Happy Stories From our customers

Round Moissanite Heart Necklace Heart pendant with approximatley 3/4ct t.w. (dia equiv) Charles and Colvard created round moissanite set on an 18" cable

Once a week, we like to spotlight a certain piece in our collection that bears extra notice. Our Round Moissanite Heart Pendant is a classic, popular piece – and for good reason. Clients often tell us it goes with just about anything – whether you’re dressing up for a special occasional or need a sparkling touch with a simple, casual outfit – its just easy to wear.

Then there’s the moissanite. If you’re not familiar with this diamond alternative, this necklace is a smart way to experiment with an increasingly popular gem. Many won’t sacrifice diamonds for an engagement ring, for instance, but they will in a piece like this moissanite pendant necklace, where the stakes don’t seem as high! Once they realize the luster and beauty of moissanite, they’re often hooked and don’t look back.

And then there’s the heart. Regardless of your age or your tastes, a heart pendant speaks to all of us. It shows our openness to love. It shows others that we care. It’s a symbol that has resonated throughout time.

This piece is currently $689, making it affordable to many. And it’s an addition to your wardrobe that will stand the test of time, so a smart investment as well.

Click on the photo for more info or give us a call!

I stumbled across a blog piece last week in Jewelry Insider that notes a trend I’ve noticed as well: the “less is more” look. Perhaps its the economy or the warmer temperatures or the need for celebrities to not appear overly flashy or indulgent, but touches of jewelry seem to the way to go.

 

Take Julia Roberts at her Larry Towne premiere in LA this week. Nevermind the on-trend menswear look (which I find ‘safe’ and ‘snore-worthy’) – but take a gander at the jewelry choice. Simple diamond studs and a jade wrap necklace. Easy. Breezy. Beautiful.

Or how about Jenna Elfman at the same event? Just a splash of a  yellow gold drop earring and she’s good to go.

And Katie Holmes sported similar ‘tiny treasure’ style at the LA Film Festival in small pearl earrings and a delicate yellow gold ‘S’ pendant (for daughter Suri, I suppose). Sweet.

So while we’ve all been starved for a lower jaw-drop moment since the Cannes Film Festival over a MONTH ago – I have to admit: I’m OK with diamonds on the down-low every once in a while.

Just DON’T make it a habit, Hollywood.

Source: Jewelry Insider

 

Cadmium is a soft, bluish-white metal. It is used in nickel-cadmium batteries, pigments, metal plating/coatings and stabilizers in plastics. In children’s jewelry, cadmium is used to make the jewelry coating shiny in addition to adding weight and mass. However, cadmium is also a toxic heavy metal and a suspected carcinogen. It can also cause severe damage to the lungs, liver, kidneys and nervous system if swallowed or inhaled.

Illinois is the second state to ban the use of cadmium in children’s jewelry-making:

The law, which goes into effect July 1, limits the toxic metal to 75 parts per million (ppm) in any surface coating or accessible substrate of jewelry. It requires companies to measure the amount of cadmium that can “migrate” or leach out of a sample of jewelry over a two-hour period, when the sample is immersed in a solution that simulates digestive acid.

A similar cadmium ban was passed in January in Minnesota. However, the two laws differ in that Illinois specifies that children are “12 and under,” while Minnesota defines children as under six.

Three other states—California, Maryland, and Connecticut—have also passed laws banning cadmium in children’s jewelry, but those laws will not take effect until 2012, in the case of California and Maryland. Connecticut’s law takes effect in 2014.

Industry groups, including the MJSA, recently came together with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to develop a standard for children’s jewelry.

That group produced a draft Safety Standard with recommendations on cadmium limits. If  adopted by the CPSC, the standard would likely supersede state cadmium laws and ultimately create a national standard.

Source: JCK