What is a Lab Created Diamond?

Diamonds are made using enormous amounts of heat and pressure that modern technology has only recently become capable of. For a very long time, diamonds have been traditionally dug from the earth in certain parts of the world. These highly coveted stones have always carried a large price tag due to the difficulty of acquisition and their relative scarcity. The ability to create diamonds in a laboratory first emerged in the 1940′s, although the technology of the time was crude and lacked the ability to create gem quality diamonds. The result was something like crushed diamond, which was used primarily for creating industrial cutting tools and for masonry saw blades and drill bits. About 40 years later, a process had been successfully developed that could create larger diamonds, but unfortunately, these lab created diamonds were often flawed and possessed undesirable coloration. These were still made primarily for industrial purposes. Eventually, the technology was born that enabled the creation of high quality, multicolored gem quality diamonds for the jewelry industry. Interestingly, colored diamonds are very easy to make while white diamond production still meets with some difficulty.

Why Choose Lab Diamonds?

Lab made diamonds have many advantages over natural diamonds. Diamonds made in lab are still real diamonds and look exactly the same as natural ones, if not better. Because natural diamonds require large amounts of human labor, processing and transportation, they cost far more than many people can afford. Lab created diamonds are a more affordable option, especially if you want yellow, blue or champagne diamonds. By purchasing lab diamonds instead of natural ones, you can also help to discourage the inhumane working conditions and practices that go along with harvesting them. They’re also better for the environment because they don’t involve digging, plowing and upturning vast amounts of land to find them. Such practices regularly crush entire ecosystems, drive people and animals from their homes and destroy important natural habitats. Furthermore, your lab made diamonds are likely to be made from recycled materials and take far fewer resources and less energy to create.

Ms. Schiffman, a 29-year-old singer-songwriter and jewelry designer, has lately started making sterling silver jewelry inspired by local buildings and their architectural details. Her first, a pendant ($175), was based on a stone carving at 1021 Park Avenue. “I saw this shield with a flower on it and I thought, ‘That would be a really cool necklace,’ ” Ms. Schiffman said recently, sitting in a booth at a Viand Coffee Shop on Madison Avenue.

She is drawn to prewar buildings, she said, because newer ones seem to lack “anything that gives them a little whimsical detail.” A frieze of rabbits jumping across the façade of 1040 Park Avenue, a white-glove building dating to 1924, inspired her Racing Hare Brooch ($430); a geometric flower carving at 19 East 88th Street became a pair of cufflinks ($365).

So far, Ms. Schiffman has designed 10 pieces based on 5 buildings. Eventually, she said, she wants to use a detail even closer to home: a group of mysterious carved-stone heads above the entrance to her building. “I would make a really weird, big cocktail ring,” she said.

WHEN Cara Buono arrived at the Emmy Awards in September, nominated as best guest actress in a drama series for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in “Mad Men,” she wore a $150,000 political statement in her lobes. “These earrings,” she said, “are made from AK-47 gun metal.”

Ms. Buono’s husband, Peter Thum, is a founder, with John Zapolski, of Fonderie 47, an organization that converts what is perhaps the most widely distributed assault rifle into jewelry.

On a visit to Kenya in 2008, Mr. Thum, a leader in humanitarian efforts like Ethos Water, which finances water projects in underdeveloped countries, was struck by the profusion of AK-47s. An estimated 20 million of them are circulating in Africa, according to Mr. Thum, citing Small Arms Survey reports and data.

“We saw the AK-47 as an opportunity because it’s such a successful design,” he said. “It’s something that’s globally recognizable. What better way to turn things around than with this object, which represents so many things ugly, and turn it into something beautiful?”

So Mr. Thum and Mr. Zapolski set up Fonderie 47. The partners acquired AK-47s that the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo had confiscated from its North Kivu Province. The receivers, barrels and other steel components were melted down and reconfigured with gold into designs by the jewelers Philip Crangi and Roland Iten. (Mr. Crangi designs the rings and earrings, Mr. Iten, the cuff links.)

Inscribed in each piece is a reminder of its deadly provenance: the serial number of the rifle that went into its production. Signet rings start at $25,600. The company’s latest designs, a new series of earrings, are $23,000 a pair. A pair of $35,000 men’s oversize cuff links, when coupled together, becomes a bracelet. “We wanted to make pieces that people had never seen before,” Mr. Thum said. “Call it wearable art.”

Sales of the jewelry go to the Fonderie 47 Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization (fonderie47.org). It finances nongovernmental organizations, like the Mines Advisory Group, which in turn are contracted by Congo’s government to destroy the weapons. So far, Fonderie 47 has demolished about 4,000 assault rifles, according to Fonderie 47.

No word from Mikhail Kalashnikov, the 92-year-old designer of the AK-47, about what he thinks of all this. But if he can lend his name to vodka, watches and the like, who knows?

