Robert Procop Exceptional Jewels - The Emerald Collection

Have you had the opportunity to view the traveling exhibition from Robert Procop Exceptional Jewels?  ...he has put together a collection of never before seen emeralds - booked at several top US retailers. 

Why share this collection now? 

"The unique qualities in each of these emeralds, their intense green colors, remarkable shapes, and sizes, all contribute to my passion for these stones. The rarities in each are a wonder. 

We have faceted some of the finest emeralds from different parts of the world with a few noted rarities that have not yet been seen. The jeweler or private collector will truly be able appreciate the beauty, treasure and value of each stone. 

Therefore, due to these emeralds exceptional individual allurement, this traveling exhibit was created." - Robert Procop

Grab your traveling companions and follow the Yellow Brick Road to...

The Emerald City - A rare and unique 39.01ct natural formation from the mines of Colombia with vivid and intense green hexagonal prisms. Dr. A. Peretti, of the Gem Research Laboratory in Switzerland, personally noted in the certification:“This emerald crystal rough is arranged in an aggregate of a series of prisms that resemble the skyline of skyscrapers in megacities." Thus, this rough crystal has been named ‘The Emerald City’.

The African Kryptonite - One of the rarest emerald specimens found in the world, this 100ct natural form crystal emerald is certified by Dr. A. Peretti as being 106.53cts and having the exceptional quality of containing no oil. The emerald is Nigerian in origin and suspended in a striking kryptonite capsule pendant with 25.33ct tw of round diamonds sculpted around this rare gem.

Tour stops are at a few high end jewelers - and there will be several pieces from the Robert Procop Exceptional Gems Collection included in the exhibition.

The tour has already begun but there are still a couple opportunities to see the collection:

♦  2-3 May 2014: Charles Schwartz & Son, Washington, D.C.

♦  8-10 May 2014: Donoho's, The Woodlands, Texas.

#SilentSpotlight - On the Designers of Andreoli Fine Jewelry #JWLV

Welcome to Silent Spotlight!  Most of these will be designers that I met at the recent Jewelry Week Las Vegas.
Complete contact info will be given at the beginning of each post..

Shining the Silent Spotlight on:
Andreoli Fine Jewelry
Web: http://www.andreoliusa.com
Blog: http://andreoliusa.tumblr.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AndreoliJewelry
Twitter:        @andreoliusa
Instagram:  @andreolifinejewelry

Andreoli Emeralds in Las Vegas from their Instagram 

Titanium Collection

BAYCO Reveals One Of A Kind 206 carat Emerald at BaselWorld!

Bayco Unveils The Imperial Emerald
The Most Precious Emerald on Record to Date
Bayco Jewels LLC unveiled today one of the most precious gemstones to ever exist at the world’s most prestigious annual jewelry exhibition, Baselworld in Basel, Switzerland.



Moris and Giacomo Hadjibay, co-owners of Bayco Jewels LLC stated, “This unveiling represents a milestone for the history of Bayco and the industry. This gem is a representation of the exquisite high standards of our brand. To follow the essence of our history, is to continue to create or discover one of a kind treasures that are not attainable by many but befall a treasure to some.” The co-owners hosted an hour long press conference for their invited guests to witness the unveiling of THE IMPERIAL EMERALD: a one of a kind, 206 carat, unenhanced Colombian Emerald.

The Imperial Emerald has been praised with the highest grade certificates, from global gemological entities that are highly regarded as the authority in the industry. The certificates contain extensive special comments by all the labs which certified it including; Gubelin, AGL, GIA, C. Dunaigre Consulting, and GRS. Additionally, it has also received a Gem Portrait by Gubelin, a JewelFolio by AGL, and Monograph by the GIA. Each of these is a book made by each lab which is reserved only for extremely rare and exceptional stones.

Emeralds are coveted gemstones, and have been throughout history; in fact a truly fine emerald may be even more valuable than a diamond of the same size. These gems range in size from very small to very large, however the rarity of finding one of this magnitude is rather exceptional. Colombian emeralds set the highest standards of quality for all emeralds, which are differentiated from other stones by the quality of their color: a shining green without any bluish tint. They are also prized for their transparency, crystallization and fire. The green color that this gem possesses is generally considered more desirable and the slight natural mineral inclusions add to the stone's character. 

