GIA Middle East

Few tiaras are as iconic as the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara. Its design was so popular that several copies were made and circulated among royal families. The original was made for Princess Augusta of Hesse Cassel, Duchess of Cambridge, in the early 19th century. Nearly 100 years later, a similar tiara was commissioned by Queen Mary, who left it to Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Mary’s tiara has also been worn by Princess Diana and the present-day Duchess of Cambridge. Is this royal favorite also one of your favorite tiaras?

Courtesy: Christie's

A cornucopia of jewels. This ear of corn is set with rows of matching yellow pearls, celebrating the bounty of the earth with bounty from the sea. The peas in the second image are made from jade and demantoid garnets. The cauliflower in the third image is set with diamonds. The carrots are set with orange sapphires and the eggplant, or aubergine, with spinels. Which of these delectable vegetables is your favorite?

Courtesy: Hemmerle

Redefining "diamond ring." This faceted hololith ring is composed entirely of diamond. It weighs 13.15 carats and was polished from a 196 carat rough diamond crystal from the Northwest Territories in Canada. This one-of-a-kind diamond was graded by GIA as Fancy Dark grey. The diamond crystal it was cut from likely formed over three billion years ago, so this ring is definitely the ultimate eternity ring! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3FBfnYI

(1) Photo: Simon Westlake/Reid Mackie. (2-4) Courtesy: Beaufort Diamonds

The Imperial Flame is a magnificent natural colour Imperial topaz. Found in Brazil, the original rough weighed 615 carat and was carved into this sculpture weighing 332.24 carat. Imperial is a name used in the trade for topaz that ranges in colour from medium reddish orange to orange-red. This crystal is remarkable in part because it displays the entire range that Imperial topaz can have.

Only one to two percent of all the material recovered from Ouro Preto’s mines is of faceting quality, which makes the caliber of this enormous crystal all the more remarkable. Learn more about the cutting of this magnificent stone: https://bit.ly/3aloqP7

Courtesy: KREIS Jewellery

Brown diamonds, the most common fancy diamonds, were overlooked throughout most of history, until recent decades when they gained popularity after being re-branded as "champagne, cognac, and chocolate" diamonds. Many of them were found in the Argyle mine in Australia, which was also known for producing pink diamonds.

The colour in natural brown diamonds is due to distortion of the crystal lattice (arrangement of molecules) that can create clusters of vacancies; this distortion can occur when the diamond is exposed to intense geologic forces while in the earth and experiences a process called plastic deformation.

Brown diamonds can occur on the D-Z scale, ranging from Faint brown to Light brown. Brown diamonds beyond the D-Z scale range from Fancy Light brown to Fancy Dark brown, depending on their tone. Brown diamonds with a golden or reddish appearance are typically the most popular. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3iJ9sqN

Seen in images 1 and 2 are natural brown diamond crystals and polished diamonds. Image 3 shows a 20.21 carat Fancy Deep Yellow-Brown diamond in a necklace by Graff.

(1) Photo: Shane F. McClure/ GIA. (3) Christie's

A palette of pastels. The Hyriopsis cumingii mussel can produce a colourful array of freshwater cultured pearls, including pink, peach, lavender, yellow and more.

Image 1 shows an assortment of baroque freshwater cultured pearls. Images 2-3 show a mix of freshwater, South Sea and Tahitian cultured pearls. All of the pearls seen here have natural colour. Learn more about pearls: https://bit.ly/3ljjAs0

(1-2) Courtesy: Yoko London. (3) Photo: Robert Weldon/ GIA. Courtesy: King's Ransom, Sausalito, CA.

"Granny's chips?” The Cullinan diamond, the largest gem-quality diamond crystal ever found, was unearthed in South Africa and weighed in at 3,106 carats. Gifted to King Edward VII, it was so valuable that, to protect it during transport, a diamond substitute was placed on a steamboat and surrounded by detectives as a diversionary tactic.

Joseph Asscher cut the rough into nine major gems and 96 smaller diamonds. The two largest, Cullinan I and Cullinan II, are part of the British Crown Jewels, while the rest of the major diamonds (Cullinan III-IX) are privately owned by Queen Elizabeth II. Cullinan III and IV are worn together in a brooch, as seen here. They are sometimes affectionately called "granny's chips" by the royal family.

The Cullinan VII is set as a pendant in a diamond and emerald necklace. Cullinan III is a 94.40 carat pear shape diamond, while Cullinan IV is a 63.60 carat cushion cut gem and Cullinan VII an 8.80 carat marquise cut gem.

Photo: Peter Macdiarmid via Getty Images

One of the jewels in GIA's collection is this "Midnight Seduction" lady slipper orchid brooch designed by Paula Crevoshay, a jewellery designer often known as "Queen of Colour." This unique brooch features blue and purple sapphires, blue zircons, black diamonds, coral and an abalone pearl.

Natural abalone pearls are produced by many species of the Haliotis genus and may form in many different sizes and shapes, though they often take the form of elongated “horns” and “teeth.” The pearls are known for their high luster and attractive multicoloured appearance, which is usually dominated by blue, green, or yellowish green bodycolours. Learn more about abalone pearls: https://bit.ly/3izSJWX

(Image 1) Photo: Orasa Weldon/GIA
(Image 2) Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy: KCB Natural Pearls
(Image 3) Photo: Sood Oil (Judy) Chia/GIA

Do you know how to evaluate an opal's play-of-colour? The most highly-sought-after opals have a high ratio of play-of-colour to background colour, without dark spots or dead zones. The play-of-colour should be intense, ideally against a dark background. Red play-of-colour tends to be more desirable than play-of-colour that is mainly blue and green. The pattern also matters. Flash (large areas of colour) and harlequin (distinct, angular, closely-set patches of colour) are more popular than pinfire (small patches or dots of colour). Learn more about opal quality factors: https://bit.ly/3Ffpr9D

Photos: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy: (1) Gerry Manning (2) Richard Krementz Gemstones (3) Cody Opal

So fancy. These natural coloured diamonds from the Argyle mine include a Fancy purplish red oval, a Fancy Dark grey-violet shield cut, a Fancy Vivid purplish pink emerald cut and a Fancy purplish red emerald cut. GIA recognizes 27 hues for coloured diamonds. Nine grade terms are used to describe the combined effect of tone and saturation on the diamond’s hue: Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Dark, Fancy Deep and Fancy Vivid.

Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy: Argyle Diamond