New Jewlery Items

Some like to wear their hearts on their sleeves. They’re the emotional types. Whatever they feel seems to come instantaneously out of their mouth, unbridled.

Some like to wear their heart around their neck. A pretty heart hanging so close to their real heart is a reminder of the importance of love in their life. These are your romantic types. They see life pleasantly through rose-colored glasses. Romance abounds, in the form of stolen kisses, plucked daisies and a swinging chair that snugly fits two.

These heart pendants are for the true romantics out there…you know who you are!

 Great hearts steadily send forth the secret forces that incessantly draw great events. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Style DB1094 Interchangeable Heart Pendants With Diamonds And Pink Sapphires Interchangeable heart pendants on an 18″ cable chain. Set includes two 14kt white gold heart pendants with genuine pink sapphires and white diamonds and one 14kt yellow gold “love” diamond heart pendant. Trade Up Our Guarantee MSRP: $789.00 Our Price: $669.00 Sale Price: $535.20

I stumbled this website this morning over coffee. What I liked about 10x is that it gives you the opportunity to see some close-ups of celebrity jewelry. It’s almost like you can reach through your screen and touch the piece. Have a look:

Beyonce (below) sparkled in a platinum, diamond and ruby Lorraine Schwartz necklace and matching earrings while she performed during the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks show in New York.

True Blood actress Brit Morgan wore a wide diamond and gold circular cuff (below, $16,000) by Neil Lane to the premiere of the show in Los Angeles this month.

Actress Katie Cassidy (below) wore Kabana’s 14-karat yellow gold earrings with bronze mother of pearl ($434) to a Los Angeles event.

First lady Michelle Obama (below) accessorized with Phillips Frankel for her visit with Queen Elizabeth II. The earrings are made in 14-karat gold with amazonite and ruby ($2,570).

Ashanti (below) donned M.C.L. by Matthew Campbell Laurenza to an event in California. The singer chose the moonstone bangle ($2,370, below, top), the black sapphire bangle ($4,940, below, center) and the multi-pearl pave black sapphire bangle ($2,695, below, bottom).

Actress Fran Drescher wore Marina B Vertigo white gold and sapphire earrings (below) during her appearance on Good Morning America.

Camila Alves (below) accessorized with assorted Arunashi gold bangles ($3,000 – $10,000) and a 14-karat yellow gold handmade citrine and diamond Adeler ring ($5,690, below, bottom) for a 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival opening night premiere.

True Blood actress Rutina Wesley (below) donned Amrapali black and white agate earrings with diamonds ($15,330) to a premiere of the show in Los Angeles.

Read more.

I happened upon this Best of Russia site yesterday and was bowled over by several of the pieces – such intricacy and beauty! Following is part history lesson and part dazzling royal Russian jewelry:

In 1719, Emperor Peter I “the Great” (reigned 1682-1725), founded the earliest version of what we now know as the State Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation. Peter I had visited other European nations, and introduced many innovations to Russia, one of which was the creation of a permanent fund to house a collection of jewels which belonged not to the Romanov family, but to the Russian State.

Peter declared that the state holdings were inviolate, and could not be altered, sold, or given away – and he also decreed that each subsequent Emperor or Empress should leave a certain number of pieces acquired during their reign to the State, for the permanent glory of the Russian Empire. Peter left all of the pieces used in the coronation ceremony to the Diamond Fund, as well as many important pieces of 15th, 16th and 17th century jewelry. The pieces were housed in a special secure room in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, first called the Renteria, and subsequently called the Diamond Chamber.

Here is a sampling of some of these magnificent pieces:

(above) The Great Imperial Crown

(above) Imperial Diamond Tiara

(above) Faberge. Snuffbox, Circa 1765, Hermitage Museum

(above) A gold-and silver-mounted diamond-set tiara, signed with initials KF for Carl Faberge

With Prince Williams to soon marry, we decided to take a stroll down memory lane and gaze at some of the beautiful jewelry his mother adorned:

Spencer Tiara

Princess Diana Attending a State Reception Princess Diana wears a suite of sapphire and diamond jewels presented by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and the Spencer family tiara.

Diamond Teardrop Earrings and Pearl Choker

Gold "D" necklace

This ring has a large oval sapphire surrounded by 14 round diamonds set in 18K white gold. The oval sapphire is NOT 18 carats in size as reported after Kate Middleton received this ring. It is set in 18K white gold which has been misinterpreted as an 18 carat oval sapphire.

