The Blue Heart Diamond

Photo by Chip Clark

Some reports refer to this unusual diamond as the "Eugénie Blue" although it is now recognized that there is no evidence of its having been owned by the Empress. Had she owned it, wouldn't she have chosen to flee with it rather than the diamond which is named after her? However, a French link does exist because the cutting firm of Atanik Ekyanan of Neuilly, Paris cut this heart shape, which weighs 30.82 metric carats and is of a rare deep blue color, sometime between 1909 and 1910. This date raises the question whether the rough stone came from Africa or India.

Another photo of the stone, this time in its platinum ring surrounded by
25 white diamonds. The photo at the top of the page of the stone out of
its setting is the only one I have seen, which leads me to believe that
it was put back into the ring setting sometime after the photo was taken.
The stone measures 20.01 mm wide, 19.99 mm tall and 11.89 mm deep.

In 1910 Cartier purchased the diamond and sold it to an Argentinian woman named Mrs. Unzue. At the time, it was set in a lily-of-the-valley corsage and remained so until Van Cleef & Arpels bought the gem in 1953. They exhibited it set in a pendant to a necklace valued at $300,000 and sold it to a European titled family. In 1959 Harry Winston acquired the gem, selling it five years later, mounted in a ring, to Marjorie Merriweather Post. Finally Mrs. Post donated to the Blue Heart to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. where it remains to this day.

Photo by Chip Clark
The Eugenie Blue Diamond among other diamonds in the Smithsonian's collection. The round yellow diamond in the back weighs about 12 carats. The Shepard Diamond is the large yellow cushion shaped stone, weighing 18.30 carats. The round brilliant white diamond is the Pearson Diamond, weighing 16.72 carats. The pink pear shape weighs 2.86 carats, and the two uncut green diamonds weigh 2.05 and 0.97 carats. The round yellow diamond weighs about 12 carats.

Sources: The National Gem Collection by Jeffrey E. Post, Famous Diamonds by Ian Balfour and Diamonds - Famous, Notable and Unique by GIA.

Three of the world's most famous blue diamonds. Left to right: The Heart of Eternity,
the Hope, and the Blue Heart Diamond; 27, 45 and 30 carats, respectively. The Hope
looks larger than 45 carats because it is a rather flat stone. The Heart of Eternity
is Fancy Vivid Blue, the Hope is Fancy Deep Grayish-Blue and the Blue Heart's color
grade is still unknown. (Probably Fancy Vivid or Fancy Deep.)

Christie's Diamond Auction

Christie's will put this 101.27-carat diamond on the auction block during its May jewelry sale in Hong Kong. It is the largest colorless diamond to be offered at auction in 18 years.

Hong Kong—Christie's will put a 101.27-carat diamond on the auction block on May 28 during its spring jewelry sale in Hong Kong.

The gemstone is the largest colorless diamond to appear at auction in 18 years and bidding is expected to exceed $6 million. The winning bidder will have the privilege of naming the stone.

The stone was cut from a 460-carat rough diamond, certified by the Gemological Institute of America as having F color, VVSI clarity and an "excellent" grade in both polish and symmetry.

"Only three colorless diamonds of over 100 carats have ever appeared at auction, all sold in Geneva," Christie's Chairman of Jewelry Francois Curiel said in a statement. "With Asia becoming such a vibrant market, it is fitting that this rarest gem should be offered on May 28 to the growing number of collectors in this region."

The diamond will be unveiled during Christie's Spring Masterpieces Exhibition, scheduled for Feb. 23-27 in London.

Christie's jewelry auctions take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Geneva; Hong Kong; London; New York; Paris and Milan, Italy.

The auction house reported jewelry sales of $395 million in 2007, an 11 percent increase over 2006 sales of $355 million.

Other notable diamonds recently auctioned off by Christie's include the 53.71-carat "Dubai Magnificence," a pear-shaped, D-color, flawless-clarity stone sold in New York in December.

EMERALD is a valuable gemstone that symbolizes Love and Success.

It is May birth stone and the anniversary gemstone for the twentieth year of marriage. Having a hardness of 7.5 - 8, this green variety of Beryl derives it’s name from the Greek word “smaragdus” meaning green.

These May birth stones have been prized since the beginning of recorded time and its legacy is as eternal as the stone itself.

The first emerald mines were opened in Egypt although the exact dates are not known.

Mummies in ancient Egypt were often buried with an emerald on their necks carved with the symbol for foliage, to symbolize eternal youth.

It was recorded that Nero would watch the gladiator games through flat emerald crystals.

Pliny, the Roman scholar, was the first to suggest emerald was a family member of beryl. It was not until the early 19th century that science proved him right.

The Romans dedicated the emerald to their goddess of love and beauty, Venus.

It is said that Cleopatra was always adorned in Emeralds and had amassed an astounding collection of this amazing gem, her most treasured jewelry.

Engagement Rings

Diamond engagement rings are often seen as the ultimate symbol of your love, but for many men they also bring anxiety and fear. How do you know you’re getting the best deal? What style ring should you get? Can you trust the diamond you’re getting is really the quality the jeweler says it is?

Quick Tips:

1) Never buy the ring and the diamond together.

While there is nothing wrong with buying the diamond and the ring from the same jeweler, don’t make the mistake of overpaying for the diamond or the ring separately by not understanding of what each cost on their own and doing comparison shopping.

2) Always demand a GIA or AGS lab report for your diamond.

