Archive for the 'Diamonds' Category

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Art Deco Jewellery For Every Personality

Art Deco Jewellery Today

The world has recently seen a stunning return to boldly styled, richly jewelled, statement-making jewellery of the glamorous Art Deco era, in all its shimmering splendour.

Many of the pieces we create here at Eskae Jewellers take inspiration from the decadent Art Deco era, designed with a new, updated interpretation of the “bold and statement-making” Art Deco pieces. It’s extremely fascinating so take a few minutes to read more more about the origins of Art Deco Jewellery by clicking the hyperlink!

Art Deco Jewellery and You

A fashion favourite that’s a must-have for most people, Art Deco jewellery takes a twist on classic styles of jewellery by creating a brand new genre for jewellery lovers alike. Including a combination of materials and geometric designs and shapes, art deco jewellery can be formed by using different techniques to form these timeless, one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

Art Deco jewellery techniques that are commonly used include:

  • Glass Art Jewellery
  • Machined Art Jewellery
  • Jewelled Art Jewellery
  • Hammered Metal Jewellery

Whether or not you’re aware, chances are that you’ve purchased a piece of Art Deco jewellery, knowingly or unknowingly. If this purchase was intentional, then you’re familiar with what types of Art Deco jewellery that suit your personality.

If you bought this type of jewellery unintentionally, then here are a few suggestions to fit right into the two most commonly seen personality types!

The Socialite/Partier:

Tending to hit all of the smartest parties or social events, your style is colourful and a bit flamboyant to make a bold impression. Look for larger pieces of Art Deco jewellery with uniquely crafted metal and brightly coloured gems or diamonds.

Rings: Your ring will have to tell a story about you! Since you love fun, your ring needs to reinstate that message.

While almost all women love chunky rings, this style will look especially spectacular with a medium to large colourful stone with a geometrically complimenting frame that’s been customised especially for your personality. Platinum and titanium are amongst the most popular of this look since they compliment all styles with these types of stones.

Earrings: While traditional tear drop earrings would look good on anyone, an Art Deco chandelier style designed in an abstract form with a bold and colourful design pattern would look even better. Earrings are a lot fun without any specific regulations so let your imagination go ahead and get the better of you!

Necklaces and Pendants: Even before other people’s eyes wander off to decorated fingers or ears, they focus on the neck first. This is what draws in people’s attention and lets them decide if they should look further to other pieces of jewellery – the ‘attention grabber’, if you will.

This makes the necklace vitally important to your overall appearance which means that heavy choker necklaces or an extra long, asymmetrical chain with pendants, charms or different coloured precious gems, glass or stones will stop others in their track.

Remember, just because you’re wearing bold statement jewellery, it doesn’t mean lose control and go overboard! If your earrings scream your personality, tone it down with the rings and necklaces – the same goes for necklaces, bracelets and rings.

Conservative and Classy:

You like the finer things in life; you are a person of great taste and take pride in what you do, where you go and who you associate yourself with. It helps to have Art Deco jewellery that portrays your conservative side without overdoing it and yet, still adds that extra ‘oomph’ of class!

Here are a few ideas for different types of jewellery that would look great on you:

Rings: While there are many different types of rings that will fit right into this category, to narrow it down a bit, think about the one place where you find yourself the most. This could be your office, your kid’s school with the other moms or dinner parties.

Some are under the impression that Art Deco jewellery is too casual or fun for this personality but guess what? They’re wrong! While you definitely need to take a more toned down path, you can still add a bit of funkiness to your single studded rings by keeping your ring white and black, i.e. a hammered platinum metal band with an irregularly cut onyx stone in the middle.

Earrings: Perhaps you’re more comfortable with a simple pair of studded diamond earrings but now it’s time to step out of your comfort zone by adding a little pizzazz with an elegant pair of drop earrings.

Pearls are very conservative but instead of wearing single pearl studs, have a funky setting customised specifically for you so that you now have to gorgeous drops of pearls hanging from your ears!

Necklaces and Pendants: Again, not being the type of person who likes to draw tons of attention your way, keep this look simple, yet classy by wearing a thicker chain than you’re used to with a colourful, multifaceted rare stone without a visible setting and voila!

It will give all of your friends something great to talk about while at the same time, keeping it simple!

Remember that Art Deco jewellery doesn’t necessarily have to be funky to be in the Art Deco class. It just means that your typical jewellery will include a slight twist but it’s up to you to decide how far to take it.

So there you have it – Art Deco jewellery can be made to suit all personality types while at the same time, bringing the recognition it AND you deserve!

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Pink Diamond Investment Success!

Everyone loves a good success story for several reasons. They’re uplifting, demonstrate positive outcomes and most importantly, are inspiring. Talking about beautiful, sparkly and dazzling precious stones lets the imagination run endlessly and is anything but boring.

Having spent time discussing how to begin a pink diamond investment and the high amount of patience needed to successfully yield a profitable asset can leave the inexperienced wondering what their outcome could one day be. Therefore, to have a little fun, here are three amazing examples of diamonds being put to use:

Imagine this Mercedes Benz, literally covered in diamonds, as your own success story:

Or this snazzy iPhone 4 complete with a 7.4 carat pink diamond:

And if that’s not enough, what about this Philips Ambilight television encrusted with 2,000 diamonds?

Now, these examples may be a bit extreme but it’s an entertaining way to put into visualisation what most wish to come out of their very own savings. When talking about any beginning investment, there’s so much knowledge to retain and steps to be taken that sometimes, the outcome – being the best part – is easily forgotten

Recently, the success of the pink diamond market has been splashing all over international headlines, shattering world records and as a result, has put the spotlight onto these one-of-a-kind diamonds. It has become a global investment, picking up status at such a fast pace, that specialty investors have been scrambling to keep up with demand.

