Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The Cognac Diamond
The Red Diamond
The Orange Diamond
The Brown Diamond
The Green Diamond
The Blue Diamond
The blue diamond gets its color from the boron in its composition. They are mined in Australia and South Africa, and along with the “red” diamond are the most rare and valuable of the colored diamonds. A blue diamond can cost as much as $100,000 to $250,000 per carat, depending on clarity, color, and size.
The […]
The Yellow Diamond
Most diamonds are faint or light yellow. These stones are the most affordable diamonds and are becoming more and […]
The Pink Diamond
Natural colored pink diamonds vary in hue from purplish pink to orangey pink.
Graff Unveils Diamond Waterfall and Petal Collections
Luxury jewelers at the House of Graff, recently unveiled two of their latest collections, the Waterfall and Petal collections. Both collections feature a number of chandelier earrings and pendant necklaces.
The Waterfall collection pays tribute to one of nature’s most beautiful sights, a waterfall. With chandelier earrings dripping a cascade of gorgeous pear-shaped diamonds from an eight-petal flower in bloom at the base, this collection is definitely for the woman who wants all eyes on her. A matching pendant necklace is also a part of the Waterfall collection, and also features a large eight-petal flower with a “waterfall” of smaller diamonds dripping from it.
The Petal collection combines brilliant white diamonds with beautiful pink saphhires in both a necklace and set of earrings. The necklace is a pendant chain featuring four-petal flowers that come together to form a quaint quartet. Each of the petals in the flowers are made up of heart-shaped diamonds clustered around a beautiful pink sapphire. From the “bouquet” of flowers, a stream of white diamonds and pink sapphires dangle below. An equally beautiful and similarly styled set of earrings compliments the Petal collection’s pendant necklace very nicely. The Petal collection pieces are also available in a diamond and emerald arrangement, sure to make on-lookers green with envy.
Like always, if you have to ask the price… this is not for you. But if the price doesn’t scare you, you can check out Waterfall and Petal collections at the House of Graff showrooms located in select locations throughout the world.Majesty Cross Diamond Pendant Necklace
Love poker and diamonds? Then have we got the perfect necklace for you- the Majesty Cross Pendant necklace featuring a four-suit pendant of 18k white gold, studded with 2.85 carats of diamonds, all on an 18-inch matching chain.
Next time you hit the Vegas tables, show the world that you’ve got Lady Luck on your side, and a bit of class, by wearing the ultimate in poker-themed jewelry. Priced at $5,000, this isn’t a cheap piece - in looks or style.
To get a better idea of just how nice this necklace is, check out the up close image below. Just look at those diamonds sparkle!
Kickbars: Diamond Encrusted Shoelace Clips
Sure, you could easily spend a few hundred dollars on a nice pair of designer sneakers, but if you really want to make your shoes sparkle and stand out from the crowd, you want diamonds on them! The Kickbar, a jewel encrusted shoelace clip, adds that extra bit of class and shine to your favorite lace-ups.
The Kickbar features 108 G/VS1 diamonds pave set into a rectangular, white gold bar. All in all, the diamonds add up to a total weight of 2 carats per pair. If you prefer a little more color, The Kickbar is also available with pink sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and an assortment of colored diamonds. These alternate stoned Kickbars all retail at their “current market value.”
There’s also a “junior” version of the Kickbars for those who can’t afford to splurge on the $7500 models, but who still love their diamonds. The junior Kickbars contain fewer diamonds. There are about 76 stones that added up to a total weight of 1.5 carats.
The Kickbars are secured to your shoe by threading them through the laces. Because of this set-up, they can also double as a necklace or bracelet if threaded into a nice chain.
At $7500 per pair, Kickbars aren’t for everyone, and we fully expect these to be popping up on the shoes of hip-hop stars in the near future!
The Vertu Pink Diamond Phone
Forget the iPhone; anyone with an extra $500 to $600 laying around can get that at their local Apple or AT&T store. You want something a little more glam, and a lot more sparkly! And by sparkly we don’t mean those cheap Swarovski crystal-studded phones that were all the rage a few years ago.
If you want a truly blinged-out mobile phone, then look no further than Vertu and their limited edition Vertu Pink Diamond phone. The phone casing itself is made of rose gold, but what really makes the phone shine are its tiny pink and white diamonds paved in a pretty flower pattern. The Vertu Pink Diamond phone will be available in extremely limited quantities, but because of the opportunities those extra zeros in your bank account afford you, you won’t have to wait in line.
