Alanis Morissette loses millions in burglary: report

LOS ANGELES | Burglars made off with $2 million in jewelry from singer Alanis Morissette’s home in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood, U.S. media reported Tuesday.

The Canadian-born alternative rock giant was not at home when the thieves struck on Thursday, celebrity news website TMZ said, although police were not immediately able to confirm the report.

The break-in comes less than two weeks after Morissette’s former business manager, who worked for other entertainment and sports figures, admitted embezzling more than $6.5 million from his clients.

Jonathan Schwartz, 48, entered his plea to federal wire and tax fraud charges for failing to disclose the embezzled funds to the Internal Revenue Service.

He is due to be sentenced on May 3, and faces a prison term between four and six years.

He acknowledged that between May 2010 and January 2014, he withdrew about $4.8 million belonging to Morissette without her knowledge or authorization.

Morissette said in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles last year that she fired Schwartz after growing suspicious when he could not provide timely information on her finances.

The singer was the voice behind a string of energetic rock anthems in the mid-1990s including “You Oughta Know,” “Hand in My Pocket” and “You Learn.”

Her 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill” won the Grammy for Album of the Year, making the then 21-year-old Morissette the youngest winner of the prestigious award until Taylor Swift.

source: interaksyon.com

Security tight as Kim Kardashian leaves New York after robbery

NEW YORK | Flanked by multiple security guards, Kim Kardashian and her family on Thursday left the Manhattan apartment where they have been closeted since she was robbed at gunpoint in Paris, amid reports that the reality star was planning to take some time off.

News video and photos showed Kardashian, her face partly hidden by a hoodie and baseball cap, getting into a car with her two young children and rapper husband Kanye West.

It was the first time she had been seen since returning to New York after masked robbers held a gun to her head and stole some $10 million worth of jewelry in Paris early on Monday morning.

Kardashian’s personal bodyguard, Pascal Duvier, who was protecting Kardashian’s sisters at a nightclub at the time of the robbery, was among a handful of security staff keeping media at bay and helping stash suitcases into waiting cars. The family were thought to be heading to their southern California home.

The celebrity family, whose lives are chronicled in the TV show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and on their busy social media accounts, has been uncharacteristically quiet since the robbery. No arrests have been made.

Celebrity website TMZ and magazine Us Weekly reported on Thursday that a badly shaken Kardashian was taking about a month’s break from work.

“She has canceled everything for the next several weeks and will not be working,” Us Weekly quoted a source close to the star as saying.

TMZ, quoting an unidentified source close to Kardashian, said that when she does return she will cut down on her use of social media and displays of her wealthy lifestyle.

Kardashian’s representatives declined comment on the reports.

Kardashian, 35, has come in for criticism that she made herself vulnerable by posting photos of her $4 million dollar engagement ring and other jewelry, in the days before the attack.

“If you are that famous and you put all your jewelry on the net, you go to hotels where nobody can come near to the room,” fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld told reporters in Paris this week. “You cannot display your wealth and then be surprised that some people want to share it with you.”

The Kardashian family was not filming for their reality show at the time of the robbery, a spokeswoman for the show said on Thursday.

“Our focus right now is entirely on Kim’s well-being,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.

source: interaksyon.com

It’s a season of hope and celebration with Ocampo’s Fine Jewellery

MANILA, Philippines - We’ve all gone through so much these past few months. This Christmas season is a time for hope and celebration. Ocampo’s Fine Jewellery ushers in the season with a diverse collection of accessories that revives vintage glam, ignites sparkly modern designs and romance.

Ocampo’s Fine Jewellery’s collection of diamonds and pearls in gold will bring you back to the days of gangster movies and jazz.  This December is also the month when most weddings happen. December brides and brides-to-be can check out Ocampo’s  array of engagement rings and wedding bands and get started on that journey to forever.

