Daily Dose of Fine Jewelry Artwork

Recently, MontRED introduced a sub-section: NOW.MontRED where they feature an artwork every day and associate it with one of their fine jewelry products.

It's fun watching what they come up with everyday. Very witty & refreshing. I humbly confess being addicted to these guys :)

Here is one of my favorite ones - the Scream painting for their three-stone diamond ring.

Flawless Aquamarine: March Birthstone

Derived from the Roman word "Aqua," meaning water, and "mare," meaning sea, this gorgeous blue gem does indeed resemble the color of seawater. True to its name, the march birthstone - aquamarine is found in a variety of stunning blues.


Legends
The ancient Romans believed that the aquamarine was sacred to Neptune, the god of the sea, having fallen from the jewel boxes of sirens and washed onto shore. Early sailors wore aquamarine talismans, engraved with the likeness of Neptune, as protection against dangers at sea.

The association with water led to the belief that the aquamarine was particularly powerful when immersed. Water in which this gemstone had been submerged was used in ancient times to heal a variety of illnesses of the heart, liver, stomach, mouth and throat.


Qualities of a good gemstone
Aquamarine belongs to the beryl family of minerals--the same family that produced clear to vibrantly colored gemstones such as the emeralds. Beryl was used as far back as 2,000 years ago to correct vision, and it continues to be used today in the manufacture of eyeglasses. It is a very hard mineral, making the aquamarine a durable gemstone for use in jewelry, be it a ring, pendant, earring or bracelet.

Aquamarine varies in color from blue-green to a light sky blue, but gems containing green are often heat-treated to remove this less desirable color. The majority of aquamarines, unlike other gemstones, are flawless.

It is a relatively abundant gem, the largest deposits being in Brazil, but other sources of aquamarine are in China, India, Australia, Africa, and the United States.


A good gift
A gift of aquamarine symbolizes both safety and security, especially within long standing relationships. Some people even say that the aquamarine reawakens love in a tired marriage.

So if you want to bring back that spark in your partner's eyes, you might consider this gem as an anniversary gift! And anyways, aquamarine is also the gemstone for 19th Anniversary and also makes for a perfect march birthstone jewelry gift.


Dazzle on a Diva

It's truly a beautiful gemstone, and you don't have to be born in March to enjoy this March Birthstone.

Just like how Charlize Theron flashed the aquamarine drops at the 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards. Sparkling like the night sky, Charlize Theron accessorized her electric midnight blue Christian Dior gown with aquamarine drops, totaling 36.6 carats, by Chopard.


The biggest Aquamarine

A step-cut aquamarine weighing 1000 carats. Aquamarine tends to be a lighter sky-blue color. This is a very large example of a fine aquamarine. It's part of the Smithsonian Museum's collection.

Keywords:  Aquamarine,  March Birthstone,  Charlize Theron,  Anniversary Gift,  Gemstone

Bling, Tennis and Wimbledon

You need only be a realist to recognize news about tennis over the next two weeks won't necessarily be dominated by tennis. There'll be a blitz of British tradition and eccentricity, the bling associated with celebrity, some superstar sex appeal, or petulance, and then there'll be the winners and losers.



Talking about the bling.. The year was 1987 and Chris Evert, the former World No. 1 woman tennis player and the winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, was playing in the U.S. Open. She was wearing an elegant, light in-line diamond bracelet, which accidentally broke. And the match was interrupted to allow Chris to recover her precious daimonds. From that moment, the discreet and radiant stream of light became the “tennis bracelet” and sparked a huge jewelry trend.

During the nineties, tennis bracelet was worn by a new star in the tennis firmament, the Brazilian Gabriela Sabatini. And in 2002, Serena Williams wore a $29,000 custom-design Harry Winston's Twelve to Twilight diamond tennis bracelet at the U.S. Open. But this time there was an extra secure safety clasp to the bracelet to make sure the flexible and fluid piece will stay securely on Williams' 7 and one-half inch wrist.



Williams' bracelet contains 242 colorless diamonds and totals 12 carats set in platinum.



And remember the second-skin Puma catsuit Serena wore at the 2002 U.S. Open that set tongues wagging? This week at Wimbledon, reigning ladies' champ, Russia's sexy Maria Sharapova made her Tuesday tournament debut in a pair of Nike sneakers adorned with 24-carat gold.



"It's something totally different and shines unbelievably. Hopefully it will distract my opponents a little bit," Sharapova giggled. Well, don't know about her opponents, but men definitely are getting distracted a whole lot.



