Happy Stories From our customers

Here’s a custom jewelry project with a long history. Christine and I have been friends since grade school. We attended Tavan Elementary, Ingleside Middle and Arcadia High schools together. Christine’s parents were customers of my father’s and for Christine’s high school graduation, her parents had a gold and diamond initial pendant made. Now, a “few” years later it’s Christine’s daughter Catherine who is graduating.

So Christine contacted me several weeks before the big day to talk about carrying on the tradition. Her idea was to do something a little more updated; have the piece made in white gold rather than yellow gold and to update the type style somewhat. In addition, she wanted to make it even more personal and special by incorporating diamonds from her collection along with diamonds from her sister, Daphne’s collection (Daphne also received a diamond initial for her high school graduation). The results are below. Click on the images to see larger versions.

Oh, I’m sure you’ve been there. Ten minutes to get ready and half of it is spent on trying to get on your necklace. You ask for some help and even your loved one has trouble! Soon, you find yourself not wearing said necklace as often because it’s just too much of a hassle.

As Terri Rocker, fashion expert, puts it:

“The best necklace clasps are easy to fasten, stay secured, match the style of the necklace, and endure the wear and tear of being repeatedly fastened and unfastened.”

Reminder when you are thinking of purchasing jewelry, consider the clasp! It could make or break your wearing experience:

Spring Ring and Lobster Claw

1. Operate a spring ring or lobster claw clasp by lifting the tiny lever that compresses the spring to release the clasp. Quite secure, both of these clasps are popular, with lobster claws usually being easier to manipulate.

Hook Clasp

2. Fish hook, S-hook and hook-and-eye clasps secure necklaces using hooks. While easy to fasten, these are not very secure and may slip out.

Magnetic Clasp

3. Magnetic clasps use magnets to secure the necklace. Most magnetic clasps are best suited to very lightweight necklaces, as they easily come apart.

Barrel Clasp

4. Barrel clasps are barrel-shaped screws that require some dexterity to twist and untwist. The larger ones are quite secure, although they are prone to looking bulky.

Toggle Clasp

5. The toggle clasp is also known as the bar-and-ring clasp. With a long bar on one end that fits into a wide ring and then “locks” into position, the toggle clasp is one of the easiest to fasten for arthritic hands.

Box Clasp

6. An elegant-looking clasp that often uses a filigree design, the box clasp has been known to come undone by accident. Open a box clasp by pushing the lever, and close it by clicking it into place.

Multi-Strand Clasp

7. A multi-strand clasp may have hook, slide locking or box clasp fasteners. Multi-strand clasps come with 2 or more loops per side to secure multi-strand necklaces.

Spring Ring Clasp

Toggle Clasp

Read more: Types of Clasps for Necklaces | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_4899702_types-clasps-necklaces.html#ixzz0ut0yx6vJ

Style 8963GM

Princess Cut Cultured Diamond Solitaire Pendant

1/3ct Princess cut solitaire diamond pendant set diagonaly, hanging from a black rubber cord. Available in fancy yellow, orange, pink and blue cultured diamonds.

Metal: 14kt White Gold
Stone size: 1/3ct

Colored gemstones like Gemesis can add real pizazz to your wardrobe. They are eye-catching and often, more affordable than diamonds. But just as buying diamonds requires some basic knowledge, so does the purchase of colored gemstones. Here’s a few pointers from the Better Business Bureau:

Many new stone treatments have been developed to improve the appearance and durability of gemstones. However, a treatment may lower the gem’s value and may require special care to retain the gem’s appearance.

Laboratory-created (synthetic) stones are identical to natural stones but do not have their rarity and cost; thus, laboratory-created stones are less expensive than naturally mined stones.

In contrast, imitation or “assembled” stones resemble natural stones in appearance, but may be glass, plastic or other less valuable stones.

Follow these tips:

• Ask whether the gemstone is natural, synthetic or imitation.

• Ask whether the gemstone was treated in any way.
• Learn to use a jeweler’s loupe (small magnifier) to see inside the stone to check if it is chipped or damaged in any way; ask the salesperson to educate you about the quality of the gemstone.
• Be sure you get everything in writing. A sales receipt or appraisal listing the quality of the gemstone is considered a contract and is your only means of proving what you have been told.
• Read all warranties and guarantees before buying the jewelry.
• Ask for a certificate of replacement cost or appraisal listing the special qualities of your gemstone to accompany your receipt.
• Ask about the cleaning and care of the gemstone.

Learning how to use a jeweler’s loupe is a great suggestion. We’re more than happy to show you how. Stop by our showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona. We’d love to show you around.

(above) Jewelry professionals use a magnifier, also called a loupe (pronounced loop), to inspect gemstones and other jewelry.

You may or may not be aware of this extremely rare metal from the platinum family, but chances are you own some of the metal which was recently priced at $10,000/ounce. Rhodium is used in the fine jewelry finishing process. White gold jewelry is plated with rhodium to give it a bright white color (remember, all gold starts out as pure, or 24kt, which is extremely yellow. It’s only after alloying the gold that it gets its white(er) color). Rhodium is also used in catalytic converters in automobiles.

