Homemade Rum Cake

Rum Cake courtesy of Good Cakes and Bakes here.

Perhaps it’s because of the endless daylight that causes me to bake more cakes in the summertime. I also like to do more hosting and entertaining in the summer, so there lies the excuse to bake a cake. I also like to try new recipes. Baking a rum cake seems easier than making a 2-layer cake (at least psychologically).

Homemade Rum Cake

 

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1  cup dark brown sugar (or use half granulated and half brown sugar if you wish.)

3 large eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk (Sour cream can be used.)

1/3 cup rum

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup of chopped nuts - pecans or walnuts

Directions:

1) Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and beat.

2) Add the buttermilk and rum.

3) Mix the dry ingredients in one mixing bowl and slowly incorporate them into the wet mixture.

4) Add the vanilla extract.

5) Toss 1/2 cup of chopped nuts onto the bottom of a buttered bundt pan. Bundt pans are traditional for rum cakes, but use a round or square pan if you wish.

5) Pour the batter into the bundt pan evenly.

6) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 60 minutes or more until done in the middle.

7) Let the cake cool, but remove it while still warm by loosening and turning the bundt pan upside down.

Rum Cake Frosting Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powered sugar, start with one cup 

The rest of the chopped nuts

Directions: 

Mix all the ingredients. After the cake is completely cool, frost it. Top the frosting with the remaining chopped nuts. Roasting the nuts on a cookie sheet before using them improves their flavor, but I’m often too lazy to do it.

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Pretty Rings At Harry Winston

Photo: Harry Winston

Fortunately, I'm not tempted to buy luxury handbags, shoes, or apparal despite appreciating the style and/or craftsmanship of many of the top designers. My luxury of choice has always been jewelry. So how does THAT make me fortunate? Well, luxury jewelry is so far beyond the means of a regular wage earner like me that I have no illusions of bringing pieces home! I can browse knowing  -- what I’m ogling over -- would put far too many zeros on my credit card, sending me deep into debt. I might covet, yet there is no temptation to buy. I know who I am, and it isn’t a high roller with deep pockets for beautiful yet ultimately impractical things.

That said, aren’t the 3 Harry Winston rings👆, a canary diamond with white diamonds, an emerald with diamonds, and a sapphire with diamonds, gorgeous! Yes, siree, Bob!

If you love gemstones and admire jewelry design, you love seeing high-end jewelry for inspiration. First a dreamer, then a realist is my motto. Take it in, then find something similar ... the design, the vibe, the size, within your budget. You can follow the same practice if you love designer bags, shoes, apparel, or art, whatever your hot button temptation is. I mean, we don’t have to deprive ourselves of enjoying the apex of quality by ignoring it. Try your temptation on if you get the chance, then search for something more budget-friendly that gives you the same effect as a big-ticket item. No need to go without completely. Deprivation is not a virtue!

Pretty rings at Macy’s, more affordable commercial-grade gemstones, including sapphires with diamonds, an emerald with diamonds, and canary diamonds with white diamonds.😊

Jewelry is a luxury buy, just like all other designer goods, so it is more of a want than a need, but we can justify owning a few pieces to add sparkle to outfits. If your splurge is a ring, you can enjoy looking at it all day long!

Finally, remember that lab-grown gemstones are physically, chemically, and optically identical to earth-grown gemstones, making large precious stones -- emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds -- far more affordable. 

Photo: Harry Winston

Harry Winston's rings look to be as thin as lower-cost vendors’ rings at Macy’s. The HW gemstones are better, but for the money, Harry Winston could make the bands of his lovely, yet extremely pricey, rings thicker. Don’t you agree?!?

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Photo: Geology.in: Click to go to the website to learn more about garnets. Usually the Hessonite hue is more of a cinnamon orange.

Gemstone durability is a blend of 3 major characteristics: Hardness, toughness, and strength. Hardness is its resistance to scratches. Toughness stops breaking, cracking, and chipping. How tightly a gemstone's atoms are packed together determines its toughness. A gemstone's strength measures its resistance to shattering under pressure (i.e., how hard it is to crush).

