The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor Auction

The recent Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry Auction set world records!
Several items sold for 5, 10 or 50 times their estimated value.
The collection fetched $118 million in one night making
Taylor's gems the most valuable private collection of jewels ever sold at auction.

The collection included 1,778 lots of jewelry,
fashion, decorative arts and film memorabilia.
This historic sale set a world record for the most valuable sale of jewelry in auction history, and set a new bar for the most valuable collection of fashion ever offered at auction. It also marked the company’s first-ever Online-Only sale, which ran in parallel to the live auctions at Christie’s New York and generated over 57,000 bids and $9.5 million in additional sales. In total, 26 items sold for over the $1 million mark, and numerous new world auction records were achieved – a testament to Miss Taylor’s expert eye for craftsmanship, rarity, and quality in all of the items she chose for her personal collection.

The world famous La Peregrina necklace by Cartier - a diamond and ruby rope
with a 16th century pearl pendant sold for $11.8 million!



One collector paid $600,000 for a diamond and sapphire ring
given to the star by Michael Jackson,
while the 33.19-carat Elizabeth Taylor Diamond,
a present from Richard Burton, sold for $8.8 million.



A portion of the profits will be donated to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation

Visit the Christie's Auction Site to read more

-Taylor

Add some color to your engagement

It's more and more common that women are choosing colored stone engagement rings instead of the traditional Diamond ring. The trend for color in bridal has become an important niche, especially in custom design work.

The reason? Well there can be as many reasons as there are brides but here are a few...

Bigger stones for less money: Women want more impressive and important looking rings but the can't necessarily afford the 2 carat diamond. Colored stones can offer more bang for your buck! Although for many color is about cost, now people are spending big money on colored stones for their own excellence. There are many very expensive colored stones, some of which are more rare and expensive than Diamonds.

It is more contemporary and unique: perfect for the non-traditional bride that wants to stand out from the crowd. Individuality has become a very important part of the engagement and wedding process for many couples.

“Traditional paradigms about how a wedding should be and how significant elements of the wedding are looked upon are changing,” describes Michael O'Connor, style expert and TV commentator.

Love for a certain gemstone: Some women just have a special connection with a certain type of gemstone, it can be a way to add sentiment to the ring

Gemstone affiliated with the birthday of bride or groom, children or the month of engagement: also a way to add sentiment to a ring, the colored stone(s) can be used as accent stones, can be hidden inside the gallery work or as the center stone. Hidden stones in the gallery are a subtle way to add sentiment.

Some women want to use their favorite color: this is way to show their personal style, and to use a color they really love, crazy I know but all women don't love Diamonds.

There are more second, third...weddings: many women tend to be more likely to branch out and choose something unique after their first marriage.

The proliferation of bridal shows, magazines and websites have been very influential in raising the awareness of non-traditional options: The demand for particular styles and colors increases as new trends are seen in magazines and on the fingers of a celebrities.

Celebrity influence from highly publicized engagements and weddings: Elizabeth Hurley, Nicol Richie, Penelope Cruz and Jessica Simpson have colored stone engagement rings. Princess Diana and now Kate Middleton are another example.






Things to consider...
Diamonds are known for their rarity, beauty and value but another reason they are traditionally used in engagement rings is because of their hardness and durability.

Hardness is an important factor when choosing a stone for everyday wear. Choosing something less durable like opal or pearl could result in damage. They are best suited for women who will not be wearing their rings everyday.

The hardness of a gemstone is measured on the Moh's scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the hardest.

Ruby's as corundum gems are second in hardness to diamond, making it a wonderful bridal option.

Classically blue sapphire is the number one colored gemstone choice in bridal, followed by fancy color sapphires (especially pink and yellow), ruby, and then emerald.

Not sure if you're comfortable with the idea of a completely non-traditional ring? Pairing a traditional setting with colored stones or a non-traditional setting with Diamonds can be a great way to branch out and have a unique ring without going completely out of your comfort zone.

At Spectrum we can design anything your heart desires from classic and traditional to unique and innovative. We work have Diamonds and colored gems.

Check out our Custom Jewelry Design and Bridal pages to see some of our stunning creations.



-Taylor

Color of the Year for 2012: Tangerine Tango!

PANTONE 2012 color of the year is
Tangerine Tango!

(The bold, red-orange shade succeeds 2011's pretty-in-pink color, Honeysuckle)

It's Sophisticated but also dramatic and seductive!

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said
"Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset,
Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red
with the friendliness and warmth of yellow,
to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy...
there’s the element of encouragement with orange, it’s building on the ideas of courage and action, that we want to move on to better things."

The Pantone color of the year is an annual influence on fashion and design.
Tangerine Tango has already begun to pop up in fashion and cosmetics,
with a strong showing in New York’s fashion week this fall.
The bright orange is not an especially tricky color to wear,
but it’s also not universally flattering — especially when it comes to cosmetics.

Read more about PANTONE's color of the year

Celebs in Tangerine Tango

-Taylor