ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Paris, London, New York City, and … Tampa Bay. In what seems a world away from the marquee cities that have long been synonymous with fine art, Graphicstudio at the University of South Florida (USF) – and their renowned master printers – have been assiduously impacting art culture since the studio’s inception in 1968. Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe, Alex Katz, and many more of the brightest, boldest artistic minds of the era have added to Graphicstudio’s portfolio along the way.
How to start a stamp collection knowledgeably
NEW YORK – There are few collectible categories that encompass art, history, culture, language and national identity and pride quite like postage stamps. They reflect almost every topic, from royalty and cultural achievers to scientific discoveries and wildlife. They tell us who we are and how our societies have evolved.
Since the first issue in 1840, stamps have attracted collectors from all walks of life. Despite the rise of email and texting, postage stamps remain universally appreciated well into the 21st century. Stamp collecting remains one of the top 10 hobbies, and rare stamps are still considered stalwarts in many investment portfolios.
Prior to the advent of postage stamps printed on sheets of paper, post offices relied on a rubber or cork cancellation image its employees would hand-ink directly onto the letter itself. These early handstamps, first created in 1680 by merchant William Dockwra for London mail at one penny a post, are a collectible category in and of itself. There was a bit of a problem with the handstamp approach, though. In that era in the United Kingdom, postage was paid by the receiver, not by the sender. If the receiver rejected the letter or package, the delivery went unpaid, and the post office lost money it needed to underwrite its operations. The postage stamp changed that.
Who, exactly, deserves the credit for the invention of the postage stamp is a murky topic, but by 1840, the United Kingdom issued the first such stamp with adhesive to affix directly onto packages and letters. It was known as the Penny Black and featured the profile of a young Queen Victoria. Each stamp had to be cut from a sheet; perforations finally appeared in 1854. And in replacing the handstamp with a printed, paper stamp, the postal service shifted the burden of paying for postage to the sender instead of the receiver. This change allowed for a more organized and profitable postal service. Other countries in Europe soon adopted Britain’s approach.
Postage stamps debuted in the United States in 1845, but these early issues were created by individual postmasters. Two years later, the United States released its first official postage stamps, which sported portraits of Benjamin Franklin on a red 5 cent stamp and George Washington on a black 10 cent stamp. By 1860, the success of the UK and the United States postal systems had prompted virtually every nation to issue their own postage stamps. The notion of collecting stamps as a hobby gained ground around this time as well. John Edward Gray, an English zoologist who was one of the first collectors of note, began his postage stamp collection in 1862, and The Philatelist, the first publication about postage stamps, was already going strong by the 1860s.
The two main reasons people create stamp collections is for fun or as an investment. All seasoned stamp aficionados know there are four main identifying components of a stamp: the image, the perforations, the denomination and the country name (except for the United Kingdom, which uses an image of its monarch as a stand-in). Handling a stamp requires a few basic essential tools: tweezers or long tongs, a magnifying glass, a stamp album made from archival material and an odontometer, or perforation gauge.
It’s perfectly fine to dive in and begin gathering stamps without having chosen a specialty to focus on. Just seek affordable stamps of any type that seem interesting, sort them, review them, and categorize them one or two at a time. Seeking stamps will introduce you to varieties featuring flags, monarchs, insects, animals, minerals and other attractive subjects. You can also wait and simply enjoy acquainting yourself with the many different formats of stamps – which range from first day covers, stamps on letters, plate blocks of stamps, postcards with stamps, special event stamps, hunting stamps, revenue stamps, error stamps, commemorative stamps and hand stamps – before you zero in on a favorite to pursue. It will soon become evident why presidents, kings, rock stars and regular people have all embraced stamp-collecting as a relaxing pastime.
