Salvador Dali Gold Exhibit

An exhibition of gold items created by Salvador Dali is going on display at Espace Dali in Paris.  Art Daily reports that the pieces will include gold sculptures embedded with precious stones,  including Dali’s iconic Dance of time piece.

Dali designed a number of jewelry pieces throughout his career.  He would design then in great detail and personally select the materials and gems to be used.  The actual pieces were handmade by a professional goldsmith with whom Dali collaborated.

Here is a video of the Dali's famous Royal Heart at the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation.  It contains 46 rubies, 42 diamonds and 4 emeralds.  The heart actually beats.  Very cool:

According to Dalí, “Without an audience, without the presence of spectators, these jewels would not achieve the function for which they were created. The viewer is thus the final artist. His look, heart and mind – with greater or lesser ability to understand the creator’s intention – imbue the jewels with life.”

The Annenberg Diamond

At Christies upcoming auction (Oct 21, 2009), an extraordinarily large 32 carat D Color flawless diamond ring will be up for sale.

 

 

The ring is estimated to sell from $3 million to $5 million.

 

According to Christies, Mrs. Leonore Annenberg bought the diamond as a present for herself for her 90th birthday in 2007.  The diamond was made by David Webb and has an Asscher Cut center stone.  Over the years, the Annenberg Foundation has donated billions to an eclectic set of cultural, medical, and educational causes.  These have included a living sculpture in the form of a 32-acre field of corn, titled “Not a Corn Field”, a 2,500 square foot “universally accessible” tree house, heart disease research, a foundation for space photography and the restoration of a public beach house. 

 

The ring is beautiful, but the David Webb brooch which is on sale at the auction for an an expected price of $15,000-$20,000 is magnificent.

 

Jewelry Slideshow

This is a preview of the jewelry that you can see on my new site http://www.sozai.us

My Jewelry Designs Website

I have launched a new website to highlight my jewelry designs.  The site is http://www.sozai.us.  Please let me know what you think about it.

Gold Reaches a New High

Gold reached a new high in overnight trading as prices exceeded $1,040 for the first time.  The rise in price comes from pressure on the US dollar. Concern has grown over a report that crude oil could one day be priced in other currencies, reducing the dollar’s preeminent position as a vehicle for global trade.

The rise in the price of gold over the last 18 months is actually having an interesting effect on jewelry purchases.  More and more buyers are looking at high-end jewelry as an investment and a useable store of value.  Jewelry has the additional benefit over bullion that you can enjoy the pleasure of ownership rather than just storing it in a safe and there is a “collectors” premium paid for high-end pieces.