Lily Safra's famous collection of jewels up for auction!

It’s always a sad day when a generous billionaire philanthropist dies. With such power to do good, they leave a sizeable hole with their passing. However, some choose to do good, even in death. Such is the case with one of the richest women in the world Lily Safra whose jewels are set to go under the hammer in May.

Now I can hear you all wondering, "Lily who"? Yeah, she falls pretty squarely into the pool of "insanely rich people that I have never heard of", which after researching her seems to be a bit of a shame. Here she is.

Photo : Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation

Born in Brazil, Lily amassed her fabulous amounts of wealth through marriage. If I'm being honest, this seems to be a trend amongst the fabulously rich. And not just one marriage, four marriages to be exact, and at the end of her life she was worth a staggering 1 billion dollars. Examples of her vast wealth included an estate on the French Riviera which was a former royal residence and has an estimated value of $506 million. What?! Let’s rewind here a sec. Where in this estate’s description did it mention that the whole house was made of solid gold and built by God himself? I simply cannot imagine how a home could be worth that much. But at least she can live in it. She and I’m sure en entourage of hundreds. But that’s nothing compared to what she spend on art. That is, if you want to call this, art. 

Photo : Artist, Alberto Giacometti

Yep, that’s a life-size bronze sculpture of a very hungry looking man who is, I’m sure, just looking for a cheeseburger. It’s called “L’homme qui marche I” or Walking man and Lily Safra bought him for the paltry sum of $104.3 million dollars which at the time was the highest price ever paid for a sculpture. I can hear the man now, “Madame, Pouvez-vous m’acheter un hamburger?” Translation, Madam, for the love of God, please buy me a burger. Ok, so L’homme is quite a bit more polite than I’m translating, but that’s what he should have said in my opinion. 

Anyways, I seem to have strayed quite a bit from anything relevant so to get back on track, Madame Safra was actually quite generous with her money donating to a multitude of charities as well as setting up many various charities herself for everything from brain studies, to housing families of hospital patients, and helping victims of hurricane Katrina. She was quite the humanitarian as well as an avid art lover. L’homme aside, she seemed to have impeccable taste, especially when it came to her jewelry. And what a collection it is. Spanning over five decades, the rich and varied collection reflects her style evolution from the 1970’s to the present day. Included in the collection are many important diamonds, rubies and sapphires in addition to antique and period pieces. 

Photo : Christie's

The buzz around this auction is tremendous, and rightly so. According to the international head of Christie’s Jewelry department, “Only a connoisseur with an eye as refined as that of Mrs. Lily Safra could have collected such an ensemble of jewels, and only someone with her philanthropic conviction could have expressed such powerful support to worthwhile causes in all charitable fields”. It is in this last show of good will that we see truly what kind of person Lily Safra was. Looking not to pad her sizeable estate, she has made it so that the proceeds from every lot will go to charitable institutions. 

So, now I’m not too familiar with tax law, but I’m thinking that purchasing some of these stunning pieces could be considered tax deductible? So hey, get a fabulous piece of jewelry, help the homeless, and get a tax break. It doesn’t get any better than that! So tell me, which piece are you going to buy and when will you bring it over so that we can all oooh and ahhh over it? Inquiring minds want to know!

East meets West : A modern interpretation of a classic style.

Does anybody ever get that slightly wacky, urge to be spontaneous feeling on Monday? I sure do. It’s most likely due to Monday being a fresh start, full of promise, and you want to make this week a bit more interesting than last week. So I thought we’d kick off the last week in March with a bit of a nod to a classically funky ring. 

If you’re an avid reader of this blog, and if you aren’t you should be, you will remember that I briefly touched on the East-West style on our Halo blog a week or so ago. Now, I tend to be a big fan of the design so I thought it deserved its own post where we can take the time to really showcase how special and unique it is.  

