The Verane Journal

Notes from the Vault

On provenance, the market, and the lives of legendary jewels.

03 Jul 2026 · Buyer Guide

How to Read Jewelry Hallmarks: A Collector's Guide to Maker's Marks, Assay Offices, and Gold Fineness Stamps

Those tiny stamped marks on the inner band of a ring or the clasp of a bracelet are not incidental. They are...

Read →
02 Jul 2026 · Designer Legend

Elsa Peretti: The Woman Who Taught Tiffany to Feel

From runway model to Tiffany's most transformative designer — how Elsa Peretti's Bone cuff, Diamonds by the Yard, and Open Heart reshaped...

Read →
02 Jul 2026 · Grace Kelly Engagement Ring

Grace Kelly's Engagement Ring: The Cartier Diamond That Rewrote Hollywood Romance

A 10.47-carat Cartier emerald-cut diamond that traveled from Monaco's throne room to Hollywood's soundstages — and never stopped turning heads.

Read →
22 Jun 2026 · Famous Piece

Princess Diana's Engagement Ring: The Ceylon Sapphire That Changed Royal Jewelry Forever

A 12-carat Ceylon sapphire, chosen from a jeweler’s catalog by a twenty-year-old woman who knew exactly which blue she wanted — and...

Read →
22 Jun 2026 · Craft & Technique

Plique-à-Jour Enamel: The Art Nouveau Technique That Turns Jewelry Into Stained Glass

The art of capturing light in metal-free enamel — the painstaking Art Nouveau technique that gives jewelry the translucency of a cathedral...

Read →
21 Jun 2026

The Star of India Sapphire: The 563-Carat Gem Stolen in the Heist That Stunned New York

The Star of India sapphire — a 563.35-carat cabochon from ancient Ceylon, donated to the American Museum of Natural History by J.P....

Read →
20 Jun 2026 · Fabergé

The Fabergé Egg: Eight Missing, One Found at a Flea Market — The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History

Eight Imperial Fabergé Eggs remain missing to this day. The story of a lost treasure bought for scrap at a US flea...

Read →
20 Jun 2026 · Famous Piece

The Taylor-Burton Diamond: The Stone That Started a Bidding War on Live Television

In 1969, a 69-carat pear-shaped diamond became the first gem sold at public auction for over a million dollars — and Richard...

Read →
20 Jun 2026 · Cullinan Diamond

The Cullinan Diamond: The Greatest Stone Ever Found and the Secret That Kept It Safe

The story of the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond — the largest gem-quality stone ever found — and the extraordinary decoy operation that brought...

Read →