Obviously, this causes pink diamond investments to be an extremely finicky market since even the smallest of diamond investments requires only those with enormous amounts of capital to enter into this league. It also results in these auctions being few and far between since less than 10% of all pink diamonds mined weigh more than .20 carats. This makes bidding extremely fierce and allowing only the best of the best able to participate in the auctions.

Because of fiscal magnitude that these pink diamond auctions hold, invitations are extremely selective and offered specifically to those who can put down the premium capital required by the auction holder by either cashier’s check or bank wire transfer.

Upon this deposit, only buyers who can provide their financial suitability beforehand will even be allowed to participate in the bidding process! While people may have the opportunity to bid on one or more different stones, bargains are rarely found since the sellers are specialty dealers who normally have their own select clientele.

If the chance to bid does come up, nearly all of the bidder’s financial data must be provided with the understanding that little discretion and confidentiality will be included.

These little pink stones consist of mere ounces in net weight, however, carry enormous monetary weight and typically,

Actual Carat Size

aren’t any bigger than the tip of a matchstick. Concealing these pint-sized fortunes is so simple that many people feel safer carrying them on their body – hemlines, folded pieces of paper, shoes, etc.

Understandably, all of these reasons combined call for excessive security measures to be taken. This is why you’ll seldom hear the location of any diamond auction, the prices will always be kept private and if a pink diamond is purchased, you’ll rarely hear the buyers name released to the public until its new location and insurance are fully covered.

The discretion that is used for this process gives pink diamond auctions a mysterious and desirable air about it. Therefore, when a huge pink diamond is auctioned, it makes international headlining testimonials, becoming highly inspirational to people who have merely thought about taking the first step into this investment.

Take the three most famous pink diamonds that sold at recent auctions, for example.

The 24.78-carat emerald-cut pink diamond purchased by Pattie Wong, Sotheby’s Chairman in Asia, on behalf of Laurence Graff, a London jewellery dealer, for $46 million francs at the Sotheby auction:

World Record: This fancy-intense pink diamond has set the world auction record for not only the purest and most vibrant of any diamonds sold at an auction but also for the price any diamond or jewel has ever previously sold for.

The 5-carat fancy-vivid pink diamond purchased by Chinese stock-investor tycoon Liu Yiqian and his wife, Wang Wei, for $83.5 million HK at the Christie’s International auction:

World Record: This purple-pink diamond set the record for price per carat for diamonds sold at any auction!

The 10.11 fancy coloured pink diamond with VS2 clarity was purchased by an anonymous bidder via phone for $2.3 million CAN at the Toronto-held Circa auction. Since the buyer has wished to maintain confidentiality for security reasons, there have only been a handful of pictures released and zero video footage for the time being.

World Record: This pink diamond set the new record in the country for price per carat, not only for Canadian diamonds but for any gem in Canadian history!

In just over a span of one year, there have been three world records broken and all have revolved around pink diamonds. Perfect examples for the perfect investment!

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Beginning Your Pink Diamond Investment – Part 3

Embarking on such a rare and rewarding investment involving rare pink diamonds naturally brings about some precautionary questions. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking these questions, in fact, not asking any questions would mean that you’re not taking this investment serious enough!

To wrap up this series of Beginning Your Pink Diamond Investment, let’s take a look at the Do’s and Don’ts to watch out for. Now that you have the general idea of what it takes to get started on your new pink diamond investments, this will give you a better outlook of exactly what to look for and where to target your new found assets.

Don’t buy pink diamonds online:

This is one of the most important ‘don’ts’ when considering putting your stock into the pink diamond market. As with anything costly, the last item you’d ever want to purchase is an imitation pink stone or even worse, get sucked in by an online scam.

Pink diamond jewellery and gemstones sold online are meant to appear enticing and affordable but have you ever hear the saying, ‘If it looks too good to be true, it probably is’? This adage couldn’t have been applied to a better example!

It’s inevitable with the production of pink diamonds declining, that more imitations or simulants will come about which is what makes this investment all the more valuable.

To be very clear, a pink diamond investment is not meant for anyone trying to look for an easy way into this market. In order to become a good collector or investor, you’ll need to go in person with a certified gemmologist to check out the pink-coloured stones with your own two hands. This way, your future pink diamond purchase will be inspected in front of you and you’ll know without a doubt, this is meant for you.

Of course, if you’re looking for an imitation pink diamond to wear, by all means, take the risk – it’s your time and your money; however, if this pink diamond is intended for a lifetime savings fund, then it is an absolute must to never skimp on any steps intended for acquiring only the best pink diamonds available!

Don’t leave without a Certificate of Authenticity:

Unless you’re an extremely experienced pink diamond investor, it might be helpful to take an experienced diamond broker or another experienced investor come along with you to make sure all bases are covered before the purchase.

In order to guarantee that your pink diamond will be top-of-the-line quality, you’ll need this certificate to verify the 4 C’s of the pink diamond and to also state whether it’s an enhanced pink diamond or a natural pink diamond.

It is extremely important to have the Certificate of Authenticity in hand before leaving because it’s a known practice for some unscrupulous people to alter the colour of coloured diamonds to show a more vivid or sparkling stone. It’s not that all people are dishonest but for the simple fact to try and keep up with the demands for coloured diamonds that outweigh the supply.

Don’t rush into buying pink diamonds:

Although there has been an influx of snatching up pink diamonds while they’re still available during the last couple of years, you can’t sell a pink diamond for its maximum profit if you don’t take the time and carefully look at all of the needed perspectives that will benefit you in the long run.

Remember, you’ll always get what you pay for! Rushing into anything isn’t usually a good thing to do but in this case, it can be more detrimental when shopping for that perfect pink diamond to invest your future into. Besides the fact that it will make you an easy target for fraudulent jewellers, you could possibly miss out on an even better deal if you’d had a little more patience.

