The diamond itself is one of the 20 biggest known high-quality diamonds in existence. One of the most remarkable aspects of this story is that it was actually valued at about $25 million – $10.3 million less than its eventual selling price.

The quality and size of the diamond are believed to be the key factors in the higher selling price, as this diamond has the potential to be one of the most important polished gems in history.

According to Petra, the mammoth gem was purchased in a tender by Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Co Ltd in Hong Kong.

The diamond was mined from the Cullinan mine in South Africa. The Cullinan mine has long had a reputation for producing noteworthy diamonds, including “The Cullinan” – the world’s largest rough diamond at 3,106 carats. That diamond was eventually was cut into the Star of Africa stones now set in Britain’s Crown Jewels.

While we don’t have any 507ct diamonds in our inventory, we do have quite a selection of other sizes for all kinds of diamond rings and diamond solitaire pendants at SuperJeweler.com.

Value in a Nutshell
The real factors of value are: 1) the amount you spend; 2) the fulfillment of a want or need; and, most importantly, 3) the degree of personal fulfillment over time.

We can use these factors for determining the value of just about anything. Is a $0.75 cookie a better value than a $1 apple? Well, it’s certainly cheaper. Over time, however, the nutritional properties of the apple and how it benefits your whole body likely make it the better value.

The Value of Jewelry
Jewelry is a unique commodity in that it has an inherent global monetary value. Society values precious metals like gold and platinum, as well as gems like diamonds and sapphires. These factors build in a lasting sense of monetary worth over time. That a ring lasts longer than, say, a sandwich, also brings a sustained value to jewelry.

Perhaps, the one factor that increases the value of jewelry more than any other, however, is the sentimental attachments we bring to it. Do you have your grandmother’s antique wedding ring? Would you ever sell it? Do you have your daughter’s baptism or christening pendant? Would you sell that? Of course not. We don’t sell these things because the value they have has nothing to do with their price. And that’s why using cheap as a synonym for value is more of an advertising trick than an actual representation of value.

True Story
I have a seven-year-old daughter who just loves kitty cats. When she was just five, I brought home this diamond cat pendant for her. She loves it. She takes very good care of it, keeping it in a safe place so that it won’t get lost or damaged. She doesn’t wear it every day, only for special occasions like family gatherings or school pictures – you know, the times when little girls want to look and feel special.

We sell that pendant for just $99 at SuperJeweler. We think that’s a pretty affordable price for this particular pendant. What I had not taken into consideration at the time, however, was just how attached my daughter would become to this pendant. To see such a young girl show such responsibility and affection for it is something that also brings me happiness. And you can’t put a price on that.

This is the Way We Give Jewelry
Jewelry is not like chocolate or a sweater where the price can often be the first factor. After all, you wouldn’t give her a piece of jewelry she didn’t like even if it was free, would you? Instead, the first thing we consider is what she likes. When we find the styles we are looking for, we then try to find those styles within our budget. The ultimate goal when giving jewelry is to wow her as soon as she opens the box, then have her be wowed again, over time, whenever she wears it. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a piece that she wears only on special occasions or a piece, like an engagement ring, that reminds her every minute of every day how much she is loved. The right piece of jewelry truly is priceless.

SuperJeweler: Value Jewelry
At SuperJeweler, we take all of these factors into consideration and work hard to offer you a wide array of choices so that you can find the perfect piece. We also offer jewelry at a wide range of prices because, while price might not be your primary consideration, it will still always be a consideration.

Valentine’s Day is approaching quickly. We know it’s a very popular jewelry day. So whether you are shopping for engagement rings, diamond heart pendants, or any other piece of jewelry for Valentine’s Day, SuperJeweler has the jewelry you are looking for … at a real value.

The stone itself, which is of a “vivid pink” color has been considered nearly perfect, but not completely flawless. Still, the bidding was fast and furious for it at Christie’s Autumn Sales of Asian and Chinese art in Hong Kong.

By comparison, this huge diamond ring totally smashed the previous record, which was set 15 years ago in Geneva, when a 19.66ct stone sold for a measley $7.4 million. This new pink gem sold for $2.2 million per carat, which set another record as the most ever paid for any diamond at auction. And that record is likely to stand for quite some time.

