Birthstone Feature: Munsteiner's ‘Dom Pedro’ Is the World's Largest Faceted Aquamarine

Weighing 10,363 carats, the "Dom Pedro" is the largest faceted aquamarine in the world and the masterwork of Bernd Munsteiner, an Idar-Oberstein-based gem cutter, who has been called “The Picasso of Gems” and “The Father of the Fantasy Cut.”

Standing nearly 14 inches tall, the obelisk-shaped Dom Pedro is, arguably, the most beautiful example of March’s official birthstone and one of the few objects in the world that can hold its own in a display case just 30 feet from the Hope Diamond at the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology in Washington, D.C.

Back in 1992, when Munsteiner viewed the gem for the first time, “it was love a first sight!” according to an account at Smithsonian.com, and transforming the rough crystal into the Dom Pedro would become the “project of his life.”

Munsteiner spent four months studying a massive 57-pound rough aquamarine crystal before embarking on a grueling six-month adventure to meticulously cut, facet and polish the stone. Munsteiner is famous for his “fantasy cuts,” where he facets a pattern of “negative cuts” into the back of a gem, which reflects the light from within. The finished work weighs 4.57 pounds.

Named after Brazil’s first two emperors, Dom Pedro Primeiro and his son, Dom Pedro Segundo, the aquamarine was originally part of a much larger crystal that was discovered by three Brazilian prospectors — garimperos — in the state of Minas Gerais in the late 1980s. While being transported, the one-meter-long, 100-pound crystal fractured into three pieces. Two were eventually cut into smaller gemstones, but the largest piece had much greater potential. Its exquisite green-blue color and pristine clarity opened a window of opportunity for a cutter with the skill of Munsteiner.

While cutting the gem completely by hand, he was never concerned with the eventual carat weight. His attention was purely on the beauty and the brilliance. “When you focus on the carat weight, it’s only about the money,” he said. “I cannot create when I’m worried about the money.”

Unveiled at the annual gem fair in Basel, Switzerland, in 1993, the gem became a traveling ambassador for the German government, a tangible example of German craftsmanship and ingenuity.

But, by the late 1990s, the gem’s future was in jeopardy. The Brazilian consortium partner wanted the gem to be sold so he could recoup his investment. Gem collector Jane Mitchell and her husband Jeffery S. Bland stepped in to purchase the Dom Pedro in 1999, ensuring that it would remain intact and not sliced up into smaller stones.

The couple generously gifted the Dom Pedro aquamarine to the Smithsonian in 2011. It was made part of the permanent exhibition at the very end of 2012.

Aquamarine is the pretty soft blue variety of the mineral beryl. Other gems in the same family include green emerald, pink morganite and golden yellow heliodore.

Credits: Dom Pedro photos by Donald E. Hurlbert / Smithsonian.

Houston's Museum of Natural Science Reveals Stunning 422-Carat Blue Sapphire

Hollywood’s glamour gals are not the only ones turning heads with their magnificent jewels. The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) just unveiled the stunning "Siren of Serendip," one of the world’s largest blue sapphires.

Weighing in at an awe-inspiring 422.66 carats, this gorgeous deep blue gem was discovered almost a century ago on the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The original rough crystal weighed 2,670 carats before it was cut and polished.

According to HMNS CEO Joel Bartsch, the Siren of Serendip was acquired after an exhaustive chain of events, including calls to the museum, a trip to Sri Lanka, calls to the board, release of the stone to the museum, transport to the U.S., vetting by a top gem laboratory, negotiations, and then outreach to donors.

Several generous Houstonians sponsored the purchase of the rare gemstone and its exceptionally beautiful setting.

Siren of Serendip is set in an elegant necklace designed and created by Ingo Henn of London and Idar-Oberstein, Germany. A master goldsmith and certified gemologist, Henn creates exquisite nature-inspired pieces from beautiful gems. He is the great grandson of a renowned gemstone carver and trader.

The necklace features a cascade of 913 white diamonds (36.30 carats total weight), with the deep blue sapphire juxtaposed against cool white metals – platinum and white gold. According to Henn, only white diamonds and white metals were used to frame the sapphire, making it pop. The necklace was then polished and rhodium-plated.

