Borgezie Gold and Diamond Shoes

Aficionado's of fine shoes might have felt betrayed the day Jimmy Choo started marketing his wares through H&M.  How were they going to distinguish themselves from the masses if everyone could afford Jimmy’s high-end sandals?  The day has finally come when the super-wealthy can differentiate themselves from the merely wealthy with the launch of  Borgezie’s line.  For a cool $155,000 you can deck your feet with a pair of gold and diamond stilettos.  The shoes come with 2,200 diamonds weighing in at 30 carats set in a solid gold frame.  A spare sets of soles and heels are thrown in for free as an incentive to close the deal.

 

New Jewelry Designs

I have updated my Portfolio to include a bunch of new designs. Take a look and let me know what you think. The designs include new pave earrings, cocktail rings and gemstone pendants.

I encourage all readers to post your comments on the blog.

The Universe as Designer

One has to stand in amazement at the awesome beauty of the natural world around us.  Here is a picture of a butterfly galaxy recently taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, following a refurbishment of the satellite.Publish Post

Google Friend Connect for Jewelry Fans

I am trying an experiment and have set up Google Friend Connect as an attempt to create a jewelry social network. Take a look at the bottom right of the page. I invite you to sign on and post any questions about jewelry and design that you might have. Also, let me know what you think of Google Friend Connect. Friend Connect allows you to create a mini-social community around a website or blog.

Diamond Buying Tips

If you are looking for some great diamond buying tips, check out this guide from the GIA.  It goes through the 4 c’s in a straightforward way.

I find that what is not particularly well described or rated in diamond certificates, is the cut.  The cut, it turns out, can have a far more dramatic impact on the beauty of the stone compared to moving from a “G” to and “F” or moving up a notch in clarity.  Check out this post for more information on cut and how to assess this factor.

Understanding Gemstone Color

Perhaps one of the most important factors when judging a gemstone is its color.  Interestingly, the way color of “colorless” or white diamonds and the color of colored gemstones is judged, is very different.  For diamonds, the stone is turned face down under a light source, and the body color is investigated.  Held this way, the diamond will not sparkle, but glow. 

Colored gemstones are evaluated face up, which is the way you would look at the stones when set in jewelry.  The refracted color is then judged.  This means that that a light beam is directed at the stone.  Some of this light is bounced back.  A well-cut stone will result in more light being refracted and thus creating a more beautiful color. 

A gemstone’s color is described in three ways:

• Hue:  This is essentially the type of color.  It is refers to the way color is used in general speech.  These are blue and green hues.  Greenish blue means that the main color is blue, with secondary green hues.  Orange-pink has equal amounts of orange and pink.  The much desired padparadscha stones are typically orangy pink, pinkish orange or orange-pink. 
•  Saturation:  This is the amount of color.  Paraiba stones which are typically a Caribbean sea blue are known for their high degree of saturation.
• Tone : This is how light or dark the stone is.  Too light and the stone can appear washed out, too dark and the stone appears dull. 

It turns out that saturation and tone work hand-in-hand to produce the most vivid hues.  Lighter tones are required for yellow, darker tones for blue and medium to darker tones for red and green.  Too much tone will result in the saturation of the gemstone actually declining. 

Jewelry International Vol. II by Caroline Childers

I recently purchased Jewelry International Vol II.    If you are an aficionado of fine jewelry, this book is a must.  It contains a set of pictures and articles on both modern jewelry and jewelry through the ages.  There are some fantastic (and really expensive) pieces in the book.

Investment Jewelry

In this current economic downturn, many investors are turning to hard assets as a store of value.  The key is to find assets that provide a hedge against inflation and potential currency weakening.  Gold is proving to be a resilient asset in this environment. In fact, since October of 2008, the gold price has increased by over 25%.

What are the benefits of purchasing jewelry as an investment?

• Jewelry is easily transportable.  You can carry your wealth between countries.
• You control the investment. 
• Unlike holding bullion, you get the benefit of using your jewelry by wearing it.
• Jewelry can benefit from price appreciation if the piece is deemed to be a collectible item.

