Leibish & Co. Unveils Colorful Gem Jewelry And Free Engagement Ring

Online colored diamond retailer, Leibish & Co., has expanded its colorful offerings into gemstone jewelry. The new collections include sapphires, rubies, and emeralds set within necklaces, pendants, bracelets and earrings.

A significant part of this new push into colored gemstone jewelry is engagement rings. White diamonds (often paired with white gold and platinum) is the standard for bridal jewelry and has been for many years. Other tried to convince consumers into adding color gems to their engagement rings but success has been sketchy. 

To help promote this jewelry category, the company is giving away a free gemstone engagement ring to one subscriber to the website. 

“Over the past three years, I have seen in the market a new trend developing for strong colors, intense pinks, intense blues, vivid pinks and vivid blues. Only, these diamonds have become unaffordable to the majority of buyers,” said Leibish Polnauer, founder of the Israeli-based company. “Not wanting to lose the opportunity to serve all of our clients, we created an exciting and beautiful new line of jewelry made with precious stones that are larger and more modestly priced.” 

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Rivière ‘Triple X’ Necklace Tops $1.2 Million At Bonhams Auction

Photo by Anthony DeMarco

A diamond rivière necklace with 51 “Triple X-cut” rated diamonds sold for $1.2 million (including premium) at Bonham’s New York Fine Jewelry sale. It was the top item of the sale held Monday by the international auction house.

Triple X (also known as “Triple Ex”) is an informal designation, mostly within the trade, that means a diamond that has received excellent polish, symmetry and cut grades. Only round and round brilliant cut diamonds can receive this designation.

Each diamond in the necklace is accompanied by a Gemological Institute of America report that states it’s three excellence grades. The graduated line of 51 round brilliant-cut diamonds weighs more than 70 carats. They are joined together by a heart-shaped diamond clasp weighing 2.04 carats. The diamonds are mounted in platinum.

Even though the necklace commanded a seven-figure price, it sold below its $1.4 million - $1.8 million estimate.

There were a number of items that failed to sell along with some pieces that shattered estimates. In many ways it reflected the inconsistent spring auction season for jewelry, which quietly came to an end.

Colored gems, very popular in recent years, did well, as well as Art Deco and Belle Époque and Art Deco pieces. Signed pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and Tiffany & Co. also saw mixed results. Several colorless diamonds rings sold well.

Susan Abeles, Bonhams director of US Jewellery, was pleased with a number of sales throughout the auction.

“Color I think was outstanding,” she said following the auction. “Emeralds and other fine colored stones did very well. We saw more interest in large round diamonds. Beautiful signed items retained their value and worldwide interest.”

Among the top sellers were:

Photo by Anthony DeMarco

* A 25-carat sapphire and diamond ring by the M. Gerard French jewelry house (pictured above) sold for $581,000, beating its high estimate. The richly colored crystal sapphire’s unusual octagonal cut makes this a very rare find. The sapphire is flanked by triangular-cut diamonds and is mounted in 18k gold.

* Emerald and diamond earrings, each suspended by an emerald bead (30 carats total) with a yellow gold cap and topped with two round brilliant-cut diamonds (3.80 carats total) that sold for $118,750. Nearly double its high estimate of $60,000.

* Two diamond rings sold for the identical price of $106,250. A 3.51-carat cut-cornered rectangular step-cut diamond on a ring flanked by tapered baguette-cut diamonds and mounted in platinum. The other was a ring centered by a 7.37-carat round diamond set in 18k gold and platinum.

* Early in the auction a turn of the century imperial topaz and diamond pendant brooch, circa 1900 (pictured above), centered by an oval cushion-cut imperial topaz and suspended by a detachable imperial topaz briolette sold for $87,500, totally smashing its high estimate of $9,000.

