Jewelry Education and Advice

Get your tickets here for a heavenly trip to the most magical and mythical destination ever: a planet made of diamonds. Well, before you pack your bags, you may want to know that there isn’t any oxygen on the Planet of Diamonds…but hey, a small price to pay right? The amount of diamond will leave you breathless anyway.

According to Brilliant Earth:

Scientists have discovered a planet that they believe is composed mostly of carbon, and is one-third pure diamond!  Discovered in 2004, the planet orbits a nearby star in the Milky Way, and is named “55 Cancri e” (which, in our opinion, is not a sufficiently glamorous name for such an extraordinary planet). Perhaps even more amazing, scientists have discovered a star that is essentially a diamond of ten billion trillion trillion carats.  They named the star Lucy after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”

While our custom design abilities are out of this world, extracting diamond from this planet may be a little out of our skillset!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnom7BfSxAI

With Father’s Day just behind us, we revisit a common question among ring wearers: which ring metal is the toughest? And we get why: when you’re wearing a wedding band on a daily basis (and of course, this applies to women as well), the ring simply must withstand the daily stressors that occur. The interesting part? Many people don’t realize just how much a ring withstands until they wear it.

So what hard metal is the best choice when it comes to wedding and engagement rings?

Well if you’re seeking a durable metal that’s not overly expensive, then titanium is a “solid” choice. It’s one of the strongest metals used in jewelry. And its very durable, meaning it could withstand a lifetime of wear. It’s also quite easy to clean.

If you’re seeking a durable metal that looks amazing, then platinum is your go-to choice. Platinum is a prized metal that keeps it worth and possesses an amazingly elegant and fashionable look and shine. Platinum possesses a silver-white color.

If it’s strictly durability you seek, then tungsten is the way to go. Perfect for men who work with their hands, tungsten simply will not scratch or bend. It’s about 10x harder than 18k gold and 4x harder than titanium. It is a heavier ring because of its density, so that’s a factor to consider.

6mm Comfort Fit Platinum Wedding Band With A Satin Finish And Beveled Edges

We talk a lot here about “fire” and “brilliance” and “scintillation.” But it doesn’t mean much if the lighting isn’t complimenting your diamond. Consider it like a dance, where two partners (the light and the gem) work together to create the best performance possible.

A GIA researcher has this to say:

If you think of a diamond like “a series of mirrors reflecting its environment,” it can help you understand how light and location can change the way your diamond appears. When you look at your diamond, you are also seeing a reflection of the surrounding environment, including yourself.

You can test this theory yourself:

Hold the diamond at arm’s length and look at how bright it is and how the pattern of dark and light appears. Now, gradually bring it closer to your eye. By the time it gets very close, the area of dark pattern in the diamond has grown and is much more prominent.

So when purchasing a diamond, what’s the best way to test its overall appearance? We believe its best to look at it in the type of lighting where you’ll most typically wear it. Ultimately your choice of a diamond is a highly personal choice so there’s no definitive right or wrong. Check out the example below.

These diamonds display high, moderate and low brightness under fluorescent light. Photos by Eric Welch/GIA

Degas “Dancer onstage with a bouquet,” circa 1878

Sure, we see them on the runway but did you know the history of chokers extends way back? That’s right, the simple choker has seen a vast history that keeps it trending to this day. Technically a necklace, you’ll find the choker throughout Chinese, Native American, Indian, and Egyptian cultures.

Take the French Revolution:

Women took to wearing red ribbons around their necks to pay homage to those who met their death at the guillotine. The ribbon could be worn around the neck, or another fashion came in the form of an X around the shoulders and back. [Source: Buzzfeed]

The choker become increasingly popular in the late 1800’s where fashionable ladies, ballerinas (as depicted in the Degas image above) and even prostitutes donned them (a black choker often signified a “lady of the night”).

Initially chokers were often simple cloth but that morphed into new material such as luxe diamonds, pearls, lace and velvet. They were frequently custommade (which we love!) so they fit just right (because a droopy collar just won’t do).

Looking for a custom designed choker? Let’s find one that keeps you trendsetting for years to come!

A Trapiche emerald

St. Hildegard of Bingen, a noted lithologist, once declared, “All the green of nature is concentrated within the Emerald.”