Ocampo’s Fine Jewellery stores are located at Robinsons Galleria (634-78-32); SM Mall of Asia (556-03-96); SM North Edsa Annex (441-12-30); Ocampo’s Olongapo (0920-903-1134); Ocampo’s Bataan (0920-903-1071); Ocampos Ayala in Harbor Point Mall (0920-918-4657).

source: philstar.com

Rio Tinto pink diamonds fetch record prices

SYDNEY - The annual sale of Rio Tinto's rare pink-hued diamonds attracted unprecedented interest with at least two of the stones fetching record prices of over $2 million, the mining giant said Monday.

The 2013 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender of 64 red, pink, and blue stones drew a record number of bids over $1 million from established markets such as Japan and Australia as well as emerging markets China and India.

The highlight was the Argyle Phoenix, a 1.56 carat gem and one of three Fancy Red diamonds on offer, which sold for more than $2 million to a Singapore-based jeweller, the highest per-carat price paid for any diamond ever produced from Rio's Argyle mine in Western Australia.

The exact price was not disclosed due to client confidentiality.

Another record was set for the Argyle Dauphine, a 2.51 carat Fancy Deep Pink diamond, which also sold for more than $2 million, to a US-based dealer.

Rio's Pink Diamonds manager Josephine Johnson said the prices reflected "increasing demand from the world's top jewelers, designers, collectors and connoisseurs."

"These fabulous flukes of nature are a good news story in the mining industry at the moment," she told AFP.

"There was a lot of interest from our established markets such as Australia, the United States, Japan, and Europe but also China and India, where there is now very strong demand."

A pink diamond is usually worth about 50 times more than a white diamond, although a 118.28-carat white diamond broke a world record earlier this month when it fetched more than $30 million at a Hong Kong auction.

Given the rare pink stones are only offered once a year and demand is high, previews were held in Sydney, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Perth earlier this year to allow clients and experts to see the gems and make offers for individual diamonds.

The Argyle mine produces virtually the entire world's supply of pink diamonds, with the red seen as the pinnacle of the color scale.

It is not known how the diamonds acquire their rose tinge but it is thought to come from a molecular structure distortion as the jewel forms in the earth's crust or makes its way to the surface.

"We are delighted with the results for the 2013 Tender collection which are a reflection of their rarity, provenance, and global reach," said Rio Diamonds managing director Jean-Marc Lieberherr.

"The Argyle ore body is extraordinary and after 30 years of production it continues to produce the world's most coveted diamonds."

source: interaksyon.com

A girl's very best friend: $55 million necklace on sale in Singapore

SINGAPORE - For someone with $55 million to spare on an egg-sized diamond, the world's most expensive necklace is on sale this month at a jewelry show in Singapore, reflecting Asia's growing appetite for precious gems and expensive baubles.

Known as L'Incomparable, the necklace created by luxury jeweler Mouawad features a yellow, internally flawless diamond of more than 407 carats suspended from a rose gold setting that is studded with 90 white diamonds weighing nearly 230 carats.

"Serious interest" has been expressed by a couple of potential buyers from Asia, said Jean Nasr, managing director of Mouawad in Singapore, declining to identify their nationalities.

"People who will get something like this are looking at it from a different perspective because this is definitely an investment piece," he told Reuters.

The necklace, whose centerpiece diamond was found by chance in a pile of mining rubble by a young girl in the Democratic Republic of Congo about 30 years ago, will be the flashiest item on offer at the Singapore JewelFest on October 11-20.

But there will be plenty of other glitz from American, European and Asian designers worth another $200 million or so.

Singapore, a tiny Southeast Asian nation with the world's highest concentration of millionaires, has positioned itself as a destination for the ultra-rich with a busy wealth management industry, luxury properties, top hotels, gourmet restaurants, high-end boutiques and two casinos.

While the city-state boasts a very low crime rate, security will be extremely tight with so much jewelry on display at a pavilion outside an upscale mall.

It seems unlikely there would be a robbery in Singapore like the daylight heist of about $136 million worth of jewelry on show at a hotel in the French Riviera resort of Cannes in July.

But Filippo Melchionni, in charge of guarding L'Incomparable and the rest of the jewelry on show, is taking no chances.

