I discovered this a few days ago and just had to share. So many of the points this jeweler makes are true. It really is very gratifying being a Scottsdale-based jeweler and a third generation jeweler at that. My family has brought a lot of happiness to other people and for that, I will be eternally proud:

Selling that first piece of jewelry to a 13-year-old boy for $25 or less, for his first girlfriend. There’s nothing like witnessing the innocence and generosity of youth through older eyes.

People thinking all jewelers are rich and successful. They are wrong, but it feels good anyway.

Being the hit of any party. Everybody is curious and wants “the scoop” on their jewelry or they want me to tell their spouse what they want for a gift!

Knowing everyone in town.

On Christmas morning, HUNDREDS of folks squeal with delight opening boxes with my name on it!

Helping young men pick out engagement rings when they are so terrified they can barely speak.

You can tell all the fakes in the room!

That feeling you have when a piece is finished and it SINGS!

You can fix your kids toys at the store!

I am a goldsmith and it’s a lost art…. but its ancient and important and spiritual to represent events in a person’s life in an object of precious material.

Being able to say, “I made that!”

Seeing the look of joy on a customer’s face when they see something very special we have produced for them the very first time.

Meeting artists and designers and traveling to shows

The respect that comes with being a third-generation businessperson.

Working with some of the most awesome materials in God’s creation.

Always having the best jewelry on at any party.

All day long being surrounded by beauty.

Being able to hold thousands of dollars worth of diamonds in the palm of your hand.

The fact that as long as that door is open, you are one sale away from a great day.

Getting to see the new stuff first.

Working with my family.

Pretty women having fun.

You can travel pretty much anywhere in the world on business.

Wholesale jewelry for the wife.

Getting wedding pictures, and then baby announcements in the mail with a thank-you note addressed to the staff.

The True Tales.

The variety of things in my day from crunching numbers to design

That we have so much room to grow and change constantly. That’s what I love. It never gets old.

Giving service for free to clients who don’t expect it just to let them know that you do really value their business.

Looking down ladies tops, as they lean over the counter.

The trust people place in you and how they tell you everything so easily, as if you are their closest friend.

We get to see people at their happiest.

Helping show someone how much they are loved.

I get to make people happy just about every day I open the doors. I am associated with positive life events (births, weddings, birthdays). So usually when people think of me, they smile!

Imagining what the recipient will say/do when they receive the gift.

When you make a quality piece of jewelry you know it is going to be cherished for years, likely beyond my own life.

Being an important player in life’s most significant events for the fine folks who walk through our door everyday! 50 years from now they’ll still remember where and who they got their engagement ring and wedding bands from.

Being one of only three people that know what exciting (engagement) news

When Grams comes in with her grandchildren to show them where to get their jewelry because this is where Gramps shops.

Hearing great gossip.

Helping the people who have come up from nothing and have achieved prosperity. It’s inspiring.

Educating the consumer about diamonds, sapphires, rubies etc….

We get to hear all of the great romance stories when people are considering buying that very special gift to celebrate that very special occasion.

All the love we get to see.

Being invited to a client’s wedding.

The guy with no idea, who only spends a little but I know he is so proud that “he has a gift.”

When I run into a customer and they make a big fuss over me and tells everyone that I am their personal jeweler — even if it is only in the grocery store.

Getting to wear inventory.

Always having something to talk about with the ladies

Selling things that no one needs. If you come into my store — you 100 percent want to be here.

Source: InStoreMag.com

Zales was a good example of a tumbling company during the last few years. Small signs and managerial changes show it may be holding it’s own and won’t be “pawned” any day soon:

Zale Corporation has signed a new agreement with Citibank to provide the private label credit card program at Zales, Zales Outlet and Gordon’s brands in the U.S.

The five-year deal, which goes into effect on October 1, 2010, replaces the jewelry retailer’s current agreement with Citibank which was scheduled to expire in March 2011. The agreement also provides an automatic renewal for two successive two-year terms.