As per usual, award shows often showcase up-and-coming jewelry and fashion trends. And this year was no different, with colored gemstons, diamonds and sapphires sparkling strong:

The CMA carpet brimmed with head-turning looks, as many of country’s leading ladies selected gowns in saturated hues, from Miranda Lambert in magenta and Swift in true red to Katherine Heigl, actress and wife of singer Josh Kelley, in sapphire blue. To accessorize, Heigl and Lambert both turned to colored gemstones, with Heigl donning her own diamond and sapphire stud earrings and a pendant necklace, and Lambert wearing ruby and diamond earrings from Amrapali. The nearly shoulder-grazing drops (below) feature carved ruby and colorless diamonds that pop against their blackened metal setting. Lambert topped the look off with a wrist full of Amrapali stacked rose-cut diamond bangles.

Sheryl Crow also looked to color for her CMA night out. The singer wore stacks of diamond, gold and coral bracelets, plus coral and gold chandelier earrings and a diamond cocktail ring, all from celebrity favorite Neil Lane.

Meanwhile, diamond jewelry alone got plenty of play. Swift, who performed her new single “Back to December,” made her red carpet arrival in a suite of diamond jewelry from Neil Lane, including long leaf earrings, plus a bracelet and ring, all featuring diamonds set in platinum. Gwyneth Paltrow, who hit the stage to perform the theme song from her new film, Country Strong, wore earrings in a similar silhouette. The actress, who wowed critics with her vocals, accessorized with long curling leaf-like earrings reportedly from S.J. Phillips.

In addition to the evening’s many bold earrings, classic jewelry—including smaller diamond drops and studs, paired with simple line bracelets—also continued to make its red carpet mark. Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott selected a diamond earring and bracelet combo from Bulgari, while Nicole Kidman looked to classic styles from Fred Leighton. The evening’s co-host, Carrie Underwood, set the sartorial stage, appearing on the red carpet in a gray-tiered frock, simple diamond earrings and a bracelet, followed over the evening by a bevy of quick-changes and a rotating accompaniment of jewels.

Source: National Jeweler

Miranda Lambert in Amrapali statement earrings and a series of bangles:

Taylor Swift in Neil Lane diamond dangle earrings

Katherine Heigl in sapphire button earrings with a starburst pendant from Ryan Ryan

While people love jewelry as a gift, over the years of custom designing jewelry for customers, I can’t help but notice the deeper connection that occurs when someone co-creates a piece with us. In a day where everything is pre-made, custom design allows you to create your own personal “thumbprint” on a piece of jewelry, making it forever yours.

So what is it about custom design that makes it so special?

1. It’s from the heart. Most people who decide on custom design do so for a reason. A couple may have a very particular idea in mind for an engagement ring, for instance. It’s a collaborative idea that empowers the customer and makes them genuinely feel part of their piece. When the piece is completed, it feels like a manifestation of the love they feel – one of a kind.

2. You call the shots. There’s a sense of control a customer feels when they create their own piece. No one is telling them what to wear – no magazine or seasonal trend – he or she is deciding.

3. The sky is the limit. When you custom design a piece of jewelry, you decide on the materials. It could be moissanite or natural diamonds, platinum or white gold, sapphire or rubies – whatever you envision is possible. This includes cost. If you’re looking for something that seems out of your price range, we can design a piece made from matierals that do fit your budget. Again, the possibilities are endless!

So if you’re looking for something special, remember: custom design jewelry has special built right in!

Here are some custom design pieces from our store:

Custom sapphire ring

Custom Rose Gold Engagement Ring

Custom cufflinks

Joe Jewelry Custom Briolet Earrings

Custom Tourmaline Ring

We work with a variety of gems here at Joseph Schubach Jewelers. Today, I’d like to highlight some of the breathtakingly beautiful blue stones. Many people will think of sapphire or lapis or even tanzanite, but there are a number of other blue gemstones which come in different shades including azure, cobalt, navy and indigo.