* A fancy colored diamond and sapphire ring designed as a pavé-set diamond with a geometric plaque that sold for $52,500, within its estimate. The plaque centers a lozenge brilliant-cut light gray-blue colored diamond weighing 0.92 carat with acalibré-cut sapphire surround;

* A colorful black opal ring (pictured above) flanked by diamonds and mounted in platinum sold for $16,250, smashing its $7,000 high estimate.

Among the items that were passed by bidders were:

* A 3.56-carat cut-cornered, rectangular-cut fancy intense pink diamond on a ring with an estimate of $600,000 - $800,000, enhanced by a pavé-set diamond surround and mounted in 18k white and yellow gold;

* A ring designed as a pavé-set diamond star with an oval modified brilliant-cut fancy deep blue diamond in the center, which weighs 0.71 carat (est. $250,000 - $350,000);

* A 5.02-carat cut-cornered, square modified brilliant-cut fancy yellow diamond on a ring flanked by fancy-cut diamonds within a pavé-set diamond surround (est. $50,000 - $60,000).

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Historic Pink Diamond And 25-Carat Cartier Ruby Could Each Fetch $18 Million At Sotheby’s Geneva

The Historic Pink Diamond

Sotheby’s auction of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva will likely serves as a test of the strength of the auction market for jewelry, which has had some lackluster sales recently. The May 12 sale at the Hôtel Beau-Rivage includes an historic pink diamond, an important ruby, several significant Cartier pieces and five bejeweled tiaras. 

The sale is led by two gems. The first is the 8.72-carat “Historic Pink,” which the auction house describes as an “extremely rare and highly important” Fancy Vivid Pink diamond. According to the Gemological Institute of America, it’s believed to have been part of the collection of Princess Mathilde, the niece of Napoleon Bonaparte. The stone, which has VS2 clarity, is also distinguished by its classic non-modified cushion cut, unusual in a pink diamond, Sotheby’s said. 

The pre-sale estimate is $14 to $18 million. 

The Sunrise Ruby by Cartier

The 25.59-carat “Sunrise Ruby” by Cartier is described as a “unique treasure of nature” by the Swiss Gemmological Institute. The ruby has not received any heat treatment and the color is described by that famous auction moniker for exceptional rubies, “pigeon’s blood” red: the rarest and most sought-after of hues.

Its estimate is $12 million to $18 million.

Diamond necklace by Cartier 

It is one of four jewels by Cartier from the same private collection. The other statement piece is a diamond necklace of more than 190 carats. Custom-made for the owner, it is designed as a cascade of diamonds, the front accented with a floral motif and suspending a fringe of nine pear-shaped stones. Its estimate is $6 to $10 million. 

Kashmir sapphire and diamond brooch, Cartier

The other pieces are a brooch set with a 30.23-carat Kashmir sapphire (estimate: $3.5 million - $6 million); and sapphire and diamond earrings, made with two Burmese Mogok sapphires of 15.77 and 16.90 carats (estimate: $800,000 - $1.2 million). 

Diamond Cartier tiara, 1930s 

Provenance is a constant theme of this sale and one of the most important items of Noble ownership is a collection of jewels that includes three tiaras from the Estate of Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe. They are led by a piece created by Cartier in the 1930s (estimate: $300,000 – $500,000); and intricate tiara/necklace composed of fleurs de lys and confronting scroll motifs, swing-set with a graduated row of twenty superb pear-shaped diamonds (estimate: $300,000 – $500,000); and a delicate ruby and diamond creation (estimate: $80,000 – 100,000).

Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe is the granddaughter of Rothschild heiress Hannah and British Prime Minister the Earl of Rosebery, whose wedding to the Duke of Roxburghe brought together two of Britain’s great aristocratic families, according to the auction house. 

In addition to the three tiaras from the Roxburghe Estate, the auction will offer a two other tiaras for a total of five very fine pieces in a single sale, which is extremely rare, according to the auction house.

