The last of my Macy's Black Friday gift guides will also discuss whether or not, you should buy lab-grown precious gemstones as jewelry. Regular readers of THE SAVVY SHOPPER already know my answer. Yes! Absolutely and without a doubt, if the price is right. When priced fairly (meaning not inflated) you'll get a lot for your money!
Lab-growndiamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are as real as natural-grown diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. Lab-grown gemstones are physically, chemically, and optically the same as gemstones that form over billions of years in the earth's mental or crust.
Natural gemstones are more expensive than lab-grown gemstones and tend to fetch a higher price on the resale market primarily because they are in higher demand by the public, but as lab-grown gemstones gain more acceptance ... and now as more retailers are entering the market plus manufacturing methods are getting better and cheaper, this is changing. In fact, the greater acceptance and availability of quality lab-grown diamonds are already lowering the prices of mined diamonds produced in nature.
Under a loupe gemologists and jewelers can tell the difference between natural-grown and lab-grown gemstones, yet both are genuine, authentic, real gemstones because chemically and optically they are the same. Both mined and lab-grown stones are the same chemical elements transformed into various gemstones by enormous heat and pressure. Gemologists can also determine where on earth natural sapphires, rubies, and emeralds were formed, as there are tell-tell signs informing them of a gemstone's origins, so it makes sense they can also tell when a gemstone is lab-grown.
I sound like a broken record in saying, never think of jewelry as an investment but only as a luxury good with huge markups, things of beauty we love but do not need. Except for high jewelry (the apex of rarity and perfection of cut, carat, color, and clarity) or the estate jewelry of a celebrity, you'll rarely get what you pay for your pieces on the resale market.
The great benefit of buying lab-grown gemstones is customers can get bigger gemstones with higher color grades and few inclusions for far less money. They cost at least 1/3 less than natural stones. Short of a cartel forming, I predict prices will continue to drop.
Whether buying lab-grown or natural gemstones, we still need to ensure we're getting value for a good stone based on cut, carat, color, and clarity.
For this reason, I'm a big fan of Macy's for mid-priced jewelry that ordinary people can afford, and I'd be over the moon to have any (or all😍) of the five 14k gold large sapphires, rubies, emeralds, or diamond sparklers featured here today. OMG, I live at the right time when huge gemstones can be grown in a lab! Dear Fairy Godmother, gimme!!!!!
Final thought: Black Friday sales come and go. If you miss this one, wait for another promotion to come around. They'll run all season and several times of the year!
India's famed Koh-i-Noor (meaning "Mountain of Light") Diamond is one of the most extraordinary diamonds in the world. First mentioned in history in the 14th century, it was owned by the ruling maharajahs of India, but after bloody battles, the diamond became a spoil of war to various Sikh, Mogul, and Persian rulers.
It was given as a gift to Queen Victoria during the colonial era when the powerful British East India Tea Company annexed Punjab (then in India, today also in Pakistan) in 1849 forcing its 11-year-old ruler, Prince Sir Duleep Singh, into abdicating and surrendering his lands and prized diamond via the Treaty of Lahore. The legendary diamond was singled out as a symbol of conquest.* The British authorities also separated the boy from his mother, refusing to let him see her for 13 years. They brought him to England where he was educated, given estates, a palace, and the privileges that reflected his rank as a Prince and Maharaja, plus a yearly pension (of $3,145,248 in today's value) as long as he pledged obedience to the Crown and British government, which is the rub of colonialism. Except for 2 controlled visits to India, Maharaja Duleep Singh spent the rest of his life in exile. (His ... is a fascinating life and family. His daughter Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was a prominent Indian British suffragette who was instrumental in helping women win the right to vote in Great Britain. It's admirable how the family balanced retaining their Indian heritage with assimilating into high English society. The Maharaja longed to return to his throne and wrestled with a measure of regret in adulthood; still, he remained respectful and a close friend of Queen Victoria.)
Replica of Kohinoor Diamond before recut
The earliest recorded weight of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond is 186 carats. Cut in the style of Mughal-era diamonds, it resembled the diamonds in the modern Iranian Crown Jewels. This was disappointing to Western eyes, so Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, had it recut by a leading mineralogist, James Tennant, (removing some discovered internal flaws) into a more dazzling brilliant cut stone. The colorless D-grade diamond was cut into a cushion shape with excellent clarity. Unfortunately, it also reduced the size of the diamond from 186 carats (or 191 modern carats) down to 105.6 carats. Diamond experts all agree it enhanced the beauty of the diamond and yet, at the loss of its size and history.
