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Author: Jeraldde
Jewelry Glendale Strange Inheritance
Here’s a quiz: What do Vivien Leigh’s necklace from Gone with the Wind, Elizabeth Taylor’s serpent bracelet in Cleopatra and the earrings worn by Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes all have in common? They were all created by Eugene Joseff’s design studio under the brand name Joseff of Hollywood.
These and other memorable pieces from Joseff’s workshop are the subject of tonight’s episode of Strange Inheritance, a primetime reality series on the FOX Business Network (FBN).
For many decades, Joseff’s firm fabricated — but only rented — costume jewelry to the movie studios, and as each production wrapped up, the jewelry would be returned to the jeweler and secured in a vault. Over many decades, that collection grew to more than 200,000 items.
Joseff died in 1948, and his widow, Joan, passed away in 2010 at the age of 98. All the “screen gems” were inherited by Joan’s daughter-in-law, Tina Joseff, and Joan’s grandchildren.
Five hundred high-profile items from Joseff’s collection were put on the block at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills this past November — netting the heirs just under $2 million. Among the biggest-ticket items were the Monroe earrings ($90,000), Leigh necklace ($45,000) and Clark Gable cigar box from Gone With the Wind($31,000).
A former ad man from Chicago, Eugene Joseff moved to southern California in 1928. Although he “dabbled in jewelry,” according to Tina, Joseff’s entry into the jewelry field stemmed from an off-the-cuff remark he made to a friend in the movie business.
“He noted that in a period film the star was wearing a gorgeous gown — period correct – but also a modern necklace. He just thought that was the worst thing ever – and that he could do better,” Tina explains to show host Jamie Colby in Monday’s episode.
He soon got a chance to display his talents when a Hollywood studio needed baubles for a bunch of dancers. It was Friday and the order had to be filled by the following Monday. Nobody wanted the job — except for Joseff.
Joseff fulfilled the request with flying colors and eventually became Tinseltown’s crown jeweler.
FBN noted that film buffs will likely recognize a number of the Joseff of Hollywood creations, including the Bette Davis tiara from The Virgin Queen, the Shelley Winters teardrop pendant necklace from South Sea Sinner and the Katharine Hepburn necklace of faux diamonds, rubies and pearls from Mary of Scotland. Viewers will also get a peek at the crown Shirley Temple wore in The Little Princess and a necklace that Greta Garbo wore in Camille.
Strange Inheritance chronicles the bizarre artifacts and outrageous stories related to inheritances from people and places from coast to coast. The “Screen Gems” episode airs Monday, March 12, at 9PM/ET. In the photo, top, host Colby interviews Tina Joseff.
Credits: Jamie Colby/Tina Joseff image courtesy of FOX Business Network. Screen captures via foxbusiness.com.
Snake Ring Jewelry Glendale
The bejeweled snake ring that outlaw Clyde Barrow crafted in prison for the love of his life and partner in crime, Bonnie Parker, is the subject of Monday’s episode of Strange Inheritance, a primetime reality series on the FOX Business Network (FBN).
Monday’s episode titled “Crime Ring” recounts the story of legendary Texas sheriff Smoot Schmid and a ring that was recovered from a bullet-riddled ’33 Ford Model B after his shootout with the Bonnie & Clyde gang.
The legendary couple fled on foot, escaping the police ambush despite wounds to their legs from the bullets that passed through the car. The failed ambush would be known as the “Sowers Raid.”
Left behind in the vehicle were a number of personal items, including a silver-tone promise ring in the shape of a three-headed snake. The heads of the snakes were punctuated with green and red jewels. Schmid and his associates kept the items for themselves and hid them away.
Jewelry expert David Bellman speculated that the snake ring may have been crafted in 1930 while Barrow was incarcerated at Eastham Prison Farm near Huntsville, Texas. The ring bears his personal trademark, an arrow passing through the musical note “B.”
