12 May Princess Charlene Of Monaco Debuts The ‘Grace Diamond’ And ‘La Vie En Rose’ Necklace

Princess Charlene Of Monaco Debuts The ‘Grace Diamond’ And ‘La Vie En Rose’ Necklace 

NEW YORK CITY: The annual Princess Grace Foundation awards gala in New York not only featured the appearance of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco, but also the unveiling of a uniquely designed jewel created for a rare and exceptional fancy-colored pink diamond. Princess Charlene proudly wore the La Vie en Rose necklace with the 1.79-carat “Grace Diamond” in the center at the November 3 charity event. 

The unique diamond and necklace were presented by Maison Mazerea, which bills itself as world’s first haute diamanterie brand. The necklace was designed by renowned Parisian jeweler Lorenz Bäumer at his Place Vendôme studio and handcrafted under his supervision at Parisian workshops. 

Together the fancy vivid purplish-pink diamond and its elaborate setting will serve as a fundraising tool for the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, which supports and elevates extraordinary early career artists in theatre, dance and film through grants; and nurtures and supports Princess Grace Award winners through their careers. The foundation was named after Princess Grace of Monaco, who prior to becoming Princess of Monaco, was the Oscar-winning actress, Grace Kelly. 

The Grace Diamond was originally known as the Argyle Stella but renamed in collaboration with the Princess Grace Foundation. It was the last pink diamond of its color, quality and size to be mined from the Argyle Mine in Western Australia, which was retired in 2020 after exhausting its supply of gem-quality diamonds. It accounted for more than 90% of the world’s fancy pink diamonds over the course of 30 years. This diamond used for the necklace was one of the five hand-picked “Hero gems” to be sold at Argyle Pink Diamonds’ final annual tender in 2021. 

The diamond with its new named was revealed at Maison Mazerea’s Paris launch in July 2022. This diamond will never be sold. Instead, following the unveiling of La Vie en Rose, the Grace Diamond will appear every year in a new setting designed by a select group of high jewelry artists. The previous year’s piece will be transformed by a different Maison Mazerea fancy-colored diamond and auctioned off. In other words, the La Vie en Rose, will be sold next year with a different fancy-colored diamond in the center and a new designer will create a new piece with the Grace Diamond. The proceeds will be shared with the Princess Grace Foundation. 

A day earlier at a private reception associated with the Princess Grace Foundation, Maison Mazerea unveiled a collection of more than 25 individual necklaces, pendants, brooches and rings, featuring rare fancy-colored diamonds. The highlight was the transformative Coeur de Mazarin, centered with a 7.45-carat heart-shaped Fancy Vivid yellow diamond crafted at the Maison’s atelier in Perth, Australia. It also features a heritage-cut Mazarin 3.40-carat pear-shaped Fancy Vivid yellow diamond. The transformative piece can be worn as a necklace featuring both statement yellow diamonds or can be detached and worn separately as pendants or brooches. Both diamonds are cut and polished in a unique heritage heart shape in a 17th century style, which is the signature cut of Maison Mazerea. 

La Vie en Rose, which features the Grace Diamond, is designed and created by Bäumer in a classic, timeless, yet contemporary design made of 56 white diamonds of different sizes and a pendant with nine Fancy Yellow diamonds from the Ellendale mine in Western Australia that frame The Grace Diamond in a “mystical circle,” the brand says. The mounting, created by Lorenz Bäumer offers the wearer a variety of ways to showcase the necklace’s beauty and its striking color combinations. 

Maison Mazerea specializes in high jewelry creations using fancy-colored diamonds handcrafted in heritage-inspired cuts and faceting. This style of diamond crafting dates back to Louis XIV at Versailles and is what distinguishes the high jewelry brand. The brand was inspired by the legendary 17th century diamond collection of Cardinal Jules Mazarin, a confidant to King Louis XIV of France. He amassed one of the most valuable collections of jewels and diamonds of his time. Eighteen diamonds, known as the “Mazarin diamonds” became the foundation of the French Crown Jewels. 

The diamond sourcing, the cutting and polishing, and the jewelry making is done by the brand, which is a novel approach to high jewelry creation. 

The brand is owned by Burgundy Diamond Mines, which has diamond mining projects in Canada, Botswana, and Australia. The rough diamonds for Maison Mazerea are largely sourced from these mines. It has its own diamond cutting facilities in Perth, Australia. Once the diamonds are cut, the company then works with a few jewelry workshops in different parts of the world to create the jewels. Peter Ravenscroft, CEO of Burgundy Diamond Mines, says this means Maison Mazerea has total control of the process from mine-to-market, or “mine-to-masterpiece.” This is why he promotes Maison Mazerea as the first haute diamanterie brand. 

More on the design of the La Vie en Rose, the Grace Diamond, and Maison Mazerea to come. 

Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2022/11/12/princess-charlene-of-monaco-debuts-the-grace-diamond-and-la-vie-en-rose-necklace/