A rare, 5-carat ‘vivid pink’ diamond was auctioned off for a record £6.5 million at Christies in Hong Kong last week.

The sale made by an unidentified Asian buyer beat the previous record, set 15 years ago in Geneva for a 19.66-carat stone at £4.4 million.

Graff Diamond jewellers set the chickpea-sized stone (a quarter of the size of the Geneva stone) in a ‘cushion-cut’ ring. Francois Curiel, Christie’s Europe chairman described it as a “fabulous pink diamond, probably one of the rarest stones I’ve ever seen.”

The diamond’s pre-sale estimate was between five and seven million dollars. The pink gem’s per-carat price of £1.3 million was also the highest ever paid for any diamond at auction, according to Christie’s.

£1.2 million a carat for pink coloured diamond

“No stone has ever been sold for £1.2 million a carat, we were used to £600,000 a carat for coloured diamonds but never £1.2 million,” said Curiel. “This is an absolute record that is not going to be broken for a while I believe.”

The South African-mined diamond has minor blemishes, which the auction house says can be removed by minor re-polishing. The bid beat a £6.3 million bid for a seven-carat blue diamond in Geneva this year.

“This definitely went above its high estimate, but that is what the market thought it was worth,” a Christie’s spokeswoman told AFP. “We think this will probably hold for quite some time — it’s a very strong price.”

She added Asian jewellery buyers have become “an extremely important group” for the auction house. “They are very active, very sophisticated and they’re buying at the very high end.”

Twenty years ago, more jewelry ads, find that most of the brand positioning has changed, the former more than the “flattering”, but now most of them “pleasure and has” as a starting point. Modern women are increasingly independent, jewelry styles have also begun to go uninhibited line of fall and winter season, tide, but also not difficult to find bands in Taiwan.

Cool cool material

Autumn and winter clothing styles have always indulge in cool colors, jewelry is also closely follow the trend in black, white, silver, gray and other colors become a key indicator. Even CHANEL’s most lovely camellia, but also was transformed into a sparkling ice-cold light signs, flashing in the temple on top. The combined effect of indifferent between the colors is also very obvious, so you see a combination of a more calm.

Cold material is part of silver, diamonds, horns and other materials. Do not think that there is no addition to diamonds, precious materials, in addition, even Hermes have taken the initiative to grow with the horns and silver necklaces, allowed to show light, facial gesture, issued when Didi De friction sound, in the irregular size of the beads of the Inter, but also the size of the petals randomly interspersed irregularly shaped silver pendants, resulting in colors and materials on the jump and contrast. While another used a rose gold and brown diamond bracelet, it appears that many of the atmosphere. The most attractive addition to unusually exaggerated size, the mysterious knitting process to bring a very strong dynamic, stealth hasp, there is one aspect of the diamond-studded brown.

Reality star, Kourtney Kardashian, is the latest celebrity victim of a home break-in. Find out how much in jewelry is missing – and how much her diamonds really mean to her.

Jewelry thieves are running amok in Hollywood these days, as reality star Kourtney Kardashian joins the ranks of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Audrina Patridge and Hayden Panettiere to suffer from a home break-in.

According to reports, thieves broke into Kardasian’s gated southern California home this weekend while and she was out to dinner with boyfriend, Scott Disick.

Over $100,000 worth of jewelry was taken, including her $30,000 Cartier watch, Disick’s Rolex and various diamond and vintage pieces (some her late father, Robert Kardashian, left her after his death).

But don’t feel too sorry for this diva. Kourtney just returned from a fun-filled trip to Las Vegas to celebrate her sister, Kim’s, birthday and is happily expecting her first child – a son – with Kisick later this year.

Getting robbed, though,is a traumatic experience for anyone. Make sure to protect your jewelry investments by reading up on all the latest jewelry insurance and appraisal information right here on Jewelry.com.

On the block during upcoming sales in Hong Kong is a rare pink diamond the auction house estimates could fetch up to $8 million.

“Vivid Pink,” as it’s called, is a five-carat stone flanked by two white diamonds and set in a ring by elite jeweler Graff. It hails from a private collection.

