Tagged Rio Tinto

Champagne…What’s Not to Like? A Toast to Diamonds of a Different Hue

Please visit Rio Tinto’s Champagne Diamonds Blog to see great pictures and descriptions of all four winning entries in the recent Rio Tinto Champagne Diamond Contest.  My Champagne Tango earrings took the “Champagne Wishes” 2nd Place award and are currently being manufactured!

Natural Fancy Champagne Diamond

While you’re on the site, don’t miss the short YouTube video entitled Champagne Diamonds Inspire New Designs.  Rio Tinto asked Curtis of Australia to design a fountain pen using champagne diamonds.  The Colours of Australia Fountain Pen has over 500 hand-set white and champagne diamonds and features intricate hand engraving as well as titanium design elements that are evocative of the Sydney Opera House.   In the video you’ll see the process from rendering to stone-setting, buffing and polishing, as well as the torch heating of the titanium to enhance its color.

Flying High: Champagne Tango Earrings Bring In New Award

In one of those “life must be going my way” moments today, I landed in Denver after a nice flight, checked my cell phone, and learned that I have won another design award.  I am delighted to report that my Champagne Tango Earring design has won the “Champagne Wishes” Second Place category in Rio Tinto’s Champagne Diamond Competition.   Rio Tinto will be sending a press release about the winning designs to jewelry trade publications and other media sources later on today.

Prize-winning Champagne Tango Earring Rendering by Joana Miranda
Prize-winning Champagne Tango Earrings Rendering by Joana Miranda

My winning design features graduated color, brilliant-cut, round champagne diamonds in the C1 to C4 range.  The lightest diamonds at the top of the earrings give way to the darkest shade as they meet the suspended peach color, pear-shaped pearls at the bottom of the earrings.  A lever-back function allows the design to appear to twist magically through the ear.  The diamonds are bead-set in rose gold.

My love for movement – the tango in particular – together with all things glittery, was the inspiration behind these earrings.

Special thanks goes to my husband, Andy, who encouraged me to burn the midnight oil and submit an entry to this competition after I discovered to my great chagrin that I had gotten the entry due date confused in my mind with the judging date.