Celebs like Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Madonna have one in their
Star Lady Automatic Moonphase Diamonds Watch
While most of us these days use our cell phones to tell the time, a truly sophisticated woman still knows the value of a timeless, elegant watch. And what better a watch to have than one that is not only a fine piece of craftsmanship, but one that also is beautifully accentuated with diamonds? This is where the latest watch from Montblanc comes in - the Star Lady Automatic Moonphase Diamonds Watch.
This elegant timepiece houses an ETA 4810/908 automatic movement in a 36mm, 18k white gold case. Other features of the watch include a mother of pearl dial, moonphase display, pointer date display, feuille hands, applied Breguet numerals, and 8 beautiful diamond hour markers. Securing these precious features is flat sapphire crystal with a special anti-glare coating, a sapphire back, and a fluted crown.
Priced at $10,175 USD, this is surely an investment you’ll want protected. Montblanc has gone ahead and made the the Star Lady resistant to water up to 30m, which will surely relieve any worries of splashes at the sink, or even an accidental drop in the toilet, bath, or any other body of water.
This beautiful time piece can be yours for the aforementioned price, and is available with a white or blue alligator wrist strap featuring an 18k white gold tang buckle.
Vera Wang Jewelry
Check out this pair of platinum Vera Wang chandelier earrings. It boasts 3.27 carats of round and baguette diamonds with a VS clarity and F/G color. While i’m sure these would look great on your ears and you’ll be blinging from here to Siberia, the price of these babies are only $5,200. Interested? You can check out these earrings and other Vera Wang Jewelry at Calvin’s Jewelry. Oh and they were voted “Best Jewelry” by Austin City Search. Check out their website or call 512-794-1911 for more info.
Gold Confiscation, Missing Royal Canadian Mint Gold, Bernard von Nothaus Indictment
A Myth Concerning Gold Confiscation
Examination of a clause in Executive Order 6102, which receives little attention. In addition to the exemption from confiscation for numismatic gold, there was also an exemption for up to five ounces of gold per person.
U.S. Gold, Going or Completely Gone?
According to the United States Geological Survey, nearly 3,000 metric tonnes of gold were exported during 2008 in the form of "gold compounds." Gold compounds consist of products containing gold content such as gold paint. The amount of gold claimed to have been exported in this format is more than 14 times the annual US gold mine production. What is going on here?
Mint can't account for missing gold
In another story about missing gold, an audit of the Royal Canadian Mint turned up a discrepancy between the mint's accounting records and physical precious metals holdings for gold, silver, and other precious metals. The article also describes the largest reported theft from the mint when a machinist pocketed 85 ounces of gold.
Liberty Dollar - Federal Indictment
Bernard von Nothaus, who created an "alternative currency" of gold and silver Liberty Dollars was formally charged "with uttering and passing, and attempting to utter and pass, a coin of silver in resemblance of genuine coins of the United States in the denominations of five dollars and greater, and intended for use as current money". More than a year ago, the headquarters of his company was raided by the federal government and more than two tons of gold, silver, and copper coins were confiscated.
Buffet Gets 'Comeuppance' After Gold Outperforms
Every time someone writes a negative article about gold, they invariable measure the returns since January 1980 to support their preordained conclusion that gold is a bad investment. Someone has finally turned the tables and compared an investment in gold to an investment in Berkshire Hathaway stock since May 2005, a much more favorable investment time frame for gold.
A particularly vacuous article courtesy of the Wall Street Journal. From the title of the article I thought it would at least have some substance, but it turns into another run through of the "risks of buying bullion" and the lack of a measurable intrinsic value. The author winds up the article by suggesting that Treasuries are a preferable safe haven to gold.
Northwestern Mutual Makes First Gold Buy in 152 Years
For the first time in history, Northwestern Mutual, the third largest US life insurance company, has invested in gold. A great quote from CEO Edward Zore, "The downside risk is limited, but the upside is large. We have stocks in our portfolio that lost 95 percent. Gold is not going down to $90.” Indeed.
US Mint Gold and Silver Bullion Sales Through June 2009
As in the past, I wanted to write another post examining the US Mint's monthly gold, silver, and platinum bullion coin sales. Previously these figures were a flawed method of examining demand for physical precious metals due to the rationing program in place from the United States Mint. As long as authorized purchasers of US Mint bullion coins were restricted in the quantities they could purchase, it was difficult to ascertain how much unmet demand existed behind the rationing wall.