Stamp-collecting need not center on acquiring one or two stamps at a time; it’s possible to secure entire collections of stamps at auctions. Stamp collections, whether completed or not, are routinely consigned by estates whose heirs decline to keep them. Buying a collection lets you advance your understanding of stamps through comparing the differences within a large, preassembled group. Which ones are you missing, and which ones can be traded or sold for another that is in better condition or has a higher value? It should be said, however, that such questions may be more suited to investment-minded collectors because filling the holes in an incomplete collection requires finding the rarest and most valuable stamps, not the most engaging or delightful.
But are postage stamps a solid investment today? According to Forbes.com, they deliver a means to diversify an investment portfolio, but, of course, price fluctuations are the norm in any postage stamp auction. Wealthy investors target stamps that have higher values, freeing up most stamps for the casual collector whose pockets are not as deep – which is a great thing for both camps of collectors.
While most casual collections may not have the investment value of those intended as assets, a study by StampFinder.com has shown that postage stamps with values of $25 and up have consistently outperformed stocks and even gold during the past 25 years. The basic rule for investment-grade stamps is to buy at no more than 30% of the catalog price at auction and sell near the catalog value. Casual collectors, in contrast, should buy the best stamp they can afford.
All stamps are graded first and foremost on rarity; for this reason, older stamps perform better at auction than newer ones. Condition plays a major role as well. Examples with few or no defects are the ones collectors want most. As with any valuable object, postage stamps are the targets of counterfeiters. It is important that collectors of all stripes learn how stamps were made at the times they were issued and verify that any stamp that interests them is correct on its complete construction, from its image to the ink used to print it. Finding stamps of historical significance will help with the overall value of a collection, too. Stamps issued with an error or those with short production runs will merit a higher value if the rest of the criteria under discussion have been satisfied.
If you aren’t sure how to begin a stamp collection, it is best to visit one of the many associations, online groups and websites devoted to postage stamps. The American Philatelic Society (stamps.org), the United States Stamp Society (usstamps.org) and Stamp Collecting World (stamp-collecting-world.com) provide in-depth assistance and resources. You might also consider attending a nearby stamp show listed at stamps.org.
Postage stamps remain coveted collectibles because they take countries and the myths they create about themselves and condense them into a tiny, flat, nearly weightless rectangle. Designed to be portable, they inspire the holder to dream about a stamp’s adventures as it crossed borders, ventured across mountains, plains and oceans, or even just flitted a few doors down the street. Postage stamps can lead you to dream about distant lands and intriguing cultures, and they work this magic without requiring you to leave your favorite armchair. Such is their power.
Pictorial trays helped Coca-Cola build a powerful soda brand
An original 1897 Coca-Cola tray with painted cola leaves and nuts decorating its rim, achieved $50,000 plus the buyer’s premium in February 2019. Image courtesy of Michaan’s and LiveAuctioneers
NEW YORK – Far and away, Coca-Cola is the world’s bestselling soft drink. The company claims that nearly two billion eight-ounce servings are consumed every day. So, exactly how does a sugary soda dominate all others for more than 100 years? The answer is marketing and then more marketing. Coca-Cola trays were key to building the beverage’s brand.
Ring of reverence: a history of the halo in art
NEW YORK – “And God said, let there be light and then there was light,” according to the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible. Many would insist that God didn’t create light so much as he is light. Before literacy was widespread, the ideas of light representing good and darkness symbolizing evil had to be communicated to the faithful visually, through works of art. By the Middle Ages, artists had adopted the convention of painting a halo of light around the head of a deity or a saint to mark who should be respected and revered.
For centuries, toy soldiers have carried on the fight
NEW YORK – Depicting fighting soldiers as tiny, easy-to-move figures has been a mainstay of military planning since medieval times. What started as a serious strategy-building tool ultimately evolved into the icon of childhood now known as the toy soldier.
Mughal Empire artisans raised arts of Asia to new heights
NEW YORK – In 1526, the Mughals, descendants of the Mongol leaders Tamerlane and Genghis Khan, created an empire stretching from the Indus Valley and northern Afghanistan to sub-continental India. The empire endured until the 19th century, and flourishing trade sparked Mughal artisans to innovate within a wide range of arts and crafts, from textiles to painting to jewelry to beautifully decorated weapons.
