De Beers Millennium blue vivid diamond beats pre-auction price

A De Beers Millennium Blue diamond exceeded pre-auction estimates when it sold for US$6.3 million (£4.1 million) at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong this week.

The 5.18ct fancy blue vivid diamond was the first of the De Beers Millennium Blue diamonds to go under the hammer since they were sold to private collectors at the turn of the century.

The diamond exceeded pre-auction estimates that had given the rock an estimated sale value of US$5.8 million (£3.8 million).

De Beers Diamond Institute president Andrew Coxon was the visionary behind the collection and personally selected the roughs and worked with Steinmetz to ensure that they were cut with maximum beauty.

Talking of the sale, Coxon said: “The timeless beauty of a De Beers selected Millennium Blue diamond will be remembered long after its near record-setting price has been forgotten. Personally, I wish I could have bought it back for De Beers, but professionally speaking, I sincerely congratulate the new owners and I am happy that the new owners appreciated this particular De Beers selected diamond.”

Jewelry Tips 2010 – The Do's and Dont's

Jewelery is a personal ornament, such as a necklace, ring, or bracelet, made from gemstones, precious metals or other substances. If cosmetic is for the body, shoes are for the feet, jewelries are for the clothes. Jewelries can make you look trendy, classic or even cheap. Proper use can also make any clothing look expensive.

Categories of jewelry

1. Fine - is made from gold, platinum, fine silver, combined with precious and semi-precious stones.
2. Costume - is made from lower cost materials such as metals with gold and or silver finishes, and from unusual materials such as wood, plastic and beads. Costume jewelries are usually combinations of glass, synthetic or some semi-precious stones.

Do's:

* Wear contrasting shape all the time if you have a round body built.
* Wear ivory and tortoiseshell, but only if they're fake.
* Assemble a collection of good, basic costume jewelry:
- a pair of matching gold bangle bracelets, or a gold cuff not wider than an inch and a half.
link necklaces in varying lengths.
- a pair of simple gold hoop earrings, or gold button-style clip-ons
* Buy a two-tone watch so that you can wear it with silver or gold jewelry.
* Keep your jewelry organized. Even egg cartons or plastic silverware trays will do.
* Wear large earrings if you're a large woman--you're among the few who can carry them off.
* Anything dangling such as earrings make a body silhouette slim.
* Jewelry is an effective focal point of the viewer's eye to distract attention away from any body flaws.
* Gold tones fit almost any skin color.

Dont's...

* Mixing real diamonds from fake diamonds will make the real look fake.
* Don't overdo.
* Wear jewelry that jingles when you walk.
* Pierce your ears more than twice in each lobe. Never wear earrings so heavy that they stretch your lobes.
*Mix your metals. Silver jewelry is out of the question if your jacket has gold buttons.
* Wear rhinestones before 6 p.m.
* Squeeze a large neck into a dainty choker. It just doesn't work.