim famously wore dangling from her earlobes. She was neither the first nor the last patron of artist-made jewelry to don a Calder. Last year, I caught Helen Drutt sporting one of his brass spiral necklaces.
But, unlike other 20th century artists who dabbled in jewelry – such as Picasso, Max Ernst, Georges Braque, Man Ray and Salvador Dalí - Calder never handed his designs over to a goldsmith. He hammered and twisted each piece by hand, often creating the entire thing from a single strand of wire, connecting parts with rivets instead of solder, or wire-wrapping the stem, as with the pin selling this week.
Calder brass pin back (photo courtesy Skinner)
“To me, Calder is the ultimate because he was the only one of all the famous artists who actually made the pieces from design to fabrication—pin stems, closures, everything,” says Gloria Leiberman, who has sold many pieces of Calder jewelry at Skinner in Boston. “He did a lot of texturing and his closures are all one piece—no solder in Calder’s work.”
The Calder Foundation estimates that the artist produced some 1,800 pieces of jewelry in his lifetime and, as I’ve written about Calder’s jewelry in the past, quite a few have passed through Skinner. This, however, is the first piece of Calder jewelry that’s appeared there since 2007, when this brass ring sold there for $14,100.
Brass ring made by Alexander Calder, c. 1940, from a single strand of coiled wire forming the initials LR, sold for $14,100 at Skinner, Boston, in 2007 (photo courtesy Skinner)
This ring sold a year before the exhibition Calder Jewelry appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with accompanying catalog, one of the best books on artist-made jewelry ever produced. That exhibition brought a lot of attention to Calder’s then little-known sideline as jewelry maker. But Skinner has plenty of precedent for estimating a Calder brooch at $20,000-30,000. The brooches pictured below, measuring more than four inches across, all sold for more than $20,000 and one nearly hit $40,000.
In his lean, early days, Calder would send crates of his jewelry to Manhattan gallerist Marion Willard to distribute to society ladies who would hold parties to sell the jewelry for $5 to $25. Making jewelry was a way for him to work out ideas for his sculpture and support his family.
“When he started, he wasn’t all that well-known and needed a bit of cash,” says Jane Adlin, curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art who helped organize Calder Jewelry. “The jewelry seemed to sell.”
But, as much as he (and his family) needed the cash, Calder had his limits. Willard once tried to convince Calder to let her mass-produce some of his jewelry but Calder turned her down.
“I really don’t like the idea of having things duplicated and made up by other people,” he wrote to Willard, “as then one will never know whether he has a thing I have made (myself) or a thing made by someone else.”
You can see the spiral and other motifs Calder was exploring in his jewelry in his prints and sketches, like the gouache (pictured right) produced in Japanese scroll form, selling at Skinner on September 20 for an estimated $30,000 to $50,000.
Other Calder jewelry sold over the years at Skinner:
Silver brooch by Alexander Calder, c. 1942, sold at Skinner in May 2005 for $23,500 (courtesy Skinner)
“Fish,” silver brooch made by Alexander Calder, c. 1947, from a single strand of planished wire, sold at Skinner in June 2005 for $36,425 (courtesy Skinner)
Silver brooch made by Alexander Calder, c. 1942, from a single strand of silver wire planished into spiral and scroll motifs, sold at Skinner in December 2004 for $38,775
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Mrs. Jones
I have a new mantra for life, FIND A WAY. I have been thinking a lot about Diana Nyad since she accomplished her life long dream of swimming from Cuba to the Florida Keys this past weekend. This got me to thinking, how much do we want something? How easily do we give up? If you have children you know that you always tell them that they can do anything they want, achieve anything that they want if they are just willing to go for it, work for it. How often do we all give up on our dreams because we just did not put enough effort into achieving our dream? We try once, maybe twice and then give up and move on. We may keep it on our wish list but rarely do anything to move it onto the "to do" list. I believe Diana herself called the swim "her extreme dream".
Diana said her mantra for this swim, her fifth and final attempt, was to FIND A WAY. No matter what came at her, she just kept repeating "FIND A WAY".
Nyad has been chasing this dream since she was thirty years old. She has made four previous attempts.
One of the online quotes that I read about her said it best, it said, "she freaking made it". I just love that quote, she freaking sure did.
Diana Nyad’s record and groundbreaking swim this past weekend is the kind of affirmation that gives everyone hope and a tangible example that if you want it badly enough you will FIND A WAY. As we all know now, Nyad is the first person to complete the life threatening swim between Cuba and the Keys without a shark cage. She battled rough currents, debilitating jellyfish stings, and SHARKS for heavens sakes!
All three of these obstacles being the literal version of what we all bump up against as we swim through the choppy waters of everyday life.
