Tag Archives: silver

As Spring Break is finally here the warmer weather (yes even here in Oregon)draws us to the great out doors in the form of a trip to the local swimming pool or lake, packing a picnic, taking a holiday at … Continue reading →

The largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found was called The Cullinan. It weighed an astonishing 3,106.75 carats. From this stone, nine stones were cut; the largest was The Cullinan I which weighs 530.4 carats. It resides in the Royal Sceptre … Continue reading →

The Golden Jubilee Diamond (not the Diamond Jubilee!) is the largest faceted diamond in the world weighing 545.67ct. This yellow-brown diamond was cut by Sir Gabi Tolkowsky, whom we mentioned in our previous post Diamond Cut: The Human Factor. Gabi … Continue reading →

The Smithsonian is home to the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond, the world’s largest deep blue diamond. The gem has a long and mysterious past—and some people even think it is cursed! Scholars believe that King Louis XIV of France bought the … Continue reading →

The Taylor-Burton is named after both Elizabeth Taylor herself and her husband Richard Burton who purchased this precious stone in 1969. The original rough diamond was discovered three years earlier in South-Africa weighing an impressive 241 carats. Shortly after being … Continue reading →

Promise ring, purity ring, commitment ring, pre-engagement ring—oh my! There’s been a lot of confusion around promise rings. What does a promise ring mean? What finger does a promise ring go on? How do you get one, give one, buy … Continue reading →

The stunning 167.97-carat Mackay Emerald was mined in Muzo, Colombia. The largest cut emerald in the National Gem Collection, it is set in an Art Deco diamond and platinum necklace designed by Cartier Inc. In 1931, Clarence H. Mackay presented … Continue reading →

The top 10 most famous diamonds, in order of largest to smallest, are as follows:   The Great Star of Africa   530.20 Carats Pear shaped, with 74 facets Discovered in Premier Mine, Transvaal, South Africa, in l095 Cut by … Continue reading →

The most traditional style of diamond engagement ring is a solitaire. This style features a single diamond on a plain band. Usually, the diamond is held in either a trellis setting (interwoven prongs) or a basket setting (four to six … Continue reading →