So where does this diamond stand in comparison to other diamonds sold at auction? Well, it still has a ways to go to catch the “Wittelsbach” blue diamond, a 17th-century stone that went for a whopping $24 million last year.

Still, if $10.8 million is a little out of your budget, we have some other diamond rings at SuperJeweler.com that might be a little more in your range.

SuperJeweler is an American company that is so proud to have an American workforce, but also to offer the best deals we can to the American public and beyond. We also recognize and honor the sacfrices that have been made by American veterans. Theirs is a sacrifice that can never be repaid, but it can be recognized.

In honor of Veterans Day, on Wednesday, November 11, 2009, we will be offering a very special deal in our Deal of the Day section: Our Purple Heart Pendant for just $49.

If you are on the SuperJeweler email list, you also know that we sent out a special email sale in honor of Military Family Appreciation Week. The sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform are just one type of sacrifice. Families of the enlisted also make a sacrifice. And while we are so proud those who serve, the families who support them also deserve recognition for the sacrifices they make, too.

One of the ways we honor those currently enlisted and their families is by offering free shipping to APO mailboxes. We figure that you come to SuperJeweler.com because we have fair prices; we wouldn’t want you to have to spend the difference on shipping your purchase halfway around the world. So we do it for you.

With the holidays afoot, and so many loved ones far from home, we just want you to know that you can buy men’s diamond rings, engagement rings, diamond earrings, or whatever from SuperJeweler, and we’ll cover the shipping costs for you.

Here’s the skinny:

Enter SuperJeweler’s Big Twitter Giveaway
Enter for your chance to win 1ct Diamond Hoop Earrings valued at $749!
Enter SuperJeweler’s Big MySpace Giveaway
Enter for your chance to win a 3/4ct Diamond Butterfly Ring in Two Tone 14k Gold valued at $899!
Enter SuperJeweler’s Big Facebook Giveaway
Enter for your chance to win the item of your choice from SuperJeweler.com!
Enter SuperJeweler’s Big Bloggers Giveaway
Enter for your chance to win 1/2ct Diamond Stud Earrings valued at $295!

With four new ways to win from SuperJeweler, this is going to be a November to remember. Keep in mind, however, that all of these contests end on Wednesday, November 25, 2009. So don’t wait to enter. Just follow the links above and you are on your way.

Is November great, or what?

Here are just a few of the most common questions (and answers) when it comes to buying the perfect piece of jewelry.

Q: If you have larger features, should you wear smaller pieces of jewelry to create an illusion of smallness?
A. No. Wear jewelry that is scaled to your size. Wearing pieces of jewelry that are too small or too large create a comparison effect, not a complementary effect. You want your jewelry to look like a natural extension of yourself. Wearing jewelry that is scaled properly will do just that.

Q. Can the right earrings contour your face?
A. Yes. If you have a well-defined chin, you can minimize it with gemstone earrings set close to the ear. If your face is rounded, you can add the illusion of length with diamond earrings that have some drop to them, like journey diamond earrings. If you have a longer nose, try larger earrings, but ones that do not outline the earlobe.

Q. Should you avoid wearing rings if you have ugly hands?
A. No. Keep in mind, the degree of attractiveness in any part of the body is always subjective. Most times, we are our own worst critics anyway, right? Take an objective look at your hands and be honest with yourself; are your fingers more like sticks or sausages? Are your palms narrow or squared? Ask more question like this, and stay honest in your answers. When you have a good objective sense of your hands, pick diamond rings that share the same characteristics as your hands/fingers. Remember, you want your jewelry act as a natural extension of your person.

Q. Is it okay to mix different types of jewelry?
A. Absolutely. The key, as we have mentioned, is knowing your features and what will work with them. If you are choosing pieces that will complement your features, you can mix and match because you’re features are the point point of reference from which other pieces have been selected. So, if you want to wear emerald gemstone jewelry with pearls, you can.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you are shopping for jewelry and you should find that you are more satisfied with your selection. And keep coming back to the SuperJeweler Blog; we’ll be offering up tips and tricks like this from time to time.