Collector seeks rare Scranton baseball cards to complete collection
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) – In the most fun card game a baseball fan as big as he is could play, Stephen Olson is potentially holding a miracle hand. He just needs to be dealt two more cards to complete it.
An American classic, Barrel of Monkeys opens up about turning 50
NEW YORK – Everyone of a certain age remembers playing the game Barrel of Monkeys. The author provides a behind-the-scenes account of how the popular 1960s game came to be.
When Pixar featured Barrel of Monkeys in all three Toy Story movies, it was proof that this celebrated toy was not only iconic, but still a whole lot of fun. It’s hard to believe that it has been hanging around us since early 1965, and yet, 2015 will mark Barrel of Monkeys’ 50th year in stores. As popular as it is, finding facts relating to this classic game’s origin is nearly impossible.
Milton Dinhofer, now 91, provides the missing links regarding this nostalgic toy’s evolution. After earning his engineering degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dinhofer went on to design the recognizable monkeys found in those plastic barrels today. Dinhofer didn’t work for a big toy company; it was at his Long Island home where he toyed with his many game ideas.
Leonard Marks, the Barrel of Monkeys inventor on file, was a schoolmate of Dinhofer’s. Marks told Dinhofer in 1961 that he had an idea for a game – an idea that came to him while waiting to sell his line of greeting cards to a small mom-and-pop shop. Dinhofer recounts the story Marks told him: “As he waited for the shop’s owner [Robert Gilbert], Marks started fiddling with [an open box of] snow-tire-replacement-chain links that were on the counter – hooking them together. Later when the owner approached to look at Marks’ greeting cards, Marks was still playing with the links.” Dinhofer adds: “Marks was so interested in playing, he hadn’t realized so much time had passed. He said to the owner, ‘this would make a great toy.” Gilbert then said to Marks he was friends with a successful toy promoter named Milton Dinhofer.” Marks immediately reached out to his old school friend.
Dinhofer had already had two major toy achievements to his credit. He created what he believes to be “the first full-size wearable space helmet.” His helmet made the covers of both The Saturday Evening Post (Nov. 8, 1952 issue) and Collier’s magazine (April 18, 1953 issue). Prior to that, he invented, designed and successfully brought to market Sip-n-See. This was a line of twisted plastic drinking straws with characters on them. Dinhofer says it was not only the “first twisted straw,” but also the “first plastic drinking straw” on the market. It provided an alternative to the glass and paper straws being sold at the time, and Dinhofer says it sold over “five million pieces.” One of those straws would influence the design of Barrel of Monkeys.
Recounting his first business meeting with Marks, Dinhofer said: “Marks brought a pile of his links over and started playing with them.” They are in Dinhofer’s possession today and are red, s-shaped links made from a one-quarter-inch plastic rod. Each link has pinched ends for connecting. Dinhofer said that as he watched Marks play with the links, he thought to himself, ‘monkeys!’
“I told [Marks] he had a winner … I would develop it and he should sell it … We signed an agreement that night.” Asked why he chose monkeys, Dinhofer responds: “What else would you make them? Monkeys came to my mind instantly.” Dinhofer modeled the monkey’s arms after his Sip-N- See cowboy straw which had s-shaped arms just like a link.
“Our first step,” Dinhofer explained, “was to have a patent search made. Many linking games were disclosed but nothing with animals.” Dinhofer said that while none of those patented toys were successful, he still believed in theirs. It would take Dinhofer three months to go from a sketch to a functional monkey – in other words, likable and linkable. “We had to have 10 to 15 perfect pieces in order to see how they played,” he said, adding that the biggest challenge in designing them was the monkey’s balance. After that, he said, “I researched monkey photographs and made numerous sketches until I got a cute face down on paper.” Dinhofer selected a body he liked from another of his sketches and then hired a professional model maker. A. Santore of A.S. Plastic Model Co. carved, under Dinhofer’s supervision, one perfect sample. Dinhofer then found a company that would make a beryllium mold from Santore’s monkey and run sample monkeys from it. Looking at Dinhofer’s first-run monkeys, one sees that they look exactly like Lakeside Toys’ 1965 debut version. The only difference between Dinhofer’s monkeys and today’s is that shortly after the toy’s release, more hair was added to their bodies.