Maria is now readying to launch her own limited edition of diamond watches.

The bling also took centre stage early today as Alexis Barbara, 19, a model and fiancee of Mark Philippoussis chose brief, lacy shorts, bedazzled wedge shoes, an enormous gold cross and an impressive diamond ring on her left hand.



Bec Cartwright, fiancee of rival Lleyton Hewitt wasn't to be left behind. She has been sporting her flashy diamond engagement ring - estimated at $200,000 — around the grounds.

Keywords: Wimbledon, Tennis Bracelet, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, U.S. Open

Its Paris, you know...

Tom Cruise popped the question to Katie Holmes at the Eiffel Tower early Friday and then announced the news to the world -- they're getting married.



Cruise turned to Holmes: "What did you say, darling? She said, `Yes.' ... I've never actually been to the Eiffel Tower and I just, it's Paris, you know. It's beautiful, a beautiful city. It's very romantic. I'm excited to be here."



Holmes was sporting what appeared to be a large solitaire diamond ring on her engagement finger.

When asked about the date of the wedding, Cruise said he was taking it "one step at a time but we'll decide it soon".

Keywords:  Tom Cruise,  Katie Holmes,  Diamond,  Engagement Ring

J.Lo’s $6 Million Milestone

What did Jennifer Lopez get from hubby Marc Anthony the night before their first year anniversary? A blue 14.5-carat, brilliant-cut diamond ring on a platinum band valued at more than $5 million. I guess Anthony must have been so relieved—and maybe amazed-—that his marriage to twice-divorced megadiva lasted a whole year.



And hey, thats not enough. The next day, Anthony gave his bride an 8.5 carat engagement ring estimated to cost about $1 million as an anniversary present. Engagement ring one year after the wedding? Yes! "It sounds a little odd, but Marc and Jennifer were never really engaged -- they just got married. So, to mark their first anniversary, Marc officially proposed, this time presenting Jennifer with an engagement ring", reports azcentral. It adds, "(the diamond) is huge, and it sparkles beyond belief."



I think this one from her ex-husband, Chris Judd (her backup dancer), was just as huge and 'sparkled beyond belief'. Oh well, J.Lo is lucky with diamonds.



J.Lo was also in the headlines just a few days back when she made her debut in next year's Pirelli calendar, along with supermodels Gisele Bundchen and Kate Moss. The 2006 issue of the legendary calendar was shot on location in the rocky Riviera coastline in south of France.

Related Posts:
- Guess who is wearing this right hand ring?
- Ben there, done that for Ben Affleck

Keywords: Jennifer Lopez, Diamond, Engagement Ring, Pirelli

Sunday Humor - Part 4

"Your poster claims that ear-piercing is completely painless, is that true?"
"Certainly, madam, I've done thousands of piercings, and I've never felt a thing!"
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"Goodness, what a beautiful diamond ring you're wearing Miss West!"
"Goodness had nothing to do with it!" replied Mae.
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Customer asks her jeweller what a G colour, SI clarity daimond looks like.
"Buying or selling, madam"!
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Have a good weekend! :)

Sunday Humor - Part 3
Sunday Humor - Part 2
Sunday Humor - Part 1

Keywords:  Sunday,  Humor,  Humour,  Joke,  Fun,  Funny

Magnificient jewels on auction

The magnificient jewels of Margaret Adderley Kelly are going on auction at the Christie's at the Rockefeller Plaza, New York on June 7th. Margaret is the wife of William R. Kelly who ran Kelly Services, Inc.


One such jewel is a ring ($400,000 - $600,000) set with a marquise-cut fancy rare blue diamond, weighing approximately 6.21 carats, within a calibré-cut diamond surround, to the pear-shaped purplish-pink diamond accents and baguette-cut daimond shoulders, mounted in platinum and rose gold.


Another is a magnificient diamond cluster necklace ($800,000 - $1,000,000) suspending a pear-shaped diamond pendant, weighing approximately 11.50 carats.


And then there is a pair of elegant ear clips ($250,000 - $300,000) each set with a pear-shaped diamond, weighing approximately 13.34 and 13.47 carats.

And these are just a few of over hundred jewels that are on auction. The viewing has already started. Only if someone would buy me a ticket to New York!

