Newsletters

I met a great number of people during our media week in New York. I appeared on CNBC with Melissa Lee. I said a number of times in my press appearance that the Fun Factor which drives the fancy color diamond business will be the engine of the Great American Recovery in 2012. Read More »

Currency debasement around the world has led to the “smart money” seeking hard assets – assets which cannot be created by a printing press or the tap of a keyboard; and it is well known that both literally and figuratively, there are not many assets harder than diamonds. Read More »

As opposed to colorless stones which contain only different shades graded from D – Z, Fancy Colored Diamonds are found with 12 different colors, over 90 secondary hues, 9 intensity levels, and over 200 color combinations. Read More »

The romantic connotation of Valentine’s Day has seen it become a traditional day for engagement proposals. Documented as early as Roman times but not generally adopted in the Western world till the 13th century. Read More »

Check out Diane Lane and her platinum chandelier earrings set with white and yellow diamonds, matching white and yellow diamond cocktail ring, and white and yellow diamond bracelets. Read More »

I was recently told that if you don’t appear on the first page of Google, you simply don’t exist. Not only that, but the conversion rate for sites on the first and ninth placed is vastly different. Read More »

The decision was made to re-polish one of the stones won in the 2011 Argyle Pink Diamond Tender. The stone, originally a 1.71-carat, Fancy Intense Purplish Pink, Radiant, is now an amazing 1.68-carat, Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink, Radiant. Read More »

Legend has it that the original form of the Hope Diamond was stolen from the forehead or the eye of a sculpted statue of the goddess Sita in a Hindu temple. The temple priests then laid a curse on whoever might possess the missing stone. Read More »

The jewelry component of the auction was anticipated to bring proceeds of USD 30 million. Instead, the princely sum of USD 116 million was raised – a new world record for one night of auction receipts. Read More »

Adam Shulman, who played his part in designing the traditional diamond engagement ring he presented to his new fiancée Anne Hathaway. Read More »

Kardashian is reported to have purchased three Lorraine Schwartz jade and diamond bangle bracelets at the recently held Christie’s New York Elizabeth Taylor Auction for the princely sum of USD 65,000. Read More »

The entire world was waiting for their decision, but Aristotle and Salamitos had a problem of their own and did not understand that everyone was depending on them. Read More »

The Orapa mine is the largest diamond mine in the world by area, and production from its open pit began in 1971. Situated 50 kilometres from the Orapa mine is the Letlhakane mine, whose production started in 1975. Read More »

15th November, 2011, Sotheby’s Geneva, 110.3 carats Fancy Vivid Yellow Pear shape that goes by the moniker of the Sun Drop Diamond was for old USD 12.36 million. Read More »

Kristen Stewart, playing Bella in the Twilight Saga series of vampire flicks, walked the red carpet at the L.A. premiere of Breaking Dawn – Part I, the first part of the final instalment of the Twilight Saga series - in an iolite gown. Read More »

It's doubtful that anyone was green with envy when Michael Michele noticed the $250,000 bracelet was missing. Read More »

The rough was cut and polished by William Goldberg of the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation. Once the polishing was commenced, an incredibly unique intense orange color was revealed. Read More »

Collectors of fancy colored diamonds see the world with a 10X magnification loupe, focused only on stones that are missing from their collections. Read More »

Leibish & Co. was delighted to receive word that out of only 55 stones that were sold they walked away with six stones in the 2011 Argyle Pink Diamond Tender. This is consecutively after winning one stone in 2009 and another six stones in 2010. Read More »

Recent diamond auctions at Sotheby’s, Christies, Bonham’s and others are further proof of the resilience of fancy color diamond prices, with record auction prices achieved for perennial top performing colors. Read More »

Originally known as the “Red Shield,” the Moussaieff Red is a triangular brilliant-cut or trilliant-cut, Fancy red (ruby red), internally flawless (IF), 5.11 carat diamond. It is the largest red diamond in the world today. Read More »

Elizabeth Moss looked stylish in her Lorraine Schwartz bronze champagne diamond earrings, while Cat Deeley was adorned with a 20 carat, platinum and yellow Bulgari diamond. Read More »

I can see it like it was yesterday. That 3.00 carat fancy pink was set in a blue sapphire ring. We had advertised the ring on the back cover of a magazine. A private, who saw the advertisement, called from Florida and bought the ring after a one minute conversation with our New York office. Read More »

There was a deep anxiety in the air that soared through the El Al business lounge. Everyone knew to where they were headed, but exactly what to expect remained unknown. A long journey lay before us to a culture so different from what we were all used to. Read More »

Two pieces of contrasting style but comparable beauty sold at the Sotheby’s New York Important Jewels Auction held on the 20th September, 2011. Read More »