Citibank cancelled a penalty owed by Zale for a shortfall in credit sales, and the new agreement reduced the annual minimum volume of credit card sales required by Zale from $600 million to $315 million. Citibank has also pledged to provide financial support for Zale’s marketing activities during the initial five year term of the contract.

Separately, Zale has named Theo Killion as chief executive officer (CEO) to permanently replace Neil Goldberg who stepped down from the position in January. Killion has served as interim CEO since Goldberg’s departure.

Killion joined Zale in January 2008 after serving in senior management positions at Tommy Hilfiger, Limited Brands, Macy’s East and the Home Shopping Network.

Source: Diamond.net

Most of you remember mood jewelry, big in the 70’s and having bubbles of resugence over the years. Well, apparently, you shouldn’t eat them. Now I’m not sure what to do for lunch:

A Tacoma company is recalling about 23,000 “mood” rings and necklaces after they were found to contain high levels of lead.

The heart-shaped jewelry, marketed under the brand name “Love Tester,” was sold for about $4 each in retail stores from September 2005 through June 2010.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the recall, said some 19,000 rings and 4,000 necklaces are covered by the recall.

The jewelry poses a danger to young children, who can be harmed by the lead if they ingest it. No incidents or injuries from the jewelry have been reported, according the commission.

The products change colors when the user’s “mood” changes. The rings and necklaces were sold separately and mounted on round red discs printed with the words “Love Tester” and “Are you in the mood?”

D&D Distributing-Wholesale of Tacoma imported the products from China, the commission said. The jewelry was sold to small retail shops nationwide.

On its website, the company said it tests products at independent safety labs. A spokeswoman was not immediately able to answer why the jewelry was sold for nearly five years before the high lead levels were detected.

The company also was not immediately able to provide a list of retailers who sold the jewelry.

The commission said consumers should return the jewelry to the store where it was purchased for a refund or replacement product.

Source: Seattle Times

SICK?

Nowadays, choosing a diamond simulant is a smart, viable choice for many. But still, people want to know how you tell the difference between a fake and real diamond. This article covers the basics, for the skeptical and curious:

To understand how to tell a cubic zirconia from a diamond, it is important to have a better understanding of what this particular stone is and why it looks so much like an expensive diamond. Cubic zirconia is a synthetic material made from zirconium dioxide. The material is extremely hard, strong, virtually flawless from a visual perspective, and colorless, although cubic zirconia can be produced in numerous colors.

One of the primary benefits of cubic zirconia is affordability. Obviously, diamonds are expensive, one of the most expensive of all precious stones. For this reason, if people can purchase a material that looks like a real diamond, has strong and durable qualities, and costs a fraction of what a diamond costs, it is easy to see why a cubic zirconia is so popular. However, with all the benefits, nothing can take the place of a diamond. Now understanding what cubic zirconia is, individuals need to know how to tell a cubic zirconia from a diamond.

Again, the main reason for learning how to tell a cubic zirconia from a diamond is to avoid being scammed. If a person were to sell existing jewelry, he or she needs to know without doubt pieces being sold are actually diamonds. Then, for buying, unfortunately it would be easy for someone to become caught up in fraud, spending hard-earned money on a fake stone. While this might sound farfetched, the truth is this happens often.

The good news is that there are a number of easy tests that will help to determine whether a stone is cubic zirconia or diamond. For starters, there is the old method of scratching glass. If a piece of jewelry made with a cubic zirconia were to be run across a piece of glass, nothing would happen to the glass but the faux stone might scratch. However, if a real diamond were run across a piece of glass, the diamond would likely be undamaged and the glass scratched. The only downside to this particular test on how to tell a cubic zirconia from a diamond is that some of the higher quality faux stones are now made so well they can produce a small scratch on the glass.

Another method to tell cubic zirconia from diamond has to do with the stone’s transparency. Real diamonds are cut, producing facets on the inside. Because of the many lines, seeing through a real diamond is near impossible. For this technique, simply place a piece of newspaper behind the stone. If the print is readable the stone is a cubic zirconia but if not, the stone is a diamond.