Do opt for loose pink diamonds:

As mentioned in Part 2 of this series, it’s better to stay away from preset pink diamond jewellery. Unless the pink diamond you’ve bought is meant for wearing, keeping the diamond in loose form will allow it to continue appreciating over time. You will also severely limit the risk of any damage to the pink diamond during the setting stage of mounting it in a ring or pendant or similar. To spend all that money on something as beautiful and rare as a pink diamond… to have it damaged at such a crucial stage is disastrous!

Pink diamonds that have already been cut, shaped and/or placed into jewellery will extremely limit your investment market since you’re limiting buyers who might not like the pre-chosen settings.

Another reason why it’s smart to take this route is because these loose stones are graded heavily on their carat weight. If they are cut down to size to be mounted, that means that their carat weight has also been cut down making it worth much less than before as a loose pink diamond.

Your objective, when getting involved in a pink diamond investment, is to start big and finish bigger!

Do buy pink diamonds from a reputable or preferred location:

There are scams galore surrounding the diamond market especially since everyone wants a piece of that pink diamond pie. Before getting deeply vested into this rare diamond market, get to know the jeweller you will be working with.

Very similar to an interview, you’ll need to feel confident that your jeweller is open and honest when answering all of the questions asked. Developing this important relationship can make all the difference in taking your investment to the next level.

Because pink diamonds are so rare, very few jewellers have actually handled a single pink stone which means there will be a small amount of specialty jewellers to choose from. Once you’ve learned to understand the difference between a knowledgeable jeweller and a sales-pitchy jeweller, you’ll be able to locate the best pink diamond locations/auctions as well as having a fantastic jeweller by your side!

Do insure your pink diamond (s):

The largest reason pink diamond auctions and purchases are left discreet is to prevent theft from happening. Although it’s rare, it’s not impossible!

To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, choose a reputable and renowned insurance provider for this rare and expensive stone. In some countries theft is a direct result of information being leaked out from banks and insurance companies since they know exactly how much you have and where you have it! Go to a respected company and do business with the most senior, responsible person you can get to.

For less dramatic reasons than theft, insurance is also important for loss or damages. Depending on whether you have a homeowner’s insurance policy or not, insurance for pink diamonds can be added onto it.

In conclusion of this three-part series, the overall guideline is intended to show how investing in pink diamonds is a winning situation in every financial aspect – IF you know how to do it!

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Beginning Your Pink Diamond Investment – Part 2

‘It is planning not gambling that produces profit and security!’ – Marcus Aurelius (121-180) Meditations on Stoic Philosophy

When beginning a pink diamond investment, it can seem a little overwhelming at first. There is a lot of information that must be retained and put to use while, at the same time, also knowing what to be wary of.

Continuing on with the second part of this series, we’ll talk about the most important steps needed to start putting this fantastic pink diamond investment into action!

What Do I Need To Do?

Hopefully, by now, your research has been completed and you’ve found a personal broker/advisor that specialises in the pink diamond market. As you move on to the next phase, there are three major areas you may find a couple of ‘What’s’ you will need to ask yourself, those closest to you as well as people you’re doing business with.

Step 1 – Identify your financial goals:

The most important aspect of beginning in any investment is to do something most others will neglect to tell you – get a THOROUGH financial health check!

Without taking this crucial step, it’s easy to miss potential profits or look at multiple investment opportunities. Having a complete overview of your financial goals will also signal any red flags raised by future brokers or other investors you might be dealing with.

The trap that most people tend to fall into is not factoring in expenses they had no foresight to, such as, a medical emergency or purchasing a new car. Having your income plus all of your expenses in alignment will allow you to create the appropriate budget needed to include all unforseen aspects. This will help determine what quality of pink diamonds you’ll be able to afford.

Without your financial goals locked in, your pink diamond nest egg will sit exactly where it started – in dream land.

Step 2 – Assess your investment goals and desired output

When purchasing a pink diamond, it’s recommended to put your stock into a loose pink diamonds weighing at least .75 carats to maintain a steady investment. There is one exception to this when deciding whether carat weight or saturation is more important to your pink diamond portfolio.

If going by carat weight is more your style, obviously, the bigger – the better! For those who can afford a bigger amount of a money set within their budget, pink diamonds weighing 1-1.5 carats demand the highest amount of money in this niche which may be the wisest choice when selecting pink diamonds.

If, however, having a highly saturated pink diamond is the more ideal choice to build appreciation on, you can lower its carat weight down to between .25 – .80 carats. Remember that the smaller a pink diamond is, the higher the saturation is so in this case, bigger is not always better!

This isn’t to say that smaller, less saturated pink diamonds aren’t valuable because any investment grade  pink diamond you own will appreciate over time; rather, it’s just to emphasise the two most valuable types of pink diamond markets available.

After assessing your newly identified goals and desired outputs, it might be helpful to begin listing any and all future spending plans you are forecasting. This could include your children’s college funds, buying property, expanding your pink diamond investment – you get the idea!

Once these expenses are visible, then you’ll be able to see the complete picture with the forecasted cash outflows. This will also come in handy when setting out to build your investment strategy!

Step 3 – Create a Financial Investment Plan

Having your financial goals and desired output in tow, you must put an investment financial plan in place. By including all of your present and future resources that will be available, you can then determine whether your venture in pink diamonds is going to be a long-term or short-term investment.

This is extremely important because it makes the risk factor present itself. If your pink diamond investment plan is prepared for the short-term, a more aggressive approach is needed since the production and supply for pink diamonds have already begun decreasing.

Because this is considered to be a tangible asset, most people will opt to follow a long-term investment plan. This is due to the fact that the market for these rare pink diamonds continues to rise, minimally 15% as it has for the past 20 years, allowing your asset to continue appreciating its value.

