Madeleine Stowe As The Face Of The Lady #BOVET Flower Of Life

New York, NY (March 23, 2016) - The flower of life is a universal symbol of balance and vitality found in many civilizations. It thus perfectly represents the charity work that has united BOVET and the Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) association since 2012. APJ was founded by Oscar winning filmmaker, Paul Haggis and friends which, brings together numerous figures from the film, music and art industry to support education and the teaching of audiovisual trades to children and adults in Haiti. This partnership gave rise to a close friendship between Pascal Raffy and actress Madeleine Stowe, who has generously accepted to be the face of this new timepiece. In addition to BOVET’s annual contribution to the cause supported by APJ, 10% of the value of every Lady BOVET Fleur de Vie timepiece sold will be donated to the association.

A crucial stage in BOVET’s development came in 2014 with the launch of the Calibre à Spécialités Horlogères, the Virtuoso II. This was the first movement not regulated by a tourbillon to be entirely developed and produced by BOVET’s own technicians and watchmakers. Presented in two timepieces from the DIMIER collection (Récital 12 and Récital 15), this new caliber clearly demonstrated an ambition to equip and drive numerous complications, as well as the majority of BOVET’s timepieces in the long term, with the obvious exception of those in the Grandes Complications collection. This very same caliber also stood out for its ability to display the hours and minutes on both sides of the movement, and to present various indications and complications specific to the timepieces for which it is intended.

This year, the collection explores new possibilities with the arrival of Lady BOVET Flower of life and its 39 mm diameter case. Now, women can also enjoy the Virtuoso II caliber’s seven days of autonomy and the reversibility of the case, which gives the timepiece multiple guises.

An off-centered dial at 12 o’clock houses the hours and minutes hands, and enables the movement’s atypical structure to be appreciated. The various bridges present voluptuous shapes with concentric curves on the dial, which they seem to embrace. Once again, balance and symmetry bring graceful harmony to the timepiece as a whole. The seconds carriage at 6 o’clock completes the vertical axis with a triple hand, with each arm successively tracing the 120° scale on the dial. The center wheel and its bridge, both visible at 4 o’clock, mirror the sprung balance and balance cock, while the power-reserve indicator is located at 10 o’clock
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A quick and easy maneuver enables the timepiece to be worn on the reverse, revealing an entirely different face. A classic dial displaying the hours and minutes graces the second side of this timepiece, featuring either a hand-gilded flower of life engraved on mother-of-pearl or the same motif in grand feu enamel.

As well as the two distinct identities offered by this reversible wristwatch, Lady BOVET comes with a chain that enables the timepiece to be worn as a pendant. As with all the cases equipped with the Amadeo® system, it can also be converted into a desk clock without the use of a single tool.

With this latest creation, BOVET 1822 has enriched its ladies’ collections with the same quality and performance as its men’s models, but with a size and design that have been ideally defined to suit each individual. For enhanced femininity and to better reflect the wearer’s identity, Lady BOVET can be personalized with an infinite array of options that include hand-engraving, gem-setting or miniature painting carried out on request by the Maison’s craftsmen.

About BOVET:
BOVET 1822 is a Swiss Manufacturer of luxury timepieces whose origins date back to 1822, the year in which Edouard Bovet founded their workshop in the picturesque Val-de-Travers region of Switzerland. BOVET is renowned for its pocket watches manufactured for the Chinese market in the 19th century. Today, under the guidance and ownership of Pascal Raffy, a visionary with a passion for Haute Horlogerie, BOVET is thriving, manufacturing unique timepieces distinguished by their pocket watch inspired form. From extraordinary complications such as tourbillons and minute repeaters, to rare artisanal crafts such as enamel painting and fleurisanne engraving, each BOVET timepiece is brought to life under the practiced hand of a BOVET master watchmaker. With a highly limited production annually, BOVET seeks to preserve and cultivate the art and craft of traditional watchmaking, while delighting connoisseurs and collectors.

