Stars of Africa Collection Debuts at Harrods Today!

Royal Asscher Diamond Company is thrilled to announce that Harrods, London’s famed luxury department store, will be selling the Stars of Africa floating diamonds collection. The collection will debut on Saturday, October 8^{th .}

Harrods will have the largest collection of Stars of Africa jewelry in the UK, including the limited editions with pink diamonds and the Royal Stars with orange diamonds, which are a tribute to the Royal Dutch family for the extension of the Royal title earlier this year.

Launched in 2009, this beautiful and innovative collection (comprised of rings, earrings, pendants and cufflinks) consist of diamonds encased within fluid-filled sapphire domes, which allow the diamonds to float freely like snowflakes in a snow globe. The result is cascading diamonds that emit light, fire and beauty, which creates a truly  mesmerizing effect.

The Stars of Africa collection has more than just aesthetic appeal: The collection benefits Royal Asscher’s Africa-focused fundraising initiative, Stars of Africa. This philanthropic initiative aims to improve infrastructure in Africa by generating funding for healthcare, education and self sufficiency programs. As a family and as a company, the Asschers have a strong collective social conscience and an inherited love of the undeniable beauty of diamonds. Royal Asscher considers it to be of paramount importance that diamonds not only bring happiness to the wearer, but also to everyone involved in the diamond supply chain.

Mike Asscher says: “The world’s most famous luxury department store is a perfect fit and we are very proud that the Stars of Africa Collection is now being sold within the vicinity of the true Star of Africa: the Cullinan diamond.”

Royal Asscher is renowned for its unique heritage and history, which includes cleaving the world’s largest rough diamond in 1908, the Cullinan, presently housed in Great Britain’s Crown Jewels. Royal visitors to the Amsterdam based company include Japan’s Emperor Hirohito, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

Royal Asscher’s Stars of Africa collection has appeared in international magazines such as Elle, InStyle, Runway, Lucky, Genlux, Kurv and US Magazine, and it has been coveted by celebrity admirers such as Kate Bosworth, Sophia Vergara, Megan Fox, Joss Stone, Serena Williams, Estelle and Reba McEntire, all of whom have donned pieces on the red carpet from this collection. 

Guy Harvey Jewelry Re-affirms its Commitment to Ocean Foundation

Guy Harvey Jewelry 

Re-affirms Commitment to Ocean Foundation

An Affirmation of Old World Craftsmanship with a Cause

Nautora is proud to re-affirm its commitment to donate a percentage of sales to The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, the non-profit organization that promotes the conservation of our oceans and nurtures the next generation of marine scientists and guardians of our seas.

The maker of Guy Harvey Fine Jewelry, contends its jewelry is the essential finishing touch that reveals to the world ones love of the sea and the nautical lifestyle. Through of a lifetime of interaction with nature and the oceans, Dr. Guy Harvey continues to capture a variety of marine wildlife in their natural habitat with extraordinary detail. Sea creatures figuratively come to life with his brush.

Nautora was selected by Guy Harvey to design a line of jewelry based on his extensive artwork. Nautora’s objective was to create a unique and recognizable design that would be distinctively associated with the Guy Harvey brand. Collaborating with Dr. Harvey, and with contributions from designers Robbins and Danielle Rees, a relic “shadow box" coin shape was chosen as the signature look.

Many steps are involved in creating fine jewelry. The process starts with a sketch and fortunately for Nautora there is an endless catalog of fascinating subjects created by Dr. Harvey himself to work from. Nautora selects elements from Harvey’s art that can be transferred and rendered into wearable jewelry. Once a rendering is completed, the model work begins, usually involving hand carving the subject in hard wax by highly skilled artisans. Model making is the most important and labor intensive and part of the process. Nautora spares no expense in creating the most perfect model for each design. The next step is to make a mold from the model and from that a wax pattern is made. The wax pattern will ultimately melt away in the kiln leaving a cavity for the precious metal to be poured.

