Mouawad Unveils $5.75M Miss Universe Crown Featuring Sapphires and Diamonds

 

The Miss Universe Organization unveiled “The Crown Number 12: Force for Good,” crafted by luxury jeweler Mouawad.

The crown will honor the winner of the 71st Miss Universe competition on Jan. 14 in New Orleans. It features pear-shaped blue sapphires surrounded by diamonds and is valued at approximately $5.75 million, according to a press release.

The design “evokes the Miss Universe Organization’s belief in a future forged by women who push the limits of what’s possible and the incredible women from around the world who advocate for positive change,” said Mouawad co-guardian Fred Mouawad.

A unique, bespoke work of art and craft, the Force For Good Crown emanates Mouawad’s passion for crafting the extraordinary, featuring the meticulous setting of sapphires and diamonds, whose design is replete with symbolism. Reflecting the point that significant change does not happen in an instant, the base of the crown is set with diamonds symbolizing the status quo. From the base upwards, rippling wave motifs reflect the momentum of change, with their varying sizes portraying that this momentum gains ground gradually through advocacy at different moments and places, to audiences large and small, over time.

“It has been an honor to craft a new crown for The Miss Universe Organization, and to create a new sparkling chapter in the story of Mouawad Miss Universe crowns, said Mouawad co-guardian Fred Mouawad. “The Mouawad Miss Universe Force for Good Crown is a work of extraordinary craftsmanship, completely crafted and set and by hand, featuring 108.44 carat of blue sapphire and 48.12 carat of white diamond in a design that evokes the Miss Universe Organization’s belief in a future forged by women who push the limits of what’s possible and the incredible women from around the world who advocate for positive change.”

Upon closer inspection, the culmination of these wave-like curls at the base emulates a serpent’s head, symbolizing the challenges involved in swaying opponents and those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. As the eye moves upward from the base of the crown, the color gradient changes from the glistening white of diamonds to the warm blue of sapphires, deepening in intensity toward the pinnacle of the crown. At the top, a stunning pear-shape 45.14 carat sapphire displays a depth of color emblematic of the goodness that can be achieved through persistent action and of the hope for a brighter future. The wave motifs also mimic the theme of stage design for the 71st MISS UNIVERSE® competition that accentuates water as key element. While symbolizing the flow of life which can encompass strength and resistance, water inspires activation of energy that turns pain into power, as well as serves as teaser for the upcoming launch of MISS UNIVERSE Mineral Water, the first Miss Universe-branded product, in the first quarter of 2023.

Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, Chief Executive Officer of JKN Global Group Public Company Limited, as the new owner of The Miss Universe Organization, said: The Miss Universe 2022 Force for Good Crown stands for a graceful reincarnation of The Miss Universe Organization’s long-standing values and heritage as a guiding light, shining bright to the future glory. The new crown is also the dazzling illustration of both the challenges and rewards that come when young women advocate for causes close to their heart and strive makes an impact on the world.”

“As we are stepping into the new era of women’s empowerment, The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) will continue to be a global organization run by women for women with promise to serve as an inspirational platform that celebrates diverse women, supporting them to realize their ambition and build self-confidence, while evolving the brand over time to be more relevant and appealing to the next generation. Our new ambition is to instill the sense of passion for ‘transformational leadership among us all with firm belief that everyone can lead, to be successful and achieve their life goals. With this future-oriented approach, the Miss Universe brand is keen to take on a pivotal role in involving and engaging people on a journey toward social inclusion, gender equality and environmental sustainability,” added Anne Jakapong.

The “MISS UNIVERSE x MOUAWAD: Unveiling the new crown “Force for Good”, the New Emblem of Beautifully Confident press conference to reveal the new crown held in True Icon Hall, 7th floor, Iconsiam, Bangkok, Thailand.

The event was also live streamed on Miss Universe Youtube and JKN18 Facebook page, attended by thousands of international media.

The partnership between The Miss Universe Organization and Mouawad has formed in 2019, which saw winners of a prestigious competition, MISS UNIVERSE® honored with crowns crafted by Mouawad.

Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip said she was excited to bring the new crown to the stage of the 71st MISS UNIVERSE® competition herself. The event will take place on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Last year’s winner Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu will crown her successor at the end of the event.