However, this month the figures might be closer to providing a useful measure. As I mentioned in several posts this month, a likely combination of decreasing demand and increasing supply has turned the Gold and Silver Eagle shortage to a surplus. For the first time since the rationing programs began, authorized purchasers did not purchase the maximum number of coins allotted by the US Mint.
Here's a look at the US Mint gold, silver, and platinum bullion sales for the month of May 2009, along with a year to date total in the final column.
| April 2009 US Mint Bullion Sales | ||||||
| | 1 oz. | 1/2 oz. | 1/4 oz. | 1/10 oz. | Total oz. | YTD Total oz. |
| Gold Eagle | 65,000 | - | - | - | 65,000 | 554,500 |
| Gold Buffalo | - | - | ||||
| Silver Eagle | 1,904,500 | 1,904,500 | 11,579,500 | |||
| Platinum Eagle | - | - | - | - | - | |
There were sales of 65,000 ounces of gold during May 2009. Once again this consisted entirely of one ounce 2009 Gold Eagles, as the US Mint did not offer fractional coins or the 24 karat Gold Buffalo. This was a big drop from the prior month when 147,500 ounces were sold, however it is more than double the number of coins sold in the year ago period of May 2008 when 31,500 ounces were sold.
There were sales of 1,904,500 ounces of silver during May 2009. This was a decline from the prior month when 2,518,000 ounces were sold and a decline, but still up from the year ago period of May 2008 when 1,516,000 ounces were sold. Sales of silver bullion still remain on pace for a record breaking year. The current record was set during 2008 when 19,583,500 ounces were sold for the entire year.
Platinum bullion coins were still not offered for sale by the US Mint. No platinum bullion coins have been offered since November 2008. The US Mint has not provided any additional statements on the status of platinum bullion coins. Notably, the Royal Canadian Mint has been able to produce and sell their Platinum Maple Leaf coins during 2008.
Based on the figures for the gold and silver bullion sales, demand for physical precious metals is apparently dropping significantly at a time when the market prices of the metals seemed to be gaining some momentum. This could be a seasonal impact since prior sales figures show the sales trailing off during the summer months. Or it could be a signal that some buyers are taking pause to see if the much ballyhooed "green shots" actually take root or whither up and die.
Gold and Silver Eagle Shortage Becomes Surplus
For countless months, authorized purchasers of US Mint gold and bullion coins have been subject to a rationing process, which limited the number of coins they could purchase. The rationing program had been put into place after the demand for gold and silver coins exceeded the US Mint's ability to supply them. In a few recent posts I have provided some indications that the shortage of American Silver Eagles and American Gold Eagles might be ending. There's yet another indication that the end of the shortage and rationing is close at hand.
Throughout the rationing period, the entire supply of coins available from the US Mint had been divvied up and sold to the authorized purchasers. For the first time since rationing began, the US Mint failed to sell their total production of Gold and Silver Eagles.
Dave Harper, the editor of Numismatic News, writes:
In the prior two weeks, the 14 purchasers authorized to buy the American Eagle coins from the U.S. Mint have not taken the maximum number of coins that are available, leaving the Mint with an extra 39,000 one-ounce gold American Eagles and 185,000 extra silver American Eagles.
To my knowledge, the rationing program for Gold and Silver Eagles still remains in place despite the surplus of recent weeks. The US Mint is likely waiting to build an inventory of bullion before attempting to remove purchasing restrictions completely.
When the rationing program was instated by the US Mint, it generated a lot of attention from blogs and news sites. The rationing was cited as evidence of the overwhelming demand for physical precious metals that would eventually carry market prices higher. With the opposite situation developing, opposite predictions have emerged.
In befuddlement to both arguments, the the disconnect between physical demand and market price continues. Amidst the unraveling of the physical scarcity situation, the prices for gold and silver have risen to multi-month highs with many predicting impending breakouts, which will carry prices even higher.
Gold Dispensing ATMs, Hedge Funds Buy Gold, World Gold Production
With gold now reaching it's highest price of the year, gold related stories seem to be popping up in more places. Here are a few gold related articles and blog posts from the past week that are worth the read.
German firm plans gold ATMs to meet growing demand
It seems like other countries are always creating new ways to make gold easier to purchase amidst growing demand. India started selling gold coins in post offices around the country. Now Germany, Switzerland, and Austria will have gold dispensing automatic teller machines in various public locations. In the United States, the response to high demand has been to ration the supply of gold.
Hedge Funds Making Big Bets on Gold
Hedge funds are waking up to gold. Paulson & Co bought 31.5 million shares of the gold ETF worth $2.8 billion. Stephen Mandel's Lone Pine bought 26.5 million shares worth $2.4 billion.