Queen Victoria (and Prince Albert) were quite taken with and became lifelong friends of Maharaja Duleep Singh (and later on with hisdaughters). The British Queen showed Prince Duleep Singh his lost diamond. Reportedly the 16-year-old Maharaja grew silent with emotion while holding and twirling it for 1/4 hour in his hands ... surely recalling how it belonged to his family and was later seized from him at a tender age.
After Queen Victoria's death, the Koh-i-Noor was added to the Crown Jewels. It was mounted in the crown of Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward VII to use during her coronation in 1902. Queen Mary (wife of George V) and Queen Elizabeth (wife of George VI) also used the Koh-i-Noor Diamond in their coronation crowns. Due to its enduring controversy, the diamond was removed from the crown for Queen Camilia's coronation in 2023.
Ever since India gained its independence in 1947, there have been cries to return the Koh-i-Noor Diamond to India. Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan also claim ownership resulting from the diamond exchanging hands as a spoil of war by the victors of those countries over the years.
Photo: Baunat - how the Kohinoor compares in size to other well-known gems
I realize how hair-splittingly difficult it is to determine what is the right thing to do after centuries of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond's complex history, however IMHO, India has the strongest argument for ownership. As a Westerner, I'm biased towards wanting the diamond to stay in the Tower of London, but there's no doubt the diamond was acquired as the spoil of war under the strongarm of colonialism coupled with the coercion of a powerless 11-year-old boy ruler to sign it away. In the 21st century, an 11-year-old cannot sign legally binding contracts or treaties.
3rd daughter Sophia Duleep Singh with her mother, Bamba Muller and with her elder sisters, Catherine and Bamba
I also recognize the fear of opening a Pandora's Box by returning the Koh-i-Noor Diamond to India. Granted, not everything in history can be made right because time makes it convoluted and impossible to correct every wrong. I think we must go on a case-by-case basis. Just because righting a wrong is challenging doesn't mean it should not be attempted.
Click here for this photo credit: Duleep is seated, left of the future King Edward VII, at the time of the photo, still Prince of Wales.
Today there are no living Duleep Singh direct descendants, but India understandably still feels the sting of how the Koh-i-Noor Diamond was taken from its country. What a magnanimous diplomatic gesture it would be for the British royal family to return the diamond to India. They would likely not even miss it (having so many other jewels), and it would loudly honor India and the last owner of the diamond, Maharaja Sir Duleep Singh.
Yikes, now Pakistan will dislike me for thinking that India has the strongest suit ... as it also has a logical claim. In modern times before 1947, there was only India, a colony of the Britain Empire. In 1947 the British colony became two independent states of India and Pakistan. Punjab was divided by religion, with the western portion becoming Pakistan, and the rest of Punjab becoming part of IndiaSo it's a judgment call. Perhaps all 3 countries with the royal family could sit down at the table to decide.
So what do you think? Great Britain has it, but who should own the Koh-i-Noor Diamond? A difficult and problematic question for sure!
*The timing of the East India Tea Company was not by chance. Whenever a boy ruler comes to the throne, other powers who want control of a country's land or treasures use the country's weakness as the time to strike. The head of the mighty East Indian Tea Company, Lord Dalhousie, said he targeted the Koh-i-noor Diamond with the aim of giving it to Queen Victoria to be added to the Crown Jewels as a symbol of conquest. An elaborate ceremony occurred for the 11-year-old Maharaja to hand over the jewel as a sign of his submission to the Crown. After recutting it, Queen Victoria wore the Koh-i-Noor Diamond as a brooch. It became part of the Crown Jewels soon after her son Edward VII became King.
Duleep Singh's mother was exiled to Napal and her son was adopted and raised by British diplomat John Spencer Login and his wife whom the boy grew close to, and it was a warm, trusting relationship. They took him on tours of Europe.
The George IV Diadem is yet another beautiful crown! Not part of the Royal Jewels, it is privately owned and worn by the British royal family for official occasions. Perhaps it was a favorite diadem of Queen Elizabeth II as it is the crown she wore on a myriad of occasions including for her image on postage stamps and her York Minister statue unveiled 2 months after her death to mark her Platinum Jubilee (in 2022). BTW, a diadem is just a fancy word for a jeweled crown worn by a ruler as a symbol of wealth and power.
Historically known as the George IV Diadem, the King commissioned jewelers Rundell & Bridge to make the diadem in 1820 for his 1821 coronation. Sometimes its name gets shortened to the Diamond Diadem.
Originally the diadem's 1,333 diamonds which weigh 320 carats were only rented. Some sources claim they were later privately purchased, but for sure they were not returned to the jeweler. The frame is made of gold and silver, and the crown has a 4-carat yellow diamond in the center of one of its 4 cross pattèes (an edged or footed cross). At the bottom, it has 169 pearls forming 2 rows that enclose a 3rd row of brilliant-cut round diamonds. The crown's 4 bouquets of roses, thistles, and shamrocks represent England, Scotland, and Ireland.
After George IV's reign, the diadem was worn by Queens, starting with Queen Adelaide (the wife of William IV), Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra (wife of Edward VII), Queen Mary(wife of George V), and Queen Elizabeth II who wore it often on state occasions.
As Charles III will likely not wear the diadem, I for one will miss it. I'm guessing Queen Camilla won't wear it as much as her mother-in-law and will likely have a different favorite. Oh, well, fellow jewelry lovers you can always return here to look at it.
I have long loved the Lahore Diamond Necklace, made by the jeweler Garrard for Queen Victoria in 1858 and thereafter worn by every British Queen, whether monarch or consort, for their coronations. For this reason, the necklace is called The Coronation necklace.
Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Elizabeth II
It consists of 25 cushion-cut diamonds and a 22.48-carat center diamond pendant. The pear-shaped center diamond is the Lahore Diamond. As you can see, the necklace has matching pear-shaped earrings, which some Queens wear and others do not at their coronations. All 3 pear-shaped pendants are detachable. Queen Elizabeth II wore the Lahore Diamond necklace on many other occasions throughout her long reign. It must have been a favorite of Her Majesty's also! I don't have to own it, I just want to touch and try it on!
Queen Victoria and Queen Camilla
AQueen Regnant is a Queen in her own right, a monarch who has the same powers as a King. (Queen Mary Tudor, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth II are 3 Queen regnants.)A Queen Regent(examples: Queen Katherine of Aragon and Queen Katherine Parr) is a Queen who is left in charge by the King during his absence or who rules for a period until her minor child, a future monarch, comes of age. A Queen Consort(Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and Queen Camilla) is the wife of a King. She acquires her status through her closeness to the King, her husband. All 3 are addressed as Your Majesty.
The Adoration of the Shepherds, c.1650, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain - Images 1 and 2 by Bartolome Esteban Murillo
Some people get upset if the historical accuracy of Jesus' birth is questioned, but when the Gospels were written, the people they were written for had a different sensibility and way of reading texts than we do today. Gospel writers crafted their stories to make points about who they thought Jesus was [to paraphrase Matt Baker, Ph.D. in theology]. Modern scholars tell us that fact-for-fact-accuracy or historical record was secondary, which was accepted by the audience, who didn't expect factual reliability. This can rattle some contemporary believers who do.
Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1618 - 1682) was a Baroque Spanish painter. Orphaned at 11 years old, the artist became a ward of his older sister and brother-in-law, in a close-net family, and lived with them until he married in 1647. The painter, famous for his religious work, also painted everyday life giving us an insight into the 17th century. He was the father of 10 children.
The Holy Family, c.1660-70, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Murillo created warm images of Mary and Joseph playing with their happy baby, the man Catholics proclaim as fully human and fully Devine (a hypostatic union in the incarnation). The painter left us with depictions of the Holy Family as a close-net loving unit. St. Joseph is an appealing devoted father.😍
Here's a Victorian drawing of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and 5 of their 9 children surrounding their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle where the royal family celebrated Christmas. Prince Albert was also known to be a loving, involved father, adored by his children. The Prince Consort popularized Christmas trees in Great Britain, a tradition he brought from his native Germany. Unlike Prince Albert, Queen Victoria was not a natural parent, but she was a mother who loved her children and they loved her. She put a ton of time into raising them, and they grew into 9 decent adults. Let's look at one of the royal couple's homes ...
The 2022 Christmas trees are up at Osborne on the Isle of Wight which Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought as a private home in 1845 to get away with their brood from court life. Queen Victoria used Osborne House for 50 years to entertain family, foreign royals (many were also family), as well as, government ministers. After Prince Albert's early death in 1861, it became her favorite home. Her son, King Edward VII, wasn't as fond of it (as it was far from London) and after his mother's death, donated the Osborne estate to the British people. It is open to the public for tours, giving us a glimpse into the private lives of Queen Victoria and her family.
Another longtime Christmas tradition is (of course!) baking cookies. My family bakes the same cookies every year and I posted some of the recipes previously. Pictured above you see (in order): Pecan cookies👇, Russian Tea Cakes, Coconut Macrarooms, and Scottish Short Bread. Other varieties of cookies are scattered throughout THE SAVVY SHOPPER. My mother always requests that I make Mini Pecan Tassies and she always makes butter cookies at Christmas and Easter. Golly, decorating cookies after pulling them from the oven is not my thing! Starting over is a hassle!! Eating is my next step (which now you know is the reason I bake Scottish Short Bread instead of butter/sugar cookies.:)
(Here is our recipe for) Pecan Cookies 🐫
Ingredients:
20 ounces ground pecans 4 large egg yolks 1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar (you decide how sweet) a sprinkle of cinnamon
Optional: A little flour for your hands to help form the cookies.
Directions:
1) Using a fork mix the ingredients in a bowl.
2) Dip your hands in all-purpose flour to help form the cookies and drop in a parchment paper lined, or greased cookie sheet. If your cookie dough is too wet to handle, just add additional ground nuts (a tad more sugar for the addition) until you can handle the cookie dough.
3) Bake for 10 - 12 minutes in a preheated 350-degree F oven and remove to cool.
We always make pecan cookies and coconut macaroons at the same time since the former requires egg yolks while the latter, egg whites.
My Dear Readers ... thank you for spending another year with me, and I welcome you who joined us recently. Here we're one global human family sharing our collective knowledge, humor, interests, tips, and holidays with acceptance of all cultures. I can't do it alone, so bring your uniqueness! Everybody is valued on THE SAVVY SHOPPER, and I love hearing from you!🌍🌎🌏
Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (April 21, 1926 - September 8, 2022)
It's no secret that Americans love the British monarchy nearly as much as the British do, and Queen Elizabeth II is the only head of the family and realm many of us know in our lifetime. For 70 years the Queen ruled, and it seems unreal that she died today, but what a life of duty she lived for 96 years, and what an impeccable role model she was for the world. Rarely, if ever, stepping a foot wrong, and as one of her British subjects put it, "She never let us down." Of all the prominent people she met and illustrious events, she lead or took part in, perhaps being our rock by never letting us down is her true legacy.
Photo: The US Sun - Bournemouth News - 8 months old
Despite always knowing the day would come, it's impossible not to be sad and devastated about losing such a beloved Queen, Great Britain's longest reigning monarch. Again today we are reminded that it doesn't take long to live a life.
Photo: Getty
With a heavy heart, we send our condolences to her family and country. With certainty, we will miss her too, not only for the Queen that she was, but for the human being, she was. The twinkle of her eyes will always remain with us. R.I.P. Your Majesty, and long live your son, King Charles III (Confirmed today. Monarchs choose the name he or she will be known as). The King will address the nation tomorrow.💂
Photo: CNN
" Grief is the price we pay for love." - Words of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑
With the Queen's passing [some reports claim at the time she passed -- I can't verify the hour] two rainbows appeared, a double one over Buckingham Palace, her London home and another over Windsor Castle, her summer residence in Scotland where she died.
Photo: Bloomberg News - Buckingham Palace - September 8, 2022
Today I'm showing my jewelry-loving readers ornate, historical eye candy. My original idea was to feature in detail 10 famous Crowns of western countries, but guess what? In my research, I discovered Matt Baker of UsefulCharts has already compiled them and as usual, his work is excellent. Well, thundering typhoons ... Matt Baker, not only did you beat me by a year, you took away the illusion that my brilliant idea is unique ... the nerve!🙂
So instead, I'll play a game of picking my favorite European royal crowns leaning towards coronation crowns (since many European royal houses have more crowns than we can count). Thanks to Matt Baker's thoroughness, you can watch his video here for the history and details of my 6 favs (plus a few more on his list of 10 famous crowns). As it turns out he did the work for me on this topic!
