Web of Light

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It is the perfect time of year for Paul Morelli to have release his gorgeous "Web of Light" jewelry. Like the webs created by the industrious spider Morelli's designs are intricate and delicate, with less creep factor and more wow factor. 

"When spider webs unite, each is an intricate strand in the web of life."

 


For more on Paul Morelli see my July Newsletter

Happy Birthday Tiffany & Co.

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tiffanylogo

On this day in 1837, Tiffany and Co. was founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany. In honor of this American jewelry icon I thought we would celebrate with a few beautiful pieces that are part of the MET museum's (Metropolitan Museum of Art) collection in New York. 

Tiffany & Co. (1837–present) ca. 1890. Made in New York, New York, United States. Gold, diamond, and enamel. Photo courtesy of the MET Museum.

"Related to the extraordinary enameled orchids displayed by Tiffany & Company at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, this flower pin with a textured gold stem and diamond-set leaves is enhanced by a single diamond dewdrop set amid the realistically rendered purple enamel petals. The gentle arc of its stem and the naturalistic blossom reflect the Art Nouveau style, which inspired jewelers toward the end of the century. The enameled orchids were designed by Paulding Farnham (1859–1927) and were exhibited at Tiffany's New York showroom prior to their departure for Paris. The New York Sun reported on March 17, 1889, that the jewels attracted more attention "than any flower show, display of orchids, or any other of nature's beauty ever brought together in this city."

Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, New York 1848–1933 New York). ca. 1904. Gold, silver, platinum, black opals, boulder opals, demantoid garnets, rubies, enamel. Photo courtesy of the MET Museum.

 

"After Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of Tiffany & Company, died in 1902, his son Louis Tiffany was able to pursue artistic jewelry without reticence. He began working on this pursuit in 1902 to prepare himself for the St. Louis fair of 1904, where he exhibited twenty-seven pieces of jewelry. Tiffany Furnaces initially produced the jewelry, but after 1907 Tiffany & Company acquired Louis's artistic jewelry department. This hair ornament is one of the most extraordinary pieces of Tiffany's surviving jewelry, incorporating a remarkably realistic rendering of two dragonflies resting on two dandelion seedballs. Tiffany designed the hair ornament for Louisine W. Havemeyer, who, with her husband Henry Osborne Havemeyer were among Tiffany's most enlightened and devoted patrons. The hair ornament was known only from archival photographs in the collection of the Tiffany & Company Archives until Louisine's great-granddaughter brought it to the Museum's attention. The piece epitomizes his earliest jewelry designs, which were based directly on modest forms in nature, such as field flowers and wild fruit, as well as his affinity for enameling and semiprecious stones with unusual colors. The dragonflies rest on dandelion seedballs, one of which is shown partially blown away, underscoring the fragility of nature. Highly skilled artisans conveyed the transparency of the insects' wings through delicate metalwork filigree. The temporal quality is revealed in the subject: dragonflies rest in one place for mere seconds before flitting away; dandelions disperse into thousands of airborne seeds with the gentlest of breezes."

Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, New York 1848–1933 New York)
Date: ca. 1904. Opals, gold, enamel. Photo Courtesy of the MET Museum.

"This necklace, composed of grape clusters and leaves, is one of the earliest known examples of jewelry designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tiny black opals represent the clusters of fruit, and finely executed enameling in shades of green on gold forms the delicate leaves. Opals appealed to Tiffany for their fiery glow, reminiscent of his vases in Favrile glass. The asymmetry of the design and its organic shapes are entirely in keeping with his passion for natural forms. This necklace was among the twenty-seven pieces that Tiffany made for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis in 1904. It has been altered twice since its original conception, first by the addition of grape clusters on either side of the central pendant and later by the addition of a double bar-link chain. These changes were probably overseen by Tiffany himself, who is believed to have presented the necklace to his nurse and later companion, Sarah E. Hanley."

The MET Museum

Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday Jewelry

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June 10, 2016

Queen Elizabeth’s official 90th birthday celebration weekend started today and the royal lady herself wore a sunny primrose yellow Angela Kelly outfit paired with the stunning Richmond Brooch, which belonged to her grandmother, Queen Mary.
The Richmond brooch (by Hunt and Roskell) was a present from the town of Richmond on the occasion of Queen Mary’s 1893 wedding to the future King George V. The large brooch features diamonds set in a silver and gold scrolling design with a central pearl, with a pearl and diamond pendant. The pearl and diamond pendant is detachable making the brooch very versatile. Other pendants could be added, the brooch itself could also be used as a pendant or even as a hair decoration. Queen Elizabeth inherited the brooch when Queen Mary died, in 1953. 