The pieces are cast using the timeless art of lost wax casting where molten precious metals are poured into a metal flask that contains a hard plaster like substance. After the piece is cast and cleaned, the rough areas are smoothed and polished using a series of fine grit abrasives.    Each piece is hand finished to reveal dramatic detail and subtle nuances, right down to Guy’s famous signature on the reverse side. Below Guy’s signature, a quality mark and a series of Hallmarks are placed to authenticate each piece as being a genuine Guy Harvey.

Some pieces are finished in the classic relic patina and others are brightly polished and hard fired with enamel to add a splash of color. Guy Harvey jewelry is accented in a variety of colors, including Gulf Steam Blue, Caribbean Blue and Cayman Green. Marlin, macaws, sailfish, dorado, sea turtles and many other species are depicted with realistic action in full color. The technique that is used to bring color to Guy Harvey Fine Jewelry is an old and storied art form. Enameling flourished during the Roman period and in more modern times has been made famous by the Faberge’ family in France and Tiffany family in America. The 3 dimensional surface of Guy Harvey jewelry is cleverly decorated in both low and high relief, releasing an explosion of color and action.    Colors are carefully chosen to closely match Dr. Harvey’s artwork. Then each piece is fired multiple times, in a kiln at high temperatures, thus creating an enduring work of art that will last for many generations.

The Guy Harvey Trophy Slide collection is a collectable series of sterling silver neck slides that is designed to be worn on a leather or cord necklace. Although Trophy Slides are affordable for any age, each piece is made with the same care that is given to even the most expensive Guy Harvey Jewelry items.    Younger individuals love these pieces of jewelry and the Guy Harvey brand because it represents their favorite activities, love of the ocean and all the memories they have made while living the nautical lifestyle.    

Guy Harvey Jewelry has been worn by top models including Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covergirl Brooklyn Decker, Bar Refaeli, Anne V and others. The jewelry has traveled with the SI Swimsuit crew to be photographed in the exotic settings of Fiji, The Maldives, Lisbon and Singapore.

Retail prices range from $54 for Trophy Slides to $30,000 for numbered limited edition platinum and diamond necklaces. The copyrighted and patented designs include necklaces, earrings, bracelets, charms, and rings, made of 18K gold, sterling silver, diamonds and gemstones in a variety of combinations. The collection consists of styles for both male and female.

Nautora is a family business of 30 years Located in the coastal town of Little Washington, NC.

Visit http://www.guyharveyjewelry.com for more information.
Visit http://www.vimeo.com/16025580 for video.

21st Annual MJSA Vision Awards OPEN

2011 1st Place Custom Design:
Cynthia Zava,
Cynthia Renee, Inc.

 21st Annual MJSA Vision Awards

         Competition is OPEN!

Every year, the association celebrates outstanding talent in the field of jewelry design with our MJSA Vision Awards competition. The winning designers and students represent the future of the jewelry manufacturing industry--and the Vision Awards competition showcases their creativity and boosts their careers.

2011 1st Pl. Visionary Technical Solution, Adam Neeley, Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry Inc.

MJSA ensures the Vision Award winners receive the recognition they deserve by promoting their triumph through the industry's leading publications, which in 2012 will include Instore, Metalsmith, and the association's own MJSA Journal. In addition, their winning entries will be on display for thousands of buyers and exhibitors during the annual MJSA Expo New York, the largest and oldest trade show in the U.S. dedicated to the design and manufacture of jewelry, which will be heldMarch 11-13, 2012. Other prizes include gift certificates of up to $500 (courtesy of Rio Grande), cash awards, book libraries, and, for student winners, scholarships up to $1,000.

2012 AWARD CATEGORIES Design ExcellenceHonors designs that exhibit exceptional creativity, craftsmanship, and marketability.
 Visionary Technical SolutionHonors designs in which specific technical challenges--such as combining two non-complementary metals--were overcome to take the piece from concept to completion.
 
Laser Distinction
Sponsored by LaserStar Technologies Corp.

