Storefront on Jeweler's Row in Philadelphia

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

What's In A Name Anyway?

People unfamiliar with the world of gemology have still probably heard of a few of the most famous gemstones ever cut.  The Hope Diamond, Cullinan Diamond, and Logan Sapphire are just a few of the discoveries significant and exquisite enough to garner a title all their own.  This year's significant gemstone find came in the form of a rare color of Tourmaline called Paraiba Tourmaline.  Tourmaline is most commonly a dark brownish green gem, however it comes in almost any color of the rainbow.
Paraiba Tourmaline, is an electric blue color and is named after the Paraiba region of Brazil where it was first discovered.  It is the rarest of the fancy color of Tourmaline.  

The significant Paraiba find recently yielded at 191.87 carat oval shaped stone that was mounted in this incredible necklace and given its own name:  Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba




While not quite as catchy a name as some of the other significant named gems of the century, I think the whimsical design of the necklace fits the stone it was created for.

Shoppers wishing to adorn themselves in this gemstone will have to pay a pretty penny, however, the much more common gemstone Blue Topaz is a good substitute.  

You can read more about this beautiful and significant gem by clicking the link below, and as usual visit us at www.sydneyrosen.com.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Provenance In Jewelry

The recent sale of Kim Kardashian's former engagement ring got me thinking about how "provenance" affects the value of jewelry.  Provenance is used to explain how an piece of jewelry, art, clothing, etc becomes increasingly more valuable because of who the previous owner of the item was.  For example a strand of pearls could be valued at a certain price, but a nearly identical strand of pearls could be worth a considerable amount more had they belong Audrey Hepburn or Jackie Kennedy.  Similarly, an item of jewelry can become much more valuable based on who the designer is.  An antique ring signed by Tiffany's or Cartier is far more valuable than an identical ring that is simply a reproduction.     
  
Kris Humphries reportedly sold Kim Kardashian's former ring at a Christie's auction for close to $750,000.00, however, that value is nearly double the $300,000-$400,000 price it was expected to sell for.  Auctions do tend to be the best place to sell exceptional jewelry, due to the likelihood rival bidders will drive up the price of one of a kind items.  Kim's ring may have sold for more because multiple buyers simply "had to" have it and thus created a bidding war.  More likely though, the Kardashian name itself was enough to convince the buyer that it was worth more than its estimate.  Both her former and current ring (given to her by Kanye West) are from designer Lorraine Schwartz.  Lorraine Schwartz herself is a famous name in celebrity jewelry, so that could have driven the value up as well. 

This is just a modern day example that got me thinking.  Most of the time provenance has to do with signed jewelry from famous design houses like Tiffany's, Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Mikimoto etc, or from famous monarchs or celebrities.  These items are more likely to be found at auction than at a brick and mortar jewelry store like ourselves.  

Nevertheless, feel free to shop our online store to add to your own collection of jewelry.  Who knows, maybe the fact that YOU owned will someday make it more valuable.  

 




Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Opal: October's Colorful Birthstone

The birthstone for the month of October is Opal.  Opal is a beautiful mineral that displays the phenomenon known as "play of color", which looks like broad flashes of a rainbow of color across the some or all of the gemstone.  This phenomenon occurs when rainwater seeps into arid ground (mostly in the deserts of Australia) where dissolved silica crystalize in a series of layers that forms Opal.  These layers are oriented in a way that acts like a prism to scatter light so we can see flashes of the spectral colors.  Opal has long been a favorite gemstone of people with unique taste, or those who simply can't pick a favorite color.  Recent Opal discoveries in the African nations of Ethiopia and Namibia have brought this gemstone back into the limelight.  Below are some examples of contemporary Opal jewelry that is very popular today.  

Compliments of JCK Online: 

Opal and tanzanite earrings by Stephanie Albertson
Earrings with opal by Colette
Ring in 18k gold with opal and diamonds by Suzy Landa
Amali Peruvian opal necklace
You can find more Opal jewelry on our website www.sydneyrosen.com under the tab Mother's Ring.  Or simply click the link below....

 

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Emmy Awards Jewelry 2013

The jewelry from the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards truly dazzled this year.  From Sophia Vergara dazzling in Emeralds from her native Colombia to Carrie Underwood needing a security detail to protect yet another multi-million dollar necklace, the stars went above and beyond to impress this time around.  Below is an excerpt from another jewelry blog I follow that details some of the more impressive jewels from this years show.  Courtesy of JCK:

While colored stones and yellow gold took top jewelry honors on Sunday, Sept. 22, at the 65th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, here’s a closer look at the names who helped the stars shine just a little brighter with some well-placed jewels:
A. Jaffe
A. Jaffe diamond necklace
Lauren Parsekian, wife of Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, in the $108,018 Magnolia flower diamond necklace with 10 cts. t.w. diamonds (pictured above)

Sofia Vergara in Lorraine Schwartz
Sofia Vergara (photo: Star Traks/Platinum Guild)
Sofia Vergara in $7 million of platinum jewelry, including earrings with unheated rubies, sapphires, and Columbian emeralds; a 21 ct. t.w. Asscher-cut diamond ring; and a ring with a 40 ct. t.w. Columbian emerald and rose-cut diamonds 

Claire Danes in platinum jewelry
Claire Danes (photo: Star Traks/Platinum Guild International)
Best Actress winner Claire Danes (Homeland) in $150,000 diamond and platinum stud earrings, a $1 million baguette-cut diamond and platinum bracelet, and a $350,000 elongated emerald-cut diamond and platinum ring
Check out the full article here: Who Wore What at the 2013 Emmy's

And as always visit us online at SydneyRosen.com