We swim into rough currents that toss us back to shore or make it extremely difficult for us to make any headway.
No matter what we do, we are constantly running into sharks of one sort or another. And then there are the jellyfish of life, the slippery slimy, beautiful things that sneak up on us and sting us when we think we are in peaceful seas.
Think about this for a moment, she has wanted to do this for thirty four years and she finally did it, swam the 110 treacherous miles, at sixty four!
Diana Nyad has a fit body, she had a team of experts giving her food and water, (which she could not keep down) protecting her from jellyfish and monitoring her heart rate. But in the end, experts say, her success came down to one essential part of her body – her mind, her desire to FIND A WAY. By the way, she was literally throwing up the entire fifty three hour swim.
How many of us would have climbed back on the boat and said, “take me home"!
Whatever the mountain to climb, I am convinced that you can FIND A WAY. What is the old saying? If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. What is the old Woody Allen saying, 80% of success is just showing up?
Thank you Diana.
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Mrs. Jones
A young Diane Nyad
Swimming
In the water with her jellyfish proof mask on
With her team in the water
The art of a carved cameo is not to be disputed. There is work involved, you need an artisan, a skilled craftsman to do it right. The history of the cameo is an ancient one, dating back as far as 3000-3500 B.C. in the form of scarabs and assorted hard stones. The word cameo describes a relief image raised higher than its background and carved from one material. In contrast, if the artist carves down into the stone to hollow out a recessed image, the resulting work is called an "intaglio". Cameos from the Roman imperial time were similar to the cameos today. During the height of Roman civilization there was great wealth, style and adornment. Wealthy families collected engravings of mythological events and portraits of loved ones. The collecting of old Greek engraved gems, became a popular status symbol in Roman society. Signet rings, earrings and objets d' art were popular cameo choices. The Farnese Tazza (a large cup) is one of the oldest cameo objets d' art in existence. During the Roman period glass and hard stone (agate and sardonyx) were the primary cameo mediums of choice, although occasionally, shell was used.
Empress Josephine is credited with initiating the fashion for cameos in the early 1800's. She had many suites of cameo jewelry and sparked a multinational trend. The most famous parure of cameos, pearls and diamonds was created for her by the jeweler Nitot in 1809, the same year Napoleon divorced her to enter into a second marriage with the hopes of getting an heir. The parure consists of a tiara, necklace, bracelet, earrings and a brooch. The cameo parure is in the Swedish royal family and is still worn today, usually for weddings.
The shell cameo became popular during the Renaissance and made a huge comeback in the Victorian era. During the second half of the 19th century, cameos would become mass produced as a popular souvenir for tourists that made the Grand Tour of Europe.
If you look back through history there have always been masters in their field and the art of cameo carving is no exception. The list is long and continues to present day. Here is a small list of the masters; Niccolo Amastini, Italian, 1780-1851. Georges Bissinger, French, 1860-1890, exhibited at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Vienna and in 1873, and 1878 at the Paris Exhibition. Guiseppe Girometti, 1779-1851, noted gem engraver, medalist and sculptor. He won numerous prizes for his hardstone cameos. He worked as head engraver at the papal mint. Joseph Greenough, American, 1848-1879. He trained as a sculptor from a family of sculptors and is thought to have learned shell cameo carving during the time he spent in Italy. A more recent carver was Wilhelm Schmidt, Idar, Germany, (a gem cutting capital of the world) 1845-1938. He studied gem carving in Paris then moved to London and carved Renaissance inspired cameos set by Brogden, Giuliano and Child & Child. He was famous for carving cameos in opal matrix.
So, as with most fashionable, well crafted items, cameos have gone in and out of fashion, never really leaving for those who appreciate the art form. You might even have a cameo in your jewelry box! Today, there is a new vigor and attraction to cameos. They are making a huge comeback and have become a fashion necessity. The latest cameo designer is Amadeo Scognamiglio. Mr. Scognamiglio is from a family of cameo manufacturers, M&M Scognamiglio, that began in the early 1800's in his hometown of Torre del Greco, Italy, which has produced coral and cameo jewelry since the 1700's. He is one of the cofounders of the fine jewelry company Faraone Mennella by RFMAS. In 2006, Mr. Scognamiglio opened Amadeo, a boutique in New York with a twist on traditional cameo carving. His designs are contemporary, playful and unique. There are traditional designs for those that want them, but me, I like the skull cameos, the fun, unusual cameos. I desperately want a ring and a bracelet or maybe a skull pendant..... Love, love, love his work!
Cameo tiara (part of parure) belonging to Empress Josephine, circa 1809.
