A Different Way To Set Diamonds. And Your Dinner Table. Diamonds In Glass.

Way back in February of 2008, I blogged about DIG, Diamonds in Glass, an Austrian company that came up with a way to suspend genuine cut diamonds in borosilicate glass.

The high quality faceted diamonds appeared in stemware, napkin rings, keychains and jewelry items for both men and women. Since 2008, things have changed at DIG. The shapes and silhouettes of their stemware are different and colored or frosted glass is now available. While they still carry jewelry and keychains, those styles have changed as well. And now they've included some unique collaborations such as eyeglasses.

DIG Tableware


DIG uses Wesselton Diamonds of VVS1 clarity. The customer can choose from various sizes depending upon the application. Due to the curvature of the glass, the diamond has the appearance of being much larger than it actually is.

DIG Drinking Glasses
White wine glasses with diamonds in the stems:

Red wine glasses with diamonds in the stems:

Champagne and Multi-use glasses with diamonds in the stems:

Champagne flutes with diamonds in the stems:

Their drinking glasses, made of borosilicate glass with diamonds embedded in the stem come in white wine, red wine, multi-beverage and champagne styles. The diamonds can be embedded in clear, frosted, black or blue glass surroundings. Diamonds are available in four sizes; 0.15, 0.20, 0.30, or 0.5 carats.


The DIG Imperial glass:


The Imperial Glass is the most expensive Champagne glass in the world (at least DIG says so). The stem of the glass is exquisitely handmade of 180g gold with extreme care by the company Tauerngold. Contained in the Imperial Glass are a total of 8.1 carats of diamonds. The diamonds are partly set into the golden stem by hand, and partly implemented according to the Diamond in Glass process.



DIG Napkin Rings:



DIG Caviar bowl and spoon:

DIG caviar dish with spoon has a total of 0.30 ct. of diamonds. A diamond is in the stem of the bowl and one in the spoon. The diamonds are backed with glass available in clear, blue, black or frosted.

DIG Jewelry
DIG Diamond Pendants/ necklaces:






DIG Diamond Rings:
Various size stones available and settings in white gold or stainless steel.




DIG Earrings:



DIG Cufflinks:


DIG Keychains:



DIG & Andy Wolf Brille
DIG & Andy Wolf eyelasses with a total of 0.20 ct.Diamond set in yellow gold in the temple stem.


Miscellaneous:
The DIG Kings Saxophone was especially designed and made for Thailand’s Millionaire Expo. The saxophone is 38cm high and weighs about 1kg. In the instrument there are 7 diamonds, having a total of 2 carats, as well as 280g of gold.



The DIG Kings Saxophone comes in a wooden case with a black piano lacquer. The King of Thailand’s Royal Coat of Arms is also hand painted onto the casing. The Kings Saxophone was completed after 100 hours of careful and skillfull handicraft.

Austrian duo, glassblower Natascha Schenk and designer Tobias Berger together are Diamonds in Glass:



They sell a few of the above items in their online webshop, but you can contact them for other options as well as custom designs.

Diamonds in Glass

New London Ring, Leaning Tower of Pisa Ring & French Kiss Rings by Tournaire.

This is my third post on the Dream House Rings (Villa de Reve) and Bijoux Architecture collection by jeweller Philippe Tournaire. I simply can't get enough of these remarkable examples of craftsmanship and jewelry design. Since my last post, he has added the following London Ring and Leaning Tower of Pisa Ring to his impressive collection of rings that feature the architecture of cities all over the world.




A new pure Platinum and Diamond Cité Carée ring:


Like all of the architectural and custom rings by Phillipe Tournaire, they are available in various combinations of yellow, rose, white gold or platinum. Fine cut or cabochon gemstones are available to set in any of the designs.

Also new is the French Kiss collection.

above: The French Kiss ring in platinum, set with a diamond solitaire

The jeweler has for always been fascinated by the buildings and other architecture, he is also inevitably captivated by the Eiffel Tower which is this tall and powerful Iron Lady proud up on her steel heels. Always curious, Philippe Tournaire has turned it inside out to observe her better. Then he sets precious gemstones in between the 4 square shaped corners of an upside down Eiffel Tour.


above: Eiffel tower rightside up and upside down.

French Kiss XXL ring, Amethyst and Diamonds in rose gold:

French Kiss XL ring, Blue Topaz in white gold:

French Kiss XL ring, Amethyst in yellow gold:

French Kiss ring, Garnet in rose gold:


French Kiss rings come in yellow, pink or white gold ring and platinum upon request. From 1190 euros.

Philippe Tournaire also has an architecturally inspired watch collection:



Most of these rings can be special ordered directly from Tournaire.
Contact info:
Email : eboutique@philippetournaire.com
8,rue Tupinerie - 42600 MONTBRISON (Siège) - Tél. 04 77 96 08 84
103, rue Edouard Herriot - 69002 LYON - Tél. 04 78 92 93 94
7, Place Vendôme - 75001 PARIS - Tél. 01 40 20 00 19

Learn all about the Dream House Rings here

18k White Gold Diamond Glove By Daphne Guinness and Jeweller Shaun Leane.

You may have seen a few images of this custom creation being touted as the "World's Most Expensive Glove" but it is so much more than that.


above: Jewelery designer Shaun Leane and his sketch of the diamond and 18k white gold glove

The artisanal creation, a collaboration between legendary style icon Daphne Guinness and fine jeweller Shaun Leane took over four years to be realized. Named Contra Mundum (translated as Against the World), the armour-inspired gauntlet is made up of more than a thousand grams of gold and is set with over 5,000 pavé white diamonds and was unveiled in a very dramatic fashion.




above three images shot by Nick Knight

The Piece
Weighing over 1,000 grams, the 18k white gold chain maille glove has striking diamond birds cascading around the arm, as though caught in mid-flight. The hand is protected with a bold 18k brushed white gold metal cuff, hand-forged and beautifully engraved.




Made in two parts, the cuff can be worn alone as a hand glove, or extended into an evening glove. Every detail in the piece, including the chainmail, has been carefully constructed by hand to ensure a perfect fit to Daphne’s arm.


above image from W magazine by Nick Knight


The Presentation
This collaborative effort was unveiled in typically dramatic fashion. The piece was exhibited by Jay Jopling of White Cube gallery, in an exclusive viewing in London, with Daphne lying in state only to be wakened by a kiss from director and designer Tom Ford as her fashionable Prince Charming.





Guests watched Daphne’s beautiful presentation of the piece - dressed in the bespoke glove and shrouded in white silk tulle, her lie-in state symbolised the concept of the objet d’art; Sir Thomas Malory’s compilation of the legendary tales of the Knights of the Round Table.





As the evening drew to a close, guests (which included Tom Ford, Suzy Menkes, Lily Cole, Livia Firth and Alexander McQueen’s Creative Director Sarah Burton) were presented with a gift bag containing a solitaire diamond and a beautiful message signed by Shaun and Daphne as a remembrance of a beautiful summer evening.

Information courtesy of Shaun Leane and images courtesy of Vogue Italia, W Magazine, Zimbio and Daphne Guinness