So how do you make your jewelry purchases also good investments?  Here are a few tips:

• Focus on “Fine” jewelry.  This means that the workmanship must be top notch, and the design must be exquisite, and preferably unique.  Commercial jewelry such as that found at a typical retail jewelry chain store, will have little value to a jewelry collector, and the potential resale value will be lower. 
• When selecting the gold karat level, 18 K to 22 K is preferred for investment purposes. 24 K is is good for pieces that are protected against wear and tear such as a brooch or pendant.
• Choose jewelry or have jewelry designed that looks good to you.  Firstly, you or your spouse will want to wear it.  Secondly, if it looks good to you, it will look good to others, and this again will increase its collectability value.
• “Limited edition,” “Custom-made,” “Unique,” “Designer” are all qualities that enhance the value of the value of your jewelry to a collector.

Angelina Jolie Red Carpet Earrings with Citrine

Angelina Jolie recently made a splash on the red carpet at the Oscar's by wearing some fantastic emerald earrings. The sheer size and rich color made her a standout among all the stars. Since then I have been asked by a number of clients to create them earrings with the following two qualities: they must be big and beautiful; they must have lots of color. Since emeralds this size are beyond the budget of most, we have been looking at other natural stones. Take a look at the set in Prasiolite (also called green amethyst).

Below are a set of citrine stones that would make similar earrings.

The earrings would have a total weight of 49.47 cts!! They consist of two high quality, cushion cut citrine stones weighing a total of 16.88 cts and two teardrop (pear) citrines weighing a total 32.59 carats. The color is a wonderful deep orange which makes it much more desirable (and valuable) compared to the yellowy / lemony citrines that you typically find in your local jewelry store. They would certainly make you stand out in a crowd! Please email me or send me a note if you are interested in something similar.

Related Articles:

• Green Amethyst Earrings
• Angelina Jolie of the red carpet
• Angelina's earrings with affordable Prasiolite (Green Quartz)
• Angelina’s earrings with Green Onyx (Chrysoprase)
• Super-sized Aquamarines for earrings or pendant

Angelina's Oscar Earrings and Ring with Green Quartz

Earring Stones

Center Ring Stone

I have had a number of requests for earrings like Angelina Jolie's but using a more affordable natural green stone.  I managed to pick up a matching set of Green Quartz (also called Prasiolite or Green Amethyst).  The color is a beautiful, rich green. 

The earrings would have a total weight of 70 cts, consisting of a cushion cut top stone and a tear drop (pear) bottom stone.  The ring stone is also a cushion cut stone and weighs 28.6 carats.  In terms of size, I think the stones are similar to Angelina Jolie’s jewelry.  The ring stone is 19mm wide. The top stone for the earring (the cushion cut) is about 14 mm wide and the tear drop stone is almost 27 mm long.  I chose these stones as the best matching set out of a very large package that my Brazilian dealer had.  This is an excellent color for green quartz.  Email me if you are interested in something similar.

Although these are a different shade of green from emeralds they have their own special beauty.  Their large size and fire will make the same statement that Angelina's did on the red carpet.

Related Articles:

• Angelina Jolie's earrings with stunning citrine 
• Angelina's Emerald earrings on the red carpet
• Prasiolite Earring Design 
• Super-sized Aquamarines for earrings or pendant
• Enormous Green Beryl

Choosing Aquamarine Stones

I thought I would add a couple of pictures of what it is like going through a parcel of stones to choose a few that represent the best of the pack.  Aquamarine, as well as topaz and alexandrite, show their best side under light conditions at night.  The value of aquamarine increases dramatically as the color becomes more intense.  Exceptional stones should have an icy blue quality to them.

In 1954, a 34 kilogram aquamarine was found and named after the Miss Brazil of that year.  Her eyes were said to match the color of the stone exactly.  Gems that are cut from that stone are said to be the finest aquamarine ever.

Related Articles:

•  Huge aquamarine stones available for a designer piece
  
• Custom-Designed Jewelry

 

Gemstones Jewelry

Choosing the right gemstones for your jewelry is a critical aspect for creating the perfect piece of jewelry.  Creating the right combination of color in your gemstones defines the jewelry and is about as important as anything in establishing an outstanding jewelry design.  Here are a few gemstone color combinations that I love.  Let me know which ones you best prefer in the comments section:

a. Emerald and Aquamarine  Gemstones:

b. Tourmaline and Iolite Gemstones:

c. Aquamarine and White Sapphire Gemstones:

d. Citrine and Red / Purplish Garnet Gemstones:

Related Links
 - Sozai Custom-Designed Jewelry

Michelle Obama's Rhodium Ring

The internet is buzzing with reports that Barack Obama is buying his wife a $30,000 pure rhodium ring for his inauguration.  The ring is apparently made by Italian designer, Giovanni Bosco. The reports are claiming that rhodium is super expensive at over $7,000 per ounce. Whereas rhodium is commonly used to plate both white gold and platinum jewelry to give it a clean, bright appeal, it is highly unusual to have pure rhodium jewelry.

