The Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum launched a new diamond jewelry exhibition yesterday called “60 Diamonds and Many More.” This fascinating new exhibition includes diamond jewelry that was designed and manufactured by Israeli designers and inspired by Israel's 60th Anniversary.

Among the 60 diamond jewelry appearing in the exhibition is the “Moriah”, a white gold diamond-embedded ring designed by Shaul-Aharon Elisha, which won first place in the competition that initiated the creation of these diamond jewelry items.

The Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum, named after the legendary De Beers Chairman, was established in 1986 by the late Moshe Schnitzer. It was renovated and reopened in 2008 thanks to the efforts of the Israeli Diamond Institute and De Beers Group in London.

Oppenheimer, who was born in Kimberley, the diamond center of South Africa, was raised as a Jew, and though he converted to Christianity in his early twenties, he was a great supporter of the State of Israel. As chairman, Oppenheimer made sure that Israel receive a regular supply of rough diamonds from De Beers, which helped Israel become a global diamond polishing powerhouse.

The Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum was resigned in 2008 by Israeli museum planner Eliav Nahlieli, and today it is an extraordinary museum that takes those who visit it on a mind-blowing virtual journey that portrays how diamonds are created, mined, cut and polished. The museum is located at the heart of Israel's Diamond Exchange, designed to appear as a hi-tech vault containing secret rooms that hold many treasures.

The tour of the museum begins in a room that was designed to enhance a multidimensional experience, during which the visitors witness light breaking off the edges of a polished diamond with laser beams that are projected at the diamond. Further into the vault there is complete darkness, except for beams of light that illuminate the diamonds in the dark.

The Harry Oppenheimer Diamond is one of the biggest and most advanced museums dedicated exclusively to the world of diamonds, next to the Diamond Museum in Antwerp and the Diamant Museum in Amsterdam.

One more score to online jewelry retailers? Britain was astounded last Thursday after one of the nation's, biggest jewelry heists estimated in $65 million dollar, took place at the Graff jewelry store. Now, a week later, more details are beginning to unveil about the affair.

A man was arrested yesterday by the Scotland Yard for taking part in the robbery. Although not suspected of being one of the two people who walked into the store that fateful afternoon, he is considered to be one of their getaway drivers. Moreover, a professional make-up artist who unknowingly helped the robbers implement their elaborated scheme recently came forward and told the police that the perpetrators had paid him £450 in order to disguise them.

The make-up artist, who remains anonymous for obvious reasons, altered the robbers' faces by covering them liquid latex. In a 4 hour session, the make-up artist also colored their hair and skin tone. He was led to believe that this was done for the sake of a music video they were shooting. Indeed, it seems that robbers are becoming more sophisticated, waiving the traditional ski masks (or Nixon masks if you're Patrick Swayze). In this case, the two thieves simply walked into the jewelry store, unaffected by the fact that their faces had been caught on the security camera – mostly because they weren't actually their faces.

In a previous post I wrote about a similar case in which a 50 year old man walked into a jewelry store in Paris wearing a Humphrey Bogart disguise, politely robbed the store at gun point and disappeared. That man, it seems, was apprehended by the Belgium authorities this week. Crime doesn't pay. Or at least, this time the return isn't nearly as valuable as the risk. The robbers may have gone away with £40 million worth of jewels, but experts state that value of the gems dropped the minute they left the store. The items that were stolen are quite unique, and it probably wouldn't be wise to walk around in public wearing them.

For the thieves to make a handsome profit, they'd have to melt the items down. However, according to some theories, the heist was ordered by someone very wealthy from a distant country overseas, probably in the Middle East, and if that's true, the jewelry is probably long gone. Much like in the field of technology, robbers and thieves are always looking for new and innovative ways for their line of work. Although in the case of rapper Brisco, they went for a less subtle approach.

Mr. Brisco was in Miami getting his hair cut in late July, when four men barged into the barbershop, whipped the rapper with the back of a pistol, ordered everyone to stay on the ground, and took off with Brisco's jewelry, cash and SUV. But that's okay, Brisco says. He can always buy more jewelry.

Photo Credit: fred2203

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Although most of the readers of this blog are well versed in the ways of the diamond and jewelry industry and are well aware of all the methods of choosing and buying diamonds, the financial crisis has forced many of us to change our habits and turn to the internet for buying and selling jewelry, especially due to lower operating costs for the merchants and better prices for the consumer.

Here is a short guide on how to buy diamonds and diamond jewelry on the internet.

1. Know what you want to buy. Browse brick-and-mortar jewelry stores so you can get a sense for what piece of jewelry you want and how it looks and feels like, including the price. Once you know approximately what type of diamond you wand (the famous four 'C's – carat, color, clarity, and cut), and the price range, it's time to look for your gem online.

2. In the past few years, online jewelry stores have spread like wildfire across the internet. There is a danger that anyone who begins looking for a piece of jewelry online might give up just because there are so many stores and jewels to choose from.

A good place to start is www.jewelryspotter.com, the internet's first search engine dedicated to diamonds and jewelry. There you can narrow your choice based on specific criteria such as the type of metal (gold, silver, platinum, etc.), the type of stone (diamonds, pearls, rubies, etc.) and of course the price.

3. Once the search engine narrowed down your search, browse the search results and the pictures and compare them with the design, stone, and price you already decided you want to buy. Once you click on one of the results, you will be redirected from the search engine to any number of independent jewelry websites for the purchase. Because online jewelry lack the visual effect of buying in a store, the online merchant will usually give detailed information such as the type of diamond, its shape, weight, color, and clarity, as well as its setting and metal information.  

4. Research the store you are buying from and make sure it is a reputable merchant and is recognized in the industry. Much of the diamond and jewelry industry is based on mutual trust and jewelers' organizations such as the Jewelers Vigilance Committee and the New York Diamond Dealers' Club are a good place to look for the merchant, as well as the IDI company directory. Also make sure there is a good return policy for the jewelry. Any good online retailer will allow about 30 days to return the merchandise, no questions asked. Of course asking around is always a good policy as well.

5. Once you received your jewelry in the mail (and after it was properly insured for shipping), consider taking the piece to a store for verification and make sure you got what you paid for. A jeweler can appraise the diamond for you, but you will of course have to pay for it (but usually no more than $100 – depending on the size of the diamond).

Enjoy! 

For many, changing our purchasing habits from brick-and-mortar stores to the internet is a scary step, especially when buying something as valuable and important as jewelry. Despite this, safeguards and consumer protection for online purchases have come leaps and bounds in recent years, making internet shopping a much safer and more pleasant place to buy jewelry. All you need to be is an informed and responsible consumer and you are in for some good deals.

Photo Credit: ben.thomasson, Somma & deeleea

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