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'Afternoon at the museum'

When I was a kid, I loved it when our class’ annual field trip was to Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Back then, life didn’t get much better than an afternoon out of the classroom surrounded by dinosaur bones. Fast-forward some 20 years to that same sweet, adorable child's life as an (alleged) adult living in New York City, and it’s easy to understand why one of my favorite attractions is the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

So when approached by gemologist Joshua Sheby of New York-based Scarselli Diamonds Inc. about spending an afternoon in the museum's Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems, I naturally jumped at the chance.

Sheby spent years as a diamond grader specializing in fancy colors with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and has been with Scarselli for two years now. He curated the “Olympia Diamond Collection,” Scarselli’s grouping of five natural-color diamonds loaned to the AMNH for its current display of diamonds.

The diamonds in the Olympia collection range in size from 1.01 to 2.34 carats and they all have three things in common:

• They're untreated; their color is entirely natural.
• They’re all radiant-cut stones.
• All three are graded "fancy vivid" by the GIA, the colorless diamond equivalent of a "D."

My personal favorite in the collection is the vivid orange (second from right), and I am not just saying that because I have an affinity for fall, carving pumpkins and Halloween, or because it was the largest of the collection, weighing in at more than two carats.

When I first started working at National Jeweler, natural-color diamonds appealed to me from the start. In first learning about the stones, I was told that red and purple diamonds are the most rare when talking color. But Sheby said based on his knowledge of the industry and experience as a grader, he believes orange diamonds—natural, untreated oranges, like the famous and delightfully named "Pumpkin Diamond” worn by actress Halle Berry when she accepted the Oscar for Monster's Ball in 2002—might actually top reds in rarity.

So how much would a stone like this one go for?

Sheby and Scarselli aren’t saying. But, with only one in 10,000 diamonds unearthed qualifying as a natural-color diamond, and with orange being among the rarest of these, I’m going to guess this 2.34-carat stunner would command a pretty hefty price. 

Guess I’ll just stick to admiring orange diamonds from afar.

Getting up close with the Annenberg

For me, Friday mornings are usually pretty cheery. It's the end of the week, only one more day of work to go and the weekend is right there, just looming on the horizon.

Last Friday was especially so despite the dreary weather, as I trekked up to Christie's in New York City and spent a very informative morning getting an up-close look at a number of pieces that will be on the auction block this Wednesday.

First and obviously foremost was the Annenberg Diamond. The 32.01-carat D-flawless diamond was set into a ring by designer David Webb and purchased by well-known philanthropist and art collector Leonore "Lee" Annenberg in 2007.

Annenberg, who died in March at the age of 91, bought the ring as a present to herself on her 90th birthday.That's a self-purchase that would make Ken Gassman proud.

My visit to Christie's on Friday brought to mind this article I read in The New York Times early last week, telling us that luxury is gravitating east. I don't disagree with that notion—the growing importance of Chinese consumers to the diamond industry has been a story for a long time. 

But thinking of this article prompted me to ask why Christie's didn't make the Annenberg part of its December auction in Hong Kong, where a 5-carat pink diamond called the "Vivid Pink" will be up for sale.

A Christie's spokesperson said that they always place jewelry at the auctions where they feel it will do best. For a diamond with a name like Annenberg, that means putting it up for sale in New York.

Lee Annenberg was the wife of Ambassador and publisher Walter H. Annenberg, whose empire included The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News, Seventeen magazine, TV Guide and radio and TV stations.  Lee Annenberg also served as President Ronald Reagan's first chief of protocol back in the 1980s, admitting at that time that the $50,000-a-year gig was her first real job.

Together, she and her husband gave away billions to cultural, educational and medical institutions throughout their lives.

Though it's not known what Lee Annenberg paid for her 32-carat diamond when she purchased it in 2007, it's expected to fetch between $3 million and $5 million on Wednesday. 

If you saw the ring in person, you'd see why. It is an amazing stone.

When I finally recovered my eyesight after being blinded by the Annenberg, another piece that caught my eye at Christie's was an Art Deco diamond and multi-gem "wave" bracelet by Rubel Freres (right).

