We spotted them on Diane Von Furstenberg's spring runway, and then again at Kenzo and Armani. Koi Suwannagate served them up in pretty appliques and dazzling neckwear. We're talking butterfly motifs here. But none of those chic lepidoptera can quite hold a candle to this, a gemstone creation dubbed "Aurora Butterfly of Peace" on view now at the Royal Ontario Museum.
The "Butterfly of Peace" is composed of a startling 240 natural colored diamonds in the shape of a butterfly, with a total weight of 167 carats. "No two are identical," says its creator, New York-based diamond dealer Alan Bronstein. And indeed, the array is stunning, cast as it is in cognac, pink, blue, green and deep crimson. But turn off the lights and there's another surprise. When held under an ultra-violet light--on the off chance you just happen to have one lying around--his diamonds wax fluorescent (see below).
