The Wittlesbach-Graff Diamond was finally unveiled at the American Museum of Natural History. In a category known as Type IIb, this type of diamond is believed to make up less than half of one percent of all diamonds found in nature, putting the Wittlesbach-Graff alongside very rare company such as the 70.21-carat Idol’s Eye and the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond. These types of stones get their distinctive blue hue from the absence of nitrogen and presence of boron. They are also semiconductors, which is another unusual trait.
This Thursday October 28th, the exquisite and rare blue 31.06 carat Wittlesbach-Graff Diamond is set to be displayed to the public at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Admired for its size, color and remarkable history, the original Fancy Deep Grayish Blue diamond with VS2 clarity included past owners such as King Philip IV of Spain who used the gemstone as part of a dowry for his teenage daughter, Margaret Teresa, in 1664. Since then, it has gone through the hands of several royal families and millionaires before being sold to a private owner in 1964. The diamond resurfaced once again in 2008 where billionaire diamond dealer, Lawrence Graff purchased the stone during a record smashing auction for approximately $23.4 million. For diamonds and gemstones, this was the highest price paid at auction for one at the time.
Experts theorized for a long time whether the diamond was cut from the same stone as the Hope Diamond. Recent examinations however, have suggested this is unlikely. The original Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond was 35.56 carats after being cut and polished. However, in January 2010, Graff decided to re-cut the gem to enhance the stone’s color and clarity, resulting in a 4.45 carat loss as well as a cloud of heavy public criticism. “That stone has a pedigree that is incomparable,” Daniela Mascetti, a senior global specialist in jewelry at Sotheby’s said to the New York Times “The Wittlesback blue, you knew how it came into existence and in a rather exciting way…It is a shame to have altered what has been preserved for so many years.”
Graff responded to criticism by comparing his restoration to what is occasionally done in the art world. “If you discovered a Leonardo da Vinci with a tear in it and covered in mud, you would want to repair it. We have similarly cleaned up the diamond and repaired damage caused over the years,” Graff told BBC News in January 2010. “I decided that to create beauty, or acts of beauty, is not a sin,” Graff said. “All we did was remove the blemishes and now it’s true perfection.”, he added.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) evaluated the diamond after being re-cut and graded the clarity as Internally Flawless or IF(improved from Very Slightly Included or VS1) and color as Fancy Deep Blue(amended from Fancy Deep Grayish Blue). The diamond is “the largest Flawless or Internally Flawless, Fancy Deep Blue, Natural Color we have graded to date.”, says a G.I.A. spokesperson. The stone will be displayed at the American Museum of Natural History Harry Frank Guggenheim Hall of Minerals, through January 2, 2011.
Here’s a video of the diamond making an appearance on the TODAY show.
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?
A Star of David was discovered within a natural 8.53 carat polished diamond. Hidabroot TV, Israels’s first Jewish issues television station, aired a YouTube video that describes the intriguing design.
According to reports, the owner wishes to remain anonymous but has made it clear that the diamond is not for sale and is to be kept locked in a safe for protection. When first realizing the significance of the discovery, he gave it to Rabbi Cohen, founder of Hidabroot, in hopes the stone will be used for religious purposes.
A relative told Israel National News the story began 10 years ago when a batch of raw material had been bought from a merchant in a country from South America. When business was faltering during the start of the global financial crisis in 2008, the relative found work at a firm and was told to make diamonds from a bag of raw material that had been untouched. Even though the finished stones brought in little money, the employer of the polisher rejected advice to sell the remaining raw material and instead continue polishing the remaining two diamonds.
“I did it carefully, and I saw that in one of them there was a design of the Star of David,” said the relative. “It was not clear in the beginning, but after polishing it again and again, it was clearer than ever.”
An uncommon inclusion in the stone(technically referred to as a cloud), “follows the structure of the formation growth of the crystal” and sits precisely in the center of the diamond, says Yehudah Yeker, senior gemology expert at the G.C.A. The video below video reports the stone has been independently graded by Gem Tech and the GIA and was graded as a natural, fancy cut, grayish yellowish green diamond. The yellowish greenish color stated in the diamond grading reports comes from stone’s richness in hydrogen.