According to FBN, many years later, the sheriff’s heirs, Debbie Daily and Diana Knowlton, stumbled across their grandfather’s scrapbook of crime scene photos, mug shots of Bonnie and Clyde, news clippings about the failed Sowers Raid, as well as original arrest warrants and a letter written by Bonnie and signed by Clyde. They also found an inventory list with one item in particular that caught their attention: a ring with three silver snakes. They searched for the ring for days and finally found it in the back of their grandfather’s closet.
When they were ready to sell their grandfather’s Bonnie and Clyde loot, Daily and Knowlton contacted RR Auction executive Bobby Livingston in New Hampshire. The auction took place in June of 2017, and the Bonnie Parker ring, Lot 2039, netted $25,000.
Although Bonnie and Clyde were never formally engaged, the three-headed snake promise ring remains a powerful symbol of two of America’s highest-profile antiheroes.
Hosted by FBN’s Jamie Colby, the Strange Inheritance series chronicles the stories of inheritances from people and places from coast to coast. The show airs Monday, March 5, at 9PM/ET. In the photo, top, host Jamie Colby holds the “Crime Ring” as she interviews RR Auction executive Bobby Livingston.
Credits: Top image courtesy of FOX Business Network. Jewelry images courtesy of RR Auction; Bonnie and Clyde photo by one of the Barrow gang [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Engagement Rings Glendale Report
Bridal couples are opting for less-formal wedding receptions, inviting fewer people, but spending more per guest, according to The Knot’s 11th annual “Real Weddings Study.” They’re also seeking out non-traditional wedding venues and pushing back on time-honored traditions, such as tossing the bouquet.
We also learned that the engagement ring — at $5,764 — remains the second-highest-priced item on the list of wedding expenses, with the reception venue claiming the top spot at $15,163. Interestingly, The Knot also defined a sub-group of “high spenders,” whose wedding expenses exceeded $60,000 in 2017. Of that group, the average price of the engagement ring was $13,933.
The Knot, which surveyed nearly 13,000 U.S. brides and grooms married in 2017, reported that the average total cost of a wedding (excluding the honeymoon) is $33,391, which is down about $2,000 compared to the all-time high tallied in 2016.
“Weddings in 2017 showed us that couples are focused on guests, as we see them pulling out all the stops to create a truly memorable experience for their wedding attendees,” said Kristen Maxwell Cooper, editor in chief of The Knot. “Couples are also shifting away from formal affairs to create an experience that’s truly reflective of their personalities, and infusing more unique and unconventional ideas—from their venue and invitations to food, entertainment and more.”
Other key findings from the survey include the following:
• Most Expensive Place to Get Married: Manhattan, $76,944
• Least Expensive Place to Get Married: New Mexico, $17,584
• Average Spent on a Wedding Dress: $1,509
• Average Marrying Age: Bride, 29.2; Groom, 30.9
• Average Number of Guests: 136
• Average Number of Bridesmaids: 5
• Average Number of Groomsmen: 5
• Most Popular Month to Get Engaged: December (16%)
• Average Length of Engagement: 14 months
• Most Popular Months to Get Married: September (16%), June (15%) and October (14%)
• Popular Wedding Colors: Ivory/Champagne (37%), Dark Blue (32%) and Gold (30%)
• Percentage of Destination Weddings: 25% (compared to 20% in 2016 and 15% in 2015)
The average number of wedding guests in 2017 is down to 136, compared to 149 in 2009, while the cost per wedding guest reached an all-time high at $268 (up from $194 in 2009), according to the survey. Couples are looking to create the ultimate guest experience with photo booths, sparklers, selfie stations, games, musical performances, wine and liquor tastings, magicians and more.
Since 2009, formal/black-tie weddings have decreased from 20% to 16%, and ceremonies hosted in a religious institution have dropped significantly, from 41% in 2009 to 22% in 2017. Meanwhile, outdoor ceremonies accounted for 52% of all weddings in 2017, an increase from 39% in 2009.