Diamond tiara necklace, 1880s

From the Collection of the Earl of Mar and Kellie, a diamond tiara/necklace, designed in the style of a “tiare russe,” dating back to the 1880s and drawing inspiration from the Russian kokoshniks—traditional fan- shaped head ornaments inspired by the cockscomb. This tiara was worn by the 12th Countess of Mar at the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 (estimate: $150,000 – $295,000).

The fifth tiara is one made of emeralds and diamonds dating to the early 20th century. The piece is designed as two lines of circular-cut diamonds, surmounted with scroll and fleur de lys motifs, the scrolls topped with drop-shaped emeralds (estimate: $40,000 - $60,000).

No auction is complete these days without at least one signature natural pearl necklace. In this case the jewel is composed of two graduated rows strung with 78 natural pearls ($3 million - $5 million).

There was a noted decline in the number of lots being sold along with their value during auctions in April. For example, Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite sale saw nearly a third of its lots go unsold—unheard of in recent years. Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels sale fared a little better with 77 percent of the items sold by (meaning nearly a quarter of the lots went unsold) and 77 percent sold by value, compared with estimates.

A large diamond at Christie’s New York in April was pulled halfway through the auction and several other items didn’t make the reserve price.

Most recently, Sotheby’s New York Magnificent Jewels sale bucked the negative trend with 80 percent of items sold by lot and nearly 85 percent sold by value with 10 jewels selling for more than $1 million. In a nod to the modern way of doing business, four of the top 10 items were sold to online bidders.

The Geneva jewelry auctions are often the most highly anticipated sales on the calendar and Sotheby’s and Christie’s are presenting highly sought after pieces in all categories. So next month will determine whether the slowdown was a temporary occurrence or here to stay. 

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Rhodolite Garnet: The Journey from Kenya to the Workshop, Via a New Zealand Winemaker

Behind this beautifully balanced natural color rhodolite garnet lies an intriguing story. 

By Chris Benham, co-founder and director of Inspired Jewellery Ltd.

The Umba river flows through the north-eastern mountain ranges of Tanzania and across Kenya, before meeting the Indian Ocean. This area is renowned for some of the world’s richest deposits of colored gemstones. It was in the Umba riverbed that this rhodolite garnet stone was found and purchased in its rough form by Neil McCallum, gemstone enthusiast, trader and cutter.

Neil has been described as “an incredibly clever man, a scientist (with a PHD from Oxford) and a perfectionist.” Well known as a pioneer in the wine industry for establishing the Dry River Vineyard, he is regarded as one of New Zealand’s greatest winemakers. Neil recently sold Dry River to American billionaire businessman Julian Robertson, so that he could pursue his other passion: gemstones. 

Upon Neil’s travels around the world in search of coveted gemstones, he came across this rhodolite garnet in Kenya, which he then brought back to New Zealand for cutting. It has been described by an industry expert quite simply as “without a doubt the finest rhodolite garnet you’ll ever see in your life.” Rhodolite garnets are red or purple in color and lighter in tone than typical garnet stones. The beauty of this 100% natural stone is that you will not find a finer color. Its balance is exceptional. You can turn the stone in any direction and the saturation remains absolutely even. 

The way the stone catches the light, showing off its fire and internal brilliance is quite mesmerizing. The next challenge is creating a design that does a gem such as this justice. 

The goal with designing this ring was to maintain its simplicity. The open four-claw setting surrounds the stone in a way that allows the viewer to appreciate the garnet in its entirety. The boldness of the stone is subtly and intentionally transitioned into the yellow gold band using two D color, VVS clarity heart shaped diamonds. The reason the heart shaped diamonds were used is that they take the big bold shape of the garnet and transition the eye nicely into the band. The claws have been set in the crest of the heart to give the visual appearance of a wider pear shaped diamond.

Jewelry News Network guest columnist, Chris Benham, is co-founder and director of Inspired Jewellery Ltd., Wellington, New Zealand, a global creative studio for specialist jewelry design. 