Lapiz Lazuli

Rainbow Hermatite

Titanium Drusy

London Blue Topaz

Blue Moonstone

Tanzanite

Spectrolite

Boulder Opal

The “Star of Lanka” is a 193-carat, oval, cabochon-cut, high domed, blue star sapphire with a distinct six-rayed star positioned at the center of the dome-shaped face, with its arms extending down to the base of the stone. In terms of the quality of the star, the “Star of Lanka” rivals its more famous cousins such as the “Star of India” and the “Star of Bombay.” The stone is opaque and milky, which tends to reduce the tone of the blue color of the sapphire. The color of the sapphire is a grayish blue. The dimensions of the gemstone are 30mm x 27mm x 23 mm.

This new website gives people the opportunity to get their virtual hands on a plethora of gorgeous gems such as diamonds, sapphires and rubies to name a few. It’s a great place to research gemstones before purchasing.

Read on:

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has launched the Gem Project, an online resource for colored gemstone information that is free and open to both the trade and the public.

Comprised of data collected from gemstones in the Edward J. Gübelin collection, which GIA acquired in 2005, the virtual resource includes a photo, description and gemological properties for each sample, according to a press release.

The GIA Gem Project can be accessed via the Internet at any time from anywhere in the world. The gemological information included in the project is also available in PDF format.

“The Gem Project can act like a virtual museum but instead of standing in front of a display case, users see a photo of a gemstone and key pieces of information about it,” GIA Museum curator Terri Ottaway said in the release. “This also makes it easier to compare the similarities and differences between types of stones at an advanced level.”

Here’s a sample from one of their pages. Each samples comes with an accompanying information sheet. Check it out!

Corundum – Ruby
2.51 ct
Thailand
35119

Source: NationalJewleryNetwork

Sapphire gems dazzle and attract the eye like no other. But what is it and where does it come from? What magical properties does it contain – and more importantly, is a sapphire pendant, necklace or other piece of jewelry in your budget range? Here’s a few tidbits to school you on this rich and intense gem:

• Sapphire is the official birthstone for the month of September.
• Sapphire is given as a gem for the 5th, 23rd and 45th wedding anniversaries while a star sapphire is given on the 65th wedding anniversary.
• Sapphire is the non-red variety of corundum (the red variety of corundum is ruby). A 9.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness, sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral.
• Blue is by far the most popular color for sapphires, but they can be almost any color, including yellow, green, white, colorless, pink, orange, brown, and purple. Padparadscha is the name for a rare orange-pink variety of sapphire and has a higher value than blue sapphires.
• Sapphires with inclusions of tiny, rutile needles exhibit an optical property called asterism. This is the star shaped effect seen in star sapphires and is usually only seen in cabochon cuts.
• Star sapphires usually have six ray stars, but twelve ray stars are also known. Rarely, when sapphires are cut en cabochon, they can demonstrate a cat’s eye effect. This effect displays a thin band of light down the center of the stone and is known as chatoyancy.
• Heating colorless and very pale blue sapphires to high temperatures is done to give them an intense blue color. This treatment can also improve the clarity of the stones by removing tiny inclusions.
• A rare variety of sapphire, known as color changing sapphire, exhibits different colors in different light. A color change sapphire is blue in natural light, and violet in artificial light. A similar effect is also seen in alexandrite.
• Sapphire was first created synthetically in 1902 and is hard to distinguish from natural sapphires except by gemologists. Lab grown sapphires range in price and smaller stones are frequently used in less expensive jewelry.

Source: Bernadine Fine Art Jewelry

Sapphires can radically range in price but are generally more affordable than diamonds. Contact us if you’re interested in a sapphire engagement ring or a sapphire pendant necklace or even a sapphire broach. Sapphires are guaranteed to catch all eyes, so be prepared to draw a lot of attention.

Here are some possibilities:

The vote is most certainly out when it comes to Amy Adams and her "statement necklace" worn at this week's Oscars. Some think her Fred Leighton colorful jeweled bib necklace really stole the show while others think it was a case of jewelry overkill, clearly overshadowing her Carolina Herrara gown. One commentator proclaimed it looked like she was wearing a Christmas tree!

What's your vote?

(above) Amy Adams decked out in Fred Leighton special
– 630 carats of sapphires, emeralds, rubies and diamonds

If you're looking for a statement necklace that's a little more…uh, understated, check out our line of Joseph Schubach Custom Made Jewelry. We can give you that statement necklace look for a fraction of the price.

You dream it, we create it.