News - Gems
of the Famous Celebrities
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We love the
lore of jewels, and we like to share it with our gemstone jewelry
shoppers. Here are some more of the wonderful fun, facts and
beautiful history of gemstones and jewelry:
Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II News
The queen has
loads of jewelry that she got a special room made 40 feet below
Buckingham palace about the size of an ice ring to keep all her precious
gems secured.
The Tower of
London houses the British Crown Jewels
- The Queens personal jewelry is valued at $58 million dollars.
Her collection includes the Timur
Ruby, which is actually a magnificent red spinel weighing 352.50
carats. Inscribed on it is the names of several of the previous owners,
who were Mughal emperors.
Fabulous gems
in her collection include the Cambridge and Delhi Dunbar Parure, a
fantastic suite of emerald
jewelry which includes an emerald diadem; the Prince Albert
Brooch, a huge sapphire which was given to Queen Victoria by Prince
Albert the day before their wedding; Queen Mary's large ruby
earrings, and a v-shaped ruby and diamond bandeau collar which
the Queen models on the front cover of the publication "The
Jewels of Queen Elizabeth", by Leslie Field, a whole book about
her personal jewelry collection. The British Queen also owns several
of the large diamonds cut from the Cullinan, the rough that produced
the Stars of Africa, the Cullinan I and II (530 carats and 317
carats), which are part of the Crown Jewels. She reportedly calls
them the Cullinan III and Cullinan IV, 94 and 63 carats respectively,
as "Granny's Chips."
Elizabeth
Taylor News
Is well known
for her large jewellery collection, including the 33.19 carat Krupp
diamond and the 69.42-carat pear shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond which
now hangs from a diamond necklace
after she decided it was just a little too large for a ring.
Richard Burton
also gave her a heart-shaped yellow diamond which was originally a
gift from Shah Jahan in 1621 to his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who
also inspired the Taj Mahal.
Although Liz
is usually associated with huge diamonds,
she also has a fabulous collection of other gemstones.
Another gift from Burton was La Peregrina, one of the largest and
most historic pearls in existence, a pear shaped drop weighing 203.84
grains once owned by the Spanish royal family.
She has a well
known jewelry collection, including the 33.19 carat Krupp diamond and
the 69.42-carat pear shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond
which now hangs from a diamond necklace after Liz decided it was just
a little too large for a ring.
Richard Burton also gave her a heart-shaped yellow diamond
which was originally a gift from Shah Jahan in 1621 to his favorite
wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who also inspired the Taj Mahal. Although Liz is
usually associated with huge diamonds,
she also has a fabulous collection of other gemstones. As an engagement
present, Richard Burton gave her the emerald
and diamond brooch,
which she wears with an emerald necklace he gave her as a wedding
present. Earrings, a bracelet, and a ring
followed. Some of the emeralds in the set were from the Grand Duchess
Vladimir of Russia. One of Taylor's husbands, Michael Wilding, gave
her a cabochon sapphire
engagement ring. Mike Todd gave her a spectacular ruby
necklace and earring set. Another gift from Burton was La Peregrina,
one of the largest and most historic pearls in existence, a pear
shaped drop weighing 203.84 grains once owned by the Spanish royal family.
Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis News
The former
First Lady had as exquisite a taste in jewelry
as in everything else. She favored large, colorful
necklaces and bracelets
from Van Cleef & Arpel. Her jewelry collection grew considerably
when she married Aristotle Onassis: he gave his bride $5 million in
jewelry and often slipped bracelets from Harry
Winston in the biweekly bouquets of flowers he sent her. It is a
well known fact that her engagement
ring from Onassis sold for $2.6 million at the auction of the
Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at Sotheby's on April 24, 1996.
You may not have heard about some of the other jewelry
that sold at the auction: a beautiful 47-carat kunzite ring that
President Kennedy purchased as a gift
for his wife but never had the chance to give her. This sold for more
than $410,000; a beautiful amethyst necklace with graduated drops
which sold for $55,000; lovely red tourmaline briolette earrings that
dangled from amethysts, which sold for $35,000; a striking cabochon
garnet flower brooch from the 19th century which sold for $145,000; a
spectacular 17.68-carat
ruby ring which sold for $290,000; some cabochon ruby
dangling earrings which sold for $360,000; and a cabochon ruby
necklace that was a bargain at $247,500. One surprise was an
interesting little scarecrow pin in gold
and gems that sold for $100,000!