The fog technique is an accurate and easy test to perform. To check the stone, simply breathe on it. The reason this is so reliable is that a real diamond is not capable of holding heat. Therefore, after breathing on the stone if it becomes fogged over, it is a cubic zirconia whereas if the warm breath clears up immediately, the stone is an actual diamond.

Now, people can go a little more high tech by using ultraviolet lighting. Officially known as an AUV test, the outcome would be based on the amount of fluorescent color produced. For instance, if the stone were a real diamond, it would show up as florescent color under the ultraviolet lighting. However, cubic zirconia stones would have no fluorescent color.

Another test that works amazingly well has to do with weight. The fact is that a real diamond weighs as much as 50% less than a cubic zirconia stone would weigh. Using a gram scale, the stone could be weighed against a confirmed diamond and the weight would show the stone to be real or fake. Obviously, the two stones should be the same carat to get the best results.

One last test that could be tried uses a loupe. Typically, this type of test is performed by a professional gemologist but anyone who knows how to look at stones through a loupe could do this. The purpose of this test is to look closely at the stone’s characteristic makeup, which includes the inside facets and girdle. A cubic zirconia stone will usually have a waxy appearance whereas a real diamond would be clear. Finally, some cubic zirconia stones will actually have the initials CZ stamped on the inside of the jewelry piece and a loupe would help reveal this.

Source: Abazias Diamonds

Style 10310-

Save 40% Custom Created Moissanite Engagement Ring Wtih Pave CZ Side Stones

Custom created engagement ring with a 1.50ct (dia equiv) Charles and Colvard created round brilliant moissanite center and nearly 200 round cubic zirconia pave’ side stones in 14kt white gold, one piece only in ring size 7.

Save 40%! Use the coupon code below for discount at the end of the checkout process.

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An interesting story about the amazing Cindy Chao (Taiwan) and the induction of her stunning butterfly pin inducted into the National Museum of Natural History:

Amongst the Earth’s rarest and most beautiful creations are precious stones, in which beauty not only remains undiminished with time but accumulates history. Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Natural History features the most significant and famous pieces of gems and minerals in the world; the esteemed collection includes the deep blue Hope Diamond, Napoleon Diamond Necklace, Marie Antoinette’s Earrings, Inquisition Necklace.

The melding of creation – first the natural process that occurred more than a billion years ago that formulated these stones which are then taken and crafted by artisans into a new creation – thickens the layer of history and lore into the precious stones as they pass through human hands.

Cindy Chao’s 2009 Royal Butterfly Brooch perfectly exemplifies this melding of creation, her detailed masterpiece entailing over 2 years time. Heralding a unique usage of rough diamonds, her work representing a breakthrough in the art of jewelry craftsmanship. The annual creation of an iconic butterfly symbolizes the ongoing metamorphosis in the advancement of Cindy Chao’s craftsmanship and techniques in utilizing rare gemstones.

The vibrant “Royal Butterfly,” is balanced by a pair of rough diamonds on the scales; features more than 20 color gradients, precisely 2,318 diamonds, colored diamonds, color-changing sapphires, colored sapphires, rubies, and tsavorites, meticulously set on both the front and back.

In 2010 this classic piece was inducted by the National Museum of Natural History, the world’s largest educational and research museum complex serving as the global beacon for the diffusion of public knowledge. This contemporary art jewel was created not only of the hopes of the artist that this art can be appreciated in a new medium, but will also inspires people to dream and create, always continue to contribute to the evolution of culture and the world around them.

Source: BusinessWire

Your heart races. Your eyes widen. You begin a mad search, all the while saying, “Oh no, oh no!” Losing jewelry is stressful and upsetting. That’s because jewelry is such a personal item – losing it can feel like losing a part of ourselves.

Here’s a few tips on how to protect yourself from the commonly lost earring:

1) EASY No-Lose Earrings

The best style of earrings (that are are able to be removed but hard to lose) are leverback earrings. They are made in such a way you can’t lose them as they fasten closed. That is why Diamond Leverback Earrings are so popular. They are worth investigating when buying earrings as they look beautiful, are simple to use, and are hard to lose.

