Indulge in ALL THINGS EXPENSIVE

Engagement Rings... To have and to hold :)

2006-08-26T01:40:00.002+08:00

It's been awhile since my last entry, so I figured, it's time for more ogling!

Here are my picks for engagement rings-- let's face it, given the choice, not everyone is satisfied with a solitaire (again I say this, given the choice!) The more creative, the better-- it adds more character to the ring, right? But hey, if the solitaire is a big stone-- the rule about "the bigger the better" totally works!
INDULGE!!

Fay Cullen light yellow diamond over 2 carats surrounded by white round diamonds, giving this ring that "sunburst" look. It's gorgeous. It better be. It's priced at US$15,000!

Fay Cullen cabochon emeralds and sapphires with a central Old european cut diamond over 2 carats. Another yummy ring with a unique character to it. I love cabochons and these are custom cut pieces made to fit the setting! US$12,000.

MS Rau Antiques captivating emerald with diamonds (Edwardian style) ring. Cabochon emerald stone is a stunning 4 carats, flanked by 2 old european cut diamonds each weighing over 1.5 carats. Price is stunning too, at US$44,500.

MS Rau Antiques 9.44 carat fancy intense yellow diamond ring (internally flawless) with over 1.20 carats of white diamonds as side stones transcends time. Nothing really beats big bling except a big colored diamond bling. This is certainly no exception. A huge rock like this merits bodyguards and an arm sling :D US$260,000.

SJ Phillips pear shaped ruby and diamond ring. This is a very unusual 2 stone ring, set with surrounding diamonds and calibre rubies. Priced at over £10,000.

Enjoy looking at the rings and I hope you find inspiration in them :)

PRINCESS MARGARET JEWELLERY + Other exquisite pieces at CHRISTIE'S

2006-05-29T23:41:00.000+08:00

Princess Margaret's jewels which are up for auction at Christie's in London, are on display at the Hong Kong Convention Centre from May 26 til the next few days, before it flies off again.

HK's South China Morning Post wrote a feat on the exhibit.The Very important royal jewellery-- The Poltimore Tiara, which can also be converted into a necklace, The Lady Mount Stephen diamond riviere that Princess Margaret's grandmother, Queen Mary gave to her,, and the 5-strand art deco pearl necklace are all on display as well. The George III diamond Maltese cross, as well as the pink topaz brooch, and the diamond monogram M brooch with coronet were also brought in.

I can be this sure, that the estimated prices on the catalogue, are definitely not the prices with which these precious jewels will be sold for, as sales such as this one usually command at least triple the price of the estimated amounts for each piece (such as the ruby earrings below that's estimated at US$12,700 *valued for the stones and workmanship only*) (and that number increases if the piece is more important historically *ie. if they were gifts from Princess Margaret's parents or if Queen Mary had worn the same piece before handing it over to the Princess-- like the Lady Mount Stephen/ Queen Mary riviere, which stones alone, are already estimated at £300,000!!)

Also other jewellery noteworthy (non royal) on display are ones that were brought in to Hong Kong for the London Important jewellery auction. This diamond cluster ring was extremely beautiful. I was lucky enough to inspect it up close and try it on for size. The ring was just breathtaking, and it's size, well, enough to make one gawk at it. Estimated to sell for about £10,000.

The turquoise suite is gorgeous as well. This is a signed piece of Van Cleef and Arpels, and is estimated to sell for at least £28,000.

For more information, check out Christie's for the jewellery auction calendar. HK auction is on June 1, and there are MANY exquisite pieces as well (if you are looking for large diamonds with D-G color, then you should park yourself in HK for that auction). And for a whiff of the Princess Margaret Jewellery, the auction is on June 13 in London.

Cheers and Happy Ogling. Hopefully someone among us would bid on one of those pieces and get to tell us the happy news of winning it!!

Good Luck!!

