From a reader of our blog and friend:

Dear Joe and company:

Valentine’s Day is less than a week away. And I can already feel the hands of fate at work. This guy I’ve been dating, who lives about an hour from me, will send me flowers. Or worse, some weird little e-card. He’s a great guy and he’s been a very generous and kind boyfriend. But somehow it always seems to happen: I feel disappointed on Valentine’s Day.

Listen, I don’t expect much. I’m a humble sort. If a guy wanted to make me a nice dinner in honor of this day, I’d be grateful and appreciative. But an e-card? Or cold, lonely flowers?

I’ve never gotten jewelry for Valentine’s Day. And secretly, it’s always what I wanted. Why? Because I can wear it in honor of our love. It’s that simple. It’s a constant reminder that someone thought of me enough to step it up a notch and choose a piece of jewelry – very different than ordering flowers from 1-800-WHATEVER.

And I’m not even talking some big rock. I’d like a simple pendant or some sweet earrings. Even a little charm bracelet. It’s not so much an expensive piece; it’s just the thought behind it.

It’s an annoying holiday, I get that. But secretly, we all have our dreams based on what we’d like to happen. Jewelry is what I’d like to happen. I’m just saying.

Sincerely,

Hearts on Fire

Hearts on Fire, we’d like to suggest this piece to your boyfriend. Affordable, romantic, simple.

Style 10119-4.5mm (1/3ct) Classic Sweetheart Pave Necklace Classic Sweetheart pave necklace with 1/5ct t.w. round brilliant stones set on an 18″ cable chain. Fits a 4.5mm (1/3ct diamond) round center stone. (setting only, does not include center stone).

A client last week had written to us about the significance of a piece we had designed for her. It was during a trying and transitional time in her life. There’s a jaggedness to the design that resonates with her, so symbolic of how that trying period felt. She called it “jewelry for the soul.”

She now wears that necklace as a reminder of her ability to survive, even thrive, in the face of adversity.  What piece of jewelry could you design that would represent you now? What gem would it hold? What metals would symbolize you? Would it hang from your neck or lie on your wrist or encircle your finger? What kind of feel would the piece have? Warm? Strong? Funky? Classic?

All of these decisions go into making a custom design piece of jewelry. It’s a very personal process. The pieces we create may be worn a lifetime; it needs to deeply resonate with you. We make sure it does.

An example of “soul jewelry.” Aria’s eternity band.

Contact us for a phone appointment or stop by our showroom in Scottsdale. We’re happy to design some jewelry for your soul.

Here’s another piece we’re excited about. We’re pretty much out of the development stage and ready for production. We’re calling it The Gypsy and you can see additional pics and a video here.

Dear Joe-

Our story may be typical of many couples these days where John and I met on line. We never expected to develop into anything more than companionship, but when it did, he proposed to me with my mother’s original engagement ring so that I could partake in the experience of choosing the perfect one.

Not knowing a lot about jewelry, I chose rings online from an unknown jeweler and we were married. The quality of the ring was far less than I had hoped.

I confided in my sister who knew of Schubach jewelers. Our visit to pick out a replacement ring was memorable. I walked in the door having the style of a ring in mind. The selection was so varied and unique. I tried on many but could not decide. Joe watched and said, “you keep going back to that one”. You know, he was right. That was the ring I ultimately chose and have been overjoyed with it. I chose a moissanite stone for the center. The sparkle is remarkable, and pairing it with diamonds makes the perfect setting. The overall quality of the ring surpassed my expectations. I find myself pausing throughout my day to look at my ring; I am so proud of it.

Thank you, Joe, for your professionalism, providing a quality piece of jewelry, and mostly, your attention to the client’s satisfaction.

Celeste T.

Celeste’s ring can be found here:

Gold may be one of the key elements of your jewelry box, but it’s much more than that. The gold market has vast economic implications both globally and politically. This great piece in JCK gives the reader an idea of the complexities of this precious metal:

Cool Facts About Gold:

• Gold has two sources of supply: mining and recycled gold.

• Mining gold has decreased of late owing to the fact that all the “easy gold” has been mined and exploration budgets to find more are going to be much more expensive. Even if a new find was discovered, it would take 5–10 years for that gold to reach the market.

• According to the WGC’s website, recycled gold ensures that there is “potential source of easily traded supply when needed.” As long as the metal is in a form that can be melted down, refined, and reused, it helps keep prices stable and avoid economic volatility. According to the WGC, recycled gold contributed an average 32 percent to annual supply flows between 2005 and 2009.

