Solitaire Necklaces

There are few pieces of jewelry that can take your breath away like a Diamond Solitaire Necklace. Graceful and elegant, the Diamond Solitaire Necklace looks spectacular no matter what else you're wearing.

A diamond jewelry “classic” the Diamond Solitaire Necklace is one of the most classic and enduring designs—simple, elegant, wearable. In fact, the question isn’t “What can be worn with it?” but “Will it ever be taken off?”

Diamond Solitaire Necklaces are available at most fine jewelers, at a variety of prices.

Three-Stone Anniversary Rings

There is but one piece of jewelry that so elegantly reflects on the past, celebrates the present and embraces the future. The Three-Stone Anniversary Ring. Three beautiful diamonds set side-by-side. One for your past, one for the present and one for the future.

The Taylor-Button

Perhaps the most sensational story told about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton is one that happens to be true. Yes, he did give her one of the World’s largest and most beautiful diamonds, appropriately named the Taylor-Burton.

If any gem could be noticed next to the beauty of Elizabeth Taylor it was this 69-carat, pear-shaped diamond. The stone was unearthed at the Premier mine of South Africa in 1966. And it was Harry Winston who cut and polished the rough stone from its original size of 244-carats.

When the gem went up for auction in 1969 it was Cartier who first obtained it. The very next day Richard Burton purchased the diamond, for an undisclosed sum of money, to give to his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. Although Ms. Taylor is known for her love for diamonds, she put the Taylor-Burton up for auction 10 years later. The proceeds from the sale went to fund a hospital in Botswana.

The last recorded sale of the Taylor-Burton was in 1979 for nearly $3,000,000 to an anonymous buyer in Saudi Arabia.

Koh-i-Noor

No stone on earth has as rich and fascinating a history as the Koh-i-noor. The lineage of this great diamond began in 1304 when it was held by the Rajah of Malwa. This was a time when possession of such a gem symbolized the power of an empire. In fact, it has been said that he who owns the Koh-i-noor rules the world.

As one might expect, the struggle for the Koh-i-noor was fierce. In 1738, after successfully invading Delhi, the next conquest of Nadir Shah of Persia was to acquire the great stone. Legend has it that a member of Emperor Mohammed Shah’s harem informed Nadir Shah that the jewel was kept hidden in the emperor’s turban.

So, at a victory celebration, Nadir was clever enough to suggest that he and the emperor partake in a well-known oriental custom whereby the two leaders would exchange turbans. The act would signify brotherly ties, sincerity and eternal friendship. For the host to refuse would have been a great insult to the conquering hero. Later that night, when Nadir Shah unfolded the host’s turban he discovered the gem. Upon seeing it he exclaimed, “Koh-i-noor,” meaning “mountain of light.” Nadir Shah then brought the jewel back to Persia. There it remained until 1849 when the British annexed the Punjab and took possession of it.

Three years later, after a public viewing in London, crowds expressed disappointment in the lack of brilliance in the stone. So it was decided that the gem be re-cut to accentuate its brilliance, thereby reducing its size from the 186-carat diamond to its present size of 108.93-carats.

In 1853, there was some question as to whether Queen Victoria would return the grand stone for fear of the misfortune it was rumored to bring. She answered the query by having it mounted in a tiara, joining more than two thousand other royal diamonds.

Recently, the actual legal ownership of the Koh-i-noor has once again been brought into question as world leaders vie for its ownership. But then, considering the history of the Koh-i-noor, perhaps that is how it will always be.

Cullinan

In 1905, as miners filed out after a long day in South Africa’s Premier mine, one miner noticed what appeared to be a shiny object lodged in the earth. With nothing more than a pocket knife, he pried it lose from the ground and presented it to his mine manager. This humble discovery is regarded today as one of the greatest diamond discoveries of all time.

Once this great stone had been found, the question then was what to do with a diamond the size of a very large grapefruit.When no buyers were found for the great stone, it was decided that the diamond would be made into a gift for King Edward VII of England. Interestingly enough, even the king was at a loss for what to do with a stone so large. Logic soon prevailed and it was decided that the great stone would be cut into two smaller stones: Cullinan I and Cullinan II. The larger of the two (Cullinan I) was renamed the “Great Star of Africa.”

It’s worth noting that while the newly divided stone was nowhere near its original size, it was still massive by comparison measuring (2.3 x 1.7 inches at its broadest points). The cutting of the Cullinian was so successful that the two new gems became part of the Crown Jewels of England. King Edward’s royal jewelers even went so far as to redesign the setting of the scepter in order to accommodate the Great Star of Africa. The Cullinan II, humbly measuring 1.7 x 1.5 inches, was handsomely set in the brow of the British Imperial State Crown.

