From a Betta fish brooch to a “dragon’s trove” of zircon eggs, here are seven pieces that’ve stuck with Associate Editor Lauren McLemore.
Alrosa Unearths a Nearly 29-Carat Yellow Diamond
It came from the Ebelyakh alluvial deposit and is the biggest yellow found by the mining company so far this year.

Moscow—Alrosa has uncovered its biggest yellow diamond yet this year.
The Moscow-based diamond miner announced Monday that its Almazy Anabara subsidiary extracted a 28.59-carat rough diamond with a deep greenish-yellow hue.
The company said experts at its United Selling Organization who examined the stone believe it to be a fancy intense yellow. The diamond measures 11.4 mm x 19 mm x 17.5 mm and features “insignificant” colorless inclusions on the surface, Alrosa said.
The diamond was discovered at the Ebelyakh alluvial deposit in July. Alrosa said it is the largest yellow rough diamond mined at any of its deposits in 2018.
Last year, Almazy Anabara extracted both a 27.85-carat pink diamond, the largest in Alrosa’s history, as well as a 34.17-carat vivid yellow diamond.
When announcing the recovery of the 28.59-carat yellow diamond earlier this week, Alrosa also reiterated its plans to focus its cutting division on the processing and sale of large and colored diamonds, something it also noted in holding its first auction of colored diamonds this year and in cutting and polishing stones from the 179-carat “Romanovs” rough diamond last year.
This year, Alrosa began sorting colored diamonds according to a new technology that includes almost all hues and color grades. According to a company spokesperson, the new technology makes it possible to pick out diamonds that previously would not have been identified as colored.
Alrosa said it currently produces at least 7,000 carats of colored diamonds per year.
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