Love is in the Air: Priceless Heart Shape Gems for Valentine’s Day

February 10, 2021

By Katerina Perez

7 min read

St Valentine’s Day is the most romantic day of the year for anyone who is in love or who merely believes in the notion of it. Amidst the sentimental atmosphere, many wait impatiently for their other halves to offer up some material confirmation of their feelings of love in the form of a gift. It seems to me that mass media and the internet have caused an explosion in the range of possible gift guides for Valentine’s Day but, as you know readers, I don’t really make any old list like everyone else…

Being a big fan of jewellery that makes the heart beat faster and induces a sense of delight, I decided to create a list of jewellery set with only the most exceptional stones. To be more precise, in honour of Valentine’s Day, I have considered only heart shape diamonds, rubies and emeralds possessing only the most impressive carat weights. We are ready, then, to consider seven of the most incredible pieces of jewellery, all of which have made an indelible impression upon me at some point over the past five years. 

href=”https://www.graff.com/uk-en/famous-diamonds/the-graff-venus.html” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Graff Venus

In 2016, the British company Graff Diamonds presented the diamond Graff Venus, which weighs 118.78 carats, and is faceted in the form of a heart. It is wonderful not only for its amazing form, but also its symmetry, impeccable polishing and lack of fluorescence. The Gemological Institute of America awarded the stone the highest gradation of colour (D) as well its highest purity rating (flawless). I have been lucky to come across a huge quantity of heart cut diamonds – some seemed too elongated in length while others too wide, but the Venus Diamond, in my opinion, possesses simply perfect proportions. Not without good reason, the stone is named for the god of beauty and love: Venus.

The Graff Venus is a D colour flawless Type IIa heart-shaped diamond of 118.78 carats

The Graff Venus is a D colour flawless Type IIa heart-shaped diamond of 118.78 carats

 The Graff Venus was named after the goddess of love for its natural beauty and fancy heart shape

The Graff Venus was named after the goddess of love for its natural beauty and fancy heart shape

 A heart shape of this size had never been previously attempted by the Graff team, which made cutting the Graff Venus a significant challenge

A heart shape of this size had never been previously attempted by the Graff team, which made cutting the Graff Venus a significant challenge

  The Graff Venus was cut from a 357 carat rough stone recovered from the Letšeng mine in Lesotho, southern Africa

The Graff Venus was cut from a 357 carat rough stone recovered from the Letšeng mine in Lesotho, southern Africa

href=”https://avakian.com/” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Avakian

In May 2019, by invitation of the brand Avakian, I attended a festival at which the family jewellery brand celebrated its 50-year anniversary. With Avakian, we were preparing the Thai actress Peechaya Wattanamontree for her red carpet walk. The finishing touch of her look was a necklace with a 40-carat Colombian emerald, diamonds and blue sapphires falling along the cut of her dress. The central stone was shaped in the form of a heart, but not in the manner we are used to seeing when it comes to diamonds, instead possessing a fancy cut. The stone does not have an open area formed by the upper faces, but instead the entire crown of the emerald is covered by diamond shaped facets, creating the image of geometric domes.

Thai actress Peechaya Wattanamontree wears an Avakian necklace with a heart-shaped Colombian emerald

Thai actress Peechaya Wattanamontree wears an Avakian necklace with a heart-shaped Colombian emerald

 The finishing touch of her look was a necklace with a 40-carat Colombian emerald, diamonds and blue sapphires falling along the cut of her dress

The finishing touch of her look was a necklace with a 40-carat Colombian emerald, diamonds and blue sapphires falling along the cut of her dress

 Beautiful details on the Avakian necklace, set with a heart-shaped Colombian emerald

Beautiful details on the Avakian necklace, set with a heart-shaped Colombian emerald

 Thai actress Peechaya Wattanamontree wore jewellery by Avakian at the Cannes Film Festival to celebrate the brand's 50th anniversary

Thai actress Peechaya Wattanamontree wore jewellery by Avakian at the Cannes Film Festival to celebrate the brand's 50th anniversary

 Peechaya Wattanamontree wears an Avakian necklace with a heart-shaped Colombian emerald, sapphires and diamonds

Peechaya Wattanamontree wears an Avakian necklace with a heart-shaped Colombian emerald, sapphires and diamonds

href=”https://www.faidee.com/” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Faidee

The company Faidee possesses the most extensive collection of unrefined Burmese rubies in the coveted “pigeon’s blood” colour – the most expensive varieties of read corundum in the world. This abundance allows the brand to create pieces of timeless jewellery, which simply cannot be replicated due to the extreme rarity of the stones. Shown here is one of Faidee’s necklaces based on a sketch by one of the most talented designers in the world, James W Carrens. It is decorated with 30 rubies in the form of a heart and a further 30 pear-shaped rubies with a total weight of 100 carats. And although each individual ruby in its carat weight cannot be compared with the emerald and diamond presented above, it should be remembered, readers, that even a 5-carat unheated Burmese ruby is available only to an extremely small circle of collectors. Faidee’s necklace was sold at auction at Sotheby’s for almost $10 million, which is a testament to the constantly growing cost of and demand for Burmese rubies.

