32.77 Carat Vivid Fancy Yellow Diamond

Christie’s New York will host a jewellery and gem auction in October, headed by a 32.77 carat vivid fancy yellow diamond estimated to sell for more than $6 million (£3.6 million).

The Vivid Yellow, as it has been named, is a rare highly saturated fancy vivid yellow diamond of 32.77 carats, as the star lot of the October 18 sale called Magnificent Jewels.The yellow hue of this large pear-shaped diamond is so intense that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) ranks it amongst the rarest of gemstones in its class. The stone is expected to achieve in excess of US$6 million, and could sell for as much as $8 million (£4.8 million).

Rahul Kadakia, head of jewellery for Christie’s America said: “The Vivid Yellow literally blazes with color, unlike any yellow diamond I’ve ever seen.

“In the world of diamonds, a naturally coloured stone of this incredible colour and size represents a freak occurrence -- an extremely rare geological phenomenon. The appearance of this extraordinary gemstone on the market truly represents a once in a lifetime opportunity for top jewellery collectors.”

In its grading report for the stone, the GIA classifies The Vivid Yellow as fancy vivid – the highest saturation one can find in a coloured diamond. Only about one in 10 million diamonds possesses a colour pure enough to qualify as fancy vivid.

The unmounted diamond, which is about the size and shape of a guitar pick, will be the star lot of Christie’s first major jewellery sale of the autumn auction season, to take place October 18.

The stone has the potential to surpass the per-carat price of US$203,000 (£124,000) achieved for The Golden Drop, a pear-shaped yellow diamond of 18.49 carats sold in June 1990 at Christie’s London. Christie’s has arranged a global preview tour of The Vivid Yellow diamond prior to its sale at Christie’s New York in October. The diamond will be on view at Christie’s London on August 30 and 31.

Courtesy of the professional jeweler

World’s Most Expensive Hello Kitty Item

Sanrio’s Hello Kitty, that adorable cartoon cat that comes to us from Japanese popular culture, has appeared on a host of commercial products from credit cards to the Hello Kitty Jet (an Airbus A330-220). The character, designed by Yuko Shimizu, debuted in 1974 as a decoration on a vinyl coin purse.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Hello Kitty in 2009, Sanrio partnered with crystal maker Swarovski and Japanese jeweler I.K. to create the Super Hello Kitty Jewel Doll. This 4-inch “doll” is made of solid platinum studded with thousands of precious gems, including 1,939 pieces of white topaz, 403 pink sapphires, a pair of black spinels for her eyes, a citrine for her nose and a 1.027-carat diamond on her signature bow.

The ultimate Hello Kitty doll was unveiled at Switzerland’s Baselworld watch and jewelry show and is valued at 15 million yen—about US $167,000!

Courtesy of World's Most Expansive Journal

September Birthstone - Sapphire

The striking deep blue of a quality sapphire is reminiscent of a cloudless night sky. Ancient civilizations believed that the world was set upon an enormous sapphire, which painted the sky blue with its reflection. This legend, as well as the belief that the ten commandments were inscribed upon tablets made of sapphire, gives September’s birthstone a royal place among gemstones. 

Pure corundum is colorless, but most corundum contains minute amounts of chemical impurities called trace elements. Blue sapphires are colored by a combination of the trace elements iron and titanium. Iron and chromium together result in gold or orange sapphires, and when chromium is the only trace element, it makes a sapphire pink or a ruby red.

Different combinations of trace elements are responsible for the extraordinary range of colors in sapphires, which are commonly called fancy sapphires. This variability is what makes each sapphire unique from all others. It can be difficult to find sapphire pairs because no two are ever exactly the same. Rare and unusual sapphires are almost irreplaceable, even if they are only 1 or 2 carats in size.

The Sapphire is second only to the Diamond in hardness, making it a durable gemstone for setting into jewelry. A gift of Sapphire represents sincerity and faithfulness. As nourishing to the soul as gazing up at the sky on a summer day, this brilliant blue gemstone is truly a heavenly choice!

Letšeng recovers an exceptional white diamond of 553 carat

493 carat Letšeng Legacy

603 carat Lesotho Promise

Gem Diamonds announced an unusual find, a 553-carat Type II D color diamond. The exceptionally large diamond was mined at the Letšeng Mine in Lesotho. It is currently undergoing analysis in Antwerp.

478 carat Light of Letšeng

The diamond ranks as the 15th largest white diamond ever to be recovered. It is the fourth historic diamond recovered from the Letšeng Mine in recent years, following the recovery of the 603 carat Lesotho Promise, the 493 carat Letšeng Legacy and the 478 carat Light of Letšeng.

The 553-carat diamond has not been named yet.