Marlene
Dietrich News
In her movies
she wore her own suite of amazing jewelry
which was set with huge cabochon emeralds. (All those emeralds
were particularly perfect for her role as the jewel thief in
"Desire" in 1938.)
In "Stage
Fright", Dietrich tries to use her jewelry to blackmail Jane
Wyman. She also wears her own ruby
bracelet in that film: that bracelet recently sold at Sotheby's
for $990,000.
Once whilst
baking a cake at Katherine Cornell's house, Marlene thought she had
lost her 37.41-carat cabochon emerald
ring which she had removed in the kitchen. The house was turned
upside down but the ring couldn't be found. It was only during
dessert that the ring was discovered by one of the dinner guests
inside a piece of the cake!
In many of her
movies she wore her own suite of dramatic jewelry
which was set with huge cabochon emeralds. (All those emeralds were
particularly perfect for her role as the jewel thief in
"Desire" in 1938.) In "Stage Fright", Dietrich
tries to use her jewelry to blackmail Jane Wyman. She also wears her
own ruby bracelet in that film: that bracelet recently sold at
Sotheby's for $990,000. Once when baking a cake at Katherine
Cornell's house, Marlene thought she had lost her 37.41-carat cabochon
emerald ring which she had removed in the kitchen. The house was
turned upside down but the ring couldn't be found. It was only during
dessert that the ring was discovered by one of the dinner guests
inside a piece of the cake!
Mouna
Al-Rashid News
The former
wife of a Saudi Arabian billionaire, she is now active on the social
scene in New York, and has a jewelry
collection estimated to be worth $100 million. Rumor has it that
the jewelry is due to her shrewd business sense: after every major
deal on which she gave her advice, she purchased a major gem.
"I enjoy having it more than wearing it," she told W
magazine. "It is a smart way of investing. I try to buy
important pieces that will always bring their market value." She
has a staggering emerald necklace
and fabulous rubies, which are
her trademark.
Mary
Pickford News
Was never
shown on film wearing any more jewelry than a string of pearls
to preserve her image of innocence, but in real life she preferred
very large rubies
and star sapphires.
She owned both
the 60-carat Star of Bombay and the 200-carat Star
of India. And she was not shy about wearing them both at the same time.
This actress
was never shown on film wearing more jewelry than a string of pearls
to preserve her image of innocence, but in real life she preferred
very large rubies and star sapphires. She owned both the 60-carat Star
of Bombay and the 200-carat Star of India. And she was not shy
about wearing them both at the same time.
Gloria
Swanson News
This actress
had such extravagant taste in jewelry that she had to rent it. In
spite of paying only 10 percent of the value of her jewelry, one year
her annual jewelry budget was $500,000. Gloria Swanson wore an
important emerald, amethyst and gold eternity
rings necklace by Iribe in "Affairs of Anatole" in
1920, starting a fashion for colorful
jewelry.
Joan
Crawford News
Had such
extravagant taste in eternity jewelry
that she had to rent it. Inspite of paying only 10 percent of the
value of her jewelry, one year her annual jewelry budget was
$500,000.
Gloria Swanson
wore an important emerald, amethyst and gold necklace by Iribe in
"Affairs of Anatole" in 1920, starting a fashion for colorful
jewelry.
This actress
loved sapphires so much the press called them "Joan Blue."
One of her favorite pieces was a bracelet set with three star
sapphires of 73.15 carats, 63.61 carats, and 57.65 carats. She also
received a 70-carat star sapphire
engagement ring from her second husband. She also owned a
72-carat emerald cut sapphire
which she often wore on the same finger! In the forties, Crawford
added a 75-carat amethyst ring and a huge 100-carat citrine
ring, both emerald-cut with a simple mounting.
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