So here are My 6 Favorite Royal Crowns - I've included not 1, but 2 from the United Kingdom because Queen Elizabeth II uses two. Both have crowned English and British monarchs, and I don't want to break them up. Drum roll, please🥁... here we go:
1) The Crown of Rudolf II, later the Imperial Crown of Austria - Made in 1602 to crown Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, it became the official crown of the newly constituted Austrian Empire in 1804 and today is preserved in the Austrian Imperial Treasury. The crown is pure gold, partially enameled, and scattered with diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and pearls. Wow, the Ceylon blue sapphire at the top is stunning!
2) Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire - Here is a side view in addition to the front view at the top👆 of the blog. Thought to be made in 962 AD in Western Germany for the coronation of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, the crown has 8 hinged 22-carat gold plates of images joined together forming an octagon shape. It has 144 unfaceted stones including sapphires, emeralds, and amethysts, plus pearls. To think that it sat on the head of Charles V on February 24, 1530, along with prior Holy Roman Emperors and we still have it! Nowadays it is kept in the Imperial Treasury in Vienna, Austria.
The Imperial State Crown
3) (a) The Imperial State Crown [of the United Kingdom] - Shown is both the front and back view of the crown, it was selected by Queen Victoria and Edward VII for each of their coronations. Queen Elizabeth II uses the Imperial State Crown to open Parliament. It has 2,901 precious stones, including the familiar Cullinan II diamond, St. Edward's Sapphire, the Stuart Sapphire, and the Black Prince's Ruby (which is really a red spinel).💂
St Edward's Crown
(b) St. Edward's Crown (also part of the UK's crown jewels) - The original crown was made in the 11th century, named after the last Anglo-Saxon English King, Edward the Confessor, and remade for Charles II for his 1661 coronation after the Restoration of the English monarchy in 1660. It's considered the traditional coronation crown of English/British monarchs. George V, George VI, and Elizabeth II used it for their coronations. The heavier of the 2 crowns, it weighs 4.9 pounds and is set with 444 precious and semi-precious gemstones. Oh, a gal who's also a monarch cannot have too many stately crowns, can she?
4) Imperial Crown of Russia - First worn for the coronation of Catherine the Great in 1762 and last worn by Nicholas II in 1896. The crown also sat prominently on a chair when Nicholas opened the Russian Duma in 1906. Thankfully, it survived the Russian Revolution of 1917 and is currently on display at the Kremlin Armory Museum in Moscow, all 2,858 carats (or 4,936 single) diamonds, 75 Indian matte pearls and a 398.72-carat red spinel (once mistaken for a ruby).
5) Crown of Saint Wenceslas - Made in 1347 to use for the coronations of the Kings of Bohemia (modern-day Czechoslavia). Ferdinand V was the last to be crowned wearing it in 1836. The crown is reportedly 22-carat gold. The stones decorating it -- consisting of 19 sapphires, 44 spinels, 30 emeralds, and 1 red elbaite -- are polished and not cut in facets so the crown is old-world vintage, colorful and charming! But a terrible "legend" follows it: "Any usurper who places the crown on his head is doomed to die a violent death within a year." (source: Wikipedia + others) Since I'm a gal just having fun as an admirer, not a usurper, would I be cursed placing it on my head?
I cannot identify all of the above👆 coronation crowns but am happy they survived the centuries of history, and I'd love to visit each and every one of them. If pressured, I could be persuaded to try them on. (No, no I shouldn't ... I couldn't, I shouldn't, please no, no, no ... oh if you insist, alright.👸🏻) How about you? Feel free to name them or reveal your favorites in the comments.
For this reason, I'm a big fan of Macy's for mid-priced jewelry that ordinary people can afford, and I'd be over the moon to have any (or all😍) of the five 14k gold large sapphires, rubies, emeralds, or diamond sparklers featured here today. OMG, I live at the right time when huge gemstones can be grown in a lab! Dear Fairy Godmother, gimme!!!!!
