Diamond Engagement Rings

It was first spotted at Nobu, the upmarket eating place in Los Angeles. We’re talking about Cameron Diaz and her diamond engagement ring which is the subject right now of much, well, talk. Her publicist says she isn’t engaged and the public want to know why then, is she wearing the diamond ring on her engagement finger?

According to sources, the ring was designed by Lenore Marusak, a friend of Cameron’s for La Paix and there is a vehement denial from her people to state that it is her own ring and not an engagement ring given to her by anyone.

Cameron Diaz hasn’t been romantically linked with any man for any great length of time since she split with Justin Timberlake over a year ago, except for a short while with Jared Leto. Well, we all know that Justin and Jessica are supposed to be engaged so could it just be that this engagement thing is infectious and Cameron and her current model boyfriend are thinking of making it official? Paul Sculfor and Cameron have been spotted all over Hollywood cuddling up to each other and reports say that at the restaurant, Cameron was proudly showing off the ring. It’s been just a month since they have started dating so if that is a diamond engagement ring, that’s pretty fast work!

Well, her publicist stands by the official story that it is her own ring and the person who designed it is a producer who works on Newlyweds, the MTV reality show. Then why did Cameron wear the ring on her engagement ring finger is what everyone would like to know.

It was a thrilling rescue adventure in Maine, U.S. on the 21st of June as firemen rescued an engagement ring – yes, you read right, an engagement ring. Gloria Woodman’s engagement ring slipped off her finger as she was walking along the street and rolled into a storm drain. She was so upset that she called 911 and in ten minutes flat, they were at her apartment.

The drain grate came off first, then they realized that with so much water, it was impossible to try and get the ring by fishing it out with a bucket like they were doing. The Public Works truck that also came in started to vacuum out the water and then they decided that the best way to go about it was to send someone down. So fire-fighter Mark Roy was sent down and he searched manually. It took two hours but find it they did and the happy engaged couple was absolutely ecstatic.

The diamond engagement ring had a 1/3 carat stone set in white gold and there was not a scratch or mark on it when they got it back. Those fire-fighters are going to be guests of honour at the wedding. It really goes to show that there still are people who will go beyond the call of duty in more ways than one.

You’d think in times of inflation or in a not so promising financial climate diamond prices would go down – but no – they have been steadily increasing at an over 12% rate year on year. Why, if you were to follow the Diamond Price Index closely, you’ll find this upward trend very visible even on a month on month basis.

Taking an even closer look, where the price rise is most obvious is in the larger diamonds. If you were to look at the over-3 carat diamonds, the prices have gone up between 47% and 77%. May this year saw the sharpest rise in prices and this could just be because there is a demand for these large stones from new markets. Usually, when there is an economic slowdown in the US, diamond prices also tend to get affected as they are the largest buyers. This time around however, there are markets like India, China, Russia and Brazil that are opening up and there are people with the money who are on the lookout for diamond engagement rings sporting the most expensive stones.

Well, the future augurs well for diamonds. While new diamonds also have a great global market today, even old ones are breaking the mould. Late last year, a blue diamond which was over six carats sold in Hong Kong for a phenomenal amount. While there seems to be a slight decrease in the American markets, it would seem that the new emerging markets with their new millionaires just cannot get enough of the top of the line diamonds. Many of them seem to be snapped up as soon as they make an appearance. Private collectors are adding diamonds to their secret cache like never before.

Whatever will they think of next! What was unthinkable till a few years ago has come to pass. People are actually buying brown diamond rings and it seems to be a fashion wave considering just how quickly this is catching on. Is it because they seem to have run out of every colour or is it just because it seems the chic thing to do? Whatever the reason, brown diamonds are selling like crazy.

Picture this: the diamond in the engagement ring is brown and the gold surrounding the diamond is delicately pink-hued. Well, it looks like the world of bling has gone a tad topsy turvy but as in everything else, the wheel of fashion keeps turning and right now, brown diamonds are very much the in thing. Highlighted in pink settings, brown has taken the fashion world by storm when it comes to diamonds.

One hardly foresaw a time when brown which was such a nondescript colour would be right on top of the fashion colour charts but well, the unthinkable has happened. Truth be told, when you see an example of this, you will have to throw your prejudices aside and admit that it does look extremely classy. With this brown and pink combination becoming popular, jewellers are all set to cash in on this wave.

Speculation is rife that it is the coffee wave that has turned the spotlight onto brown diamonds. Suddenly, there seems to be a great deal of respect for the colour. Of course, a diamond is a diamond and it will dazzle and sparkle even if it is brown. From muddy and plain, brown has become strong and rich, heralding in the brown revolution in diamonds.

It’s probably gone beyond the ‘Will he, won’t he?’ phase to the ‘when’s it going to be?’ Well, according to sources close to Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake has been shopping for a ring – and in all probability it’s a diamond engagement ring. And, it has been reported, he’s doing all he can to try and find out what kind of an engagement ring she would like. So he’s been quizzing all her close friends to find out.

It’s obvious he’s going to propose and it’s also obvious that it’s going to happen very soon. All Justin seems to want right now is to make sure that diamond ring is just perfect. Rumour also has it that they intend to get married in the Caribbean on a privately-owned island. However, on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno a few days ago, Justin never really committed himself to whether or not they were going to tie the knot. While he admitted to his romance with Jessica, who he’s been with since January of last year, he brushed aside all talk about marriage and whether the couple was expecting a baby, with a joke.

However, people who know him feel he is ready to settle down now to marriage and kids. Especially with the recent news that Jessica has moved into his home. Sources say that Justin Timberlake has never been this serious before. So that diamond engagement ring shopping could well be true! And he could just pop that question any time now.