Many dangle earrings can be converted to a leverback style at your local jeweler — but you may want to try our next tip as an inexpensive alternative.

2) Earring Stoppers For Your Fish Hook Earrings

Many people don’t realize that when they buy earrings and there are rubber stoppers on the back of the card, that they can use them to keep the earrings on their ears.

If you already own fish hook earrings but didn’t keep the rubber safety stoppers (or the earrings didn’t come with safety stoppers), you can buy rubber stoppers for the back to make sure your won’t lose them. They take an extra moment to put on, but they work like magic.

3) Easy Storage When NOT Wearing Your Earrings

Storing earrings properly makes it much harder to lose earrings. You’ll want 2 places to store your earrings.

One place will be in your purse so if for any reason you need to take your earrings off, you have a designated place. A second a known place should be where you live. If you only own a few pairs of earrings, you can keep them all in the same portable place. However, many of us have several pairs of earrings.

To store earrings in your purse, I recommend one of the small silk zippered bags. A small silk pouch can easily hold any pair of earrings, look beautiful and usually be very inexpensive.

Not being able to find your earrings in the morning, is almost the same as losing them as you can’t wear them when you want. So make sure the place at home keeps your earrings neat and easy to find like an earring tree.

So follow these earrings tips and save yourself money and time.

Here’s a pair of leverback earrings guaranteed to stay in place:

Style 452MR

Classic Wire Basket Lever Back Moissanite Earrings

Classic wire basket lever back earrings with Charles and Colvard created round Moissanite.

Source: JewelryMall

It’s slow but we are seeing a subtle change in our economic outlook. Tiffany’s is a possible barometer of economic changing and consumer spending. In short, if people are shopping at Tiffany’s again, then maybe the storm is passing by – though half of their sales are overseas.

“Guarded optimism” indeed:

Tiffany Q2 profit up 19% on overseas sales, raises outlook

New York ( August 27, 2010 ) Tiffany & Co.’s second-quarter net income rose 19% on higher revenue as shoppers bought more of its high-end jewelry around the world, particularly in Asia and Europe.

In the three months ending July 31, the company earned $67.7 million up from $56.8 million a year ago. Revenue rose 9% to $668.8 million, below analyst estimates of $690.2 million. Same-store sales increased 5%.

Roughly half the company’s revenue now comes from outside the United States. Growth in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan, was the company’s strongest in the quarter as those economies continue to prosper.

Tiffany raised its full-year earnings guidance to a range partly above analyst estimates, and CEO Michael Kowalski said the company looked forward to the second half “with a sense of guarded optimism.”

Americas, seven in the Asia-Pacific region and two in Europe. The company operated 223 stores and boutiques at the end of July, up from 211 at the same point last year.

Source: ChainStoreAge

Style 1185MR

Classic Tiffany Style Princess Cut Moissanite Solitaire

Princess cut Tiffany style solitaire engagement ring with Charles and Colvard created moissanite.

We are VERY excited to showcase our latest bridal line product by Valina. Their pieces have extraordinary detail and offer a complex and distinctive look. According to their website:

This exciting collection allows you to purchase a designer engagement ring without sacrificing quality or style.  Valina Bridals offer the look of designer engagement rings without having to pay the designer price!

Added features of the Valina Bridal Collection include the use of special Euro shanks which allow the rings to have their own distinctive look while keeping them from spinning on the finger.  Additionally, all engagement rings have a matching wedding band, both containing the signature diamonds.

Take a look:

Style 10476

Valina Designer Engagement Ring With Pave Set Diamonds

Valina designer engagement ring with .49ct total weight pave set natural diamond accents (setting only, does not include center stone). Shown with a 3/4ct center stone. Matching band available separately.