Source: DCLA

20,000 jobs lost in Surat as diamond demand fades

                        Diamond Workers

Plummeting demand for cut and polished diamonds in the West and China has pushed some 20,000 workers out of work in the last one month in Surat, where 80% of the diamonds sold globally are polished.

Surat, the main centre of India’s diamond industry, offers employment to some 800,000 workers in its 4,000-odd cutting and polishing units. But work has been drying up, forcing the units to work at 60-70% capacity, said Damji Mavani, secretary of Surat Diamond Association (SDA). It also means fewer workers are needed.

“Fear is looming large in the diamond city of Surat whether the recession of 2008 will be repeated this year too,” said Bhavesh Tank, vice president of Diamond Workers Union, Gujarat. “Orders are fewer and so the workload is less. Therefore, the units are reducing workforce. Some units are cutting down work days so that they do not have to pay the workers on days when they are not working.”

According to Tank, nearly 20,000 diamond workers in Surat have lost jobs in the last one month.

The US is the biggest market for cut and polished diamonds, followed by China.

India’s diamond exports began slowing in November last year. According to data from the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), overall gross exports of cut and polished diamonds in the April to November period of FY23 declined by 5.43% from the year-ago period.

Another reason is the dropping price of the polished pieces. While the price of rough diamonds continues to be high, that of the polished ones have softened due to low demand, which is impacting the margins of diamantaires and forcing them to reduce workforce.

Mavani of SDA said the workers who have lost their jobs will find work in other areas. “There is a 30% vacancy in most of the factories,” he said.

However, there’s an air of uncertainty in Surat due to the fear of recession in the US, Europe and China. “We do not know when the situation will improve. It may take one year for a robust uptick in demand from overseas markets,” the SDA secretary said.

“With the pandemic in China making a comeback and there are no signs of respite from the war between Russia and Ukraine, inflation soaring in some parts of the world, we are out there for some tough times,” said Vipul Shah, chairman, GJE ..

Shah said the drop in price of polished diamond is eating into the margins of traders.

Traders said business in polished diamonds is also sluggish because of the seasonal lull, lingering economic uncertainty, and the slowdown in China. Although China eased its Covid-19 lockdowns last month, another outbreak stifled the recovery ahead of their Lunar New Year.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes

GIA Launches The Digital Diamond Dossier

                 Digital GIA Diamond Dossier

The start of 2023 marks a significant milestone in the digital transformation of the global diamond industry – the launch of the fully digital GIA Diamond Dossier, the most widely available diamond grading report in the world. The GIA Diamond Dossier is available for D-to-Z diamonds from 0.15 to 1.99 carats without colour treatments. Printed GIA Diamond Dossier reports issued before January 2023 remain valid.

Tom Moses, GIA Executive Vice President and Chief Laboratory and Research Officer, said, “The launch of the digital GIA Diamond Dossier report starts the conversion of all GIA’s laboratory reports to a modern digital format. This important change improves data security, offers efficiencies across the supply chain and reduces our reliance on paper.”

The first digital GIA Diamond Dossier report was issued at the GIA laboratory in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Monday, 2nd January 2023. More than 33 million printed GIA Diamond Dossier reports were issued since the introduction of the service in 1998.

Pritesh Patel, GIA’s Chief Operating Officer, added, “In 2025, when all GIA reports are digital, retailers and consumers will find greater convenience and a more immersive experience. Eliminating printed reports is an important advancement, reducing the impact of using, shipping and storing the nearly 40 tons of paper and plastic that go into printed GIA reports each year.”

The secure digital GIA Diamond Dossier is available in the reimagined GIA App or on computers, tablets and phones through the robust and secure online GIA Report Check Service and the GIA advanced application programming interface (API) for commercial users. The digital report service includes a Report Access Card with the report number, a QR code linking to the digital report and 4Cs information to embed into receipts, invoices and e-commerce sites.

The new GIA App is widely available for Apple and Android devices. The Android app for China is in development and will be available at a later date. The GIA Match iDTM inscription matching service is expected to be available in the first half of 2023, accessible exclusively through the reimagined GIA App.

Printed GIA Diamond Dossier reports issued before January 2023 remain valid.

