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Give tooth a chance

The dentist who made news when he paid more than $30,000 for music legend John Lennon’s rotten tooth last fall is now in the jewelry business, sort of.

Dr. Michael Zuk, a New York-born dentist who has been practicing in Canada for the past 25 years, is teaming up with Ari Soffer to create a line of sterling silver “John Lennon DNA Limited Edition” pendants.

Zuk, who already has launched a number of charitable initiatives surrounding the tooth, said he is going to do a little bit of drilling and put the resulting dust aside for the pendants. The dust from the tooth, which he has identified as a wisdom tooth though he’s unsure if it was upper or lower, then will be placed in a very small container that will be inserted inside the pendant via an opening at the bottom.

Think of it like a locket but instead of a picture of your sweetheart, the pendant will contain tooth dust from a music legend.

“I am not going to pulverize the tooth,” Zuk said. “My goal is to keep most of the tooth intact.”

The pendants (pictured here) will retail for $1,200 and are available on a made-to-order basis on Ari Soffer’s site. (While the Los Angeles-based Soffer designs for many celebrities--he’s created jewelry for Axl Rose and Slash of Guns ‘n Roses fame, among others--this may be his first foray into jewelry that’s actually contains the genetic material of a rock star.)

Zuk said a portion of the proceeds from the Lennon DNA pendant will go to Smile Train, which helps provide surgery for and treat children with cleft lip and palate. “These children are outcasts in the cities and towns they live in. [These operations] just completely change their lives,” he said.

While they’ll start with a limited number, likely just 25, of the sterling silver design, he said the line could be expanded to include more elaborate DNA pendants with diamonds.

In the meantime, Zuk will be waiting for orders for Lennon tooth dust to filter in from California and safeguarding his piece of The Beatles front man, noting that it may be something he donates to a museum one day.

“I’ll try to share it the best I can and hopefully not lose it,” he said. “But if I do lose it people will always have a little memento.”

Editor’s picks: Elizabeth Taylor

Much already has been written about the upcoming auction of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry, clothing and art at Christie’s, including on National Jeweler's website, where stories about the late actress and activist have lingered on the Most Popular and Most Emailed lists for weeks.

No amount of news consumption, however, could have prepared me for what I saw when I visited Christie’s last Thursday and saw Ms. Taylor’s collection of jewels, valued as high as $150 million, in person. It is, I can say with a high degree of certainty, the largest private collection of fine jewelry I’ll ever view in my lifetime.

I find it simply unbelievable that one individual owned so much beautiful jewelry by the top names in the business: Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, JAR and David Webb, just to name a few.

As those of you that follow me on Twitter know, I was tweeting some of my favorite pieces during the nearly two hours I spent at Christie’s.

For those of you that don’t follow me (foolish!), here are a few of my favorites.

If I could have only one lot from the auction, it would have to be the sapphire and diamond “Trombino” ring by Bulgari (estimate $150,000 to $200,000), seen here to the right with another favorite of mine, a sapphire and diamond sautoir by Bulgari, given to Elizabeth Taylor by her legendary love Richard Burton when she turned 40 (estimate $600,000 to $800,000).

Should somebody snatch up these two pieces before I get into the thick of the bidding, I would settle for this bracelet (below) from David Webb. The pearl bracelet features a lion’s head of diamonds, platinum and 18-karat gold with pear-shaped emerald eyes.

Crafted in 1965, the bracelet is part of a suite that includes a matching necklace (estimate $60,000 to $80,000).

I also loved this relatively simple 18-karat white gold cabochon coral and diamond ring (below, estimate $3,000 to $5,000).

Christie’s auction of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor spans five days. Her jewelry is slated for two separate auctions, an evening sale on Dec. 13 and another on Dec. 14 that begins at 10 a.m.

Following that, Christie’s will sell her haute couture on Dec. 14, other fashion and accessories on Dec. 15 and fine and decorative art along with film memorabilia on Dec. 16.

An online auction of Ms. Taylor’s jewelry and clothes is taking place right now through Dec. 17. Last I looked, there were still quite a few items that were attainable for $100.

Tracking down the Taylor-Burton

The March death of screen stunner, fervent AIDS activist and jewelry collector Elizabeth Taylor turned my thoughts to one of the most astonishing stones to pass through this star’s hands--the 69.42-carat, pear-shaped Taylor-Burton diamond.