“It has to be the fitting frame for this superlative stone," says Henn. “I want viewers to be drawn to the piece, to be captivated by this stunning blue sapphire. It’s fittingly set in this very timeless, elegant and harmonious design. A piece like this is made for eternity.”

Siren of Serendip is on temporary display at HMNS's Brown Gallery until March 24.

Credits: Images courtesy of the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Drake's New $400,000 iPhone X Case Is Set Edge to Edge in Blue Diamonds

Talk about opulence! Canadian rap star Drake recently commissioned a Beverly Hills jeweler to design an 18-karat white gold iPhone X case adorned from edge to edge with blue and white diamonds weighing a total of 80 carats. The $400,000 case is punctuated by a white gold, diamond-eyed symbol of Drake's record label, the OVO owl.

Instagram users got their first peek at Drake's vision on the page of jewelry designer Jason Arasheben, who posted two videos of the extravagant cell phone case. Arasheben added this caption: “Because we can’t do basic! Diamond iPhone cover for our friend @champagnepapi.”

Drake, whose song “God’s Plan” earned the 32-year-old a Grammy Award earlier this month, is famous for his over-the-top purchases that often feature gold and diamonds.

In July of 2016, we wrote about Drake's solid gold Air Jordans, a pair of shoes that reportedly weighed 100 pounds and were worth more than $2 million. Designed and fabricated by mixed-media artist Matthew Senna, the shoes represented a gilded replica of the Air Jordan 10s that record label OVO created in collaboration with Nike.

More recently, Drake commissioned a 100-carat, life-sized owl pendant, which included its own cage.

Drake's new iPhone X case features row upon row of meticulously hand-set blue diamonds. Rising from the sparkling blue ground is the beautifully detailed white gold owl that stares at the user with its large white diamond eyes.

While Instagram comments about Arasheben's post were generally positive, some users wondered what will happen to the $400,000 case if, and when, Drake upgrades to the iPhone XI later this year. If the newest iPhones are a different size, Drake's blue bling accessory could become obsolete in a hurry.

Wmagazine.com reports that despite its six-figure price tag, Drake's iPhone isn't the most expensive one ever designed. That honor goes to Canadian jewelry designer Anita Mai Tan, who created a dragon-themed 18-karat gold case adorned with 32 diamonds covering 75% of the surface. The case, which is designed to hang from the neck on a chain, is priced at $880,000.

Credits: Images via instagram.com/jasonofbeverlyhills.

Couples Spending More Than Ever on Super-Personalized Weddings, Reports The Knot

The Knot's 12th annual "Real Weddings Study" paints a picture of a new generation of couples who are willing to break with tired traditions and invest, instead, in super-personalized events infused with meaningful details. Their goal is for guests to leave the celebration saying, “That was so them.”

The Knot reports that bridal couples are pulling out all the stops to make sure their loved ones have an absolute blast: The average couple hosts 136 guests, and the average spent per guest is $258. Besides the expected food, drink and music, 38% of couples hire above-and-beyond reception entertainment. The Knot's survey respondents listed live tattoo artists, cigar-rolling stations and craft margarita bars among the outside-the-box attractions.

The cost of an average wedding (not including the honeymoon) reached another all-time high in 2018. The total expenditure of $33,931 was up slightly from 2017's mark of $33,391.

The engagement ring — at $5,680 — remained the second-highest-priced item on the list of all wedding expenses (the venue was #1). The average price for an engagement ring in 2018 was slightly down from the previous year's total of $5,764. The Knot noted, however, that a sub-group of “high spenders” (those whose weddings cost more than $60,000) spent an average of $13,619 on their engagement rings.

Couples spent an average of $1,078 on a wedding band for the bride, and $584 for the groom. For high spenders, the numbers were $1,983 and $1,017, respectively.

