Vintage jewels popular at the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

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Los Angeles - Vintage jewels popular at the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

For nominees and presenters attending the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, classic diamond looks, including simple studs, drop earrings and stacked diamond bangles, were the big winners of the night.

Attendees gravitated towards the understated vintage and antique jewelry pieces. That's not to say however that the show lacked in glamour. On the contrary, television's biggest stars radiated a taste of Old Hollywood elegance.

Vintage diamond pieces put in a major showing at the event, with Kyra Sedgwick and Glenn Close sporting 1920s and '30s pieces, and old mine- and cushion-cut diamonds seemed to sparkle on everyone from Holly Hunter to Mary-Louise Parker.

The stars of both the silver and the smaller screen know that nothing pronounces refined taste and subdued elegance quite like a piece of antique jewelry. Dress like a movie star and gain an aura of individuality and confidence.

From the many pieces in our ever changing collection, we have picked the one pictured above to draw to your attention.

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HOF diamond chandelier to light up Emmy night

North Hollywood, Calif.—A Hearts On Fire (HOF)-designed chandelier crafted of more than 3,300 perfectly cut diamonds and worth an estimated $10 million will illuminate the green room at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards.

Handmade in Boston by a team led by HOF jewelry designer Katherine Rosenberg Pineau, the "Hearts On Fire Diamond Chandelier" totals more than 1,000 carats.

The three-tiered structure is plated with platinum and has a sleek design consisting of a series of diamond strands illuminated by fiber optics.

"The Hearts On Fire diamond chandelier is the most extravagant, brilliant, glamorous diamond chandelier ever made," Pineau said. "You can't even imagine when it is illuminated how spectacular it is."

The lighting fixture will hang in the center of the 625-square-foot green room, located offstage at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre and accessible only by Emmy nominees and presenters.

Architectural Digest, which has designed the green room for the last seven years, invited HOF to be a part of the space to mark the award shows 60th anniversary, also known as the diamond anniversary.

Following the show, the chandelier will be for sale.

The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards airs on Sept. 21 at 8:00 p.m. on ABC, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Source: NationalJeweler

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Art Deco jewelry, an investment?

LONDON (Reuters) -Vintage jewels gain popularity as investments.

Art Deco pearl necklace with diamond closure € 3,250	Platinum Art Deco jade pendant € 1,950	Platinum Art Deco diamond and ruby ring € 2,950

In a recent article written by David Brough for Reuters, Mr Brough is lending a helping hand to the antique jewelry trade. Although all help is welcome, we at Adin think that Mr Brough is giving the wrong reasons for buying antique jewelry.

He quotes Carol Woolton, Jewellery Editor of British Vogue, a top fashion and lifestyle magazine "There are a lot of people now with jewels in their safes for a rainy day." And, he further declares: "Rare vintage jewels are increasingly popular investments to protect against rising inflation and economic uncertainty, and Art Deco designs are commanding the most attention from collectors."

It is our opinion however, that one should not buy antique jewelry as an investment but just for the reason that one likes a particular piece of antique jewelry and wants and can spend the required amount of money for it. That, and only that, should be the most important reason to buy jewelry, antique or new.

Wear a piece of vintage jewelry, and you're guaranteed to receive compliments and even more, vintage jewelry gives the wearer an aura of individuality and confidence. The timeless, evocative look of antique and vintage jewelry makes a distinctive addition to every woman's jewelry wardrobe.

We at Adin try to be more than just dealers in antique and vintage jewelry. We try to share our love, passion and knowledge on antique jewelry with many around. It is from this perspective that we will send you in the coming months short impressions of different significant styles from the past centuries. This time we will dive into an era that has not been too long ago: Art Deco

Art Deco jewelry
(1915-1925)

Elegant drape diamond estate earstuds € 1,650	Art Deco ring with diamonds and sapphires € 650	Long pendant Art Deco earrings with rose cuts € 1,450
Geometrical platinum Art Deco brooch € 2,350	Art Deco big brilliant pendant with chain € 1,950	Platinum diamonds Art Deco engagement ring € 2,350

The Art Deco style is a very famous and popular art movement that had a lot influence in the world of jewelry. Art Deco was introduced in the 1920s as protest against the Art Nouveau style. Art Deco ended in the 1930s. The style emphasized a very abstract design with geometric patterns and as most favorite colors: black (onyx), blue (sapphire), green (emerald), white (diamond) and red (coral).
The baguette and emerald-cuts, which had been developed in the nineteenth century, where very popular in the 1920s because they blended so much with the geometrical lines of the Art Deco style. Interested in reading more about Art Deco?

We are most proud of our beautiful collection, which contains a large number of Art Deco jewelry in various price ranges, all of them in a very good condition. Adin invites you to take a trip in the 1920's Art Deco movement.

Platinum Art Deco diamonds ladies watch € 1,650	Platinum Art Deco brooch 11.50 carats € 16,000	Stunning Art Deco line bracelet € 7,250

See our:
Art Deco jewelry

antique jewelry style overview

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Emeralds

The word "emerald" was derived from French "esmeraude" which in turn goes back via Latin to the Greek root "smaragdos", meaning simply "green gemstone". The ancient Incas and Aztecs, in South America where the best emeralds are still found today, worshipped them as a holy stone. However, probably the most ancient occurrences which were known are located near the Red Sea where mines were already exploited by Egyptian Pharaohs between 3000 and 1500 B.C.. The mines gained fame under he name of "Cleopatra's Mines", but were already exhausted when they were rediscovered.