So, if you’re one of those people who are just now stumbling upon this blog, first welcome, and second you’re probably wondering what on earth I’m talking about. A ring just kind of sits on the north side of your finger and having it sit on the side is just weird right? Or perhaps you think you’ve stumbled on a food blog where we’ll be talking about an East meets West dish. However I’m not going to be discussing a Tex-Mex variation on the Spring Roll, although that would be pretty tasty. I’m actually referring to a style of engagement ring. And don’t worry if you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about. Unless you’re an avid fan of Catherine Zeta Jones, The Bachelor, or the movie The Time Traveler’s Wife, there is a good chance that you have never seen this type of ring before. And if that’s the case, you’re in for a treat. 

Even if you have seen East-West settings before, you might be interested to know that the design is not a modern one. In fact it found its first heyday all the way back in the Art Deco period during the roaring 20’s. During that era, women threw off the bonds of previous generation’s choices in fashion which included jewelry designs. Instead of fussy and delicate, they started gravitating towards pieces with clean lines and geometric patterns. One of these new designs was the East-West or horizontal design.  I thought I’d include a few photos for the more visual among us. 

If you look at the photo above you will see an Oval stone set into a diamond halo. The being an oval, the stone is not perfectly symmetrical being that it is longer on one axis than another. For example, a round brilliant stone will look the same no matter how many directions you twist it on your finger. This oval shape allows the wearer to make a choice as to how the stone will be set. Now, most people would assume that the longer axis of the stone should follow the shape of the finger and point towards the nail, and there is nothing wrong with this assumption as it is a very pretty and finger flattering choice. However, there is another option. 

The photo above shows that second option, which is to set the same stone, in a halo, with one small variation. The longer axis is set perpendicular to the direction of your fingers, or pointing East to West. It’s uncanny how modern and fresh this look is nearly 100 years after its initial rise to popularity. And I think it’s a style that is primed for a comeback in a major way. Indeed there have been rumblings in recent years starting with one of the style’s most famous wearers, Catherine Zeta Jones. When Michael Douglas proposed, he did so in style with this massive 10 carat Marquise Cut Diamond set East-West. Isn’t it swoon-worthy? Seriously Catherine, if you’re reading this, it would be the highlight of my life to try on that bad boy.  

Photo : Sheknows.com

Sadly, not everyone out there has the budget of Hollywood royalty, and even The Bachelor has to settle for something a bit more normal sized. When Jason Mesnick was tasked with selecting the ring for his fiancé-to-be Melissa Rycroft, he also chose a 3ct East-West setting featuring a stunning Marquise Cut Diamond. And even though it turns out Jason was a bit of a jerk, the ring he chose was really beautiful and I would be proud to wear it. 

Photo : Ringspotters.com

So now that I’ve gotten you hooked on the idea, you’re probably all saying, ‘Now, Megan, those shapes were stunning, but what about other shapes’? I’m so glad you asked.  East-West settings are by no means limited to brilliant cut stones. Really, any stone with a length to width ratio larger than 1:1 could be set this way. Although the more symmetrical the stone, the less you will notice its unique orientation. However, if a symmetrical stone like a princess cut or Asscher cut really floats your boat there is a modern day variation of the East-West is called the kite set which may strike your fancy. While most square shaped stones are set so that when you look down on the finger the stones appear square. But if you turn the stone slightly, the appearance will change to that of a kite with the corners facing like the points on a compass. 

Truly, the only limits to what your ring can look like are the limits of your own imagination. Well, that and probably the laws of physics, but I’m sure there are people working on that. So what does your dream East-West design look like? Give us a call and let us help you make that dream a reality!

I just love a diamond ring.

It’s Friday! And what better way to celebrate the beginning of a wonderful weekend than with diamonds? And I’m not just talking about your ordinary diamonds, I’m talking about the world’s first diamond ring. I’ll pause here for a second to let that sink in. Yes, I did in fact say that the subject of this post would be, the world’s first, diamond ring. No, I haven’t gone crazy, and no I’m not making this up. You see it’s simple. There are many rings in the world that feature diamonds, some have more diamonds and larger diamonds than others, but there is a universal theme amongst all rings no matter their design or gemstone of choice. And that universal variable is metal. Ok, now let’s not go splitting hairs about the fact that rings can be made of stone and wood and string and whatnot. That’s beside the point. My point is, and yes I do have one, is that when you want to wear a gemstone on your finger, you set it in metal.

