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Tiny Kingdom, Big Results: Lesotho Produces Another 200+ Carat Diamond

by Howard Cohen on May 26 2022

Of the largest 50 rough diamonds ever discovered, seven have come from Lesotho, a tiny, landlocked kingdom at the southern tip of Africa. Despite its diminutive size (Maryland is larger), Lesotho produces a remarkable number of large, Type II, top-quality stones. (Type II diamonds are extremely rare, colorless and chemically pure with no traces of... The post Tiny Kingdom, Big Results: Lesotho Produces Another 200+ Carat Diamond appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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‘Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace’ Commemorates Largest Diamond Ever Mined

by Howard Cohen on May 25 2022

In 1910, Thomas Cullinan, then chairman of the Premier Mine in South Africa, gifted an elaborate necklace to his wife Lady Annie Francis Cullinan to commemorate the discovery of the largest gem-quality diamond ever mined. About five years earlier, on January 26, 1905, Captain Frederick Wells was conducting a standard inspection of the Premier Mine... The post ‘Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace’ Commemorates Largest Diamond Ever Mined appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Glue Used by Ancient Maya Dentists to Affix Gems to Teeth Delivers Bonus Benefit

by Howard Cohen on May 24 2022

The ancient Maya are famous for erecting majestic palaces, sky-high pyramids and astronomical observatories, but did you know that they also loved to decorate their teeth with colorful gems and enjoyed excellent oral hygiene due to the all-natural glue dentists used to adhere the bling to their pearly whites? The Maya civilization that spanned southeast... The post Glue Used by Ancient Maya Dentists to Affix Gems to Teeth Delivers Bonus Benefit appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Princess Diana’s Wedding Tiara to Headline Special Exhibition at Sotheby’s London

by Howard Cohen on May 23 2022

One of the most memorable tiaras of all time — the one worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, on her wedding day in 1981 — will highlight a Sotheby’s London exhibition of more than 50 beautiful and storied headpieces spanning the ages. This is the UK’s largest exhibition of tiaras in 20 years and is... The post Princess Diana’s Wedding Tiara to Headline Special Exhibition at Sotheby’s London appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Music Friday: Taylor Swift’s Juliet Gets Her Prince (and a Ring) in ‘Love Story’

by Howard Cohen on May 19 2022

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Taylor Swift's Juliet gets her prince (and a ring) in the mega-hit, “Love Story.” Back in 2008, an 18-year-old Swift released a semi-autobiographical song about Juliet, a teenager whose love interest is despised... The post Music Friday: Taylor Swift’s Juliet Gets Her Prince (and a Ring) in ‘Love Story’ appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Man Proposes With Still-Warm Ring After Firefighters Salvage It From Scorched Car

by Howard Cohen on May 19 2022

Crews from the Williamson County Fire Rescue couldn't save a burning vehicle on Interstate 840 in Tennessee last week, but they were able to salvage a charred ring box hidden under a seat that contained a very special piece of jewelry. The fact that the diamond engagement ring was the only item to survive the... The post Man Proposes With Still-Warm Ring After Firefighters Salvage It From Scorched Car appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Kourtney Kardashian Confesses That She Flattened Her New Engagement Ring

by Howard Cohen on May 18 2022

On the most recent episode of The Kardashians, Kourtney Kardashian confessed to mom Kris Jenner that she accidentally flattened her $1 million engagement ring while tidying up her closet. In the one-minute exchange, Jenner asks to see the oval-cut diamond engagement ring that Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker gave her daughter in October during a surprise... The post Kourtney Kardashian Confesses That She Flattened Her New Engagement Ring appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Marc Anthony Pops the Question With 10-Carat Emerald-Cut Diamond Ring

by Howard Cohen on May 17 2022

It's official. Marc Anthony popped the question to Miss Universe finalist Nadia Ferreira with a 10-carat diamond ring during her 23rd birthday celebration at Disney World in Orlando. The Paraguayan model revealed the ring in an Instagram Story on Thursday. In the photo, Anthony is caressing his fianceé's hand and the three-stone ring can be... The post Marc Anthony Pops the Question With 10-Carat Emerald-Cut Diamond Ring appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Music Friday: Jana Kramer Misses Out on Bridal Jewelry in 2015’s ‘I Got the Boy’

by Howard Cohen on May 13 2022

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country star Jana Kramer sings about her first love and how she ended up with a class ring instead of bridal jewelry in her 2015 release, "I Got the Boy." As the song... The post Music Friday: Jana Kramer Misses Out on Bridal Jewelry in 2015’s ‘I Got the Boy’ appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Two Diamonds Larger Than 200 Carats Star at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels Sale

by Howard Cohen on May 12 2022

Two diamonds larger than 200 carats shared top billing at Christie's Magnificent Jewels Sale in Geneva last night. "The Rock," the 228.31-carat, pear-shaped gem touted as the largest white diamond ever to appear for sale at auction, fetched 21.68 million Swiss francs ($21.84 million), while the 205-carat, long-standing symbol of the world’s largest humanitarian network,... The post Two Diamonds Larger Than 200 Carats Star at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels Sale appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Documentary Shows Young Princess Elizabeth Delighted With Her Engagement Ring