Recognizes entries in which the design relied upon the use of a laser.
 

Gold Distinction
Sponsored by Hoover & Strong

Recognizes entries that include a minimum of 75% of a karat gold alloy in the design.

Palladium Distinction
Sponsored by Palladium Alliance International

Recognizes entries that include a minimum of 75% of the design metal(s) in 950 palladium.

Platinum Distinction
Sponsored by Platinum Guild International

Recognizes entries that include a minimum of 75% of the design metal(s) in either 90% or 95% platinum. 

Custom Design Distinction

Sponsored by TechForm Advanced Casting

Honors designs that met a client's request for a custom designed piece and the challenges encountered during the design process and how they were overcome.

Future of the Industry Award

Sponsored by MJSA Education Foundation 

Recognizes the work of students in jewelry-related programs who exhibit exceptional design talent and creativity.

Click here to learn more about this year's competition and find out how to enter! Or visit the Career Center at mjsa.org.

Thank you to our 2012 sponsors:

 

General Sponsor:

 

Laser Distinction:

 

Gold Distinction:

 

Palladium Distinction:

 

Platinum Distinction:

 

Custom Design Distinction:

 

Future of the Industry:

 

Media Sponsors:

 

 

Gem Jewel: Breaking News! Ethiopian Opal

This is the beautiful untreated hydrophane
opal that draws us to Ethiopian Opal
from EthiopianOpals.com

I just got an email from one of my mentors and a woman whose mark on the Gemological World is undeniable... from Antoinette Matlins:

"For all of you opal lovers, especially those who have been drawn to Ethiopian opal, here's some breaking news that may cause you to pause. 

As you may know, there is some lovely, natural Ethiopian opal. And recently, a beautiful "black" Ethiopian opal began entering the market, from Welo (or Wollo, however you want to spell it). It is all represented to be natural and untreated; furthermore, "natural color" has been "confirmed" by several laboratories. Questions recently arose over some especially beautiful pieces, however, for a variety of reasons. 

Cara and Bear Williams found themselves unexpectedly undertaking a significant study on this material. They have just posted their findings and it is an article that is MUST READING.

Their findings and conclusions appear to be unequivocal: In short, what they are saying is that of all the "black" material they have seen and tested to date, they can confirm that it has all been either treated or unstable. 

Here's the link: http://www.stonegrouplabs.com/SmokeTreatmentinWolloOpal.pdf

For those of you who are hesitant to download .pdf files - the information can also be found on our Scribd page:  http://www.scribd.com/doc/66009568/SmokeTreatmentinWolloOpal

While smoking techniques are not new where opal is concerned, this is a new variation on the old smoking method! The old technique used on low quality Mexican opal, for example, to darken the material to create a more fiery play of color — wrap the opal tightly in brown paper, place in covered container, heat over medium heat until the paper is completely charred, cool and wash — affected only the surface. But in this material, cutting the material revealed that the darkening effect penetrated the entire stone. Cara and Bear discovered not only that they are smoked, but how they did it! It's compelling reading, and the findings appear to be indisputable. To read more about their research and findings, go to the links Robyn provided in his blog.

I hope that other major labs will review this study immediately and re-examine their own testing and methodology with regard to this material. I'm confident that they will concur with the findings of Cara and Bear. This material is now being sold all over the internet, and at trade shows, and everywhere else, as natural. Laboratory reports confirming the material to be "natural" must now also be questioned based on this new research...especially since they accompany some of the larger and most beautiful pieces. 

Way to go Cara and Bear! I know you invested a lot of time and effort into uncovering this deception and writing up your findings quickly so that the word can be circulated. The sooner the word gets out as to what this really is, the better. I love the product, and the treatment appears to be permanent, but as we all agree, it must be properly represented...and priced."

Color Rules The Day As Sotheby's Posts 5th Sales Record!

Sotheby’s New York Jewelry department set its 5^th consecutive record sale result today, when its auction of Important Jewels achieved $16,489,625 against an estimate of $12.9/17.8 million. This marks the highest total for a fall sale of Important Jewels at Sotheby’s New York, exceeding last September’s auction result that was also a record at the time.