As I have explored in some other recent posts, the premiums for gold and silver have been contracting recently amidst the rising prices. Premiums are now back to normal for most gold and silver coins.
A recently published piece examining gold production in 2008. World gold production peaked in 2001 and has been on the decline ever since. Also, there have been some interesting shifts in top gold producing countries.
Money Magazine, gold, and hedge funds
Watching Money Magazine as a contrary indicator. They recently pass off gold as a "speculative play" that has delivered "lousy returns" since its below the peak reached in 1980. They conveniently ignore gold's 300%+ return since 2000.
Is it just me, or does it seem like mainstream publications all start publishing negative gold stories when the price starts rising? Forbes trots out some analyst zingers, "fundamentals not supportive", "crowded trade", and "ripe for correction". Excuse me while I go buy some more gold.
How many rhodium bullion coins are being produced and when will they be available?
We have the capability of producing as many coins as there is a demand for. We will be selling the coins individually, and also in wholesale. There will not be any minimum order requirements.
What sizes will the coins be available in? Can you provide an idea of the projected price?
Initially, the Rhodium bullion will come in a 1 gram size. We decided both in terms of pricing as well as recognition, the 1 gram size would be perfect for this new bullion piece. The projected price at current raw material values hovers around $100.00. Now that price not only includes the coin, it includes the sealed plastic coin slab that will securely encase the coin, which is perfect for display as well as protection, a certificate of authenticity with each coin, and free priority shipping to your door.
How long have you been working on perfecting the process of minting coins in rhodium, and how does minting coins in rhodium differ from other metals?
We've been working on this for over a year now, its cost us a lot of money as well as time. The work involved in getting this project off the ground has been tremendous, easily the biggest thing our company has ever done. This is really an historic moment, where a truly unique precious metal product comes onto the market, and we're just excited to be the ones to have pioneered it.
Making coins out of Rhodium has got to be as different from making other kinds of coins as can be. Normally, making coins is a very straightforward process. You roll an ingot out into a sheet, punch blank disks, and then stamp the disks with the design to make coins. This process works with just about any metal you can think of, copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, etc. You try and do that with Rhodium and you'll end up with a bunch of broken flakes and powder. Rhodium has uncommon properties that make it extremely hard, brittle and down right stubborn, features that do not lend themselves to making coins easily.
The way we had to approach it was to come up with a completely new method, a method that was developed through trial and error, through extensive research, and through our own testing here at our facility. After nearly giving up a dozen times, we reached a "eureka" moment a couple of weeks ago, when we realised that we finally cracked the code, and would be able to set up full scale production. Boy, was that exciting.
After rhodium climbed above $10,000 per ounce, the price collapsed below $1,000. Demand continues to be dominated by a single industry. What is your t
There will always be demand for Rhodium, and the price is temporarily depressed due to the terrible state of our economy and the even worse state of all automobile manufacturers. What's important to keep in mind is that this artificial price dip is not forever, and there will come a point in the near future when people will start demanding cars again, manufacturers will start building them again, and the prices for many commodities will start to rise. Rhodium will be on the vanguard of this revival, and will climb back up to prices that will make us look back longingly at present values.
As the green movement takes a bigger hold on our world, Rhodium's use in cleaning factory and power plant emissions will grow to be a substantial chunk of global Rhodium usage. Internal combustion engines are not going away any time soon, and of anything, emissions standards are only going to get stricter. This metal, along with platinum and palladium will feel a resurgence once the economy begins to pick back up and consumer confidence reawakens. Now is a great time to buy.
Kremlin: Role of gold in Russian reserves could increase
ST. PETERSBURG, June 5 (RIA Novosti) - Gold could start playing a more important role in Russia’s reserves due to the influence of regional currencies, a Kremlin aide said on Friday.
Addressing the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier said the structure of the global currency system would inevitably change with the increasing role of regional reserve currencies, and called for a reassessment of the potential role of gold in the global currency system.
“I do not think it [gold] will replace everything else - it would be naive and unjustified, but the growing role of gold amid the crisis could be a topic of discussions in the near future,” Arkady Dvorkovich told the TV channel Vesti.
He ruled out a return to the gold standard monetary system.
MONDAY Market Excerpts
Gold eases in consolidative trade
The COMEX August gold futures contract closed down $10.10 Monday at $952.50, trading between $943.80 and $961.10
June 8, p.m. excerpts:
(from AP, Bloomberg & DowJones) — Prices for gold and other commodities retreated Monday as investors cashed in on some recent gains and as the dollar rose against other currencies.
