Month: March 2014

There are a few things regarding fashion that never seem to go out of style. Be it the Little Black Dress, diamond studs or drop earrings!

Yes!

What really makes drop earrings a regular favourite is how incredibly elegant they are – far from a gaudy, pair of bright, look-at-me pieces! Their classiness and sophistication with the way they are worn demands a viewer’s attention. Beauty lies in simplicity and that is clearly something what drop earrings are all about. Really, what’s not to love about them? Hassle-free and simple gorgeous, these pretty hanging gems are easy to wear and suit almost every face type.

In fashion jewelry, drop earrings are all about colour and shape. No matter the design, opt for earrings in brilliant colours. The vibrant it is, the better!

If that isn’t enough, it is Hollywood’s leading ladies favourite accessory for the red carpet. These easy-to-slip-on earrings had quite a run at the award season this year, right from The Grammy’s up until The Oscars.

In fact, they seem to tick every box to be the new bauble must-have! But, one doesn’t need to be a celebrity to own one or wear it to only red carpet events. Drop earrings are versatile and can be worn for lunch meetings for work to a traditional affair or date. They seem to work their charm with anything.

Fashion connoisseurs will vouch for the fact that it’s time fashion and style became minimal. So, why not choose ear candy that’s bound to make you look gorgeous and accentuate both your features and your outfit.

We all know her as the ravishing Munni, whose latkas and jhatkas have not only wooed us but had us dancing to her beats too. But that is not all that gets our attention. It’s in fact her style statement that is versatile and experimental that has turning to her for fashion advice.

The 40-year-old (Yes! She is 40!) Style diva has managed to be in the good books of the fashion police. At an event last year, Malaika was seen in an orange floor-length maxi-dress which she accessorized with a chunky gold neckpiece. Her hair was puffed up high in the front and pulled back into a ponytail.

At another event, Malaika wore a blue satin maxi-dress with a similar hairdo. She wore a nude pair of heels, beads wrapped around her wrists and a funky neckpiece.

The style diva generally shows off her fashion sense best at award functions. At the Femina Style Diva North India 2014, Malaika was seen wearing a shimmery, metallic green gown with a bold V-neck.

While Malaika chooses western wear for most of her appearances, the doe-eyed beauty isn’t far behind when it comes to showcasing her Indian side too. During the Ganpati Visarjan last year, Malaika was spotted in a very simple, purple outfit with huge zari motifs. Her hair was braided and she wore very simple, gold earrings.

Our Chaiyya Chaiyya girl does know how to grab eyeballs even when she is completely covered. You get our drift. At an Iftar party last year, Malaika chose to wear a white and hot pink designer lehenga.

Juggling many a different roles so effortlessly, Malaika also started her own clothing line called the Closet Label last year. But, the style diva says that it is something that comes to her naturally.

“People try too hard to pull off a trend that isn’t meant for their body type. I do not believe in forcing a trend for the sake of it, wear it only if you are comfortable in it.”

 

Black Diamonds have become THE diamonds to purchase now because of the increase in its publicity. A decade ago, jewelers and collectors had little interest in this black, sparkle mystery. But as time went by, the price of a black diamond rose and is now sold at a price equivalent to a white diamond. The following are some of the points you need to keep in mind when investing in this black beauty.

1. Read – Before buying black diamonds, learn what they are. Black diamonds are crystallized carbon and the colour black occurs due to dark inclusions or due to changes in a white diamond due to high temperatures or radiation.

Also, Read about – What are Black Diamonds

2. Features – It is essential to know the kind of features that you are looking for. A good cut, a smooth surface and a rich color is the pride of black diamonds. A black diamond has simple cut (16 facets). Even if treated, a black diamond is very much a real diamond.

3. Be aware – Most of the black diamonds sold in the market today are not real. They are treated stones or simply dark brown or very dark green diamonds.

4. Compare – See the different types of black diamonds that are listed on the internet and compare their prices from different websites. If you are purchasing it online, make sure to buy it from a reliable source.

5. Thorough checking – In a fiber optic light, the edges of a black diamond will appear to have dark brown edges.

6. Combine with white diamonds – A solitaire black diamond when combined with white ones in a piece of jewelry becomes poetic and enhances the beauty of both the diamonds.

Also, Read about – 4 Famous Black Diamonds

Black diamonds have a charm and are the complete opposite of white diamonds. They tend to absorb light and are not known for their brilliant sparkle like white diamonds. Of the largest 100 known diamonds, a couple of them like the Black Orlov, Amsterdam Diamond, Spirit of de Grisogono, and Black Star of Africa are black diamonds.

