Drake’s New Rolls-Royce Diamond Owl

The rap icon has sold over 170 million albums since hitting the music scene in 2019, and with that kind of success comes all kinds of cash for going bonkers on cars.

His latest acquisition is a Rolls-Royce Phantom, but being this is Drake’s new ride, it’s not just a Phantom if such a thing exists.

Among other things, it has a custom golden owl for a hood ornament that’s also covered in diamonds. More on that in a bit.

The owl has been a thing with Drake for years, and it’s also the symbol for his record label OVO Sound, so having it affixed to the Phantom’s nose isn’t just a random act of weirdness.

As mentioned, the owl is solid gold and uses diamonds for its eyes. Diamonds also encompass the entire base, with Drake’s name engraved for good measure.

Source: DCLA

Drake’s New Rolls-Royce Diamond Owl

The rap icon has sold over 170 million albums since hitting the music scene in 2019, and with that kind of success comes all kinds of cash for going bonkers on cars.

His latest acquisition is a Rolls-Royce Phantom, but being this is Drake’s new ride, it’s not just a Phantom if such a thing exists.

Among other things, it has a custom golden owl for a hood ornament that’s also covered in diamonds. More on that in a bit.

The owl has been a thing with Drake for years, and it’s also the symbol for his record label OVO Sound, so having it affixed to the Phantom’s nose isn’t just a random act of weirdness.

As mentioned, the owl is solid gold and uses diamonds for its eyes. Diamonds also encompass the entire base, with Drake’s name engraved for good measure.

Source: DCLA

Double-Digit Growth in Number of Bids at Rio Tinto Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender

The number of bidders at the recent 2019 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender saw double-digit growth with buyers vying to get their hands on some of the last diamonds to come from the Argyle diamond mine. The mine is scheduled to close at the end of 2020.

While Rio Tinto does not disclose the value of winning bids, it said that over the past 19 years, the value of diamonds sold at Tender has appreciated over 500 percent, outperforming all major equity markets.

The most valuable lot in the collection, the Argyle Enigma, a 1.75-carat modified radiant fancy red diamond, was won by Australian based Argyle Pink Diamonds partner Blue Star & Kiven Diamonds who also won the 1.37-carat oval-shaped fancy vivid purplish pink Argyle Verity.

“No other diamonds on earth match the rarity and provenance of Argyle pink diamonds. To have acquired two of the last Argyle pink diamonds to ever be unearthed, and one of the few Fancy Red Argyle diamonds in existence is the ultimate privilege,” said Ron Kiven, director of Blue Star & Kiven Diamonds.

This year, Rio Tinto also offered The Argyle Pink Everlastings Collection comprising smaller Argyle pink and red diamonds totaling 211 carats. The entire collection was purchased by Hong Kong fancy colored diamond specialist Kunming Diamonds.

“This is a dream come true, a rare opportunity to acquire a once in a lifetime collection of pink and red Argyle diamonds,” said Kunming Diamonds director Harsh Maheshwari. “With the imminent closure of the Argyle mine, a collection such as this deserves to be showcased to the world and we look forward to announcing our plans at a later date.”

Source: DCLA

Double-Digit Growth in Number of Bids at Rio Tinto Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender

The number of bidders at the recent 2019 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender saw double-digit growth with buyers vying to get their hands on some of the last diamonds to come from the Argyle diamond mine. The mine is scheduled to close at the end of 2020.

While Rio Tinto does not disclose the value of winning bids, it said that over the past 19 years, the value of diamonds sold at Tender has appreciated over 500 percent, outperforming all major equity markets.

The most valuable lot in the collection, the Argyle Enigma, a 1.75-carat modified radiant fancy red diamond, was won by Australian based Argyle Pink Diamonds partner Blue Star & Kiven Diamonds who also won the 1.37-carat oval-shaped fancy vivid purplish pink Argyle Verity.

“No other diamonds on earth match the rarity and provenance of Argyle pink diamonds. To have acquired two of the last Argyle pink diamonds to ever be unearthed, and one of the few Fancy Red Argyle diamonds in existence is the ultimate privilege,” said Ron Kiven, director of Blue Star & Kiven Diamonds.

This year, Rio Tinto also offered The Argyle Pink Everlastings Collection comprising smaller Argyle pink and red diamonds totaling 211 carats. The entire collection was purchased by Hong Kong fancy colored diamond specialist Kunming Diamonds.

“This is a dream come true, a rare opportunity to acquire a once in a lifetime collection of pink and red Argyle diamonds,” said Kunming Diamonds director Harsh Maheshwari. “With the imminent closure of the Argyle mine, a collection such as this deserves to be showcased to the world and we look forward to announcing our plans at a later date.”

Source: DCLA

Christie’s Garners $11M at London Auction

Christie’s brought in GBP 8.3 million ($10.7 million) from its Important Jewels sale in London on Wednesday, with pearls dominating the event.