Before I even started working on this blog, I had an idea that this diamond no longer was in Taylor’s collection and thus wouldn’t be part of the December auction of her pieces, which is bound to include some incredible items given the Oscar winner’s well-documented love affair with jewelry.

Still, I was curious what happened to this headline-making stone and, while I didn’t get a definitive answer, the research was well worth it. The who’s who of who had their hands on this diamond reads like the guest list at a very posh, and very exclusive, industry party.

According to Famous Diamonds by Ian Balfour--one of the best books I inherited when I started at National Jeweler about four years ago--the stone that eventually came to be known as the Taylor-Burton diamond emerged from the Premier Mine in 1966. The famous diamantaire Harry Winston himself had it cleaved from 240.80-carat piece of rough.

Harriet Annenberg Ames, sister of media mogul Walter Annenberg, bought it from Winston. (Annenberg seemingly spent his life surrounded by jewelry-loving women who weren’t afraid of a little self purchase. His wife, Leonore “Lee” Annenberg, bought herself a 32.01-carat D-flawless diamond ring on her 90^th birthday in 2008. She died the following year at the age of 91, and Christie’s sold her stone, the “Annenberg Diamond” for an incredible $7.7 million.)

In 1967, Ames sent the pear-shaped stone to Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc. in New York for auction. Cartier paid $1.05 million for the diamond at that auction and sold it to Burton for $1.1 million four days later, Balfour notes in his book. Taylor, in turn, sold the stone 11 years later, in 1978, two years after the end of her second marriage to Burton.

In Famous Diamonds, the Taylor-Burton trail ends in 1979, with New York jeweler Henry Lambert buying the diamond for about $3 million and selling it by the end of the year, with the diamond “last reported to be in Saudi Arabia.”

Further research, though, revealed that it was Robert Mouawad who scooped up the stone in 1979, with a number of sources indicating that he had the stone re-cut to 68 carats. During his lifetime, the Lebanese diamond dealer has had his hands on many of the world’s most renowned diamonds, including the 69.68-carat pear-shaped Excelsior I, the 245.35-carat antique cushion-cut Jubilee and the Premier Rose, a 137.02-carat pear-shaped diamond.

Today, Mouawad no longer owns the Taylor-Burton, a spokesperson confirmed to National Jeweler. She said Mouawad sold the Taylor-Burton to a private collector, though the company declined to reveal when the stone was sold or give any specifics on the seller.

While I’m fairly certain this pear-shaped stunner won’t be making an appearance at the auction of Taylor’s jewelry slated for later this year, it’s likely to pop up again on the auction market at some point in time.

Famous diamonds always do.

Henry Dunay remembers Elizabeth Taylor

Earlier this week Christie’s confirmed what had been circulating around the World Wide Web already for weeks: that the auction house would be the one to sell the historic collections of the late, great Elizabeth Taylor, including her millions in jewelry.

While no details are available at this time regarding the specifics of the auction--what pieces will be sold, estimates, etc.--iconic New York designer Henry Dunay reached out shortly after Taylor’s death last month to tell me about his experiences with the Oscar-winning actress.

In the early 1990s, Dunay said he was tapped to design a diamond mask for a charity function for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). It took him eight months to craft the mask, which he dubbed “The Lachrymosa” (a word that relates to tears and weeping) to remind those who see it of the suffering AIDS has caused globally.

Taylor, the founding national and international chairman of amfAR, donned The Lachrymosa in a 1993 photo shoot (right) designed to generate publicity for the event. A touching tribute to Taylor can be seen here on amfAR’s Web site and, though it hasn’t been confirmed, numerous reports have circulated that the money garnered from the Christie’s auction will go to AIDS charities.

Dunay, a designer to the stars who has mingled with his fair share of celebrities, said he met Taylor on three separate occasions and described her as being gracious and beautiful in person, and very dedicated to her cause. “With the passing of Elizabeth Taylor we have lost an icon of beauty and a lover of fine jewelry,” he said. “She will be missed for her elegance, her beauty and her humanitarian work.”