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The Savelli Jewelry Smartphone

The Savelli Emerald Iguana phone uses a mix of polished stainless steel and 18-carat red gold with Iguana leather

A smartphone that is a luxury jewel. That is what the Savelli phone is being billed as and it seems to be the proper way to describe this device that merges technology and luxury craftsmanship.

Marketed exclusively to women, it sources precious gems and metals, exotic leathers and many of the same hand-crafted artisan techniques that are used for luxury jewelry and watches. It also commands a price that cements it as a luxury purchase.  

18k rose gold set with 395 white and cognac diamonds in a snow setting (4.68 carats)

The cost for the phone runs from $8,625 to $112,500 with the most expensive phone being a limited edition piece made of 75 baguette-cut emeralds (4.5 cts.) and 900 brilliant-cut diamonds (12.5 cts.) with a retail price of $167,500.

The Savelli contains a proprietary operating system based on a Google Android platform. It is not the first company to try to enter the luxury market for smartphones (Vertu is the largest player) but it is arguably the first to associate fine jewelry and watchmaking artisan techniques to such an extreme level. 

The back of the Python phone is made of Python leather with a stainless steel top

Alessandro Savelli co-founded the company in 2011 at Columbia University with luxury expert, Ketty Maisonrouge, who heads an MBA luxury business program at the school. The Italian native is a former investment banker whose family is in the jewelry business in Italy. The business is based in Geneva and the smartphones are crafted in Switzerland, utilizing artisans associated with the country’s dynamic watch industry. The first phones were unveiled in 2013. 

Savelli has spent a great deal of time finding investors, developing the proprietary operating system, finding craftspeople, developing a retail network and marketing the product. The shape of the watch alone was a two-year project. 

The top of the Ruby Passion is set with 395 brilliant-cut Gemfields rubies and the 18k yellow gold is set with 144 brilliant-cut diamonds in a ‘rain setting’ technique. Limited to eight pieces.

There are at least 13 variations of the Savelli smartphone. The most recent is the Ruby Limited Edition, the second phone created in collaboration with Gemfields, an emerald and ruby supplier that often partners with jewelry designers. The company also does bespoke models.

Each smartphone begins with a single dome of sapphire glass fashioned and polished to a curved shape. The 18k gold or steel and ceramic surrounding is sculpted and curved to give the phone the feel and appearance of a single, smooth piece. The leather (whether alligator, ostrich, python or another exotic animal) that covers the back of the phone is handled by a French atelier. 

18k rose gold with white ceramic and "Caramel Nappa" leather

The top of the phone—whether made of smooth ceramic, diamonds or gems—provides a different look when viewed from the top or front of the phone. The slender Savelli “S” shape logo is used as highlights on the volume buttons, the phone’s back and other areas. 

One has to remember it is a phone that runs on a customized Google android operating system with 32GBs of internal storage, a high-resolution 3.2-inch display and a front and back camera. It also comes with it comes with UBER, SwiftKey and Whatsapp apps.

The back of this phone is made of blue ostrich leather

Savelli, says there are about 20 points of sale, almost all in Europe, including Harrods in London and Kronometry 1999 in Paris. He wants to expand further into the Middle East, and into the Asia, and the US. 

Even though it’s being marketed as a jewel he says the most likely outlets are luxury watch retailers. 

75 baguette-cut white diamonds (7.88 cts.) cover the top design element in the "Black Insane" phone.

This leads to the question, is it jewel? A phone? Or even a wearable? 

Or does it really matter?

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Christie’s, Sotheby’s Combine for $1.35 Billion in 2014 Jewelry Sales

The Zoe Diamond, 9.75-ct fancy vivid blue sold for $32.6 million at Sotheby’s

Wealthy investors, jewelry lovers and businesses continue to place their money into collectible jewelry, buying up statement diamonds, gems and pearls as well as signature jewelry collections.

