An exceptional necklace with one of the greatest diamonds in the world: Christie’s sells de Grisogono’s masterpiece ♦ ︎
An international stage for an exceptional jewel. The appointment by Christie’s on November 14, in Geneva, is particularly interesting for high-end jewelers. And also for those who will be able to buys a piece that will make history: The Art of de Grisogono, Creation I, named after a unique necklace, which fits a 163.41 carat, D flawless and type diamond IIA.
A stone record
The extraordinary stone used and the composition of the jewel is a record. Not surprisingly, he was the founder and creative director of de Grisogono, Fawaz Gruosi, to drive all the work from the original rough diamond cutting of 404.20-carat “monster” to the completion of the necklace. The perfect white diamond is not only the largest in its category ever auctioned and the most precious stone that Maison has ever worked on, but is also representative of de Grisogono’s revolution, now close to the 25th birthday.
The story starts from Lulo
The big diamond has a date of birth: it was extracted on February 4, 2016, in the Lulo mine in East Angola. It was named 4 de Fevereiro, which is also the day Angola has begun the long way towards independence from Portugal. The diamond is the 27th in the ranking of the largest ever extracts, and the first one for size never found in Angola. To buy it was de Grisogono, thanks to the collaboration with the Nemesis International diamond trading company. The American Gemmological Institute in New York declared the rough stone a type IIA diamond and color D, that is to the top. From the rough diamond the cut stone of 163.41 carats, D color, was obtained, with the characteristic of Flawless purity. This is also a record.
The working phase
The diamond has remained 11 months to be analyzed and mapped to clamp, laser cut and finally polishing. The almost rectangular shape of the diamond led the cutter to opt for an emerald cut, performed on June 29, 2016 using the jewelery tradition instruments. The first cut was hand-made in New York in the presence of Fawaz Gruosi and his team, probably with some anxiety.
In December 2016, the 163.41-carat diamond left New York to reach de Grisogono’s headquarters in Geneva. On the table there are 50 design proposals. After two months to win is the design of an asymmetrical necklace with 163.41 carat diamonds in the center, emphasized by rectangular cut diamonds and emeralds. “I chose the emerald because I adore the green color and I love joining it with other stones. Green gives a fascinating contrast and enhances both colors. And then, good Italian, I’m superstitious. Green is a lucky color: you will often see it in my collections, “commented Fawaz Gruosi.
The transformation into jewelery
It took six months for the necklace, with a team of 14 craftsmen, including eight jewelers, five decorators and an engraver. All in all, 1700 hours in the ateliers of de Grisogono High Jewelry to manually work each stone of the necklace.
And here’s the necklace: a round neck with soft curves is characterized by two forms filled with gems that touch the neck. On the one hand, the 18 emerald diamond scales (ranging from 0.48 to 8.10 carats for a total of 48.64 carats) blend with bright green emeralds on the other side of the necklace. Each of the diamond bases is connected to the next on the bottom, imperceptibly, giving a great flexibility to the chain. The gold bases of each diamond are decorated with 862 diamonds brilliant cut, for a total weight of 6.52 carats, further enhanced by small emeralds embedded on the surface of each gold part. A total of 5949 emeralds have been embellished on the necklace, brilliantly cut from the weight of 38.84 carats.
On the other side of the necklace there is a white gold spiral embedded in emeralds and emerald cut diamonds tapering to the glacial charm of the diamond of 163.41 carats. In addition, 66 drops of emerald pear cut (from 120.42 carats weight) caress the skin and take on vibrating vibration read at every movement. To enhance the contrast between diamond white and emerald green, every visible gold component was plated in black rhodium, creating a chiaroscuro effect.
The base containing the 163.41 carat diamond is adorned with 399 diamonds brilliant cut, while the labels disappear under four baguette cut diamonds for a bright shiny effect. On the back of the base is engraved: 163.4 D Flawless. As if it were not enough, under the clip is concealed a 0.54-carat emerald, and the back of the necklace features refined finishes with the characteristic motif of the Maison.
The Future of Creation I
The diamond can be detached thanks to a complex mechanism developed specifically to allow easy removal of stone and ensure maximum safety. When the necklace has a legitimate owner, the Maison de Grisogono will propose to work in close contact to create other designs, for example a bracelet, a tiara or a brooch that can accommodate this unique diamond.
The Art of de Grisogono and Christie’s
With a diamond of this relief, it is a must for sale that is fairly. Having dealt with diamonds of greatest value in the world, de Grisogono and Christie’s have concluded an agreement for the sale of The Art of de Grisogono collections. Creation I will be the protagonist of the auction season in the evening sale of November 14th.
“Throughout its 251 years of activity, Christie’s had the privilege of treating the world’s most valuable and valuable diamonds. This perfect and sensational 163.41 carat diamond, suspended on an elegant emerald and diamond necklace, makes de Grisogono a Maison of rare excellence” commented Rahul Kadakia, international director of Christie’s Jewelery. Federico Graglia
