Memorable Monday... By: David W. Richardson, CSP

Name That Tune

Le Francais is one of the finest restaurants in the city, very elegant, very posh, the perfect place for Michael to ask Melinda to spend the rest of her life with him.

Two weeks before popping the "big question" he met with the maître d' of Le Francais and planned out every detail of the special evening.

The night finally arrived, and as Michael and Melinda walked into the restaurant , the maître d' extended his hand, greeted them warmly, and immediately showed them to their special table which was adorned with beautiful flowers and exquisite tableware.

First they were served a glass of Melinda's favorite Chardonnay, then came escargot, then the soup, salad, entrée, dinner wine, dessert, and after dinner cordial...all pre-ordered by Michael, all Melinda's favorites.

As they sipped their cordials, the wait staff gathered to form a semi-circle around the table, and the strolling violinist came over and played "Isn't It Romantic." Michael rose from the table, knelt before Melinda, and slid a dazzling diamond ring onto her finger as he said, "Will you marry me Melinda?"

The moment she said "Yes," the champagne corks popped all over the restaurant, and everyone held up their glasses in a toast to the happy couple.

134 Carat Sapphire Brooch to Highlight Alexandre Reza Exhibit at Sotheby's

By Daniel Ford, Web Editor

Posted on July 26, 2013

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Alexandre Reza untreated Ceylon sapphire brooch featuring a 134 ct. large oval sapphire mounted on a gold clip set with 14 round diamonds 17 cts. t.w., a 1 ct. pear-shaped diamond, yellow diamonds, and 14 pear shaped sapphires 8 ct. t.w. from 1980 (Photos courtesy of Sotheby's

A 134 ct. sapphire brooch will highlight the Alexandre Reza exhibit set to debut in November at Sotheby’s in New York City.
Titled “The Extraordinary Jewelry of Alexandre Reza,” the exhibition will highlight both the historic and contemporary works of the Paris-based jewelry designer. New pieces designed by Olivier Reza, son of now-retired Alexandre, will include earrings featuring old mine Colombian emeralds set in baguette diamonds and a natural pearl necklace.
“My family and I are honored to partner with Sotheby’s and share both the Alexandre Reza archives and new creations with jewelry collectors around the world,” said Olivier Reza in a statement. “Carefully curated, this exhibition will showcase my father’s legacy as a jeweler, and the work that we create today in his honor.”

Platinum earrings composed of four Columbian emeralds more than 51 cts., framed with over 14 cts. of diamond baguettes.
The collection will be on public view  Nov. 2–14 in New York City. The exhibition will travel to Sotheby’s global offices in 2014, including London, Doha, and Beijing.

Natural pearl necklace set with a pear-shaped pearl of 29 cts. at its center, a fancy intense yellow diamond of 2.5 cts. and 3 rose-cut diamonds 12 cts. t.w.

Memorable Monday....By: David W. Richardson, CSP

Horse Sense

My boyfriend Carl and I had been dating for several years when we decided it was time for us to get married.  It was pretty cut and dried, not a lot of romance or discussion.  We didn't want to spend a lot of money on a ring because we were saving to buy some property where we could have a couple horses, a dream both of us had since childhood.

We always reserved our Saturday mornings for horseback riding at a friend's ranch, and one Saturday Carl told me to meet him extra early so we could watch the sun come up from our favorite spot. 

We started our ride when it was still dark, but both of us were wide awake and looking forward to the ride.  I had baked fresh cinnamon rolls the night before and brought  them along with a thermos of hot coffee.  The plan was to ride up into the mountains as it got light and stop in time to watch the glorious sunrise over the pasture down below. 

As we rode up the trail, Carl reached over and touched my arm so tenderly it made me want to cry.  I just love that man so much it hurts!  I turned to smile at him and saw that he was holding a little box out toward me.  We walked our horses off to the side of the trail, and I opened the box to find a precious gold ring with little diamonds all across the top. It was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen.

"Carl," I whispered, "I thought we weren't going to do this."

Carl reached over and slipped the ring on my finger as my eyes filled up with tears. 

"Joanne, I love you so much that I want every single person who sees you to notice that you have a ring on your finger and know that our love for each other is a special thing for us.  That ring is nothing fancy, but the depth of love it carries is beyond measure.  Will you be my wife?"

What a special moment in my life. That was fifteen years ago, and I'm reminded of it every time we ride our horses up that trail to watch the sunrise together. 

Etolie Band~Tiffany's

JCK~Re-Post- Kimberley Diamond On Display

55 Carat Kimberley Diamond Goes on Display in New York City

By Rob Bates, Senior Editor

Posted on July 17, 2013

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The famed 55 ct. Kimberley Diamond is making its first public appearance at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City this month.
The stone, which is on loan from the Bruce F. Stuart Trust, will be on display in the Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems through at least June 2014, a museum spokeswoman says.