BLACK STAR OF AFRICA

The Black Star of Africa or Cullinan I is a pear shaped diamond weighing 530.20 carats and was seen for the last time in Tokyo in 1971. The Star of Africa holds the place of 2nd largest cut diamond in the world and is on display with the other Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.

BLACK ORLOV

This diamond weighs at 67.50 carats and is reported to have belonged to a nineteenth-century shrine near Pondicherry, India. Set in a diamond and platinum necklace, the Black Orlov has been exhibited worldwide. It was sold for $300,000 in 1969 and was resold at Sotehby’s for $99,000 in 1990. It is currently owned by Dennis Petimezas who bought the diamond for an unspecified sum in 2005.

An interesting fact about the Black Orlov is that it carries a curse which began when the original 195-carat diamond was removed from the eye of the idol of Brahma at a shrine near Pondicherry. It is said to have been responsible for the death of three of its former owners who all leaped to their deaths.

THE SPIRIT OF DE GRISOGONO

It was mined several decades ago in West Central Africa before making its way to Switzerland. After being cut, the 312.24 carats diamond was set into a ring made of white gold. Surrounded by 702 white diamonds and weighing 36.69 carats, the Spirit of de Grisogono was sold to a private client by Fawaz Gruosi, the icon jeweler and famous diamond cutter who leads the de Grisogono House of jewelry for an undisclosed amount.

THE AMSTERDAM BLACK DIAMOND

Cut from 55.85 carats into a pear shape weighing 33.74 carats with 145 facets, it is one of the largest black diamonds in the world.

While most people aren’t really bothered about how many carats their engagement ring comes out to be, there are some who literally kill to have the biggest rock on their finger. Remember Leonardo Di Caprio’s Blood Diamond and the number of lives slain just so that a compressed piece of charcoal could be found. People’s desire of expensive jewelry is what has kept the diamond trade alive. These are the 10 most expensive pieces of jewelry in the world.

1. THE GRAFF PINK – Lawrence Graff was the lucky buyer, bidding nearly 7.5 million Swiss francs above the expected sale price. The $45.75 million hammer price almost doubled the previous record for any jewel at auction. Classified as a type II colour diamond, the Graff Pink has a perfect rating which gives it a price of about $1.85 million per carat.

2. THE DIAMOND BIKINI – The Diamond Bikini is said to have broken all records when this single piece of jadeite jewelry was sold for $30 million at the November 1997 Christie’s Hong Kong sale.

3. THE WITTELSBACH-GRAFF DIAMOND – Rumoured to be the diamond from our very own Golkonda, King Philip IV of Spain bought it for his teenage daughter, Margaret Teresa’s dowry. This diamond was sold to Laurence Graff in 2008 for $24.3 million.

4. HEART OF THE OCEAN DIAMOND – Who remembers this piece of expensive jewelry from the movie Titanic? This Harry Winston Sapphire has an estimated price of $20 million. Gloria Stuart wore this to the 1998 Academy Awards and it was considered to be the most expensive piece of jewelry ever worn. Replicas are being sold for $3.5 million in auction sales.

 

5. BULGARI TWO-STONE DIAMOND RING – This ring contains two diamonds so it easily becomes an expensive piece of jewelry. Created in 1972 from the Bulgari collection, an Asian collector willingly bought the ring for $15.7 million after an intense bidding war.

6. EMERALD AND DIAMOND TIARA – The German Prince, Guido Henckel Von Donnersmarck gifted this tiara to his second wife, Katherine in 1900. This tiara was rumoured to have belonged to the wife of Emperor Napolean III of France. This tiara contains a row of 11 polished pear shaped emeralds at about 500 carats total and an anonymous bidder paid $12.76 million for it.

7. WALLIS SIMPSON’S PANTHER BRACELET – Rumoured to have been sold for $12 million, anonymously to Madonna, this piece of jewelry was once owned by King Edward VIII.

8. THE $10 MILLION RING – This ring, containing a 6.01 carat cushion-shaped blue diamond as its centerpiece, fetched $10 million at an auction when it was bought by an anonymous bidder.

9. THE CULLINIAN DIAMOND – This extraordinary piece of blue diamond ring proved to be a crowd favourite at Sotheby’s semi –annual sale in Geneva in 2009. It was able to fetch a whopping price of $9.69 million.

 10. GOLCONDA DIAMOND EARRINGS – Also known as the Imperial Cushions because of the cushion-shaped diamonds, each earring is around 23.11 carats and this piece of jewelry was first showcased in May of 2011 at a Christie’s Magnificent Jewels Spring Sale in Hong Kong. It was sold to an anonymous bidder for $9.3 million.