All of this can sound a little confusing and get pretty complex for pink diamond novices – but that’s okay! That’s what investors are out there for – helping investees.

Now that you’re aware of how to begin proceeding with your new investment, it is now the time to take start taking action! The steps listed above are geared towards helping you with starting up your pink diamond investment but it’s ultimately up to you to take this investment of a lifetime as far as you’ve dreamed!



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World’s Most Expensive Pens 1-5

5. Visconti Ripple H.R.H. Fountain Pen

Price: $ 57,000
One of the most remarkable Visconti pens is the Ripple H.R.H. Limited Edition fountain pen. Made of 18K white gold and diamonds and with two-tone 18K gold nib, it costs $57,000.00. It has double reservoir filling system and is sold in two variations – white gold and black.

4. Omas Phoenix Platinum Fountain Pen Luxury Limited Edition with Diamonds

Price: $60,000


With an overwhelming price tag of $60,000, this truncated cone shaped pen is a true embodiment of fact and fancy. Made with 950 platinum and yellow enamel with considerable length and diameter, 18K gold rhodium plated engraving nib.

3. La Modernista Diamonds Caran d’Ache

Price: $265,000
La Modernista Diamonds was made by the Swiss company Caran d’Ache in 1999 in homage to Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926), the most famous of Modernist architects. This amazing fountain pen was sold in Harrods, London, for $265,000, becoming the most expensive pen in GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS in 2001. La Modernista Diamonds is made of rhodium-plated solid silver components. It boasts of an 18-carat rhodium-plated gold nib and is set with a total of 5,072 Wessel ton diamonds weighing in at 20-carats, as well as 96 rubies totaling 32-carats. The pen was hand-made by master jeweler Robert Perron taking him six months to complete this true masterpiece of writing instruments.

2. Mystery Masterpiece Mont Blanc and Van Cleef & Arpels Limited Edition

Price: $730,000
To commemorate the centenary of these two renowned brands, Montblanc and Van Cleef & Arpels have collaborated on this fine, limited edition Mystery Masterpiece. Three individual editions, each set with rubies, sapphires or emeralds has been crafted. Using the Mystery Setting technique for the gemstones, these intricate writing instruments are set to stun with their extravagant design, and equally-extravagant price. At US$730,000 each, they are truly a fitting homage to a century of each brands respective history.

1. Aurora Diamante fountain pen

Price: $1,470,600
The Aurora Diamante is the most expensive writing instrument to date. Only one is for sale per year. The Aurora Diamante contains over 30 carats of De Beers diamonds on a solid platinum barrel. It has a two-tone, rhodium-treated, 18KT solid gold nib and is personalized with a coat of arms, signature or portrait. Aurora Pens says it is the only over 30 carat pen in the world.

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Beginning Your Pink Diamond Investment – Part 1

It’s not just another investment idea like getting into real estate, buying and selling shares or even putting stock into gold, for that matter. Investing in pink diamonds is a lifetime investment and is taken extremely seriously with the utmost care and precaution. There is no comparison that comes close to investing in such precious gems, especially with pink diamonds!

While there are numerous blogs and articles on the internet dedicated to pointing out the perks of how beneficial investing in pink diamonds is, the majority leaves unanswered questions about the hard-to-find info, such as, the How’s, the What’s and more importantly – the What-Not-To-Do’s.

Fortunately, the information given in this three-part series will give you exactly what has been so difficult to discover about investing in pink diamonds!

How Do I Start?

Just like the beginning of any important life changing endeavor, start this one with some good homework by doing as much research as humanly possible. By making sure that you’re well educated and informed on EVERYTHING there is to know about pink diamonds, themselves, then you can begin to understand what exactly it is you’re investing in; what the current trends of the pink diamond market are; what the possible risks are and will be involved; what types of competition are out there; who your prospect buyers are, etc.

After fully understanding all of the important information surrounding pink diamonds and the different aspects of its investments, the next important step is to find someone reliable and trustworthy. By finding people within this field, such as an Investment Specialist, you’ll then have someone to ask all of your related questions to and school you on everything that’s needed to know how to make a great investment.

Don’t be impatient with rushing into a pink diamond investment or precipitate your returns. Pink diamonds are the rarest form of gems on this planet and getting into this market will take endurance.

Since not everyone can afford to buy them, this means that you’ll be dealing with the high-rollers. Those who are extremely wealthy will want to know you and want to get to you before anyone else does so it’s up to you to acquire an expertise level of pink diamond investments!

Just remember: The more you know, the more you’ll prosper!

After your ‘Pink Diamond Investment 101’ is completed, it is time to begin applying all that has been learned. A great place to start is by contacting a professional Diamonds Investment Advisor. Developing a relationship with this advisor will get you connected to the market place, keep you up-to-date with the latest pink diamond market and get insider information and deals for upcoming pink diamond auction events.

As with any new asset, there are doubts, concerns and those who will perhaps try to dissuade you from placing your investment into pink diamonds. Some will say that this particular type of investment is not as fantastic as others already in the business make it sound and compare it to a real estate investment or other similar ventures but here’s what they don’t know:

Going along with the real estate analogy, there are always going to be thousands of houses that may look better than yours but in this diamond market, there are ONLY 65 other 1 carat pink diamonds released per year, not to mention a price appreciation of 35% for pink diamonds within the past six months – so let them go and do the math!

Supply and demand can do wonders and with the supply of pink diamonds being so low, you will be in demand!