The Kimberley Diamond
The 55.08-ct. champagne-colored gem, described by the exhibit's curator as "virtually flawless," is historically important because it was found in the 19th century at the Kimberley Mine in South Africa, also known as “the Big Hole,” one of the first diamond mines of the modern era.
The Kimberley Diamond was discovered as a 490 ct. crystal, and it was cut into a 70 ct. gem in 1921. The stone was given its present emerald cut in 1958 to improve its brilliancy, according to the museum.

More Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry Coming Up for Auction JCK Re-Post

More Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry Coming Up for Auction

By Rob Bates, Senior Editor

Posted on July 16, 2013

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It turns out that Elizabeth Taylor had a few more jewels to be auctioned off.
Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Julien Auctions, which specializes in celebrity memorabilia, will auction off two of the noted actress and jewelry collector’s pieces in October.
Among the items scheduled to go up for bids is an 18k yellow gold necklace and earring set signed Zorab that features citrine and peridot. It has a $10,000 to $15,000 estimate.

18k yellow gold necklace and earring set featuring citrine and peridot (Photos courtesy of Julien Auctions)
Another item is a bracelet Taylor wore in the movie Cleopatra, with five dangling lotus blossoms on chain and beaded fringes, and a clasp opening. Its estimate is $1,000 to $2,000.

Five dangling lotus blossoms on chain and beaded fringes 
The auction also will include the headdress Taylor wore in Cleopatra. According to Reuters, the items were the property of an unidentified former employee of Taylor’s.
In December 2011, the auction of Taylor’s jewels at Christie’s set numerous records.

Memorable Monday...

Memorable Ways To Pop The Question By: David W. Richardson, CSP

Falling For Him

Michael and I met in a composition class in our sophomore year of college.  We struck up a conversation one afternoon as we were walking out of the classroom and continued talking until we reached my dorm. He asked if he could take me out for coffee later, and I told him I'd like that.

Our relationship just "felt right" from the very beginning, and we knew that we were meant to be together.

Michael and I had been dating for a little over a year when we began talking about moving in together. I had discussed the idea with my parents, and they weren't too crazy about it. They hadn't said "Absolutely not, young lady!" as I had expected, though, so I moved forward with my plan to move in.

The Saturday we had chosen to move was a chilly fall day with multi-colored leaves blowing everywhere. fall is my favorite time of year, and I couldn't wait to get moved into our little apartment so we could decorate with all the seasonal colors. 

As I trudged up the steps with a full armload of clothes, I looked up to see that Michael had already hung a beautiful wreath made of red and gold leaves on our door.  It was big and thick and had pine cones scattered around it. I wondered who had made it.

Pushing open the door with my foot, I walked in and complimented Michael on the wreath as I dropped my pile of clothes on the couch. "Who made that, Michael? It's beautiful."

"Believe it or not, I did...with a little help from your mom," was his reply.

"My mom?" I walked back out to take a closer look with Michael on my heels. The significance of the wreath on our door was much more apparent when I had a chance to look more closely.  Hanging from a red ribbon in the center was a diamond engagement ring with a note attached to it. 

In my mom's handwriting, The note read: "Honey, do you think we would've let you move in there if we hadn't known Michael was going to propose? Now, give the poor boy his answer! Love, Mom."

Michael had a huge smile on his face as if he knew exactly what my answer would be, and he was right. I gave him a great big "yes!"

JCK~Re-Post

2.95 Carat Diamond Found at Arkansas Park

By Rob Bates, Senior Editor

Posted on July 9, 2013

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2.95 ct. brown diamond at Arkansas’ famous Crater of Diamonds State Park.

On July 4, Terry Staggs of Richmond, Ky., unearthed a 2.95 ct. brown diamond at Arkansas’ famous Crater of Diamonds State Park.
The champagne rough stone is the biggest of all the 304 diamonds found so far this year at the park, according to a park statement. Since the stone was discovered on Independence Day, Staggs dubbed it the Patriot Diamond.
The park, open since 1972 in Murfreesboro, Ark., lets visitors rummage for diamonds and keep what they find.
The diamond “appears to be a complete crystal and is shaped like a shield,” said park interpreter Waymon Cox in a statement. “It’s about the size of an English pea and has as a golden brown metallic appearance.”
Staggs took advantage of the long weekend to search for stones at the park. The diamond caught his attention after he’d been surface-searching for about two and a half hours.
“Sunny weather conditions on July 4th were perfect for this sparkler to catch Mr. Staggs’ attention as he searched,” said Cox. “Mr. Staggs’ gem was found in gravel on the surface of the East Drain area. Sunlight reflecting off the diamond made it stand out from the other stones."
While the value of the Patriot Diamond is still undetermined, it would be tough the beat the 2.44 ct. F VS1 stone discovered at the park in 2012. That diamond was valued at more than $21,000.
Perhaps the park’s most notable recent discovery is the D-flawless Strawn-Wagner Diamond. The 3.03 ct. stone, which was found in 1998, was eventually cut to a 1.09 ct. AGS Triple Zero by Lazare Kaplan. It was subsequently purchased by the state of Arkansas and is currently on display at the Crater of Diamonds visitor center.

