Michelle, Author at Data in the Rough

Elizabeth Taylor’s Sapphire Earrings Return to Auction

December 6, 2016December 9, 2016Michelle

Elizabeth Taylor Auction December 2011

I remember the day I went to see the Elizabeth Taylor Collection at Christie’s in New York. I made plans to see the collection on Friday December 9^th. I waited in line as the auction house had the sidewalk lined up with people waiting in the cold to see this famous collection and remember the woman who was their guardian. I had to make plans over a month in advance. I usually wait to buy a ticket to NYC the night before I decide to leave, however this was an auction I have never experienced before and probably never will again.

It was unique for several reasons one being the history behind each … Read the rest

Marie Antoinette: How a Diamond Necklace Ruined a Queen

November 2, 2016Michelle

Marie Antoinette has been described as a beautiful, witty, wasteful, out of touch, the list can go but in How to Ruin a Queen by Jonathan Beckman, he describes a view of the Queen I never saw her as, clueless. Beckman details and pieces together the history of Marie Antoinette and the Diamond Necklace Affair as though you are part of the jury. He presents the different angles of the story that seem like unrelated events but combined created an unbelievable domino effect that lead to the end of the French monarchy. There were three key parts that created this incredible story. The first transports you to 18^th century France where you learn about a little girl named Jeanne … Read the rest

Joseff of Hollywood: Jeweler to the Stars

October 30, 2016Michelle

When choosing what you want to be for Halloween, the costume is the first start but what about the jewelry and accessories? Have you dressed up as a princess, Egyptian Queen or Southern Belle? If you have dressed up as your favorite movie character I’m sure you put some thought into the accessories. Well the jewelry about from the movies The Little Princess, Cleopatra, and Gone with the Wind all had the same company supplying and creating the jewelry, Joseff of Hollywood.

I had known of the company for quite some time, the office that houses these Hollywood treasures is still running and located in California. You can read more on that in this article but I am reviewing the … Read the rest

Opals: A Time When They Were Cursed

October 9, 2016Michelle

It’s October! A time for Fall Festivals, Daylight Savings Time, and October Birthdays! Oh and of course Halloween! Being in the New England area you cannot escape this holiday, not that I want to. Part of the fun of Halloween is the spooky stories. So I thought for this post I would look at the time opals were considered bad luck. Opals are referenced in many cultures, aborigines believed opals were the ‘creator’s footprint that touched the earth at the base of a rainbow to bring harmony.’ Which is similar to an Arabic legend stating opals fall ‘from the heavens in flashes of lightning.’ Whatever way you describe them the flashes of color are undeniably breathtaking. … Read the rest

Cartier Mansion: My Views Inside and Why a Second Visit is Needed

September 21, 2016Michelle

If you have seen Hitchcock’s, To Catch a Thief, starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant then you are familiar with the fireworks scene. Grace Kelley’s character is trying to seduce Grant’s character a retired jewel thief into taking up his life of former crime by tempting him with her diamond necklace.

They are both alone watching the fireworks when she turns off the light and starts going into great detail about the excitement he has given up, at least to her. Grant’s character is not buying her act.

She sits on a desk slightly leaning back so that all you can see is her necklace shimmering as she continues to tempt Grant. She goes up to him this time describing … Read the rest

Tiaras: A Returning Trend?

September 12, 2016Michelle

Is the tiara making a comeback?

Another way to look at tiaras is to ask when did they go out of fashion? What is the history of the tiaras comeback? I just finished a short book titled, Tiaras: Past and Present by Geoffrey Munn, the book was published in 2002, making the present part of the book less up to date. This is a great start to the history of tiaras.

The reason I am looking at the trends for tiaras is due to a magazine I subscribe to. I mentioned in my August post that fall magazines were something I looked forward to in starting the season off. So imagine my delight when I saw the cover of my … Read the rest

Fall Favorites to be looking forward to in the Jewelry Industry

August 31, 2016Michelle

What does the end of summer mean for you? I have been traveling some and look forward to sharing that later in my posts. So the end of summer travel is approaching. Fall is almost here. So what does that mean for the jewelry industry and for you? It is the start of the upcoming holiday season! I am looking forward to the Fall fashion magazines, new jewelry collections and the auctions!

More specifically I am looking forward to the reopening of the Cartier Boutique in New York! For those that have been by Cartier on 52nd know that it has been under major renovations. Thankfully those renovations will soon be complete and you will be able to visit the … Read the rest

The Pinky Ring Campaign: Analyzing a Potential Trend

July 30, 2016July 30, 2016Michelle

Which is more important the product or the marketing? A combination of both is best for getting sustainable results for your business but if you needed to choose one area to improve what would you choose? For the company, Fred and Far, they are focusing their marketing campaign on a common item in the jewelry industry a diamond ring. The marketing gimmick is that the diamond ring is for your pinky. The meaning is to represent self-love. This is not to be confused with a signet ring, that can also be worn on your pinky finger. I heard about this pinky ring from an article from JCK (Jewelers Circular Keystone), that publishes a jewelry insider magazine and has … Read the rest

Hidden Treasures of the Romanovs

July 18, 2016July 19, 2016Michelle

Conspiracy theories, revolts, grandeur, murder and cover ups are only the start to describe a book that explains how some of the Russian family jewels were saved! It is a relatively short book of 143 pages of text, the drawback at first glance is the few photos and even fewer colored photos in this book. The way the book started out also caused some early doubts about how good the book would be. I didn’t really have any set notions about how the story should go but the intro talking about the unmarked grave in Paris of a man I never heard of in all my reading on Russian Royal History caught me off guard. The photo of him (only … Read the rest

Famous Jewelry Collectors

July 11, 2016Michelle

With summer in full swing many of you probably have plans for how you will spend your summer, trips to the beach, finishing outdoor projects, planning family outings, etc. Summer also has fewer jewelry auctions to preview and is traditionally a slower time for jewelry stores so not a lot of new inventory is in. How will I spend my summer to fill that void of jewelry? I plan on starting on a summer reading list focused on jewelry, book bling. So for the summer I plan to post once a week a book review of a jewelry book I have read. I went to the local library and found several that will be fun to learn about. My first … Read the rest