Jewelry Global Week: The Washington Museum of Natural History showcases 116.76ct cushion shaped Shaflei stone “Lion of Merelani”; The diamond necklace given by Napoleon I to his lover was sold for $1.25 million

 

 

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The Washington Museum of Natural History showcases 116.76ct cushion shaped Shaflei stone “Lion of Merelani”

 

On April 20th, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington will publicly display a new 116.76ct cushion  shaped cut Sapphire stone – “Lion of Merelani.” The museum claims that this is the world’s largest square cushion shaped cut Sapphire faceted gem and the largest Sapphire stone ever obtained by a US museum.

This gem was discovered in the Merelani Mountains in northern Tanzania in 2017. The original stone weighs 283ct and has been cut into a perfectly symmetrical square cushion shaped faceted gem with 117 facets. The gemstone cutter first simulates the cutting using a 3D printed raw stone model before cutting, and after confirming the final plan, it takes one month to complete the cutting.

Jeffrey Post, curator of gemstones and minerals at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., said that this Schaeffleite is one of the most important colored gemstones discovered in mining in the past decade, with a color similar to “glowing green”. Cutting Sapphire gemstones weighing over 10ct are very rare, with the Lion of Merelani weighing 100ct more than the largest Sapphire stones in the current US national gemstone collection.

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A diamond necklace given by Napoleon I to his lover for sale for $1.25 million

 

American antique jewelry dealer MS Rau recently announced the sale of a historically significant antique diamond necklace – a gift from Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France to his lover – for $1.25 million.

 

This diamond necklace was made in the 1810s, using 14K platinum and diamonds to create 11 floral decorations. It is set with Old Mine cut diamonds with a total weight of approximately 95ct, presenting a typical “Neo classical” design style.

 

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The necklace is designed with a convertible structure, and 11 diamond flowers can be removed from the necklace and replaced with a bracelet or headdress. The necklace was kept in a customized Jewel Box by Lambert Vormus, a jeweler in Paris. The box was engraved with the initials “MW” and the date “1810″, presumably the initials of Napoleon’s lover Marie Walewska.

Diamond necklace, circa 18

 

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Diamond necklace, circa 1810

Made of 14K platinum, set with approximately 95ct Old Mine cut diamonds, it can be converted into headwear and bracelet to wear.

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Post time: Apr-25-2023