Next Dinhofer had to name it. “More fun than a barrel of monkeys,” was a common phrase in the ’60s that dated back to at least the 1800s. But that was not where Dinhofer and Marks got the name for their toy. Dinhofer disclosed, “I also have one package…with the name Chimp to Chimp on it.” Chimp to Chimp was Barrel of Monkey’s initial name and like BOM, it had 12 monkey playing pieces. Twelve monkeys “seemed just right,” said Dinhofer. “Three to 12-year-olds had to stand to link all 12.” Thus too many links would require actually lifting the children higher to accommodate the growing chain of monkeys – a situation where more wasn’t necessarily better. Asked if Chimp to Chimp monkeys came in a cardboard tube like Lakeside’s 1965 version, Dinhofer says: “Lakeside had more experience at $1[retail prices]. I had designed very expensive packaging. It was much more expensive than the cardboard can that Lakeside used and much more expensive to load.”
At last Chimp to Chimp was ready to be shown to retailers. Dinhofer says, “Marks showed to Woolworth’s … it was the biggest chain with 2,100 stores. They liked it but wanted a guarantee that we would put it on TV for 13 weeks (approximately $150,000-$275,000 worth of commercials).” TV advertising was becoming the norm, but was impossible for Marks and Dinhofer to agree to Woolworth’s deal; it was too expensive and too risky for them to chance a failure. After that, Marks told Dinhofer there was no further interest from retailers. Marks moved on and partnered with another man named Herman Kesler.
In 1969, Dinhofer met James R. Becker at Lakeside. Becker would eventually become Lakeside’s president and go on to help pioneer global licensing as we know it today. But at the time, Becker was a vice president and still relatively new at Lakeside. Through Becker’s recounting, Dinhofer came to learn how Lakeside picked up Barrel of Monkeys from Kesler and Marks. In 1964, Kesler called Zelman Levine, the chairman and president of Lakeside Toys, and set a November meeting in New York City. At the meeting were Levine, Becker and Lakeside’s soon-to-be national sales manager, Stanley Harfenist (Harfenist was trying to bring the Gumby toy line to Lakeside, which he eventually did in February 1965. Harfenist then went on to become Lakeside’s general manager.)
Becker told Dinhofer that Kesler walked into Levine’s room and just as Marks had done with his links at Dinhofer’s, Kessler uncupped his hands, dropped the monkeys onto a table, and started to link them together. Becker also said that the phrase “more fun than a barrel of monkeys” was brought up at that meeting by Becker himself. Zelman Levine immediately approved the item, and Zelman took all the samples back with him to Minneapolis.
Dinhofer’s legal documents show Kesler and Marks signed an agreement with Lakeside on Jan. 29, 1965. Dinhofer also has royalty statements showing gross sales beginning in the first quarter of 1965. He speculates that if Lakeside used his original mold, that would explain how the toy got to market so fast after contracts being signed. Lakeside also used similar packaging to their already successful Pick-Up-Sticks game, which probably sped up the release process. Dinhofer’s news clippings show that that by April of 1967, Barrel of Monkeys was No. 2 on Toy and Hobby World magazine’s “Toy Hit Parade” chart. Coincidentally, at No. 3, was BOM’s future Toy Story co-star and eventual Hasbro-brand mate, listed simply as Potato Head.
Today BOM is part of Milton Bradley under the Hasbro umbrella. As one of Time magazine’s “All-Time 100 Greatest Toys,” (2011) prepares to turn 50, Dinhofer can’t help but reflect. Taking it all in, he shares: “I had a lot of talent. Too bad it took me 50 years to realize it.”