The dollar moved higher versus European currencies on worries about the European economy and following a downgrade to Ireland’s debt rating by Standard & Poor’s.
Rob Kurzatkowski, futures analyst with OptionsXpress, said the pullback in commodities prices was being seen as a healthy sign given the strong run they have had recently. “When prices rise too fast, those are boom-and-bust markets,” Kurzatkowski said. “Markets that correct along the way are going to be healthier markets.”
Jean-Marie Eveillard, the senior investment adviser for the $7 billion First Eagle Global Fund, said it is 10 percent to 12 percent invested in gold and gold-mining securities.
“It’s insurance to protect against the fact that current policies by the American government and the Fed are potentially wildly inflationary,” Eveillard said today, referring to the Federal Reserve.
The dollar gained on speculation that the Fed will raise interest rates by the end of the year as the economy recovers. The U.S. Dollar Index, a six-currency gauge of the dollar’s value, climbed as much as 1 percent after jumping 1.7 percent on June 5, the most in more than four months.
Gold futures for August delivery dropped $10.10, or 1 percent, to $952.50 on the New York Mercantile Exchange’s Comex division.
Earlier, the price touched $943.80, the lowest for a most-active contract since May 26. “Gold prices could eventually fall toward $930 before rebounding back toward last week’s high at $990,” Tom Pawlicki, an analyst at MF Global in Chicago, said today. “We’re not sure a focus on U.S. recovery can continue, as the small signs of recovery have occurred globally, and Fed funds rates are likely to remain low for a long period of time.”
“There is one all-encompassing theme and that is the well-bid U.S. dollar,” said Bart Melek, global commodity strategist with BMO Capital Markets.
Currency analysts cited several factors underpinning the greenback, including global equity-market weakness, general risk aversion, Friday’s stronger-than-forecast U.S. jobs data and a downgrade to Standard & Poor’s credit rating for Ireland.
George Gero, vice president with RBC Capital Markets Global Futures also cited the continued wait ahead of congressional action on proposed International Monetary Fund sales of gold to generate funds to help poor countries. While this is expected, there nevertheless remains some uncertainty over exactly how events will unfold, he said.
Gold’s floor at $870-$880 on physical demand, says GFMS
TOKYO, June 9 (Reuters) - Strong physical demand will likely put a floor for gold prices at $870-880 under current market conditions, an official of London-based metals consultancy GFMS said on Tuesday. Levels that draw physical demand will contain investment sector selling, and currently that floor was in the “higher $800s”, GFMS chief executive Paul Walker said at a news conference in Tokyo to brief on the company’s precious metals surveys released in April.
“Sustained disinvestment will not likely push prices below $870-880 as the amount of physical buying out of India and the Middle East” will help support prices at higher levels, he said…
The metals consultancy said in its Gold Survey 2009 in April that gold may rise through $1,100 an ounce in 2009 as investment is supported by fears over rising inflation, potential dollar weakness and fears of financial instability.
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Price predictions are fun and all, but truth be told, the price levels of “paper gold” (futures, ETFs, and other derivatized representations) can theoretically punch around at any given level [perhaps with a bias toward $0 representing a systemic default], but meanwhile, on the actual physical market, there are some formerly commonplace items that remain conspicuously difficult to procure at any modest price.
Let that scarcity be a subtle warning sign. Don’t settle for holding an uncertain/empty bag of paper gold. Choose physical gold and you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing the tangible wealth is at hand at such time as you may need it most.
THE PRIZE
THE RULES — (We MUST have RULES !!)
1) THIS Contest consists of TWO Portions — A Price Prognostication and a “fill-in” STATEMENT !
2) The Winner is the Price Guess closest to the Settlement price of the COMEX August, 2009 Gold Contract on the date of WEDNESDAY, the 17th of June, 2009. HOWEVER, All “Contest entries” MUST be posted before the clock in Denver strikes MIDNIGHT (24:00 MT) on SUNDAY, June 13th, 2009.
3) Price “Guesses” shall be stated in Dollars and tenths and surrounded by STARS ! (Such as **** $999.90 ****), so as to be OFFICIAL !
4) ONLY one “Guess” per Knight or Lady is allowed, and once that “Guess” has been “taken” — no one can duplicate it !! FIRST COME has rights to that “Guess”.
5) AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, to accompany the Price prognostication, — Each price guess must be accompanied with a “fill-in” essay completion of the following statement –“He who owns the gold ———— !” (Finish the sentence with thirty words or more.)