Security includes armed guards, plainclothes supervisors, cameras, motion detectors and bullet-proof display cases but the most critical time is when the pieces are shown to customers.

"This is the moment that the stones are under risk because they can be passed hand-by-hand, they can be exchanged," said Melchionni, chief operating officer for Asia-Pacific at the Ferrari Group, an Italian logistics company for luxury goods.

"Every night it is going back to our vault. We have an armored truck to move the stones."

L'Incomparable, completed in 2012 and certified as the priciest necklace in existence by Guinness World Records earlier this year, is an extravagant novelty.

But Asia, especially China, has become an important and resilient growth area for sellers of pricey jewelry, cars, boats, wine, artwork and other lavish items.

Australian miner Rio Tinto Ltd, which showed off its finest coloured diamonds in Hong Kong last month, believes the United States will remain its key market for diamonds but sees China growing fast.

Demand for diamonds in China, now the world's second-largest market after the United States, helped boost global sales at Tiffany & Co. in the latest quarter, leading the US jeweller to raise its annual profit forecast.

The show in Singapore, now in its 11th year, expects some Chinese buyers but many locals and visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Russia will also be there, said Kean Ng, chairman of the Singapore JewelFest.

"You have the high-end customers but of course you have the browsers coming in and they usually end up buying something that's within their budget," he said.

source: interaksyon.com

Perfect colorless diamond auctioned for record $23.5M

GENEVA - A new colorless, pear-shaped diamond weighing 101.73 carats raked in a record 23 million Swiss francs ($23.5 million, 18.5 million euros) at a Christie's auction in Geneva late Wednesday.

The price, which does not include tax or commission, is the highest ever paid for a flawless colorless diamond, according to the auction house, which had hoped the gem would go for $30 million.

"Twenty-three million (Swiss) francs! Your last chance! Twenty-three million, sold!" Francois Curiel, the head of Christie's jewelry division shouted, clinching the deal before some 150 people gathered for the auction at a luxury Geneva hotel.

Including tax and commission, the total ticked in at $26.7 million, Christies said after the sale of the stone, which is the largest diamond in its category ever to go under the hammer.

The American Institute of Gemology has handed the gemstone the top colorless grade "D" and the best clarity grade, "flawless", which is characterized by its "absolute symmetry", according to Christies.

In the rough, the diamond was 236 carats when it was extracted from the Jwaneng mine in Botswana, before it was meticulously sculpted for 21 months, Christie's said.

Wednesday's auction marked the first time the rock goes on sale, and the buyer will have the privilege of naming it.

Wednesday's sale marked the highest price ever paid for a flawless colorless diamond at auction.

The previous auction-price record-holder in this category was the 84.37-carat Chloe round diamond, snapped up at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva in 2007 by Guess Jeans founder Georges Marciano.

A diamond merchant sold the new diamond, the centerpiece of Christie's traditional May jewelry and luxury watch sale, but it was not immediately clear who the deep-pocketed buyer was.

In the "colorless, flawless" category, the reigning world champion in terms of size is meanwhile the Cullinan Diamond, a gem weighing 530.2 carats that is part of the British crown jewels.

Last November, Christie's sold the 76-carat Archduke Joseph Diamond, in the initially flawless category a notch below flawless, on auction in Geneva for $21.5 million.

And in May 2011, a heart-shaped 56-carat diamond was auctioned off for $10.9 million.

The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, which is in the same D-colour category but weighs in at only 33.19 carats, was meanwhile sold for $8.8 million on auction in New York in December 2011.

source: interaksyon.com

Harry Winston: Making horological history

The late Harry Winston once said, “People will stare. Make it worth their while.” The world’s most famous and expensive gems, like the Hope Diamond, once passed through the hands of the famed jeweler, so it’s no wonder that Harry Winston built its legacy on fine jewelry. But such a legendary figure couldn’t have gotten to where he was without risk. There is a famous anecdote about Winston: in 1935, he bought the famous 726-carat Jonker diamond from De Beers for $700,000 and intended to cut it into smaller diamonds. Nobody believed it could be done. He then hired expert diamond cutter Lazare Kaplan, who successfully cut 12 diamonds from the Jonker. Not only did Winston prove his doubters wrong, he also sold each diamond for $12 million apiece.