Source: DCLA

Jwaneng is World's Richest Diamond Mine

                    Diamond mine Botswana

The world’s richest diamond mine for the first three quarters of 2022 was Jwaneng, in Botswana, with 10.3m carats.

Orapa, also in Botswana, was second-placed with 8.0m carats, according to newly-published figures from miningintelligence.com.

Both mines are operated by Debswana, a partnership between De Beers and the government of Botswana.

Third on the list is Udachny mine, operated by Alrosa, the sanctioned Russian miner. The 4.6m-carat figure is based on its 2021 production, assuming trends since 2019 continued.

Fourth is the Venetia mine, in South Africa (4.6m carats), operated by De Beers and fifth is Nyurba, in Russia, with 3.6m carats (with same caveat as for Udachny).

Jwaneng and Orapa are also listed as the two highest value diamond mines, estimated at $1.25bn and $976m, both based on average historic annualized prices of $121.5 per carat.

Source: DCLA

Antwerp Diamond Polishers Develop Device That Uses AI to Grade Colored Stones

Fancy colour diamonds

Chroma Diamonds founded by Alexander Appels and Jan De Henau is a relatively new company in the Antwerp diamond district, which specializes in colored diamonds. Stymied by the relatively “subjective process of color grading”, the 2 have set out on a mission to develop a device that provides more objective measurements for the grading of colored stones.

The device will utilize AI gathering data points and becoming smarter with each new set of inputs. They believe with sufficient time the device would learn enough to be able to more accurately grade certain stones, especially in resolving cases where certain grading criteria place the value of diamond on the edge of a color category but not quite enough to satisfy it being classified in the next grade above.

“Customers come to us with high expectations. After all, the value of their diamond is determined by, among other things, the color and intensity of that color, and let it (partly) depend on the cut and the people in the grading office, we hear. Because it is they who assign the diamond an official color, and therefore also determine its value definitively,” explains Appels.

Though this idea is not new to the Diamond District the duo has taken things one step further receiving support from the innovation process of the City of Antwerp. They plan on using and testing the device in their own business first as proof-of-concept before taking it to the greater market.

Source: Bloovi

Stolen Dresden diamonds recovered in Berlin police raid

                The Dresden Green Diamond

German police seized large parts of the stolen treasures from the 2019 looting of Dresden’s famous “Green Vault.”

During a raid in Berlin in the early hours of Saturday, police special forces and public prosecutors found and secured 31 items representing a “significant part” of the stolen artifacts, authorities said.

In an initial inspection, investigators found that several pieces appeared to be intact, among them the hat decoration and star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle from the stolen diamond set.

The items were transferred to Dresden under the protection of special police forces, where they’ll be examined forensically and then by specialists from the Dresden State Art Collections to check their authenticity.

The Dresden incident was one of a number of heists carried out at German museums in recent years. In November, thieves broke into a museum in Bavaria and made off with nearly 500 ancient gold coins worth several million euros.

In 2020, a Berlin court convicted three men of stealing a 100-kilogram (220-pound) gold coin worth $4 million from a museum in the center of the German capital.

Source: mining.com

Top Lots Smash Estimates at Phillips Jewelry Sale

 Top Lots Smash Estimates at Phillips Jewelry Sale

                        Pink diamond necklace 

A pink-diamond necklace led the most recent jewelry auction at Phillips, smashing its high estimate to bring in $1.9 million following a “fierce” bidding battle.

The oval, 4.05-carat, fancy-intense-pink diamond pendant by Boodles was estimated at $800,000 to $1.2 million at the December 13 New York sale. It is one of eight lots in the top 10 that beat their presale high price tags.

In total, the sale garnered $7.4 million, with 81% of items on offer finding buyers.

“We are delighted to conclude the year on such a high note,” said Benoît Repellin, worldwide head of jewelry for Phillips. “With enthusiastic bidding across the globe — from Egypt, to Korea, to Brazil — the sale demonstrated the continued appeal for rare colored and colorless diamonds, as well as for exceptional signed pieces.”

A round cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, 30.65-carat, fancy-intense-yellow diamond ring sold for $693,300, exceeding its $500,000 high estimate.

Read More: Diamonds.net