This Blog post was first published on August 3rd on Only Natural Diamonds.
High School dances,college graduation, the day of your wedding,seeing your newborn baby for the very first time! We can all relate to those moments as being “unforgettable”. Having been fortunate enough to experience those moments, I thought my next big, unforgettable moment would be holding my first grandchild. It was not. Instead, it was having a multimillion-dollar diamond necklace placed around my neck - for a diamond lover like me, that is absolutely unforgettable! Picking five of my favorite necklaces for this article was never going to be easy, but I have given it a go, and I hope you enjoy my selection!
1. Moussaieff Jewelers
The very first high jeweler to open their vaults to me, and allow me to try on whatever I choose, was Moussaieff Jewelers in 2014. This experience opened my eyes to what “high jewelry” is all about – the selection of the most exquisite, rarest diamonds, expertly set in unique designs, and has set the bar against which I measure everything I see. Famed for their opulent, regal jewels, I covet pretty much everything Moussaieff places before me, but most of all…. I obsess over this 50+ carat D IF heart shape diamond pendant. Set on a chain of pear shaped diamonds, with a fancy vivid pink diamond adding to the charm and romance of this necklace, it is forever a favorite of mine.
2. Lorraine Schwartz
Without doubt one of the most iconic carpet jewelry moments was when Beyoncé posed with two Grammys and a 400 carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond necklace at the 2017 Grammys. I had always been a fan of Lorraine’s work, and I love seeing her pieces both on the red carpet and in real life, but something about the elegance and simplicity of this Y-style rivière necklace just captivated me. So of course when I had the chance to try it on...I grabbed it! For a brief moment I felt like Queen Bee - powerful, magnificent, and able to accomplish anything!
3. Van Cleef and Arpels
Usually I'm drawn to the more unusual high jewelry pieces when I walk into Van Cleef. Their innovative design and expert craftsmanship has produced necklaces that I have been able to transform into so many variations, that I literally lose count of the various ways to wear a single piece. But this necklace...this necklace rocked my world! Spectacular design, with three D flawless pear shaped diamonds,that can be detached, with the two smaller stones then converting to earrings, and the larger center stone becoming a solitaire pendant.
4. De Beers
When I saw on social media (of course!) that De Beers were launching a new high jewelry collection, named Reflections of Nature, like every other jewelry lover, I waited with eager anticipation! The collection is based on elements in nature, and the animals that inhabit it. It features an astonishing array of rough and polished diamonds, as well as colorless and colored diamonds. The stones used in the collection took over seven years to collect. My favorite piece is the Knysna Chameleon Necklace. The necklace can be transformed adapted, creating multiple ways to wear it, each time changing its appearance, in exactly the same way as a chameleon adapts to its environment!
5. Jacob and Co
This necklace has the honor of being my most reposted picture ever - and with over 500 carats of incredible natural diamonds, it's easy to see why! The emerald cut center stone alone weighs a whopping 102.11 carats, and is suspended on a chain of significant fancy cut diamonds. Jacob and Co is renown for producing larger than life statement jewelry, and this particular necklace is the crowning jewel of the collection in my opinion.