But when Winston passed away in 1978 and his son Ronald took over, the company decided to take a similar risk by going into luxury watchmaking. Prior to that, Harry Winston had been associated with diamonds and jewelry — not watches — for more than 60 years. And considering the exacting demands of horologists, along with the craftsmanship, heritage and expertise of the watch industry, this appeared to be a difficult endeavor to take on. The only way to achieve success was to “remain true to the spirit of the brand,” which is the company’s credo. Applying the same careful attention to detail to watches as they do with their jewelry, there would be no compromising on technical innovation or aesthetic quality.

Though the idea to go into watchmaking was conceived in 1989, the company took its time to do things well. When it finally launched its first watch, aptly called the Premier, in 1995, it became clear why they took their time. The Premier revolutionized the world of mechanical watchmaking with its bi-retrograde perpetual calendar, a world first at the time. Needless to say, this innovative wonder made the watch industry take notice and see that Harry Winston was to be a formidable contender.

Today, some of the most exquisite and sought-after timepieces by Harry Winston can be found in their salons, including Harry Winston Manila in Greenbelt 5. For instance, there is Project Z, which was developed in 2004 as a limited-edition series bridging high technological innovation and fine watchmaking tradition. Instrumental in revolutionizing Harry Winston timepieces, the series introduced an exclusive new material called Zalium, an ultra-light metal that is exclusive to the brand. Project Z6 also introduced a new complication developed specially for it: a hand-wound, 24-hour alarm clock movement. Composed of 18 layered parts, the complex dial uses five different finishes to create a highly dimensional design: Côtes de Genève, silver vertically brushed, slated brushed, blued steel and satin finished. A small shuriken-shaped disk indicates the seconds rotation. Borrowed from martial arts, a shuriken is the traditional ninja throwing star — a signature in Project Z designs. The Project Z6 is a limited edition of 300 pieces: 250 with anthracite dial and 50 with silver dial.




Another is the Midnight Minute Repeater, which is limited to 40 pieces in rose gold and 40 pieces in white gold with the option of a silver or dark dial. Sleek and sophisticated, the round 42mm case is fitted with a self-winding mechanical movement. An open dial design allows for a unique view of the minute repeater mechanism that can be activated by pressing the push piece situated at eight o’clock. Surrounded by a gold ring, a hollowed window — at the top left corner — emphasizes the technical innovation: two hammers gracefully engraved with Harry Winston’s initials, located on the exterior of the movement. Created to audibly indicate time on demand — chiming distinct tones: low pitch for hours, altering low and high pitch for quarter hours, and high pitch for minutes — minute repeaters require both extreme technical and musical precision. Perhaps one of the most challenging complications to craft, the minute repeater remains a testament to excellence in fine watchmaking.

Then there is the extremely rare Histoire de Tourbillon 2. The first Histoire de Tourbillon launched in 2009, which combined technical sophistication and fine design in a daring and distinctive manner. In 2011 for its second edition, Harry Winston issued a 20-piece limited series. Featuring an ingenious construction that includes a bi-axial flying tourbillon, Histoire de Tourbillon 2 offers its own interpretation of time measurement. Powered by a mechanical hand-wound movement exclusively developed for Harry Winston, the bi-axial flying tourbillon combines two concentric carriages and gains added precision by enabling the regulating organ to perform multi- dimensional rotations. The striking visual effect is created by an outer carriage completing one full turn in 120 seconds and housing an internal carriage.


