This engagement ring features a white gold inner halo with white gold supports and accent diamonds in yellow gold bezels

We receive questions all of the time regarding the best way to clean your jewelry. It’s often easier than you think. This video breaks it down simply.

Does gold ever go out of vogue? Not according to this article. Gold dazzles in the  summer, comparable to to the sun in its glory and warms up a cold winter. Here are some accessories from a recent Elle article on the glory that is gold. If there’s a piece that tickles your fancy, we can recreate it for a fraction of the cost!

Nicholas Liu Fine Jewelry Solid Charm Pendant, $600

Ben-Amun Gold Metal Slider Necklace, $221

BaubleBar Gold Knot Studs

Susan Caplan Exclusive for Asos Vintage ’80s Sphere Studs, $12

Ben-Amun Foiled Gold Circle Button Earrings, $145

Sydney Evan Gold & Diamond Safety Pin Earrings, $660

We’re big believers that the more you know about a gem before purchasing, the happier you’ll be in the long run. Today, the lesson? Knowing the difference between “shape” and “cut.”

CUT

The cut of a gemstone describes how an artisan angles the gem to best reflect light through the stone. A good cut gives a diamond its brilliance, which is that brightness that seems to come from the very heart of a diamond. The angles and finish of any gemstone determine its ability to handle light, which leads to brilliance.

SHAPE

The artisan will choose the ultimate shape which will best flatter this rough gem. The shape is basically the overall geometry or form of the diamond (round, square, etc.). The parts of the gemstone which reflect shape are the table and crown, for example in the round gemstone they are cut to produce a round shape when looking down from above.

SUMMARY

To summarize: The “cut” is actually the angle and shape of the facets. The various cut angles determine how the stone will reflect light. That’s what gives a gemstone it’s brilliance. The “shape” refers to the overall shape of the stone geometrically or as defined by the outline or surface. Hope this helps you distinguish cut vs shape.

Source: eBay.com

Below, an example of a shape chart:

After our successful DIY (Dream it Yourself) Custom Design Contest, we’d like to proudly announce the winner of our stud earring giveaway, given to one lucky online voter.

This year’s winner:

Kirstin Kolstad

Kirstin wins a pair of our exclusively designed fleur-de-lis earrings. We chose these earrings as the winning prize because they work with just about any outfit. Plus the fleur-de-lis is a powerful and ancient symbol often used to represent royalty.

Kirstin, may you feel like a Queen when you wear them!

Today we announced the winner of our 4th annual DIY (Dream it Yourself) Jewelry contest. Read the story here.  Check out the video below, showcasing all of the elements in the ring, each representing a family member.

And here’s Carla with her beautiful family:

So why would you consider having a piece of custom design jewelry?

• To mark an event in your life, like the birth of a baby
• To remember a loved one by
• To celebrate a passage in your life, like starting a new life in a new location
• To treat yourself like the rock star that you are
• To create a piece of jewelry instead of simply purchasing the same old, same old

Custom design jewelry is about as individual as you. If you’ve never considered it, give us a call and we’ll show you how easy the process can be.

What story could you tell with a piece of jewelry?

At first, these gals made me cringe a little. Then they began to win me over with their bubbly attitude. Watch as these animated fashionistas review some cheap but jewelry for the summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHzYuiqQn9w

What a fun, enlightening article about men and jewelry I discovered in the Art of Manliness. He makes an essential point at the top of the article that a small piece of jewelry worn a certain way can make a huge statement. (He wears his wedding ring on a different finger because of the traditions of the country he was married in.) Read on men (and women):

4 Rules for Men When Wearing Jewelry

1.  Keep It Simple

When in doubt, keep it simple.  Start with a classic leather-strapped silver watch; if you regularly wear a watch and can afford it, consider a sportier diving watch with a stainless steel band as well.  Next branch out to tie accessories and cufflinks.

Once you’re comfortable wearing these generally accepted pieces, then you can start to introduce other jewelry pieces like necklaces if you choose.  For a quick visual guide, visit Joe’s awesome chart over at Dappered.

2.  Match Metals

Most men’s jewelry is metallic.  Gold and silver tones are the most common.  Your outfits should only feature one metal tone at a time.

 

Titanium/14kt Diamond Bracelet

 

3.  Understand Jewelry’s Symbolism

Jewelry has meaning.

You can’t get away from this.  Despite it taking up only a tiny percent of your visual presentation, people zero in on jewelry thanks to its flash and uncommon usage by men.

To further complicate the matter, people can interpret the meaning of the same piece of jewelry very differently.  To some, ornamental rings symbolize success and wealth; to others they signal organized crime affiliation.  Here’s a great discussion about this in the Art of Manliness’ community forum.

That means a man has to be careful when wearing jewelry pieces outside the norm.  It’s easy to appear flashy when you start including nondescript jewelry in your daily getup.  However, jewelry can add a helpful bit of color and uniqueness to an outfit. So how does a well-dressed man balance it?

4.  Jewelry and Dress Codes

In the business world, company dress codes can severely restrict male jewelry.  Often phrased in a politically correct tone such as, “Men should only wear tasteful pieces of jewelry,” you’ll find in practice that this means not rocking the boat and conforming to the status quo. So if you’re hired at AT&T corporate, be careful about trying to wear as many necklaces as Mr. T.

Seriously–the burden of appropriateness is always on the man who chooses to wear jewelry.  Know this and be restrained when you’re in any kind of professional setting.  You can express yourself after work.  Jewelry is, by its nature, small enough to slip into a jacket pocket after all.

Businesses that request “modest” or “tasteful” or “appropriate” jewelry, or other words along those lines, prefer things be limited to the traditional “masculine” styles of jewelry.  This includes tie accents, watches, cuff-links, wedding bands, and lapel pins.  Over the last decade most companies have expanded this to include bracelets, earrings, and ethnic jewelry as well.
If you’re going to be buying jewelry soon–make sure to first read my primer here on buying male jewelry where I explain metal and stone details in further depth.

To read more in-depth tips for men purchasing jewelry, continue here.

Madonna has worn fingerless gloves over the years. And throngs of Madonna-wannabes emulating this pop goddess followed in her footsteps (or handsteps?).

But this glove that Madonna donned for the premiere of her new ocumentary, takes the cake. Read on.

Madonna in a white gold and diamond Jacob & Co. glove at the premiere of Madonna: The MDNA Tour (Photo: WireImage/Kevin Mazur)

The dazzling glove was created by New York City–based luxury fine jewelry and watch brand Jacob & Co.

The one-of-a-kind Diamond Mesh Glove, which is part of a larger collection of one-off pieces called Rare Touch, was inspired by “a woman who is truly unique,” says designer Jacob Arabo of Jacob & Co. “Madonna certainly exemplifies this kind of woman—a woman with great style who isn’t afraid to take risks. I am thrilled to have her be the first person to wear [it].”

Source: JCK