“We are very pleased with the results of today’s sale, which brought another record auction total for Sotheby’s Jewelry,” commented Lisa Hubbard, Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewelry department. “And we are particularly thrilled by the extraordinary price achieved by our cover lot, the Cartier ‘Tutti Frutti’ bracelet that achieved $842,500 – nearly triple its pre-sale high estimate. Thirteen bidders chased after the piece, which had not been attributed to Cartier for some time until Sotheby’s rediscovered the faint signature of the legendary jeweler.”

Gary Schuler, Head of Sotheby’s Jewelry department in New York, added, “Today’s auction saw an incredible 99% of sold lots meet or exceed their pre-sale estimates. Diamond prices in the sale reflected a solid market that appeared void of speculation, and there were strong prices for colored stones as well, led by the purplish-pink sapphire brooch that brought $254,500 above a high estimate of $120,000.”

Top Item ReCap:

The results are pretty interesting - color was a huge trend as was anything that said David Webb!

View the results at:  http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/results.html

AGTA's NEW Palladium Prestige Awards

AGTA Reminder...get those entries in - DEADLINE Sept. 23rd!!!   Introducing the new Palladium Prestige Awards!

Fred Leighton Jewels Shine at the 2011 Emmy Awards

There is no denying that Vintage is HOT!!!  Fred Leighton jewels adorned several stars...from Edwardian pieces with Old Mine Cut Diamonds, Art Deco looks in carved Jade and more Modern looks from the 50's and 70's.

Details of the Fred Leighton jewelry worn at the 2011 Emmy Awards by:

Evan Rachel Wood

Evan Rachel Wood                 

A diamond bow cuff by Fred Leighton, in silver on gold

19^th Century diamond pendant earrings

A 19th Century emerald and blue enamel ring with diamonds, in silver on gold

Edie Falco                              

19^th Century diamond pendant earrings, silver on gold

19^th Century diamond starburst cluster bracelet, silver on gold

Dianna Agron

Dianna Agron                         

19th Century diamond and gold filigree pendant earrings

19th Century diamond bracelet, in silver on gold

19th Century diamond and blue enamel ring, in silver on gold

Kristen Wiig

Kristen Wiig                            

19^th Century gold pendant earrings

1940’s gold link bracelet

19th Century diamond bangle, in silver on gold

1970’s diamond and gold bangle bracelet

1940's gold ring

Martha Plimpton

Martha Plimpton                     

19th century diamond  fringe earrings, in silver on gold

19th Century rose-cut diamond ring, in silver on gold

Mary Murphy                           

Edwardian diamond pendant necklace, in platinum

5.00 carat cushion-cut diamond pendant earrings

Edwardian old-mine diamond openwork bracelet, in platinum

1920’s diamond bracelet, in platinum

1920’s Old- European diamond ring, in platinum

Christine Baranski

Christine Baranski                  

1950’s diamond swirl earrings, in platinum

1930’s sapphire and diamond barrel link bracelet, in platinum

1930’s sapphire and diamond link bracelet, in platinum

1930’s diamond disc ring, in platinum

Taraji P. Henson

 

Taraji P. Henson                     

A 1960’s rock crystal and diamond dome ring, in platinum 

Art Deco diamond pendant earrings, in platinum 

Amanda Peet                          

19^th Century diamond pendant earrings, in silver on gold

19th Century natural pearl and diamond bangle, in silver on gold

19^th Century diamond row bracelet, in silver on gold

Gretchen Mol

Gretchen Mol                          

Art Deco carved jade, onyx, and diamond pendant earrings, in platinum

1920’s diamond link bracelet, in platinum

1920’s diamond link bracelet, in platinum

Art Deco carved jade, black enamel, and diamond bracelet in platinum

12.90 carat cushion-cut diamond ring, in platinum

A 1940's gold and alligator evening bag