While most jewelers are honest, some are not unfortunately and they will knowingly sell diamonds that they know are inaccurately graded. These diamonds come from lower tier labs such as EGL, IGI, etc. Don’t let them convince you otherwise that this is a great diamond at a rock bottom price. While it may be true some lower tier labs do grade accurately from time to time, the rarest and most expensive gems are only traded in confidence by jewelers when they are accompanied by a GIA or AGS grading report.

3) There is no such as thing as a diamond wholesaler / retailer.

Jewelers either sell wholesale or retail, not both. In fact it is illegal and a deceptive business practice for a jeweler to claim to sell both.

It’s amazing how many people consumers think they can buy diamonds at “wholesale” prices or below. It is true that margins vary from dealer to dealer. Diamonds are a commodity and while the occasional deal may surface every once.

Hope Diamond

This picture shows the Hope Diamond, which is the largest (45.5 carats) blue diamond in the world. It is one of many diamonds and gems in the Natural History Museum.

Diamond Cross Pendant is a Jewelry Classic

Is there a special woman in your life that deserves an extra special gift? You might consider that jewelry classic - the diamond cross pendant. It is a gift that is always appropriate and always appreciated for its beauty and meaning.

Women of every age can wear diamond cross pendants anywhere, whether they are religious or not. A diamond cross always look right, whether at a church service or at sophisticated cocktail parties. Diamond cross pendants can be beautiful symbols of faith or merely understated fashion accents.

You may be surprised at the many styles are available. Crosses are available with just a simple diamond at the center of a gold, silver or even wooden cross. Or, the cross may be made up solely of the diamonds and their settings. Very tiny simple crosses look lovely on a little girl at her Baptism or First Communion. Teenagers and young adults often opt for larger, ornate crosses with diamonds of varying sizes. These go particularly well with today's Gothic look. Quite often there are matching rings and earrings available to make a lovely set.

Diamonds don't have to be the sole gemstone on your cross pendant. Women often like to combine their diamonds with their birthstone or other favored gems. One wonderful idea is to have a diamond cross pendant studded with the birthstones of her husband, her children and/or her grandchildren. Or, you can make one to match their diamond promise ring. These become cherished heirlooms.

There are hardly any occasions in which it would be inappropriate to give a diamond cross. Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries are ideal occasions as well as weddings and special religious observances. Milestones such as Confirmations, graduations and retirements can be marked with this precious jewelry. Giving it at Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and Sweetest Day would be appreciated too. "Just because" gifts are often the best of all.

Presenting the pendant in an elegant gift box is always right. But why not make the presentation extra special: This Easter put the pendant inside a hollow chocolate Easter egg or bunny. Hang it around the neck of an Easter stuffed animal. If you're not giving it at Easter, try to find another occasion-related item in which to hide the pendant. Or, hang it from the rearview mirror of her car? (In any event, make sure she finds it. There is a story of a valuable engagement ring being hidden in a chocolate Easter egg. The intended did not open it right away and in fact, exchanged the egg (and the ring) for something else. The story goes the ring was never found.) Don't let this happen to you.

A diamond cross pendant is a beautiful gift that never goes out of style. Give her a gift she will treasure always. She will always remember and appreciate your thoughtfulness.

How To Safely Clean Your Diamond And Gold Jewelry

It can be difficult to maintain and clean gold or diamond jewelry because the cleaning methods differ according to jewelry settings. Fine jewelry is like a valuable possession crafted and designed to be kept for lifetime. Proper care should be taken in order to ensure that the quality of gold and diamond jewelry lasts forever.

Gold and diamonds are valuable material for making jewelry. Since buyers have to spend a lot of money in buying them, it is essential to clean and store them in a proper manner so that the original beauty of these precious materials can be enhanced as well as retained. You can either do the cleaning at home or give it to a jeweler to do it for you.

Due to use of hair styling products, oil or hand lotions, a film of dust and dirt sets on gold and diamond jewelry and because of this they don't sparkle. If you don't clean them, these materials can get accumulated in a thick layer of gunk, usually found on the back of the stone or gold jewelry. Even though diamond is considered to be a hard gemstone, scrubbing it vigorously and using harsh cleaners can remove the material and coating, which is used for enhancing it. So it is essential to be very careful while removing the film and dust.

Before cleaning try and find out if there are any treatments, which were used on the diamond before being placed in a setting. If you know this, it will be easy for you to clean it. The first thing you should do is, soaking the jewelry in a warm solution made out of water and mild liquid detergent. You can either use ivory liquid for dishwashing or any other mild detergent.

After soaking it for sometime, you need a soft brush for removing dirt. A brush with stiff bristles should not be used otherwise the metal setting of the ring will get scratches. After cleaning it with a soft brush, swish it around in the solution and then rinse the jewelry properly in warm water. Remember to put the jewelry in a strainer or close drain so that you don't lose it.

The next step should be drying it with a cloth that is lint-free. You can also use a stream of water for the grime to be flushed away. Even a toothpick can be used so that dirt is pushed away carefully from the stone.

Water solution or ammonia solution can be used for diamonds that are not fracture filled. Diamonds that are fracture filled should be cleaned with a gentle liquid detergent. Eventually, the coating on the diamond gets removed or clouded with the use of ammonia. If there are other stones besides diamonds, then you need to be extra careful. The weakest and most delicate jewelry should be taken care of the most. A cleaning method that is usually meant for stones which is less durable can be used for other gemstones.

By Victor Epand