Jewelry News

You’ll have no excuse to be late if you purchase Bulova’s latest creation, the Precisionist “technology platform,” a quartz movement with sweep hand that was created alongside Bulova’s parent company, Citizen.

With Precisionist, Bulova has added a third prong to a standard two prong quartz crystal creating a torsional resonator. This innovation results in eight times the vibration frequency of a traditional quartz watch resulting in the most accurate watch with a continuously sweeping second hand. The aesthetic movement of the second hand becomes the symbol to the consumer of Bulova Precisionist and signals a watch with accuracy so exceptional, you can see it. The technology is accurate to 10 seconds per year as compared to most other quartz watches, which are accurate to fifteen seconds per month.

Who cares about if you’re off 10 or 15 seconds, you may ask? Well the president of Bulova has an answer:

Dennis W. Perry, Bulova Corporation President states, “The importance of accurate time measurement cannot be understated. In horseracing, a horse wins by the tip of a nose, in swimming, the slightest touch of a fingertip ahead of a competitor can earn a gold medal. In timekeeping, absolute accuracy has long been viewed as an important measure of the quality of a timepiece.”

Source: Crunchgear.com

(Bulova hasn’t released any images of its time-keeping masterpiece but here’s another sample of their work.)

This is our 100th year in business. Can you believe it? We’re still shaking our heads. How many businesses get to celebrate a 100 year mark?

Well, we’ve been digging through our archives in preparation of an upcoming celebration we’ll be having in Scottsdale and wanted to share with you some of our vintage Schubach! They include shots of earlier stores, newspaper articles and in-house documents.

Click on any of the photos below to see a larger image.

The Cullinan Heritage Diamond

I don’t know about you, but I find $35 million to be a  bit of a nuisance. It’s hard to balance my checkbook, for instance – there are so many more numbers to add and subtract.

And when you have that kind of money, people want you to buy dinner, like, all the time! Really annoying.

Luckily there are rough diamonds like The Cullinan Heritage to invest in that take the guesswork out of your personal accounting. You just stick that diamond in a safe deposit box at the post office and voila! You’ve just simplified your life.

More on this chunk of precious rock:

The sale price achieved by Petra Diamonds is a record for a rough stone and comes as the market is recovering from its lows last year, when it was hit badly by the recession.

The sale of the Cullinan Heritage is significant in several ways, not least because it is an extremely rare stone that diamond experts have likened to the discovery of a Van Gogh masterpiece.

The size, colour and flawlessness of the stone has enabled Petra, which is listed in London, to secure a price per carat more than twice that which a smaller stone would fetch.

The sale to Chow Tai Fook Jewellery in Hong Kong highlights the growing importance of China in the global diamond market. The Chinese are thought to have overtaken Japan as the second-largest market for precious stones behind the US.

Greater affluence and a fashion among urban couples for diamond wedding bands has propelled sales in the country.

Diamond prices have recovered about 70 per cent of their value since early last year, although demand in America remains weak.

The discovery of the Cullinan Heritage also confirms Petra’s faith in the South African mine. It paid ₤85.6m ($145.8m) two years ago from De Beers, which wanted to concentrate on newer mines.

The Cullinan mine began production in 1903 and is famous for its large gems, including the largest ever discovered – the 3106 carat Cullinan Diamond, stones from which are featured in the Crown Jewels.

The Chow Tai Fook Group has not revealed its plans for the diamond, which could be cut into smaller stones.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

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

According to one fashion expert, the Oscars still honored a more subdued look in light of our economy.

Beth Bernstein believes that this is a good thing for a consumer: we can actually afford pieces or styles that celebrities are wearing without breaking the bank.

Of course, this requires some creativity: like using moissanite instead of naturally-mined diamonds or freshwater pearls or Gemesis – all considerably more affordable material:

Bling is no longer the thing at red carpet events.  Low key and subdued is the message A-List celebrities have been sending out for some time now. And, personally,  I think this couldn’t be better for our retailers.

What celebrities are wearing translate into understandable pieces that can easily be interepreted (at lower diamond weights and less tony price tags) into your customer’s wardrobes. And these divas, many whom I’ve watched for several years have had a range of faux pas and now have all come into their own.

I realize that some of my editorial counterparts might not agree, wishing to see more stand out pieces but once again the red carpet was the stage for earrings, cuffs and right hand rings and a few spectacular yet more delicate necklaces.

Earrings are always a way to light up a woman’s face and can easily be interpreted with varied collections you have in your stores. The cuff bracelets are perhaps harder to sell but are good stand out pieces to revolve a collection around. Buy one for impact.

When we finally saw necklaces they were choker length and we didn’t see too many but the styles we did see were breath-taking and less overwhelming than in the past.

I like this minimalism. It doesn’t say jewelry isn’t important; it says don’t let your jewelry wear you.

Writer: Beth Bernstein

Kate Winslet with a Scaled Down Bling Look

Pop star Rhianna started the trend: piling rings on top of one another for a fun, funky and ever so slightly over-the-top look.