The world’s largest auctions houses, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, reported record 2014 results in their jewelry departments, combining for more than $1.35 billion in total sales.

The results speak of the demand for high-quality baubles as well as the economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions throughout the world. Jewelry seems to be one of the few places where the wealthy feel comfortable placing their money.

Christie’s year was the most impressive as the auction house reports a record total of $754.7 million in 2014, saying it is the highest annual result ever achieved for jewelry at any auction house. The total also represents an 11 percent year-over-year increase. Christie’s Geneva led the company’s jewelry sales with $304.4 million total.

The results for the year included 149 jewels that sold for more than $1 million, including seven jewels that sold for more $10 million, 24 jewels that sold above $5 million and 72 jewels that sold for more than $2 million.

The Winston Blue, 13.22-carat pear-shaped fancy vivid blue flawless diamond sold for nearly $23.8 million

Christie’s most valuable sale in 2014 was The Winston Blue, a 13.22-carat pear-shaped fancy vivid blue flawless diamond, sold at Christie’s Geneva in May for nearly $23.8 million, or nearly $1.8 million per carat. It was acquired by the luxury jewelry brand, Harry Winston.

Its other biggest sale also occurred at Christie’s Geneva—this time during the November sale. The Blue Belle of Asia, a 392.52-carat Ceylon sapphire, sold for nearly $17.3 million, a record for any sapphire ever sold at auction.

Meanwhile, Sotheby’s reports that 2014 jewelry totaled $602.5 million—the third consecutive year of record sales for the auction house. The total represents a 13.8 percent year-over-year increase.

The results for the year include 77 jewels that sold for more than $1 million, with 69 percent of all sold lots exceeding their high estimates.

Among the two largest sales for 2014 was the Zoe Diamond, a 9.75-carat fancy vivid blue diamond from the collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon, which sold for $32.6 million at Sotheby’s New York in November. The stone set world auction records for any blue diamond and for the price-per-carat for any diamond, at more than $3.3 million per carat.

The other large sale was the Graff Vivid Yellow, at 100.09 carats, one of the largest fancy vivid yellow diamonds in the world. It sold for $16.3 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in November, setting world auction records for any yellow diamond and for any jewel by Graff.

The Cartier Hutton-Mdivani Necklace sold for more than $27.4 million.

Jadeite also did well for Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Its best sale in this category for the year was the Cartier created Hutton-Mdivani Necklace, which sold in April for more than $27.4 million, setting auction records for any jadeite jewel, for any non-diamond jewel and for any Cartier jewel and the second highest auction price for any jewel in 2014. It was purchased by The Cartier Collection.

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Gemstones and Diamonds to Have its Own Stage at JGF Europe

From the 2014 JGF Europe tradeshow

Gemstones and diamonds will have its own space for the upcoming Jewellery & Gem Fair – Europe tradeshow, March 22 - 25 in Messe Freiburg, Germany. 

The fair will occupy 25,000sqm of exhibition space as it expands from three to four halls, including the central foyer. Under the product “sectorisation” concept, it will be divided into three sections: loose materials, fine jewelry and packaging, tools & equipment. “We are so glad that many of our exhibitors in the loose materials section who took part in the first edition are returning, this time with bigger booths,” said Celine Lau, director of Jewellery Fairs, UBM Asia, which owns and operates the trade fair.

Group pavilions in loose materials section will offer distinct market specialties, such as emeralds from Acodes and corals from the Italian Pavilion, Lau says. The pavilions from Germany, Hong Kong, Thailand and the United States will showcase a range of loose semiprecious and precious stones. Diamonds will be available at the AWDC Pavilion.

Buyers can also expect to see well-known names in the gemstone market, such as Caram e. K., CHQ GmbH, Emil Weis Opals KG and Paul Wild OHG from Germany, RMC Gems HK Co from Hong Kong, Imagem from France, and M. Golab Co Ltd from Thailand.