The diamond mask logged quite a few travel miles in the time it belonged to Dunay. In 2008, The Lachrymosa went on display at The Antwerp Diamond Museum as part of “Diamond Divas,” an exhibition of jewelry donned by famous women, including screen sirens Marilyn Monroe, Gloria Swanson and the jewelry-loving Taylor.

Sadly, after Dunay filed for bankruptcy in June 2009 the mask, along with the rest of his jewels, were sold at auction.

I’m not sure of the mask’s journey since then, but not even 24 hours after my correspondence with Dunay last month, I spotted The Lachrymosa in the display window of the Scarselli Diamonds booth at BaselWorld, accompanied by a picture of Taylor.

I never heard back from Scarselli regarding the mask but I know what Dunay would like to see done with his diamond-encrusted creation. It’s a tribute that would make Taylor-- who spent the latter part of her life using her fame and beauty to draw attention to what was then a cause few celebrities were willing to stand up for--proud.

“It would be ideal to be able to have a piece like that at the Smithsonian, saying what it was made for and why it was made,” Dunay said.

Holidays ring in engagements

In the jewelry industry, it's a common truism that the holiday season equals engagement season, and it's one that certainly didn't miss Hollywood this year. Stars including Reese Witherspoon, LeAnn Rimes and Natalie Portman are just a few of the celebs reported to have said "yes" in recent weeks.

What's interesting is that following a flurry of high-profile engagements featuring colored gemstone center stones (think Kate Middleton and Jessica Simpson), the latest round of engagements sees a return to more traditional, albeit quite large, colorless diamonds.

Rimes, engaged to actor Eddie Cibrian, is now wearing a 5-carat oval diamond (below) designed by jeweler Brent Polacheck. The center stone is surrounded by pave diamonds and set in platinum. Meanwhile, Hugh Hefner recently put a ring on the finger of Playboy Playmate Crystal Harris. Harris told People magazine that the ring features a center stone that's a little more than than 3 carats, plus a pave diamond band set in platinum.



Photo: Courtesy of Platinum Guild International USA

Yet the ring that has really got the gossip magazine press cranking is the one Witherspoon received from fiancé Jim Toth. Designed by William Goldberg, the sparkling stunner features a rare 4-carat Ashoka diamond set on a pave diamond and platinum band (a similar ring to Reese's is pictured below). Though the ring is clearly gorgeous, I wasn't sure what was quite so special about it as I was unfamiliar with Ashokas. I checked in with our diamond editor and William Goldberg for a quick lesson.

Photo: William Goldberg

Today's Ashokas actually refer to a unique diamond cut, with each diamond cut to be visually larger and more brilliant, with 62 displayed facets and rounded corners. The diamonds take their name from the story of the original 41.57-carat, D color, flawless Ashoka diamond owned by India's Ashoka Maruya. Renowned for guiding his subjects on the path of love, respect and compassion, the emperor was thought to possess a magical stone, one with the power to remove sorrow.

That lore, and the rarity of today's Ashoka diamonds (less than 10 percent of rough diamonds mined annually have the potential to become an Ashoka-cut stone, the designer says), make for quite a story for brides-to-be seeking the most unique of rings.

According to Eve Goldberg of William Goldberg, Ashokas have intrigued plenty of potential fiancées since the news hit about Reese's new ring.

"We have received many, many calls about the Ashoka, and we have gotten hundreds of requests on our Web site for more information on the Ashoka," she told National Jeweler.

 

 

 

 

'Memphis' on my mind

Before I left for a lovely, long Memorial Day weekend I got the chance, via a ticket obtained through the Diamond Information Center (DIC), to see the new Broadway musical "Memphis."

Set in Memphis, Tenn., in the 1950s, the musical tells the story of the then-controversial love affair between Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball), a white radio disc jockey who breaks the color barrier by playing black music on white stations, and Felicia Farrell (Montego Glover), an up-and-coming African-American singer. (Kimball and Glover are pictured here at a private DIC dinner held in their honor in May.)

So, what's the connection between the DIC, the public relations arm of the Diamond Promotion Service, which does marketing on behalf of De Beers, and this new musical?

While I was watching "Memphis" I thought, at first, that the connection had to be the three engagement rings that made cameos appearances during the two-act musical.

It turned out that it was not the engagement rings that piqued the DIC's interest in the production. It was message behind the musical: that the strength of love can endure multiple hardships. 