The Star of South Africa

It’s hard to imagine, but there was a time when the prevailing thought in South Africa was that diamonds were only found as a result of large birds flying over head and dropping them there. This belief changed with the discovery of the Star of South Africa.

It was the mid-1800s, and England believed there was little potential in the mining possibilities of South Africa. However, by the late 1860s there were enough reports of discoveries of significant diamonds to warrant further investigation by Parliament.

At the same time, there were those in South Africa who did not want investigations of any sort into the discovery of South African diamonds. In fact, it was common practice for the earliest diamond miners to ship diamonds to another destination before they were sent to the intended destination, in order to disguise their origin.

Parliament hired J.R. Gregory to investigate. After what Gregory publicly stated was a thorough investigation of the diamond mining potential of South Africa, he concluded, very plainly, that none existed.

Speculation ran rampant among South Africa’s diamond community as to what Gregory’s motives were. Only days after Gregory’s report was made public, a diamond of eighty-three and one half carats was found in the very region Gregory had purportedly investigated. It was called “The Star of Africa.”

In a meeting of South Africa’s Parliament, a statement referred to the Star of South Africa as, “[this] diamond, gentlemen, is the rock upon which the future prosperity of South Africa will be built.” As for J.R. Gregory, the discovery gave him the dubious honor of having gross misjudgments known henceforth as to “do a Gregory.”

The De Beers Diamond

It was not long after De Beers Corporation set about the business of mining diamonds that their first major discovery surfaced. A stone weighing 428.5-carats was unearthed from the Kimberly mines of South Africa.

After its cutting, the De Beers diamond was unveiled at the Paris Exhibition of 1889. Enthralled crowds lined up to see what, at 228.5 polished carats, was believed to be the largest cut diamond in the world.

And while many great stones have been discovered over the past century, the De Beers diamond holds the title of being the fourth largest cut diamond in the world.

The Centenary

As long as the earth continues to produce carbon, the discovery of great diamonds will continue. Proof in point was the discovery of the Centenary diamond in 1988, which was announced on the eve of De Beers one-hundredth anniversary. In fact, it was during the banquet celebrating the company’s centennial mark that the discovery of the perfectly colored, 599-carat diamond was first announced to the public.

Of course, when it was found, it hardly resembled the perfect stone it is now known as. The diamond was discovered when De Beers’ laser equipment detected a large mass in one of the walls of its mines. The mass resembled an irregular matchbox whose largest flat surface was concave. To complicate matters, the planes of this stone were angular and there was a horn protruding from the top. In order to bring this mass to life as a polished diamond, a master cutter had to be found. The irregular shape of the rough stone meant that only the most skilled craftsman would be able to reveal the diamond’s inner beauty without ruining the stone completely.

De Beers commissioned Gabi Tolkowsky, one of the world’s most renowned stone cutters. His first decision had to be where and how to cut. He finally decided that, in spite of its unusual proportions, he would cut it as one single, large diamond. This decision was not an easy one for Tolkowsky because he knew that beyond the aesthetic choice came the daunting challenge of actually cutting the stone.

When later asked about his work on the Centenary, Tolkowsky described himself as being taken over by the diamond. There was not a crevice of the stone that he did not know intimately. Tolkowsky did not want to use saws or lasers to cut the Centenary because he was afraid the heat and vibrations would disrupt the stone’s clarity. So instead, he opted for the time-honored method of kerfing (cutting) by hand.

One hundred and fifty-four days later, Tolkowsy had removed fifty carats of the magnificent stone. What remained of the original “matchbox” stone was a 520-carat diamond. Once the polishing was complete, this amazing gem weighed 273 carats. While “The Great Star of Africa” and “The Lesser Star of Africa” diamonds actually surpass it in size, the Centenary holds the distinction as the largest modern-cut diamond in the world.

The Hope Diamond

In most circumstances, anyone who receives a diamond considers herself lucky. Unless, of course, the diamond happens to be the world renowned Hope. As famous as this diamond is, so is the mystery that surrounds it. Does it bring bad luck to anyone who owns it? Or are the occurrences of misfortune merely coincidence?

Believers in the ominous lore of the Hope diamond generally point to the fate of the Hope’s earliest owner, Marie Antoinette. Considering the fate that befell her (she was beheaded), it’s no wonder that one might conclude the diamond is cursed.