But thanks to Dinhofer and many other talented people, Barrel of Monkeys has successfully run without batteries for almost half a century. Why is it so successful? Is it the barrel, the monkeys or the links? Maybe it’s the game’s simplicity? It certainly doesn’t hurt that it brings a smile for under $10. Quite possibly, it was just a perfect storm of ideas, people, timing and luck.
Whatever the reason for BOM’s longevity, after hearing Dinhofer’s recounting, one can’t help but imagine a big 50th bash with monkeys swinging from chandeliers, barrels of champagne flowing, and Dinhofer photoBOMbing us all. At the very least, we can raise a glass and toast to him and all who put those monkeys in a barrel, and those barrels into tiny happy hands. And when Milton raises his glass, may he be beside his favorite links – his family, his children, his great-grandchildren, and his great-great-grandchildren, because, truly, what could be more fun than that?
Tracy Leshay is the granddaughter of Milton Dinhofer.
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Feature: Carlo Scarpa’s architectural approach to glassmaking
NEW YORK – “Venetian Glass by Carlo Scarpa: The Venini Company, 1932-1947,” the current exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog filled with new research. The show and scholarship provide a treasure trove of valuable information for collectors of 20th century glass. As examples of Scarpa’s glass appear at auction this year, buyers will have a greater appreciation of the complex process involved in taking the designs from drawings to completed works.
Born in Venice, Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) falls into that long tradition of architects who ventured at times into designing furniture and decorative arts for interior settings; fellow countryman Gio Ponti (1891-1979) and American Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) are other good examples. While Scarpa continued to practice architecture – most surviving projects are in and around the city where he worked – it is his 13-year collaboration with Murano glassmaker Paolo Venini that is celebrated in the exhibition.
Sheena Wagstaff, the MMA head of Modern and Contemporary Art, said: “We have the great fortune of partnering with the prestigious museum Le Stanze del Vetro to take up a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to bring to New York glass works of extraordinarily high caliber, that have never before been seen in any American museum. Visitors will encounter beautiful, translucent, and ethereal glass vessels, created from Scarpa’s radical pushing and expanding of glass-blowing techniques to their absolute limit.”
Viewers visiting the show of nearly 300 works will be dazzled by the vivid colors and intrigued by the variety of forms and textures that sprang from Scarpa’s architectural approach to glassmaking. There is no substitute for the visual impact of all that beauty. In a review, the New York Times suggested, “If you are open to it, this exhibition can radically reshape your ideas about form, beauty, originality and art for art’s sake.”
The exhibition was adapted from an earlier one at Le Stanze del Vetro, a gallery in Venice devoted to the study of modern glassmaking, and continues in New York until March 2. As an added bonus, the Metropolitan has displayed nearby works from Europe and Asia that influenced Scarpa’s designs, such as ancient Roman mosaic glass and Chinese porcelain vases.
Collectors, however, will consider the massive and highly detailed catalog the gift that keeps on giving, because in its pages editor and exhibition curator Marino Barovier and his panel of scholars explain why and how each piece was created. Many individual catalog entries are accompanied by Scarpa’s original design drawings. The glass exhibits are grouped into over two dozen technical groups with descriptive Italian names such as Pennellate – brushstrokes. This profusion of decorative methods is further testimony to the architect’s prolific creativity. While some styles come up often at auctions and shows, pieces in less well-known categories are true eye-openers.
Most familiar to collectors will be the vases in the 1938 Rigati (striped) and 1940 Tessuti (woven) techniques, both of which employed multicolored glass rods. Corrosi 1936-1938 featured forms with a surface textured by emersion in acid. Some examples from this series are characterized by decorative relief attachments – sweeping ellipticals or button-like bugne or bosses. Less common is a 1940 group, Laccati neri e rossi, which imitates the black and red lacquer of Chinese objects.