Royalty Perfect

2006-05-25T23:54:00.000+08:00

It is certainly no sin to dream. After all, some dreams do come true. Case in point, Princess Mary of Denmark, formerly known as Mary Donaldson of Australia. She was having drinks at a local pub when in walked the royal boys of Europe. Her beauty caught the eye of Prince Frederik. And a few years later, she became Crown Princess of her adopted country, Denmark.Being a royal has its perks, among them, unlimited (well at least we commoners think so) access to the royal jewel coffers *oh and what a privilege that is!* Case in point number 2: Princess Mary "inherited by marriage" the crown jewels of Queen Mother Ingrid-- when Queen Mom passed away, she bequeathed her ruby parure and tiara to Crown Prince Frederik's future bride. And voila, Princess Mary gets them :)

So this post is dedicated to Royalty. If I were given the opportunity to shop jewelry with a noblewoman (a Crown princess would be great), here are my choices.

Now, this necklace may come across as remarkably gaudy at first, but the longer I stared at it, the more beautiful it became. I love the cluster- fringe style of this necklace as well-- it's got that royal element going. SJ Phillips is selling this piece for over £40,000.

Another piece I would like to see, is this antique diamond fringe necklace which converts to a tiara. Again, this piece by SJ Phillips costs well over £40,000.

Here's an ornate tiara frame and floret necklace from Christie's auction house. The bid for this began at £20,000 which was a steal! (Unfortunately I didn't know how much the hammer price was for this exquisite piece). The florets as a tiara is beautiful!

And here's another diamond bib necklace fit for a princess, from Christie's.

A sapphire and diamond tiara from Bonham's, this was estimated to sell between£35,000 - £40,000.

Not to disappoint is yet another beautiful diamond necklace of unknown provenance.And of course, lastly the Poltimore Tiara (a Garrard signed piece), once owned by HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. This beauty is up for grabs now at the upcoming auction at Christie's London. Have moolah? Do bid! This stunning headpiece is in my opinion, priceless.

Enough eye candy for now. Til the next post! More jewels to come :)

Bling Em On with Brooches

2006-05-20T21:53:00.000+08:00

It would be nice to own an exquisite brooch or two-- you never know when you may need them. It would come in handy as a hair clip (yup, it works this way), or to add accent to a simple dress, giving it some oomph.

Here are my picks as noteworthy brooches.

A signed tiara brooch by Tiffany which was available at Estate Diamond Jewelry, is a very exquisite piece.

Rau's Antiques keeps churning out these awesome pieces, one of it, this approx. 7ct. blue sapphire pin with diamonds for US$36,000.

Here's another from EstateDiamondJewelry, and this ruby and diamond piece is so oddly familiar. It reminds me of one of the brooches of Empress Eugenie of France. This brooch is Victorian- French, and costs US$44,000.

In fact, here is a diamond brooch that actually once belonged to Empress Eugenie. Notice the similarity in the "spike" design indicative of this era.

So, invest in a good brooch because it can completely alter your look from simple to regal :)

More Jewellery... More Eye Candy

2006-05-16T22:16:00.000+08:00

There's nothing like Hong Kong when it comes to jewellery. Look at the beauty that jewellery stores like Mabros, Chow Tai Fook have to offer!

Huge rose cut diamonds surround this exquisite necklace, and all that bling!

And then there is Larry's Jewellery, which created this multi-color stoned bracelet. Just beautiful...

I am still reeling from a too-late-you-can-now-regret-not-buying cushion diamond ring (although I know for a fact I'd never be able to afford this anyway) from Rau Antiques which was 4 plus carats surrounded by blue sapphires, set in platinum.

Now, if you have a cool US$ 1.4 Million to spend, this ring is something you might want to consider-- the ring consists of a pear shaped 4.71 ct purplish- pink diamond. Again, you can buy this from Rau Antiques.

Or if you would like to own a piece of signed jewellery, try this diamond fringe necklace by Van Cleef and Arpels.

A Cartier bracelet with this much diamonds (totalling approximately 24 carats) is not too shabby either.