“I was the only one using color!” she recalled last week in the Upper East Side town house she shares with her husband, Nuno Brandolini d’Adda, an Italian aristocrat and investment banker. It never occurred to her, she said, that color might be something to avoid. She had grown up in Vietnam and on Martinique, where vivid color was as natural a choice as Benjamin Moore Decorators White is here.

And color isn’t even the half of it. Scarcely are you in the front door when you find that the walls of the small entryway are, in fact, covered in tiny glass beads.

“I like to make rooms like a jewel box,” she said. It is a tactic that, however impractical it sounds, yields refreshing results. Ms. Brandolini is the rare decorator to venture boldly into the rarefied climes of avant-garde design, and often nonsensical-looking creations, that can be glimpsed at Milan’s famed design fair, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile. Instead of placing her designs starkly in the all-white sets so many end up in, she uses them more like out-there fashion accessories than as furniture or art. (Enthusiasts, take note: a sale of the “accessories” Ms. Brandolini has accumulated, including furniture and art, will be auctioned at Phillips de Pury on Oct. 21, and a pop-up shop of her designs is now open at Barneys New York.)

But among the possessions she is sending to the Phillips auction, there is one category not on the table: her jewelry.

“I feel naked without it,” Ms. Brandolini said flatly. “My husband always teases me and says, ‘You’re so Vietnamese.’ Because Vietnamese women love jewelry. And it’s true. It’s a security blanket. Plus, I always think: ‘What if I have to get out of here fast? What could I take?’ ”

And Ms. Brandolini has a particular weakness for the designs of James de Givenchy, whose company, Taffin, is known for extravagant gestures. She has several of his pieces, including a sea urchin ring and a pair of teardrop pearl rings (one in black and one in white). But she is most fond of, paradoxically, the simplest and most understated: a pair of diamond studs.

Well, understated is perhaps the wrong word. These are, after all, perfectly matched 11-carat round diamonds. When Ms. Brandolini was about to turn 40, Mr. Brandolini secretly asked Mr. de Givenchy to design something very special. The two men worked in concert on the design, looking at many stones before finding a pair they thought perfect.

Cut more than 100 years ago in what is now called the old-mine cut, they have fewer facets and are less sparkly than today’s reigning brilliant-cut stones. On the other hand, the large facets make them look so cartoonishly large that one assumes they must be anything but diamonds. When her husband gave them to her, tossing them to her without ceremony in a little box, she was amazed but did not doubt what they were for a millisecond.

“Of course, I knew they were diamonds!” she said, with a riotous laugh. “He wouldn’t dare give me a piece of glass!” Not only was she impressed with their maharajan size, but the setting as well. “Usually I am a bit of a dictator about these kind of things,” she said. “Usually, I give you a big hint.”

The earrings are her favorites. “They’re so beautiful,” she said. “They’re like an instant facelift.” Despite her husband’s objections, she said, “I’ll wear them with sandals and a djellabah to the market. I always tell him: ‘They’re so big, no one thinks they are diamonds. Everyone thinks they are glass!’ ”

Of course, anyone who knows Ms. Brandolini well would know them to be real. As fanciful as both she and her style are, she professes a surprisingly passionate belief in authenticity.

“I love things being exactly what they are,” she said, putting the earrings away. “I’d rather have nothing.”

There’s little chance of nothing with Mr. Brandolini and Mr. de Givenchy around.

“My birthday is coming soon,” she mused mischievously. “I hope I get something nice.”

Ms. Love started in a Brooklyn basement in 2006. Her line is sold at Opening Ceremony at the Ace Hotel, 1190-1192 Broadway (29th Street), (646) 695-5680; and Opening Ceremony, 35 Howard Street (Broadway), (212) 219-2688; openingceremony.us.com.

Tonight Country Music Stars took to the Red Carpet for the Country Music Awards!

TRENDS: Silver White on Lee Ann Rimes and Taylor Swift with pure white on The Band Perry’s award winning lead singer Kimberly Perry, along with the Gold of Carrie Underwood stood out among lots of black gowns and few bright misses.

Presenter Carrie Underwood arrived in a gold sequin ombre cap sleeve gown byReem Acra with Jimmy Choo shoes and Jewelry from her favorite jeweler Johnathan Arndt (the jeweler that designed her engagement ring).

This should have been a warning of what was to come – 10 costume changes in all!

1. Pendant necklace in 14k gold with 0.14 ct. diamonds; $775; Meira T Designs, New York City; 212-398-0606; meiratdesigns.com

2. 18k rose gold ring with 1.50 cts. t.w. diamonds, 3.37 cts. t.w. sapphires, and 1.60 cts. t.w. tsavorite; price on request; Zydo, New York City; 212-421-2608; zydo.it

3. 18k rose gold pendant with pink quartz and diamonds; $9,500; JJ Jewels for Blue White Group, Milan; 39-02-8646-3546; bluewhitegroup.it

By JCK Staff

Naturalists have long marveled at its shell. The logarithmic spiral echoes the curved arms of hurricanes and distant galaxies. In Florence, the Medicis turned the pearly shells into ornate cups and pitchers adorned with gold and rubies.

