The Final Cut

A girl can dream

We asked four women in the industry: What piece of jewelry would you most like to own if money were no object?

By Rapaport News

Esther Fortunoff
The piece I would love to own is the Orchid brooch by Paula Crevoshay. This was part of an exhibition of Crevoshay’s work at the Carnegie Museum. I love flowers in jewelry, and I like brooches. This one is fantastic in the way the colors seem to move. It is evocative of the southwestern part of the US, and reminiscent of the paintings of Georgia O’Keefe. I love the energy of the orange-color gemstones. It would be great to own this brooch, which has amazing depth of color that makes it shine with the power of the sun’s heat.

Greene President and owner,
Fortunoff Fine Jewelry

Reena Ahluwalia
I would choose the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, a 33.19-carat, type IIa diamond. “This remarkable stone is called the Krupp diamond because it had been owned by Vera Krupp, of the famous munitions family that helped knock off millions of Jews,” wrote Taylor. “When it came up for auction in the late 1960s, I thought how perfect it would be if a nice Jewish girl like me were to own it. In truth, though, there’s nothing funny about the Krupp. When I look into it, the deep Asscher cuts — which are so complete and ravishing — are like steps that lead into eternity and beyond. With its sparks of red and white and blue and purple, and on and on, really, it sort of hums with its own beatific life.” I think this quote is one of the most eloquent jewelry quotes of all time. Elizabeth Taylor understood diamonds and jewelry, their storytelling capacity and what makes them deeply personal.

Jewelry designer and diamond painter

Tiffany Stevens
The Elephant Diamond brooch is a gorgeous piece with diamonds and emeralds, auctioned at Christie’s in London in 2007. It was originally owned by Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala, who used it as an adornment for his favorite elephant. I love this aspect, as elephants should be wearing jewelry, not being used to make it! I would be honored to wear something so beautiful, so connected with passion and originally designed for and worn by an elephant — hopefully, I could absorb some of the great creature’s wisdom.

President and CEO,
Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC)

Elke Berr
The wonderful cushion-shaped Burma sapphire weighing 118.88 carats, offered for sale at Christie’s in November 2015, was my coup de coeur of the Geneva auctions. The stone displays exceptional clarity and brilliance, combined with a homogeneous and richly saturated Royal Blue color. It sold for $4.1 million, and the price per carat was reasonable ($35,057) for such depth of color and fine proportions, both rarely found in natural Burmese sapphires of this size. I was lucky enough to hold it in my hands and examine it from every angle, but I would have loved to own such a beautiful stone.

Gemologist and jewelry designer,
Berr & Partners – Elke Berr Créations

Image: Crevoshay; Christie’s Images Limited 2017

Article from the Rapaport Magazine - October 2017. To subscribe click here.

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