June 11, 2016

How do you stand out among a sea of red? In neon green of course! Queen Elizabeth is quite fetching in her vibrant Stewart Parvin coat and Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat. 

The Queen also wore a brooch known as the Brigade of Guards Brooch or the Guards’ Badge. The badge combines the symbols of the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Welsh Guards, the Irish Guards, and the Scots Guards. It features diamonds topped by a crown and the symbols are surrounded by an oval frame with the words QUINQUE JUNCTA IN UNO: “five joined as one”.

The brooch was originally created for the Queen’s grandmother Queen Mary. The brooch is worn annually at the “Trooping the Colour” (a parade to celebrate the sovereign’s birthday). Queen Elizabeth’s actual birthday is on April 21st, but she follows the tradition started in the 1900’s of celebrating it on a Saturday in June when the weather is fairer.

June 12, 2016

Queen Elizabeth’s brooch choice for today’s birthday festivities packs some historical punch. 
Queen Victoria’s Bow Brooch: 

Queen Elizabeth II at her 90th birthday celebration, one of Queen Victoria’s bow brooches, Queen Alexander with bows down her skirt, Queen Mary with bows as a makeshift stomacher, The Queen Mother with a single bow

The brooch is part of a set of three brooches (two large brooches and a slightly smaller brooch) that were commissioned by Queen Victoria from Garrard. They are constructed from 506 diamonds that she provided. These bows are among the jewels that Victoria willed to the crown for future royal use; they’ve passed from queen to queen. 

Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary can be seen wearing the set in photographs. They were known to also hang other jewels from the brooches adding to the sparkle. Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother) wore them singularly in a modest fashion that was in keeping with the times. 

Today Queen Elizabeth follows her mothers example and wears just one at a time in a normal lapel brooch position.

Menswear Jewelry

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Cartier Art Deco Ruby Diamond Stick Pin available from Steven Fox Jewelry

Cartier Art Deco Ruby Diamond Stick Pin available from Steven Fox Jewelry

Signet I purchased for my Signifigant Other from Digby and Iona

Signet I purchased for my Signifigant Other from Digby and Iona

I have to say, I’ve been waiting for the trend of men's “brooches”/”pins” to come to the US! I love the look, just like I love pinky signets that seem to be everywhere these days!

The stylish and often vintage pieces that we saw (and I adored) added individuality and interest to otherwise seemingly identical tuxedos. It is a wonderful alternative to a boutonniere or even a pocket square.  
As my Significant Other calls them "metal flowers", have been a worn in Europe for some time now and it's nice to see the sparkle has finally crossed the pond. 

 

Signet rings have been around since ancient Mesopotamia. They were also used as seal rings to seal letters with the mark of the sender (in wax as a mark of authentication).
In modern times they have traditionally been worn on the left hand (and sometimes accompanied by a small wedding band). They are usually engraved with a family crest or initials. Today the are rarely used for sealing documents, but they have continued to be viewed as the “mark of the gentleman.”

Kathleen Marino M.A, G.G., AJP, NAJA

HPHT Treatment of Diamonds

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                                                      ©Suncrest Diamonds. Formerly brown diamonds now pink after H…

                                                      ©Suncrest Diamonds. Formerly brown diamonds now pink after HPHT treatment. 

The majority of the questions that I have had from clients over the years have been about diamonds. I have received emails, calls, personal appointment all asking the same “How do I buy a diamond, what am I looking for, where can I compromise?”
But, I think the questions that most stick with me are the ones regarding treatments. Most often I get a question like “The salesperson offered me a diamond and then slipped in the word HPHT/clarity enhancement/irradiation/CVD. I didn’t know what that was so I decided to wait.” I generally commended them on waiting, because being informed is the best course a consumer can follow!
Diamond treatments are perhaps the most confusing topic for consumers. Today I want to cover just one HPHT treatment. I am going to break it down by definition, impact on the industry and then what it means to you as the consumer. So without further ado let's dive in!