As the DIC's Francesca Ferrante explained to me: "We felt that the love story in Memphis was very in tune with the symbolic message behind the Everlon Diamond Knot Collection and felt it a great, organic opportunity to support the 'strength of love' Everlon story while also supporting the musical and the cast, who have been so well received and nominated for so many amazing awards since the Broadway debut."

Ferrante also noted that Glover has worn Everlon to previous events. At the DIC dinner honoring the show's stars, Glover once again donned Everlon, wearing the three-tassel knot earrings in oxidized white gold (pictured here; click on photo for a larger image). 

Memphis has been nominated for eight Tony Awards, including Best Leading Actor for Kimball, and Best Leading Actress for Glover, as well as Best Musical. The Tony Awards are scheduled for June 13.

Oscar's rainbow of gems

Colored gemstones were out in full force at StyleLab's 2010 Academy Awards Jewelry Preview, which included a selection of designs entered into the Spectrum Awards, the American Gem Trade Association's (AGTA) annual competition honoring the best in colored gemstone jewelry design.

Scroll down to check out some of the designs that nominees from films such as Avatar and Precious perused before Oscars night. To get a closer look at any of the images, click right on them. You'll also find a design that got big exposure on the red carpet, plus a colored gemstone compact that this year's Best Actress winner got to take home.

Above: StyleLab’s Academy Awards Jewelry Preview featured a selection of AGTA Spectrum Award-winning pieces, including these designs from Ashleigh Branstetter, Ariane Zurcher, Omi Gems, Samuel Getz Designs, Yael Designs, Suna Brothers, Evelyn Clothier, Paula Crevoshay, and Basser and Bigio.

   

Above left: Jewelry expert Michael O’Connor shows off a Spectrum Collection butterfly brooch designed by Evelyn Clothier. Crafted in platinum and 18-karat gold, the brooch features 20.17 carats of diamond slices, and 15.93 carats of pink, yellow and colorless diamonds.
Above right: This “Tassel” necklace in platinum with a brown diamond, colorless diamonds, pearls and diamond beads was also designed by Evelyn Clothier for the AGTA Spectrum Collection.

   

Above: The StyleLab offerings included these designs featuring a rainbow of colored gemstones. The 18-karat gold Ariane Zurcher bracelet at left shimmers with tourmaline, mandarin garnet, aquamarine, pink sapphire, pink topaz and African Paraiba tourmaline. The Paula Crevoshay orchid pin at right contains kunzite, tsavorite, rubellite, ruby, purple sapphire, pink sapphire, diamond and amethyst.

Above: In addition to taking home the Oscar for Best Actress, Sandra Bullock received this Carelle compact featuring light amethyst Rose de France stones set in 18-karat gold-plated silver.

Above: Invictus actor Morgan Freeman and producer Lori McCready wore these custom-designed "46664" bangles on Oscars night. Crafted from platinum and 18-karat gold, the designs feature deep green Zambian emeralds and conflict-free diamonds. For a National Jeweler story on the bracelets and the cause they are helping to support, click here.

The 'Protector Collection'

Asprey has unveiled Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's latest foray into jewelry design. What do you think? Do these snake-inspired designs have you charmed?

I've got my eye on the tiny "Children's/Adult's Snake Rings," and I love the animated snake on the "Sterling Silver Tooth Box." While its function makes a whole lot of sense for the Jolie-Pitts and their young brood, I'd fill mine with some small pieces of jewelry.

         

Left: The "Fine Jewelled Rings" feature bright cabochon-emerald eyes, with jeweled "scales" that are smooth to the touch.

Center: The "Fine Jewelled Double Twist Bracelet" is a flexible but solid platinum bracelet depicting two intertwined snakes.

Right: The "Children's/Adult's Snake Earrings" feature 154 faceted gemstones. The "tail" is both a part of the design and a fitting to secure the earring.

       

Left: The gemstone versions of the "Children's/Adult's Snake Pendants" feature 104 stones, while the gold version has been buffed to a smooth, polished surface.

Right: The tiny "Children's/Adult's Snake Rings" sparkle with fully faceted precious gemstones, as minute as 1 millimeter each, and set by hand.

