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Showing posts with label diamonds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diamonds. Show all posts

So That's What Diamonds Smell Like. Your Popup Paris Candle May Have A Real One In It.





Popup Paris creates scented candles that are beautifully packaged, but the way they stand apart from hundreds of others is the fact that they place a genuine brilliant cut white diamond in one of every 50 of their candles. The diamonds range in size from .15 to .25 carats and range in clarity from VS - SI. Each is G in color.




Popup is the combined vision of a design lover and a diamond dealer, two childhood friends with one brilliant idea: changing your everyday life by creating luxury items containing hidden diamonds. Making dreams accessible to everyone, creating precious moments such is the aim of Popup, to produce happiness.


above packaging pics from Brooke Kiernan

Even if the candle you purchase doesn't have a diamond, you've got a beautifully packaged nice smelling candle for your home or to give as a gift.







They also sell limited editions created with various designers such as Paulina Leonor and WAD (shown below):



They encourage those who find the sparkling gem to post pics of it on their official Facebook page.



Popup Paris online shop
Click here for points of sale.

Or available at:
Harvey Nichols and at Woodley and Bunny


The Ravens Finally Get Their Bling. A Look At The 2013 NFL Championship Ring.




Earlier this month the Baltimore Ravens presented players and staff with their Super Bowl XLVII Championship Ravens Rings during a private ceremony today at The Under Armour Performance Center. Created by Jostens, the leading national custom jewelry designer and producer, the World Championship Ring commemorates the Ravens remarkable 2012 season and marks the second time the Ravens have brought the Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore.



"Emotions ran high as players, coaches and staff were presented with their rings, which symbolize the determination required to win the Super Bowl," said Ravens President, Dick Cass. "The rings are beautiful visual representations of what it means to be a Raven – physical, tough-minded, hardworking and resilient."




The truly one-of-a-kind ring pays tribute to the rich history and tradition of one of football’s most successful franchises. The design, hand-crafted by Jostens Championship Design team and led by Master Jeweler Miran Armutlu, is fashioned in white and yellow gold and with 243 round cut diamonds. In the center of the ring, the Baltimore Ravens logo is outlined with 40 round brilliant cut diamonds sitting atop a dazzling custom-cut amethyst stone. Behind the logo are two Vince Lombardi Trophies set with 32 round brilliant cut diamonds and two stunning marquise diamonds weighing approximately .75 carats, representing the team’s two World Championship titles.





"Jostens is proud to be a partner with the Baltimore Ravens and to collaborate with them on the creation of a ring that celebrates the team’s inclusive culture, winning traditions and their achieving professional football’s pinnacle triumph, the forty-seventh Super Bowl title," said Chris Poitras, Director, Sports Sales and Marketing, Jostens. "Every element of the ring was designed specifically to highlight the best qualities of each of the materials featured. It’s a singularly beautiful piece of fine jewelry that reflects the ultimate unity of the team."

To celebrate the enduring support of Ravens fans during this championship season, the team collaborated again with the Championship Design team at Jostens to create a custom selection of personalized jewelry and collectibles with designs inspired by the Super Bowl XLVII Championship Rings.


above: Josten's collection of Raven's jewelry inspired by the Super Bowl XLVII Championship Rings

The collection offers every Baltimore Ravens fan the chance to own a piece of Ravens history and, beginning June 7th, can be ordered online at Jostens. 

See and learn more about all the Super Bowl rings to date here
http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2013/02/super-serious-super-bowl-ring-bling.html

Matchstick Diamond Jewelry Launches In Absolutely Adorable Packaging.





Launched by Britain-born Louise Carter, Matchstick is a new brand of diamond baguette jewelry. The five pieces in the collection, each of which are available in 18k white, yellow or rose gold, include a Boy, a Girl, a Dog, a Small Heart and a Large Heart.




Each represent universal symbols of life to the designer and each piece lives in its own house, a lovely oversized matchbox with sweet line art illustrations.








