Finally, A Reason For Space Travel

Astronomers discover a planet made of diamond

Astronomers have spotted an exotic planet that seems to be made of diamond racing around a tiny star in our galactic backyard.
The new planet is far denser than any other known so far and consists largely of carbon. Because it is so dense, scientists calculate the carbon must be crystalline, so a large part of this strange world will effectively be diamond.

"The evolutionary history and amazing density of the planet all suggest it is comprised of carbon -- i.e. a massive diamond orbiting a neutron star every two hours in an orbit so tight it would fit inside our own Sun," said Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.

That's a lot of rough...
do you think that DeBeers is developing a space program?

And for something closer to home
The jewelry collection of Elizabeth Taylor will be on display prior to the December auction by Christie's.
Here are the locations
- Moscow: Sept. 15 – 16, GUM, Red Square 3
- London: Sept. 24 – 26, Christie’s, 8 King St., St. James
- Los Angeles: Oct. 13 – 16, venue to be determined
- Dubai: Oct. 23, Jumeirah Emirates Towers
- Geneva: Nov. 11 – 12, Four Seasons Hotel, 33 quai des Bergues
- Paris: Nov. 16 – 17, Christie’s, 9 avenue Matignon
- Hong Kong: Nov. 24 – 27, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center
- New York: Dec. 3 – 12, Christie’s, 20 Rockefeller Plaza

I can't wait to see this collection

Meanwhile, according to IDEX, a 32.77 carat yellow diamond is expected to fetch some $18 million or so.

According to Christie’s, the diamond's color is highly saturated. “The vivid yellow literally blazes with color, unlike any yellow diamond I’ve ever seen,” said Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s Head of Jewelry for Christie’s Americas.

Yellow diamonds gain their color from nitrogen replacing carbon atoms in the diamond’s structure. The level of nitrogen determines the intensity of the color. The vivid yellow offered by Christie’s absorbed an unusually high level of aggregated nitrogen, giving it a superbly saturated golden yellow color, the firm said.

I won't be bidding...in case you were wondering.

Have a great weekend...and to my peeps on the east coast, stay dry!

Jewelry Biz - Bernard Buys Bulgari For Big Bucks

Bernard Arnault has been busy with his brands.
A week or so ago he was forced to fire Dior's enfant terrible, John Galliano
and this week he's buying, or rather stock swapping, LVMH for Bulgari in a 6 billion dollar deal.
Is Bulgari worth 6 billion?
Does it really sell that much swag?
With eye glasses, perfume and handbags in addition to their jewelry,
I guess that the revenue racks up.
But the WSJ questions the price
LVMH's High Priced Bulgari Jewel
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton offered €4.3 billion ($6.01 billion) for the Italian jeweler, including debt, on Monday, valuing it at an eye-watering 22 times forecast 2011 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, well above LVMH's 10 times valuation. While Bulgari might prove a jewel in the strategic sense, the financial returns appear significantly less mesmerizing.


But the deal's financial merit is less convincing. True, LVMH's record in expanding brands should drive faster top-line growth at Bulgari. But luxury-goods-sector deals typically generate cost savings of up to 3% of sales, which, taxed and capitalized, would be valued at roughly €420 million in Bulgari's case, barely enough to cover one-fifth of the 60% premium to its predeal share price. Fortunately, this is a relatively small deal for LVMH, limiting its impact on earnings. But its initial return on investment could be an uninspiring 2.6%, estimates Evolution Securities.

Priced like a polished gem, delivering decent returns on Bulgari won't be easy.



Also, it appears that I jumped the shark on the whole celebrities getting paid to wear the goods at the Oscars.
According to National Jeweler, Anne Hathaway and Gwenneth Paltrow weren't paid by Tiffany and Louis Vuitton.
Representatives from Tiffany & Co., however, deny the claim.

“To reiterate what was shared with US Weekly, their sources are incorrect,” Carson Glover, director of worldwide media relations at Tiffany, said.
Reps for Hathaway, Paltrow, and Louis Vuitton have also told numerous publications the payment claims were incorrect, although it isn’t the first time Paltrow has been linked to lucrative endorsements.
OK, sorry Anne, sorry Gwen, my bad.