As couples look for more unique, unconventional places to host their weddings, farm, barn and ranch reception venues increased from 2% in 2009 to 15% in 2017, and the number of weddings taking place in historic homes rose from 12% in 2009 to 14% in 2017. Banquet halls dropped (from 27% in 2009 to 17% in 2017), as did hotels and resorts (from 18% in 2009 to 12% in 2017) and country clubs (from 13% in 2009 to 10% in 2017). Other nontraditional reception sites on the rise include beach houses, wineries, rooftops, museums and parks.
The Knot also noted that some time-honored wedding reception traditions are seeing a decline, with fewer than half (49%) of brides opting to toss a bouquet (down from 53% in 2016) and only 37% of grooms choosing to toss a garter (down from 41% in 2016). Even the ubiquitous cake-cutting is seeing a bit of a push-back with 85% of couples in 2017 saying that it was part of their ceremony (down from 88% in 2016).
On the other hand, bridal couples said it was still important to infuse their heritage, culture and/or religion into their special day. Twenty-one percent of couples incorporated a traditional cultural element, including a Chinese tea ceremony, Irish bagpipers, Moroccan belly dancers and traditional Hindu ceremonies.
On average, the bride’s parents contributed 45% of the overall wedding budget, the bride and groom contributed 41% and the groom’s parents contributed 13%. (“Others” accounted for the remaining 1%.) In 2017, 10% of couples paid for the wedding entirely by themselves, and 9% of couples didn’t contribute any finances to the wedding expenses. Exactly 45% said that they went over their budgets.
These were the average costs of key bridal services in 2017: reception band ($4,019), photographer ($2,630), florist/décor ($2,379), ceremony site ($2,311), wedding/event planner ($1,988), videographer ($1,912), wedding dress ($1,509), rehearsal dinner ($1,285), reception DJ ($1,231), transportation ($830), ceremony musicians ($761), wedding cake ($540), invitations ($408), groom’s attire and accessories ($286), officiant ($284), favors ($252) and wedding day hair stylist ($119). Catering averaged $70 per person.
The 2017 Real Weddings Study is based on the responses from nearly 13,000 U.S. brides and grooms married between January 1 and December 31, 2017.
Credits: Image by BigStockPhoto.com. Infographics courtesy of The Knot.
Lost Bridal Jewelry Glendale
A United Airlines pilot traveled 2,500 miles to hand-deliver a bridal set to a traveler who had lost her precious cargo while hurrying aboard a flight in New Jersey. Not only did the pilot “go the extra mile” to deliver the jewelry, but he also included a heartwarming personalized note.
The viral story took an incredible turn when it was later revealed that the traveler was Brit Morin, the founder and CEO of Brit + Co, the lifestyle media company that boasts 130 million users.
On Twitter, Morin wrote: “I lost my wedding/engagement rings last week somewhere between New York and Jackson Hole. A @United gate agent found it, put it in a safe, and then gave it to a pilot to HAND-DELIVER it back to me in SF. I have a newfound faith in humanity and airlines. Thanks United.”
Morin outlined the details of her incredible story at Brit’s Blog, a popular feature at Brit.co.
Morin is a frequent guest on ABC’s Good Morning America. While in New York shooting a segment for GMA on February 8, Morin had taken off her rings, explaining, “I always do this — it feels odd having a giant camera zoomed in
After the GMA appearance, Morin was scheduled to meet her family in Jackson Hole, Wyo., for a ski vacation. The GMA segment ran late and Morin found herself rushing to make a flight at nearby Newark International Airport.
She packed her rings in a carry-on bag and made it to the gate just in time.
But, since she had gotten there later than all the other passengers, there was no overhead storage available. She quickly transferred her rings to a small toiletry bag and jammed it inside her purse. The larger carry-on bag was tagged and sent below.