• Four components to gold demand: jewelry, investment, technology, and central banks.

• Between 400 and 500 tons of gold a year are in technology. Along with the uses I mentioned early, it is also employed extensively in dentistry, although Schraeder tells me that practice has dropped off slightly in recent years.

• There has been a shift in gold demand from the West to the East.

• China and India combine to make up 50 percent of the global demand for gold. The United States and the rest of North America make up just 13 percent of global demand.

• Women in India possess upward of 18,000 tons of gold—mainly because of India’s culture of giving gifts to women after marriage or during holidays like Diwali. To put that number is perspective, total U.S. holdings equal 8,133.5 tons.

Read more.

Hi Beth,
I wanted to thank you for all of your assistance in re-designing my ring! I absolutely love it! I have received a lot of compliments, even one person telling me it looks like a $10,000 ring. I can’t thank you and the jeweler enough.

Your team is great! J
Thank you,

We’ve heard it from our clients a lot over the years: their significant other gave them something a little…offbase for Valentine’s Day, when they really wanted jewelry. A toaster, a pair of gloves, French lessons….the list goes on. Most women would like jewelry. It means something to them; it symbolizes his feelings for her. Unfortunately this year, according to JCK Magazine, a substantial amount of women might be a little letdown:

Ranking second to jewelry were the other Valentine’s Day staples, flowers or chocolate, favored by 20 percent. Some 9 percent of women preferred perfume, and only 8 percent said the “latest technology product.”

Yet, despite this preference, another survey predicts that not every woman will receive the jewelry she wants on Feb. 14.

According to the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker, 29 percent of consumers are giving flowers for Valentine’s Day this year, with 19 percent giving gift cards, and only 15 percent giving jewelry.

Trust us on this one: even if you’re on a tight budget, our pendant necklaces are an “across the board” pleaser. Stylish and significant.

Style 10363 Key of Love Necklace “Key of Love” key necklace. For a larger view click here. Other sizes available, call for info

We have espoused the virtues of moissanite for years now. Not only is it superior diamond simulant, but its ecologically sound. The great news? Moissanite just got that much better. We should have these wonder gems in within the next month, so send us an email or check back for more news:

Charles & Colvard, Ltd., the sole manufacturer of created moissanite gemstones, has partnered with Serenity Technologies, Inc., a laboratory for gemstone enhancements, to create whiter and brighter gemstones. The company is introducing these enhanced gemstones as “FOREVER BRILLIANT™,” a new premier brand of Charles & Colvard Created Moissanite®.

Handpicked and polished moissanite is enhanced, through a proprietary process by Serenity Technologies, which can make each stone up to four color grades whiter on the Gemological Institute of America’s near-colorless spectrum.

“As a former jewelry retailer, I recognized the importance of being able to market a whiter gem and sought to provide one since joining Charles & Colvard,” says Randy N. McCullough, CEO of Charles & Colvard, Ltd.

“While moissanite can easily withstand very high temperatures and its covalent bonding, similar to diamond, allows it to withstand very high pressures, moissanite crystal does not respond to HPHT treatments in a fashion similar to Type IIa (virtually nitrogen-free) diamonds that can become near colorless after such treatments,” says Dr. Suneeta Neogi, president of Serenity Technologies, Inc.

“Serenity has developed a radically different proprietary process of whitening moissanite that greatly improves the color and brilliance of moissanite without any residual negative effects.”

Each “FOREVER BRILLIANT™” stone will be accompanied by a Charles & Colvard certification and laser inscribed on the girdle for easy identification.

 

Style 10365MS   Save 30% Now!! Round Moissanite Oval Cluster Design Necklace Oval cluster pendant with approximately 1 1/3ct t.w. (dia equiv) Charles and Colvard created round moissanite set on an 18″ cable chain. Available in 14kt white gold only. Sale! Save 30% on select items. Use coupon “Discount30” at checkout. (Discount will be calculated at checkout) While supplies last Trade Up Our Guarantee

MSRP: $2,255.00
Our Price: $1,899.00
Sale Price: $1,329.30

Hi Beth!

I wanted to say thank you very much!  I got the ring weds and it looked great.  I surprised her and asked her on Thursday!

I took her to disneyland thursday cause this was where we first hung out together, and when I first took her to the wishing well.  We got there mid afternoon, and went on a ride and walked around a little.  We made our way over to the wishing well, and said i happened to have a couple of quarters in my pocket.  We made are wishes, then I got down on one knee and asked her for her hand.

It was great!  Had dinner at Ruths Chris.  And am soo happy!

Thank you for all your help!

-B