Some of the loveliest diamonds in the world are pinks. They are very rare. The Argyle mine contains a lot of Pink Rough. The largest pink diamond in the world (pictured) is the 186 Carat Darya-e-Nur¹, also known as the Sea of Light, the River of Light, or the Ocean of Light. It is a pale-pink, tablet-shaped diamond. You may see this item by visiting the Museum of the Treasury of National Iranian Jewels. The Steinmetz Pink is a 59.60 Carat Fancy Vivid Pink INTERNALLY FLAWLESS diamond! Jenna Elfman was the lucky girl to wear it at the opening of an exhibition at The Smithsonian, but not before Helena Christensen had a crack at it first at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2003. Queen Elizabeth II was given the 23.5 Carat Williamson Pink Diamond from Canadian geologist Dr. John Williamson as a wedding present. It was cut by Briefel and Lemer of London in 1948 and became the center stone of a brooch designed by Cartier in 1952. Another large Pink Diamond, is known as Le Grand Condé, a name that also referred to its owner, Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé. He had set the Diamond on the pommel of his walking stick. It is also known as The Pink Diamond, Condé Pink or Condé Diamond. It is a 9.01 Carat Light Pink Pear-Shaped stone. While it has been reported that you may view this diamond at Chateau de Chantilly / Musée Condé, Nicole Garnier, the curator of the museum, has told me that due to a theft in 1929, although recovered the same year, it is no longer being displayed. There is a replica in its stead. Eva Longoria & Tony Parker’s upcoming wedding is expected to occur at the Chateau on 07/07/07. Nicole has also been generous enough to share some more pictures of the diamond for our community to view, see Gallery below.
Some engagement ring details for Charlie Sheen’s proposal to Brooke Mueller have come to light courtesy NY POST’s: LIZ SMITH. They were introduced to each other in 2006 by Rebecca Gayheart, Brooke’s best friend, at a Victoria Secret party in Brett Ratner’s home. Charlie surprised Brooke with a a Patek Philippe Calatrava watch from Robert Maron engraved on the back with: B. - Wanna get married? . . . Love - C. Maron has a listing of sold items, this watch might be the one. As for the engagement ring? A radiant cut, 11-carat, natural yellow diamond set in a platinum ring made by Alon Barak of Beverly Hills. Personally I have doubts about the veracity of this part of the story as I’ve never heard of Alon Barak and Google only heard of him through Smith’s article. And maybe it’s just me, but does this quote sound like the Charlie Sheen you know? Brooke was amazed. “Once I put the ring on her finger,” says Charlie, “you’ve never seen two happier people in your life.” As a footnote, Smith concludes with some commentary about Conflict Diamonds. Her point being that the movie Blood Diamonds was supposed to affect the diamond industry, but sales are up, not down. While she makes a point, I still think this issue is not settled. It takes time to change an entrenched model. There are many trendsetters who are making other symbols to replace a diamond engagement ring and the threat is still alive. That’s why I think the industry has to get very serious about the issue with real solid moves rather than just a marketing campaign with a Kimberly seal of approval. No one wants to buy a romantic symbol dripped in blood, and no one wants to sell that or be involved in that industry either. Some greedy people making money in a cruel way make everyone in the chain look bad.
Penelope Cruz has been quoted as wearing Russell Simmons’ new line of Green Jewelry. According to an ad, half of the net profits will be donated to DEF, Diamond Empowerment Fund. This is a play on words of DEF JAM. There is a video about it after the jump. Is this charitising or a real charity? Well, you decide… As far as I can tell, the official website is one page on his Jewelry website. It isn’t even serious enough to warrant its own website. You can donate directly to the “fund” on that one page. Here is an interview on the topic with Russell Simmons from Inc Magazine: “How do you balance the demands of running a business with your desire to give back? Can commerce and charity coexist?” “You’re already giving back because you run a business that creates jobs. As an entrepreneur, the most important service you provide to the world is helping your company grow so that you can hire more employees and give them an opportunity to earn a living. To me, giving back isn’t about charity. It’s about empowerment. It’s better to hand someone a fishing pole than a fish. That’s the difference between helping someone lead a healthy lifestyle and just helping him survive, and it’s one reason I’ve started so many companies. If you want to do more to give back, it’s not as hard as you might think to incorporate that mission into the way you run your company. The easiest way to do that is with cause marketing. It’s an idea that has become more common lately, and I try to do it with all of my businesses. You help customers affect change by buying your products. Pick causes that have a connection with what you do, causes that you and your customers care about. In December, I created the Diamond Empowerment Fund, which helps schools in Africa, as a complement to Simmons Jewelry. We sell a conflict-free diamond bracelet and donate half of the profits to the fund. My reason for doing it was personal–it’s part of why I’m in the diamond business–but the initiative is bringing in new customers and getting us press. My partners who have been selling diamonds their whole lives can’t believe how great our branded business is doing. Some people will say that it’s wrong to use charitable contributions to promote your business, but I’d rather see a picture of an African school on an ad than one of a rich person. And you don’t have to give away profits to make a difference. In 2003, I started Run Athletics and advertised a shoe, the Phat Classic, as a way to promote racial equality and reparations (the tag line was, “Isn’t it time for a change?”). We sold hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of sneakers–a lot of them to white kids–because everybody responded to the idea of buying from someone other than Phil Knight.” I don’t know what conclusion you come to, but I don’t think anyone will quibble that he is a good businessman. It’s too bad that most people won’t actually dig very deep beyond marketing. This Green Jewelry advertises that it contains a “Conflict-Free Diamond.” Huh? What does that mean? That his other diamonds aren’t conflict-free? Only this one? Or that this one went through more rigorous checks? I don’t get it. If you want to buy conflict-free, I would suggest you do an awful lot of research before you decide any product or company is conflict-free or their charity is up to snuff. One final note before the video, it does not breed confidence when you announce one figure (25%) going to a charity and advertise another figure (50%).