Imagine Morin’s horror when she got to her final destination in Jackson Hole and realized that the engagement ring and wedding band were gone.
“Panicked, I searched all of my bags — my toiletry bag, my purse, and my suitcase — at least a dozen times, beginning to fear that the worst may have happened,” she wrote. “It must have fallen out somewhere during the suitcase transfer. I must not have zipped my toiletry bag all the way. Oh, dear god, how was I going to tell my husband? (The bigger irony? We got married in Jackson Hole nearly seven years ago, and now here we were back in a town that symbolizes our eternal love and I had no physical symbol of that love on my finger.)”
Fearing that she may never see her rings again, Morin went on the United Airlines website and filed a lost-items claim.
Meanwhile, back in New Jersey, a United Airlines gate agent had found the rings on the jet bridge. She immediately put them in a safe pending the identity of the owner.
When she learned that the owner had come forward, the agent handed the rings to United Airlines pilot Captain Jim Moorey, who was happy to ferry the rings 2,500 miles to San Francisco, where Morin lives with her family.
On February 15, Moorey hand-delivered the rings to Morin, along with a personal note that read, “From day to day, I take pride in getting passengers from point A to point B safely and on time. Today, I’m happy to be able to be part of a team focused on making just one individual happy.”
“I was ELATED,” wrote Morin. “I expected them to shoot me over a FedEx or UPS tracking number, but instead they informed me they would be HAND-DELIVERING them back to me. I couldn’t believe it.”
Credits: Ring photo, Brit Morin photo via Twitter.com/brit/; Aircraft photo by United Airlines.
Twinfinity Glendale Jewelry store
Identical twins Brittany and Briana Deane shouted “Yes” as identical twins Josh and Jeremy Salyers popped the question at Twin Lakes State Park in Virginia on February 2 (2/2/18). The simultaneous surprise marriage proposals — complete with “twinfinity” rings for both brides-to-be — were featured on the Valentine’s Day installment of Inside Edition.
The gals from Virginia and the guys from Tennessee had met last August at The Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. The 31-year-old Deane twins and the 34-year-old Salyers twins admit that it was love at first sight.
“It was one of the most magical moments,” Briana told DelawareOnline.com. “For me, it went in slow motion, like a movie. We all believe in soulmates and we all felt that instant connection.”
Interestingly, older siblings Jeremy and Briana established an immediate bond, as did younger siblings Brittany and Josh.
When they got home from the festival, the girls had a message waiting for them. The boys said they couldn’t wait to see them again and the girls responded, “Why wait until next year?” That next weekend, Josh and Jeremy drove from Tennessee to Virginia to see the girls.
“The rest,” the girls wrote on HowHeAsked.com, “is (a double) history.”
“Ever since we were little girls, we have always known that there were identical twin boys who were going to marry us one day,” Briana said.
As part of the surprise proposal, the Salyers brothers convinced the Deane sisters that all four were hired to participate in a commercial for the catering facility at Twin Lakes State Park (This was also the site of their first date). The ruse was that the venue wanted to use twins as a fun tie-in to the park’s name. Actually, the film crew was from the staff of Inside Edition. Josh and Jeremy had orchestrated the whole thing.
With the boys decked out in matching suits with blue ties and the girls wearing matching blue gowns, the film crew led them to a picturesque pavilion decorated with rose petals and candles. When the producer yelled, “Action,” Josh and Jeremy dropped to one knee, pulled out their matching “double infinity” diamond rings and asked their girlfriends to marry them. Brittany and Briana simultaneously said, “Yes.”
The girls called their diamond bling “twinfinity” rings.
The couples are planning a dual wedding ceremony during The Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg this August. After the wedding, the foursome will be sharing a home.
Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com.
Glendale AZ Jewelry Stores Valentine's Day Gifts
For the second year in a row, jewelry tops the list of Valentine’s Day gifts, according to an annual survey released by the National Retail Federation. U.S. consumers are expected to spend $4.7 billion for jewelry-related items on Cupid’s favorite holiday, up 9.3% compared to 2017.
