Big diamonds surpass estimates at Heritage auction in Texas

This platinum ring featuring an 18.4-carat, emerald-cut center stone, was the top lot in Heritage Auctions' Dec. 14 sale. The center stone is enhanced by triangle-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 5 carats.

January 3, 2011 Dallas—The old phrase "Everything is bigger in Texas" certainly held true in terms of diamonds last month when large stones took center stage at the Signature Fine Jewelry Auction hosted by Heritage Auctions.

The Dec. 14 auction in Dallas yielded more than $4.2 million in jewelry sales, with an 18.4-carat diamond and platinum ring leading the way, fetching $388,375, more than double its $175,000 pre-sale estimate.

According to Jill Burgum, director of jewelry at Heritage, the auction "was all about certified diamonds ranging in sizes from 3 carats up to 18 carats, and our clients clearly responded to the selection."

Additional highlights included the sale of a diamond, platinum and gold ring realizing $239,000 (estimated at $150,000-plus); plus the sale of two rings each realizing $167,300: a diamond and platinum ring, and a colorless diamond, platinum and gold ring featuring a 10.62-carat fancy yellow internally flawless diamond.

A second colorless diamond, fancy yellow diamond, platinum and gold ring fetched $89,625 during the auction, while the same price was realized for a platinum ring set with an 11.59-carat, pear-shaped diamond. Another item of note, a platinum and gold ring set with a 8.73-carat, round brilliant-cut diamond, was sold for $149,375 to benefit Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

PEOPLES CHOICE AWARDS

People's Choice award winner Taylor Swift stepped out in Amrapali blackened gold and diamond drop earrings for the Jan. 5 event. She wore the earrings with a bangle bracelet and ring from Neil Lane.

Los Angeles—It was a night of power pairings when celebrities convened for the People's Choice Awards last week, with earring and cocktail ring duos, or earring and bangle bracelet combinations, ruling the red carpet.

A number of stars, including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Minka Kelly and Kaley Cuoco, wore all three styles at once, sporting earrings, a ring, and a bracelet or two.

Country star Swift, the People's Choice winner for Favorite Country Artist, donned blackened gold and diamond drop earrings from Amrapali, paired with a coral and gold bangle and pearl and gold ring from Neil Lane.

Fellow teen queen Selena Gomez (top) hit the red carpet in a similar trifecta of jewelry: green amethyst and diamond drop earrings from Tresor's "Interchangeable" collection, a 14-karat gold and sterling silver bracelet with diamonds from Alwand Vahan and a pink quartz, rose de France amethyst, citrine, garnet and diamond "Melange" ring (above) from Brumani.

Kelly and Cuoco both turned to Neil Lane for their People's Choice baubles. Kelly, formerly of Friday Night Lights and next up in the film The Roommate, wore drop earrings, which she paired with bangles and a ring, all featuring colored diamonds set into gold. Cuoco, who stars in CBS's The Big Bang Theory, selected gold and pearl chandelier earrings from the designer, matched with a gold and pearl bangle and ring.

Additional trends spotted on the red carpet included plenty of diamond and platinum designs and blackened metal pieces. Actresses Kate Walsh, Malin Akerman and Autumn Reeser all went with the classic red-carpet combo, looking to designer Neil Lane for platinum and diamond rings and bracelets.

Meanwhile, People's Choice attendees selecting blackened or oxidized metal designs included reality star Kourtney Kardashian (above) in Amrapali diamond starburst earrings; Queen Latifah in M.C.L. by Matthew Campbell Laurenza bangles and earrings; Ashley Benson of Pretty Little Liars in Sutra rose-cut diamond earrings and Benson's co-star Lucy Hale, in Amrapali gold and diamond designs.

Hale (above) made sure that necklaces weren't ignored for the evening, as she sported a glam diamond and blackened gold necklace with her diamond bangle bracelet and drop earrings. Kim Kardashian, too, changed up the status quo for the evening, wowing in an 18-karat yellow gold square link necklace from Rina Limor.

Photos: Courtesy of D'Orazio & Associates

GOLDEN GLOBES SPOTLIGHT

Actress Scarlett Johansson, a Golden Globes presenter, was just one of many actresses to sport diamond stud earrings and bracelets for the evening's festivities. The jewels Johannson wore, set in platinum, were from Van Cleef & Arpels.

January 18, 2011 Beverly Hills—From gowns in a rainbow of pinks to emerald green, one-shoulder sheaths to full-length sleeves, the fashions on display at Sunday night's 68th Golden Globe Awards revealed a number of key trends. For jewelry, it seemed that most stylists and their stars received a similar style memo: choose either simple earlobe-hugging earrings or large, nearly shoulder-grazing pairs, matched with a bracelet or two.

Golden Globes winner Claire Danes, recognized for her role in the HBO miniseries Temple Grandin, went this route, pairing a yellow gold and diamond cuff with small diamond and platinum drop earrings, all from Fred Leighton. Black Swan actress Mila Kunis, one of a handful of stars to wear emerald green to the Globes, went with a bracelet and earring combo, too, selecting a yellow gold and diamond cuff and diamond stud earrings from Lorraine Schwartz. And Mad Men's January Jones, who wowed in a barely there Versace, was another actress to go the popular jewelry silhouette, selecting diamond and platinum column earrings and a trio of diamond and platinum bangle bracelets from Neil Lane.

Meanwhile, right-hand rings don't show any sign of going out of fashion, as quite a few stars topped off their earrings and bracelet combinations with a ring—or a few. Annette Bening, one of the evening's big winners for her role in The Kids Are All Right, wore a diamond and black onyx cuff bangle, diamond cluster earrings and two diamond cocktail rings. Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose husband Michael Douglas presented the final award of the night, looked to Van Cleef & Arpels for her "Crescendo" diamond bracelet, "Laureen" diamond ring and "Eliza" earrings, the latter featuring 26.8 carats total weight of round-, pear- and marquis-shaped diamonds. Presenter Jennifer Lopez went with a jewelry trio, too: a diamond cuff with over 600 diamonds, plus cluster earrings and a diamond suspension ring, all in platinum from Harry Winston.

Necklaces were fewer on the evening's stage, but they did get some very high-profile exposure. Natalie Portman, Golden Globe winner for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, accessorized her strapless Viktor & Rolf gown with a multi-row diamond necklace set in platinum, topped off with oval diamond stud earrings in platinum and a diamond ring in 18-karat white gold, all from Tiffany & Co. Presenters Helen Mirren and Kaley Cuoco hit the stage in necklaces, too, with Mirren wearing a platinum and cascading diamond necklace from Cartier, and Cuoco donning a 29-carat oval-shape diamond necklace in platinum from Chopard.






Unique diamonds, from rough stones to Ashokas, plus colored gemstones, also made their mark on the red carpet. Glee's Heather Morris wore Diamonds in the Rough's "Orielle" drop earrings and a bangle bracelet, both featuring natural rough diamonds, while Boardwalk Empire's Kelly Macdonald (above left) sported an Ashoka diamond ring and 18-karat rose gold earrings (above right) set with "rustic diamonds" from Martin Katz. Gabourey Sidibe looked to designer Martin Katz, also, but for colored gemstones. The actress wore a pair of the designer's oval amethyst earrings microset with 422 diamonds and 357 amethysts. Other Golden attendees sporting colored gemstones included Maria Menounos (below left) in Adeler South Sea pearl earrings and a smokey and pink quartz Brumani ring (below right) with diamonds, plus actress Jennifer Love Hewitt in Le Vian chocolate diamond and topaz rings.