19 September 2020

Engagement rings: from my mother's half carat to REALLY big diamonds


I met my then boyfriend/now husband in 1969, when he was an impov­erished uni student, and I had even less money than he did. When we were engaged, my mother kindly offered me her own engage­ment ring but I exp­lain­ed that I was a 1960s hippy and thought that dia­m­onds were way too bourgeoise. My mother assured me that I would event­ually come to love precious jewels, so she would wear dad’s prec­ious WW2 treasure until I was ready. Or leave it in the will for me, her only daughter. From my wedding on, I wore a plain silver wedding ring only.

On the day of my beloved mother’s death, I was at the chapel at the cem­etery, then at the graveside and then sitting shiva (7 days of mourning) with my heartbroken dad and all the family. During that first day, every treasure was stolen from my late mother, presum­ably by the relative (by marriage) who asked to have my mother eu­th­anised only four weeks earlier. The police, rabbi and care home staff never found my late mother’s diamond ring.

Above find an image of the engagement ring I would have worn, had I designed it myself. 
It is .5 of a carat.

Now read information from The Jewellery Editor about large, expens­ive and rare diamonds that belong to other people. Pink diamonds are extremely rare, with only 50 or 60 quality gems ap­pearing on the market each year. These blush-coloured stones frequently fetch 20-40% more per carat than the equiv­alent white diam­onds. 

Blue diamonds are am­ong the rarest in the world, accounting for only 0.0001% of all gems mined around the world. The numbers are further whittled down by the fact that only c1% of these stones display the colour tone and satur­ation that allow them to be classified as Fancy Viv­id. 

Pink Star

In 2013 the oval pink diamond Pink Star was cut from a 132.5 carat rough mined by De Beers in Africa 20 years ago. The Pink Star end­ed up as a 59.6 carat pink diamond of internal flaw­lessness, and was the largest Fancy Vivid diamond ever graded by the Gem­olog­ical Institute of America/GIA. At first it was sold to diamond cutter Isaac Wolf at Sotheby’s Geneva in Nov 2013. But the buyer failed to complete the purchase on his $83 million winn­ing bid, leaving the diamond to languish in Soth­eby’s inventory for 3+ years. Then tense telephone bidding war for the Pink Star took place between three interested parties. The proud new owner of the Pink Star diamond, the most expens­ive gem stone ($71.2 million) in the world, is Hong Kong jeweller Chow Tai Fook.

Set into a platinum ring flanked by two shield-shaped white diam­onds, the Graff Pink was previously owned by American jeweller Har­ry Winston. The final selling price in 2010 exceeded the pre-sale estimate of c$40 million, bought by jew­eller Laurence Graff for $46.2 million at Sotheby’s Geneva auction. The Graff Pink’s 24.8 carat emerald-cut Fancy Intense gem was fabulous. 

Graff Pink

Blue diamonds have dominated jewellery auc­tions in recent years, and the Oppenheimer Blue is the second most expensive jewel to sell at auction. This 14.6 carat emerald-cut Vivid Blue diamond was auct­ion­ed at Christie’s Geneva in May 2016, for $57.7 million. This particular indigo-coloured gem being named after Sir Philip Oppen­heim­er, a member of one of the world’s most influential and power­ful diamond families, for his wife. The Oppen­heimers control­led the De Beers Mining Co and Sir Philip oversaw the diamond sales cartel for 45 years until 1993. 

Oppenheimer Blue

The Cullinan is the largest rough diamond ever found, weighing an incredible 3,106.8 carat. Discovered in Cullinan South Africa in 1905, it was then gifted to King Edward VII but not set into a ring by ren­owned jeweller Verdura until the 1990s. The rough diamond was cut into 9 main stones and many small gems, the largest of which was the 530.4 carat Cull­in­an I/Great Star of Africa. The Cullinan I was set in the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, an important part of the British Crown Jewels.

The 24.2 carat Cullinan Dream is the largest of the gems cut from the 122.5 carat rough blue diamond unearthed from the Cullinan Mine in 2014. The Fancy Intense blue diam­ond appeared at auction and sold for $25.4 million at Chris­tie’s New York in June 2016. 