For additional information please visit:www.bovet.com

GIA Lab Notes - Largest Blue HPHT Synthetic Diamond

Republished with permission.....from the Spring G&G

Largest Blue HPHT Synthetic Diamond

Author: Kyaw Soe Moe, Paul Johnson, Ulrika D’Haenens-Johansson, and Wuyi Wang

Recently, large colorless and near-colorless HPHT-grown diamonds by the Russian company NDT have been investigated, with sizes up to 5.11 ct (U. D’Haenens-Johansson et al., 2015, “Large colorless HPHT-grown synthetic gem diamonds from New Diamond Technology, Russia,” Fall 2015 G&G, pp. 260–279; Spring 2015 G&G Lab Notes, pp. 65–66). The largest faceted colorless HPHT-grown synthetic diamond reported to date is a 10.02 ct E-color, VS1-clarity specimen, reported by IGI Hong Kong in 2015. In January 2016, GIA’s New York laboratory examined a 5.03 ct fancy-color HPHT-grown type IIb synthetic diamond (figure 1, left) produced by NDT, the largest faceted blue laboratory-grown diamond studied so far.



This emerald-cut synthetic diamond was color graded as Fancy Deep blue. This is a very attractive color with no other color component, a prized rarity among natural type IIb diamonds (the Blue Moon, for instance, was graded as Fancy Vivid blue). When viewed under a microscope, faint but sharp color zoning could be seen (figure 1, center), indicative of the uneven impurity incorporation of HPHT synthetic diamonds. No strain was observed under crossed polarizers, indicating a very low dislocation density, which is also characteristic of HPHT-grown diamonds. It had VS1 clarity, with only very small metallic inclusions and a cavity observed at the girdle (figure 1, right). Fluorescence and phosphorescence images collected using a DiamondView instrument revealed the sample’s cuboctahedral growth pattern (figure 2, left), another feature of HPHT synthetics. The long-lasting chalky blue phosphorescence was further analyzed using spectroscopy, and the emission was found to originate from two broad bands centered at approximately 500 and 575 nm (figure 2, right). These bands have previously been reported in NDT’s type IIa and IIb HPHT synthetic diamonds (D’Haenens-Johansson et al., 2015).






Absorption spectroscopy for the mid-infrared region confirmed the sample was type IIb, with strong boron-related features at 1290, 2458, and 2800 cm–1. The average bulk boron concentration was 0.82 to 1.12 ppm, calculated according to the equation NA-ND = (1.00 ± 0.15) × H1290 ppm cm–3 , where NA is acceptor concentration, ND is donor concentration, and H1290 is peak height at 1290 cm–1 (A.T. Collins, “Determination of the boron concentration in diamond using optical spectroscopy,” Proceedings of the 61st Diamond Conference, Warwick, UK, 2010). Otherwise, this large synthetic diamond exhibited an extremely low concentration of optical defects. Photoluminescence spectroscopy was conducted at liquid nitrogen temperatures using a range of laser excitations covering the UV-visible-IR range. The PL spectra only revealed emission from a single defect species, a Ni-related emission multiplet with peaks at 483.6/483.8/484.1/484.4 nm (484 nm center) detected using 324.8 nm laser excitation (A.T. Collins, “The characterisation of point defects in diamond by luminescence spectroscopy,”Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 1, 1992, pp. 457–469). As with previous type IIb synthetic diamonds, its visible-NIR spectrum showed a transmission window in the blue region and an absorption in the red, caused by the presence of boron, resulting in the observed blue bodycolor.

This 5.03 ct sample is the largest HPHT-grown blue synthetic diamond examined at a GIA laboratory. As the size and quality of synthetic diamonds improve, careful identification is essential. Representative HPHT synthetic diamond characteristics seen in this specimen, such as the lack of tatami strain patterns (which are typically observed in natural type IIb diamonds), faint but sharp color zoning, and small metallic inclusions from the metal-catalyst flux, can be detected using a gemological microscope, emphasizing its continued importance in gem identification. Examination of this large IIb synthetic diamond, combined with those previously reported from NDT, illustrates the rapid progress in HPHT growth technologies. This is a development that will eventually impact the jewelry industry.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Kyaw Soe Moe, Paul Johnson, and Ulrika D’Haenens-Johansson are researchers at GIA’s New York laboratory. Wuyi Wang is GIA’s director of research and development.

Condolences to Victims of Belgium Attacks from World Diamond Council

via Press Release

World Diamond Council Extends Condolences to Victims of Belgium Attacks

March 23, 2016 — The World Diamond Council (WDC) extends its sincere and heartfelt condolences to the victims of the horrific attacks which took place at Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek metro station in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday, March 22nd.

