The Court Jeweller – Page 1546

Camilla Brings Some Magic (Alhambra) to Meet Oscar Winners

05.05.2016 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Camilla wears Van Cleef and Arpels at a reception for British Oscar winners (Photo: Eddie Mulholland – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall held a reception on Wednesday evening in London for British winners of the Academy Award. For the star-studded event, Camilla chose a set of jewelry from her collection of Van Cleef and Arpels pieces.

Photo: Eddie Mulholland – WPA Pool/Getty Images

This necklace and earring set is from the firm’s Magic Alhambra collection; the pieces are made of malachite set in gold. Camilla paired them with a gold-toned bracelet on her left arm.

Photo: ANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images

We’ve seen Camilla wear Magic Alhambra pieces before; she also has a pair of diamond earrings from the collection. Above, she wears the diamond version at a Prince’s Trust Comedy Gala in 2012.

On the Block: The Lesedi La Rona Diamond

05.05.2016 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

The Lesedi La Rona Diamond, which will be auctioned in June (Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

At the end of June, a once-in-a-lifetime jewelry auction will take place in London. Sotheby’s will offer the Lesedi La Rona Diamond, the second-largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered, for sale in a standalone auction. (The largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered? Still the Cullinan. Before it was cut, that diamond weighed a whopping 3100 carats. This one is about a third of that size.)

Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The diamond was discovered in November in the Karowe mine in Botswana. The mine is owned by the Canadian-based Lucara Diamond corporation. A contest was held in Botswana to name the 1,109 carat gem. The winning name, “Lesedi La Rona,” means “our light.”

Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

The diamond’s estimated auction price is $70 million. The gem is still in its rough state, so whoever purchases it will have to undertake the massive project of cutting and polishing the stone. To give you an idea of the massive size of the diamond, many outlets have been comparing it to a tennis ball. Can you imagine???

Here’s video from the press preview, where you can see the uncut diamond already managing to sparkle a bit.

Kate Repeats the Riva Suite at the National Portrait Gallery

05.04.2016 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Kate wears Monica Vinader jewelry to the National Portrait Gallery (Photo: Ian Gavan – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

How’s this for timing? Only days after Monica Vinader revealed in an interview that her firm had loaned Kate the “Riva” necklace and earrings worn to a Natural History Museum event, Kate wore the set to the National Portrait Gallery on Wednesday.

Photo: Ian Gavan – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Here’s our previous article about Vinader’s interview and the reported loan. So, the question is this: does Kate own these pieces? My guess — yes, she does. I think it’s possible that the company sent the jewels as a loan to Kate and her styling team, she liked them, and she decided to purchase them (or someone purchased them for her). That’s all speculation, of course. But I also think it’s unlikely that she’d borrow the same pieces twice, so I feel fairly confident that she does own them now.

Do you think Kate was making a statement by wearing the Riva jewels, or was this an enormous coincidence?