 ©Suncrest Diamonds The HPHT machine at the Suncrest facility in Provo, Utah

 ©Suncrest Diamonds The HPHT machine at the Suncrest facility in Provo, Utah

What is HPHT treatment?

Type IIa diamonds are the most chemically “pure” diamonds on earth containing few to know impurities. They make up approximately 1-2% of all diamonds and the majority are colorless. However as these diamonds are being pushed towards the surface of the earth they may pick up impurities that color the diamond, the most common color is brown.
HPHT is a permanent treatment used specifically on brown type IIa diamonds subjecting them to enormous amounts of pressure and heat replicating the natural forces that create diamonds. By doing so a near-colorless to colorless color may be achieved, as well as fancy colors such as yellow and green. Furthermore if radiation is combined with the process pink colored diamonds can also be produced.  

                                            © GIA

                                            © GIA


How has this affected the jewelry industry?

HPHT treatment of diamonds first went public in 1999 and it has been a source of anxiety in the gem industry ever since. This trepidation increased after GIA (which has included HPHT testing in their grading since about 2006) released a pivotal statement in 2010 revealing that they had been receiving large numbers of HPHT treated diamonds ranging from 3 to 20 carats in size. The mining industry has also seen a surge in the sales of type IIA brown diamonds with prices steadily escalating as buyers attempt to estimate gains from treatment. The most concerning area has become the increasing number of treated and CVD (lab created diamonds) melee stones (melee is a term to describe small diamonds that range from 0.18 carats down to 0.001 carats) being sold in parcels with natural diamonds. Their small size indicates an increased need for testing of smaller diamonds, as well as the necessity for non-laboratory testing becoming available and affordable for gemologists as an additional line of defense for the consumer. 

© The Practical Gemologist

© The Practical Gemologist


What is the overall opinion of the HPHT treated diamonds and what does this mean for you?

Consumers must be aware that sellers of these stones are required by law to inform them of this treatment as well as any other treatment performed on diamonds (and any other gemstones as well). On the side of the producers of this product they see no difference in the treated and the natural diamond. As mentioned it is a permanent treatment that mimics the natural forces that create a diamond in the earth, however the gemstone and jewelry industry views this quite differently.
Natural stones, those that exist without treatments of any kind have always fetched a higher premium. Why? The simple answer is rarity. HPHT treated stones are considered to null and void the rarity aspect.
There are a few major issues that face the consumer: first generally the price of HPHT treated diamonds is lower than untreated diamonds, however this may differ from dealer to dealer as there is currently little regulation. Second, when it comes to appraising HPHT treated diamonds this must be taken into account. Since the stone is no longer in it’s natural form and we have no way of knowing it’s previous form many appraisers will have to look the the market for comparables to provide an accurate insurance or fair market value. Larger stones 0.75 carat and up)  should be evaluated by a gemological laboratory to confirm that the stone has not been treated. Third, if the consumer is considering a diamond as an investment, or even as an heirloom they must realize that over time a natural untreated diamond will continue to hold and in my personal estimation will gain value over time the same way that natural colored stones have. 

The Take Away:

Overall I do not think that HPHT treatment is inherently bad. In fact in some cases it can make it possible for some consumers to find their dream colored diamond without the higher price tag. To sum up there are just a few simple things to keep in mind:

          © GIA A diamond before and after HPHT treatment. 

          © GIA A diamond before and after HPHT treatment. 

  • HPHT treated stones may not hold their value as well as natural diamonds over time.
  • Disclosure on the part of the seller is required by law. If there's any question you have the right to have the stone examined by a gemological laboratory like GIA.
  • HPHT treated stones frequently have a lesser selling point. This can work to your advantage as a bargaining tool. The savvy consumer could bargain their way to a sizable discount (possibly 20-35%). Think of it kind of like a car dealership and do not be afraid to ask or walk away if it isn’t what you want. (I’ll be writing more on what the guy behind the  counter doesn’t want you to know later!)
  • If you have questions ask an independent gemologist! Independent gemologists have  no ties to a jewelry stores and are not selling gemstones or jewelry. We are here to help advise you and educate you. 

- Kathleen Marino MA, GG (GIA Carlsbad), AJP, NAJA