Valina Designer Engagement Ring With Pave Set Diamonds

Valina designer engagement ring with .22ct total weight pave set natural diamond accents (setting only, does not include center stone). Shown with a 1ct center stone. Matching band available separately.

Valina Designer Engagement Ring With Pave Set Diamonds

Valina designer engagement ring with .28ct total weight pave’ set natural diamond accents (setting only, does not include center stone). Shown with a 1ct center stone. Matching band available separately.

We’ve talked about the importance of being an educated jewelery buyer many times on my blog. I figure it this way: when you know as much about the jewelry you’re buying as I do, you feel more confident in your purchase. And rightfully so: buying jewelry is a commitment. When a customer is well-informed, he or she tends to make smarter decisions that last a lifetime.

Here’s a little lesson on the gold test:

After choosing perfect style on your particular occasion from your favorite jewelry store, the first thing you can do is to look for karat mark, which can be found mostly on end caps (where holding lock) for necklace, bracelet and anklet.

You will find 10kt or 417, 14kt or 585 and 18kt or 750 marking on it as well as, but not necessarily, trademark or company code and its country of origin.

For the rings, look inside the band, you will find quality markings. These markings are mandatory and if you don’t see it, something is seriously wrong.

Although due to some special custom made work or resizing a ring will damage marking permanently. This is where reliable jewelry store you can trust comes in. because good jewelry store will not damage or destroy these markings when necessary work or resizing.

And secondly, if you have any doubt, let the jewelry store manager test your item right in front of you. Most jewelry store will do this for you free of charge. There’s testing kit that contains 3 small bottles of 10kt, 14kt and 18kt testing liquid (acid), in most cases, with flat stone like rectangle panel.

They will scratch item of your choice on rectangle panel and apply appropriate liquid on it. Now observe it. What you want to see here is that scratch will remain nice and bright if item is right karat. If it is not right karat, in other words low quality, scratch will fade away and will even darken.

And finally, a rule of thumb that you always do, let them write down what you need on the receipt such as karatage or proper return policy. This is good way to protect your hard working money as a proof of quality promise from that store.

Partial source: Squidoo Article

Here’s a short video on the gold testing process:

Style 8963GM

Princess Cut Cultured Diamond Solitaire Pendant

1/3ct Princess cut solitaire diamond pendant set diagonaly, hanging from a black rubber cord. Available in fancy yellow, orange, pink and blue cultured diamonds.

Metal: 14kt White Gold
Stone size: 1/3ct

Colored gemstones like Gemesis can add real pizazz to your wardrobe. They are eye-catching and often, more affordable than diamonds. But just as buying diamonds requires some basic knowledge, so does the purchase of colored gemstones. Here’s a few pointers from the Better Business Bureau:

Many new stone treatments have been developed to improve the appearance and durability of gemstones. However, a treatment may lower the gem’s value and may require special care to retain the gem’s appearance.

Laboratory-created (synthetic) stones are identical to natural stones but do not have their rarity and cost; thus, laboratory-created stones are less expensive than naturally mined stones.

In contrast, imitation or “assembled” stones resemble natural stones in appearance, but may be glass, plastic or other less valuable stones.

Follow these tips:

• Ask whether the gemstone is natural, synthetic or imitation.

• Ask whether the gemstone was treated in any way.
• Learn to use a jeweler’s loupe (small magnifier) to see inside the stone to check if it is chipped or damaged in any way; ask the salesperson to educate you about the quality of the gemstone.
• Be sure you get everything in writing. A sales receipt or appraisal listing the quality of the gemstone is considered a contract and is your only means of proving what you have been told.
• Read all warranties and guarantees before buying the jewelry.
• Ask for a certificate of replacement cost or appraisal listing the special qualities of your gemstone to accompany your receipt.
• Ask about the cleaning and care of the gemstone.

Learning how to use a jeweler’s loupe is a great suggestion. We’re more than happy to show you how. Stop by our showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona. We’d love to show you around.

(above) Jewelry professionals use a magnifier, also called a loupe (pronounced loop), to inspect gemstones and other jewelry.