What really are the facts:

 - Obama's spokespeople have already denied the reports.  

 - Solid rhodium is generally unsuitable (unheard of?) for jewelry because it is brittle and difficult to cast.  The high price of the metal is less of a barrier than these other factors.   

 - Prices of Rhodium have plummeted from an annual high of $10,010 to $935.  This is more expensive than platinum ($817) or gold ($782), but not much more so and nowhere near the prices being reported in the Obama reports.  Take a look at this amazing chart of the price of rhodium:

Given the inconsistencies in the story, it is almost certainly fake.  Michelle Obama would be getting ripped off based on today's rhodium prices.  Anyway, its great publicity for Giovanni Bosco.  

(....Michelle,  if you want a special, custom-made ring for the inauguration, email me!)

Related Articles

• More on rings
• Custom-designed Jewelry
• Great Gemstone Color Combination

New York Jewelry Designer

One of the great things about being a jewelry designer in New York City is having access to some really excellent gemstone dealers. It is very difficult to buy gems over the internet and so when I get a custom order, I have easy access to some of the most important wholesale gem dealers in the country and who are based right here in the Manhattan. I usually spend a lot of time going through my network of dealers' inventories before settling on the perfect gemstone. The ability to find high quality gemstones at good prices is something that my clients really appreciate.

Handmade Gold Jewelry

Creating a magnificent piece of jewelry requires attention to detail at every stage of the process. Handmade jewelry needs patience and meticulous care. Here are a few steps that you need to go through:

Sample 1:  Circle Pendant

With this piece, I am creating a circle pendant.  The picture below shows the back of the pendant.  Each square is cut out by hand using a very fine saw.  Look carefully, you can see the saw blade cutting one of the squares.  The saw is the thickness of a few human hairs.

Below is the  front of the Circle Pendant. I am testing out a few gemstone color options.  The top pendant shows various hued spessartite gemstones, the bottom has a mixture of aquamarine and citrine.

Sample 2: Gold Pave Earrings

I created a set of pave earrings in gold.  This is what they look like before the earring post and stones have been set.

Below, the gemstones are being individually set.  I am using a combination of pink tourmaline and aquamarine pave which is a color combination that I love.  To set the stones, the earring is first placed in a special heated plastic compound.  When the plastic cools, it forms a rock-hard vice around the earring.  This allows me to set the stones using a lot of force to bend the prongs and cut out any excess metal without damaging the exterior of the earring.

Related Links
 - Sozai Custom-Designed Jewelry

Paraiba Tourmaline Gemstones

Paraiba tourmaline is one of the most amazing gemstones. The color is a fantastic electric blue or green that separates it from all other gems. Although tourmaline is generally not a highly expensive stone in the same range as diamonds or ruby's, the same cannot be said of the Paraiba. Top quality stones can go for $10,000 to $20,000 per carat. Paraiba are named for the province in Brazil where they were first discovered.

David Sherman of Paraiba.com, the company that developed the original Paraiba mines, sued a number of gem labs to stop them from assigning the Paraiba designation to similar stones mined in Africa and Madascar. Brazilian gemstones dealers believed this was hurting the value of their business and was suing for $120 million.

Here are a few Paraiba from my collection:

Paraiba is a rare stone and is collected by gem and jewelry connoisseurs. Email me if you would like me to design a ring, or a pendant for you using one of these Paraiba stones.

Related Links

• Paraiba Engagement Ring
• Gemstones Jewelry

Diamond Grading: The Four C's

Gabi Tolkowski, one of the greatest diamond cutters, in an interview with the The StarPhoenix, talks about the 4 C's:

The Four Cs to me is a program that teaches consumers and the people to know what they should look for. . . . Those are four elements that are the basic tools to understand how a diamond should be looking. But you cannot go and impose on a person who likes an oblong shape to go into a square one. You can't force somebody who likes the shape of a drop to get a round one. What about all those that are loved by other people? It's no more Four Cs, it's millions of Cs.

Tolkowski has cut some great diamonds such as the Centenary Diamond and the Golden Jubilee Diamond, the largest faceted diamond in the world at 545 carats.