Memorable Monday...

Memorable Ways To Pop The Question
By: David W. Richardson, CSP

Cooling Her Heels

It was a beautiful day for a hike, the weather was perfect, but Peter seemed a little "out of it" today, a little aloof.  Wendy figured it was because the end of the quarter was near and Peter was still short of his sales quota.
As they walked, she and Peter engaged in idle chit chat. If she mentioned anything about work, he quickly moved along to another subject.
The sound of the waterfall in the distance meant that lunch break was just around the corner. Her feet were tired and she was ready for a rest. The waterfall was Wendy's favorite place in the whole world, and she looked forward to a peaceful half an hour enjoying its beauty.
Running to the edge of the pool, she pulled off her hiking boots and let her feet slowly sink into the cool blue water. Peter joined her as they sat and shared a delicious lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Afterwards, dozing in the sun, Wendy tried to think of a way to cheer Peter up a bit.
As they prepared to leave, Wendy slid on her socks and grabbed her boots. After cooling her heels in the stream, her boots always felt much better on her feet. Lacing up her second boot, she noticed something strange about the shoelace. There was something hanging from it...a diamond ring! It was a diamond engagement ring!!
She turned to face Peter who had dropped to his knee beside her. Taking the boot from her, he removed the ring, looked lovingly into her eyes, and said,"Wendy, I love you more than anything in this world. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
Wendy's response was a great big "Yes!" as she toppled over into the grass to give him a kiss. 

Memorable Ways To Pop The Question By: David W. Richardson, CSP

Coffee Shop Chaos

Every Saturday morning, without fail, my sister Joanne and I meet for coffee at our favorite café. When the weather is nice we sit outside, and the waitress who has been serving us for years brings us our order without even having to ask us what we want. We have comfort food and girl talk, and it's the highlight of my week.
So, it was Saturday morning, we were re-hashing the week's events, and I found myself voicing the same old lament...that my boyfriend of three years was never going to make a serious commitment to our relationship.  At 45, I was ready to settle into something more than just a steady weekend date.
Even though Joanne listened patiently, I sensed that she was distracted, and I finally asked her what was so interesting behind me? She leaned toward me and whispered, "Don't turn around, but there's a guy behind you with a hat and sunglasses that looks like he's trying to eavesdrop. I wonder if he's delusional and thinks he's a spy!" At that we giggled and continued our conversation our conversation in quieter tones.
A few seconds later I heard the chair behind me scrape the cement as our "spy" moved closer. This guy was definitely a kook who was much too interested in what we were saying. So I proceeded to launch into a tale of how I had met a fabulous bodybuilder earlier in the week and we were having a passionate affair.  I added that I was thinking about breaking up with Thomas to run off with this new guy. 
CRASH! In trying to strain to listen to what I was saying, the guy behind us actually fell backwards, and I was so startled that I jumped up and managed  to tip our whole table over-coffee, toast and all.  What a mess and what a noise! Everyone on the patio was looking at us!
I turned to give this guy a piece of my mind and absolutely could not believe the sight of my Thomas righting himself and his chair and trying to maintain some small resemblance of dignity. "What on earth do you think you're doing? " I yelled.
"Well, believe it or not, honey, this was a well-planned attempt to propose in a very unique and romantic way. It just didn't turn out exactly as I had planned!"  With that, he pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket and took my hand.
"Janet, don't you even think about running off with some other guy! You're my girl, and I want you to be my wife! Will you marry me?"
Trying to hold back a combination of laughter and tears, I held out my hand for Thomas to slip the diamond on my finger. "Thomas, I'll call Fabio the minute I leave here and tell him the deal's off. I would love to be your wife."

July Birthstone~RUBY

The birthstone for the month of July is Ruby! Ruby represents passion and love, and is said to look like a fire is burning within the stone. The ruby is one of the most highly prized gems throughout history. Ruby's hardness and durability make a great choice for an everyday ring, or as an alternative gem for an engagement ring.