What is surprising with emeralds is that, in spite of the beauty of the green they feature, inclusions are allowed, and nevertheless, in top qualities fine emerald are even more valuable than diamonds. Large emeralds with no inclusions and of the better color are so rare that if you had one it would be more expensive than a diamond. Therefore most emeralds will have inclusions - traces of an active history of origin characterising the gemstone. Fine inclusions, after all, do not diminish the value; on the contrary. An emerald of deep, vivid green with inclusions will be valued higher than an inclusion-free stone of paler color. Almost endearingly, experts call the many crystal inclusions or fissures which are so typical for this gemstone a "jardin" (meaning "garden" in French). The tender green plant-like structures in the emerald garden are considered as identifying characteristics of a naturally grown emerald.

Many centuries ago in the Veda, the ancient sacred writings of Hinduism, there was written down information on the valuable green gemstones and their healing power: "emeralds promise good luck", or "The emerald enhances your well-being". It does not come as a surprise, then, that the treasure chests of Indian Maharajas and Maharanis contained most wonderful emeralds. One of the largest emeralds in the world is the "Mogul Emerald". It goes back to the year 1695, weighs 217.80 carats and is about 10 cm high. One side is inscribed with prayers, on the other side there are engraved opulent flower ornaments. The legendary emerald was auctioned off at Christie's of London for 2.2 million US dollars to an anonymous buyer.

Emeralds have been coveted ever since ancient times. Some of the most famous emeralds can therefore be admired in museums and collections. For example, The New York Museum of Natural History not only shows a cup from pure emerald which was owned by Emperor Jehingar, but also a Colombian emerald crystal weighing 632 carats. The collection owned by the Bank of Bogota contains no less than five valuable emerald crystals weighing between 220 and 1796 carats. Also in the Irani State Treasure there are guarded some wonderful emeralds, among them the tiara of ex-Empress Farah.

Emerald's reported healing properties:

• guards against poison and venomous bites
• cures epilepsy
• induces fertility and prevents abortions
• heals and relaxes the eyes
• helps with stomach disorders, such as dysentery
• induces sleep
• aids in leprosy wounds

Emerald's reported power properties:

• protection against demoniacal possession
• increase brain powers
• provide clairvoyance
• mental clarity
• strengthen love and fidelity

See some antique jewelry with emeralds

More information on precious stones and their healing and power properties.

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Regional Dutch Jewelry

Regional Dutch Jewelry or as they say in the Netherlands: streeksieraden.

The two jewels depicted here originate from Walcheren (Zeeland) and are manufactured during the 19th century. Most pieces of this type of jewelry, if not all, are all made in 14K gold.

These jewels have a special significance, as in those days one could not only tell the precise origin of a person simply by looking at what he was wearing but also what religion that person had, if she was married or not and well-to-do or not. Indeed, every Dutch village had its own costume and decoration. The jewelry was set almost exclusively with blood coral (from the Mediterranean Sea) and garnets originating from Bohemia).

Most of the times the clasps were made in gold filigree. (Filigree is in fact thin golden wire plain, twisted or plaited into refined motifs. This technique demands very high skills and precision from the maker.) People used to wear these jewels mostly on Sundays or holidays.

Basically in 1900, there were 10 different areas in the Duch province of Zeeland (the richest in terms of clothing variety) to which, very precise, jewels are to be attributed: Tholen, Noord-Beveland, Zuid-Beveland, Schouwen-Duiveland, Walcheren, Arnemuiden, Nieuw en St-Joosland Axel, Hulst and Cadzand.

Today, only 3 areas keep traditional clothing: Walcheren, Arnemuiden and Zuid-Beveland, although nowadays, mostly worn by elder women and people in folkloric dance groups.

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Platinum, from trash to treasure

Platinum has not always been considered to be the most precious metal to make jewelry from. Although there are some nice examples of platinum jewelry, people's attitude towards platinum has been different....

The word "platinum" is derived from the Spanish "platina", which means "small silver". The first traces of platinum date from the Thebes epoch (about 7th century before JC), from when a small box was retrieved, adorned with a platinum ribbon.

During the 15th century, the Spaniards didn't like the little white granules that soiled their South American gold and used to throw them away. A platinum sample finally reached Europe in 1741, and was analyzed by sir Charles Wood, who didn't manage to melt it down. It was only when oxygen could be isolated (after its discovery in 1774), that people were finally able to increase the temperature of flames enough so as to melt platinum and really start to discover its particular properties: malleable, eternal brilliance, hardness superior to that of gold, inoxydability...

It was after the Napoleanic wars that the English managed to separate platinum from the other metals that were extracted from the platinum mines (palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium, ruthenium). Around 1820, the Russians discovered huge ores in the Oural. Only from the beginning of the 20th century, platinum was being used in jewelry. Its use started to increase when scientists discovered its catalytic properties (its ability to speed up chemical reactions).

From then on platinum became a strategic industrial metal until the end of WWII. Today, the use of platinum is returning to the jewelry industry, but platinum has also a very wide range of industrial uses, including use in the treatment of some cancers.

A cute urban legend does its round:
As platinum has not always been considered to be a precious metal, in Russia in the beginning of the 19th century, counterfeiters used platinum as the core for their "golden roubels", this because of platinum's high gravity. When, around 1870, platinum started to be recognized as a precious metal the price of it rose accordingly, it is told that roubels were then cut in half in the hope of finding platinum inside.... Even if it is not true, it still makes a cute story.

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