Golden Jubilee Diamond

Tsavorite Pave Jewelry

One hundred times more rare than emeralds, tsavorites are one of the most beautiful of green gemstones.  They were discovered first in 1967 and are considered a modern gemstone.  The crystalline structure of tsavorites make than more brilliant than emeralds.  And the best thing about tsavorites?  They are less than a half the price of emeralds.  The best tsavorites are a rich green with a slight bluish secondary hue.  Tsavorites are in fact a type of  garnet.

Here are a few tsavorites from my collection.  I will be using them in a pave style with diamonds.

These are truly majestic.  I have seen a pave tsavorite ring with a solitaire red diamond (likely the most expensive type of gemstone per carat) done by Sotheby's.  Let me know in the comments whether you think these would go well with other stones and what you would like to see them with?

Choosing an Engagement Ring: Top 10 Rules

Thinking about popping "the question" and sealing the deal with an engagement ring? These are the Top 10 Rules for Choosing an Engagement Ring:

1. Don't buy junk. The ring is going to last for the rest of your life, so make it count.
2. How you give the ring is as important as the ring itself. Your ring will forever be connected with the moment that you give it to her.  Make it count!
3. Choosing the design: Work with a designer that is going to draw up a bunch of designs for you and then allow you to pick a design.  A lot of people just take a picture of a ring that they like to a jeweler and say "make this"!   However, you might want to add a personal touch, or ask the designer to produce a bunch of variations and see if you like the variations.  Pick a designer with an artistic flare.  Try avoid copying iconic designs. Some designs are so closely related to a particular jeweler or designer, that your future fiance 's friends are always going to ask, "was that ring made by...."?  It is better to be inspired by a ring and add your own personal element with the help of your designer than  just copy something outright.
4. Protect the Diamond: Make sure the ring protects the diamond. Although diamond is the hardest substance known (by far), it doesn't mean that they can chip or shatter. Make sure that the prongs are set in such a way as to protect the delicate girdle of the diamond.  Any point (e.g. for a pear stone) on a diamond should have a prong to protect it.  Cocktail rings do not typically follow this rule, but these rings are not worn as often as an engagement ring and are less susceptible to everyday bumps.
5. Listen to your Future Fiance: If she has any inkling that you might want to get engaged, your fiance-to-be will start dropping hints as to what she likes and doesn't.

6. Sizing the Ring: If you are going to surprise your girlfriend, one of the most difficult things is getting the size right.  Small differences can make a great difference on comfort.  If the ring contains a lot of stones down or around the side of the shank, it might not be possible to resize.  The resizing process might also ruin the delicate features of some rings.  So try to find a ring that your girlfriend wears on her ring finger.  If she does not, find a ring that she wears on her right hand ring finger and take that to the jeweler, or trace a circle on the inner part of the ring with pen and paper  and bring that to the jeweler.  If none of this is possible, make sure you choose a ring that can be resized.  

7. GIA Certificate: Make sure the diamond comes with a GIA certificate. There are other diamond grading services that can be used, but GIA is the most prestigious.
8. Thin vs. Fat Shank:  Thin shanks typically make the main diamond look a little larger.  Fatter shanks often look more luxurious.  There is no right answer here except to make sure that the shank size is consistent with the diamond size.  If you go to a cheap jeweler, they are going to use an off-the-shelf shank that might not fit the diamond that you have.
9. Supporting stones:  One of the most common mistakes is to buy an expensive main diamond and then have cheap diamonds on the side of the shank.  The cheap diamonds are going to detract from the beauty of the main stone.
10. Price: This is one rule that I don't believe in.  You often hear that an engagement ring should cost three months salary.  Well if this is going to put you in financial difficulty or sour the process, then what's the point?  You should feel that an engagement ring is expensive relative to your income, but don't pick something that is going to make you uncomfortable about the process even before you start your life together.

Related Posts

 - Request a free, hand-painted custom design of an engagement ring

Most Expensive Colored Diamonds

Which colored diamonds are the most expensive per carat?

Red diamonds are by far the most expensive. Although your local jeweler might claim to sell red diamonds, there are actually only a handful of natural reds ever found and they can sell for hundred's of thousands of dollars per carat.

Green diamonds come next. The most famous green diamond is a 41 carat fancy green diamond that is set in a hat ornament made in 1768.

Other top colors (in order of price per carat) are:
- Blue
- Pink
- Yellow
- Brown

Of course, there are other factors that apply to specific diamonds, such as clarity, size, the intensity of the color etc. that can distort this order. But this is generally the ranking of diamonds by color.

However, what about orange and purple diamonds? Let me know where you think they fit in the order or if you disagree with the order listed above.