Cullinan Dream

As a rough diamond, the Centenary Diamond weighed over 500 carat in 1986 in Premier Mine South Africa. It was later cut to a modified heart-shape, weighing 273.9 carat. It took a total of 154 days for their highly-skilled team to finish the re-cutting process and thankfully, the sacrifice in carat weight improved the colour and flawless clarity grade of this unique diam­ond. The diamond was insured at US$100 million at its unveiling in May 1991, loaned to the Tower of London where it was displayed for a number of years.  

Thankfully celebrity film and music stars don't need 500 carats for their engagement rings. For her second marriage to tycoon Aristotle Onassis, Jackie Kennedy only wore a large 40-carat marquise cut, VS2 clarity diamond that was cut from a 601-carat diamond. Kim Kardashian's first engagement ring, from Kris Humphries, was even more modest: 16.2 carats











79 comments:

Scopus said...

Your mother was a generous family oriented person. Of course she would want you to wear her engagement ring.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Hels - so sad to read this ... people are cruel and self-centred. You were right about not wanting the ring til later - so I feel for you.

The diamond world is an interesting one - great for story telling ... as well as real life - take care - Hilary

Parnassus said...

Hello Hels, Some people's biggest dilemma in life is whether to buy the 40-carat pink diamond or the 40-carat blue one. The Pink Star stone and ring is hideous, but the other rings you show are attractive and dignified, including the more modest example you would have chosen. I think a lot of modern stones cut in awkward shapes are going to lose value when those shapes become dated. As it is, they would only appeal to those with more money than sense.

I am sorry about what happened to your mother's possessions. Worse than the monetary loss is the insult to your mother's memory. Especially with items like jewelry, the only safe method is to keep them locked up, preferably in a safe-deposit box, or better yet give them away during your lifetime.
--Jim

Parnassus said...

P.S. I was so dazzled by all those diamonds that I forgot to wish you a Happy New Year! Also, I just received my mail-in ballot for the November election. It's too bad you can't vote in our election, but if you could I think our filled-in ballots would be twins! --Jim

Deb said...

Even if a couple could afford it, the woman would have to wear her arm in a plaster cast with one of those huge stones. Better still she could pay off the national debt of a small Middle Eastern nation.

Hels said...

Scopus

thank you. Like most young couples during WW2, parents had no money and only managed to buy a house because dad was an ex-serviceman and was entitled to great bank assistance. So they were very generous with their time and energy, with their children and their children's friends. I suppose the engagement ring was the only relic of value from their early years of marriage.

Hels said...

Hilary

I loved the 1963-69 era, the clothes and music and Women's Movement. It was so exciting, with lots of hopes for the future (that didn't necessarily come true). My first job in Melbourne was as psychologist in a Family Planning Clinic :) - how perfect was that?

Hels said...

Parnassus

when I read The 19 Biggest Engagement Rings in Celebrity History, it became obvious that the measure of a celebrity woman's fame was the size and cost of her engagement jewels. It didn't seem to matter than the marriage was awful and ended in misery.

And I agree that taste changes in everything, including in jewellery. Before writing my will, I took my sons around my beautiful treasures: antique porcelain and silver, books, furniture etc.. and they basically said "thank you but no thanks. Give it all to the National Gallery".

Hels said...

Parnassus

Happy New Year to all of us, Jews Christians Muslims and non-believers. It has been the most terrible 2020, with pandemic, hideous bushfires and very high unemployment, that we all need to survive, bounce back and enjoy a healthy life again.

Good luck getting all Americans to vote!

Hels said...

Deb

with so many families locked up and hungry, obscene spending on luxuries is even more offensive now than in normal times. And it is not as if the wearer can modestly hide the diamonds under a pair of gloves. Strangers would see 40 carats of diamonds coming from down the street!

Anonymous said...

Rather bad about you being fleeced by family. While pink diamonds would do nothing for me, blue diamonds certainly would. I didn't know who was behind De Beers. Thanks.

Hels said...

Andrew

I hadn't heard any men have an opinion on engagement and wedding jewellery, and was surprised and delighted when my beloved agreed to wear a plain wedding ring. But goodonya for being able to tell between the different colours that diamonds come in. I don't like the yellows, oranges and browns that look like light dirt and chemical impurities inside the jewels, but the pale blues and greens look fresh.

Luiz Gomes said...

Boa tarde. Todos lindos e maravilhos. O azul é o meu preferido. Bom sábado.

Pipistrello said...