Now, scientists say, humans are loving the chambered nautilus to death, throwing its very existence into danger.

“A horrendous slaughter is going on out here,” said Peter D. Ward, a biologist from the University of Washington, during a recent census of the marine creature in the Philippines. “They’re nearly wiped out.”

The culprit? Growing sales of jewelry and ornaments derived from the lustrous shell. To satisfy the worldwide demand, fishermen have been killing the nautilus by the millions, scientists fear. Now marine biologists have begun to assess the status of its populations and to consider whether it should be listed as an endangered species to curb the shell trade.

On eBay and elsewhere, small nautilus shells sell as earrings for $19.95, and as pendants for $24.95. Big ones — up to the size of plates — can be found for $56, often bisected to display the elegant chambers.

As jewelry, the opalescent material from the shell’s inner surface — marketed as a cheaper alternative to real pearl — can fetch $80 for earrings, $225 for bracelets and $489 for necklaces.

Catching the nautilus is a largely unregulated free-for-all in which fishermen from poor South Pacific countries gladly accept $1 per shell.

Scientists worry that rising demand may end up eradicating an animal that grows slowly and needs 15 years or more to reach sexual maturity — an unusually long time for a cephalopod. (Its cousins include the squid and the octopus.)

“In certain areas, it’s threatened with extermination,” said Neil H. Landman, a biologist and paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History and the co-editor of “Nautilus: The Biology and Paleobiology of a Living Fossil,” a compendium of scientific reports.

The nautilus lives on the slopes of deep coral reefs in the warm southwestern Pacific. While it is easy to catch with baited traps on long lines, the depths — as much as 2,000 feet, below the range of sunlight and scuba divers — make it hard to study.

So to find out just how endangered the nautilus is, biologists began a formal census last summer in at least six regions known to harbor the shy creatures.

Dr. Landman said the relatively few scientists who study the nautilus must overcome “a tremendous lack of knowledge” about its overall numbers and geographic range.

By contrast, modern consumers know far too much, he said: “You can see the shells polished and sold all over the place.”

The fossil record dates the ancestors of the nautilus to the late Cambrian period, 500 million years ago. Some grew to be true sea monsters, with gargantuan shells and big tentacles. Over eons, the thousands of species have dwindled to a handful.

The word “nautilus” comes from the Greek for boat. When the first shells arrived in Renaissance Europe, collectors were stunned: They saw the perfect spirals as reflecting the larger order of the universe.

Later on, Victorian homes displayed them as curios. In his famous 1858 poem “The Chambered Nautilus,” Oliver Wendell Holmes admired “the silent toil” that produced the “lustrous coil.” And in “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” Jules Verne created a watertight submarine of many compartments and christened it the Nautilus.

About those chambers: The creature periodically erects barriers inside its shell as it grows, leaving a series of unoccupied spaces behind. Like a submarine, the nautilus changes the amount of gas in the empty chambers to adjust its buoyancy. And it uses jet propulsion to swim.

To feed on fish and shrimp, it has as many as 90 small tentacles — and, like all cephalopods, a relatively large brain and eyes. The coiled shell can exhibit a nacreous luster or bands of bright color. The creature cannot go too deep lest its shell implode — like the hull of a submarine.

This Pearl Freshwater Cultured Pink Tones Necklace Strand retails for $50. However, right now it is $14.95 with free shipping! We don’t know how long the deal will last .. but it is beautiful (and costs less than flowers and candy)!

So get something a bit more special than usual .. and spend less while doing it!

Pearl Jewelry Care:

• Since most pearl jewelry use cultured pearls, there is a possibility that even the thickest coatings can degenerate, chip, and show signs of wear after a few months or years of use. To ensure that they are cleaned well, try to wear pearl jewelry only after you’ve applied your make-up or perfume.

• When washing hands or applying hand and body lotions and creams, always make sure to take off your cultured pearl rings.

• You can clean your pearls by wiping them with a soft and lint-free cleaning cloth as soon as you take them off after use. You can dampen the cloth with water or use it as it is. If you decide to use a damp cloth, make sure to let the pearls dry naturally before storing them.

• If the pearls are dirty already, you can clean them by using mild soap and water solution. Make sure to use water solutions that do not contain ammonia or strong harsh detergents as these could damage the pearls.

• When storing your pearl jewelry, make sure to not store them with other kinds of jewelry as these could scratch the pearls easily when rubbed against metal or hard gemstones. It’s most advisable to store your pearl jewelry in a separate place for them to ensure that they are safely kept.

• Store your pearl necklaces flat as the string used often will stretch over long periods of time. This helps keeping your necklaces looking new.