As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers,” and May’s birthstone – emerald – perfectly symbolizes this renewal of life. It comes as no surprise, then, that emeralds have been such a focal point of auctions this spring.

From flawless diamonds to fancy colors and fancy shapes, this auction season has seen many historic pieces of jewelry, with more still to come.

Earlier this week, we discussed fancy colored diamonds making an appearance at auction houses this season; however, today we would like to highlight fancy shaped diamonds. The most common diamond shape is round, with all other shapes referred to as “fancy.” These include marquise, pear, oval, rectangular, and a variety of others gaining popularity, such as triangle.

Auction season is here, and once again fancy-color diamonds and diamond jewelry are dominating the chatter. Colored diamonds that extend beyond the GIA D-to-Z color scale are referred to as “fancy-color diamonds” and come in a rainbow of colors from yellow to blue to pink.

An exciting new exhibit series is making its way through GIA Headquarters in Carlsbad, California. “Aluminati: Students to Stars” highlights the talents of GIA alumni who have made waves in the gem and jewelry industry. The first exhibit in the series, featuring designer Kara Ross, debuted earlier this month and will run through November.