Hels, that's just awful! I'm so sorry your family had a snake within ... I love ogling jewellery - the Cartier exhibition a couple of years ago in Canberra was a treat to visit - but some of these showpiece coloured diamonds and their attendant auction records don't hold the same allure. A gasp at the price and then I move on. To the eye of the everyday woman, ahem moi, if the stones get too big the presumption is Fake!

Hels said...

Luiz

you are like many other people who love the blue. But is so rare as to be almost impossible to find, let alone afford.

Hels said...

Pipistrello

because I loved gold and silver rather than precious stones, my taste in jewellery was a bit limited by the clever design of the precious metals. So gasping at the price and moving on was a very familiar habit here too :) Perhaps we mellow a bit in older age.

mem said...

I am so sorry that you had to experience the theft of precious items by someone you should g-have been able to trust . That is almost worse than the actual monetary loss. I remember well the amazing feeling of receiving my dear late MIL engagement ring which had been in the family for a long time when T and I got engaged. It was really especial that she just took off her hand and gave to him to give to me . I felt welcomed and appreciated. The stories that came with other pieces are also wonderful . The one of grandma Rose putting on her best clothes and ail her diamonds to sit and watch Liberace on TV is particularly cute . Apparently this wasn't an unusual event in the early days of TV .

Hels said...

mem

right... it was never about the value of the jewellery since people who got engaged and married during the war were lucky to have enough money to leave their parents' home, let alone afford luxuries. When my father was away for 2 years in the army, my mother worked in a munitions and explosives factory in Maribyrnong.

Your mother in law was a darling. She knew that engagement ring which had been in her family for a long time was a precious gift to you.

CherryPie said...

When I got married to Mr C my wedding ring was my paternal grandmothers ring. I have put on a bit of weight and now it does not fit. I need to sort that out!

Hels said...

CherryPie

your grandmother understood the importance of family heritage, bless her. Even if tastes change or fingers fatten, the love is what counts.

ARTnews said...

A 14.8-carat purple-pink fancy vivid diamond sold for $26.6 million with premium and set a record for a stone of its color at Sotheby’s in Geneva this week. Named after a Russian ballet from 1911, the Spirit of the Rose was won by an anonymous buyer. Before coming to the market, the gem was cut from a large pink crystal stone unearthed in Russia in 2017 by international diamond producer Alrosa, which is based in the country’s northeast region. It was the largest raw stone of its color ever found by the firm.

The price for Spirit of the Rose still comes well below the current record of $71.2 million paid for a colored diamond named CTF Pink Star which sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2017

Hels said...

Pure Envy,

thanks for reading the post. But no advertising please.

Pure Envy - Engagement Rings Adelaide | Wedding and Diamond Rings Adelaide | Adelaide Jewellery said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hels said...

Pure Envy,

I am glad you liked my post, but no advertising please.

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Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hels said...

gnjewellers

I am glad young women in Melbourne are still interested in engagement rings. But no advertising please.

Chris Palmer said...

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Hels said...

Chris

many thanks. I immediately created a link with your post.
https://palmerchris.blogspot.com/2022/03/most-popular-engagement-ring-trends-for.html

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Hels said...

siebkehoyt

thank you for the link. It is ironic that I now enjoy looking at diamond rings, given that when we got married, neither spouse nor I wanted an engagement right. Back in 1970 my mother assured me that I would event­ually come to love precious jewels, and she was correct.

I hope young couples in 2022 enjoy looking at your blog.

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Jewellers Workshop said...

I really like it whenever people come together and share thoughts. Great post, keep it up.

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Acredo said...

This is amazing information. I got inspired after reading this blog! Please keep posting such informative blogs. I am a designer and I want to design a lot of jewellery and sell it on the market.

Nokaoi Jewelers said...

Fine jewelry always have an inherent value no matter the size, especially after there are memories connected to them. These amazing rare stones that you've mentioned are surely very valuable, but your mother's ring in my opinion is equally valuable. Find amazingly designed beautiful custom engagement rings at NO KA 'OI Jewelers.

Hels said...

Ballard, South Shore, Greis, Jewellers, Acredo and Bichsel Jewelry I too love sharing thoughts, in my blog and in other peoples'. Thank you.

Varun Mishra said...

Great Blog. The story you shared was really heart touching. The designs you shared looks like latest diamond ring designs. Thanks for sharing such beautiful images.

Hels said...

