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Posted by on in Icecooldiamonds.com

Auction house Christie's has sold the largest vivid pink diamond to be offered at auction for a record 28.7m Swiss francs (£19m).

The cushion-shaped vivid pink diamond, set a new world record for any vivid pink diamond at 16.08cts. The stone is set with a double row halo of pavé-set white diamonds and a third row of pink diamonds underneath. The ring was purchased by a private Asian buyer, whom named it "The Sweet Josephine" after the sale.

Rahul Kadakia, international head of Christie's jewellery department, said: "Selling the largest vivid pink cushion-shaped diamond to come to auction is a privilege and to sell it for a new world auction record price is a strong indication that there is still demand from clients from the end of the market for these truly precious stones."

 

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Posted by on in Icecooldiamonds.com

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Once the largest know diamond, and worth a reported £100m, the Koh-i-Noor Diamond which is part of the British crown jewels is wanted back by India.

Bollywood stars and businessmen have united to instruct lawyers to begin legal proceedings in London's High Court to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond back to India.
The group, whom have named themselves the "Mountain of Light" after the translation of the stone's name, claim that the 105 carat diamond was stolen from its true home in India and are demanding the UK Government returns it.


The Koh-i-noor was first recorded in 1306. Rulers fought over it for centuries before Britain took it as part of the Treaty of Lahore, when Britain took control of the Punjab in 1849. The Jewel was seized by the Empire's East India Company as one of the spoils of war and was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850.


The Koh-i-noor was mounted into Queen Victoria's crown among 2000 other diamonds. It passed to consorts Queen Alexander in 1902 and Queen Mary in 1911 for their coronation crowns and then to the late Queen Mother in 1937, being set in a Maltese Cross. The Queen Mother's crown is on display in the Tower of London.


Indian and Pakistani authorities have long demanded the diamond's return. In 1976, prime minister Jim Callaghan refused a request to hand it back, writing: 'I need not remind you of the various hands through which the stone has passed over the past two centuries, nor that explicit provision for its transfer to the British Crown was made in the peace treaty with the Maharajah of Lahore which concluded the war of 1849. 'I could not advise Her Majesty the Queen that it should be surrendered.'

Historian Andrew Roberts told the Mail on Sunday: "Those involved in this ludicrous case should recognise that the British Crown Jewels is precisely the right place for the Koh-i-Noor diamond to reside, in grateful recognition for over three centuries of British involvement in India, which led to the modernisation, development, protection, agrarian advance, linguistic unification and ultimately the democratisation of the sub-continent."

According to legend, the gem can only be worn by God or women, and whoever wears the jewel will become extremely powerful, but if a man wears it, he will meet an unfortunate end.


The UK Government has so far rejected the claims.

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Posted by on in Icecooldiamonds.com

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Opal is derived from the Roman term “Opalus” meaning “precious stone”.

Opal the October birthstone exhibits a vibrant spectrum of colours, as you move the stone you will see flashes of colour, this phenomenon is called play-of –colour. An Opal may show a single colour, two, three or all colours of the rainbow. If an opal has all the colours of the rainbow, it is very rare and valuable.

According to legend, Cleopatra is said to have worn a magnificent set of opals to attract Mark Anthony, ruler of Rome. Queen Victoria was a collector of the gemstones, one of the many rulers who wore crowns encrusted with the gems to protect them against evil and enemies .Other nations believed that the opal was considered a gemstone that brought immense fortune to the wearer. As a result the stone was considered lucky.

The Opal, is thought to have healing properties and it is believed to be effective in curing eye infections, enhancing ones creativity, calming nerves and strengthens memory.

 

Famous Opals

The “Olympic Australis” is an extraordinary & unique Opal that is reportedly the largest and most valuable Gem Opal ever found. Weighing 17,000 carats and is currently valued at AUD$ 2,500,000.00. The gem is 11 inches long, with a height of 4 ¾ inches, and a width of 4 ½ inches. This extraordinary gem opal is housed in a special safe at Altmann & Cherny’s showroom in Melbourne.

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The Red Admiral or “Butterfly Stone” was discovered during World War I on the “phone line” field and weighs 51 carats.  In 1920 the stone was given the name “Butterfly” because of its resemblance to the British butterfly, the Red Admiral.  

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The Fire Queen Opal, found in 1906 by Charlie Dunstan and originally named "Dunstan's Stone" (Later renamed to "The Fire Queen"). The gem weighed in at about 6.5 oz. or nearly 900 carat and was alive with colour a marvellous gem.

 Charlie Dunstan sold the gem for a small sum of £100 to an unknown buyer on a trip to Angledool, the story goes that Dunstan got drunk and "lost" two other big stones. In November 1910, Charlie Dunstan was found dead in his hut from a gunshot wound to the head. The verdict was that he had committed suicide.

After being originally sold for a mere £100, the stone changed hands several times, each new buyer finding it difficult to sell as there was hardly any market for big black opals in those days. By 1928, the Chicago Museum, valued the gem at £40,000 after being renamed "The Fire Queen". In the 1940's, it was then resold to J.D. Rockefeller for £75,000, who donated the gem to his prestigious family collection.

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Halley's Comet Opal is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest uncut black opal. The massive stone was found by a group of opal miners on the Leaning Tree Claim atLightning Ridgeknown as "The Lunatic Hill Syndicate" about the time "Halleys Comet" appeared in Australian skies.

The opal weighs 1982.5 carats and measures 100 x 66 x 63 mm, or 4 x 2-5/8 x 2-1/2 in. Halley's Comet was for sale in 2006 for AUD $1.2 million. The gem has a thick gem quality green and green/orange colour bar and is the largest gem to be found at Lightning Ridge to date

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Posted by on in Icecooldiamonds.com

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There was great excitement around the Bonhams Fine Jewellery sale on Thursday, with the auction of the Hope Spinel, which has not been offered for sale in 98 years. 

The rare and historic gemstone smashed its pre-sale estimate of £150,000-£200,000 as a result of competitive bidding on the phones. It sold for an atonishing £962,500, achieving a new world record price of $30,000 per carat. This gem was bought by a private telephone bidder.

 

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Posted by on in Icecooldiamonds.com

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The “Hope Spinel,” once owned by the world’s greatest gem collector Henry Philip Hope, whom also owned the Hope Diamond, until his death in 1839.

The rare British owned gemstone which is steeped in history and intrigue is to be offered for sale for the first time since 1917, when it sold for £1,060.00, which is the equivalent of £80’000.00 in today’s money.

The auction is likely to be one of the most eagerly-anticipated jewellery events of the year. Interest is high among collectors, jewellery lovers and those looking to invest in a unique jewel. Auctioneer Bonham’s is expecting bids in the region of £150,000 to £200,000 for the treasure.

Set in a 19th century silver and gold brooch, the huge 50.13 carats octagonal-cut stone is the size of a small plum and of similar colouring with a splendid rose hue.

The incredible transparency and impeccable cut of the Hope Spinel mean it is classed as an "exceptional treasure" - but its provenance is equally fascinating.

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