Princess Victoria on her wedding day, 2010
Skull Ring, Amadeo Scognamiglio
Cameo Bracelet, Amadeo Scognamiglio
Hardstone cameo necklace, late 19th century, photo courtesy of Sotheby's.
Bulgari 18 karat yellow gold ring inset with an antique carved coral cameo.
Elizabeth Locke, hammered gold, frosted glass cameo, cultured pearl and diamond clip-brooch, Doyle's, June 20, 2013 sale.
Carved cameo necklace from Amedeo Scognamiglio
Victorian carved lava cameo bracelet, souvenir jewelry for tourists during their Grand Tour of Europe.
French or Italian cameo with a bust of Christ, circa 1600. Script engraving on the back. Photo courtesy of Sotheby's.
Castellani, circa 1870, carved sapphire cameo of Medusa
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Mrs. Jones
I love the look and feel of sterling silver whether it's jewelry, flatware or household objects. I love the clean, high polished shine and the dimpled hammered texture of use. I love the patina it develops over time and I love bringing tarnished pieces back to life. Georg Jensen had a unique relationship with silver. His artistic background can be seen in everything he made, he truly understood his medium. There is so much thought in the layering and lines of each piece, they feel good in your hand.
George Jensen was born in a small Danish town, Raadvad, just north of Copenhagen in 1866. He was the son of a knife grinder and began training in goldsmithing at the ripe old age of 14.
He wanted to be a sculptor and while his work was well regarded, he could not make a living so after trying his hand at porcelain and ceramic pottery he came back to metal working. He began his career again as a silversmith and in 1904 risked what small capital he had and opened a little shop in Copenhagen.
Jensen's sculptor's eye and attention to detail and quality led him to develop a very successful business. He always maintained his artistic vision which is still seen in the George Jensen designs of today.
Jensen died in 1935 but his business continues to thrive and expand. I am a fan of both old and new. I have always loved the Acorn and Acanthus flatware... sigh, someday.
Georg Jensen Sterling Silver Pansy Brooch, Mrs. Jones & Co.
Georg Jensen Sterling Silver Large Cosmos Tea Kettle with Ebony Handle
Georg Jensen Sterling Silver and Coral Necklace
Rare, Georg Jensen Sterling Silver Belt, by Ibe Dalquist, circa 1967, 40 inches long.
Very Rare Georg Jensen Sterling Silver, Gilt and Amber, Bridal Crown, circa 1911
Georg Jensen Sterling Silver Ornamental Cake Server by Arno Malinowski, 1945-52
Georg Jensen Sterling Silver Grape Candlestick, 1950's
Georg Jensen, 159 Silver Ball Moonlight Brooch
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Mrs. Jones
This week brings something new, something light, something dark, it's a movie review! A fellow blogger posted this a few weeks ago and I was quite intrigued. I love dark comedies, in my opinion, dark comedies are underrated. A good dark comedy will stay with you for days, months, years. Summer is a good time to daydream, so naturally I made a list of some other good to great dark comedies to watch during the dog days of August. In no particular order; American Beauty, The Royal Tenenbaums, In Bruges, Inglourious Basterds and Fargo. When you are so inclined, please take a peek at Keeping Mum. I think you might enjoy it.
Keeping Mum is a "light" hearted, dark comedy. There is no deep underlying meaning. It is however, a very amusing British black comedy from 2007 showcasing Maggie Smith’s prodigious talents. I believe one reviewer called her "Mary Poppin's Dotty Doppelganger".
In the tiny town of Little Wallop, (population 57) Reverend Goodfellow is the bumbling yet well meaning vicar, played to perfection by Rowan Atkinson.
Goodfellow is in a flustered state over an impending speech he is to deliver at a religious conference. He is oblivious to the fact that his wife, Kristin Scott Thomas, is tired of being ignored and is seeking attention elsewhere with the lecherous local golf pro, Patrick Swayze
or that his daughter is a rebellious nympho and his son is being relentlessly bullied at school. Add to this the comic subplots in Little Wallop – the conspiracy ridden Flower Arranging Committee, the pathetically desperate local football club and the oppressive algae on the vicar’s pond that defies explanation – and you have a family and town on the verge of implosion. That is until the miraculous arrival of Grace, the new housekeeper (Maggie Smith). Quickly assessing the situation of the desperately dysfunctional family, she takes it into her hands to set things right.
Grace is a problem solver who thinks outside the box, outside the tiresome constraints of the law and popular social mores. She always delivers and the family and the audience love her for her endearing, eccentric methods. Take a little peek at the clip below to whet your appetite for a little summer fun. Enjoy! Please let me know if you liked it!
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Mrs.Jones