Shop Matchstick Jewelry here

Super Serious Super Bowl Ring Bling Info. New Details, Pics and Facts About All The NFL Championship Rings.




Each year I run this post, updated to include the latest NFL Championship Ring. This year, I've also updated several of the specific jewelry design facts and added new images.

One of the most recognizable pieces of bling are given to the players of the National Football League's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Who makes them? Who gets them? What are they worth?

What's On Each Ring?

The rings almost always include the team's name, logo, and Super Bowl number (usually in Roman numerals), the final game score and the names of the particular player. Several include inscriptions of team's mantras or mission statements such as the Baltimore Raven's "Set the Standard."

Most of the rings also have larger diamonds or diamonds made into the shape of the Lombardi trophy, that represent the number of Super Bowls that franchise has won.

For example, Pittsburgh's 2008 ring has six trophies and six large diamonds, representing the six Super Bowls they have won to date:

above: The Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLIII ring weighs 104 grams and incorporates 63 round, brilliant cut diamonds totaling 3.61 carats. The colored gems appear to be citrine, pink tourmaline and blue topaz.

What Are The Rings Made Of?

Gold:
The rings are predominantly crafted of 10k or 14k yellow or white gold (in some cases, both). The varying degrees of yellowness in the gold depends both upon its purity and the other ores with which it is mixed (brass adds yellow, copper adds red, silver adds  white).

Diamonds:
Earth-mined white diamonds are clearly the stone of choice for the Championship rings. Many feature Marquis cut stones because of their resemblance to the shape of a football. Brilliant cut (round) stones in many sizes from solitaires to pave (chips) cover the majority of the rings. Some feature tapered baguettes and still others square or princess cut stones.


above: The Super Bowl XXIX San Francisco Forty Niners ring (by Balfour) shown above features 5 large Marquis cut diamonds and 5 tapered baguettes along with pave diamonds.

Enamel:
Many of the rings, especially the earlier ones, feature accents of single colored enamel such as the examples shown below:


All three New England Patriots rings featured 2 colors of enamel:


Colored Diamonds:
The Denver Broncos seem to favor colored diamonds as an accent. You can see the use of the cognac, brown or yellow diamonds found in their two consecutive Championship rings for Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, made by Diamond Cutters Int'l and Jostens, respectively:


The Baltimore Ravens Championship Ring from Super Bowl XXXV, made by Jostens, has enamel, cognac or yellow diamonds and a ruby for the eye:


Rubies:
The Washington Redskins Championship Ring from Super Bowl XXII was the first to feature rubies along with diamonds and the first ring made by Tiffany & Co.:


Sapphires:
Adding some blue to the bling, there are 37 sapphires (and some blue enamel) in the most recent ring for the NY Giants from Super Bowl XLVI by Tiffany & Co.:


I don't know how much the total carat weight varies from year to year or the actual market value, but here are some facts about the rings:

Who Pays For Them?

•The NFL pays up to $5,000* per ring, with up to 150 rings per team. The NFL pays for the cost of 150 rings to the winning team, at roughly $5,000 apiece, depending upon the fluctuating cost of gold and diamonds. If the rings are over the $5,000 limit, the team owners must make up the difference.

* I suspect, with the increase in the price of gold over the past five years, this number is now higher

•Recent rings have been appraised in excess of $20,000, with some valued at $45,000. but manufacturers keep this information confidential.

Who Makes Them?

•The rings are made by the company of the winning team's choosing. The majority of the Championship Super Bowl rings have been manufactured by Jostens in Denton, Texas. They've made 30 of the past 46 rings.

•The Indianapolis Colts' Super Bowl (Super Bowl XLI) rings were manufactured by Herff Jones (based in Indianapolis), at their Warwick, Rhode Island ring plant.

•Austin, TX based Balfour Company has manufactured nine Super Bowl rings to date.