However, for some people, honking 18 carat diamonds like that of singer Beyoncé just aren’t enough. Crazy as that sounds, some people just need more. Well lucky for them, a Switzerland-based jeweler has come up with a mind-bending solution. A 150 carat diamond ring. And when I say diamond ring, I mean no metal, no wood, no string, no nothing. Just 150 carats of sparkling carbon surrounding your finger.

Photo : Shawish

It’s something to behold isn’t it? However I have two questions. I know, only two, but they’re the main ones that came to my mind. One, ummmm, what did you do with the giant chunk that you cut out of the middle? Can I have it? Please? Even if they made the ring a standard size 6, that’s about a 16 or 17mm chunk that has just hit the cutting room floor. I would be more than willing to sacrifice by taking your leftovers. It’s just the kind of generous person I am. ; ) Anyways, question two, ummm what happens if you put it on, and then can’t get it off? Come on, we’ve all heard the stories of aunt edna breaking a finger and then having to have her rings sawed off. The only problem is, you can’t really saw off a ring made entirely by diamond. You’d have to use a laser or I shudder to think, a hammer.

However, possible design flaws and etc. aside, the ring is stunning. It took the creators over a year to carve and it is one of a kind. Obviously, to get a 150 carat ring can you imagine the size and rarity of rough that it came from? And don’t even think about trying to replicate it yourself as the design has been copyrighted. Although the copyright seems like a bit of a waste of time to me. I distinctly remember having a gumball machine plastic ring that looked just like this one. You know the ones I’m talking about right ladies? They were big and brightly colored and molded out of a single piece of translucent plastic. If I’m not mistaken they had a very similar facet pattern and design as well. Anyways, I know that you’re all on the edge of your seat waiting to see how much this one-of-a-kind masterpiece is going to cost you. And oh boy is this going to cost someone. This ring, in all of its wonderfulness can be yours to the tune of 70 million dollars. No, that was not a typo. 70 million dollars. I don’t care how much money you have, it has to hurt a tiny bit to write out a check for that amount. But readers, don’t let that stop you. Go out and purchase this once in a lifetime ring. And when you do, will you pretty please bring it here to me so that I can try it on? Thanks, I knew you would!

... in a galaxy far, far away.

Have you ever heard the song, Lucy in the sky with diamonds? Well, it plays a fair amount on our office radio station and it was playing this morning when I stumbled upon an interesting article. Apparently, not only is the sky full of diamonds, some of them are emerald cut. If you’re now envisioning a zillion ton emerald cut diamond floating by the moon, you’re a bit off, but it’s ok, because that was the first thing I thought of too. It seems that this emerald shaped phenomenon is a small dwarf galaxy, named LEDA 074886 about 70 million light-years away. I’m not exactly sure how far away that is but it’s a lot more than the star ship Voyager had to contend with and it was going to take them a lifetime to get home. So, pretty far I would say.

Photo : Alister Graham

So what’s so exciting about a rectangular galaxy anyways? Well it seems that most galaxies come in one of three shapes : a disk with spiral arms like our own humble galaxy, a football shaped ellipse, or a regular old irregular lumpy blob. Well that’s just super romantic. Can you imagine telling interstellar space travelers, “Oh, I’m in that last lumpy blob on the left, can’t miss it”. Doesn’t sound like a desirable zip code to me. But blob shaped galaxies aside, this new galaxy has astronomers really excited. Alister Graham, remembers his excitement well. He stumbled upon the new galaxy in an image taken for a completely unrelated project. “I thought it was a mistake”, he said. “And then I couldn’t stop smiling.”

It seems hard to believe that an entire galaxy, located in a viewable part of space would stay invisible for so long. But all of that can be explained by its size, or lack thereof. LEDA contains 50% fewer stars than the Milky Way which is pretty tiny in the grand scheme of things. And as far as that unusual emerald cut shape? Well, we may not be able to see the whole picture. Scientists speculate that what we are actually seeing is the side profile of a cylindrical galaxy. Kind of like looking at the side profile of a case of CDs. No offense to the scientists, but for today, I’m going to assume that this galaxy is shaped precisely like an emerald cut diamond so that I can spend the rest of this blog focusing on emerald cut goodness. Because who doesn’t like an emerald cut?

