Happy Stories From our customers

Let’s hope not…for obvious reasons. What we do hope is that they’re buying smarter jewelry (like eco-friendly diamonds alternatives such as moissanite). The days of blowing your wedding budget on an engagement ring are changing. More people (the millennials, in particular) see the value option of a custom design ring where the couple chooses the material and the price.

But other factors come into play when looking at jewelry sales dropping. According to the Wall Street Journal:

…jeweler Tiffany & Co. on Thursday said sales at existing stores fell 8% in the second period, extending a string of declines. But unlike Signet, which counts on middle America for the bulk of its sales, Tiffany is heavily dependent on foreign tourists, who have been buying less because of the strong dollar.

“We believe that macro market and political uncertainties are likely playing a role in restrained consumer behavior,” Mark Aaron, Tiffany’s vice president of investor relations, said Thursday.

And let’s not forget the effect of the Kaye diamond swap scandal. A jeweler’s reputation is everything. And when one is tarnished, sales are bound to drop, even though the executives at Signet say differently:

People aren’t buying as much jewelry at Signet Jewelers Ltd. , but executives said it wasn’t because of concerns that some diamonds at its shops were swapped with lesser-quality stones.

Instead, they pointed to a host of other reasons for the unexpected 2.3% drop in sales at established stores and a weak outlook: the prolonged oil slump, the divisive U.S. election, even the Brexit vote.

The retailer, which also owns the Kay Jewelers, Zales and Jared chains, cut its earnings and sales targets for the year, sending shares down more than 14% to $82.65 in Thursday morning trading.

Our advice always remains the same: choose a jeweler you trust (like one that’s been in business over 100 years…hint, hint) and stick with a budget that works for you. You can have your dream ring at the price you decide!

Well, we don’t quite know the answer to that because you know, angels don’t share a lot of fashion secrets with us lowly humans.

BUT we came a little closer to the answer when looking at Beyonce’s show-stopping gown at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in NYC on Aug. 28. Each year, ups her fashion game and this year was no exception.

Some of the earthly details of this angelic outfit?

She wore $12,580,000 of diamonds!

That staggering price tag was spread across just four pieces of Lorraine Schwartz jewelry, including a $1.8 million Colombian emerald, intense pink diamond and paraiba earrings, a $9 million 12 carat fancy pink diamond ring, a $1.5 million 20 carat wrap around diamond ring, and a marquise and pear shape diamond ring worth $280,000. [Source: People.com]

Look at those earrings!

In fading light of the end of summer, where bugs seem an ever-present part of the seasonal scene, we couldn’t help but love on this insect inspired jewelry by a number of designers, including Gucci, Stephen Webster and Los Angeles-based Jennifer Herwitt (who designed the amazing bee earrings below).

According to Herwitt [The Los Angeles Times]:

“At first, people react as if they hate or are scared of insects,” says Herwitt, about the insect and arachnid pieces she creates for her jewelry line J. Herwitt. “[But] once they see they are diamonds and gold, they start to see the beauty and the delicacy and intricate details that make [them] so realistic.”

If you’re looking for insect-inspired earrings, our custom design can get your project buzzing!

Contact us today!

8mm and 9mm

Christie’s is preparing a “landmark auction of The Private Collection of President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, the celebrated 40th President and First Lady of the United States,” slated for September 2016 and coinciding with Christie’s Americana Week sales series in New York. Proceeds from the auction are designated for The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.

While the auction encompasses everything from furniture to memorabilia, our eyes are on the jewelry, especially the 40th First Lady’s Van Cleef & Arpels diamond and gold lion pendant/brooch necklace and matching diamond and gold lion ear clips worn on a state visit to the U.K. in 1988, worth an estimated $50,000 and $20,000 respectively. These pieces (that the First Lady wore on a state visit to the U.K. in 1988) are expected to lead the jewelry sales.