Finally, from IDEX online
Christies To Auction 10 ct Pink
New York—Another unusual fancy-color diamond is set to capture global attention with its color, size and price. Christie's will auction a 10.09-carat, cushion-cut, fancy vivid purplish-pink diamond at its April 12 Magnificent Jewels sale here. The auction house has estimated the diamond at $12-15 million.

Fancy-color and large diamonds have set a string of records prices recently. Four pink diamonds have fetched more than $1 million per carat at Christie's auctions, among them a vivid pink, 5-carat cushion-cut diamond that sold for more than $2.1 million per carat at Christie's Hong Kong in December 2009.



Doesn't it seem as though in every other auction, there's some big fancy colored diamond on the block?
Seriously, how many of them are out there?

...and how can I get my hands on one....

Monday Miscellany and Confident Consumers

If you just happen to pick up the December issue of ELLE magazine and you happen to see the Beladora ad, let me know what you think about it.

Oh...and what else did I want to mention.
National Jeweler has posted an article stating that consumer confidence is increasing.
I'd have to agree with that statement given the prices on what I see being sold at auction.

Take these earrings, for example.

Van Cleef and Arpels Lion Doorknocker Earrings

This pair is being sold on Beladora.com for $8750.

A pair of the same VCA Lion Doorknocker earrings

except with diamond eyes instead of emerald eyes

sold two weeks ago Christies New York sale for $18,750.

Obviously, there must be a lot of consumer confidence out there if estate jewelry buyers are willing to pay $10,000 (114%) more at Christie's auction for basically the same earrings.

( you know what I'm thinking don't you....ARBITRAGE!)

Also, at the same Christie's auction a gold and diamond evening bag, unsigned, sold for $20,000 while the Boucheron gold and diamond evening bag on Beladora was priced at $19,750.  Did I mention that the Beladora bag was Boucheron....and yes, it sold (with a discount) right after the auction.

At any rate, I don't know who was bidding at Christie's but it wouldn't surprise me if some very wealthy Chinese were doing the buying.  After some 80 years of pent up demand, everyone is expecting the Chinese to dominate high end luxury goods purchases, like the Russians did a few years ago, and the Middle Eastern Royals before that.

There are new fancy-schmancy stores being built now on Rodeo Drive, (Tom Ford, Stephen Webster, Badgley Mischka, etc...) that will open for the holidays, so high end businesses are investing in new stores.  Obviously these Luxe businesses are confident.

BTW, Gold Sets A Record Price ...again
Investors looking for safer places to stow their assets pushed gold to a record price above $1,400 an ounce Monday as they become more worried about the global economy.


A combination of issues have created fresh worry among investors: Ireland's debt difficulties and two key global summits where leaders of major industrial and developing nations are discussing currencies, free trade and ways to help the world economy.



Also in the back of investors' minds is the prospect of inflation stemming the Federal Reserve's multi-billion bond-buying program.
I'm wondering, do you think that consumer confidence is increasing?

Jewelry Biz - Big Bucks For The Bulgari Blue

OK, so I admit it...I was a little disappointed that the powers that be at Beladora didn't buy the Bulgari Blue last week at auction. It would have matched my outfit perfectly, don't you think?

Diamond Auction Sets New World Record

The Bulgari Blue Diamond, the largest triangular Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ever offered at auction, sold for $15.7 million on Wednesday at Christie's New York, setting a new world record for the price paid per carat for such a stone in open bidding
The 10.95 carat blue diamond is set opposite a matching 9.87 carat colorless diamond in a ring purchased in 1972 for $1 million. The record price amounts to $1.5 million per carat.
Bidding started at $8 million and quickly became a contest between a client in the room and two on the phone, before the gavel fell to a private Asian collector. 
And what are the chances that the buyer was from China... 

The original owner, who bought the ring at the Bulgari flagship store in Rome as a gift for his wife on the birth of their first son, kept it in the family for four decades until yesterday's sale.

 

 

 

 

Jewelry Biz - A Momento Mori for Martha

One of the many reasons why I love estate jewelry is that each piece has a story behind it. And most often, a love story.