At the recently held 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Beyonce, chose to pair her just announced baby bump with a pair of Lorraine Schwartz diamond-encrusted tassel earrings with black and colorless diamonds. Read More »

Yellow connotes the sun, happiness and warmth; although it is probably best known as setting a mellow or focused mood. So, if you are feeling a bit down and uptight, a yellow diamond may do the trick to pick you right back up. Read More »

I was always an admirer of Warren Buffett, even though I don’t own a single piece of his Berkshire Hathaway stock. In my books, he is cool. I am sure that it is great fun to have lunch with him, despite the stiff price tag in excess of USD2.5 million. Read More »

Fancy color diamonds is an asset class not usually mentioned on CNBC or in the mainstream financial media, however, perhaps it should be. Having displayed steadily appreciating prices over a period of decades (prices appreciated approximately 2000% over the period 1977-2007), Read More »

Rio Tinto’s Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender 2011 will be previewed around the world from August through to October. It is by invitation only, offering 55 pink diamonds, carrying a total weight of 47.61-carats. Read More »

Designer Donna Karan has teamed up with celebrity jeweler Martin Katz to create a 14-karat yellow and white gold, jewel-encrusted flacon of her scent, Golden Delicious. It is the world’s most expensive perfume flask, worth USD1 million. Read More »

History has pages for nations, especially those that excelled. The same applies to brands and products. There is no need to go back too far in history to see this trend. In the 19th century, Great Britain was the dominant force in the world Read More »

It was recently confirmed that Christie’s had won the right to auction the jewelry from Taylor’s estate. Read More »

Believed to have been discovered at the Kimberley mine in South Africa in 1877, with a rough weight of 287.42 carats, the Tiffany Yellow is one of the largest canary yellow diamonds ever discovered Read More »

Hot on the heels of confirmation that Christie’s had won the right to auction the estate of Elizabeth Taylor, including her extensive jewelry collection; Read More »

It was recently confirmed that Christie’s had won the right to auction the jewelry from Taylor’s estate. Read More »

Fraudulent transactions happen everywhere, not just on the Internet. I changed the tires of my car. My son- in-law checked them out and advised, “They screwed you! These are cheap Chinese tires and not what they promised you Read More »

London-based, Uzbek-born billionaire Lev Leviev purchased an 11-carat fancy intense pink diamond for approximately $10.9 million including buyer’s premium – the third highest amount ever paid for a pink diamond. Read More »

Legend has it that the original form of the Hope Diamond was stolen from the forehead or eye of a sculpted statue of the goddess Sita in a Hindu temple. The temple priests then laid a curse on whoever might possess the missing stone and the “curse” of the Hope Diamond was born. Read More »

a Thai gardener steals one of the most valuable colored diamonds in the world from a Saudi prince. Theft, murder, mass deportations, a diplomatic cold war, and assassinations are just a few of the consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting The Blue Diamond Affair. Read More »

The annual glam fest for those in the music industry, The Grammy Awards, is an event not known for restraint. From the designer bodies to the designer gowns, the Grammys is the place to see and be seen. The Grammys is also a place where trends are set – and woes betide those not keeping up with the Klumes’. Read More »

When Cartier made his legendary Tutti Frutti (or Fruit Salad) Bracelet in Paris in the late 1920’s, he had no digital images he could transmit over the web to his client, Mr. Roy D. Chapin, so the buyer had to travel for 7 days by steamship over high seas to Paris, to see the bracelet in the Cartier atelier. Read More »

The Wittelsbach was a 35.56 carat Fancy Deep Grayish Blue VS2 diamond, cut with an unusual pattern of 82 facets and was re-cut by Graff to a 31.06 carats Fancy Deep Blue IF. Read More »

Halle Berry graced the red carpet with a fancy color 12 carat diamond and platinum ring from Neil Lane to match her 20 carat diamond and platinum dangle earrings. Read More »

Christie's - New York Jewels auction held on 7 December, 2010 ,the star of the show was a 6.89 carat rectangular-cut fancy vivid purple-pink diamond. The stone was the top lot, selling for USD6,914,500 or USD1 million per carat. Read More »

Fashion icon, Barbie, wearing a black strapless evening dress with a choker featuring a one-carat square-cut pink diamond sold at Christie's in New York for $302,500 to an anonymous bidder. Read More »

"At 40.5 million Francs, the world record price for a jewel sold at auction…. Selling it... Sold," cried the auctioneer, to great applause as he brought down the hammer. Read More »

In this year’s Argyle Pink Diamond tender (2010), Leibish & Co. confirmed its position as a market leader in natural colored diamonds, purchasing 6 of the total of 55 stones on offer. Read More »