(Credits: Signed pieces from SjPhillips)

There is by the way, a pair of gorgeous emerald cut diamonds weighing a total carat weight of 10.07 waiting for the person with the moolah at Jul B. Dizon Jewellery Salon at Manila Peninsula Hotel. Priced at Php 6,300,000. (Yup, that's a cool Six Million Pesos)

Interesting eBay find + A Local Joallerie Offering

2006-05-05T13:25:00.000+08:00

I'm honestly not one to recommend making a jewellery purchase on the internet, much more on eBay, what with all the con artists waiting to pounce on innocent people with purchasing power. But if these things I am posting are indeed what the items look like in reality, then hey, what's a little gamble (especially if money is no object). Besides, all one has to do is make sure that the seller has plenty good feedback and that there is a "physical" address and phone number with which they can call. Also, email one of their past clients at random and ask about their experience (be sure you email a "buyer" who has plenty feedback as well). Better yet, check with the Better Business Bureau. If they have no pending cases, then you might just have gotten yourself a good seller.

Seller paseoauction has this lovely Bib Style Edwardian necklace with 6 carats total weight of diamonds and a 3 carat emerald pendant drop. I wish though, that the emerald was a polished (but unfaceted) briolette rather than a faceted teardrop. Nevertheless, this is such a stunning piece for US$ 8,367.00

ATTENTION JEWELLERY AFFICIONADOS IN MANILA: I've just been informed that Jul B. Dizon Jewellery Salon at Edsa Shangrila Hotel (Mandaluyong) is carrying a 5ct ea. Emerald cut diamond stud earrings (total carat weight 10.52!) at the cost of Php 3,200,000 (approx US$62,500) *I'm sure it's still negotiable. Both stones have been identified as having K color.

Jul B. Dizon Jewellery Salon also has a 1.54 ct Cushion shaped old mine brilliant cut diamond with GIA certification-- G color, VS2 clarity. If you know someone who is planning to propose to his girlfriend, let him know of this stone. It's not often that ladies here in Manila get proposed to with a cushion old miner diamond :)

ANTIQUE JEWELLERY

2006-05-01T07:11:00.000+08:00

Welcome to Tresormakati's VERY FIRST post on ALLTHINGSEXPENSIVE.BLOGSPOT.COM

If there is the Robb Report Magazine for men, there is allthingsexpensive.blogspot.com for women. I may never afford anything I post here, but who said it's a sin to imagine?

If you have an imaginative mind, then you will enjoy this blog, just like I enjoy writing for it. So without further ado, I present to you, all things expensive. Women can never be too educated (you know what I mean). So ENJOY, and INDULGE!!

ANTIQUE JEWELRY:

Cushion Cut diamond cluster earrings by MS Rau Antiques (New Orleans). Cushion cut diamonds (old miner) have much more character than brilliant cut stones. This particular pair of cushions totals 3.07 cts. and are surrounded by 28 smaller round diamonds which total 0.56 cts. The cushion diamonds are both I color, SI1 clarity. Price: US$ 23,000.

Lang Antiques in San Francisco currently have this gorgeous diamond fringe necklace in their collection. Circa 1890, there are 206 total diamonds in this piece with a total of 11.30 carats, between F to I in color, and VS- SI in clarity. At US$27,500 you will surely feel every inch a princess when you wear this. Incidentally, you can also have your local jeweller make a frame for this piece, converting it into a tiara.

Your joallerie collection cannot be complete without a ring. This brilliant cut round diamond ring, acquired by SJ Phillips, weighs 2.77 carats, and is millegrain collet- set to a surround of calibre emeralds. The ring itself has diamond- set shoulders. Approximate cost for this exceptional piece is between UK £10,000 to £20,000.

Speaking of emeralds, a relatively inexpensive yet stunning piece by Fay Cullen comes to mind. This exquisite pair of Georgian earrings with rose-cut diamonds and emerald pebble beads are antique- style, and are set in silver- topped 18k yellow gold. They have screw-back posts for a more secure fit. Priced at US$1,900 (Marked down from original price of US $3,250).

More "fashion" than "fine", this is also a really nice enamel necklace in rose gold from Antique Jewelry Exchange. Circa 1920s, this necklace would look so good with a crisp white shirt. It may not be defined as "fine jewelry", but I am bowled over it because it is so casual, and yet it can be worn for a dressier event. The price is also quite reasonable at US$695.

There will be more beautiful pieces featured on this post. Your comments are greatly appreciated, so please do not hesitate to leave one! If you also have suggestions on what we should post, we would love to hear it!