enchanted object: 'the vivid yellow' at auction

images via {christie's}

hello darlings!  had a most lovely day first day of work today & am so excited for the months ahead.  waking up to the {strong} pitter-patter of rain on the city & a breeze of cool air through an open window, it was if the weather purposely shifted just in time for the coming of autumn & new beginnings, and my belted trench triumphantly re-entered my wardrobe. 

& here is something quite exciting that i learned about today & could not wait to share with you ... 'the vivid yellow' diamond that will be auctioned off by christie's new york on october 18, the star of its magnificent jewel sale.  at 32.77 carats, the pear-shaped stone is highly unusual in its bright yellow hue & is expected to achieve between $6 - $8 million, surpassing the current record price per carat of $203,000, set by christie's for 'the golden drop' diamond in 1990.  i learned that colored diamonds are generally rare because the color represents an instability in the famously hard & stable stone, most are pale & light, the shade of color demonstrating relative instability.  a yellow tone is caused by an irregular quantity of nitrogen in the highly pressurized area within which a diamond is formed, the quantity of nitrogen around this example so high that it is considered a gemological 'freak.'

christie's is selling & allowing the stone to be viewed sans mount, so that a potential buyer may be able to envision it as a ring, necklace, or even tiara, although this piece may very well ultimately be purchased for financial reasons, as the value of these extraordinary gems has recently proven to be stable & growing, making them an excellent investment.

but what are your thoughts on colored diamonds?  and particularly colored engagement rings?  would you prefer a greater number of carats of an uncolored diamond, or an unusual hue in your ring of choice?  & will you be at this sale, or saving your pennies for the elizabeth taylor auction later in the seasons? hope you had the most lovely tuesday {possible}.  xx hillary  

charming trend: rose gold

hello lovelies!  while in new york, i was struck by the ubiquitous use of rose gold in designer jewelry.  introduced to rose gold a few months ago via the {this is glamorous} blog, i recently acquired my first piece, the kate spade women for women bangle that i discussed here.  smitten by it's pinkish hue, i was immediately enchanted by the way the metal looked against my tannish summer skin, and developed a curiosity regarding its origin.

as many of you may know, gold is quite a soft metal, and is generally combined with an alloy to create the harder substance out of which jewelry is crafted, the percentage of pure gold in the metal indicated by karats {i.e. 14 karat, 18 karat, 22 karat}, and in its pure state at 24 karats.  pure gold is generally mixed with equal amounts of silver and copper to achieve a yellow tone {for 14 karat gold, 14 parts gold : 5 parts silver : 5 parts copper}, white gold made by adding more silver, and our rose gold by adding more copper, commonly 75% gold to 21% copper to 4% silver for a lovely pink color.

due to its popularity in the region, rose gold was known as russian gold in the nineteenth century, and although a 'red gold' is fashioned by a ratio of 1:1 gold to copper, 'crown gold,' or highest quality rose gold, combines 22 parts gold to 2 parts copper.  interestingly, highest-quality flutes are often fashioned out of solid rose gold.

i absolutely adore my rose gold bangle, and am very much open to acquiring some other rose gold pieces, such as another michael kors watch {perhaps this one with contrasting navy blue}, but would be apprehensive to purchase a more expensive or important piece in the metal, for example, an engagement ring.  what are your thoughts on rose gold?  do you think it is simply a current fashion trend or worthy of enduring admiration?  during my search for jewelry i also fell in love with the general rose gold palette.  what do you think?  i would love to know your thoughts!  xx hillary

images via pinterest

women for women international & kate spade

all images via kate spade

clockwise from top left: 'hand in hand gold bangle' $48 | 'women for women raffia tote' SALE $123 | 'women for women beaded bracelet' SALE $32 | 'women for women knit hair pin' $48 | 'women for women knit necklace' $98 | 'hand in hand rose gold bangle' $48  | 'women for women beaded necklace' SALE $67 

today i was lucky enough to spend several hours with one of my dearest friends.  although most of our attention {and tears} were spent on the final harry potter movie {so good}, we also got to chat about the most wonderful organization that she is involved in here in london, women for women international.  

i've been hearing about women for women international quite often over the past few months, but chatting today reminded me not only of the incredible things it does, but also the perfect partnerships it has created and fostered, particularly one with kate spade.  

women for women focuses on helping women survivors of war or conflict zones rebuild their lives though financial and emotional support, including business skills training.  the knit and beaded pieces here, in fact, were made by these women through the 'hand in hand' program with kate spade, wherein they are trained in a viable craft to make pieces that kate spade will sell.  and how gorgeous!

i am particularly eyeing the darling rose gold bangle, the outside of which is engraved 'hand in hand' and the inside with 'there's strength in numbers.' reasonably priced, these pieces would make excellent addition to any accessories collection, and would make particularly meaningful gifts. and rose gold is beyond chic!   

isn't is so wonderful that kate spade and women for women international have creating such an adorable way for us to help our fellow women in need?  which piece is your favorite?  

learn more about women for women {here}.

learn more about women for women and kate spade, particularly the hand in hand program {here}.

trés belle, non? hope your day was lovely. xx hillary 

enchanted image: tiffany's australia

image via {here}

bonjour, mes chéries!  just a quick post for now.  my dear friend lauren, studying in sydney, recently sent me this amazing image.  it's part of tiffany's australia ad campaign, 'true love grows,' and is featured at all sydney bus stops.  how beautiful!  true love leading this perfect couple, the woman in vintage prada, no less, into a dreamland of avenues lined with charming benches for two, with canopies of foliage, allowing soft light to stream through its gaps.  and not a piece of jewelry in sight.  oh i do love brilliant ad campaigns, this for it's other-wordly-ness and impeccable romance.  looking at it, i grow hopeful and, heart fluttering, drift away into a day dream. 

is there one company who you believe consistently has effective ad campaigns? i'm always impressed and amused by the animated illustrations featured by hermes, to the extent of having created a special folder to save all of their marketing e-mails.  but for now, just look and sigh, and think, this could be me, someday.  

have the most lovely day.  i'm going to see harry potter, at last, and like all great fans, am excited, but not sure if i want it to all be over, just yet.    

xx hillary