Keywords:  Diamond,  Diamond Necklace,  Ear Clips,  Diamond Ring,  Auction

Diamonds and Rubies studded Notebook. Only $350,000

Here comes a $350,000 notebook "inlaid with solid palladium white gold plates in which thousands of brilliant cut diamonds (read 'diamond dust') have been set. The quality is V.V.S. top-Wesselton and the total weight is 80.00 Crt. A unique square cut ruby has been set in both Tulip logos." The company is Tulip E-Go (or was that two-lips?).



They have got some decent hardware to back it up too. The notebook is based on the new AMD Turion CPU, the successor to the Athlon 64. Too bad the round shape of the case limits the (rectangular) screen to only 12.1''. And for $350K at least they'd have RAID-0 drives!

The lineup is absolutely geared at women consumers. The round lines with the integrated handle are supposed to match a purse. The color schemes are also meant to evoke purses. The diamond and gold version is probably just the Dolce & Gabanna version of these laptops, meant to be shown and worn only once on a runway, with the actual consumer lines being much less expensive.



The point here is why do all laptops have to look like bricks? The current market of the straight-lined laptop may just be a market that is still so bedazzled by the technology, that it so far doesn't need to be bedazzled by the looks. Sort of like the era of the Ford Model-T, where "you could have it any color, as long as it was black". But this era will inevitably end, and people are going to get bored by the same old thing.



These boutique laptops like the Tulips and to a lesser extent like the Acer Ferraris, are probably the first in a changing guard. (The picture is of Acer Ferrari 4000, which is not yet released. Its a Turion 64 cpu with a shell made of carbon fibre.) The computers from Alienware and Voodoo have carved out a niche for themselves aswell.

Now only if Tulip could add a vanity mirror!

Keywords:  Diamond,  Notebook,  Tulip,  Acer Ferrari

Sunday Humor - Part 3

A woman tries the door of an up market jeweller's at 6.30 p.m. one Christmas Eve. Finding it locked but there still being a few lights on, she knocks. Only the owner is still there. After weighing her up as a rich looking prospect, he decides to let her in. "I'm sorry to bother you so late", says the woman, " but as I walked past I had an idea. I've already bought my husband a new Lexus, and a BMW for my son, but I thought a gold chain might make a nice little stocking filler. Do you have any 18 ct. gold Albert chains?" "I think we may have one left, madam," said the jeweller, rubbing his hands at the thought of an extra juicy sale as he went to get it from the safe. "This is a lovely one which we have specially made for our most discerning clients. It weighs 200 grams, and I can let you have it for only £30 per gram, so it's a bargain at only £6,000!"
"Mmm," says the customer, "I would prefer an old one as I believe they were better"
"Quite right too, madam, if I may say so, but naturally you realise that the old ones command a hefty premium price?"
"Oh, of course," replies the customer, "but the price isn't an important factor."
"I'll go and check what else we may have", says the jeweller, thinking quickly, and not wanting to miss a sale whose potential seems to be getting better all the time. He takes the chain with him into the workshop, kicks it round the floor a few times, beats it with a hammer, removes the fastener with its tell-tale hallmark and date letter, rubs some old polishing rouge into it before shaking it round the filter of the polishing machine. By now it is unrecognisable. He finds a slightly different fastener, and takes that and the chain out to his patiently waiting customer.
"Wonderful news, madam, this must be your lucky day. Not only have I found a very rare antique Albert chain that we must have been fortunate to acquire in the last few days, but it turns out to be in excellent condition for its age, and I have managed to find a fastener. It looks very dirty and neglected, but if you don't mind waiting while I clean it up, you will see what a wonderful example it is of the ancient chain-maker's art."
"How wonderful", says the lady, "of course I don't mind waiting, I'll be counting the money, I presume you don't mind accepting cash."
"Not at all madam, I'll be as quick as I can. Help yourself to some of our sherry and mince pies, while you're waiting".
Fifteen minutes later, he returns, glowing triumphantly. "My word, this is fortunate. Underneath all that dirt, this has turned out to be a very fine example in excellent condition. Despite that, I can still let you have it for a very reasonable £40 per gram".
"Splendid", says the lady, "how much does that come to?"
"Let's see, 205 grams at £40, that's exactly £8,200".
"Excellent", says the lady, "I'll take both!"
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Have a good weekend! :)

Sunday Humor - Part 1
Sunday Humor - Part 2

Keywords:  Sunday,  Humor,  Humour,  Joke,  Fun,  Funny

Cannes: All the more dosage of Rocks and Stars

So the latest trend in Cannes is for very fine and feminine jewellery.