Admittedly sometimes you know the story and sometimes you don't, but even not knowing the exact provenance of a piece of jewelry there is a sense that you are holding something meaningful.

Historically, jewelry was not commissioned or purchased in a casual way. There was almost always a specific reason that jewelry was created, gifted and worn.

With the exception of engagement or wedding rings, jewelry today has become primarily a fashion item. Prior to the 20th Century most jewelry while a form of adornment, had some specific significance such as a signet ring with a family crest or a tiara or practical purpose such as a fibula or chatelaine.

On occasion we can still see signet rings and tiaras...especially if we accustomed to attending formal events with European Royalty. But today one never sees a category of jewelry that was so commonly worn during the Georgian and Victorian periods, Mourning and Momento Mori jewelry, typically a locket or brooch often with a lock of hair, worn in memory of of a loved one.

Which brings me to this:

Christie's to auction Thomas Jefferson's watch key

New York--Christie's upcoming Americana Week 2010 sale in New York will feature a rare keepsake owned by much-revered American president Thomas Jefferson--a watch key that contains a lock of hair belonging to his wife, who died at the age of 33.

Conceived as a "memento mori," the engraved gold watch key contains a braided lock of hair from Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles Jefferson, who failed to recover from illness after giving birth to the couple's sixth child and died on Sept. 6, 1782, according to a Christie's press release.

It is believed that Jefferson, who never remarried, likely commissioned the watch key as a poignant reminder of his young wife in the years following her death. Two months after she passed away, Jefferson's grief is documented in a letter to the Marquis de Chastellux in which he described how he was "emerging from the stupor of mind which had rendered me as dead to the world as [she] was whose loss occasioned it."

The front of the key is engraved with Martha Jefferson's birth and death dates, and the reverse bears a clear case through which the braided lock of hair is visible. Made in England or France, this watch key could have been acquired abroad, when Jefferson served as commissioner and minister in Paris from 1784 to 1789, or from an American retailer who imported European watches.

The watch key is estimated to sell for somewhere between $40,000 and $80,000 at the auction, which is slated for Jan. 21, 22 and 25 at Christie's in New York.

Today it is difficult to think of Thomas Jefferson without thinking of his complicated personal life and his extended family. But this watch key, like so many pieces of antique jewelry, has a story of deep devotion behind it.

Romantic isn't it?

Jewelry Biz - Awesome Antiquities Auction

On my fantasy shopping list
are a few things from Christie's Auction House

well more specifically
ancient Greek and Roman gold jewelry and ornaments

From today's Antiquities auction in London
here was the big seller for $275,539

A PAIR OF GREEK GOLD ROSETTE ORNAMENTS 4TH CENTURY B.C. Each disc rosette-shaped with, in its centre, a large tiered flower resembling a star-burst with ten pointed petals, a smaller central disc with conjoined spiral filigree ornament and a tall pointed grain in the centre, the four elements joined by a tubular pin which projects at the back and is splayed into four strips to keep it in place, the back of the rosette disc with cylindrical gold tube into which fits the cylinder of the back stud, the concave disc of the back stud with rosette within beaded circle, the border with egg and dart patter

This highly important pair of Greek gold rosette ornaments are unique in design and exceptional in being so finely preserved and retaining both their back attachment rosette studs. The ornaments are of the highest quality, evidently produced by a master goldsmith in the 4th Century B.C.Gold ornaments of this type are known principally from sites in Asia Minor and Cyprus, but also occur elsewhere in areas influenced by Greek fashion, taste and culture including South Italy, Thrace, Pontus and Egypt.

Since I wouldn't really have much use for gold rosette ornaments

except maybe to wear in my hair

I would have preferred these two pieces of ancient gold jewelry

A HELLENISTIC GOLD PENDANT OF EROS CIRCA 4TH-3RD CENTURY B.C. The winged naked figure with cloak draped around his arms, a suspension loop at rear of head with modern pendant ring attached

A ROMANO-EGYPTIAN GOLD BRACELET CIRCA 1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D. The 'v'-section hoop overlapping at the ends with coiled wire terminals

Both priced right and wearable

Maybe next year...