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World’s Most Expensive Pens 6-10

10. CREW 60TH White Gold Tebaldi fountain pens

Price: $43,000


TIBALDI Pens CREW 60TH are a landmark in pen making history with Bentley, the automobile giant creating its own handcrafted pen sets in association with the worlds best Italian luxury designer pen maker, Tebaldi.
These expensive Tebaldi for Bentley pens have a two-tone 18-carat yellow gold nib covered in rhodium and ruthenium. The pen’s barrel has the fine finish identical to Bentley’s dashboard. This finish was first used in Bentley’s earliest car with a technique called engine tuning. The pens cap, upper and lower barrel parts are knurled for a good grip while writing for the executive. You can see the level of ink through the transparent window of the Tebaldi for Bentley pens. A handmade tie shaped clip on the pen marks Tebaldi’s signature. The Tebaldi for Bentley Crew 60th white gold fountain pen collection is a limited edition of 40 solid white gold fountain pens

9. Gaia High Luxury Omas Fountain Pens

Price: $43,000
Gaia high Luxury fountain pens and roller ball pens by Omas are a glimpse into the dark and deep recesses of the earth. The impenetrable inner core of the earth has inspired wonder, curiosity and interest in man since creation. A miscellany of precious materials such as the white and yellow 18K gold, the Onyx, the Crystal rock, the hematite and the vegetal resin has been utilized into the making of this mystic model by Omas.
Gaia high Luxury fountain pens and roller ball pens are a presentation in the celebration of Jules Vernes futuristic vision of the world. It also commemorates the one hundredth death anniversary. Depicting geographical wonders of the world, the pen absolutely differs from pens that reflect the classic essence of history. The dark grey colour of the metal that it is made of, symbolizes the trip to the dark interior of the earth. The body of the pen from top to toe features the engraved images of gigantic spiders, carnivorous plants, and water beasts. The blend of fear and wonder in the engraving of these horrors makes this particular model different from a range of pen collections.

8. MARTE Omas Fountain Pen

Price: $43,000

Omas Fountain Pen MARTE is part of the Viaggi dellUomo, Travel of Man, Masterpieces collection of custom design fountain pens, roller ball pens and pen sets. The Marte (Italian for Mars) is actually a map of Mars made from classic rose gold to represent the pink-red hue of the planet. Deserts, mountains and craters are all featured on the barrel of this pen with four rubies to mark the landing points of the Russian and American probes. The cap is encrusted with 2K of small diamonds reminiscent of the polar ice caps and the clip details astronomer Tycho Brahes Mural Quadrant. Even the rose gold nib is engraved with a representation of the Greek God Mars! There are just 30 of these fountain pens in circulation, so they are perfect for the pen collector to add to his expensive pen collections or for the executive who enjoys writing with designer pens.

7. Visconti The Forbidden City H.R.H. Fountain Pen

Price: $50,500
The Visconti brand is known for best quality, style and creativity. This distinguished Visconti pen is the Forbidden City H.R.H. Limited Edition fountain Pen. Made of black resin, 18K gold and diamonds and boasting of Power Filler innovative filling system invented by Visconti, it is sold for $50,500.

6. Visconti Alchemy H.R.H. Fountain Pens

Price: $ 57,000

The beautifully handcrafted Alchemy HRH by Visconti is part of the HRH collection of handmade fountain pens and roller ball pens from this fine pen maker. This luxury pen, unlike other fountain pens, has two nibs, two ink reservoirs and is trimmed with two different metals – exquisite gold and silver vermeil. Both nibs are of the best 18K gold and come in different sizes to suit every writing style. Even those used to writing with roller ball pens will love using the Alchemy.
The body is made from a classic, rich, red resin and the gold and silver trim is decorated with expensive 4K diamonds and rubies. One cap has gold trim, the other silver and these trims interlace to create a cosmic map with alchemic symbols stunning!

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Pink Diamonds – Coloured Levels Of Investments

Found mostly in Australia, pink diamonds have become an increasingly popular investment on every level, from personal collectors all the way up to the corporate world. Since a single pink diamond is worth 20 times more than the average white diamond, the value of pink diamonds is taken very seriously and not left for the inexperienced jewellery investors.

To paint a clearer picture on a pink diamond’s worth, Josephine Acher, Business Manager at Argyle Pink Diamonds, was quoted as saying, “We release  50 [pink diamonds] a year and every year they have outperformed white diamonds price indexes.”

Out of the 25 million carats mined from the Argyle Mine in the year 2000, only 10,000 of these carats were pink diamonds and of those, a mere 10% weighed more than 0.2 grams (1 carat diamond)! Only increasing in its rarity, pink diamonds have become the top notch gem market to put serious investments into, outranking all other gemmological investments.

Currently, the only source to have discovered these exquisite pink fancy-coloured diamonds being the Argyle Mine, depletion of its resources are imminent. Because of this impending reduction of pink diamonds, only the top, most experienced jewellers and markets are able to hold auctions or shows displaying nature’s exceptional work of art.

While all white diamonds are priced according to a price list, a pink diamond’s worth is much more detailed. Much like the snowflake analogy, there are no two pink diamonds alike, making it the rarest and most sought after of all coloured diamonds. With imperfection, ironically, being the sole reason that diamonds change colours, it factors in as the biggest influence on how some pink diamonds are deemed more or less valuable than other pink diamonds.

Unlike other fancy-coloured diamonds that have been chemically tested to understand their colour scheme (i.e. blue diamonds are formed by boron, green diamonds are formed by radiation, and so on), the true cause of what forms a pink diamond has yet to be fully understood or discovered. What can be concluded on is its clarity by determining whether or not pink diamonds include one or more secondary colours.

The most common secondary colours to its pink hue are brown, purple and orange; all contributing to the placement within the fancy-scale ratings of pink diamonds. This gives these diamonds a large range beginning with the faintest of the pink tones through the most intense pink colouring. The more intense the pink colour is, the more its value increases.

