Proper Holiday Gift Giving

This week, I have been fielding calls from worried gift givers – predominantly male - looking for advice and perhaps trying to assuage their guilt in waiting until the last minute. With time running out, and everyone in a tizzy, allow me to provide some helpful tips that have saved many from grief, heart ache and confusion. My husband, for one, is grateful for these simple gift-giving rules, so here goes:

1.) Never buy anything with an “on/off” switch. That means no TVs, cosmetic/beauty gadgets, kitchen equipment, I-pads, I-anything. Gifts with switches are too prosaic. We want the unusual and interesting.

2.) Never buy fancy kitchenware. Yes, I may be a gourmet chef but let me buy my own pasta machine. You can make dinner reservations for me instead.

3.) Never buy spa visits or gym packages. I know you may mean well – but the convenience of these purchases could backfire. Are you saying we look tired?

So gentlemen, try for something which we seldom buy for ourselves – gifts that represent luxuries in our everyday life – a pair of gloves which is just a little too expensive; a scarf or bag which we feel a little guilty about buying. For me, the ultimate luxury is always jewelry! Rose gold is hot right now, and looks great on all skin types. There is even a choice for the commitment-phobic out there – Cartier has extended their iconic line to include a “free love” bangle that doesn’t lock on the wrist, making it easier to change your mind. That is what it all comes down to – something that we wish for. Good luck and happy shopping!





Images: Cartier Love Bracelets, courtesy: Cartier; Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra ring in rose gold, courtesy: Van Cleef & Arpels.


In the Loupe is authored by CIRCA’s resident trendspotter and style maven. She’s traveled the world, dabbling in high finance, haute cuisine, and fine art at one of the world’s leading auction houses, before finding her true calling in the world of priceless gems. The result is a genuine global luxury connoisseur, with a knowledge and appreciation of beauty, quality and true style. She is one of the industry’s foremost experts on the valuation of fine gems and jewelry, and is now happy to share her discerning eye and impeccable taste to help you look and feel fabulous!

Holiday Sparkle

With the holiday party season well underway, the scramble to put together the perfect outfit for each event has commenced. While themed jewelry is not always recommended, in the case of this Retro Van Cleef & Arpels Snowflake brooch, anyone would make an exception.

When one thinks of 1940’s VCA, the Snowflake collection immediately comes to mind. The collection made its debut in 1947, and the use of yellow gold in this piece is characteristic of the Retro style of the 1940’s, when wartime rationing made platinum scarce. VCA and other jewelers turned instead to yellow gold, even for wintry white themed pieces such as this. In this case, the naturalistic bold design and use of gold transforms what is typically white, airy and quite delicate into a bold, colorful interpretation.

This brooch is designed as three layers of geometric cut high polished yellow gold planes, with scattered diamond accents. The layers are held together with a central, domed diamond attachment, which can be removed to dismantle the brooch for cleaning. In addition to being a classic VCA design, this brooch also has French hallmarks stamped on the back of the piece, adding to its value.

The Glamour Lives On

On March 23, 2011, we said goodbye to one of the most glamorous and iconic women of our time. Elizabeth Taylor not only embodied the essence of Old Hollywood glamour, but was also the pinnacle of feminine charm. We at CIRCA have always appreciated that, among her many talents, she was one of the great lovers and collectors of jewelry. This prowess was displayed in all of its dazzling splendor at Christie’s in the lead up to this week’s The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor sale.

Rooms were filled with mannequins adorned in her many outfits, from Chanel, Dior, Versace as well as many of the costumes from her iconic movie roles. The main attraction, of course, was her extensive jewelry collection. Although the famous Taylor-Burton diamond was not among the items, there were many highlights including La Peregrina, a ruby, diamond and pearl necklace by Cartier showcasing a drop pendant with royal provenance dating back to the 16th century; and of course The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond – or Krupp Diamond- a rectangular-cut diamond ring of 33.19 carats that was given to Taylor by then-husband Richard Burton.

Aside from the sheer wow-factor of the individual pieces was the magnitude of the collection; a point that truly showcases Ms. Taylor’s capacity to acquire fine jewelry. Never shy of adorning herself in jewelry of all designs she proclaimed, “I adore wearing gems, but not because they are mine. You can’t possess radiance, you can only admire it.” Elizabeth Taylor is the type of woman that jewelry was made for, a truly passionate collector who reveled in sharing her radiance with everyone. She wore her jewels because they delighted her and made her feel exquisitely beautiful, a feeling that all woman today should certainly embrace.

Images: Elizabeth Taylor wearing The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, courtesy: graphics-arts.blogspot.com; Elizabeth Taylor’s caftan collection, courtesy: Art Market Monitor; La Peregrina, courtesy: Business Insider.


