Privilege Blog

Reader’s Choice: “Raw Diamonds”

Barbara, who has been commenting here for several years as “BarbaraG,” wrote in to recommend a 2012 post on raw diamonds. Since it’s a fairly recent piece, and therefore perhaps already seen by a number of you, the least I could do was include right on this here page yet another raw choice. An exuberant choice, but exuberance should never be undervalued even by those of us drawn to sartorial restraint. From Elisa Ilana, in rose gold, here.

Or, if you are looking for a way to update old diamond ear studs or solitaires, take a look at this idea. Ah, nothing like starting the day with sparkle. Thank you Barbara for the suggestion, and I thank each and every one of you for reading.

13 Responses

  1. It’s amazing what an artist can do with gems…
    I love so many of the new designs but cannot justify having my wedding rings or diamond studs reworked as they were both significant gifts from my husband and his feelings would be hurt.
    Should I inherit something in the future I may go down this road though :-))

  2. Raw diamnonds, hmm. The strength of the earrings is in the design, restrained yet joyful. As for the stone itself, in person raw diamonds look like white sapphire or topaz (the lightest brown-gold type.) So you have to ask yourself if you want to pay the diamond premium.

    Of course they are priced far lower than faceted diamonds but still carry a premium for the d-word.

    As far as resetting diamonds in old cuts, it depends. (They are not usually as ‘uncut’ as these, usually in between.) Sometimes a more pleasing vintage-looking setting is the way to go. Oh I sense a post coming on!

  3. Though I don’t own any, I love the idea of raw diamonds (and I’m swooning over the earrings you’ve showcased here). I find them intriguing not only visually, but because they ask us to examine our ideas about what diamonds are, what they mean to us both personally and culturally, and why (under what circumstance) they are “valuable.” I seem to recall that, at least in the West, diamonds were not considered of especial value or desirability until Louis XIV decided they were, as part of his campaign to wrest the mantle of Style Setting from the Italians.

    We have a local jeweler who makes gorgeous pieces with raw stones and diamonds:

    http://www.toddreed.com

  4. They are very beautiful, I prefer them to regular diamonds.
    Just been catching up, read the cutting down on drinking post and cannot believe what you put up with there, you are a stronger woman than I. I would have deleted my blog and cried for days. The arrogance of certain people disgusted me.

  5. I love all the raw stones being used now – there’s a designer who’s work is at Barney’s, and she uses raw emeralds – so gorgeous. I love the earrings in the photo, and actually all of your raw diamond jewelry that you’ve shown on your blog and on Pinterest. They have such a warm and organic feel.

  6. Thank goodness I am not a woman, as I would be ill with covetousness for those earrings. Even as a man I felt a rather powerful twinge of lust looking at them… Reggie

  7. thank you for the link to my website.
    i have read your blog for a while and really enjoy all of your encapsulations and just now discovered the link back to me. i felt some sort of six degrees…
    i did want to point out that none of the diamonds in these earrings are raw. as yummy as they are, all are rose cuts. that is, flat on the back and then domed with facets. i work with all kinds of diamonds but am always drawn back to pearls. and of course, combining the two in unexpected ways.

  8. Absolutely six degrees! I am honored and pleased that you read my blog. And your work is extraordinary. Thanks for the clarification.

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