Photo : Sotheby's

And I would be remiss if I didn’t pay a small amount of homage to one of the most famous emerald cut diamonds of all time, the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, previously the Krupp Diamond. Weighing in at a staggering 33.19 carats, D in color, and Internally Flawless, it’s hard to find a diamond that is more perfect, or more awe inspiring. It was given to Elizabeth Taylor by her then husband Richard Burton and she wore it nearly every day. She was even quoted as saying, “My ring gives me the strangest feeling for beauty”. “With its sparks of red and white and blue and purple, and on and on, really, it sort of burns with its own beatific life.” And burn it did, when it was sold at auction late last year it blew away its estimated sale amount of 2.5 to 3.5 million dollars and sold for a jaw dropping 8.8 million, more than doubling its estimate.

It’s hard to wear a 33 carat diamond without looking a bit gaudy, but Elizabeth Taylor could have pulled of a rock twice that size. The cut though, no matter how large an emerald cut is, they always seem to exude a sense of class and sophistication. Even Kim Kardashian’s monster emerald was beautiful, although she looked more than a little silly wearing it. Emerald cuts also translate extremely well to smaller stones.

We have this ring in our showroom right now and it has just under 2ctw spread across three stones. Isn’t it gorgeous? Each one of the stones is beautiful and captivating, throwing big, bold flashes of light to the eye. And yes, I know, because I tried it on, market research you know. I tell you, I could get lost in those steps. The diamonds in this ring have the presence of stones far larger than their size, but yet they radiate a demure sense of class. And emerald cuts of any size are so versatile as well. This ring would feel just as at home at the Opera as it would at a family cookout complete with BBQ ribs. Although, if you do wear this ring to a cookout, I would suggest taking it off before you eat. Somehow, imagining this gorgeous piece of jewelry coated in BBQ sauce seems like some kind of sacrilege. Or it could just be me, if slathering your rings with sauce makes your heart sing, then go right ahead! That’s what steam cleaners are for!

So now we’d like to know what you think. Is the emerald cut your favorite? What is it about them that you like best? Can’t decide? Well, while you’re mulling it over, drop by our showroom and take a look at this gorgeous ring. It’s sure to jog your memory!

Happy Wednesday and Belated First Day of Spring!

Happy Wednesday everybody! As they say, whoever ‘they’ are, it’s all downhill from here! I like ‘they’, they’re always full of great catch phrases and sage advice. Anyways, as I said yesterday, pollen season is in full swing in Georgia. If you live in a land without this environmental phenomenon, I’m more than a little jealous. So, in order to combat the pollen funk that so many of us are assuredly in today and to belatedly wish you Happy First Day of Spring, I bring you the good things that pollen season, or Spring as it’s known to the rest of the world can bring. Things like COLOR. And as I was perusing the cases this morning, looking for the perfect inspiration, this piece stopped me in my tracks. 

I should preface this color love story by telling you that my childhood favorite color was pink. I had a pink Care Bear, a pink playhouse, the works. I loved the color pink with a passion until one day I realized that I had red hair, and that I was not a redhead lucky enough to look good in pink. It’s not enough of a clash to break a camera, but it’s not my best shade. So moved on to other colors, most notably green and teal. I even managed to convince myself that I didn’t care for pink at all. *Gasp, I know. However, I guess deep down, I still had a soft spot in my heart for pink. So, imagine my confusion, when this appeared in the case in front of me and I didn’t like it, I loved it!

It’s not just pink, it’s PINK. A color so impossibly vivid and jewel toned that it flatters even my redheaded skin. I should know, I tried it on, and now I really don’t want to take it off. Princess cut, flanked by two princess cut white diamonds, this Chatham Sapphire is stunningly gorgeous. Even the size is perfect, 1.82 carats with .84ctw in the side stones, it allows the color to pop and show real presence on the hand without it becoming too overpowering a look for every day wear. And trust me when I say, if I had this ring, I would wear it every day for a month. And I could, because the platinum setting is sturdy enough to put up with my level of abuse. *I knock my hands into stuff a lot. Ah, I literally could stare at this ring all day. Lose myself in the depths of its pinkness. 

