Shawish unveiled the startling ring at the prestigious 2012 Baselworld Watch and Jewelry show in March 2012, almost a year after the bold Swiss jewelers copyrighted the all-diamond ring. Between securing the copyright and showing the unique ring, Shawish jewelers perfected the laser sculpting technique which let them carve the ring from a single stone while preserving its integrity.

​”Diamonds are made of carbon and molecules that can change. Even the color can be altered when attempting to cut it,” said Mohamed Shawish, president of the eponymous luxury jewelry house.

“A ring made entirely of a faceted diamond has always seemed like a fantasy,” but now that it’s a reality, Shawish is deservedly proud.​ “To create the perfect diamond ring is the epitome of art.” ​

People who’ve seen it up close agree, calling it “utterly incredible and breathtakingly beautiful.”  With no metal band to soak up the light, the ultimate engagement ring scintillates with “fantastic light flashes and sparkle.”

Compared to Kim Kardashian’s 20 carat ring or even Liz Taylor’s amazing 33 carat fantasia, the Shawish ring is clearly in a class by itself.

Which leaves us wondering.  With an asking price of $70 million, who’s going to buy the all-diamond ring?  And what if you bought it and it was the wrong size?

While Hollywood pretends the Oscars are about films, America knows better.  It’s a night for trend-spotting in couture, makeup, hairstyles and, of course, jewelry.

This outing, we saw a return to classic diamond jewelry.  Case in point: Angelina Jolie.  You may have been watching her leg or her beau, but we noticed the 2012 presenter was decked out in Simon G.

And how about Sheila Shah?  Did you love her deep plum gown? Or were you swooning, like us, over her accessories from Ritani?

We don’t have Angelina or Sheila on our website, but you can find our collections of designer jewelry including from Simon G jewelry and Ritani.  Take a peek!

Remember the “Sun Drop Diamond, ” a fancy vivid yellow 110.3 carat sparkler that sold for over $10.9 million in November 2011?  And maybe you saw Mariah Carey or Jennifer Lopez (left) showing off their colored diamond rings. It’s gotta make you wonder whether a colored diamond would be right for your ring!

With polished diamond prices moving up steadily — 19% last year alone — and colored diamonds commanding top dollar because of their rarity, some are saying a blue, pink or yellow diamond engagement ring might the best investment you’ll ever make.

Our take?  We think you should select a diamond because it’s beautiful and makes you feel good.  On that score, colored diamonds are a great choice.  But when it comes to investments, we suggest you ask a qualified financial advisor whether colored diamonds — or any diamonds — belong in your investment portfolio.

To talk diamonds, call us at 516-357-8888 or visit our Uniondale showroom at 364 RXR Plaza, Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, NY 11556.  You’d be most welcome!

Gemologists had rated it fancy, vivid yellow – the highest possible color grading. Yellow diamonds are created by nitrogen impurities trapped within carbon molecules and hardened over millions of years. (Read more about measuring a diamond’s value.)

According to Sotheby’s, the Sun-Drop Diamond sale in Geneva’s Beau-Rivage hotel set “a record for a yellow diamond at auction.”

At Delmonte-Smelson, we set records, too — for service, selection and quality. Visit us for the Holidays and choose from designer jewelry by Hearts on Fire, Simon G, KC Designs, Ritani, VeRado, Hot Diamonds and SilveRado among others.

Zipper necklace inspired by Wallis Simpson

Have you ever wished for a ring or maybe a necklace made to your own design? In the 1930s, Wallis Simpson, the colorful Duchess of Windsor did just that and asked the French jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels to make her dream come true.

The Duchess’ unique design wasn’t actually produced until 1951, when Van Cleef & Arpels stunned the world with its iconic zipper necklace. Adorned with diamonds and jewels, its working golden zipper transforms the necklace into a stunning bracelet when zipped.

The remarkable zipper necklace is at once fine jewelry — Van Cleef exhibited four new versions at the 2011 Paris Haute Couture shows — and fine art. The new versions were featured in Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, which ran through June 2011.

The jewelry you’ve dreamed about may not make it to Paris or the Cooper-Hewitt, but it can come true, more affordably than you think!

Like Van Cleef & Arpels, Delmonte-Smelson Jewelers has designers on staff who can translate your design, produce artistic renderings (interpretive drawings) for your approval, and craft fit-for-royalty custom jewelry just for you. And it won’t cost you a Duchess’s Dowry!

To get started on a custom ring, necklace or other jewelry for yourself or a truly unique and personal gift for a loved one, visit our Custom Designs page to learn more, then Schedule an Appointment. Or just give us a call: (516) 357-8888.

If you enjoyed this article, you might like to watch Van Cleef & Arpels video on YouTube: The iconic Zip necklace revisited for the Haute Couture Week.

HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE PERFECTION?