Spessartite Garnet

If you're looking for everyday jewelry that will endure, the following 3 gemstones always top the lists of jewelry insiders. Two of the 3 gemstones are so under the public's radar, and thus less in demand, they are also good value for the money.

I. Jewelry experts consider garnet a wildly underrated gemstone. The jewel is a whole family of minerals that comes in a wide array of intense colors. With a 7.5 rating on Mohl’s Scale of Hardness, a garnet is hard enough for everyday rings. But that’s not the whole story; a garnet has no cleavage, giving it excellent toughness. A vivid green garnet, known as tsavorite, is far cheaper, cleaner, and tougher than emeralds, with none of an emerald’s fragility for chipping, cracking, or breaking. Unlike emeralds, garnets do not need oiling to hide industry-accepted inclusions. Rodolite (a combination of pink, red, and purple) exudes a raspberry hue. Spessartite is a fiery orange, and Demantoid sparkles more than diamonds.

Wikepedia

II. Another hard, tough, strong, and underrated gemstone is spinel, with an 8 in hardness. Spinel (MgAl2O4) grows in the same mines as rubies and, for centuries, was mistaken for a ruby (Al2O3). The only reason spinel is overlooked is that it lacks the marketing push of diamonds. Collectors understand the beauty, durability, and true value of spinel. Insiders predict that once the public catches on, the price of spinels will skyrocket. 

Photo: GIA

III. The last, most durable gemstone for everyday wear is the priciest of the 3 but worth considering as an alternative gemstone for engagement rings: Corundum has a 9 hardness rating. Rubies (red corundum is more expensive because red gemstones in nature are rarer). All other colors of corundum are sapphires. Corundum is a more durable gemstone than diamonds. They are often selected by royalty (Diana and Catherine of Wales, the York princesses) for their engagement rings, and jewelers buy them for their own family. I met a jeweler at Tiffany's who bought herself a 3.5-carat blue sapphire ring, and a jeweler at Effy who bought a sapphire ring for his daughter that will last forever!

Jewlery isn't cheap, so it pays to know which gemstones have the best combination of durability. 

💍💎💍💎

A blue spinel

Other gemstones insiders cite for durability include Alexandrite (a 9.5 in hardness), Moissanite (9.5), and Jade (6 - 7). The coveats with them are: Alexandrite is rare and thus super expensive. Moissanite is very affordable, but always lab-grown. Jade, the softest on the list, can be scratched if careless, so durable yet not to be banged around, set in rings.

Which of the durable gemstones appeals to you? I wish I owned blue and red spinels. Vietnam grows vivid blue ones.

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Dietians Say These 9 Are Better Than Protein Bars

Two unopened boxes of these are in my cupboard. The taste and texture are good.

Years ago, I ate protein bars for convenience and to satisfy a sweet tooth, but I always got tired of the taste, texture, or cost of the various protein bars I tried. Many were chalky or too dense. Nowadays, if I crave a candy bar, I’ll eat a candy bar and only rely on a protein bar if I have an appointment that will cause me to miss a meal, like taking a long train or car ride, or waiting for a driver’s licence renewal -- and usually the latter can be renewed online. So I don’t eat them regularly anymore, and as it turns out, nutritionists think real food is a better option than protein bars (or drinks).

The following recipes come straight from an email sent to me from Real Simple magazine, which I'll share. The article says the following snacks make eating protein bars for their convenience unnecessary. The recipes come from dieticians. 

So without further ado, here are the 9 recipes from Real Simple, directly quoted below + linked. I take no credit for researching, compiling, or writing them up, but I know enough about nutrition to understand that it is great advice. Consider my blog your electronic recipe box:

''1. Homemade Energy Balls 

Mai Duong, a registered dietitian at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange County, CA, recommends whipping up a batch of energy bites for a quick, on-the-go snack. To do so, mix together one cup of rolled oats, one-fourth cup of nut butter, and one-fourth cup of chopped dried fruit. Shape into four balls and refrigerate before snacking. Each bite contains roughly 7 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, according to Duong.

2. Turkey Roll-Ups

Need something a little heartier? Sahar Berjis, a registered dietitian and CEO of Inner Health and Wellness, recommends making roll-ups using a wrap and some deli meat like turkey. She suggests serving some hummus and red bell pepper on the side for a little extra nutrition. “It’s protein-packed with a satisfying crunch,” she says. The exact amount of fiber and protein will vary depending on the wraps you choose.

3. Chia Berry Jam Parfait 

Make your own high-fiber, low-sugar jam to top Greek yogurt. Bonus: it’s super simple! Just thaw a half-cup of frozen mixed berries in a jar until soft and mix juice from half a lemon, a drizzle of honey if desired, and two tablespoons of chia seeds, instructs Juliette Jorgenson, a registered dietitian with Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange County, California. “Cover and let gelatinize in the fridge overnight, and you'll have perfectly gooey high-fiber jam,” she says. Add it to Greek yogurt and top with ground flaxseed, nut butter, and bananas for even more fiber and protein, Jorgenson suggests. Depending on the yogurt and berries you use, the jam and yogurt will contain roughly 13 grams of fiber and 16 grams of protein, Jorgenson says.

4. Frozen Yogurt Bark

Try one of Berjis' go-to frozen treats. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add dollops of Greek yogurt, top each one with berries, chia seeds, and nuts—then freeze. A typical serving of Greek yogurt contains roughly 16 grams of protein, depending on the brand you use, and fiber will vary based on the toppings you choose. 

5. Lentil Dip or Salad 

This easy-to-prep idea from Eu Nee Tan-Verdugo, a registered dietitian with L.A. Care Health Plan, can be customized to fit your taste and time constraints. Mix precooked lentils, feta, and for an easy dip that you can add on top of whole-wheat crackers. “You can also add edamame and cubed cucumber to make it a salad,” she says. A 100-gram serving of cooked lentils contains 9 grams of protein and nearly 8 grams of fiber, according to the USDA.

6. Roasted Legumes 

2026 is the year of the bean—and for good reason. Legumes are loaded with fiber, protein, and antioxidants, which help keep your heart, gut, and cholesterol healthy. Dana Henderson, a registered dietitian at L.A. Care Health Plan, likes roasted edamame or fava beans for an easy, portable snack. A 100-gram serving of edamame contains roughly 12 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, according to the USDA. Or try Berjis’s go-to: roasted chickpeas. “They’re crunchy, portable, and surprisingly addictive,” she says. 

7. Higher Protein Hummus 

Give your hummus an extra nutrient boost with this tip from Duong. Combine one cup of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans, a half-cup of reduced-fat cottage cheese, two tablespoons of tahini, plus lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth and serve with a cup of carrot chips. You’ll get roughly 6 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein, she says. 

8. Cottage Cheese Bowls

Or make cottage cheese the main character by adding your favorite toppings. If you prefer savory, Berjis suggests topping your bowl with cucumber and tomatoes. For something sweet, Jorgenson recommends adding berries and flax. A half-cup of cottage cheese with a half-cup of berries and one tablespoon of flax meal contains roughly 14 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, Jorgenson says.

9. Dates With Nut Butter

“This is the perfect sweet treat,” says Jorgenson. Just split open a few dates, remove the pit, and add in your favorite nut butter. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and freeze for about 30 minutes. The nutrition information will vary depending on the nut butter you choose, but Jorgenson estimates that three dates and two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber."

Why are nutritionists against our dependence on protein bars? (1) Many protein bars and shakes contain metal levels that exceed recommendations. (2) Some have too much sugar. (3) They are more expensive than real food. (4) You can’t beat Mother Nature. Real food has all the protein, vitamins, and minerals we need in the right balance. These 9 recipes are budget-friendly and should satisfy every palate, sweet or savory. Enjoy!

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New York City At Night

Manhattan is especially beautiful at night. My friend Carolyn C. attended a Knicks’ NBA Championship watch party and sent me these photographs. She gave me permission to post them.

The hostess of the watch party lives in a high-rise in Chelsea with a grand balcony that has a great view of Midtown. You’re looking up 7th Avenue in the direction of Times Square. Did you know the tricolors representing New York City are blue, white, and orange? The colors of the city’s flag.

You can see the Manhattan skyline in this video. Thank you for sharing these splendid views with us, Carolyn! They make me love New York City all the more. Come for a visit, readers, whenever you can. Congratulations, Champion New York Knicks! If you want to read more about New York, enter “New York" into the search box, upper right.↖

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The Bavarian Ruby and Spinel Diadem

Wikimedia Commons

The Bavarian Ruby and Spinel Diadem was commissioned in 1830 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria as a gift for his wife, Queen Therese. Designed by court jeweler Caspar Rielander, it's a colossal-sized headpiece of gold intricately set with diamonds, rubies, and red spinels in a floral and vine motif. The tiara was so heavy and uncomfortable it gave Queen Therese headaches to wear it, so she rarely did, favoring lighter and smaller tiaras.

The diadem, which is part of a parure of jewels that includes a grand necklace, 2 cuff bracelets, and drop earrings, mostly sat idle in the royal vaults for close to a century until Crown Princess Antonia (Antoinette of Luxembourg) selected it to wear in her official photographs after marrying Crown Prince Rupprecht in 1921. In the era of royalty, monarchs owned and adorned elaborate jewelry to signify status, power, legitimacy, and divinity. To their subjects, royal jewels projected wealth, greatness, continuity, pomp, and national heritage. Today, we value them for their beauty and as relics of the grandeur of a bygone era.

Photo: Franz Grainer

 Bavaria’s royal family is from the house of Wittelsbach -- they ruled in Bavaria beginning in 1180 -- and what ensued is a bit of sad history. During the occupation of the Nazis, the family was part of a resistance plot and had to flee to Italy and Hungary. Prince Rupprecht remained underground in Italy to fight the fascists who took over his country. Meanwhile, after Hungary fell to Germany, on Hitler's personal orders, Princess Antonia and her children were arrested by the Gestapo and sent to concentration camps. She was manourished, tortured for information about her husband, and contracted typhus. Crown Princess Antonia never broke and survived, but was in ill health for the rest of her life. After being liberated in 1945 by the Americans, she never set foot in Germany again. Her children also lived. She died in 1954 at the age of 54.

Nowadays, the Bavarian parure sits on display in the Schatzkammer (meaning treasury) at Residenz in Munich, Germany. Here’s a lovely front view of it. 

Munich is the capital of the federal state of Bavaria, in Southern Germany. It is famous for hosting Oktoberfest, a yearly celebration to the present day that first began on October 12, 1810, to honor the marriage of then Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, the very same couple who left us the Bavarian Ruby and Spinel parure! The Citizens of Munich were invited to a 3-day celebration of the royal union in the fields outside the city gates. The location was christened Theresienwiese (Therese’s Meadow) after the bride. The big after-party was so much fun, it became an annual event which Münchners affectionately dub, the Wiese, as in, "Auf geht’s zur Wiesen!"🥨🍺

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Dump Potato Salad A One-Pot Meal

Sometimes on a hot summer day, one thinks: I’ve got to get something into the pie holes of my family for dinner, but I do not want to cook! THAT was me last night as I was unmotivated to clean up a kitchen full of pots and pans! Moreover, we haven’t even entered the official summer season yet. On those nights, it’s perfectly ok to make Dump Potato Salad as I did last night, which might be a tasty way to use healthy leftovers. I make both German and American potato salads ... and last night I chose to use the basic ingredients for American potato salad ... with ad-ins:

Last Night’s Dump Potato Salad A One-Pot Meal

Ingredients: 

4 medium Russet potatoes (use what you have)

4 large eggs

1/2 onion, diced, finely

1/2 cup celery, diced finely

a few baby carrots, diced, finely

a scoop of light mayonnaise

a few squirts of mustard

leftover sauerkrut from a can

a generous scoop of Greek yogurt

2 slices of deli ham, diced

Spices to taste: I used Cajun salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, garlic, and parsley. Sprinkles of soy sauce, hot sauce, and organic cider vinegar to boot. The end result was flavorful but not hot to the taste.