Here is the Mexican beauty and jury member, Salma Hayek, arriving at the Festival Palace. See whats she wearing.. Rainbows of fancy coloured diamonds. And to add to the oohs & aahs, those 12-carat diamond earrings fell out and bounced on to the red carpet. Am sure it must have been a moment of panic for Salma Hayek.



And look at Joely Richardson as she arrives for the American Foundation for Aids Research (amfAR) party. Hard to figure out whats more mesmerizing.. her sexy eyes or the stunning diamond necklace? You tell me.



Now check out the pair of 21-carat drop earrings that Catherine Deneuve was wearing. If thats not enough, she was wearing also 74-carat cuff bracelet. Wow!



And some of the most impressive "show-stopping" jewels are still to come. Catherine Deneuve will wear a sapphire and diamond necklace and matching earrings to the fest's climax Saturday. Lets see if we can get a good picture of hers.

Related Posts:
- Cannes: Scarlett Johansson's Dazzling Choice
- Cannes: A big movie bash or a jewelry bash?

Keywords:  Salma Hayek,  ,  Catherine Deneuve,  Cannes

Cannes: Scarlett Johansson's Dazzling Choice

Some people follow Cannes for the films, others for the stars, but just like WaterDuckling, I follow Cannes for the rocks.

Just check out this Lost In Translation (& Match Point) girl. When 20-year-old Scarlett Johansson stepped on to the red carpet, crowds of paparazzi fought to get the best view of the Girl With a Pearl Earring.



But this time, Scarlett Johansson shunned the pure but "unshowy" conch pearl and instead went with a pair of earrings with rubies and seven-carat, 18th-century Indian diamonds. Phew!! Care to put a pricetag on these earrings?

Related Posts:
- Cannes: All the more dosage of Rocks and Stars
- Cannes: A big movie bash or a jewelry bash?

Keywords:  Earrings,  Scarlett Johansson,  Pearl Earrings,  Cannes

Toasty Thursday

Diamonds.. She will pretty much have to.......



Alright, just kidding! :) Just to cheer you up this Thursday.

But hey, diamonds might just become so common that they'll be pretty much worthless! Thats possible if you take into account the recent major breakthrough in producing diamonds in labs. A 10 carat, half inch thick single crystal diamond was made, at a rapid growth rate like 100 micrometeres per hr, by the chemical vapor deposition process at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory. The goal: A 300 carat beast in whatever shape they want.

Oh well, these are still nowhere in comparison to the largest diamond ever.

Keywords:  Humor,  Fun,  Diamond,  Funny

Sunday Humor - Part 2

Lost Diamond Ring

A cop saw a young blonde woman down on her knees under a streetlight. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Replied the woman, "I dropped my diamond ring and I'm looking for it."

Asked the cop "did you drop it right here?"

"No," responded the blonde, "I dropped it about a block away, but the light's better here."
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Marriage Material

I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry.
-Rita Rudner
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Have a good weekend! :)

Sunday Humor - Part 1

Keywords:  Fun,  Joke,  Humor,  Funny

Renee Zellweger misses out on engagement ring

So time to get over with Jennifer Garner's engagement ring scoop aswell as Aguilera's nail-polish matching engagment ring. Its time for NO engagement ring. Renee Zellweger missed out on engagement ring. "Her wedding to Kenny Chesney was planned over such a short span of time, the actress didn't even get an engagement ring." A spokeswoman said: "It wasn't important."

Both just have simple wedding bands. I would say thats sweet.

"I am so incredibly happy," Kenny said. "I may well be the luckiest man alive." No doubt about that.. He saved atleast a couple of hundred thousand dollars. :)

More about the wedding.. The private ceremony took place at Kenny's estate in St. John's in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Zellweger wore white & Kenny wore a big, black cowboy hat. They certainly looked happy but the picture got me thinking.. If a man won't take his hat off for his bride, will he ever take if off? A horrible faux pas. What say?



Oh & Mirror reported that Zellweger wants to start a family. Quizzed on the issue, the Bridget Jones star, 36, said: "Children? Sure."

Keywords: Kenny Chesney, Renee Zellweger, Engagement Ring, Wedding

Laura Bush's new 'do and new bling

Laura Bush, the First Lady has got a complete makeover. She got a new hairdo from Nuri Yurt of Toka Salon, reports Washington Post. While her shimmering new jewelry which amazed everyone at the Saturday night surprise speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner; was done by the jewelry designer Ann Hand. 'Her crystal necklace and matching earrings were the handiwork of Georgetown jewelry designer Ann Hand, who created the set from different sizes of Swarovski crystals. She calls the necklace the Waterfall. And the price? "To tell you the truth, I can't remember," Hand said yesterday.'

