cracks on the meteorite
Life in color: what are they – multi-colored diamonds
They captivate with their beauty. They give fabulous money at auctions. All fans of jewelry accessories dream of them. The richest people in the world arrange a “hunt” for them. All of these are colored diamonds. Where do fancy color diamonds come from? Why is everyone going crazy with such pebbles? Which specimens are considered the most expensive? Let’s try to figure it out!
History of colored diamonds
For a long time, diamonds, which had an interesting shade, were deprived of the attention of jewelry connoisseurs. They were confused with other minerals – corundum, quartz and other pebbles. When the scale of mineralogical hardness appeared and the methods of “age” analysis of minerals were developed, it became clear that not only transparent but also colored diamonds can be found in nature.
Jewelers began to use the concept of “fantasy diamonds” only at the end of the 20th century. Then the color versions of the “royal stone” and gained unprecedented popularity. 1987 is considered the “finest hour” of fantasy pieces. It was then that an auction was held in New York, at which a colored diamond was first appreciated. For a red pebble, the weight of which almost reached a carat, the buyer laid out a million dollars. This was a signal to the world about the beginning of a new era in jewelry: fantasy stones climbed the pedestal, and the more colorful the color of the diamond, the better. Continue reading
Enamel jewelry, or how to drive a jewel “into paint”

The ancient art of enamel art Continue reading
Medici Family Treasures
The famous Italian family of aristocrats and politicians, who became legendary not only in their homeland, but throughout the world, left behind a considerable inheritance. In particular, many of the Medici were obsessed with collecting and understood a lot about elegant objects – paintings, utensils and jewelry. The latter will be discussed.
Little remained after the Medici clan died out: they sold something, plundered something, took it for debts or simply hid it from the eyes of the world in private collections. And the more valuable it becomes every golden item associated with a legendary surname.
One of the main treasures of the collection is a gemma pendant with the image of Girolamo Savonarola, the main enemy of the Medici family. It is made of carnelian and set in blackened silver. Pierrot Medici, nicknamed Gout, was collecting a collection of gems – examining them, he began to feel weaker pain in the joints. But, of course, the Medici collection also included gems depicting members of the genus. For example, a cameo on a sink called “Portrait of Cosimo Medici” encrusted with silver and gold, or an agate cameo in a gold frame “Portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent” by Medici, now stored in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Continue reading