Jewelry Biz - "As If The Recession Never Happened"

The full Christie's results are out
From Idex

Christie’s fetched $46. 51 million at its most recent sale, Jewels: The New York Sale & The Annenburg Diamond, Rare Jewels and Objets d’Art: A Superb Collection. Diamond traders noted with satisfaction that the auction further solidifies diamond prices.

This auction wasn't just about the big Annenburg rock, the Fred Leighton jewelry sold too.

And here's the key information

The international auction house reports that 327 out of 385 lots sold, which achieved a combined sell-through rate of 85 percent by lot and 94 percent by value
(The trade says that the estimates were purposely kept low, but still, the results were impressive.)

And here's the money quote

“It was as if the recession never happened,” remarked Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry at Christie’s New York..."

And let's face it, for Goldman Sachs gang there was no recession

Maybe that's who was doing all of the buying at Christie's this week.

Art Deco Jade Jewelry - Gorgeous Green

Beladora Featuring Art Deco Jade Jewelry

Christie's Jadeite and Diamond Pendant in 18K sold for $31,858

Beladora's Art Deco Jadeite and Diamond Pendant in Platinum for $7,750

Christie's Jadeite Ring in Platinum sold for $17,699

Beladora's Art Deco Jadeite and Diamond Ring in Platinum for $7,550

Jadeite has been prized for its rich color and translucence for thousands of years. In China it was known as the royal gemstone. Yesterday, I was glancing at a Christies catalog with the results from a recent auction in Hong Kong. I noticed this lovely jadeite and diamond pendant in 18k which sold for US $ 31,858, Wow, I thought...it's a beautiful piece...but it's not even a period piece.
Meanwhile, Beladora is bringing us magnificent jadeite estate jewelry in platinum from the Art Deco, Retro, and Mid-Century eras....and at a fraction of Christie's prices.

I understand the sexiness and excitement of bidding at auctions. But, when you buy at auction you not only pay the hammer price, you pay the buyer's premium which can be as high as 30% depending which market you are in. Then, after you make your purchase, if you find that you don't like what you bought, you can't send it back for a refund.

I'd rather skip the sexy excitement of auctions and buy online where I pay less, and have the option to return what I buy for a full refund.

Honey, Can I Have The Checkbook? I'll Be At Christies

Hedge Fund Honchos and Oil Oligarchs, have I got the auction for you.
Who else can buy these big rocks.
While the US is entering into cyclical recession...these major rocks are going up for sale at Christies.
Again from Idex:

Rare 39.34 Carat Cushion Cut Diamond Expected to Sell for $6-8 Million at Christie’s
(March 31, '08, 8:23 IDEX Online Staff Reporter)
An extremely rare cushion-cut 39.34 carat D / internally flawless diamond will be offered for auction by Christie’s in New York City on April 16. The stone, designated Type IIa, with perfect symmetry and cut, is estimated to garner $6-8 million.

Among the additional jewels to be offered in the New York Sale are a 27.91 carat rectangular cut D / potentially flawless diamond ring and a 21.09 carat pear shaped D / potentially flawless diamond ring, both by Harry Winston and both expected to realize $2-3 million each.

Accompanying the first diamond ring will be an identical simulated copy, also mounted by the iconic jeweler. A superbly faceted rectangular cut D color, internally flawless 18.44 carat diamond, estimated to go for $1.62-2.2 million, will complete the selection of colored diamonds.

A 40.39 fancy intense yellow rectangular cut diamond, mounted by Bulgari, is estimated to sell for $500,000-700,000. In addition, a pair of fancy yellow diamonds, 29.08 and 28.19 carats each, estimated at $800,000-1,200,000, will also be auctioned.

A number of pieces from the jewelry collection of author Danielle Steel will be offered, including a diamond and black coral owl brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels (estimated at $15,000-25,000) and a pair of sapphire and diamond “Trumpet Flower” ear clips by Jean Schlumberger, Tiffany & Co., estimated to sell for $18,000-22,000.

Part of a collection of rare diamonds, a pair of pear shaped D / internally flawless diamonds of 4.56 and 5.06 carats are expected to sell for $750,000-1,000,000.

These are some major rocks and I'm predicting that they will sell for at least 15% above the estimates.
We'll see.