Varun Mishra

I miss mum terribly. My parents had two good salaries but few savings, so I didn't expect much in the inheritance. But her diamond ring was so symbolic of her beauty and warmth, I really really wish the police and care home staff could have caught the thief red handed.

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Ricky Mesy said...

It's one of the best blog I have came through, keep sharing such updates.
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Hels said...

Ricky

I am not sure how long you have been working in this profession, but have you noticed a change in design, preference for particular stones and $ values over decades?

Eric Originals said...

Nice post !! i am looking for this kind of post from last many days thanks for share it with us. Here you can buy unique vintage engagement rings

Hels said...

Eric

when you refer to "vintage" or "antique" diamond rings, are you discussing the past eras in which the rings were actually made, or the old style that some modern rings hark back to.

Ricky Mesy said...

It's one of the best blog I have came through, keep sharing such updates.
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Hels said...

Ricky

welcome to the blog. I am particularly fascinated in history, and wrote a post this week about an ent­ire hoard of Elizabethan and early Stuart jew­ellery that you may be interested in.

https://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com/2022/11/cheapside-hoard-londons-stunning-jewels.html

faani said...

This is my first visit to your blog and I am quite impressed with your writing skills and the information that you have shared. I found here many offers and deal on buy gold bars in UK . Keep posting daily.

Hels said...

faani

many thanks. But writing two posts a week is already tiring enough :) And anyhow I don't think readers will tolerate _my_ passions more frequently.

Sell my Diamond Rings said...

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Hels said...

Diamond Rings

thank you. I wonder if my beloved late mother would have agreed with you back in 1969 :)

Ricky Mesy said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hels said...

Ricky

thank you for reading the post. But no advertising please.

Saumil Soni said...

Thank you for providing us with such a wonderful article about Best Engagement Rings in Adelaide. Thanks and keep sharing.

Hels said...

Saumil Soni

it is amazing how one's taste changes over the decades. I now think a one-carat diamond looks perfect in a classic solitaire setting.

Eric Originals said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hels said...

Thank you, Eric Originals

faani said...

If there was a choice on spending a lot of money on accessories or dresses, I always chose accessories. I think gold jewellery can change an outfit more than anything else.

Hels said...

faani

There is an interesting point, thank you! Mind you, when I got married spouse and I had no money between us, so it would have been a theoretical dilemma only :)

Allen Smith said...

Wow beautiful Gemstone Engagement Rings

Hels said...

Allen

Thank you. There is so much ugliness in the world just now, finding something beautiful is amazing.

gold jewellery app said...

Indian culture is full of beautiful jewellery that shows off centuries of tradition and skill. Consumers purchase a wide range of jewellery, from heavy to lightweight pieces. But, with the domestic market seeing the highest sone ka bhav in February 2023, there is a trend favouring the purchase of lightweight jewellery.

Hels said...

gold jewellery app

right! But I would have hoped that the trend favouring the purchase of lightweight jewellery was well and truly established these days. At least for normal young couples, as opposed to the very rich and famous.

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Hels said...

umair

designing a ring on line using a ring builder programme sounds very clever. In Sydney, which colour seems most popular and which size diamond suits young couples best?

Eric Originals said...

I love the unique character and history behind antique diamond ring. This post has inspired me to consider one for my own engagement."

Hels said...

Eric

thanks for reading the post. Your own post seems to have wonderful rings on display, even though some of them are way too complex for me. It is not the diamond in the centre that is overdone, but the decorative bands and smaller diamonds surrounding the big one. I am sure you are doing well.

Barbara Nimmo said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hels said...

Barbara N

I don't know what a washer necklace is, sorry.

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Littleton Fine Jewelry said...
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Hels said...

Littleton Fine Jewellery

the custom made engagement rings are indeed stunning. But no advertising please.

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Hels said...

Faux and Peter

why fake diamonds?

Hels said...

Anonymous

there are many testaments to enduring love... I would have been happy with a return ticket from Australia to London and Paris, or a stunning 17th century painting from Netherlands. But travel memories fade and paintings can lose their stunning colours. Diamonds on the other hand last forever and rings can be designed to meet very personal tastes.

Back in 1970, who would have heard a hippy say such a thing :)

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Hels said...

Rothschild Diamond

you are quite right about timeless elegance. Most things change every generation including clothes, music, furniture, architecture, hair dos etc etc but diamonds' elegance generally stands the test of time.