Channeling our fashion editor Cate here, I couldn't help but think how great the multi-colored piece would look with just a plain little black dress.

It's expected to fetch between $500,000 and $700,000, making it much affordable than the Annenberg.

My life in diamonds

Last Thursday, I trekked my happy, east-side self over to Manhattan’s west side for the Diamond Information Center’s annual diamond jewelry showcase extravaganza.
There were many pieces I wanted to take home (but won’t, as their price tag well outstrips my meager budget) and I thought the theme of this year’s event was extremely clever.
Titled “A Life in Diamonds,” the display took visitors through the milestone moments that may mark a woman’s life, from Sweet Sixteen to marriage to baby and so on.
Obviously, every woman’s life doesn’t follow this exact path, as some woman may (understandably so) never opt to get married, have children, etc., but the display does make a good point: There are many times in a woman’s life she can celebrate milestones, or simply herself, with a beautiful piece of diamond jewelry.
While it’s hard for me to pinpoint one favorite piece, I would have to say that I loved seeing black-diamond rings from one of my favorite designers, New York-based Catherine Angiel, who is both a fantastic artist and a cool person.
You can check out her designs here.
Personally, I am up in the air when it comes to engagement rings.
I understand the ring symbolizing the never-ending love and commitment between two people and I definitely would want to wear some kind of ring indicating that I was in such a relationship.
But I’m not fully convinced the woman needs an engagement ring and that she couldn’t just have a wedding band instead, saving her fiancé a lot of money that could be spent on other things, like a house or a trip.
I do know though if I did get one — a decision that isn’t just up to me, though I would have to say my current boyfriend makes marriage seem much more appealing than any of my exes — I wouldn’t go the traditional white diamond route and would opt for one of Angiel’s black diamond rings instead.
It’s just more me.

Opals on the half shell and more

As I mentioned in a news story on NationalJeweler.com, a new opal exhibit just opened up at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. 

Consisting of just 25 opals, the exhibit is small and confined to just one special exhibit case, so don't expect anything on the order of the expansive jewelry exhibits that the museum has done in the past,  like the one featuring Gold that debuted in 2006 or the one that focused on pearls held back in 2001. 

Still, if you're in New York and plan to visit the museum anytime soon, I'd recommend heading over to the Hall of Minerals to see these opals. (Since you can't take the stones out of the case —museum rules, it's not like a jewelry show—you have to sort of bob and weave in front of the display case a little bit to see the gems from all angles and to truly catch the interior "fire" that makes opals so unique.)

If  you can't make it, here are some photos snapped by National Jeweler's art director (illustrator and occasional photographer) Thomas Rosinski. Enjoy!

These are (from left): Australian black opals, a doublet, two triplets and a cabochon from Honduras, donated by William and Jeanne Larson.

Below is a carved precious opal from Andamooka, South Australia, a gift to the museum from Mr. and Mrs. William Wheeler.

These are Ethiopian fire opals from the Menz Gishe District, donated by Evan Yurman of David Yurman.

Too haute for the yellow brick road

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, 19 re-creations of Dorothy's ruby slippers will be unveiled in the windows and designer shoe salon of Sak's Fifth Avenue's New York City location during a gala on Sept. 4.

Three heel clicks later, the made-over ruby slippers will be at Bryant Park in New York City for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and reappear again at Art Basel Miami Beach.

The consumer products division of Warner Bros. in conjunction with crystal company Swarovski developed the concept behind the promotion, which will include an auction in fall 2009 benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

With designers such as Betsey Johnson, Diane von Furstenberg and Jimmy Choo creating the designs, whatever these sparkly shoes lack in magic, they're sure to make up for in style.

So which designer you think is most likely to outshine the others with their crystal- or ruby- embedded edition of Dorothy's shoe?

Bump plus Bulgari equals radiant star

Angelina Jolie's two-baby bump was only partially responsible for the actress' radiant glow at the Cannes premiere of Kung Fu Panda this past May.

The yellow gold and diamond ring, earrings and bracelets from Bulgari definitely contributed to the luminous look of the expectant mother of twins.