The glamorous rock toured Singapore, Bangkok, Geneva and Taipei before returning to Hong Kong, where it will be auctioned off Dec. 1 at the Convention and Exhibition Center alongside 250 other gemstones and pieces of jewelry from the likes of Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels. Altogether, the jewelry sale’s lots are estimated to be worth more than $33 million.

The brilliant pink stone earned top marks from the Gemological Institute of America, which rates diamonds. The gem is unique because of its particular hue–a rich bubblegum rather than a more common lighter rose. It is also valuable because of its saturation, the depth the color extends into the stone.

“Stones like this–they’re not just jewelry, they’re artwork,” says Alan Bronstein, a New York-based trader and dealer of rare colored diamonds. “The simplest possible mounting is the best way to make that diamond shine. You don’t want to embellish it with motifs and designs.”

Colored diamonds mined naturally are often pockmarked with flecks of other hues, like purple, orange or gray. But this one is blemish-free, boasting an even tone throughout. Only one in 100,000 diamonds is as special.

Tustin, Calif.–The Jewelry Exchange retail chain will be offering its diamond customers the opportunity to choose their own inscriptions and then sit back and watch a computer screen as those words get inscribed on their newly purchased diamond at the company’s factory.

Customers will first approve the image of the transcription on screen and then can wait and watch the laser-inscribing process, which takes just minutes, The Jewelry Exchangesaid in a press release issued on Wednesday, announcing its acquisition of the newest PhotoScribe Cold Laser System for its state-of-the-art factory.

Through the inscription process, which the retailer says is 100 percent safe for laser-inscribing diamonds, customers can either have a diamond engraved with a special message of their own choosing or with a security code that would include the diamond certification number.

The inscription is done by using a tiny, precise laser beam that transforms a thin layer–just a few atoms thick–of the sparkling diamond crystal itself to opaque carbon crystal or graphite.

The cold-laser energy fully absorbs into the diamond in a process that the company describes as being superior to the hot-laser technology on the market, and which also does not require any pre-laser or post-laser processing, such as painting the diamond, which can produce inconsistent engraving.

The diamond can be inscribed all around the girdle using the special laser process, the company said. The laser inscription does not change the clarity or color grade of a diamond as it is microscopic and invisible to the unaided eye, viewable only under 10-times magnification, which requires a jeweler’s loupe or other magnifier.

The inscription process is considered permanent since it can only be removed by a professional diamond cutter. Removing the inscription would not change the weight or appearance of the diamond, the company says.

The Jewelry Exchange is a division of Goldenwest Diamond Corp. and has been operating for more than 32 years in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Fla., Tustin, Calif., and Washington D.C., where it does business as The Jewelry Exchange. The company operates as The Jewelry Factory in Cleveland, Detroit and New York. In Houston, the company operates as The Jewelry Source.

France’s top jewelry brand Van Cleef & Arpels bearing on the warm, elegant and a new fantasy masterpiece, as if the genial autumn sunlight embraces you gently. New series “Effeuillage” recalls that the French pulled out the small piece of the love petals love game. Effeuillage, rings and earrings, considering classic lucky four-leaf clover as design blueprint, the four Sweet Alhambra heart-shaped pattern turned into Every petal, and a diamond designer jewelrysurrounded by fine Italian which reflects the intimate love of the innocent steps shadows.

The fourth gold heart-shaped petals with small buckle hinges on the main ring above the seat in order to highlight the polished gold inlay casting made. Even you can whisper your love etched in the floor above will closely link with the a heart into a twist on the fingers of the Jie Yuhua. The swaying posture also radiate light and beauty of the wearer.

Cleef & Arpels ballerina clip was bought for $422,500 at a Christies’ sale despite an estimated price of $80,000 to $120,000.

Van Cleef & Arpels  first began to create ballerina clips in the 1940s in celebration of dancers and their steps.

The ballerina clip which sold for such a high sum at Christies on 21 October dates from 1942 and represents famous ballerina Maria Camargo. The clip incorporates a pear-shaped diamond, rubies and emeralds.