About Bayco Jewels LLC
Bayco Jewels was founded in 1982 with the jewel-centric family established by Amir Hadjibay and his two sons, Moris and Giacomo, current co-CEO’s of the New York based company. Voiding mass production, Bayco creates only one-of-a-kind pieces designed with old and new trends that feature some of the finest gems in the world: ravishing rubies, dazzling emeralds, celestial sapphires, and enrapturing diamonds. Bayco’s pursuit of gemstone purity is its own aesthetic truth, creating pinnacles of jewelry for their rarefied—luxury-loving elite clientele. For more information, log onto www.bayco.com.

Hottest Jewelry Trend for St. Patrick’s Day: Platinum and Emeralds

It appeared many of Hollywood's leading ladies, including Reese Witherspoon, Annette Bening and Amy Adams were trying to channel the Luck of the Irish with platinum and emerald jewelry at this year's Academy Awards. Because platinum is naturally white, it maximizes the brilliance of all colored gemstones. 

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, here are a few of the latest platinum and emerald styles:

Platinum Guild International (PGI) is an organization dedicated to inspiring a passion for platinum that ensures it is the precious jewelry of choice. We supply information, practical advice and expertise to help jewelry buyers make informed and inspired decisions. We also offer the jewelry trade specialist knowledge and resources, with the aim of providing customers a high level of help and advice in store.

http://preciousplatinum.com

The "Spanish Inquisition Necklace"

The Spanish Inquisition Necklace
Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals Collection at the
National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution

Earliest Cut Gemstones?

There are a multitude of legends surrounding this necklace...indicating that it was worn by the lovely ladies of Spanish and French royalty. In the early 20th century, it was purchased by the Maharajah of Indore, whose son eventually sold the necklace in to Harry Winston. Winston dubbed it the “Spanish Inquisition Necklace”, for reasons known only to him, and the name stuck.

Many of the gemstones in this stunning necklace date back to the 17th century, when Spanish conquistadors shipped large quantities of emeralds from South America to Europe and Asia. Unfortunately very little is known about the provenance of this spectacular double row of diamonds and emeralds ending in the chandelier like drape of unique ”football-shaped” diamonds and emeralds.

The large diamond and emerald gems were probably cut in India in the 1600s. Stringing the gems was an extremely delicate procedure that entailed drilling small holes in the large emeralds and the 16 largest diamonds. It is believed that the large diamonds and Columbian emeralds were most likely cut in India in the 17th century, making them one of the earliest examples of cut gemstones in the Smithsonian's Collection.


Characteristics of the Spanish Inquisition Necklace

The lower-half of the necklace which is double-stranded consists of two concentric semi-circles, made up of smaller diamonds interspersed with pairs of large barrel-shaped diamonds and emeralds, placed symmetrically on the strands. There are eight pairs of larger diamonds and four pairs larger emeralds on these strands. A chandelier-shaped pendant made up of five large emeralds is placed centrally on the double strand, with the largest emerald in the necklace centrally placed on the lower strand.

The upper-half of the necklace is single-stranded made up of smaller diamonds only. At the two points on the necklace where the upper-half and lower-half meet, two large emeralds have been placed. Altogether, there are 15 large emeralds, 16 large diamonds, and around 120 smaller diamonds in the necklace.
The largest emerald in the necklace is an old Indian-cut, 45-carat, barrel-shaped emerald placed centrally in the necklace. According to the Smithsonian, "The rich velveteen color and exceptional clarity place the large emerald among the world's very finest quality emeralds. The shape closely approximates the form of the original elongated hexagonal crystal, suggesting that the crystal faces were simply rounded off to yield the largest possible gem."

Ownership Timeline

Designed for a Maharajah - the first known owner of the necklace was Tukoji Rao III of Indore

1926 - Yashvantrao II, the son of Tukoji Rao III, ascended the throne of Indore after the abdication of his father, and inherited the crown jewels

1947 - Yashvantrao II sold diamond and emerald necklace to Harry Winston

1947 – Katherine Hepburn wears the necklace when she attended the 19th Annual Oscars at the Shrine Civic Auditorium

1955 - Harry Winston sold the "Spanish Inquisition Necklace" to Mrs. Cora Hubbard Williams of Pittsburgh

1972 - Cora Hubbard Williams bequeathed the necklace to the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution

Currently - the "Spanish Inquisition Necklace" is displayed in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals of the NMNH of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC