The "Rare and Precious Gems Investor Report" provides important company updates and current market information about Natural Colored Diamonds for you as an investor.

Colored Diamonds in the Spotlight: Wittelsbach-Graff to Show at Smithsonian

Every Natural Colored Diamond has a unique story as old as the earth. As people become increasingly aware of these unfathomably rare gems, they are capturing hearts and imaginations all over the world. The Wittelsbach-Graff is one such diamond, to be displayed later this month alongside the legendary blue Hope diamond at the Smithsonian Institute.

For nearly half a century, the whereabouts of the Wittelsbach blue was obscure. The grayish blue diamond was brought to Europe in the 17th century from India, and in 1664 it was given to the Infanta Margarita Teresa by her father, the king of Spain. It eventually became a fixture of both the Austrian and Bavarian crown jewels. In 1964, the stone passed into private hands, and from then on its whereabouts had been a mystery.

In December 2008, the Wittelsbach blue suddenly turned up at auction as the centerpiece of Christie's London sale of important gems. Expected to fetch $15 million the fancy deep grayish blue cushion cut stone was fought over by rival diamond dealers and sold in a matter of minutes for the extraordinary price of $24.3 million — the most ever paid for a diamond at auction and an amount that may also have made the Wittelsbach blue, by weight, the most valuable commodity on earth.

The buyer was billionaire diamond dealer Laurence Graff and upon acquiring the stone he had it recut. The stone was reduced from 35.52 to just over 31 carats, to eliminate the chips and blemishes inevitable in a stone of its age but also to improve its clarity, brilliance and grade. He then renamed it the Wittelsbach-Graff and made an agreement with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington to show it.

By recutting the stone, Graff undoubtedly improved its value in a market that has seen the prices of colored diamonds soar over the last decade. A 5-carat vivid pink diamond his company sold for $3.8 million in 2007, brought in $10.8 million at a Hong Kong auction last month. That price, amounting to more than $2 million a carat, doubled the previous record for a colored stone.

Both the Hope Diamond and the Wittelsbach-Graff are thought to have originated from the same Indian diamond mine, something which will be investigated while they are both in residence at The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

Stories like that of the Wittelsbach-Graff are part of the allure of Natural Colored Diamonds and as these stories are shared in major museums and other cultural centers, it drives demand for these treasures ever higher. Higher demand means higher values, which is great news for all Natural Colored Diamond investors.

Music Star Carrie Underwood Gets Engaged Receiving Flawless Yellow Diamond

Over the holidays, Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher proposed to Carrie Underwood with a flawless yellow diamond engagement ring (shown on left). The brilliant round diamond is estimated to be five-plus carats, with an estimated value of close to $150,000.

Colored diamonds have been popular in celebrity engagements in recent years. Baseball star Johnny Damon and actors Charlie Sheen and Eddie Murphy all paired their marriage proposals with Natural Colored Diamond rings. And let's not forget the six-carat pink diamond ring valued at $1.2 million that Ben Affleck gave to Jennifer Lopez for their engagement.

Ten years ago all these engagement rings would have been with white stones. Things have changed and celebrities and the wealthy elite are now looking to Natural Colored Diamonds as the ultimate symbol of luxury and love for the world’s most beautiful engagement rings.

Rare and Precious Gems: Our Commitment to Investors

Located at our international diamond office at the prestigious World Trade Center in Vancouver’s Canada Place, Rare and Precious Gems is committed to providing for the needs of private investors like you. As such, we maintain our company’s “4 C’s” as cornerstones of our corporate values to uphold the highest standards in the industry. They are as follows:

• Competence: Selecting rare colored gems of exceptional beauty and quality requires a keen eye and highly specialized expertise and experience. Our people have been involved in diamond trading for over 25 years and are second to none when it comes to knowledge of the industry.


• Credibility: We are one of a handful of companies worldwide selected by Rio Tinto to be an exclusive distributor of Argyle mine's Pink Diamonds, some of the most valuable and sought after diamonds in the world. This is a strong statement of credibility that is recognized by every mine, wholesaler, retailer, etc. in the diamond industry.


• Cost: We provide the best possible value for rare colored gems because we trade directly with the mines with no middleman mark-ups.


• Commitment: We sell only colored gems that are natural, conflict-free and certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). We also provide current market information and after-sales service to our clients in the colored diamond and rare gem marketplace.

As a Rare and Precious Gems investor, you can be confident that you’re getting the best expertise and personalized service in the industry.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us to find out about current investment opportunities in Natural Colored Diamonds, the most lucrative choice for portable, hard asset investment.