JGF Europe will include 400 exhibitors from around the world. As of January, more than 60 percent of the exhibitors are from various parts of Europe, The fair also features suppliers from Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. 

Visitor pre-registration for the fair is now open and can be accessed through this link. 

UBM Asia will offer a free shuttle bus service from Basel Badischer Bahnhof/Freiburg Hauptbahnhof to Messe Freiburg during the fair’s four-day run. The fair organizer is working with Deutsche Bahn AG to offer a special concession on train tickets for visitors travelling from any German city to JGF Europe in Freiburg, Germany. For transportation details, visit this link. 

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Temple St. Clair Enters the World of High Jewelry

Flying Fish bracelet made with sapphire, Paraiba tourmaline, tsavorite and Royal Blue Moonstone.

Luxury jewelry designer Temple St. Clair held a public unveiling of her first high jewelry collection at The Salon: Art + Design show in New York. 

Titled Mythical Creatures each of the nine, one-of-kind pieces represents artistic representations of the work she has done for 30 years. Nature themes with more colored gemstones, a few either extremely rare or almost never used for jewelry, used in a variety of intricate ways go together with the goldsmith and jewelry craftsmen in Florence, many of whom having with St. Clair for decades. The pieces are complex and elaborate but still retain a sense of refinement.

Secret Garden Serpent necklace made with tsavorite scales, a tanzanite head, Royal Blue Moonstone eyes and diamond accents.

To reinforce their status as works of art and collectibles, she collaborated with artists outside of the jewelry world to create a complete individual package for each piece. Her main partner in this project is fine contemporary artist and personal friend, Nancy Lorenz—known for working with precious materials such as mother-of-pearl inlay, lacquer, and gold leaf—who created a signature jewel box for each piece. She also brought in the services of photographer Robert Clark, best known for his work with National Geographic. His stylized photographs, along with St. Clair’s sketches and stories behind each piece are included in a personalized, hand-bound leather book designed and built in Florence. The book and each jewel are sized to fit inside the wooden box, which were made in Kyoto and then lined in leather in Florence.

Sleeping Fox ring made with spinel, mandarin garnet, emerald & diamond.

The display at The Salon: Art + Design art show at The Park Avenue Armory in New York, opened Friday and runs till Monday, is the first public viewing of the jewelry creations. The only other public viewing will be at Les Arts Decoratifs, January 29, 2015, during Paris’ Haute Couture Week. After that, these pieces, which are commanding six-figure prices, will be sold and delivered to private owners. In fact, in an interview months ago, St. Clair says that the interest is so strong that she expects the entire collection will be sold before the Paris exhibition. 

Sea Dragon earrings using emeralds, rubies, sapphires, Royal Blue Moonstone and diamond..

For St. Clair this project is the culmination of a life in jewelry, art and design. 

“Three years in actually making (the collection) and 30 years of having it come together,” St. Clair said during an interview in her New York studio. “I do a lot of bespoke work in the high jewelry realm (for private clients) but I haven’t worked in that realm necessarily on my own. And most of the bespoke work and high jewelry work goes to individuals. So we can’t show it or really talk about it that much. This is my first entrance into this level.” 

Medusa Moon Jellyfish ring in 18k gold with Australian Andamooka opal, Lightening Ridge black opal, sapphire, tsavorite, hauyn & rock crystal.

She continued, “I love nature and animals so I played with my interpretation. I refer to them as my mythical creatures but I’m actually making natural creatures mythical.” 

Each piece uses a variety of gemstones, cut, polished and set in many ways. Several are extremely rare, such as Paraiba tourmaline and Australian Andamooka opal. One gem known as hauyn, considered too soft to be set in jewelry, makes an appearance in at least one piece. 

Phoenix Chicks earrings using 18k gold with tanzanite, Lightening Ridge black opal, tourmaline, Royal Blue Moonstone, tsavorite & sapphire.