The catalog presents revealing biographical information on Scarpa’s career including an opening essay by MMA Curator Nicholas Cullinan, who helped organize the exhibition. “The Wholeness of Inseparable Elements: Clarity and Form in the Work of Carlo Scarpa” orients the glass creations within the architect’s entire body of work. The curator points out how difficult life was for artists during the rise of Fascism in Italy: “The fact that Scarpa was able to advance his bold ideas in architecture and design without the sponsorship of Benito Mussolini’s regime is a remarkable accomplishment that should not be overlooked.”
After World War II, Scarpa focused on the task of reconstruction. Cullinan writes, “During the remarkable postwar period of renewal and restoration in Italy Scarpa’s extraordinary architectural career blossomed.”
Specializing in 20th century design, Wright Auctions is unique in offering annual sales dedicated to Italian Glass, and Scarpa’s works have been an important component. As one catalog entry noted, “ … perhaps more than any other glass designer of his time, Scarpa created pieces that were both shockingly modern and of enduring classical beauty.” As can be seen from the accompanying illustrations, the June 2013 auction included rare examples made during the architect’s years at Venini which realized exceptional prices, and the upcoming sale on May 20, 2014 will offer more lots designed by Scarpa.
In a recent interview, President Richard Wright said, “We’ve been most active in that market. Last year’s sale had some exceptional Scarpa pieces, and we’ll have our third stand-alone glass auction in May.” Prices in 2013 ranged from a simple mezza filagrana bowl at $2,750 to a highly desirable pennelate vase that brought an impressive $74,500.
Based in Chicago, Wright has added gallery space and consignment offices in the historic Parke-Bernet building on Madison Avenue in New York City. After visiting the Scarpa show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the auctioneer said, “The exhibition is a tour de force – it’s really impressive. There are so many exhibits that I really respond to, including some very rare mosaic pieces that are truly experimental. In the Met show, they show Roman mosaic glass from their collection nearby Scarpa’s versions, variations and inventions.”
Wright continued, “He also made Chinese- inspired vessels which are sublime. When they’re at their best, they have all the beauty of perfect Chinese porcelain – form and color and proportion, all in harmony. That speaks to his talent – the fact that he can work in such a range of styles and do so successfully. He had an ability to absorb all of these ancient techniques of glassmaking and make them relevant in the 20th century. He’s a big part of the reawakening of that craft movement. He trained as an architect and he had a wonderful sense of proportion and incredible sensitivity to materials.”
For more information about the past and future sales of Italian glass at Wright, go to www.wright20.com to view the online catalogs.
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Chasing rainbows: The intense competition for colored diamonds
SAN FRANCISCO – Sotheby’s in Geneva made auction history last month when it sold the Pink Star – a 59.60-carat oval cut pink diamond – for $83,187,381, a world auction record for any diamond (or gemstone or jewel, for that matter). Sotheby’s David Bennett called the stone “a true masterpiece of nature.” Four bidders competed for the stone, the largest internally flawless, fancy vivid pink diamond ever to be certified.
If you have ever looked at a fuschia wildflower and marveled at its impossibly bright color, consider the spectrum of naturally occurring colored diamonds: from yellows and browns — the most common colors — to pink and blue, to deep greens, purples and reds—the most rare. While colored diamonds are usually muted in tone, some rare specimens are so candy-vivid you can’t believe they are not treated. There is even a diamond known as a “chameleon” that, as the name suggests, actually changes color.
For 20 years, before retiring recently to work in the auction business, Josh Cohn was a colored-diamonds specialist with the Gemological Institute of America, the non-profit organization that sets the standard for grading gemstones. At GIA, Cohn would examine stones to grade them and determine whether their color occurred naturally or synthetically. The GIA analysis of colored diamonds encompasses aspects of clarity, color and place of origin for certification. Treated stones are also graded. (The Institute’s website is a superbly illustrated source of information about, and images of, colored diamonds: http://www.gia.edu.)