To be able to establish a cost based on any one specific pink diamond’s natural make-up along with its carat size and shape, the information listed below is used to indicate the colour grading scale and combined to identify the true cost of pink diamonds:

Pink diamonds’ hue (in order of rarity):

  • PP – Purplish Pink
  • P – Pink
  • PR – Pink Rose
  • PC – Pink Champagne

Intensity of pink diamonds:

  • 1 – Very Intense (Appears nearly red to the naked eye)
  • 2 – Intense
  • 3 – Strong
  • 4 – Medium
  • 5 – Medium Light
  • 6 – Light
  • 7 – Very Light
  • 8 – Blush (Appears very similar to the white diamond to the naked eye)

By combining merging all of the indicated factors above, an average dollar amount can then be revealed, as shown below:

Average pricing for a 1 carat pink diamond:

Colour Intensity Low-End Price High-End Price
Vivid $350,000/ct $700,000/ct
Deep $300,000/ct $600,000/ct
Intense $230,000/ct $460,000/ct
Fancy $125,000/ct $250,000/ct
Light $35,000/ct $70,000/ct
Faint $12,000/ct $24,000/ct

One look at these figures reinforces the seriousness of the fact that pink diamond investments are not only a fashionable trend set by celebrities – it’s the fiscal benefit of a lifetime!  It’s an extremely important liquid asset whose procurement is intended for dedicated and well-informed investors and jewellers.

For people who are highly motivated to begin such an investment, there are three levels of shareholders:

  • Personal Investors
  • Corporate Investors
  • Self-Managed Super Funds

As for those who fall within these categories, we hope you will join our amazing Pink Diamond Investment Opportunity to begin or expand your pink diamond investment!

Since diamonds have an extensive history in the ballpark of approximately four billion years in the making, it’s obvious that the heritage that comes from within each diamond – coloured or not – is priceless.

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Choosing Wedding Rings Together

There was a time that it was popular for men to save every cent of their hard-earned money to secretly buy an engagement ring while believing they were concocting the perfect surprise. After hiding the brand new, dazzling wedding ring set in their jacket pocket for a couple of weeks, they would then plan a romantic date, the next hour was filled with stuttering and nervous fidgeting before finally bending down on one knee and giving his fiancé the surprise of her life: A marriage proposal.

Ironically, since females tend to have a lie detector implanted in their brain at birth, covering up surprises isn’t the easiest feat to pull off. Because of this, women feign their surprise and reply with, ‘How did you-when did you-I swear I had no idea!’ before bursting into tears. In all actuality, it’s the true emotion of being proposed to that turns their tear ducts into waterfalls and causes shouts of joy and unfortunately, not the element of surprise.

As this cat was slowly let out of the bag, men and women began picking out their wedding rings together. When the emotional aspect of the proposal was over, it was discovered that when looking down at their new engagement ring, most women didn’t fancy their wedding ring set at all. It became a taboo subject to broach since it sounded entirely ungrateful of all the hard work that their beloved went into finding what they believed to be the perfect ring; but, to wear something intended to be worn for a lifetime – well, that’s just a fashion catastrophe for a woman!

As more and more couples are beginning to pick out their wedding ring sets together, the ‘surprise’ wedding rings purchased have dropped down to a mere 19% as of 2007,[1] changing the proposal scenario a little bit. While men may still try to scheme the perfect proposal, the ring part of this performance is saved for when both partners can go ring shopping together.

Going to shop for a ring together may sound as though the woman will choose her wedding ring while the man chooses his wedding ring. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Call it old-fashioned but men enjoy having a large amount of their choice being included with the final cut (pun intended) of which wedding ring his fiancé chooses.

Women, not to be outdone, also enjoy getting to have her thoughts and ideas incorporated into her significant other’s wedding ring. After all, it’s what says to her; ‘You’re mine – now and forever,’ allowing her to always be reminded of its significance.

Because the newly-engaged pair’s thoughts and feelings lie within the wedding rings, it’s important to understand how each of their ideas can be integrated while keeping each other’s needs in mind.

Ladies first:

Tips On Choosing Wedding Rings For Women – The Men’s Guide:

Find Your Inner Fashion

That’s awful sounding to a man but its intent was to get your attention! The real ploy is to take notice of the colour metal your fiancé wears most often. If she wears silver toned jewellery a lot, the obvious choice would be a platinum wedding set. For yellow gold, then stick with yellow gold. Simple enough, right?

The trickier part is helping to decide what type of wedding and engagement ring design to go with. When noticing which metal your fiancé favours, also notice the style in which she’s wearing jewellery: Is it a lot of dangly jewellery, chunky jewellery or simple studs, gemstones and fragile looking chains?

For women who wear dangly jewellery, this can be incorporated into the wedding ring set by the amount of stones and the settings in which they’re placed in. She’ll already know exactly the style she’s looking for so don’t stress out too much!

Women who like wearing over-the-top, big jewellery then obviously, the size of the diamond (or precious gemstone) they’ll be looking for will follow suit. If the cost is too high, both you and your woman may be able to compromise on distributing some of the stones into a multiple stone cluster setting rather than a single high carat gemstone.

Then there is the simple woman who wears just enough jewellery to subtly enhance her features. A simple diamond or coloured gemstone will suffice, along with a smooth, metal band.

Find The Right Sized Ring

How many times has your girlfriend-turned-fiancé come asking for your opinion on how something makes her look? Chances are, she most definitely has. It’s not to be confused with low self-confidence, rather, that your thoughts are the thoughts that count and matter the most to her.

This is the reason why your input for her wedding and engagement ring is so important to her. The ring your sweetheart finally chooses will be something that she’ll want to display to make a statement of the man she’s marrying. Your fiancé may want to wear something large to show off to friends and family but it may not look the best on her. It’s up to you to rein the excitement in and help her choose a wedding ring set that flatters her, not outweighs her.