Jewelry is not only the most popular category in 2018 — outperforming an “evening out” ($3.7 billion), flowers ($2.0 billion) and clothing ($1.9 billion) — but it is also the fastest growing.
The “evening out” category is down 2% from 2017 and 17.6% from 2016. Flowers and clothing were both flat, compared to 2017.
Rounding out the most popular Valentine’s Day gifts for 2018 are candy ($1.8 billion), gift cards/gift certificates ($1.5 billion) and greeting cards ($894 million).
The NRF reports that overall spending on Valentine’s Day gifts will reach a near-record $19.6 billion in 2018, narrowly missing the high-water mark of $19.7 billion in 2016. Valentine spending in 2017 was $18.2 billion, according to the NRF.
Jewelry will be the gift of choice for 19% of Valentine’s Day consumers in 2018, the exact percentage tallied in 2017. This compares to an “evening out” (to be gifted by 36%), flowers (17%), clothing (17%), candy (55%), gift cards/gift certificates (15%) and greeting cards (46%).
The average amount spent on Valentine’s Day gifts in 2018 is expected to creep up to $143.56 from last year’s $136.57. That’s an increase of 5.1%.
Valentine gift-givers will spend an average of $88.98 on their significant other/spouse ($12.1 billion), $25.29 on other family members, such as children or parents ($3.5 billion), $7.26 on children’s classmates/teachers ($991 million), $7.19 on friends ($982 million), $5.50 on pets ($751 million) and $4.79 on co-workers ($654 million).
The overall observance of Valentine’s Day will go up a tick in 2018. Exactly 55% of respondents said they will celebrate on February 14, up 1 percentage point compared to 2017, but down from 63.4% in 2007.
The NRF’s 2018 Valentine’s Day spending survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Valentine’s Day. The survey was conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The poll of 7,277 consumers was conducted from January 3-10, 2018, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.
Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.
Best Bridal Jewelry Glendale
A United Airlines pilot traveled 2,500 miles to hand-deliver a bridal set to a traveler who had lost her precious cargo while hurrying aboard a flight in New Jersey. Not only did the pilot “go the extra mile” to deliver the jewelry, but he also included a heartwarming personalized note.
The viral story took an incredible turn when it was later revealed that the traveler was Brit Morin, the founder and CEO of Brit + Co, the lifestyle media company that boasts 130 million users.
On Twitter, Morin wrote: “I lost my wedding/engagement rings last week somewhere between New York and Jackson Hole. A @United gate agent found it, put it in a safe, and then gave it to a pilot to HAND-DELIVER it back to me in SF. I have a newfound faith in humanity and airlines. Thanks United.”
Morin outlined the details of her incredible story at Brit’s Blog, a popular feature at Brit.co.
Morin is a frequent guest on ABC’s Good Morning America. While in New York shooting a segment for GMA on February 8, Morin had taken off her rings, explaining, “I always do this — it feels odd having a giant camera zoomed in on my ring when I’m working with my hands on set.”
After the GMA appearance, Morin was scheduled to meet her family in Jackson Hole, Wyo., for a ski vacation. The GMA segment ran late and Morin found herself rushing to make a flight at nearby Newark International Airport.
She packed her rings in a carry-on bag and made it to the gate just in time.
But, since she had gotten there later than all the other passengers, there was no overhead storage available. She quickly transferred her rings to a small toiletry bag and jammed it inside her purse. The larger carry-on bag was tagged and sent below.
Imagine Morin’s horror when she got to her final destination in Jackson Hole and realized that the engagement ring and wedding band were gone.
