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Diamonds That Rocked Our Instagram in 2021
Jan 2, 2022 2:59 AM
By Sonia Esther Soltani
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RAPAPORT... Which jewelry pieces stood out for our followers on the saturated social-media platform Instagram has become? Enchanting colored diamonds sold by the leading auction houses, engagement rings featuring daring settings that challenged the traditional bridal codes, and statement jewels from prestigious brands ruled our @jewelryconnoisseur_by_rapaport account.
Remarkable creations by up-and-coming jewelry designers such as Maggi Simpkins, Angie Marei, and Ayesha Mehta of Caye Joaillier won the popular vote. Joining them were dazzling diamond items from the likes of established brands Harry Winston and Boodles, reflecting an increasingly diverse jewelry landscape.
If last year’s top 10 roundup highlighted a preference for blue stones, pink is the color of 2021, either as the main stone or in accents. A diamond setting a world auction record for a fancy purple pink takes the 10th spot: the spectacular Sakura Diamond. The cushion-cut, 15.81-carat, fancy-vivid-purple-pink, internally flawless stone sold for $29.3 million, or $1.9 million per carat, at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong in May, making it the most expensive gem in this category.
Next on the list is another internally flawless colored diamond — this time the Dam ring created by Sotheby’s Diamonds set with a 7-carat, fancy-intense-purplish-pink stone. With a high estimate of $7.1 million, it attracted a lot of online admirers, but it unfortunately went unsold at the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong in April.
Our eighth position sees a contemporary creation by the house of the “King of Diamonds,” Harry Winston, who famously said, “People will stare. Make it worth their while.” The engagement ring set with an emerald-cut, 5.51-carat diamond, elegantly combined with pears, marquises and round brilliants, certainly drew a lot of stares.
One of the trends identified by jewelry insiders is playful jewelry, which ranges from lighthearted to irreverent takes on well-known motifs. The diamond ring that made it to the seventh place is the Dizzy Swing by Caye Joaillier. Founder Ayesha Mehta achieved her goal of creating a little necklace for the finger by linking three diamonds of different shapes on an 18-karat gold chain.
A sculptural piece of jewelry art takes the sixth position. The Ninja Cranes earrings set with diamonds and pink diamonds from the Argyle mine were created by Singapore-based An Order of Bling. Their popularity confirmed the star appeal of jewelry featuring the rarest stones from the Australian mine.
Another jewel inspired by nature is next on our chart: This ring, with a floral motif, sold by Christie’s Private Sales. It’s set with two cushion-shaped, fancy-yellow diamonds of 2.13 and 2.02 carats and approximately 5.50 carats of mixed-cut diamonds. Noticeable this year was a desire from brides-to-be to opt for more elaborate pieces, set with colored stones, and this ring fitted the bill perfectly.
Speaking of sophisticated design, our fourth most popular post is the striking Singapore ring by London jeweler Boodles from the Around the World in 16 Days collection. Set with an Ashoka-cut, 3.45-carat diamond, surrounded by pink diamonds, sitting atop an intricate diamond-set band, it was one for statement-jewelry lovers.
Third is the conversation-starter Ayla ring by Marei New York, starring a marquise-cut diamond with black enamel detailing and diamond pavé. Revisiting the traditional snake-jewelry style and turning it into an edgy, sexy and powerful engagement ring made the Egyptian-Dominican designer’s piece extremely covetable. The designer’s creations reached a wider audience this year as they were featured in the breakthrough selling exhibition “Brilliant & Black: A Jewelry Renaissance” at Sotheby’s.
A wonderfully romantic pear-shaped, 5.29-carat, fancy-intense-green diamond ring came second. The center stone had a surround of pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds of pink tint, creating a delightful visual effect. It was one of the top sellers at the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong in October, where it fetched over $3 million.
Inspiring the most popular post of the year was a head-turning ring by Los Angeles-based Maggi Simpkins, who specializes in custom-made bridal jewelry. The piece includes an east-west emerald-cut mosaic center (a highly engineered cluster of step-cut diamonds invisibly set to create one emerald-shaped mosaic), between headdress-style bands set with rubies and purple sapphires. Simpkins, who headlined the “Brilliant & Black” event with her $1 million Bloom ring set with a 2.43-carat, fancy-pink diamond, is definitely a designer to watch.
Main image: The ring by Maggi Simpkins.
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Tags:
Angie Marei, Ayesha Meh, Ayesha Mehta, Boodles, Caye Joaillier, Christie’s, Dizzy Swing, Harry Winston, Hong Kong, Instagram, Maggi Simpkins, Marei New York, Ninja Cranes, Singapore, social media, Sonia Esther Soltani , Sotheby’s
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