Make my day in Diamonds!!

How would you like to spend your day off roaming around a diamond mine, and make the find of a life time!

Recently a couple that was enjoying a day at Diamond State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas came upon just such an exceptional find. The Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only park in the world that lets the general public look for diamonds, and keep what they find.

A diamond, that has been named the “Silver Moon” was originally found weighing 2.44 carats and has been cut into a beautiful pear shaped diamond, that has been graded F in color (top white) and VVS2 clarity (exceptionally fine clarity). This diamond has been appraised by a local jeweler in Fayetteville, Arkansas for $21,000!! “It was beautiful in the rough and even more beautiful after it was cut” said the local jeweler.

Now this is that right way to go diamond hunting!

NEWS FLASH!! Largest cut emerald has questionable authenticity!!

NEWS FLASH!!!
Can you believe it? Just after we have all of the buzz about the world’s largest cut emerald being put up for auction, the question arises, IS IT REALLY EMERALD??

The gemologist that studied this giant 25 pound, yes you read right, 25 pound cut emerald cannot guarantee that the entire stone is emerald. He believes that it contains some emerald, but the stone has been dyed. How much dye you may ask? Well, no one knows for sure, which would mean that some or all of this giant stone may be what we call white beryl. Emerald is a green version of Beryl, much prized for it’s beautiful color as it is for the mineral that it’s made from. White Beryl on the other hand, has only a fraction of the value of green beryl.

The gemologist that looked at the watermelon size stone says “any enhancement by dye certainly lessens its value when compared to one that is naturally colored by Mother Nature”.

The owner acknowledges that the 57,500 carat oval cut stone has been dyed to some extent, but “the size of it is what makes it special”. He never submitted this stone to the GIA for inspection as the fear is that they would not call it emerald.

If it sells at the January 28th auction, it may fetch greater than $1.15 million dollars, but what can you do with a stone this large? It’s been suggested that it will make a great end table, or a wonderful conversation piece. The way I see it, it seems like expensive bragging rights for a stone that we are not even sure is what it is purported to be!

Largest Cut Emerald in the World being Auctioned!

Next week there is going to be an auction held by Wester Star Auctions in Kelowna, Canada of an Oval Cut Emerald that is being described as the “world’s largest cut emerald”. Care to take a guess how large this really is?? An amazing 57,500 carats!! I couldn't even image an Emerald this large. It weighs nearly 25 pounds and is the size of a watermelon!!

This Giant emerald has been named "Teodora", which means "God's Gift", and truly, an emerald this size must be God's gift.

This beautiful emerald has been graded by a gemologist who said the the forest green stone is definitely natural beryl (the technical name for this type of stone) and it has been only slightly treated. Enhancing treatments are quite common world wide for emeralds, but this one has only been very mildly treated.

Discovered in Brazil and cut in India, I'm amazed that they were able to cut it and maintain such a large size. Cutting a stone this large and heavy was a feat in itself, and I would have to say, quite impressive!

For any of you out there that are interested, this emerald has been appraised at $1.15 million, but the expectations for the largest cut emerald in the world at auction is actually quite a bit higher. Any bidders?

Liz Taylor is going to have a Wopper of an Auction!!

Sometimes, We at Windy City Diamonds find interesting information on jewelry that we like to share with our friends. On December 3rd, there will be an auction of Elizabeth Taylors jewelry, including the Famous Taylor-Burton Diamond ring.

This gorgeous 33.19 carat emerald cut diamond is D color, the rarest white color available for a diamond and is VS1 clarity. This ring given to Liz Taylor by Richard Burton is estimated to sell for between $2,500,000-$3,500,000! So how many would you like??!! I know, you can stop drooling now, and check out a few more of her beautiful pieces of jewelry that is going up for auction.

Elizabeth Taylor's "The Mike Todd Tiara," is estimated at a mere $60,000-$80,000. How would you like to wear this Tiara for your wedding??

Elizabeth Taylor's "The Prince of Wales Brooch," is estimated to sell for between $400,000 - $600,000. Once upon a time everyone that was anyone had a brooch on when they went out Fancy. Today, we find that people are beginning to enjoy a nice brooch (pin) again, just for fun.

Liz Taylor's "La Peregrina" is an early 16th century pearl, ruby and diamond necklace made by Cartier. This necklace was a gift from Richard Burton and is estimated to fetch between $2,000,000 - $3,000,000!
Please check out other blogs from Windy City Diamonds for more fun and useful information!!

November's Beautiful Birthstone

Have you ever seen Imperial Topaz, the birthstone for November?

This is not the color that most of us think about with the November birthstone, rather, we all think about the alternate which has become much more popular in that last few years, Citrine, which is sometimes referred to as Golden Topaz, and is the Ayurvedic Birthstone for November.