Diamond Cutters International of Houston, Texas has manufactured two of the rings thus far; for the Dallas Cowboys (Super Bowl XXX)  and the Denver Broncos (Super Bowl XXXII)

Tiffany & Co. has now made five of the rings; Washington Redskins (Super Bowl XXII),  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Super Bowl XXXVII), New York Giants (Super Bowl XLII), New Orleans Saints (Super Bowl XLIV) and the most recent for the New York Giants (Super Bowl XLVI).

Tasteful? No.
Impressive? Yep.

The rings are made after the game for obvious reasons, so this years' ring is not included among the images below, shown in chronological order.

Rings from 1966-1974:


Rings from 1975-1983:


Rings from 1984-1992:


Rings from 1993-2001:


Rings from 2002-2010:


The 46th Super Bowl ring:


And now, added on June of 2013, The 47th Super Bowl Ring:


Paintings That Are Truly Gems. Realistic Crystals and Minerals Rendered In Oils by Carly Waito.



above: Smoky Quartz, 2011

These amazingly realistic oil paintings on masonite by Carly Waito are really precious. Literally and figuratively. The small scale works range in size from 4.5" x 6" to 11" x 12' and impressively capture the way crystals and rocks reflect and refract light. Given the healing properties of many stones and minerals, these works have appeal in both their craft and subject matter. I'd like to own several of them and hang them together. As you can see, they sell quickly (almost every single one shown in this post is sold).


above: Dioptase, 2011 (sold)

above: Amethyst, 2011 (sold)

above: Pyrite, 2011 (sold)

above: Bornite coated Chalcocite, 2011 (sold)

above: Smoky Quartz, 2011 (sold)

above: Amethyst, 2011 (sold)

above: Smoky Quartz, 2011 (sold)

above: Flourite, 2011 (sold)

above: Vesuvianite, 2011 (sold)

above: Smoky Quartz, 2011 (sold)

above: Spessartine, 2011

above: Flourite, 2010 (sold)

above: Sphalerite, 2010 (sold)

above: Barite, 2010 (sold)

above: Amethyst, 2010

above: Rhodocrosite, 2009 (sold)

The following three images represent some of her latest work and as you can see, she is exploring black backgrounds for some of her newer pieces.


above: Amethyst Mountain, 2012

above: Tektite, 2012

above: Dark Crystal, 2012

The following text is courtesy of Narwhal Art Projects:
In these works, diminutive specimens of semi-precious gems and minerals are rendered in meticulous detail, exposing the beauty and logic of their structural minutiae. Yet, beyond simple imitation, Carly Waito’s reproductions imbue further worth to objects that are naturally perfect: where each specimen inherently exudes an aura, Waito has both reiterated and enhanced it. The result is a reverent homage to nature’s marvel, the faculty of humankind and the unconditional value of their synergy.

Through curating minerals, photographing them in macroscopic detail and rendering them in oil paints, Waito employs a layered process highlighting the ties between mimesis and levels of value. From the seemingly limitless depths of Smoky Quartz to the chromatic, reflective facets of Sphalerite, the geometry and beauty of each painted specimen speaks to the incredible complexities of nature’s design as well as Waito’s own facility. Each painting expands the infinitesimal traits of the artist’s tiny subjects, rendering them as detailed maps of an otherwise invisible geological universe.


About the artist:
Toronto-based artist Carly Waito was born in Manitouwadge in 1981 and raised in Thunder Bay. A graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, Waito co-founded the ceramic art and design studio coe&waito with Alissa Coe in 2005. The partnership is known for its elegant products and sculptural installations inspired by the natural world. As a painter, Waito has continued to pursue this inspiration, with a focus towards geology, geometry and ideas of wonder and curiosity. She has participated in a number of exhibitions, including Little Crowns (Dec 2009) , The Dazzle (Oct 2010) and Specimens (2011) at Narwhal Projects, and Plus 1(2011) at Sloan Fine Art in New York.

Purchasing inquiries please contact Narwhal Art Projects.

NARWHAL
2988 DUNDAS ST WEST TORONTO ON CANADA M6P 1X6
tel: 647.346.5317

Carly Waito

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