When New York jeweler, Harry Winston, decided to donate the fabled Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, he chose first class mail. “It’s the safest way to mail gems,” Winston was quoted as saying. The delivery from New York City to Washington, D.C., cost Winston $2.44 in postage, and an additional $142.85 for a million dollars’ worth of insurance.

Letter carrier James Todd picked up the diamond at City Post Office and drove to the Natural History building, where he delivered it to the curator. Afterward, Todd told the Washington Post that he felt “a little shaky,” not because of the enormous value of the 45.52 carat diamond, but because he was not used to getting so much attention at his job.

As the most representative Boucheron jewelry, classic Trouble series snake figure design jewelry launched a new series of jewelry featured with mosaic black jades and purple jades, continued its highlight twisted snake design, and adopted bold, creative and mysterious charms quality that stand for female, with more flexible measurement and matched more to clothing, some of which only priced for about 100,000 Yua

GLITTERING gems, fine jewellery and luxury watches will be showcased at a major exhibition opening in Bahrain next week.

Jewellery Arabia 2009 will be held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIEC).

The event, now in its 18th series, runs from November 17 until November 21.

More than 600 companies from 30 countries will take part, occupying a total floor area of 18,000 square metres.

Collectively, they form the largest display of precious gems, finished jewellery and luxury watches in the Middle East, say organisers.

Two temporary halls have been commissioned to extend existing facilities at the BIEC for the fourth year in a row to meet high demand for space for the show, they said.

“Despite the current global economic climate, Jewellery Arabia 2009 has sold out to capacity,” said Arabian Exhibition Management sales and marketing director Fawzi Al Shehabi.

“The international watch and jewellery industry is looking to the Middle East for growth and the exhibition is a proven trade gateway to this important economic sector.”

Jewellery Arabia 2009 will feature a number of new companies looking to break into the region, including the first time participation of a pavilion of Malaysian jewellers co-ordinated by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).

Eminent jewellery houses and watch manufacturers making a comeback at the expo include Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Chopard, De Beers, Graff Diamonds, Harry Winston, Hublot, Patek Phillipe and Piaget amongst numerous others.

Country pavilions from Brazil, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Thailand, in addition to a strong GCC and Lebanese contingent complements the line up.

Among them are some of the kingdom’s leading jewellers, including Bahrain Jewellery Centre, Asia Jewellers, Al Mahmood Pearls and Al Zain, say organisers.

They will bring together collections of famous international brands in boutique formats, they said.

The designs of local jewellers will also be spotlighted by a pavilion of Bahrain jewellers, co-ordinated by the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Many of the exhibiting companies will once again have an exclusive presence at the expo, offering upwards of 40,000 visitors a unique preview of the global jewellery and watch market.

“Giant luxury goods firms exhibit alongside smaller designers of unique one-off pieces, an exotic mix of national pavilions and a vast selection of the finest non-branded products from all over the world.”

Last year’s exhibition attracted more than 42,000 visitors. Of the total, 26 per cent were drawn from Saudi Arabia, say organisers, adding there was also significant support from Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, the UAE and other neighbouring countries.

“The exhibition’s enthusiastic consumer following continues to reflect the region’s passion for fine jewellery, which has succeeded in creating one of the world’s largest and most dynamic markets,” said Mr Al Shehabi.

Meanwhile, Middle East Watches, Jewellery and Pen Awards will be held on the sidelines of Jewellery Arabia 2009 for the fourth consecutive year at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa on November 17. The awards, hosted by MPPArabia, are the culmination of an online public voting system and the analysis of an elite committee comprising watch, jewellery and pen collectors, connoisseurs and aficionados with no direct commercial ties to the industry.

The opening ceremony will be a star-studded event with the expected presence of invited dignitaries, royalty, celebrities, leading socialites, top ranking officials and senior professionals representing the international watch, jewellery and pen industries, say organisers.

Jewellery Arabia will open from 4pm to 10pm daily. An exclusive ladies-only morning will be held on November 19 from 10am to 1pm.