The Premier Feathers collection was launched last year. Marrying the aesthetic codes of the Premier Collection, while observing watchmaking and feather art’s shared passion for careful work and manual dexterity, the result is beauty expressed in its purest form. For this, Harry Winston entrusted the project to Nelly Saunier, one of the few craftspeople who still practices the technique of feather art. The feathers, sourced with a respect for the environment, are obtained from species raised specifically for this purpose. Each dial takes approximately seven hours of work to make and like the 16th-century feather mosaic pictures so prized in Europe, each dial is unique. The feather dials fit perfectly with the setting of the timepiece. The collection also pays tribute to Cluster, the three-dimensional setting technique invented by Harry Winston himself, which enables a spontaneously asymmetrical association of brilliant, pear and marquise-cut stones. Delicately cut, the precious stones are nestled against each other to form a sparkling composition.

In as little as 20 years, Harry Winston accomplished feats, such as winning the Design Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genéve for the Opus 9 in 2009 and being inducted into the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie as a partner-brand in 2011, that have taken other watch companies as long as 200 years to achieve. Today, watch enthusiasts highly anticipate the latest horological innovations by Harry Winston annually at Baselworld, considered the most important watch and jewelry trade show, in Basel, Switzerland. And as they wait each year for the next unveiling, Harry Winston has always made it worth their while, just as the late jeweler might have hoped.

source: philstar.com

Remember to Update Insurance Riders

When was the last time you did a home inventory? What about updating any policy riders? If you’re like me, it’s been a while. We keep our home inventory up to date when it comes to the big items (mostly because we don’t buy that many big items) but I haven’t updated our jewelry riders since we got them four years ago.

Normally, this isn’t that big of an issue but the price of precious metals have skyrocketed in recent years because of a variety of economic factors.


Ten years ago, gold was $300 an ounce. It’s over five times that today (and it was even more a year ago). If you have an insurance rider on your jewelry, like we do on my lovely wife’s engagement ring, the stated value of that jewelry is probably out of date. Compared to ten years ago, any piece of gold jewelry is worth at least five times more now than ten years ago because the price of the yellow stuff has gone up. As for diamonds, they’re forever and they too have gotten pricier (unless you believe this story about Russia finding a huge diamond deposit).

If you haven’t updated it in a few years, take the piece to an appraiser to find out its exact value today. Getting jewelry appraised will cost you a few bucks but it’s a part of the insurance process. Few insurers will issue a rider without one (the ones who are willing to… you probably don’t want to work with them). It’s not good to have outdated insurance policies… it’s about as good as not having the policies at all.

source: bargaineering.com

Pinay maid caught hiding stolen gold jewelry in bar of soap

A Filipina housemaid stole jewelry from her employer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and hid them inside a bar of soap, a report of the news site Emirates 24/7 said.

The report said the 29-year-old Filipina was also accused of stealing cash from her employer and using a mobile phone to transfer the money to the Philippines.

The Filipina allegedly connived with the maid, 43, of the next-door neighbor who charged Dh20 for the prepaid telephone card used in the money transfer.

The Filipina's employer, an Emirati manager, 33, told the court that their family discovered gold jewelry missing from their house in February.

In March, the Emirati's mother also lost Dh2,000.

Suspecting that the maid was behind the missing items, the employer decided to trap her.

When she was confronted by her employers, the maid initially denied the crime but later confessed and handed over a blue bar of soap which contained the missing jewelry.

The maid cut the bar soap in half and made a hole in each half.

"She confessed to cutting the soap into two halves, making a hole in each half, stuffing the holes with jewellery and rejoining the two halves of the soap so as to make it easier to take it out of the house,” the Emirati told the court.

After conducting a search in the maid's room, the police found stolen money worth Dh1,000 and money transfers receipts.

The court is expected to hand its verdict on July 9. - VVP, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Diamond Sold For $9.7 Million

GENEVA (AP) – Marie de Medici wore it at her coronation as Queen Consort of Henry IV in France in 1610, and now the Beau Sancy diamond is a lavish accessory owned by an anonymous bidder who paid $9.7 million for it at Sotheby's auction.

The spring auction season for jewelry and watches is upon Geneva, where elegant lakefront hotels fill with well-heeled buyers and bidders in a scene far removed from the debate over European austerity.

Five bidders fueled the price on Tuesday at the Sotheby's sale for the Beau Sancy, a 34.98 carat diamond that had passed among the royal families in France, England, Prussia and the Netherlands. It was sold by the Royal House of Prussia, the line of descendants that once ruled Prussia.