by Howard Cohen on May 11 2022

In honor of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee marking her 70 years on the British throne, the BBC will air a documentary that includes previously unseen footage of the monarch as a young princess beaming with delight as she admires her new engagement ring. Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen features a clip of Prince Philip's first... The post Documentary Shows Young Princess Elizabeth Delighted With Her Engagement Ring appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Set With 462 Pink Diamonds, ‘The Ultimate’ Coin Could Fetch CAD$900K at Auction

by Howard Cohen on May 09 2022

The Royal Canadian Mint is about to auction "The Ultimate," a one-of-a-kind, 1 kilogram platinum coin embellished with 462 ultra-rare pink diamonds from the world-famous Argyle diamond mine. Although it has a face value of CAD$2,500, the coin is expected to fetch as much as CAD$900,000 ($697,300) at the Heffel Fine Art Auction House in Toronto... The post Set With 462 Pink Diamonds, ‘The Ultimate’ Coin Could Fetch CAD$900K at Auction appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Music Friday: Seratones Remind You to ‘Keep a Diamond in Your Mind’

by Howard Cohen on May 06 2022

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you new tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, the Seratones — fronted by gospel-trained powerhouse A.J. Haynes — remind you to "keep a diamond in your mind" in their 2022 release, "Good Day." The song tells us that if we keep... The post Music Friday: Seratones Remind You to ‘Keep a Diamond in Your Mind’ appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Frequent Visitor Lands 2.38-Carat ‘Frankenstone’ at Crater of Diamonds State Park

by Howard Cohen on May 05 2022

Adam Hardin, an avid amateur diamond hunter and frequent visitor to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, recently landed a 2.38-carat brown sparkler — the largest found at the park this year. About the size of a pinto bean, with a coffee brown color and irregular rounded shape, the diamond was discovered on April... The post Frequent Visitor Lands 2.38-Carat ‘Frankenstone’ at Crater of Diamonds State Park appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Cullinan-Sourced, 103-Carat ‘Light of Africa Diamond’ to Headline Christie’s NY Sale

by Howard Cohen on May 04 2022

Sourced at the celebrated Cullinan mine in South Africa, the internally flawless, 103.49-carat, emerald-cut gem known as "The Light of Africa Diamond" will headline the New York Magnificent Jewels sale on June 8, as part of Christie’s Luxury Week. The D-color diamond, which was cut from a 299.3-carat rough stone unearthed in January of 2021,... The post Cullinan-Sourced, 103-Carat ‘Light of Africa Diamond’ to Headline Christie’s NY Sale appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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167-Carat ‘Mackay Emerald’ Was Prized Possession of Opera Star Anna Case

by Howard Cohen on May 03 2022

Here's the story about how an impoverished New Jersey youngster became a prima donna at the New York Metropolitan Opera, married a telecommunications executive and was gifted what was to become one of the most famous emeralds of all time. Today, the 167-carat "Mackay Emerald" is the largest cut emerald in the Smithsonian National Gem... The post 167-Carat ‘Mackay Emerald’ Was Prized Possession of Opera Star Anna Case appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Diamond’s Amazing Properties to Revolutionize the World of Quantum Computing

by Howard Cohen on May 02 2022

Japanese researchers have created an ultra-pure, two-inch-wide diamond wafer that has the storage capacity of 25 billion gigabytes. That's equivalent to the information on one billion Blu-ray Discs or the amount of data distributed by all the world's mobile devices in a single day. Developed by Adamant Namiki Precision Jewel Co. and Saga University, the... The post Diamond’s Amazing Properties to Revolutionize the World of Quantum Computing appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Music Friday: Hank Williams Jr. Falls for a Beauty Selling Silver and Turquoise Jewelry

by Howard Cohen on Apr 29 2022

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you classic tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Hank Williams Jr. tells the story of his 700-mile Southwestern odyssey in a 1975 song called “Clovis, New Mexico.” Williams recounts how he and his bronc-riding pal, Billy, head out on a very-low-budget... The post Music Friday: Hank Williams Jr. Falls for a Beauty Selling Silver and Turquoise Jewelry appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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‘De Beers Blue’ Comes Within a Whisker of Setting New Auction Record

by Howard Cohen on Apr 28 2022

The 15.10-carat "De Beers Blue" came within a whisker of setting a new world record for the priciest vivid blue diamond ever sold at auction. The hammer price of $57,471,960 at Sotheby's Hong Kong last night was just short of the $57,541,779 achieved by the 14.62-carat "Oppenheimer Blue" at Christie's Geneva in 2016. The single-lot,... The post ‘De Beers Blue’ Comes Within a Whisker of Setting New Auction Record appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Jewelry Category to Break Another Sales Record This Mother’s Day, Predicts NRF

by Howard Cohen on Apr 27 2022

Mother's Day 2022 jewelry sales are expected to hit $7 billion, making it the fastest-growing and highest-volume gift-giving category for the second year in a row, according to an annual survey released by the National Retail Federation (NRF). The jewelry sector's record-breaking tally is up from $6.1 billion in 2021 and $5.3 billion in 2020.... The post Jewelry Category to Break Another Sales Record This Mother’s Day, Predicts NRF appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.