As you’re shopping for fine jewelry, knowing how durable a particular gemstone is will help you determine how and when to wear it, and most importantly – how to care for it. In this post, we’ll go beyond the Mohs scale to demystify gemstone durability and provide tips for helping you choose a gemstone that could last a lifetime or longer. (more…)
If you’re lucky enough to be born in January, garnet is your birthstone. A gem found around the world, garnet comes in a painter’s palette of colors. So there’s bound to be a hue to suit your taste.
Garnets also come with a rich history. Red garnet necklaces graced the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. Ancient Romans used carved garnets in signet rings to stamp wax seals safeguarding important documents. And the clergy and nobility of the middle ages had a particular affinity for garnet. (more…)
For nearly two thousand years, the word Golconda has conjured images of wealth, prosperity, and most importantly, diamonds. Did you know some of the most famed diamonds and gemstones originally hail from the Golconda region of India, today known as Hyderabad? Famous diamonds from this area include the Hope Diamond, Koh-i-noor, Idol’s Eye, and many more.
Take a closer look at the history of the region and famous, gorgeous diamonds that come from Golconda.
In addition to Cullinan I and the already featured famous diamond Cullinan II, the 3,106 carat (ct) Cullinan rough also produced stones III-IX, plus 96 smaller diamonds. Asscher, the diamond cutting firm, retained these diamonds as payment for cutting and polishing the Cullinan rough. The government of South Africa purchased most of them and gave the diamonds to Queen Mary in 1910. (more…)
The Portuguese, a 127.01 carat Asscher cut diamond, was graded by GIA as VS1 clarity, M color, with Very Strong blue fluorescence. Photo: Chip Clark, Courtesy: Smithsonian Institution
Surprisingly, the 127.01 carat diamond called the Portuguese seems to have no connection to its namesake country. Legend claimed this diamond was found in the mid-1700s in Brazil and belonged to Portuguese royalty. However, there is no evidence to support this story. Instead, records indicate the diamond was found at the Premier Mine in Kimberley, South Africa, in 1910. (more…)
At 243.35 carat (ct), the Jubilee is one of the finest examples of a diamond of exceptional size and quality (not to be confused with the Golden Jubilee, a 545.67 ct brown diamond). (more…)
The Napoleon Diamond Necklace, in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, is set with 234 diamonds weighing approximately 263 carats; the largest stone is about 10.40 carats. Photo: Chip Clark, Courtesy: Smithsonian Institution
historic diamond necklace was a gift from Napoléon Bonaparte to his second wife, Marie-Louise of the Austrian House of Hapsburg, Empress of France. The necklace was given to commemorate the birth of their son, Napoléon François Joseph Charles (also known as Napoleon II), in 1811. Following her death in 1847, the necklace remained in the family for several generations. (more…)
Legend says was pried from the eye of an idol in India in the 1700s by a deserter from the French army. Photo: M. Nachinkin, Courtesy: RIA Novosti
The Orlov, a large rose-cut diamond, has been described as being shaped like half of a pigeon’s egg. It is the fourth in our Famous Diamonds series. (more…)
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