Another historical item, the Murat Tiara, sold for $3.87 million. The pearl-and-diamond tiara was created for the marriage of a prince whose ancestors included the husband of Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister.

A diamond brooch known as the ``Bonnie Prince Charlie'' sold for $968,085. The brooch features a yellow diamond once owned by Charles Edward Stuart, whose attempt to regain the British crown led to the Battle of Culloden in 1745.

At a Christie's auction Monday to benefit 32 charities favored by the Lily Safra Foundation, Safra's donated jewelry fetched nearly $38 million in sales; almost double what was expected.

The most expensive item there was a 32.08-carat Burmese ruby and diamond ring that sold for $6.7 million, a world record price for a ruby sold at auction. Eighteen jewels by the designer JAR collectively brought in $11.4 million.

After the auction, the billionaire Lily Safra beamed as she won a standing ovation from the buyers and bidders she had come to thank.

She later told reporters that selling a heap of jewels for charity; rather than keeping them unused in a vault, felt like one of the best things she'd ever done in her life.

source: mb.com.ph

Filipino Fashion Designers Take London

MANILA, Philippines — London was bedazzled, to say the least, when top Filipino designers showcased the best of the Philippines in front of the royals and the movers and shakers of this cosmopolitan city.

The Ayala Foundation together with the London-based organization Prospero World presented an ambitious philanthropic event dubbed “The London Philippine Fashion Show” to raise funds for the projects of Cente of Excellence in Public Elementary Education or CENTEX at the historical Victoria House in London.

Guests present at the event were Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his lovely wife Princess Marie Chantal. Members of the organizing team were Mercedes Zobelm (she was responsible for the success of Women for Women International in the UK) and Gloal Foundation for Humanity founder Jacqueline de Chollet.

Fernando Zobel de Ayala, president and chief operating officer of the Ayala Corporation welcomed the distinguished guests and organizers to the event and presented a brief but meaningful picture of the Philippines. He also stressed that any philanthropic support will best be maximized in areas of education, art and culture, environment and sustainable environment which are the core advocacies of Ayala Foundation.

Furthermore, Zobel de Ayala highlighted another important detail that evening beyond raising funds for CENTEX. “Tonight, we also present to you the creativity and craftmanship of Filipino designers that is truly world class.” Zobel de Ayala declared with pride.

The select-Filipino designers who participated at the event were jewelry and accessory designers Wyn Wyn Ong, Joyce Makitalo and Celestina; fashion designers Cary Santiago, Michael Cinco, Josie Natori, Rajo Laurel, Frederico de Vera, Jasper Garvida, Jun Escario, Lulu Tan Gan, Mich Dulce and London-based designer Lesley Mobo.

Among all the participating designers only Wyn Wyn Ong, Lulu Tan Gan, Michael Cinco, Mich Dulce and Lesley Mobo made it to the event.

I was privileged to have been invited by no less that Mr. Zobel de Ayala himself to attend the event. Manila Bulletin Fashion Editor Joyce Fernandez, Tatler Editor in Chief Anton San Diego, Zee Lifestyle Publisher Eva Gullas and former Mega Editor in Chief Carla Sibal were also present to cover the event. It was such a moving moment to witness how the international crowd was awed and amazed at the greatness of Filipino talent and creativity.

“I felt so proud of being Filipino as I watched the works of our designers. Filipino talent is world-class!” Bea Zobel Jr. proudly declared after the show.

Lulu Tan Gan and her daughter Jessica were to me the best dressed ladies of the evening. They were of course wearing their signature knitwear that creates a modern look of the Filipiniana.

Michael Cinco and Cary Santiago’s haute couture collections were the crowd favorite. Princess Marie Chantal remembers vividly the details of Cinco’s white dresses and Santiago’s black column dresses when we had a short chat.

This event was indeed a triumph of the Filipinos in London. A true moment of Pinoy Pride in a global stage.

source: mb.com.ph