Each and every gem has its own special personality. Almost like humans, they have expressive traits that tell us about the gem. Emeralds are no different. Birthstone of May, emeralds come in a wide variety of hues.

According to WikiHow:

Hue refers to the purity of an emerald’s color, and it is one of key points to consider regarding color quality. Most emeralds have a blue-green tint, while others may have a yellow-green tint. The most valuable have little to no tint, however, and are as pure green as possible.

This is not to be confused with tone. Tone refers to the darkness or lightness of an emerald. Emeralds span from very light to very dark (with the more precious emeralds fallen on the darker end).

Emeralds are a powerful gem, heavy with history and meaning. Emeralds “promotes friendship, balance between partners, and is particularly known for providing domestic bliss, contentment and loyalty.” [Source: Crystal Vaults]

Whatever your gem of choice, we can custom design a piece especially for you!

Columbian emeralds.

We understand the complicated and multi-layered psychological aspects of jewelry. Our clients have deep attachments to the pieces we design, and we get why. When every aspect of a design is imbued with specific meaning and attached to deep feelings of love and commitment, it becomes more than just jewelry.

This latest New York Times piece postulates that jewelry may even be used as a form of protection against stress.

Since President Trump’s inauguration in January, Pamela Love has received more requests for pieces from her Dagger jewelry collection than anytime since its introduction almost a decade ago. And Ms. Love, a New York-based designer, has no doubts about why her retailers and social media followers have renewed interest in the fierce-looking, but harmless, miniature daggers dangling from earrings and necklaces.

“Women want to feel tough,” she said. “They want something that reminds them they are tough, and they want something that shows the world they are tough. It’s not about violence. It’s about feeling strong and protected.”

Do you agree? Do you wear jewelry as a form of stress relief or protection?

If you’re like, oh…a million other women, you have a drawer or box for your “junk jewelry.” Or maybe this lesser-than jewelry is mixed in with your good pieces. Wherever you put it–or however much you accrue–it could be going to better use than collecting dust or tangling with other jewelry.

This video suggests some quick and easy ways to repurpose your jewelry so it has a brand new life…and gets out of that black hole of a junk jewelry drawer!

We’ve seen it before. The wrong earrings can have a dramatic effect on the look of your face. For instance (as this video mentions) long earrings (the type that almost touch the shoulder) can have an elongating effect on face–good for a round face but certainly not so good for a longer face.

The easiest way to tell? Grab a selection of earrings, pull your hair back and stand in front of a good, well-lit mirror. Then try each pair, one by one. When you try earrings on sequentially like this, its much easier to tell whether a pair is a right fit for your size face.

Barely a day goes where we don’t hear news about jewelry thefts of some sorts. Whether its a high-powered celebrity or a local break-in, no one is immune to prying hands.

Luckily, there are steps you can take when you travel to make sure your valuable jewelry is safe, leaving you to truly relax and enjoy your vacation.

First and foremost, take advantage of your hotel’s safe deposit box. This is where precious gemstones and jewelry belong when you’re not wearing it. Get into the routine of familiarizing yourself with the process so it becomes habitual and easy to integrate into your vacation schedule. Again, if you’re not wearing it, your valuables belong in a safe deposit box. 

When it comes to visitors, be selective. Most of us meet new people in public while on vacation. And that’s a great thing. But be aware: people who steal come in all shapes and sizes. As a matter of fact, thieves can be quite shrewd, charming and outwardly trustworthy. Get in the habit of meeting new friends out in public and not inviting them into your sanctuary: your hotel room.

A vacation is always a good idea. And bringing your amazing jewelry with you to show off to the world is part of the fun. It takes very little to accustom yourself to habits that will ensure the safety of your valuables. Some simple safeguards go a long way!

Adornment can be anything you want it to be. When it comes to make-up, jewelry can be indicated with the use of the right placement of color and design.

Nobody does this better than fashion guru/celebrity Vanessa Hudgens, who wows the crowds at Coachella each year by donning her particular brand of distinctive desert fashion.

In this video, make-up expert Angel Marie demonstrates how you too can have that Hudgens-style bling feel via the right make-up art.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh9vbfDpdBo