The First Lady's glowing looks are also a result of her daily dose of yoga and exercies.

Hey, I think our First Lady surely deserves a second look!!!

Keywords:  Laura Bush,  bush,  jewelry

$11.43 billion Mother's Day

It starts with the counting game: Ten fingers. Ten toes. One little face that will change how a mom looks at the world - and how she views this day in May meant just for her.

You know how special Mom is, and how special she makes you feel whenever you see her. Mom for sure is priceless, but it seems her gifts are not. Here are a few stats from the Forbes article about Mother's Day:

-- There are 82.5 million mothers to be exact, according to the U.S. Census.
-- Mother's Day is the third-largest spending holiday of the year, behind the winter holidays and Valentine's Day. (Father's Day comes 5th)
-- Mother's Day is the busiest Sunday on the Verizon phone network.
-- Shoppers will shell out $11.43 billion to tell mom they love her this Mother's Day.

As for the jewelry, here are few stats:
-- The NRF expects consumers to spend $1.71 billion on jewelry this Mother's Day.
-- Earrings are at the top of moms' wish list followed closely by fashion rings, bracelets and necklaces.
-- 38% of respondents said they'd most like to receive diamonds while only 8% want sapphires, birthstones or plain metal jewelry.

Edited: Jewelry sales increased 79 percent over last year, with diamond sales up 101%, the study found.

Related Posts:
- Mother's Day coming. Have you made the reservations?
- Growth in diamond jewelry market

Keywords:  Mother's Day,  jewelry,  Mom,  Shoppers

Sunday Humor

A Christmas gift

A guy bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas.

After hearing about this extravagant gift, a friend of his said, "I thought she wanted one of those sporty four-wheel-drive vehicles."

"She did," he replied. "But where was I going to find a fake Jeep?"
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Diamond Ring

A businessman boarded a plane to find, sitting next to him, an elegant woman wearing the largest, most stunning diamond ring he had ever seen. He asked her about it.

"This is the Klopman diamond," she said. "It is beautiful, but there is a terrible curse that goes with it."

"What's the curse?" the man asked.

"Mr. Klopman."
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Have a good weekend! :)

Keywords:  Jokes,  Christmas,  Ring,  Joke

Now one more reason to visit South Africa

So its not only for the wildlife or the gorgeous beaches that you have to take a holiday to South Africa, but also for the Shimansky Collection, Cape's first diamond museum. The Shimansky Collection offers visitors a speciality tour and the chance to walk through the history and impressive science behind this captivating stone. "In their on-site workshop, visitors can also witness the art of diamond cutting and polishing, as well as jewellery design and manufacturing." Pretty interesting stuff, eh?

And if you get a chance, heres one more diamond museum: Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum in Israel. They currently have an exhibit of traditional diamond jewelry from Jaipur, India. "Pendants, rings, bracelets and decorative containers with diamonds cut and set in the Rajasthan tradition comprise the collection. The pieces have intricate designs in gold, enamel, diamond and precious stones and reflect the Mogul influence on jewelry design in India in the 17th century." Beautiful.

Keywords:  Diamonds,  Museum,  South Africa,  Israel,  travel

Guess who is wearing this right hand ring?

Thats our J.Lo as she arrives at New Line Cinema's Premiere of "Monster In Law" at the Mann National Theatre on April 29, 2005 in Westwood, California.

So what say of her right hand ring & that diamond bracelet? Not as brilliant as that 6.1 carat pink diamond that she got from Ben Affleck, is it?

Related Posts:
- J.Lo’s $6 Million Milestone
- Ben there, done that for Ben Affleck

Keywords:  Jennifer Lopez,  Ring,  Ben Affleck

Mumba's diamond web

And while we are at dresses, here is one that has gone down in the record books as being the most expensive dress to be made so far. Its the $13 million diamond studded dress that singer Samantha Mumba wore at the Spider-Man II London premiere last summer.
(Edited: This actually might not be the most expensive one afterall. Check this out aswell.)



Its designed by Scott Henshall, interwoven with web-cut diamonds from Chatila and jewellery from Chatila at the Odeon Leicester Square in London.

Not surprisingly, extra security guards had to be drafted in to make sure none of its 3,000 gems went missing. "I've got tons of bodyguards looking out for me just in case any bits fall off," confessed Sam.

Keywords:  Samantha Mumba,  Diamond