Directions:

1) Microwave the potatoes for 10 minutes, or boil on the stove.

2) Steam the eggs in an egg cooker, or hard boil on the stove.

3) Incorporate all the ingredients in a mixing bowl with the aid of a fork and knife. Your eyes will tell you if your dump potato salad is creamy enough. I prefer a rich, not a runny consistency! A sample will tell you to add more of this or that to taste. Our family likes crunch and flavor, not bland! You do you!

If you ask me, we ended up with meat, potatoes, and at least 2 vegetables. It checks all the boxes for a balanced meal!

If you happen to have leftover guacamole, hummus, beans, or vegetables, feel free to toss them into your Dump Potato Salad. Out of caution, we shouldn’t eat refrigerator leftovers over 4 days old, so trash those.  If you have an enormous appetite, you could always pair the dish with a sandwich.

The Pie Holes at my table were satisfied with our dinner. They ate dark chocolate for dessert. Although we had ice cream in the freezer and ice cream cones available, they didn’t have room for it. I had little to clean up.✅

Now what the heck will I make for those Pie Holes tonight? Rice Pudding???😁 

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Short-or-Cap-Sleeved Summer Dresses Are Back!

Style & Co at Macy's

As soon as summer weather arrives, I switch from wearing leggings to dresses. My legs don’t get covered again until autumn, when the days start to get nippy.

Style & Co and Jones New York at Macy’s

During the last decade, sleeveless dresses dominated summers. Understandably, with heat and humidity ... and yet, I missed what I mostly wore during my teenage and 20s,  short sleeves. Cap-sleeved is an abbreviated length of short-sleeved and is also perfect for summer when you just want fabric covering your shoulders and the top of your arms. 

Lands’ End

What I appreciate about short-or cap-sleeved dresses is that I rarely have to carry a cover-up, such as a cardigan or shawl. That little bit of extra material on the top of my arms gives me the warmth I need for indoor air conditioning. What’s more, it shields my shoulders and arms from too much sun. I also think short-or-cap-sleeves give a dress a little extra versatility when perhaps cloaking more skin is desired for certain occasions. Years ago, when tourists entered churches in Rome, they were required out of respect to cover their bare shoulders.

Old Navy’s Swing Dresses

There was a 10-year period when dresses with short sleeves seemed to have disappeared. You could find long-sleeved or sleeveless, but not much in between. For the versatility of having both short-sleeved and sleeveless options in a wardrobe, I'm happy to see short sleeves on summer dresses back in fashion!

Style & Co at Macy's

My fabric preferences for summer dresses are cotton, linen, or silk. I don’t mind 1 or 2 rayon dresses since rayon is light and cool, but rayon isn’t as durable as the natural fabrics. Macy’s has a variety of dresses with short sleeves, which include polyester (a fabric I don't buy). For this post, I featured cotton and linen dresses from Macy’s and Lands’ End. Old Navy’s swing dresses are rayon. I have some Old Navy rayon swing dresses from summers’ past ... yes, sleeveless!  The retailer puts their dresses on sale for $7, $10, $12 so you get enough wear out of them for the little you spend. They are machine washable, and customers look amazingly polished for $7 bucks!

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Hooked On Artichokes

As a child, I never saw artichokes at the supermarket nor on our dinner table. Now I buy frozen artichoke quarters all the time. They are readily available year-round, cheap, and easy to cook and eat.

Artichokes have many health benefits, which I intended to write up, but this comprehensive handout has done the work for me, so I’ll simply link and upload it for you! What’s the point of rewriting it? Somebody else already did a great job!

Unlike asparagus, artichokes have a mild flavor, so they can go into many dishes. Click here to get the healthy artichoke recipes I’ll also post below👇, courtesy of Oregon State University. It may be easier to read online, but I’m posting it here in case it disappears from the internet. Click to enlarge the recipes.

Although I've eaten fresh artichokes in restaurants, I always buy them frozen when making them at home. It’s a vegetable that survives freezing without losing taste, texture, or nutrients. Frozen eliminates the work of washing and cutting them up! Frozen is usually a better value than buying them fresh. You can cook and grill them without defrosting them first, a great convenience! Add this vegetable to your regular diet. I’m sure you’ll like it!