LIKE LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, SOMETIMES YOU JUST KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT.

Hearts On Fire captures that intensity and presents it to you in a diamond like no other, for the person like no other. The quality and integrity of Hearts On Fire diamonds make them the perfect expression of the intensity of your feelings.

A RARE SENSE OF CRAFT

The Hearts On Fire story begins with only the rarest diamond crystals, selected from less than 1% of the world’s gem quality rough diamonds and chosen from conflict-free sources.

These rough diamond crystals are then touched by only the best hands. Artisans whose talents and skills meet Hearts On Fire’s exacting standards are as rare as the diamonds themselves. Fewer than 400 master diamond cutters are qualified to create a Hearts On Fire diamond, and only 100 can create the patented, square cut Dream® diamond.

While most manufacturers use a 10X magnification process, Hearts On Fire artisans cut and polish our diamonds by hand at 100X magnification using unique, vibration-free cutting techniques and imaging software. That’s 10 times the global industry standard.

Our master craftsmen take four times longer to cut and polish our diamonds, taking the time to create a brilliant, breathtaking work of art. One as unique and valued as the person receiving it.

A PERFECT SETTING. A PIVOTAL MOMENT.

The World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond deserves an equally extraordinary stage. Our diamonds are placed in exquisite settings to showcase the diamond’s brilliance and intensity.

Whether you are looking for an Engagement Ring, Earrings, Pendant or Right Hand Ring, there is a spectacular Hearts On Fire design for everyone.

A CUT ABOVE

Of the 4Cs – cut, clarity, color, and carat weight – cut is the only characteristic under man’s control. It is also the most important attribute in revealing the diamond’s most intense beauty.

When a diamond is perfectly cut, the natural phenomenon of light magically appears. This scintillation creates a ring of flawlessly matched hearts when viewed from the bottom and a brilliant, eight-pointed Fireburst® that can be seen across the top, hence our rather unique name.

Any extraneous rough crystal is cut away to ensure that every Hearts On Fire and Dream diamond becomes a true work of art. The Most Perfectly Cut Diamond In The World® displays ultimate fire, sparkle, and brilliance every time to look larger and sparkle more than ordinary diamonds, reflecting light in gleaming white and all seven colors of the rainbow.

Even in candlelit settings, a Hearts On Fire diamond can be seen radiantly dancing from 10 tables away.

This is the easiest of the 4Cs to determine: The loose diamond is weighed on a calibrated scale. (A carat equals 1/5 of a gram or 1/142 of an ounce.) Each carat is divided into points; each point represents 1/100th of a carat. So, a “half carat stone” contains fifty points.

As diamonds increase in size, their cost tends to increase geometrically. Thus, a one-carat diamond will cost considerably more than twice as much as a one-half carat stone of equal quality. But carat weight can be very misleading. For example, a diamond might have far greater brilliance and more value if more of it were cut away, and it consequently weighed less. Diamonds of equal carat weights can have huge disparities in price.

Some diamond shapes, like the cushion cut, do not really lend themselves to small stones, whereas even a small round brilliant stone can be very striking. You can decide what diamond size will work best for you and your budget by balancing carat weight against the other characteristics.

Clarity is the evaluation of a diamond’s internal and external characteristics. The fewer inclusions or blemishes, the more desirable the diamond. (Inclusions are inside the diamond; blemishes are on the outside of the diamond.) To locate most of these tiny characteristics, a jeweler will use a ten power microscope, then, evaluating the size, location, nature, number, and color of all the inclusions and blemishes, a clarity grade is assigned. This characteristic is more than cosmetic; a heavily included diamond can be susceptible to breakage.

There are six main categories:

Flawless (FL): Extremely rare. No inclusions or blemishes.

Internally Flawless (IF): No inclusions and only minor blemishes.

Very Very Slightly Included (VVS): Very minute inclusions seen under scope.

Very Slightly Included (VS): Minor inclusions seen under scope.

Slightly Included (SI): Noticeable inclusions seen under scope and a small percentage visible to the naked eye.

Included: Significant inclusions seen with the naked eye. Notice that inclusions are visible to the naked eye only in the I grade.

In most cases, there’s no link between clarity and beauty.

Color for white diamonds can vary from colorless (“D” grade and exceedingly rare) to light yellow (“Z” ). Most diamonds possess some degree of yellow or brown. Small, nearly undetectable, differences in color can make a substantial difference in a diamond’s cost. Generally, the more colorless the diamond the greater its value. If a diamond is well cut, and this is especially true with the round brilliant cut, the diamond’s refraction and dispersion often will disguise certain degrees of coloration.

A stone with a color rating near the bottom of the alphabet may benefit from a yellow gold setting instead of a platinum or a white gold setting. Stones that possess more color than a “Z” rating may be prized as a Fancy (Yellow or Brown or Red or Blue, etc.).