Faidee necklace with 30 heart-shaped rubies and a further 30 pear-shaped rubies with a total weight of 100 carats

Faidee necklace with 30 heart-shaped rubies and a further 30 pear-shaped rubies with a total weight of 100 carats

 This Faidee necklace is set with rare unheated Burmese rubies in heart and pear shapes

This Faidee necklace is set with rare unheated Burmese rubies in heart and pear shapes

href=”http://www.moussaieff-jewellers.com/” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Moussaieff

Considering the amount of heart-cut diamond jewellery in Moussaieff’s body of work, I would consider this legendary company the most romantic in the world. The founder of the company, Alisa Moussaieff, focuses on rare stones, so that the “hearts” here burn with fire not only in the rarest shades of scarlet, but also in refined pink, sunny yellow and infinite reflections of colourless diamonds. What I remember most from her collection was a platinum necklace with a 61.62 carat cut diamond of the top D-IF colour and clarity rating as well as a 1.86 carat kite-cut fancy pink diamond. The total weight of diamonds in this unique piece of jewellery is an astonishing 92.02 carats.

Moussaieff platinum necklace with a 61.62 carat heart-shaped diamond and a 1.86 carat kite-cut fancy pink diamond

Moussaieff platinum necklace with a 61.62 carat heart-shaped diamond and a 1.86 carat kite-cut fancy pink diamond

href=”https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6184316″ rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Fancy Intense Pink 15.56 carat

Also sold at Christie’s, but this time in New York in 2018, was an unusual deep pink diamond with a clarity rating of VS1 and of Type IIa, cut in the shape of a heart and weighing 15.56 carats. The price? Almost $10 million. Set in rose gold, the stone was presented on a thin platinum chain between two brilliant-cut diamonds. The whole piece was ingeniously simple… and yet incredibly impressive!

A heart-shaped pink diamond of 15.56 carats sold by Christie’s in 2018

A heart-shaped pink diamond of 15.56 carats sold by Christie’s in 2018

 A 15.56 carat heart-shaped pink diamond sold by Christie’s for almost $10 million in 2018

A 15.56 carat heart-shaped pink diamond sold by Christie’s for almost $10 million in 2018

 This 15.56 carat heart shaped diamond is set in rose gold and presented on a platinum chain with two round brilliant cut diamonds

This 15.56 carat heart shaped diamond is set in rose gold and presented on a platinum chain with two round brilliant cut diamonds

href=”http://www.boehmeretbassenge.com/” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Boehmer et Bassenge

In 2017, Jazmin Hubger, co-owner of Boehmer et Bassenge, invited me to meet her at Christie’s to see the jewellery that the company was selling. Of course, I expected to see something extraordinary, because the name Boehmer et Bassenge is synonymous with diamonds of truly rare quality. But if I am honest, I did not expect the astonishing beauty I was faced with when I saw for the first time this string of South Sea pearls with a 92.15 carat heart-cut diamond at its center. The 93cm sautoir was named La Legend, which certainly concurs with the D Type IIa diamond located on the necklace between two more modest round-cut stones. In 2017, this piece was sold at Christie’s in Geneva for $15 million!

 A 92.15 carat heart-cut diamond presented as part of a necklace by Boehmer et Bassenge

A 92.15 carat heart-cut diamond presented as part of a necklace by Boehmer et Bassenge

 Boehmer et Bassenge South Sea pearl necklace with a 92.15 carat heart-shaped diamond

Boehmer et Bassenge South Sea pearl necklace with a 92.15 carat heart-shaped diamond

  The Boehmer et Bassenge South Sea pearl and heart-shaped diamond necklace also includes two modest round-cut stones

The Boehmer et Bassenge South Sea pearl and heart-shaped diamond necklace also includes two modest round-cut stones

 Boehmer et Bassenge sold this South Sea pearl and 92.15 carat heart-shaped diamond necklace with the support of Christie’s for $15 million

Boehmer et Bassenge sold this South Sea pearl and 92.15 carat heart-shaped diamond necklace with the support of Christie’s for $15 million

href=”http://www.ronaldabram.com/” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Ronald Abram

The combination of sunny yellow diamonds and velvet green emeralds will, without fail, hit the spot. Especially when you consider the impressive carat weight of 6.34 and 10.88 carats, respectively. A smattering of colourless diamonds and the most romantic cut in the world and,  et voilà, your heart will begin to sing! In the collections of Ronald Abram, stones play a key role, so each of them is presented to create the maximum possible impact and harmonise with its companions. The regal selection of jewellery in this collection will no doubt inspire you to revisit your wish list.

Ronald Abram heart-shape diamond necklace with a 6.34 carat heart-shaped fancy vivid yellow diamond and a 10.88 carat heart-shaped Colombian emerald

Ronald Abram heart-shape diamond necklace with a 6.34 carat heart-shaped fancy vivid yellow diamond and a 10.88 carat heart-shaped Colombian emerald

However, Valentine’s Day is, above all, a time of romance and love, and these things are, unlike these jewels, priceless!

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