   

Left: The cup and coiled snake of the "Sterling Silver Eggcup" were separately polished and then soldered together, before being hand polished as a final piece.

Center: A guilloche technique gives texture to the base of the "Sterling Silver Tooth Box," whose contents are protected by the snake on top.

Right: The handle of the "Sterling Silver Spoon" was carved in wax by Asprey's master model maker, and then molten sterling silver was poured into the mold to form a solid sculpture. The scales were then refined and hand chased. The spoon's bowl was hammered from a sheet of silver.

Want (what might be) Penelope Cruz’s ring?

Rumors have been swirling for the past few weeks that Penelope Cruz and boyfriend Javier Bardem are engaged. The notoriously private couple has yet to confirm anything, but one jewelry company is already offering a replica of what is supposedly Cruz's engagement ring.

The Nine actress has been spotted out and about sporting on her left ring finger what seems to be a large sapphire surrounded by small diamonds, and now The Natural Sapphire Co. is offering up its own take (rendering seen above and below).

Up for grabs, at the price of $11,500, is a 2.58-carat natural blue sapphire circled with a halo of colorless diamonds.

It's a gorgeous ring, and I love the idea of brides doing something different and diverging from the diamond. I'm not so sure, though, that I'd love to look down at my engagement ring and think, “Penelope Cruz has the same one,” no matter that I think she's a dynamo on the big screen.

Perhaps it's just the "replica" wording that has me uneasy. But one cool thing that The Natural Sapphire Co. does is make any design changes or customizations via computer renderings before the piece is cast. That has me resting easier, and I think they've gone a smart route: bringing attention to their company (or to colored stones in general) via an event currently in the news, but allowing customers to make the piece their own.

What do you think? Would customers go for it?

Live from Hollywood

Each month, I compile National Jeweler's "Star Sightings" page, a selection of images highlighting the jewelry celebrities are wearing on the red carpets and out and about. It's a fun, easy-to-digest page, but it also has a serious impetus: providing readers with information about the most au courant trends.

As a consumer, I definitely do my share of tearing out pages from magazines and taking style tips from editorials and the celebrities chronicled in the publications I pick up. Recently, I spent some time in Los Angeles scoping out the behind-the-scenes of how jewelry makes it onto the red carpet and into those very magazines.

If you haven't already had a chance, check out "Access Jewelry" on NationalJeweler.com for the inside scoop. Below you'll find the accompanying photos.

Above left: Stylists and celebrities visiting D’Orazio & Associates select jewelry from the likes of Amrapali, Le Vian and Sutra, among others, in a private showroom high above Beverly Hills, Calif.

Above center and right: Airy, openwork cuff bracelets, like these from Siera, are much requested at the D’Orazio showroom.

Among the biggest trends seen on the red carpets and easily imitable for every day are stacked bracelets and hoop earrings. Angelina Jolie wore 22-karat yellow gold hoops to the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, as did Halle Berry at the British Film Institute’s London Film Festival. Berry also stacked her 22-karat yellow gold bangles high and topped off the look with a 22-karat gold ring. All jewelry is from Amrapali. Photos: Courtesy of D’Orazio and Associates

The hefty Zorab cocktail ring featuring kunzite and diamonds that singer Katy Perry wore to the 51st Annual Grammy Awards was sold soon after its red-carpet debut. The kunzite weighs in at 80 carats. Photo: Courtesy of D’Orazio and Associates

Among jewelry designer Neil Lane’s favorite memories from his years of dressing Hollywood’s leading ladies was the time he outfitted actress Catherine Zeta-Jones in layers and layers of diamond chains and a diamond pendant necklace.

Mad Men actress January Jones, who topped many a best-dressed list the day after the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards, wore this Neil Lane “Diamond Leaf” bracelet and diamond drop earrings to the awards show.

At the launch of Tacori’s new “18K925” collection, Heroes actress Ali Larter, seen above left with Paul Tacorian, donned several pieces that were later auctioned via Clothes Off Our Back to benefit The Art of Elysium, a nonprofit that encourages artists to dedicate their time and talent to children battling serious medical conditions.

Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks was among the surprise celebrity guests attending the launch of Tacori’s new “18K925” collection. A day after the Sept. 15 event, Hendricks was seen in an E! online video taped on Tacori’s blue carpet.