Women’s hands are much smaller than men’s hands meaning that her wedding bands should remain a smaller width than his. There are generally four shapes female fingers go by:

  • Long Fingers – For women with long fingers, keep away from marquis and oval shaped cuts. Other than that, any sized stone and band width will do. Just keep in mind that going too large can weigh the hand down while going too small will appear even smaller.
  • Wide Fingers – If your fiancé has wide fingers (never say this aloud to a woman, I guarantee you she’s aware!), stay away from round and rectangular cut stones since this can make fingers look even shorter. Nudge her in the right direction of wearing elongated stones such as teardrop cuts, marquis cuts and pear shaped stones to lengthen the finger by giving it a slimmer shape.
  • Narrow Fingers – Much like long fingers, narrow fingers are more forgiving to any shape or width of wedding and engagement rings. With narrow fingers, big stones look stunning! Cluster rings, which have become extremely popular lately, go perfectly on narrow fingers because it leaves little skin showing on either side, maintaining a full sense of balance.

Find A Sense Of Patience

Women are sentimental and emotional creatures. Already on cloud 9 from a near impending marriage on the horizon, they will take their time looking at and inspecting ALL wedding and engagement rings. It will need to be the perfect size, perfect metal and perfect design since this will be the most valuable possession she’ll treasure for the rest of her life.

Putting aside the shopping aspect, now your gal gets to tell everyone her story of how she got engaged while introducing her new fiancé to everyone within eyesight. The time spent together shopping for wedding rings will not only be cherished but stored away into her mental lockbox. Impatience can bring out the strongest of emotions and allow your soon-to-be-bride to break down into tears or worse, cause a quarrel that will forever change this historical memory of a great experience.

Tips On Choosing Wedding Rings For Men – The Women’s Guide:

Find A Manly Ring

This doesn’t mean picking the biggest and heaviest wedding ring out on the market. Men worry about their looks just as much as women do; they’re just quieter about it and jewellery isn’t a rule to that exception!

Because rings can easily look too feminine or too gaudy on a man’s hand, take some time to get familiar with the size and shapes of his hands and fingers. If your fiancé has smaller shaped hands with lean fingers, think proportional – not too small and not too wide. Going on the heavier side of the ring will weigh the hand down; going too small will make the hand look overtly feminine – which is never a good thing for a man!

For men with heavy palms and thick fingers, thinner wedding rings are better . Without going too small in the band width, keep it on the slimmer side of measurement. A neat trick-of-the-trade is if choosing a diamond or coloured gemstone to place into his wedding band, have the stone set in vertically which also helps lengthen the finger!

Men with medium sized hands and long fingers should opt for a heavier, thick or average-sized wedding band that will help keep a balanced look.

Find The Right Level Of Comfort

Comfort is a MUST for men, whether it’s clothes, shoes or jewellery – especially for men who don’t like wearing jewellery in the first place, such as, active men who play sports or men who work with their hands. Wearing a wedding ring that has the feeling of impending normal physical activity can cause annoyance and cause wedding rings to be found on the bathroom sink or left on dressers.

To determine the correct level of comfort, there are several factors to take into consideration:

  • The edge of the wedding ring – Different wedding ring designs call for different styles of edges. The best option is having a ring with a soft curve on the inside edges of the ring for maximum comfort level. While this edge is more commonly found in yellow gold wedding rings, it can also be placed in other rings with different metals used or different designs.  Another option is having a comfort curve placed on the inside of the ring. Talk with your jeweller about options available to soften the wedding ring’s curve so that your guy is getting both the style and the comfortable feeling he’s looking for.
  • The width of the ring – Although wedding band width can vary in size according to men’s tastes, the average size of the width is between 5mm and 7mm.[2] Obviously, the smaller you go, the more comfort he’ll feel but remember, going too small can make the ring appear too feminine on a man’s hand!
  • The depth of the ring – This part of the ring is known as the ‘wall thickness’ defining the distance from the inside of the ring to the outside of the ring.[3] Because the depth of the ring determines the weight of the wedding ring, this is considered as more of a comfort to your fiancé’s bank account but it can also factor in the overall feeling of his wedding band.

Find His Fashion Sense

With new styles of male wedding rings more present than ever, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the selections available. While yellow gold was always the most popular choice of metal for men, platinum, tungsten carbide and titanium has risen to meet its match.

Not only is there a bigger selection of precious metals to choose from, there’s also the choice of designer work, engraving and precious gemstones to add to the assortment. Have your fiancé share his ideas with you before going shopping together for that stylish wedding ring. Portray his ideas to your jeweller, who can then present both of you with an array of wedding rings as described, minimizing your fiancé’s stress level.

Keep Emotions In Check

Picking out wedding sets can generate excessive tears and emotional swings between stress and happiness. Remember that your soon-to-be-husband may not necessarily enjoy shopping as much as you do and by remaining calm, he’ll participate more and have as much fun picking out your ring, as you do his.

Also, because you’ll most likely be choosing two rings instead of one, planning ahead on which style to look for or perhaps looking up different styles online from home before heading to your jewellers will decrease his amount of time spent wedding ring shopping.

