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RAPAPORT... Royal Asscher presented the ''Diamond Jubilee Stars,'' an exclusive edition of six pieces that are part of the Stars of Africa collection, in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen's jubilee in the U.K. The Diamond Jubilee Stars collection is available at Harrods in London and made with 18-karat rose gold, 1.32 total carat weight (tcw) of white diamonds, 0.40 tcw of blue and 0.40 tcw of fancy pink floating diamonds. Along with the ring, Royal Asscher offered an 18-karat rose gold pendant with 3.31 tcw white, 0.80 tcw blue and 0.80 tcw fancy pink diamonds. The colors of the diamonds resemble the three colors of The Union Jack, the British National Flag. “The passion for fancy colored diamonds is a long lasting passion in the Asscher family," said Mike Asscher, the company's managing director. "The Diamond Jubilee ring is one of the most spectacular rings we have created in this collection. The blue and pink diamonds in combination with the white diamonds show mother natures true mystery.” The Royal Asscher Diamond Company and the British Monarchy have enjoyed a long relationship, dating back to 1908 when the Asscher brothers of Amsterdam cut the largest diamond in the world: the Cullinan. The Cullinan I (530 carats) was mounted in the head of the Scepter with the Cross, the Cullinan II (317 carats) was mounted in St. Edward's Crown. Both are part of the Royal Crown Jewels and on permanent display in the Tower of London. The relationship between the two Royal Houses is still vibrant in 2012: the Diamond Jubilee Year. On the fourth day of the National Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, Queen Elizabeth II wore the brooch set with the Cullinan III & IV. In front of a worldwide audience her Royal Majesty appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. In 2008, Royal Asscher launched a Sierra Leone focused charity project called Stars of Africa, which aimed to improve infrastructure in diamond producing African nations by creating funding for education and healthcare and to establish self-sufficiency programs. The project is named after the largest diamond ever found, the 3,107 carat Star of Africa (Cullinan) diamond, cut by the Asscher family in 1908. However, the Stars of Africa initiative aims to highlight the fact that the true Star of Africa, its most precious resource, is her people.
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