“Living Coral,” a pinkish-orange hue that embraces us with warmth and embodies our desire for playful expression, has been named Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year. Among the gemstones exhibiting Pantone’s vibrant, yet mellow, seaborne color are spinel, morganite, padparadscha sapphire and precious coral. Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director, said the Color Institute selected Living […]
Three tiny moon rocks brought to the Earth by Soviet cosmonauts in 1970 are expected to fetch upwards of $1 million when they hit the auction block at Sotheby's New York on November 29. The specimens weigh approximately .07 carats combined, so their per-carat tally could reach a staggering $14.3 million. By comparison, the highest […]
On Monday, Gemfields unveiled "Inkalamu," a 5,655-carat Zambian emerald crystal with remarkable clarity and a perfectly balanced golden green hue. The carat weight is equivalent to 1.1 kg or 2.5 lbs. Inkalamu, which means the "Lion Emerald" in the regional Bemba language, was discovered at the Kagem mine on October 2 by geologist Debapriya Rakshit […]
Adorned with 600 cultured pearls and valued at $400,000, the bejeweled Tournament of Roses crown was placed on the head of 17-year-old Louise Deser Siskel during a coronation ceremony last Tuesday evening at the Pasadena Playhouse in Southern California. The newly crowned Rose Queen will lead the 130th edition of the Tournament of Roses Parade […]
Justine Aichelberger and Jesse Seads met at a Halloween party seven years ago, so when the young man was plotting a surprise marriage proposal recently, he was determined to include pumpkins — many pumpkins — in his plan. Seads had arranged for his girlfriend to "win" an aerial tour for two over Vancouver Island. Once […]
A diamond-shaped reflective balloon the size of two school buses will be delivered into low-Earth orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in mid-November. Visible from the Earth without the aid of a telescope, the "The Orbital Reflector" by artist Trevor Paglen will appear as bright as a star in the Big Dipper. The diamond […]
Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe sang "Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend" and wore the 24-carat Moon of Baroda diamond while promoting the Howard Hawks film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953. "It’s gorgeous!" Monroe gasped when she first set eyes on the pear-shaped, VS2, canary yellow stone. It was the largest diamond she ever wore in […]
The Golden State Warriors kicked off a new season with a ring ceremony last Tuesday to commemorate their 2017-18 championship run, and as expected, they’re opulent. The rings’ most interesting feature is the reversible top, the first-of-its-kind for a championship ring. The head of the ring, which can be completely detached from its band, has […]
They're back! The iconic ruby slippers made famous by actress Judy Garland in the landmark 1939 film The Wizard of Oz return to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., this Friday after an 18-month hiatus and rejuvenating facelift. Since they were first exhibited in 1979, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers had been a top attraction, but environmental factors, […]
With a revolution raging in France in March 1791, Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI prepared for their escape. The queen spent an evening carefully wrapping her most precious jewels in cotton and then packed them neatly into a wooden chest. The diamond, ruby and pearl treasures were secretly shipped to Vienna in the […]