Ok, here's the traditional stuff that some of us find interesting.Topaz is rated 8 out of 10 on the hardness scale, so it's really quite a nice colored stone to put into jewelry.

Golden topaz is given on the 4th, 19th or 23rd anniversary and is associated with the values of strength, wisdom, and courage.
Topaz golden color was believed by the Egyptians to be the glow cast by the sun god Ra.An amulet made out of Topaz was worn by the Egyptians to protect them from injuries.The Greeks believed it brought strength and made the wearer invisible, while the Romans thought Topaz had powers to improve eyesight. The name Citrine comes from an old French word, “citrin”, meaning lemon. Citrine, like all forms of quartz, was believed to have magical powers and was worn as a talisman against evil thoughts and snake venom. Citrine was considered to have medicinal properties and was commonly used as a cure for kidney and urinary ailments.

Topaz crystals can reach incredible size of several hundred pounds.
A 1680 carat, colorless topaz known as the “Braganza Diamond” is set in the Portuguese Crown Jewels and was originally thought to be a diamond.

Here at Windy City Diamonds we look for the unusual pieces to make into interesting jewelry as is this fine example that is currently exhibited in our specialty jewelry showcase.

This is a very unusual, 25.33 carat Heart Shaped Citrine that we set into a 14k White Gold pendant surrounded by 61 matched brilliant cut diamonds to create the brilliant contrast that is seen in this magnificent piece of jewelry.

Tales from the Hood

Windy City Diamonds is known as an engagement ring store. At Windy City Diamonds we are also known for our ability to custom manufacture most any type of jewelry, yet sometimes we are surprized with the requests that we recieve in our store. Last week we had a man come in to our store, looking around, not for an engagement ring or a wedding band, but for something a bit more unusual. After a few minutes of searching, and not seeing what he was looking for, he approached one of the women on our sales staff and asked "Do you sell Hand cuffs?" She looked at him and said, excuse me? "Do you sell hand cuffs" he replied. I'm sorry sir, we generally carry engagement rings and wedding bands, but we don't carry hand cuffs here. Well, after hearing this conversation, some of the other staff began to smirk a little. I must say, I thought that our sales lady acted very professionally, but she too thought that this was a very odd request in a jewelry store. This client then asked to speak with the manager and was directed in the direction of another male sales associate in the store. He walked over and asked again if we sell hand cuffs?

After a bit of discussion between our salesman and our client, we realized that he wanted minature hand cuffs, designed to hold his pony tail, just like the one that Snoop Dogg has!! This conversation turned out to be quite funny, and we're now making hand cuffs for his hair!

We do have fun here, and we try to help with each and every request!!

Opal and Tourmaline, Octobers Birthstones

October has two traditional birthstones, the Opal, and Pink Tourmaline.
October’s traditional birthstone, the Opal, is thought to create hope, faith and confidence in its wearer. This beautifully radiant stone has been treasured and worn for centuries. In Elizabethan England, the opal was treasured both for their beauty and their presumed protective powers. The opal has been set into the crowns and necklaces worn by monarchs to ward off the evil spirits, to protect the eyesight, and even ground up and ingested to ward off nightmares!

Opals are famous for the “play of colors” that are seen in most opals. Many of these stones will flash different colors of the rainbow when moved. Red, Blue, White, Black, Yellow, Green, there is no end to the beauty of this spectacular stone.

Most opals are found in Australia, but there are deposits found in Brazil, Mexico, the Czech Republic, and even in Nevada. Opals may be worn in wide variety of jewelry including rings, pendants, bracelets and earrings. Opals reached their peak in popularity in the deco period of the 1920’s but their popularity has been waning in recent years and there has been a surge in purchasing the alternative birthstone for October, the beautiful Pink Tourmaline.

In Recent years, we at Windy City Diamonds have seen Pink Tourmaline gaining tremendously in popularity. Tourmaline has been prized for its association with balance, endurance and safety, and some people call it the “peace stone,” believing it to dispel fear and to make its wearer calm.

This beautiful example of Rubilite, a fine pink Tourmaline was custom designed by us at Windy City Diamonds, made in 18k White and 18k Rose gold to accent and enhance this gorgeous ring.

Tourmaline is found in a broad spectrum of colors and in the past has even been misidentified as Rubies, Emeralds and even Sapphires. In fact, there is a famous tourmaline, the size of a pigeon’s egg that belonged to the Russian Empress Catherine the Great, which was long thought to be a Ruby!

Windy City Diamonds has been making pink tourmaline jewelry for many years now and with the surge in pastel colors being worn today, this color blends beautifully to complete any outfit. As Tourmalines are a relatively hard gemstone, they will endure many years of enjoyment in your jewelry.