“No one puts this in jewelry,” she said. “I’ve seen it for years at gem shows but I’m told it’s only for collectors, not to be put in jewelry. But we managed.”

In addition, a variety of gem setting techniques and elaborate gold adornments are used for each item. They are extremely complex pieces. For example, the Secret Garden Serpent necklace has more than 1,000 gems. Green garnet serpent tsavorite cut in cabochons is used for the vertebrae, finely crafted with flexible joints to give it a proper look and feel.

“He feels so real and scaly,” she said.

Turtles on the Rocks ring using 18K gold with diamonds and Paraíba tourmalines. 

Some pieces move with the light like the Flying Fish bracelet, which is taken from her time spent at sea actually viewing these fishes. Different shades of green tsavorite along with various blue gems (Paraiba tourmaline, blue sapphires and blue moonstones) are used to recreate the changing colors of scales when it reflected in the sun. 

“You catch a fish and turn it at different angles and it shows its colors differently,” she said. “It’s a super intricate piece. I’ve seen flying fish so I know what they should look like.”

Frog Prince ring in 18k gold with Mandarin garnet, tsavorite, sapphire and cat's eye.

St. Clair says that as her children have grown and become more independent and with her business is doing well, she is able to take time to create in new ways, which will lead to similar projects in the future.  

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The 2015 AGTA Spectrum Awards Winners

Best of Show, Leon Mege - Platinum ring with a 4.71 ct. Paraiba tourmaline accented with French-cut diamonds.

The AGTA Spectrum Awards media day and winners announcement were held recently at its usual undisclosed New York location. I was unable to attend the event this year but that doesn’t mean you have to be neglected of at least seeing the top category winners. 

Best Use of Color, Paula Crevoshay – 18k yellow gold "The Venus Bracelet" with freshwater baroque cultured Pearls (91.43 ctw.) accented with pink and green tourmalines (29.32 ctw.).

The Spectrum Awards are considered by many to be the most respected and prestigious creative awards for the jewelry design industry. Launched in 1984 by the American Gem Trade Association, it honors, recognizes and promotes designers whose work uses natural colored gemstones and cultured pearls in finished fine jewelry design. The international competition serves as the benchmark for jewelry designers striving to gain recognition for their work. In addition, it is one of things the jewelry industry establishes trends through the use of color and materials. 

Best Use of Platinum and Color, Deirdre Featherstone - Platinum "Anemone" earrings with tanzanites (5.37 ctw.) accented with blue zircons (2.88 ctw.), purple sapphires (3.72 ctw.), tsavorite garnets (1.67 ctw.), indigo tourmalines (.40 ctw.), Paraiba tourmalines (.26 ctw.) and Diamonds (.16 ctw.).  

Douglas K. Hucker, CEO of the AGTA, says the 500 or designers who participated in the competition stretched the boundaries in what can be achieved in jewelry design with colored gems and pearls. 

Best Use of Pearls, Naomi Sarna – 18k rose gold necklace with white cultured pearls accented with pink diamonds.

“We were thrilled with the variety of entries at this year’s awards competition,” he said. “We saw a lot of use of striking and strong colors instead of pastels. There were asymmetrical pieces combining rounds with ovals and squares.” 

Evening Wear Maria Canale, Suna Bros. Inc. - Platinum and 20k pink gold bracelet with multi-colored natural spinels (44.31 ctw.) accented with white diamonds (6.80 ctw.) and pink diamonds (1.00 ctw.).

Among the popular choice for colors were blue, and blue green; and the most popular gems used for the competition were tourmalines, sapphires and opals, he added. In addition, he noted that there was a three-fold increase to the entries to the men’s wear category.

Fashion Forward, Ion Ionescu – 18k yellow gold ring featuring a 36 ct. turquoise accented with a 9.2mm Tahitian silver cultured pearl, Paraiba tourmalines (.32 ctw.) and diamonds (.43 ctw.).