New York–Pop star Rihanna lives on the cutting edge of fashion, fiercely stepping out in the latest runway trends and moving on to the next big thing just as everyone else starts to catch up.

So what jewelry is this taste-maker going for? It seems multiple rings side by side across three or four fingers are just the thing.

At the 2009 American Music Awards (left photo), the glamour girl accessorized a cut-out Marchesa gown with Sutra’s “3×3” rose-cut diamond ring flanked by black and colorless diamond rings set in platinum by Neil Lane.

At Glamour magazine’s “Women of the Year Awards”(center photo), she scooped up one of the night’s top honors while sporting two of her favored looks: an origami-style dress and rings on four fingers. The H. Stern “Stars” rings she wore are crafted in 18-karat “Noble” gold and are accented with diamonds.

Source: National Jewelry Network

How can you afford the same kind of look? Chances are, you have a few rings hanging out in your jewelry box already but we can put extra rings on your fingers that are affordable by using stones like moissanite or Gemesis.

Yellow Cushion Cut Gemesis Ring With Bezel Set White Diamonds

Girls Disney Cinderella Diamond Tiara Necklace

Girls Disney Cinderella Diamond Tiara necklace with .16ct round brilliant diamonds on an adjustable 16″ chain, 14kt white gold.

Our Children’s Jewelry from the Disney Precious Collections has been a real feather in our cap. We’re one of the few licensed retailers chosen to sell this fine children’s jewelry.

But more than that, we really admire its craftsmanship. Take a look at this piece above. Real diamonds (or moissanite, if you so choose) stud a simply designed crown. The necklace is white gold, delicate looking but sturdily made. We also have chains in other materials such as silver or gold.

If you need a special gift for a little angel in your life, we stand behind these pieces 100%. Whether it’s an upcoming birthday or other celebration, these pieces are meant to dazzle and delight!

From a winner’s eye, these gold and bronze metals are perfect. They represent years, often an entire lifetime, of blood, sweat and tears.

But fashionably speaking, do they cut the mustard? Of course, they’re not intended to wear out to a night at the club. You might one to don your chunky moissanite ring or dazzling Gemesis pendant for that.

These metals:

[are] rather heavy medal plated with 6 grams of gold. Weighing in at over a pound, these medals are not for the slight of frame.The performance of the medals is garnering mixed reviews (not from those that actually win them though – without exception the athletes are elated to own one).

According to the medal’s designers, Vancouver architect Omer Arbel and artist Corrine Hunt, inspiration for the designs was drawn from ocean waves, snowdrifts and mountain ranges. Critics note they seem more representative though of potato chips and the melting clocks from Salvador Dali’s painting “The Persistence of Memory.”

So lesson learned? If you’ve scored yourself an Olympic metal, it might be better off on display!

Source: Jewelry.com

Nowadays, engagement rings and wedding bands are an investment for couples. Some don’t feel comfortable just leaving it up to chance or the groom’s ability to choose the right piece of  jewelry (nothing personal guys – but you don’t always know best!)

Today’s bride is taking part in the process of choosing or often creating her own engagement ring or wedding band. It takes the guesswork out and opens the door for countless possibilities.

The couple can decide on the materials use in the ring’s creation, whether it’s naturally-mined diamonds or diamond alternatives such as moissanite or cubic zirconia. Metals such as platinum or silver or gold are decided upon mutually as well.

Some may think that building an engagement ring takes the mystery or fun out. Others really like working together to come up with an engagement ring that reflects both parties’ personalities.

If you’re unsure how to custom design or semi-custom design your own engagement ring, contact us. It’s our speciality and we’d be happy to walk you through the process.

Style 8714M

Hand Made Cushion Cut Ring With Pave’ Diamonds

Custom made fashion ring featuring a cushion cut center stone and 1/3ct t.w. pave’ side diamonds with a bezel set diamond on each end. This piece is hand made and has hand applied filigree engraving and scroll work on two sides, approximately 5mm wide at the top. Also made to accommodate round, cushion & princess center stones starting at 2.0ct and shown with a 2 1/2ct.

Buying an engagement ring in this economy can be a daunting process. You want to make sure the engagement ring really speaks to her…affordably! Fortunately, with moissanite and other diamond alternatives, you can bring a smile to your fiancee’s face that will last a lifetime.

If you don’t know much about moissanite, please take a moment to check out our information page. Moissanite engagement rings have become increasingly popular over the years.

Put aside all of your concerns about diamond alternatives – they’ve come a long way baby! Moissanite is a smart diamond alternative for people in the know – including celebrities who think it’s a “greener” choice because its not mined like diamonds, but lab produced. And our moissanite comes directly from Charles & Colvard, the top producers of moissanite in the country.

Moissanite engagement rings can be custom designed to fit your fiancee’s personality and your love. You can decide on the materials and the overall look of the piece and we’ll walk you through the process step-by-step, simply and easily. Bridal ring building shows that you care enough to give your engagement ring a personal touch.

If it’s time to pop the question, we can make sure you do it affordably, smartly and beautifully!

Classic Tiffany Style Round Moissanite Solitaire

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