Renowned jewelry designer to the stars, Simon G was asked by producers of The Ellen Show to design a ring for their 12 Days of Giveaways holiday special. The gorgeous diamond ring seen in the image above, features 14k white gold encrusted in black and white round brilliant cut diamonds in a signature Simon G striped design. It is valued at approximately $760 and is a limited design available exclusively to Ellen Degeneres’s audience members only. For those who missed today’s episode(Day 4 of 12 Days of Giveaways), watch the audience scream in excitement as she announces the gift in the clip below:
Firenze Jewels, Inc. is an authorized Simon G Retailer. If you were an audience member who attended The Ellen Show’s 12 Days of Giveaways holiday special and would like to redeem your gift certificate, please contact a Firenze Jewels jewelry specialist.
In this behind the scenes video tour, fine jewelry designer Simon G describes how their heirloom quality pieces are created and the lengthy process in which they go through before reaching the hands of a customer. Starting off with just a rough sketch whether it is a ring, earring, bracelet or pendant, the idea is then followed by dozens of other sketches until a final design is approved. Bringing the sketch into a 3D format, a Computer Aided Design (CAD) model is used to examine every aspect of the design. During this phase is where countless hours are spent reviewing every detail ranging from the stones to the settings until a final consensus is reached.
As the piece transitions from an idea to reality, Simon G maintains 10 quality control stations, one after each phase of manufacturing. In order to achieve their signature look, they alloy their own metals, working in platinum and palladium or platinum and iridium for enhanced durability. When working with white gold, a piece is alloyed with palladium to enhance the longevity of the color and minimize the allergy to white gold. They find these methods are also ideal for intricate bead-work, filigree and engraving.
Once the ring is cast, and the diamonds are chosen, one of the most difficult parts of the job involves uniting the two together. All diamonds no matter how big or small are hand set under a microscope by a master jeweler. This ensures quality, security as well as that even the smallest of micro-pave diamonds brilliantly reflect the most amount of light. Simon G maintains a host of specialists within their specialists. Some diamond setters work on channel-settings only, others on pave-settings and others focus on the prongs.
After the piece is complete, it makes its way through quality control and polished by hand once again. It is then laser engraved with a unique serial number and a Simon G. signature. “I’m extremely picky” says Simon G. Before the pieces are finally shipped out, they are examined under a 15X microscope at an additional 2 quality control stations. While the process may seem lengthy and tedious, this all ensures the highest quality hand-crafted piece is delivered with its own unique look and feel.
Did anyone catch Sunday’s episode of Brothers and Sisters? Luc (Giles Marini) proposed to Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) with an exquisite Simon G engagement ring (model LP1239)! Concerned about the distance between her and Luc, Sarah has become convinced that Luc was cheating on her. However, when Luc returns home, he proved his devotion to their relationship when he pulled out this stunning diamond engagement ring and proposed seen here: Product #2160 http://www.firenzejewels.com/simon-g-diamond-antique-style-platinum-engagement-ring-setting_2160.html
View the unexpected moment in the video clip below:
Anticipating trends is what the fashion industry is all about. It comes as no surprise that jewelry designer powerhouse Le Vian just weighed in on their predictions with a 2011 Jewelry Trend Forecast report. Renowned for their collection of sumptuous chocolate diamonds, the designer included wardrobe staples in their list such as earth tones and sheer metallics along with snakes, equestrian and wild animal themes. Among their predictions were also carved gems and vibrant stones of pink, blue and purples hues. They predict rhodium plated jewelry to continue to dominate the industry as well. What are your thoughts on some of the designer jewelry pieces below?
On October 20th, the world’s most expensive Barbie adorned in diamonds was sold to an anonymous bidder at Christie’s “Jewels: The New York Sale” for an astounding $302,500. While the winning bid was at the low end of the auctioneer’s estimated $300,000-$500,000, it still makes it the most expensive Barbie ever sold. The last record-shattering Barbie sold in 2006 for $17,091.
“The modified square-cut fancy vivid purplish pink diamond transcends this exceptional Barbie into a historical investment piece.” said Christie’s in New York auctioneer highlighting the rarity of the Australian Argyle pink diamond.
Canturi, the doll’s accessory designer, spent 6 months working on the Barbie. He told Fairfax Media that he specifically searched for one of the rarest diamonds in the world to adorn the doll’s neck. “And pink is absolutely perfect for Barbie,” Canturi said. Pink is also perfect for October, being breast cancer awareness month. Those who feel uneasy about a Barbie selling for that amount should take comfort knowing all proceeds of the sale will go towards American National Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Watch as jewelry designer Stefano Canturi and Mattel spokesperson Robert Best unveil the Barbie during Australian Fashion Week in the video below.
Celebrities graced numerous November issue magazines wearing Simon G jewelry. First Katy Perry rocked the cover of Cosmopolitan wearing a charming Simon G diamond and 18k yellow gold heart shaped pendant necklace. There was also editorial coverage within the magazine showcasing an exquisite Simon G diamond and 18k yellow gold bracelet. Next, Brooke Burke was featured in Redbook wearing a Simon G diamond and 18k three tone gold fine pendant necklace with a letter ‘B’ design during her photoshoot. Finally, November’s issue of Glamour highlights a gorgeous pair of Simon G diamond and 18k two tone gold dangle earrings. We absolutely adore these exquisite earrings (also comes in a full white gold design with matching pendant) and the only thing more appealing than its delicate aesthetic, is the price. Ladies, these would make an excellent gift for the fast approaching holiday season, wouldn’t you agree?
The President has a good eye for fine jewelry. In December 2009, Mr. Obama gave this exquisite custom made Garavelli diamond brooch pin to Michelle as an anniversary gift. The brooch has a floral design and scintillates with pave-set round brilliant cut white diamonds. She first wore it on Oprah’s “Christmas at the White House” special and has been wearing it in a variety of creative ways ever since, including attached to her pearl necklace as a pendant on the cover of Good Housekeeping. Michelle Obama’s diamond brooch pin, has a very similar design to one of Garavelli’s other floral inspired designs that was sold at Firenze Jewels earlier this year. 2010 has seen a significant theme in floral jewelry – everything from engagement rings to beautiful pieces such as this one.
Here’s a few photos of Mrs. Obama proudly wearing her anniversary gift:
The Hills star Stephanie Pratt wore a pair of Simon G white and black diamond dangle earrings earlier this month to LAVO at the Palazzo for gal pal Lo Bosworth’s TheLoDown.com website launch event. The earrings frame her face nicely and are on trend with Fall 2010′s jewelry designs. The 24 year old recently posed for PETA’s Be Nice to Bunnies iPhone application in April, which is intended to help the public find stores and products that are kind to animals. As for her infamous brother Spencer? This month marks a year since they’ve last spoken.
Bracelets