Cannes Robbery AGAIN, Alexandre Reza & Gemfields

 Sothebys  is having a showstopping exhibition from November 1st- 14th. If you live in New York it is worth visiting.  If you haven't heard of Alexandre Reza he is known as being the  greatest gem collector and jeweler of the 20th century. He was born in Moscow to a Jewish family that then fled to Paris in the early 20th century. He had began his career sourcing every diamond gem needed for clients."Alexandre was a real artist" say Bernard Ruiz Picasso, grandson of Pablo. "Besides having very important stones, he had the patience to wait to find the one that would make the necklace. He was a true creator of jewelery and there are few of those left".

 When the best jewelry houses of the day, Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, Chaumet, Gerard, Harry Winston, and Van Cleef & Arpels need a specific stone for a client, they would call Alexandre. What a fantastic job that would of been! 

 Sadly his beautiful salon was shuttered up in 2008 due to his Alzheimer's. There were drawers filled with drawings of his designs along with a vault full of gems. His son Olivier has taken over the salon and a stunning $1,000 coffee table book was published in May by Assouline chronicling his career and his glorious designs.

Alexandre Reza built his reputation in his native Paris in the 50's as a gems specialist. 25 of his historic pieces from the past 40 years will be on view at Sothebys global offices in Doha, Beijing and London. His pieces are extraordinary. Here's a few pictures of his astonishing archive.

134ct Untreated Ceylon Sapphire brooch with pear shaped sapphires and diamonds

Weighing more than 51cts Colombian emerald and 14cts diamond platinum art deco earrings

                                      29cts Pearl with 12cts of natural and yellow diamonds

Decadent emerald and diamond pieces!

Cant help it, I'm partial to the emeralds~

Olivier Reza and his Mother Karin, she is wearing a brooch created for Sammy Davis Jr.

A view of his Salon at one of the most recognized addresses 21 Place Vendome, what a beautiful space to create in everyday!

Alexandre Reza with one of his designs

  Women have adorned themselves with jewelry for thousands of years. Farther back than the Egyptians remnants of jewelry can be found in ruins. One of my favorite countries that has the most unique and decorative items of jewelry is India. One notable store is The Gem Palace located in Jaipur India. They employ 160 people and do all the work in house from polishing and cutting rough to the final product. They have been in business since 1852 and the stores interior remains the same as it did on opening day. Fabulous golden yellow material covers the walls, the the heavy antique wall cabinets.

Emerald with polki diamonds and rubies brooch/pendant

The back of the brooch great attention to detail!

  In India it is tradition for brides to be bedecked in jewelry from their heads to their toes. Beautiful colors and intricate work makes these pieces favored from everyone from Royalty to everyday people.

Classic polki diamond and gold multi layered necklace

Emerald and diamond brooch/pendant by The Gem Palace

 Gemfields is a UK base company that ethically mines colored gemstones throughout the world. Their emeralds are mined from Kagem mines in Zambia. According to Gemfields it is one of the largest producers of emeralds in the world. Emeralds are one of the most rare stones, 20 times more rare than diamonds.  Gemfields had been in the news recently concerning the auction they were going to have in Singapore on July 2nd. They currently have an agreement in place with the Zambian government that specifies they can only auction the stones in the country of Zambia and not anywhere else. A little going back and forth and then the auction was held in Lusaka, Zambia from July 15th - 19th due to government pressure. They had invited 45 companies to participate but 37 had attended and 36 had placed bids. They auctioned off approximately 583,448 thousands carats of rough emeralds. This auction set records with $31.5 million. This is the second highest auction for Gemfields.

Great picture of the loose emeralds

      The Hollywood remake of "The Great Gatsby" is having more of a an effect on jewelry styles~ Tasseled jewelry (one of my personal faves, love the movement!) in the form of earrings and necklaces are being created by the most respected jewelry houses. A fun and flirty style of jewelry that allows the light to catch the reflection of the different gemstones and will be a great seller for a while to come. 

All of the best stones, emeralds, coral, diamonds, and onyx

My all time faves, Fabrege emerald & diamond tassel earrings

Decadent diamonds tassel earrings, I can imagine the sparkle with every movement!

Tiffany & Co Pearl and Sterling silver tassel necklace

Onyx and sterling silver with pearls, Tiffany & Co

Lapis tassel earrings

Lusting for this pair, Garrard diamonds and pearl tassel earrings

Swoon! Sapphire & diamond tassel earrings, Garrard

     And I can't even believe I am writing about this once more.. It's always a stores greatest fear, to be robbed and burglarized. But this will be the 4th time that a burglary has occurred in Cannes.  This time the incident happened at Kronometry a luxury watch store half a mile from the Carlton International Hotel where the other 3 robberies have taken place.  Two men covered in scarves and caps were armed ( guess even French burglars are fashionable) with a grenade and got away with approximately 40 watches. No one was hurt during the robbery.They have not given an exact dollar  amount but maybe those numbers will be released at a later time.  If I was a jewelry in Cannes I'd be watching my every move closely~ Be safe my French darlings...

Police on the scene at Kronometry

 

             So there you have it, the latest and best in the world of jewels and jewelry. 

                                                      Keep sparkling until next time~