Women's Wear Daily recently reported the pieces worn by Jolie—who is the voice of Master Tigress in the animated film—will be on display again next May alongside other vintage jewelry in an exhibition celebrating Bulgari's 125th anniversary.

The retrospective exhibit, "Between Eternity and History 1884-2009," will run from May 27 to Sept. 13, 2009, at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni Museum in Rome.

Shining star

Model and actress Elizabeth Hurley was the epitome of glitz and glam at Elton John's Chopard-sponsored Tenth Annual White Tie and Tiara Ball last Thursday.

InStyle.com reported that Hurley's diamond-studded tiara held more than 190 carats. I'm sure the diamond drop earrings and diamond bracelet had hefty carat counts as well.

Of course, Hurley wasn't the only celebrity bedecked in jewels at the AIDS benefit. NY Daily News said the stars were draped in diamonds that outweighed the cost of the event's $4,700 ticket. Chopard's Web site offers more details and pics.

Game, set, match

Maria Sharapova's two-year deal with luxury jeweler Tiffany and Co. guarantees the top-ranked tennis player will be sparkling at Wimbledon this week.

As far as glitz and glam go, the only stiff competition she'll face comes from Serena Williams.

Serena's already shown she's ahead of the game. Reportedly, she wore $2 million worth of diamonds to the Sony Ericsson WTA tour pre-Wimbledon party last week. Celebrity hairstylist Stuart Phillips arranged her hair in a bun and covered it with diamonds. Jeweler Neil Duttson, also known as the Rock Doctor, accessorized her with a 10-carat diamond tennis bracelet set in white gold and a diamond necklace with matching earrings.

On Monday, the first day of the event, the ladies of Wimbledon wore modest jewelry and clothing, all except for Serena. She stepped onto the court wearing a white trench coat and pearl-accented gold hoop earrings.

Today, Sharapova fired back with a sexy, tuxedo-inspired Nike shorts outfit with a sheer top.

Red carpet at the Tony Awards

The buzz about who wore what to last week’s Tony Awards was so low I practically missed it. When perusing through the pics I spotted a few questionable dress and jewelry pairings, which might explain the silence about the night’s style statements.

However, I must give my regards to the Broadway actresses and award presenters who did sashay down the red carpet in jewels that were simply showstopping.

Tony Award-winning presenter Kristin Chenoweth, who currently stars in the ABC comedy Pushing Daisies, wore a sparkling diamond bracelet that complemented her strapless black dress.

Laura Benati, whose role in Gypsy earned the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, wore sparkling multi-circle earrings. Benati excitedly joked with the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette about wearing the Tony as a necklace.

Mary Louise-Parker, the drug-dealing star of the Showtime comedy Weeds sold us on her look. She presented an award at the ceremony wearing an adorable little black dress complemented by a pair of drop earrings.

Martha Plimpton, a nominee for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her role in Top Girls, wore chandelier earrings from jeweler Fred Leighton with a silver mermaid dress designed by Carolina Herrera.

Rockin’ out over the pond

What did we miss at London Jewellery Week, the city's first celebration centered around the design of precious baubles?

Outrageous fashion statements at Swarovski's Runway Rocks were said to "eclipse" the talents of the jewelry designers, according to the International Herald Tribune. Take a peek at the pics on New York Magazine's blog "The Cut" and form your own opinion.

Stephen Webster unveiled his latest men's silver collection, London Calling, at a party featuring escape artists and bullet-catching acts. Attendees also got a chance to see the designer's Fly By Night collection, which was inspired by "mysterious" bugs. More of the scary but sensational nature-motif trend.

At Christie's, a pear-shaped 38-carat diamond worn on a pendant necklace that once belonged to Greek shipping heiress Christina Onassis sold for about $7 million. Onassis' jewels, which included 44 pieces, brought in a total of about $13 million at the auction.

Designer Theo Fennell displayed his ruby snake-trellis shield in 18-karat white gold with pavé-set brilliant-cut white and black diamonds. Fennell said he loved the idea of London Jewellery Week, but concluded the event needed time to mature.