Judging from the top winners at the show, pearls and the extremely rare Paraiba tourmaline were used quite extensively.

Business/Day Wear, Jennifer Rabe Morin, Gregore Joailliers – 18k rose gold ring with carved turquoise (29.0 ctw.) accented with amethyst cabochons (14.0 ctw.).

This year's AGTA Spectrum Awards will be presented during the 2015 AGTA GemFair Tucson to be held February 3 - 8 (a trade only event) at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Ariz., with the winning entries will be displayed during the show.

Men's Wear, Dawn Muscio – 18k red gold and stainless steel "Pink2" cufflinks featuring pillow cut Morganites (8.74 ctw.) accented with Rubies (.87 ctw.) and Diamonds (.60 ctw.).

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The Jewelry Creations of Zorab Atelier

18k pink gold and palladium Bull Ring with White diamonds, yellow diamonds, black diamonds, blue diamonds, green diamonds, two bezel-set orange sapphires, pink diamonds, six black spinels. It took six weeks to complete this piece.

True Brazilian Paraiba tourmaline has become one of the rarest gems in the world. Named after the region of Brazil where they exist, the mines in this area are near depleted and according to several sources only bits and pieces remain of the turquoise to green gems.

62-carat Brazilian Paraiba  ring in 18k yellow gold studded with diamonds. It retails for approximately $420,000.

(This is not to be confused with similar looking gems from Nigeria and Mozambique that is also being called “paraiba.”)

So imagine my surprise when an exhibitor at the recently held JCK Luxury tradeshow in Las Vegas showed me not one but two 18k yellow gold rings studded with diamonds and centered with true Brazilian Paraiba stones weighing 62 carats and 47 carats. The rings are from Zorab Atelier de Creation and is an example of its mastery in obtaining rare gemstones.

Bloom Tiger Striped Flower Ring in black diamonds, blue sapphire, pink sapphire, 18k gold, silver, tsavorite garnet and white diamonds.

The Lebanese-based family jeweler’s other mastery is creating bespoke and limited edition pieces from all types of rare and unusual gems that range from classic jewelry to masculine-themed art objects loaded with a variety of stones employing refined artistry and craftsmanship. Items range from a tiger striped flower ring featuring black diamonds, white diamonds, blue diamonds, yellow diamonds, and spinel; to a bracelet made of multi-colored diamonds, orange sapphires, red sapphires, spesertite garnets, yellow sapphires and white diamonds, palladium, gold, and spinel. There was even gem-encrusted ring in the shape of a bull.

Diamond Scales Serpent bracelet with black and white diamonds, gold, palladium and spinels.

Henri and Liza Istamboulian, the second generation family members who now run the 40-year-old business, say the company produces about 500 pieces a year of limited edition and bespoke jewelry and each item can take from six months to a year to complete. They are fully invested in the process from the mine to market. They source their gems from Africa and South America, including Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar and have their gem cutting operation in Bangkok.

Blue Cascade Drop Earrings in white sapphire, gold, and palladium.

To find their pieces you have to do a little work as they appear in fewer than 30 luxury retail stores throughout the world, including the firm’s flagship location in Beirut. Its largest market is the US, particularly Texas and California. It accounts for nearly half of their doors and is so large that the company opened an office in San Diego.

Tiger Lily Flower Brooch in black diamonds, white diamonds, blue diamonds, yellow diamonds, and spinel.

Their highly elaborate pieces are popular among those with specific tastes and deep pockets. Clients include oil tycoons from Russia to Texas as well as international celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. They are also popular in Asia, from China to Indonesia.

Delicate Brilliance Jeweled Earrings in amethyst, quartz, blue and white diamonds, blue topaz, and blue zircon.

Expansion isn’t necessary in their plans, they said, but the possibility of a second branded boutique is possible.

Fire-Bred Horse bracelet in multi-colored diamonds, orange sapphires, red sapphires, spesertite garnets, yellow sapphires and white diamonds.

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