References:


[1] http://www.yourtango.com/2007945/study-finds-that-more-women-picking-out-their-engagement-ring.html

[2] http://www.man-wedding-ring.com/mens-wedding-band-01.htm

[3] http://www.weddingrings-direct.com/guidance/profile_guide.php#http://www.weddingrings-direct.com/images/category_images/plat_wed_cat_7b.jpg

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Amazing Pink Diamond Facts & Statistics

  • A 1 carat pink diamond weighs 0.2 grams which is equivalent to a single wood stick match.
  • The most exceptional and rare pink diamonds are sold by annual invitation-only tender. The tender represents the opportunity to bid on exceptional diamonds that are not publicly available.
  • Suitable pink diamonds for the tender are generally more than half a carat in size and will have been collected over a one year period leading up to the tender.
  • In Australia, the produced pink diamonds from Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine are so highly valued that the 40-60 best stones each year are put out to tender.
  • It takes 1 year to reach the target of 50 to 60 pink diamonds accumulated out of the 600 million stones produced by Argyle each year.
  • A half-carat pink diamond’s worth will fetch approximately around $100,000 or more, yet you can buy a fine white diamond for around $5000.
  • Because the high appreciation rate of a pink diamond of around 20% a year, it has to be assumed that the sky may well be the limit once the Argyle mine closes.
  • The Argyle Diamond Mine is located in a remote corner of North West Australia and it produces over 90 percent of the world supply in pink diamonds.
  • The natural coloured pink diamond market is very strong at the moment and prices have risen by 35% within the last six months.
  • The highest demand for pink diamonds is for the 1-1.5 carat stones.
  • A pink diamond’s premium in price demand depends on strong saturation of colour and a VS (higher clarity).
  • It is traditional that first-time owners of large pink diamonds decide on the name of the diamond, a title that will stay with the gem throughout history.
  • Given the results of significant pink diamond auctions and sales over the last decade, Harold Weinstein limited Gemmological Laboratory has estimated that a current value might range from CDN$8million to CDN$12 million.
  • The world’s largest pink diamond is the Darya-ye-Noor which is estimated to weigh between 175 and 195 carats.
  • The most famous pink diamond in the world that did not really exist was the fictitious Pink Panther Diamond.
  • It was reported that when Ben Affleck gave Jennifer Lopez that famous pink diamond engagement ring, websites around the world, experienced 300-400% increase in traffic.
  • The Steinmetz Pink Diamond, which weighs 59.60 carats, was found in South Africa and is the largest Fancy Vivid pink diamond in the world.
  • Natural pink diamonds are so rare that most jewellers have never seen one and will never own one.
  • Fancy pink diamonds were once available only to royalty.
  • An exceptional 1.06 carat oval pink diamond was one of the outstanding gems Argyle showed to prospective North American buyers at the first pink diamond tender in the U.S.
  • The pink diamond colour is believed to have been created through structural pressures exerted on carbon molecules during diamond formation up to three billion years ago.
  • There is only 1 large pink diamond out of the top 66 largest diamonds in the world.
  • Some significant pink diamonds were discovered from the Abaete in Brazil, notably, the 79 carat pink diamond of May, 1999.
  • Caked with 1225 dazzling pink diamonds set in platinum, this Nokia Supreme handset becomes the most expensive mobile phone in the world!
  • The Australian Aboriginal people believe that the Argyle mine was created when a group of women were fishing for a barramundi and it escaped the net. They also believe that the varying colours of Argyle’s diamonds are from the different parts of the barramundi – with pink diamonds’ colouring coming from its heart.
  • An Argyle pink diamond’s wealth is considered to be the most concentrated form of wealth found anywhere in the world.
  • Pink diamond colours range from Red to Pink, Purplish Pink, to Pink Rosé, Pink Champagne and Violet.
  • Every Argyle pink diamond’s clarity and colour is 100% natural!
  • Today, the Argyle diamond mine is currently transitioning from an open pit mine to an underground mine which estimates to extend the production of pink diamonds until at least 2019.
  • The discovery of pink diamonds was found buried 100 miles deep within the Earth’s surface.
  • An entire year’s worth of production of pink diamonds measuring over half a carat would fit in the palm of your hand and the larger rare violet diamonds would barely fill a teaspoon!
  • In 1526, the Rajah of Agra presented Babur, the first Moghul Emperor, with the light pink Agra diamond as a present for sparing his life when Babur’s son captured the city! This pink diamond adornment was worn in his turban for many years.
  • Pink graining is caused within a diamond is a natural deformation of the diamond crystal while it is in a semi-solid state.
  • Pink diamonds have only been found in a few mines across the world: The Rich Golconda River in India, Brazil and Tanzania – all produced notable pink diamonds in the 17th and 18th centuries.
  • The value of a pink diamond is worth 20 times more than its white diamond equivalent.
  • Type I diamonds are derived their colour from impurities embedded in the diamond, while the pink diamonds are classed as a Type II and they get their colour from a process believed to be known as Plastic Deformation.
  • Since formal records were first kept at the beginning of the 1980s, prices for pink diamonds have increased in value by an average of 20% per year, which is 300% better investment than a rental property in Australia, according to the Australian burial of statistics.
  • The market for natural coloured pink diamonds is very strong at the moment and prices have risen by 35% within the last six months. If that pace continues, an investment in a natural coloured pink diamonds today could double in value in the next 12-18 months.
  • It is estimated by 2018, a pink diamond of comparable quality could possibly sell for USD $750,000 plus!
  • In 2010, a pink diamond auctioned for nearly $2.3 million, marked the highest winning bid for a gem in Canadian history.
  • In 2009, a ring with a pink diamond the size of a chickpea sold for a record HK$83.5 million ($10.8 million) at a Hong Kong auction of art, gems and antiques that was fuelled by Chinese buying.
  • A rare pink diamond fetched 45.44 million Swiss francs ($45.75 million) in 2010, virtually doubling the previous record to become the most expensive stone ever sold at auction and underline the strength of the international jewellery market.
  • Damien Hirst’s diamond skull For The Love Of Goa, valued at £50million, is on show in Florence but his new and controversial, ‘baby’ version is cast in platinum and covered in 8,128 pavé-set perfect diamonds, 7,105 natural fancy pink diamonds and, on the fontanel, 1,023 white diamonds.
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