“Some of the naturally occurring colors can look highly artificial, and some treated diamonds have more subtle colors; without advanced testing, you can’t tell if stones have been treated,” says Cohn.
Causes and Origins
Of the known causes in natural colored diamonds, color can be influenced by radiation or trace elements, such as nitrogen or boron, interacting with the crystal during its development. Artificial treatment processes including radiation and high temperature /high pressure (hpht) are used to quickly replicate the color effects that take tens of millions of years to come about naturally. Again, cautions Josh Cohn, you can’t discern treated stones with the naked eye or even through a loupe. The best way to guarantee the diamond you are buying is through a report from an accredited laboratory, such as GIA.
Different diamond colors are associated with different mine locations throughout the world. The famous Hope blue diamond is thought to have been mined in India at the Kollur mine some three centuries ago. Mr. Cohn, who now works as a consultant for Morphy’s auction house in Pennsylvania, says developments in mining technology have more recently opened deposits of colored diamonds, such as the deep pinks from the Argyle mines and the bright yellows found in the Ellendale Mines, both olocated in Western Australia. The Pink Star/Dream was mined in 1999 by De Beers in Africa.
“The Golconda mines in Southern India were once known as the best source for pink diamonds, but other mines have come to the fore.” said Cohn.
Auction Market
The market for colored diamonds has been extremely strong over the past year, culminating with the record-setting sales of November. One day before Sotheby’s sold the Pink Star/Dream, Christie’s offered a fancy-vivid orange diamond, at 14.82 carats the largest known to exist. The pear-shape orange diamond (also known as a “fire diamond”) eclipsed its estimate of $17/20 million to fetch $35.5 million at Christie’ in Geneva.
In April of this year, the pink Princie diamond, found centuries ago in the Golconda mines of southern India, was bought by a telephone bidder at Christies in New York, for $39.3 million. The diamond’s provenance included ownership by the super-wealthy royal family of Hyderabad.
Colored diamonds in the middle range also have elicited intense bidding this year: at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, in April, a 7.85-carat vivid fancy yellow diamond ring with an antique cushion cut outstripped its estimate of $150,000-$200,000 to realize $542,500.
Colored Diamonds in Museums
Those who wish to see colored diamonds up close have several options. The storied Hope Diamond, on display at the Smithsonian’s Harry Winston gallery (part of the enormous collection of gems and minerals that is part of the institution’s Natural History Museum) is probably the most famous colored diamond of all. It’s a 42.5-carat blue diamond whose popular history includes, according to the museum’s online catalog: “a stint in the French crown jewels, a daring theft, two re-cuttings, an English king, a wealthy American socialite, a bit of mystery and a curse or two.”
The DeYoung Red Diamond, at 5.03 carats, is one of the largest natural fancy dark red diamonds known. It was gifted to the Smithsonian by a Boston jeweler who acquired the rare and extremely valuable stone as part of a collection of estate jewelry, wherein it was wrongly identified as a garnet.
Another amazing blue diamond on display at the Smithsonian is called the Blue Heart, a heart-shape 30.62 carat blue diamond taken from a South African mine in1908, as a rough stone of 100.5 carats.
In San Francisco at The De Young Museum, an exhibition of Bulgari jewelry on display through February 2014 includes some beautiful examples of fancy yellow diamonds. A trio of tremblant brooches, so-named because of the setting that allows some of the diamonds to tremble slightly, thus increasing their radiance, are modeled on sprays of flowers. A beautiful single-flower brooch has delicate, curling petals, shaded by pave diamonds that range from white, to pale yellow, to brighter yellow at the tips.
A Colorful Future for Diamonds
The momentum for large colored diamonds offered at auction seems undiminished. Sotheby’s December sale includes a 51.75 fancy vivid yellow cut-cornered square diamond ring, estimated at $2.5/3.5 million. No doubt we will see other examples as the important winter and spring sales unfold.
Search for colored diamonds in upcoming auctions at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
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