"Weddings in 2018 showcased more personality and attention to detail than ever before," noted Kristen Maxwell Cooper, editor in chief of The Knot. "Couples are rethinking conventional traditions and putting their own creative spins on long-standing wedding moments, like unity ceremonies and first dances. Some couples are opting to embrace their cultural heritage, while others choose to pay homage to pop culture that plays a part in their shared story. Each wedding is a love story worth celebrating, and every detail is an opportunity to infuse personal style and sentiment."

According to The Knot, how couples signify their unity is evolving. In addition to using traditional sand or candles, couples are embracing their personal history and cultural heritage in new ways—through unity ceremonies that mix up guacamole recipes from their grandparents, blending whiskeys from locales close to their heart, or honoring a long-standing cultural unity tradition like Celtic Handfasting, where the couples commit to each other by having their hands tied together with a braid.

While couples embrace, reclaim and redefine some traditions, they're breaking with others, such as the garter toss (33%, down from 41% in 2016), and the bouquet toss (45%, down from 53% in 2016).

Four in five (80%) couples report having set a wedding budget. Nearly half (45%) admitted to going over their planned budget and only 6% said they stayed under budget. In 2018, 91% of couples contributed to their overall wedding costs, with 9% of those couples paying for their wedding entirely on their own.

Other key findings from the survey include the following:
• Most Expensive Place to Get Married: Manhattan, $96,910
• Least Expensive Place to Get Married: Idaho, $16,366
• Average Spent on a Wedding Dress: $1,631
• Average Marrying Age: Bride, 29.1; Groom, 30.5
• Average Number of Guests: 136
• Most Popular Month to Get Engaged: December (16%)
• Average Length of Engagement: 13.6 months
• Most Popular Month to Get Married: September (18%)
• Popular Wedding Colors: Ivory/Champagne (33%), Dark Blue & Burgundy/Wine (tie at 29%), Gold (27%) and Light Pink (23%)
• Percentage of Destination Weddings: 23%

These were the average costs of key bridal services in 2018: reception venue ($15,439); reception band ($4,247), photographer ($2,679), florist/décor ($2,411), ceremony venue ($2,382), videographer ($2,021), wedding/event planner ($2,002), wedding dress ($1,631), rehearsal dinner ($1,297), reception DJ ($1,292), transportation ($856), ceremony musicians ($797), wedding cake ($528), invitations ($386), groom’s attire and accessories ($283), officiant ($286), favors ($245), wedding day hair stylist ($123) and makeup artist ($102). Catering averaged $70 per person.

The 2018 "Real Weddings Study" is based on the responses from nearly 14,000 U.S. brides and grooms married between January 1 and December 31, 2018.

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.

'For Me, From Me' Diamond Ad Campaign Debuts During E!'s Oscar Coverage

The Diamond Producers Association's “For Me, From Me” ad campaign made its debut yesterday during E! News' highly rated coverage of the 91st Academy Awards.

“For Me, From Me” is a campaign inspired by the ever-growing segment of the market represented by women who buy diamonds for themselves. The group now accounts for one-third of the $43 billion diamond jewelry market.

E! viewers were introduced to the new lifestyle videos via an innovative picture-in-picture presentation. This is a technique where — just before scheduled commercial breaks — the show coverage and DPA video were shown on the screen simultaneously.

In addition, elements of the campaign were seen in photo gallery takeovers on E!'s Instagram page and at EOnline.com.

Kristina Buckley Kayel, DPA’s managing director for North America, noted that "For Me, From Me" represents the third wave of the Real is Rare, Real is a Diamond campaign. The previous campaigns helped establish diamonds as the ultimate symbol of realness and authenticity in love and in life.

“Our latest campaign celebrates the distinct pride and joy women feel in purchasing a diamond for themselves, a celebration of self that is beautifully embodied by the enduring qualities of a natural diamond,” she said. “It’s timely for the diamond industry to acknowledge the different needs and mindset of the female self-purchaser, and position itself optimally to service her.”

Kayel explained that the qualitative research conducted by DPA in 2018 uncovered the key reasons why women consider natural diamonds the ultimate self-luxury: They can be worn every day with any outfit, they last a lifetime and can be passed down, and they are a good investment because they retain their value.

The $10 million to $15 million campaign is set to run through September and will include TV, digital and print components.

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com/Real is a Diamond.