“Panicked, I searched all of my bags — my toiletry bag, my purse, and my suitcase — at least a dozen times, beginning to fear that the worst may have happened,” she wrote. “It must have fallen out somewhere during the suitcase transfer. I must not have zipped my toiletry bag all the way. Oh, dear god, how was I going to tell my husband? (The bigger irony? We got married in Jackson Hole nearly seven years ago, and now here we were back in a town that symbolizes our eternal love and I had no physical symbol of that love on my finger.)”
Fearing that she may never see her rings again, Morin went on the United Airlines website and filed a lost-items claim.
Meanwhile, back in New Jersey, a United Airlines gate agent had found the rings on the jet bridge. She immediately put them in a safe pending the identity of the owner.
When she learned that the owner had come forward, the agent handed the rings to United Airlines pilot Captain Jim Moorey, who was happy to ferry the rings 2,500 miles to San Francisco, where Morin lives with her family.
On February 15, Moorey hand-delivered the rings to Morin, along with a personal note that read, “From day to day, I take pride in getting passengers from point A to point B safely and on time. Today, I’m happy to be able to be part of a team focused on making just one individual happy.”
“I was ELATED,” wrote Morin. “I expected them to shoot me over a FedEx or UPS tracking number, but instead they informed me they would be HAND-DELIVERING them back to me. I couldn’t believe it.”
Credits: Ring photo, Brit Morin photo via Twitter.com/brit/; Aircraft photo by United Airlines.
New Mexico Woman Finds Diamond Ring in Tub of Vicks VapoRub
We’d hardly be surprised to find a prize mixed into a Cracker Jack box or a fun toy buried in a specially marked package of Lucky Charms, but a diamond ring immersed in a tub of Vicks VapoRub? Now, that’s a curiosity.
Last week, Albuquerque, N.M., resident Sharon Roybal fished a 10-karat diamond ring out of an old jar of the mentholated topical ointment — and she’s not quite sure how the ring got there or who it belongs to.
Roybal told local NBC affiliate KRQE that she had used the ointment to care for her mother, who has since passed away. In fact, her mom’s room — along with the jar of Vicks — had been left undisturbed for the past four years.
Recently, Roybal went to use the ointment in her mom’s room and was shocked to see a diamond ring suspended just below the surface.
While one would assume that the ring might be her mom’s, Roybal was certain that it wasn’t.
“I was with my mom 24/7, I cared for her. I took care of her and my dad, this is not her ring,” Roybal told KRQE.
Determined to find the rightful owner, Roybal contacted the Vicks company, which has been owned by Procter & Gamble since 1985. A company representative offered to investigate the case of the Vicks VapoRub ring and asked Roybal to send the jar and the ring to their headquarters. The representative told her the ring was likely lost during the packaging process.
Interestingly, Vicks VapoRub is currently manufactured and packaged in India and Mexico. Since Indian consumers favor higher karatages of gold, we might assume that the 10-karat ring was lost at Vicks’ Mexican factory.
For now, Roybal has decided to keep possession of the ring and the old container of Vicks VapoRub.
“The Vicks bottle is sentimental because it’s [a memory of] my mom and dad,” she told KRQE. “The ring is someone else’s special memory and I would like to get it back to them.”
She’s hoping that her story will wind its way to the person — possibly in Mexico — who lost the ring many years ago.
Credit: Illustration by The Jeweler Blog with images via Vicks.com and BigStockPhoto.com.
This 10-Carat Gem-Quality Amethyst Was Mined by Hand in Four Peaks, Arizona
While most gem-quality amethyst is currently mined in Brazil and Uruguay, this beautiful 10-carat specimen is American through and through. It was discovered eight years ago in the off-the-grid amethyst hotspot of Four Peaks, Ariz., but now calls the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., its home.
A superior example of February’s official birthstone, the concave trillion-cut amethyst was mined and faceted by Darryl Alexander in 2010. It was made into a ring by designer Brenda Smith, whose 18-karat white gold mounting mimics the scalloped outline of the gem. Smith generously donated the ring to the Smithsonian in 2014.
