“Diamond Divas,” a limited-edition collection of photographic portraits of five of Hollywood’s most glamorous screen legends—each fashioned with more than 550 cts. of diamonds—is now on display at the Gemological Institute of America. The exhibit, placed in the student lobby of the Institute’s Robert Mouawad Campus in Carlsbad, will be on view through December.

The iconic images of Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Princess Grace Kelly, and Marilyn Monroe each contain more than 3,000 loose Kwiat diamonds. The portraits were created by internationally acclaimed conceptual artist Vik Muniz, in creative collaboration with Kwiat, a nearly 100-year-old diamond jewelry company based in New York. They are on loan from Kwiat.

The “Diamond Divas” series originally premiered at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills during the week preceding the 76th Annual Academy Awards, earlier this year. A separate edition was recently auctioned off for more than $150,000 during two industry trade shows. Proceeds benefited Jewelers for Children, an organization created by the jewelry industry to raise money for charities that primarily benefit children.

The “Diamond Divas” and other GIA exhibits are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and are free and available to the public through scheduled tours. Contact Yvette Wilson, Guest Services supervisor, to schedule a tour. Call 800-421-7250, ext. 4116, or e-mail yvette.wilson@gia.edu. Outside the U.S., call 760-603-4116.

JCK