In the Loupe is authored by CIRCA’s resident trendspotter and style maven. She’s traveled the world, dabbling in high finance, haute cuisine, and fine art at one of the world’s leading auction houses, before finding her true calling in the world of priceless gems. The result is a genuine global luxury connoisseur, with a knowledge and appreciation of beauty, quality and true style. She is one of the industry’s foremost experts on the valuation of fine gems and jewelry, and is now happy to share her discerning eye and impeccable taste to help you look and feel fabulous!

Meticulous by Nature

In the world of luxury watches there is one name in particular that is synonymous with the highest level of craftsmanship and design. Founded in 1851, Patek Philippe has forged its way to the upper echelon of the timepiece industry through meticulous attention to form and function. Depending on its complexity, the Patek Philippe process can take more than 1,200 operations to create a single timepiece, sometimes taking 3-5 years to complete.

This 18K gold Patek Philippe is circa 1950-1960, a time period that is particularly desirable to collectors. What makes this watch stand out to the discerning eye is its enamel dial, a feature that is no longer found on more modern models. Dating as far back as the 17th century, hour markings were etched into metal faces and the recesses filled with black wax, resulting in higher contrast and improved readability. This method progressed further with the use of white enamel plaques, like the one here, painted with black numbers. The use of enamel was eventually discontinued because the procedure was tedious, and did not translate to mass production methods used today. That’s why a Patek Philippe model like this one is a rare and particularly notable find.

The Allure of Colored Diamonds

Colored diamonds have been all over the news lately – and what better time than the holiday gift giving season to focus in on these fabulous gems!

Without exception, when I think of important diamonds, the colored varieties come to mind. The Hope Diamond (pictured below left) is, of course, the standard bearer of museum quality gemstones; then there is the 53.23-carat pale light yellow Sancy Diamond in the Louvre and the famous and extremely rare 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond in the Green Vault in Saxony. The one piece I personally would most love to see is the 182-carat Darya-i-Noor (pictured right) – the largest pink diamond in the world. It was part of the Imperial Crown Jewels of Iran and is presently lodged in the Central Bank of Iran.

Since none of us can expect any of the above gems under the tree this year, here are a few tips if you’re thinking of gifting a colored diamond to someone special:


Go fancy, or go home. If the color is intense enough, it’s classified in the “fancy” category. When colors are richer in tone, the diamonds are further delineated into “fancy intense” and of course the pinnacle – “fancy vivid”.

It’s color – not size – that matters. Red is the rarest of them all - the largest fancy red diamond is a mere 5.11 carats! Yellows are the most plentiful, which means that a high quality white “D” color diamond would typically be valued higher. (There are exceptions, of course, like the Tiffany Yellow Diamond, pictured right). And then there’s everything in between: orange, cognac/browns, blue-greens, even greys!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Unlike with white diamonds, there is a wide range of tone and depth to any colored variety, and it ultimately comes down to personal preference. For instance, a fancy purplish-pink diamond – one of my personal favorites - can have infinite variations in color. So trust your instincts, and your taste. When it comes to giving a diamond, you really can’t go wrong.


Next week: Proper Holiday Gift Giving.

Images: Hope Diamond, courtesy: Smithsonian Institute; Dresden Green Diamond, courtesy: WorldIsRound.com; Tiffany Yellow Diamond, courtesy: Tiffany & Co.


In the Loupe is authored by CIRCA’s resident trendspotter and style maven. She’s traveled the world, dabbling in high finance, haute cuisine, and fine art at one of the world’s leading auction houses, before finding her true calling in the world of priceless gems. The result is a genuine global luxury connoisseur, with a knowledge and appreciation of beauty, quality and true style. She is one of the industry’s foremost experts on the valuation of fine gems and jewelry, and is now happy to share her discerning eye and impeccable taste to help you look and feel fabulous!

Fly Me to the Moon

The iridescence of moonstone has captivated its admirers for centuries. It’s always been thought to hold mystical powers, and the ancient Romans even theorized that moonstone, with its unearthly shimmer, was formed from frozen moonlight. This appealing gem variety does shine with a cool, lunar light but it is technically known as the mineral feldspar, which is quite terrestrial in origin.

Moonstones come in a variety of colors. The body color can range from colorless to gray, brown, yellow, green, or pink. The clarity ranges from transparent to translucent. The best moonstone has a blue sheen, perfect clarity, and a colorless body color, much like the stone in the exquisite Raymond Yard ring pictured here. Moonstones are usually cut in a smooth-domed oval cabochon shape, like this one, to maximize the effect.

On this ring, the beautiful moonstone is shown off to great effect in a platinum and diamond Art Deco style setting, which is characteristic of Raymond Yard’s work. Pieces like this exemplify the understated elegance of Art Deco design and remain an ever current look for today’s jewelry lover.