The world’s most expensive Barbie is set to be offered at Christie’s auction house in New York for an estimated $300,000 to $500,000 on October 20th. Austrailian jewelry designer Stefano Canturi designed the diamond collar necklace which features a Cubist-style 1-carat emerald cut Fancy Pink diamond surrounded by 3 carats of smaller white diamonds in his signature baguette-cut geometric pattern. “I wanted the jewelry design to pay homage to Barbie’s modern yet timeless style over the ages,” said the designer. Canturi also arranged the doll’s black strapless dress, stilettos, hair as well as other features.
All proceeds will benefit the Breast Cancer Research foundation, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The world auction record for a Barbie was set in 2006 at Christie’s London when one sold for $17,091.
The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History unveiled its latest addition to the National Gem Collection, the Cullinan Diamond Necklace. Just like its neighbor, the Hope Diamond, this exquisite piece has an intriguing history.
The 30-carat Edwardian style jewel, features a unique structure that allows it to be worn as both a brooch and a necklace. A large oval shaped 2.61 carat Fancy Blue diamond of exquisite color drops from the center which is part of 5.61 carats total of extremely rare blue diamonds. 251 white diamonds surround the necklace curving into loops and then ribbons, creating an elaborate Edwardian-esque bow motif.
Named after Thomas Cullinan, the famed South African explorer, the rough diamond weighed an astonishing 3,106.75 carats total before having been cut and polished. National Gem Collection Curator Jeffrey Post said “It was the largest rough diamond ever discovered”. Cullinan presented the piece to King Edward VII for his birthday which earned him his knighthood.
Honoring his own knighthood in 1910, he then had part of the diamond set into a necklace for his wife. The 9 blue diamonds represent the 9 pieces that were cut from the original stone. Four of the largest diamonds were placed into settings such as scepters, rings and crowns and are the main gemstones featured in the British Crown Jewels.
The Cullinan Blue necklace remained in the family until Sir Thomas’ great-granddaughter, Anne Robinson sold the heirloom to Stephen Silver in the early 1980’s. After three decades, Silver then sold it to an unnamed buyer who then in turn donated it to the museum.
Sotheby’s announced on Monday it will present an auction for a rare pink diamond whose estimated value is up to 38 million dollars (28 million euros) in Geneva, Switzerland on November 16th. The 24.78 carat Fancy Intense Pink diamond is mounted on a ring and features exceptional color and purity and a classic emerald cut with gently rounded corners. Dubbed as “one of the world’s most desirable stones, the auction house says the gemstone is rated among a type that accounts for just two percent of diamonds.
While the stone has a flaw unnoticeable to the naked eye, the Gemological Institute of America has graded the pink diamond as VVS2 clarity, and said it may well be internally flawless after re-polishing. Last seen on the market 60 years ago, the marvelous pink beauty is being sold by an unnamed private collector. The diamond will be shown at exhibitions in Hong Kong, the Middle East, London, New York and Geneva during the final weeks leading up to the sale. Last year a five-carat pink stone sold for $10.8 million setting a new per carat record.
The extraordinarily rare Kazanjian Red diamond is on display at New York’s American Museum of Natural History Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems. Weighing 5.05 carats, the naturally blood hued stone is one of only 3 red diamonds of its size known to exist. The other two are the trilliant-cut 5.11-carat Moussaieff Red and the 5.03-carat De Young Red.
Perhaps just as remarkable as the gem itself, is the story behind it. Having been discovered in the diamond fields of South Africa in 1927, the stone was sent to Amsterdam-based jewelers the Goudvis brothers for cutting and seven months of study where it was eventually decided that an emerald cut suited it best. When no dealer in Amsterdam could estimate the diamond’s worth, it was sent to New York City, but they were not able to find a buyer willing to pay its price. It was then returned to Europe and placed in a safe in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
The diamond was eventually stolen during World War II during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, where it stayed hidden in a salt mine for years. After the war, U.S. General Joseph McNarney discovered the red stone believing it to be a ruby. Over the course of 30 years, the red diamond has remained in private collections, passing through several owners, including Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. Finally in February 2007, Kazanjian Bros. Inc. purchased the gem.
This incredible stone is on display through March 13, 2011 and is set to be joined by the 31.06-carat blue Wittelsbach-Graff diamond, which is coming from the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Natural History.
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