How about you? Are you a pink lover? Even if you aren’t this ring stands a good chance at changing your mind! So come on in and give pink a chance!

Spring is in the Air...

Spring is in the air! All around me I can hear a symphony of hacking and wheezing. Hey, it’s the south and the pollen is bad, so bad. The entire world seems coated with a thick layer of greenish yellow dust. I however, am not allergic to pollen, YAY me! So that leaves me free to enjoy the flowers, and the birds chirping, and what’s that I hear? A proposal? Of course! It’s the first day of spring, but more importantly it’s National Proposal Day! And yes, just like Talk like a pirate day and Cupcake day, I did not make this up. Promise.

Anyways, we’re super excited about National Proposal day because, big shocker here, we LOVE proposals, and weddings, and anything proposal and wedding related. Why? Well to start with, we’re fairly sappy people. We love to sigh over sweet proposals and ooh and ahhh over the wedding details. And since this is a jewelry blog I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that we also really like the jewelry that goes with all of this wedding hoopla. Gorgeous engagement rings, wedding bands, and don’t forget that gift for the bride! And speaking of gifts, all of you who ‘like’ us on Facebook, have you seen our new contest? And if you haven’t ‘liked’ us on Facebook, well, you should, because it’s awesome. But back to the contest, we’re giving away a stunning pair of Diamond Stud Earrings. Yes, you heard that right, Diamond Stud Earrings, for free! The Diamonds are so sparkly set in 14k White Gold, and the perfect size for daily wear. And to win them, all you have to do is tell us your sweet, surprising, or downright crazy proposal story. If it’s the best and gets the most shares you win! It’s really that simple. I’ll even give you an example of what I’m sure, if I were allowed to enter, would be an award winning proposal.

We were both in college. I was out of state in South Carolina and he was here in Atlanta. We had talked about getting engaged for a while and looked at rings but months went by without a proposal. Then, one weekend in May, I was home visiting my mom and we had planned to go shopping. So Saturday morning I wake up, and she tells me that she has to go in to the office for a bit, but she’ll be back around lunchtime and we can go shopping then. I don’t think much about it since that means that I can sleep in longer which is good. I like sleep. So she finally gets home around noon and we get ready to head out. We’re standing in front of the front door when she hands me an envelope. I think its coupons, but when I open the envelope there’s a letter inside and I’m now thinking ‘what on earth is going on?’ ‘I mean, is my mother trying to have a touching letter written moment here in the hallway? This isn’t Oprah mom.’ Anyways, so I read the letter and it turns out that it’s a scavenger hunt. Fun! Only I can’t figure out the first clue. My mother is over 30 years my senior and suffice it to say it was a generation gap moment. So she has to tell me the answer and I pick up my next clue, and this continues on for a while, and as it goes on it gets more and more wedding themed. I’m still very confused, but the girly, diamond loving part of my brain was throwing the cerebral version of Mardi Gras in my head. The last clue sent me to the backyard where Raymond, was standing, by a very large statue of Uga (the bulldog). My parents are big University of Georgia fans, and well, it’s a long story. He got down on one knee, and immediately forgot his speech. I didn’t care, at all. So instead of a prepared speech, he just spoke from the heart, telling me how much he loved me and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. And then he opened the box and asked me to marry him. I almost didn’t say yes because when he opened the box all I could see was the ring! It was a severe moment of bling-induced tunnel vision. But after a moment I recovered and said yes! See, now isn’t that story worth some diamond earrings? I think so.

So tell us your proposal stories! Did you use a hot air balloon like William Franklin Nethery Connel? Or perhaps, like this man, you went to the most magical place on earth, and proposed with the aid of a talking trash can. It doesn’t sound like it, but that was without a doubt one of the cutest proposal videos I’ve ever seen. Oooh! A great proposal idea would be to buy this 8.01 carat vivid blue diamond ring and propose with it.

