Happy Stories From our customers

Some people are very attached to their birthstones, others not so much. My birthstone is a topaz and while I like the gem, I wouldn’t say its my favorite (not a big fan of yellows in my gem).

But what is the rarest of birthstones? (Don’t think diamonds, since they aren’t particularly rare)

Think June’s Alexandrite:

Think December’s Tanzanite:

The Couture Press Preview took place in New York City last week, a fun, intimate event which features lesser-known jewelers. Jewelry expert and 10x writer Hannah Connorton picked a few of her favorites.

Syna debuted swan cameo earrings at the event, set in 18-karat yellow gold with black diamonds (below, $4,950). I was impressed with the introduction of ivory carvings–which designers Dharmesh and Namrata Kothari found in Indonesia–as they add another dimension to the brand’s aesthetic, which is mainly smooth, round stones.

One trait I have noticed about designer Pamela Huizenga is that she’s great with mixing colors, especially when it comes to neutral and warm hues. Her chrysoprase bracelet, however, set in 18-karat gold with diamonds (below, $16,800), really caught my attention. The pavé around the single cabochon chrysoprase adds a delicate, feminine touch to the piece, that’s just enough and not too much.

Jacquie Aiche has a great collection that covers a range of styles, from elegant and floral to tribal and bold. Her 14-karat yellow gold agate slice prong ring with diamond pavé (below) is a great pairing of a gorgeous gemstone with edgy accents; the warm colors and gold metal is eye-catching but not scene stealing.

Sara Freedenfeld, the designer behind brand Amáli, weaves her gold jewelry by hand, with some pieces taking up to 10 hours to complete. I loved her 18-karat gold Peruvian opal clasp necklace with blue diamonds (below, $6,000), especially since the clasp mechanism allows the wearer to adjust the length of the necklace.

– See more at: https://blog.nationaljeweler.com/2013/08/editors-picks-part-ii.html#sthash.Dd7jgCDe.dpuf

Ever since necklaces were invented (okay, maybe a little later), hair has been getting stuck in them. And as women know, it’s painful! Here are a few tips we found on eHow that may prove useful, if a favorite necklace of yours is yanking at your hair.

• Figure out where your hair keeps catching. Is there more hair around the clasp? Is the hair tightly wound around a whole two inch section? Finding out where your problem is can help you better address it.

• Drip candle wax around the area of the necklace that keeps catching hair. Candle wax is very helpful on many metals, including gold and silver, and is tarnish-free. You will have to repeat this every month or so on a necklace you wear often–it’s not a permanent solution.

• Slide some clear canister tubing (for aquariums) on the necklace. It’s unsightly, but it works. To achieve the same results without altering the look of the necklace, you can wrap the area that catches hair with clear tape several times. Make sure none of the sticky part is exposed or your hair will still catch (possibly worse than before).

• Don’t wear the chain at all times. Often, sleeping or swimming in a necklace can cause it to catch hair.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_2271127_stop-necklace-from-catching-hair.html#ixzz2cbjg9Hkg

While we’ve seen some jewelry that looks like it could have been created by aliens, this ancient iron jewelry contains remnants of meteorites in them.

Read on:

Some of the earliest pieces of jewelry discovered have been found to contain samples from outer space. Archaeologists have confirmed funeral beads strung around bodies from a 5000-year-old Egyptian cemetery contained pieces of iron from meteorites that fell to Earth.

Using high-tech scanning methods, researchers from University College London (UCL) found the nine small beads, which were discovered in the Lower Egypt village of el-Gerzeh in 1911, confirm the metal came from outer space rather than terrestrial iron ores, as previously believed. The beads came from two burial sites dating back to 3200 BC and were discovered along with other exotic terrestrial minerals such as agate and gold.

UCL Archaeology Professor Thilo Rehren, lead author of a paper published in The Journal of Archaeological Science, said, “The shape of the beads was obtained by smithing and rolling, most likely involving multiple cycles of hammering, and not by the traditional stone-working techniques such as carving or drilling which were used for the other beads found in the same tomb.”

Source: RedOrbit.com

A Boy Scout is always prepared. And this 12 year-old was no different when he visited Diamond State Park in Arkansas and found a 5.16 ct. brown stone within minutes. Read on.

Michael Dettlaff with his find (Photos courtesy of Crater of Diamonds State Park).

It’s been a good summer for diamond finds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park.

The park has an area where visitors can search for diamonds and keep what they find. Michael Dettlaff, 12, of Apex, N.C., hit the jackpot on July 31 when he discovered a 5.16 ct. brown stone at the public park in Murfreesboro, Ark., after searching for less than 10 minutes.

The Boy Scout has since named the stone the “God’s Glory Diamond.” The gem is described as “honey-brown” and the size of a jelly bean, and is the 27th-largest gem ever found at the park.

In a statement, park interpreter Waymon Cox said the gem is “truly glorious” with a “beautiful metallic luster” and some “interesting notches that give it a one-of-a-kind appearance.”

This find is particularly unusual since it was discovered so quickly. His father was in the midst of renting mining equipment when Dettlaff showed him the stone.

“When I brought this rock out of the bag, the guy who was there, he just went bug-eyed,” the preteen told ABC News. “If it can be cut and is valuable, I’d like to sell it. And if it’s not, it’s just a great souvenir.”

The 5.16 ct. brown found by 12-year-old Michael Dettlaff.

 

Source: JCK.com

http://youtu.be/LjDE41WP2ss