The ring that the 32ct emerald cut diamond sat perched upon was formerly owned by Leonore Annenberg, billionaire philanthropist. To put 32 carats into perspective, the diamond was the size of a walnut. A WALNUT. In fact, the 32ct diamond was flanked by two other diamonds that were about 1.5 carats each – not too small in their own right.

On her 90th birthday, Annenberg treated herself to the mammoth ring. It didn’t show up in a beautiful blue box; rather, it was delivered by armed guards to her home in Rancho Mirage, CA.

We don’t normally use this space to talk about other people’s jewelry. The fact is, however, we can do this because we don’t have any 32ct diamond rings in stock. And you probably don’t have $7.7 million to drop on one.

We do, however, have 32 1ct diamond rings in stock at SuperJeweler.com. (Well, actually we have more than that, but we had this theme thing going, you know?)

This is especially important this time of year. Any jeweler you talk to will tell you that Thanksgiving weekend is a VERY popular time for proposals. It’s usually when families are together and the groom-to-be has the opportunity to talk to his future father-in-law. It’s also the time when she can show here ring to her friends and family. If you are reading this post right now, it’s likely because you, or someone very close to you, is getting close to an engagement.

One of the biggest benefits of shopping with an online jeweler, such as SuperJeweler is that our selection goes much deeper than you will find at a mall store. While, on the surface, an engagement ring may seem just like a diamond solitaire and a ring, when you break it down into diamond cut, diamond weight, the type of metal, sizing, etc., having choices matters. And, of course, pricing matters, too. How many other jewelers do you know who would dare to offer clearance engagement rings?

If you have already been looking for engagement rings, you have no doubt also explored bridal sets and wedding rings. Because bridal sets and wedding rings (or wedding bands, if you prefer) get into more design options, it is even more important that the decision be made with input from the bride-to-be. Think of it as a opportunity to learn about more than just the bridal set or wedding ring you are looking for, but a way to know what might make a good jewelry gift in the future. It also sheds light on tastes in general, (i.e., classic versus modern, simple versus complex).

Some men can be a little detached from the wedding planning process, opting to let the bride create the wedding she wants. Still, being involved and sharing in the wedding jewelry process provides insight into why she loves the things she does. And these are lessons that will last as long as those diamond rings.

We’re hopeless romantics at SuperJeweler. We want you to have the perfect engagement ring (or bridal set, or wedding bands). And we hope that you put SuperJeweler on your list of places to shop for engagement rings…together.

For instance, in Ukraine and Poland, the bride to be doesn’t wear her engagement ring in her left hand, but on her right-hand ring finger instead. s Poland and Ukraine, it is customary for the ring to be worn on the right-hand ring finger. In classical times, it wasn’t the ring finger that hosted the engagement ring at all. Rather, engagement rings were worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, as it was believed that finger contained the "vein of love" or vena amoris, as it was known.

In all societies, however, customs change over time. In contemporary U.S. and Canadian societies, in is becoming increasingly more commonplace for a woman to present her partner an engagement or promise ring  at the time of the engagement.

This exchange, though, is not all that uncommon. In several European nations, and other nations, such as Egypt and Brazil, the man and the woman will both wear engagement rings. These engagement rings are most of gold bands in white, yellow, or rose gold. They look very similar to wedding bands without diamonds of Western tradition. In fact, in these countries, engagement rings will also serve as the wedding band in time.

And, in Spain, it is common for a woman to buy a man a wristwatch at the time of engagement.

While we don’t carry wristwatches, you can find a great assortment of engagement rings, promise rings, and wedding bands at SuperJeweler.com.

You do!

At SuperJeweler.com, you can shop in the convenience of your own home, avoid the crowds, and get Guaranteed Christmas Delivery of your orders! Whether you are having your item(s) shipped to your home or right to the recipient’s address, you can count on SuperJeweler.com!

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, we’ll add to that free shipping some amazing deals on stocking stuffers (all $99 and under) and specials on diamond engagement rings.

Dates for guaranteed Christmas delivery are:

Ground Delivery: Thursday, December 18th.
2nd day Delivery:  Monday, December 22nd,
Overnight Delivery: Tuesday, December 23rd

It’s just our way of saying Happy Holidays from SuperJeweler.com