The Smithsonian describes the amethyst as having a deep violet color with flashes of red, a trait common for a Four Peaks amethyst.
The Four Peaks Amethyst Mine is believed to be the only precious stone mine in the United States that requires a helicopter to transport supplies in and take mined material out. Located in the most rugged parts of the Matzanal Mountains, 46 miles from Phoenix, the miners live at the mine for up to two weeks at a time, and have to hike nine miles roundtrip to get to work. According to the mine’s official website, the facility has no running water or electricity, and hand tools must be used for the slow, tedious extraction of the amethyst. Private tours, which include a high-altitude helicopter ride, are available.
Amethyst is the most valuable gem variety of quartz. In its pure state, quartz is colorless. But when trace amounts of other atoms get into the mix, a range of colors can occur. For instance, iron atoms are credited with giving amethyst a wide range of color intensity, from almost white to deep purple.
The color rating of an amethyst is determined by a combination of hue, tone and saturation. Hue is the color; tone is relative lightness or darkness of the color; and saturation relates to the color’s intensity, from dull to vivid.
Amethyst has been coveted for thousands of years and is one of the oldest recorded gemstones. They’ve been recovered from ancient Egyptian tombs and were prized by the Greeks, Romans, Babylonians and Hebrews. Amethyst is associated with spirituality, sobriety, security and wisdom. It is also the zodiac stone for the constellation of Pisces.
According to Roman mythology, amethyst was colored purple by the god of wine and was thought to offer protection against drunkenness. It derives its name from a Greek word meaning “not to intoxicate.”
Beyond the U.S., Brazil and Uruguay, amethyst can be found in parts of Zambia, Mexico, Italy, Germany and Canada.
Credit: Image by John Parrish, courtesy of Brenda Smith via geogallery.si.edu.
Princess Eugenie’s Engagement Announcement Sparks the Question, ‘What’s a Padparadscha?’
Princess Eugenie’s official engagement announcement on Monday has the world asking, “What’s a padparadscha?”
You see, the 27-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II received an oval padparadscha engagement ring from her long-time boyfriend Jack Brooksbank. In the official photos released by Buckingham Palace and during a subsequent interview with the BBC, Eugenie proudly showed off her beautiful — but unusual — orange/pink stone. In an instant, the padparadscha had spawned its own storyline.
n the BBC interview, Brooksbank, 31, waxed poetic about the gem.
“What’s amazing about it and why I love it so much is that it changes color from every different angle that you look at it,” he said. “And that’s what I think of Eugenie. That she changes color.”
Eugenie’s oval padparadscha is surrounded by a halo of white diamonds and is set in yellow gold. The engagement ring design is strikingly similar to that of her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, whose ruby center stone complemented her red hair.
Called “a true Rembrandt among gemstones,” natural padparadscha is one of the rarest and most valuable varieties of sapphire.
Unlike its blue brethren, padparadscha boasts a salmon color reminiscent of the most delicate orange/pink sunset. The gem’s name is derived from “padma raga,” which literally means “the color of the lotus flower” in Sanskrit.
Padparadscha belongs to the corundum family of gemstones, which includes rubies and sapphires. The presence of trace elements determines the color of each gemstone. While blue sapphires are naturally colored with iron and rubies with chromium, padparadschas are colored by the presence of both. The delicate interplay of pink and orange hues make this gem one of nature’s greatest marvels.
An excellent example of this strikingly beautiful gemstone hit the auction block at Christie’s Hong Kong in May of 2013. The oval padparadscha weighed 73.98 carats and was framed with brilliant-cut diamonds mounted in 18-karat rose gold. The ring carried a pre-sale high estimate of $1.55 million.
Princess Eugenie and Brooksbank are expected to get married later this year and the Queen is reportedly delighted.
Credits: Interview screen captures via YouTube.com/The Royal Family Channel; Auction ring photo courtesy of Christie’s.
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