One might say that one misfortune hardly justifies a curse, but the Hope was linked to another ominous chain of events in 1830. First, the jeweler who cut the stone died of grief after learning that his son had stolen the valuable diamond. As a result of his father’s death, the son committed suicide. And, when the Hope was discovered among the young man’s possessions, the man who found it was rumored to have died the very next day.

For further evidence of the Hope’s dubious powers, there is the story of the Follies Bergere star who was shot on stage the very first time she was said to have worn the Hope. Fact or fiction? It’s hard to say. But one very ingenious jeweler, by the name of Cartier, found a way to turn the Hope’s infamous past to his advantage.

Cartier had a potential buyer, Mrs. Evelyn Walsh, who believed that anything that was purported to bring bad luck had the opposite affect on her. Thanks to the embellishments of the infamous jeweler, she bought the diamond and the legend continued to grow. While the diamond had no ill affects on Mrs. Walsh in particular, her family did, however, suffer a series of personal tragedies, including the death of Mrs. Walsh’s brother, son and daughter.

Taking all this into consideration, why then would anyone want to own the Hope? For that answer one need only see the gem. Its sapphire-like dark blue color gives it an uncommon beauty which has proved to be more irresistible than the threat of its reputation. So unique is the stone that it is impossible to establish a true value for it. The actual name Hope was not given to the stone until 1762 when it was acquired by a member of the banking family, Hope and Co.

In 1958, Harry Winston presented the 44.5-carat Hope diamond to the Smithsonian in Washington DC where its natural beauty may be enjoyed without running the risks associated with owning it.

The De Beers Millennium Star Diamond

Imagine a diamond so flawless and so great in size that the world’s diamond experts cannot put a price on it. The De Beers Millennium Star.

Discovered in the Republic of the Congo, De Beers mined the Star in the early nineties. It took over three years for their diamond cutters to shape the stone with lasers. What emerged was the world’s only internally and externally flawless, 203-carat, pear-shaped diamond.

Harry Oppenheimer, the doyen of the diamond industry, describes the De Beers Millennium Star as “the most beautiful diamond I have ever seen.” Appropriately called the De Beers Millennium Star, it was unveiled as the centerpiece of the De Beers Millennium diamond collection. The entire collection includes eleven equally rare blue diamonds totaling 118 carats, as well as the 27-carat Heart of Eternity.

De Beers created the collection as a way to symbolize the world’s hopes and dreams for the future. The astonishing collection will remain on display throughout the year 2000 at London’s Millennium Dome.

How Diamonds are Formed

Billions of years in the making

Diamonds were formed billions of years ago under intense heat and pressure when diamond-bearing ore was brought to the surface through volcanic eruption. After the magma cooled, it solidified into blue ground, or kimberlite, where precious rough diamonds are still found today. Rated 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, diamonds are the hardest substances on earth, but their appeal goes far beyond durability

Adding to the mystery and aura of what make diamonds so sought-after, approximately 250 tons of ore must be mined and processed in order to produce a single, one-carat, polished, gem-quality diamond.

Mining and cutting
It was over 4,000 years ago that the first diamonds were mined in India. Modern mining as we know it today began in South Africa in the late 19th century. Today, the top seven diamond-producing countries, accounting for 80 percent of the world’s rough diamond supply, are Botswana, Russia, South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Australia and Zaire.

History of Diamonds

It should come as no surprise that our culture was not the first to be lured by the hypnotic spell the diamond casts. Consider the ancient Greeks and Romans who believed diamonds were tears of the Gods and splinters from falling stars. Then, there were the Hindus, who attributed so much power to these precious stones they went so far as to place diamonds in the eyes of some of their statues.

The Power of Diamonds
Not only was it believed that diamonds could bring luck and success, but also that they could counter the effects of astrological events. There were many that wore diamonds as charms believing in their ability to heighten sexual prowess and attract others. Plato even wrote about diamonds as living beings, embodying celestial spirits.

Through the centuries, rings have perpetuated the talismanic role of the diamond. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, every ring that was set with a precious stone was considered not so much a piece of jewelry than an amulet that conveyed magical powers like fearlessness and invincibility upon the wearer. This myth laid the groundwork for monarchs to begin wearing diamonds as symbols of power.

Today, diamonds continue to hold a deep fascination as the world’s ultimate symbol of love. The diamond’s rarity and natural beauty have contributed to making it such an extraordinary and magical gift. Furthermore, the timeless history of each diamond makes it the most meaningful and powerful way to symbolize eternal love.