Think diamond pricing and you can’t but think the Rapaport Index. So the layman probably hasn’t heard of Martin Rapaport but his index is famous in the diamond trade and when he talks, the diamond world or anything connected with it stops to listen and listen good.

At a recent lecture in Las Vegas, Martin Rapaport feels that the time right now in the diamond trade is full of both lows and highs. He drew the listeners’ attention to the fact that while there is evidence of the regular buyer in the regular markets cutting back on what he or she feels are the non-essentials, large stones are commanding a premium price. He puts this down to the flourishing economies in China, India, Russia and Dubai where there seems to be an ever-growing desire to own high end goods, especially diamonds – and the rarer the better. And the burgeoning middle class in these boom time economies mean that a lot of diamonds are being sold in countries other than the US – which till now was where the largest number of diamonds were sold annually.

Here’s one man who feels that diamonds really are forever and that the demand for diamonds globally will always be ahead of supply. One cause he espouses while being so much a part of the diamond industry is fair trade practices and he hopes that the diggers can also participate in the wealth that diamonds create. Finally, he feels, when one sells a diamond, you are not selling a commodity – you are selling dreams. It is these diamond dreams that will keep the dazzle of these wonderful gems shine on forever.

Tiffany Eyewear now brings the dazzle of diamonds to the eyes. This silver, crystal and diamond collection encompasses both sunglasses and optical eyewear and they all come with the incredible quality and style that is Tiffany’s.

This eyewear collection is done partnering Luxottica Group S.p.A. and it is a range that is set apart by its flair and unique designs. These exclusive diamond designs are set in gleaming silver or sparkling crystal and take eyewear to a new dimension in style.

What Tiffany has done is to take the best diamond designs and set it in smart and sophisticated frames. From geometric designs to art forms to the stones set in a row to sunburst designs, there’s a whole lot to choose from. The frames come in a whole host of colours – from the svelte and elegant to the hot and passionate. They come in different shapes and sizes as well – from the rimless narrow ones to the large ones making dramatic statements.

Tiffany’s has brought the magic of jewellery to the forefront when it comes to jewellery that can be worn around the neck, the ears, the hands, the fingers, the anklets, the arms, on shirts and in fact any item of clothing. Now, you have the best of their designs available for the eyes. Eye fashion has taken a dazzling new turn!

Ask Christie’s and they will tell you it’s true. A few days ago, a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong saw the largest colourless diamond in 18 years go for over US $6 million. According to Christie’s this rare gem was auctioned in Hong Kong – and it’s the largest diamond thus far to be sold in Asia – simply because they see the Asian market emerging as a strong demand for high priced diamonds. Due no doubt to the large crop of private collectors that seem to be making their presence felt in these auctions ever since the spurt in the economies of China, India and Russia, not to mention some of the smaller South East Asian economies.

The diamond sold is over 100 carats - 101.27 to be precise and it was sold at a price that was very much an estimated one. It is absolutely flawless with an F colour and is classified a VVS1 stone. To date, there have been only three large colourless diamonds that have been auctioned and they have all been sold in Switzerland. The diamond, it is said is the size of a quail’s egg though Asian collectors seem to be more in favour of the perfection of the stone rather than the size. This diamond however, wins hands down on both counts.

This auction in Hong Kong is being viewed as one of Christie’s most successful ones as they sold jewellery here worth over US $60 million. There was also a green diamond over 10 carats that fetched nearly US $ 3.5 million. A pair of emerald earrings that belonged to a Russian Grand Duchess also fetched a record price.

Right now, there are four IGIs or International Gemmological Institutes in four countries which are certified by the ISO or International Organization for Standardisation. These include the ones in the US, Canada, the UAE and India.

What exactly is this ISO 9001:2000? It is a certification that only organisations that operate to a certain standard when it comes to quality management are eligible for. It reinforces that these organisations or labs provide the products that meet the highest customer expectations and requirements. In order to ensure the highest degree of quality in manufacturing, administration as well as in the technical areas, the labs use the ISO/IEC 17025:2005.

The labs concerned have advanced quality systems in place for grading, testing, classifying and certifying precious stones and they will also be open to third party testing. Any organisation that is awarded the ISO status will necessarily have to submit to annual audits.

What this ensures as far as customers are concerned is the fact that the labs strive to meet and uphold these goals and systems, resulting in products and services that are of the highest quality. These four IGI labs have been through these audits and testing systems for six years now.

For diamonds, it’s great to have these standards in place because it ensures that the ones being sold have been through all the quality processes needed. So the ones that have been through these organisations, have quality stamped all over them.

It isn’t just our eyes that get bedazzled when we see diamonds. The dazzle got to little amoeba creatures that lived in the sea millions of years ago. So much so that they coveted it and coated themselves with it.

Where did the diamonds come from those many years ago? From way out in space through the asteroid that crashed into the earth and wiped out the whole dinosaur population. Well, those large lumbering mammoths couldn’t face the asteroid onslaught but these little organisms could. They are called agglutinated foraminifera and scientists believe that these little single-celled creatures not just survived but did so dazzlingly well indeed!

The diamonds and diamond dust were formed probably due to the huge impact and the carbon from the asteroid being subjected to such intense pressure and heat. During an excavation in Italy in the Umbria-Marche basin, researchers were surprised to find fossils of these organisms covered in diamond dust. What these creatures had done was to coat themselves with the sediment of diamond dust on the ocean floor so it would become a kind of armour to protect them.

Some of these absolutely miniscule diamonds might just have been formed out of the Earth’s graphite but scientists believe that a lot of it came from the asteroid itself, as did a number of other minerals. From space rock to dazzling rocks over sixty million years ago is something indeed to ponder about. And those amoeba-like creatures? They must have surely have had a feminine streak to go gaga over that dazzle!