Photo : Sotheby's

It doesn’t matter what you do or say, even if you whip the ring out of a regular trash can, she WILL say yes. Heck, I would say yes, and I don’t even know you. *Just kidding Raymond!* Seriously though, propose with this ring. Just don’t forget, after she says yes, you have to tell us all about it. And we like pictures and video too! So Happy National Proposal Day everybody and let’s keep those stories coming!

We finally have pictures of Jessica Biel's engagement ring!

Well it’s official. Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake are engaged. Ok, I know that we discussed this months ago when Justin was outed by his dear old granny, but I don’t consider any engagement official until it either A. coincides with a status update on Facebook, or B. I see the ring! And for a long time, there was no ring in sight, much to my dismay because I love celebrity engagement rings. But I am dismayed no more since photos recently surfaced of the happy couple out on the town with friends and on Jessica’s finger was a breathtaking ring. My first thought was ‘oooooooooooh’ but that was quickly cast aside when I started questioning her sanity. “What kind of crazy person has a ring like that and doesn’t wear it”?! Trust me, if that were my ring, I would have pictures of that sucker on Facebook, TMZ, heck, even a couple of billboards, but then again, I’m subtle like that. 

Photo : Splash News Online

But anyways, aside from my slight engagement ring neuroses, the thing is gorgeous isn’t it? I’ve always said that there is a fine line between gorgeously huge, and bordering on Kardashian level excess. Not that I would turn down that honker of a ring, at all, there would probably be billboards involved there too. Jessica Biel’s new ring can walk that line like a tightrope. The stone appears to be a large cushion shape, which as diamond cuts go is so dreamy and romantic. And the stone is artfully set in a double halo style ring with a vintage vibe. It is rumored to be custom designed and all I can say is ‘Justin, if this whole singer/actor thing doesn’t work out, we might be able to find a design position here for you’!

I hear you chuckling over there, but it could happen. Anyways, it was my excitement about this photo, and the design of the ring itself that got me thinking about the secondary theme of this post, the double halo. Now, halos have been popular for a long time, long enough in fact that people are getting more and more creative with how they want their halos to look. And really, with our custom department, the sky is the limit. Want two halos, three, two toned gold, multi colored melee? No problem! 

I pulled a piece from our case as well as photos of two custom pieces to give you a better visual of what I’m talking about. We’ll start with a simple double halo. There are a couple of things that make this ring unique and the most obvious is the shape. The sharp, clipped corners really highlight the lines of the Emerald Cut center stone. I also love the subtle airlines, or gaps that have been placed between the central stone and each successive halo. This allows the halo to pack more of a punch with regards to size; all while keeping an airy, effortless look. 

But maybe you want something just a little more on the bold side. These earrings also have a double halo, but with one striking difference. The central halo is made with rose gold. The contrasting gold color along with the milgrain detailing adds additional layers of interest to the earrings while simultaneously making the white diamonds pop. I love halos on princess cuts, especially when they have clipped corners which offer a bold contrast to the princess' sharp corners. The geometric styling really is a thing of beauty. 

Now, I can hear some of you out there saying “Ok Megan, those are gorgeous, but I want more”! Well get ready, because here comes some COLOR. We custom made this incredible setting for a customer and the double halo fits it like a glove enhancing the size and shape of the colored stone. But we didn’t stop there. In the innermost halo, complimentary colored stones were added that were close, but not exact matches to the center stone. This gradual color change from deeper purple, to pinkish purple, to bright white diamonds is stunning. This is a piece that you just can’t stop looking at, and each time, you discover a little something new and exciting. And that’s the best part about custom design, the perfect piece is out there, just waiting for you to come and create it! The only limit is your imagination, and unfortunately, if you’re one of those envelope pushing type of people, the laws of gravity. 23 layer halos just may not be physically possible. 

So tell us, what would your dream ring look like? Is it a total classic like the Tiffany style solitaire, or is it something wild and crazy that only exists in your head, or maybe an incredible combination of both? We’d love to hear your ideas!