The part of the artichoke we eat is not technically a vegetable but a flower bud, a variety of the thistle family. By its strange looks, you have to wonder who first thought of eating them. Did they try roses and daisies and dandelions also?🌳

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What Makes Green Diamonds?

From Instagram - The Aurora

After writing last Thursday's blog, I got curious about green diamonds. I don’t recall ever seeing one. This might be because they make up less than 0.1% of all fancy-colored diamonds on earth. After red, green diamonds are the 2nd rarest diamonds. Unlike most diamonds that get their colors from chemical impurities entering their atomic structure, green diamonds get their color from natural radiation. Over millions of years, alpha and beta rays emitted by radioactive minerals knock carbon atoms out of place in the crystal structure, changing how the stone absorbs light. In other words, radiation exposure creates carbon atom vacancies. This vacancy defect, also known as the GR1 center in a diamond, causes the green color.

According to Only National Diamonds, radiation from alpha particles usually only penetrates a few micrometers deep, leaving a shallow green "skin" on rough stones. Diamond cutters must plan and facet the gem with expert precision to evenly distribute this color throughout the stone. It may explain why we see more radiant cuts in this fancy colored gemstone. The radiant cut’s faceting maximizes light reflection, which intensifies and saturates the color of the stone, making it appear more vivid.

A very few green diamonds are also colored by more complex defects involving nitrogen, hydrogen, or nickel.

The world’s natural green diamonds come from South America and Africa. Nowadays, laboratory irradiation can also produce green diamonds. It’s challenging to tell natural-grown and lab-grown green diamonds apart. Both are real diamonds. It’s unlawful to sell lab-grown diamonds without transparency.

The scarcity of green diamonds makes them very pricey. Just like other colored gemstones, color is the most important of the fancy diamond Cs (followed by cut, carat, and clarity) in determining value. As their color becomes more saturated and vibrant, prices rise dramatically. Based on their GIA color intensity grade for a 1-carat stone, a Fancy Green color costs from $50,000 - $100,000; a Fancy Intense Green costs between $150,000 - $200,000, and a Fancy Vivid Green costs $300,000+.

Photo: Wikipedia
The Dresden Green Diamond

The Dresden Green, a 41-carat diamond originating from India’s Golconda mines, is the largest and most famous natural green diamond in the world. It is a chemically pure IIa diamond with VS1 clarity. Frederick Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, paid 400,000 thalers for the diamond in 1741. Perhaps someone should have told Diespach, the court jeweler of Saxony, that fads come and go before, in 1768, he mounted the Dresden Green as an elaborate hat ornament surrounded by 411 white diamonds.😁 Today, it is on display in the Green Vault at Dresden Castle in Germany. The renowned green diamond survived the Seven Years’ War, the Napoleonic Wars, World Wars I and II, its confiscation by the Soviets, who returned it to Dresden in 1958, and the 2019 Dresden Museum heist of royal jewels. Thankfully, at the time of the theft, the Dresden Green was on loan to the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan.

The Aurora Green (👆top image) is a 5.02 carat Fancy Vivid Green rectangular radiant cut diamond with VS2 clarity. The Aurora Green is surrounded by pink diamonds set in a ring. Found in Brazil, it sold for a wooping $16.8 million, the most expensive price ever paid for a green diamond, at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2016. Chow Tai Fook Jewellery bought it. Without fluorescence, its GIA-rated Fancy Green color is one of a kind!

Photo: Jewelry Point

Personally, I’d rather pay less money to get a bigger, more common white (clear) diamond. Other jewelry lovers may covet uniqueness over size. 

Ultra-rare fancy-colored diamonds are so wildly expensive that customers fork over a ton of moola for a tiny stone, so I wouldn’t buy, but visit them at Tiffany’s New York flagship store or the museums around the world that house them. First a dreamer, then a realist ... and perhaps an adventurous traveler is the way to get more bang for your buck!💚

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