The priciest was a cut-cornered rectangular step-cut, 18.02-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity, type IIa diamond ring, which fetched GBP 881,250 ($1.1 million) against an estimate of GBP 800,000 to GBP 1.2 million ($1 million to $1.6 million). Four of the top 10 lots were jewelry items featuring pearls, which sold for well over their high estimates.

An emerald, diamond and cultured-pearl necklace by Meister, set with a rectangular cut-cornered, 10.99-carat emerald, garnered GBP 275,000 ($355,943), almost 23 times its GBP 12,000 ($15,532) high estimate. Meanwhile, a necklace containing 45 natural pearls went for GBP 268,750 ($347,922), well above its GBP 120,000 ($155,351) high valuation.

A pair of 19th-century natural-pearl earrings, which previously belonged to Eugénie de Montijo, the last empress of France and wife of Emperor Napoleon III, fetched GBP 237,500 ($307,375), smashing its GBP 80,000 ($103,537) upper estimate. A set of button-shaped, natural-pearl and diamond earrings, went for GBP 187,500 ($242,696), exceeding its GBP 80,000 ($103,537) high presale valuation.

Other notable items included a diamond necklace by Shinde, which garnered GBP 539,250 ($697,908), nearly three times its GBP 200,000 ($258,844) high valuation, and a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace from the mid-20th century, which swept past its GBP 150,000 ($194,206) upper valuation, bringing in GBP 347,250 ($449,587).

Source: DCLA

Christie’s Garners $11M at London Auction

Christie’s brought in GBP 8.3 million ($10.7 million) from its Important Jewels sale in London on Wednesday, with pearls dominating the event.

The priciest was a cut-cornered rectangular step-cut, 18.02-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity, type IIa diamond ring, which fetched GBP 881,250 ($1.1 million) against an estimate of GBP 800,000 to GBP 1.2 million ($1 million to $1.6 million). Four of the top 10 lots were jewelry items featuring pearls, which sold for well over their high estimates.

An emerald, diamond and cultured-pearl necklace by Meister, set with a rectangular cut-cornered, 10.99-carat emerald, garnered GBP 275,000 ($355,943), almost 23 times its GBP 12,000 ($15,532) high estimate. Meanwhile, a necklace containing 45 natural pearls went for GBP 268,750 ($347,922), well above its GBP 120,000 ($155,351) high valuation.

A pair of 19th-century natural-pearl earrings, which previously belonged to Eugénie de Montijo, the last empress of France and wife of Emperor Napoleon III, fetched GBP 237,500 ($307,375), smashing its GBP 80,000 ($103,537) upper estimate. A set of button-shaped, natural-pearl and diamond earrings, went for GBP 187,500 ($242,696), exceeding its GBP 80,000 ($103,537) high presale valuation.

Other notable items included a diamond necklace by Shinde, which garnered GBP 539,250 ($697,908), nearly three times its GBP 200,000 ($258,844) high valuation, and a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace from the mid-20th century, which swept past its GBP 150,000 ($194,206) upper valuation, bringing in GBP 347,250 ($449,587).

Source: DCLA

The Curious Case of Fluorescence

The diamond industry has a complicated relationship with fluorescence.

Historically, both the trade and consumers saw value in a diamond that fluoresced under ultraviolet light. The perception was that it added to the color of the diamond while also providing various niche marketing opportunities. Take the ’80s disco era, when neon was in and a glow-in-the-dark diamond might have been cool.

But the positive view of fluorescence has changed over time — at least, from the trade’s perspective. Various periods of oversupply, and one or two scandals related to the subject, led the trade to discount diamonds with varying degrees of fluorescence. We explore this issue in the November issue of Rapaport Research Report and present our updated guidelines to what those discounts are. The higher the color, the more fluorescence negatively affects price.

The discounts are puzzling. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) published a comprehensive paper on fluorescence in 1997, in which it challenged the notion that this trait had a negative impact on higher color diamonds. If anything, the GIA concluded, fluorescence adds to lower colors, and it does not affect a diamond’s transparency.

Most importantly, the GIA found that the jewelry-buying public saw no difference between diamonds with fluorescence and those without. It wasn’t an issue for the consumer back then, and it isn’t today, according to most of the diamond professionals we consulted for the report.

If that is true, the trade is missing out on an opportunity. The biggest challenge facing the industry is figuring out how to broaden demand, which has narrowed over the past decade as buyers have become more specific in their requirements. As a result, there is an oversupply of diamonds that are difficult to sell. In many cases, it’s because they are fluorescent goods.

We’re seeing a recovery in demand for stones with faint or no fluorescence, and continued weakness among diamonds in the medium, strong and very strong categories. That’s difficult to understand if the consumer isn’t too bothered about the issue.

And therein lies the opportunity: Savvy diamantaires and jewelers are buying fluorescent goods and marketing them as a specialized product. Some big sellers — most notably Alrosa — have a lot of fluorescence in their production and are trying to create a category for those stones. Considering that the industry needs an avenue for offloading its fluorescent diamonds, it should be encouraging initiatives like these.

Source: Diamonds.net