“We are devastated by these horrific acts of terrorism,” stated Edward Asscher, president of the World Diamond Council. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and their relatives. On behalf of our global membership, we send our sincere condolences to our partners from the Belgian diamond business and our friends at the European Union Headquarters with whom we work closely on the Kimberley Process, and to all who are impacted by these awful events.”

The Zaventem Airport in Brussels is a key transportation hub for the diamond industry in Europe.

#WatchesToWatch Congratulations to Carl F. Bucherer On Their Beautiful Refreshed Brand Identity

From a Press Release

Carl F. Bucherer Unveils Refreshed Brand Identity 

in Celebratory Ceremony at Baselworld 2016

Basel, Switzerland (March 21, 2016) - Swiss watchmaker Carl F. Bucherer celebrated the strong roots of its origins and paid tribute to its past in a new brand presentation at Baselworld 2016, the most significant exhibition in the world for the watch industry. The traditional company from Lucerne chose this venue, considered the most important platform for the watchmaking sector, to unveil its refreshed brand identity and to shine light on its rich heritage. 

Visitors from all over the world joined Carl F. Bucherer in celebrating the official inauguration of the exhibition stand, which was draped completely in gold. The event began with dramatic music and a dance performance, capped by a dramatic, golden curtain unveiling which revealed the brand's refreshed logo and distinct, golden BASELWORLD exhibition space. Carl F. Bucherer CEO Sascha Moeri then emerged to address the crowd and present the brand's updated corporate identity and the launch of the new brand presentation.

“Carl F. Bucherer possesses an extraordinary heritage. We are continuing to develop ourselves by going back to our roots and reinterpreting them for the future,” explains Sascha Moeri, CEO of Carl F. Bucherer.

It all began with Carl Friedrich Bucherer himself, a visionary and bold entrepreneur. Back in 1888, his pioneering spirit and passion for craftsmanship provided the foundation for what Carl F. Bucherer has stood for ever since: a leading, independent Swiss watchmaker with international prestige. An authentic brand that is deeply rooted in the cosmopolitan city of Lucerne – the vibrant heart of Switzerland – both the origin and inspiration of the watch brand. This close connection together with the power of creativity and the uninhibited free spirit of its home forms part of the DNA of the Swiss luxury watchmaker and is passionately embodied through the brand’s savoir faire.

The new brand look is reminiscent of the precious heritage of Carl F. Bucherer and lends its golden radiance to the unique strengths of the brand. The gold is derived from the Baroqueinfluenced architecture that gives the home city of Lucerne its special character. A minimalist look that pays tribute to the strong roots of the Swiss watchmaker – in both a discreet and prominent manner.

The golden imagery reflects the pride in the heritage, as do the design of the display windows with the silhouette of Lucerne and the depiction of the cosmopolitan free spirit. The centerpiece of the almost 1,000 m2 large exhibition stand is the library and its visual presentation of the brand identity. The new movement CFB A2000 with peripheral rotor is presented as an exclusive – a design concept that Carl F. Bucherer was the first manufacturer to bring into serial production and which debuts in the worldwide innovation Manero Peripheral.  

The new brand presentation in “distinct gold” is an expression of luxury as Carl F. Bucherer understands it: Watch creations of the highest standard of workmanship that are known for the expert combination of passion and unmistakable style.   

About Carl F. Bucherer:

Since 1888 the name Carl F. Bucherer has been synonymous with quality, innovation, and passion. Founded in Lucerne, the Swiss family company became an internationally renowned brand with branches around the world – distinguished by the pioneering spirit of their founder and the cosmopolitan esprit of their heritage. The company is currently being managed by the third generation of the family, under Jörg G. Bucherer. The time indicators and movements of the independent watchmaker Carl F. Bucherer are developed and produced in the company’s own workshops in Switzerland. Milestones include the brand’s own movement series that are powered by exterior rotors – an innovation that Carl F. Bucherer was the first watchmaker to bring into production. Carl F. Bucherer expresses the highest standard of workmanship, unmistakable style and detailed sophistication in its exclusive watch creations. Visit carl-f-bucherer.com for more information.