This informative article give some history and insight into rhodium, along with palladium which is another platinum family metal used in jewelry making. It highlights the extremely volatile price of the metal which has seen a greater than tenfold increase in recent years when rhodium reached its peak price of $10,000/oz in 2008. It also explains its extreme scarcity and increasing demand. Click here for the full article. To see examples and additional information on palladium and other metals, visit our Metals section of our blog by clicking here.

In my end is my beginning. ~ Mary Queen of Scots

Here at Joseph Schubach Jewelers, we consider ourselves educators of sorts. We want our customers to be as knowledgeable as possible, so their choices are sound and right. And the history of jewelry is no different; when you understand the past, you realize the power that it holds. A diamond ring is not just a diamond ring – its a symbol of love and strength that stretched back centuries:

Since at least 5000 BC, men and women have worn rings – on their thumbs, fingers and even toes.

Some rings have been purely decorative, seal rings and archers’ rings have had useful purposes, while a few have been thoroughly nasty specimens, harboring poison that turned a handshake into a deadly clasp.

The earliest written reference to rings as love tokens is in the second century BC, in works by the Roman playwright Plautus.

The practice of exchanging wedding rings, apparently common in Rome, was “Christianized” by the 4th century AD.

An early example of an engagement ring featuring Eros, the ancient symbol of love. By the 14th century, wealthy Europeans had their wedding rings set with precious jewels, somewhat like modern engagement rings, but it was not until 1477 that the diamond engagement ring as we know it came into being.

That year, the Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian I gave a diamond engagement ring to his fiancée, Mary of Burgundy. This first instance of a royal engagement ring fueled the European passion for diamonds, already aflame by the taste for fine jewels promoted by Mary’s father, Charles the Bold (1433–77).

As the dukes of Burgundy controlled Europe’s major diamond–cutting centers in Antwerp and Bruges, Charles’ encouragement of wealthy Europeans to buy diamonds appears to have a commercial side.

By the 16th century, it seemed no royal marriage was complete without a diamond ring. Mary, Queen of Scots, chose one when she married Lord Darnley in 1565 and in 1673, James II of England sent a diamond ring to Mary of Modena for their proxy wedding in 1673.

In 1839, Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a diamond ring as a memento of their first meeting, perhaps inadvertently setting the royal seal of approval on diamond engagement rings.

It was during the second half of the 19th century that the practice of giving two rings for the bride became firmly established.

Prince Philip carried on the royal diamond tradition when he gave his fiancée, now Queen Elizabeth II, an engagement ring made with diamonds from the tiara of his mother, Princess Alice.

Source: Ancient Jewelry Facts

Style 9335M

Split Shank Milgrained Engagement Ring With Round Stones

Split shank milgrained engagement ring with approx. 1/3ct t.w. pave’ set side stones. Fits a 7mm round center stone. (Setting only, does not include center stone)

Just because gold is known for its high durability doesn’t mean that your gold jewelry doesn’t need some love and care. Here are a few pointers that will extend the life of your gold jewelry and keep you looking dazzling:

DOs

* Keep your jewelry away from chlorine as chlorine can weaken its structure and lead to breakage.

* Remove your jewelry and keep wrapped in a small soft cloth such as a chamois at the end of each day.

* Clean at least once a week with an appropriate cleaner, this will ensure that your jewelry keeps the shine and luster it had when first purchased.

* If you do not have a commercial cleaner a small amount of soapy water containing mild soap and a toothbrush will do just fine. Ensure that you leave your gold to air dry and then buff when drying is complete.

* Get them professionally cleaned at least once per year at a jeweler especially if they have precious stones embedded into them.

DON’Ts

* Wear your jewelry while swimming in chlorinated pools.

* Wear while bathing as soaps tend to leave a film on your gold rendering lusterless.

* Wear your gold jewelry all the time, this will add to wear and tear to it and cause it to be more vulnerable. Keep some pieces only for special occasions.

* Store jewelry in a place that it will rub on other jewelry or the storage container

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jayan_B

Style 7231WB

Ladies’ 14kt Yellow Gold Anniversary Band

Ladies’ anniversary band, .50ct t.w. channel set diamonds, 14kt yellow gold.

Metal: 14kt Yellow Gold
Stone Size: .50ct t.w.
Ring Size: 4 – 8

This is an often debated issue: if you’re wearing gold, where nothing but gold. If you’re wearing silver, where nothing but silver. That’s what my grandmother believed. She also believe eating candy before bedtime gave you nightmares. So maybe its time we revisit these old “rules of fashion.”

According to one expert:

We were once told not to mix metals, and this is one of the old-school rules (like no white after Labor Day) that designers now ignore. Wearing gold with gold and silver with silver creates a more traditional look, but isn’t true fashion all about looking modern?

The trick is, if you want to mix metals, keep the style of the jewelry the same. A modern gold cuff won’t look right paired back to dainty, antique platinum and diamond earrings. The “stacking trend” lends itself perfectly to the mixing of metals. Stack square or round rings or bangles in different shades of gold. You can even layer gold and silver necklaces for a fashion-forward look. Sometimes rules were made to be broken.

Read More http://www.ivillage.com/jewelry-dos-donts/5-a-146754#ixzz0u8I3nh2N

Hmmm…maybe candy before bedtime did cause nightmares.

Here’s a great line of alternative metal jewelry that is available to you. There is a great selection of titanium, tungsten carbide, ceramic and stainless steel wedding rings, necklaces, watches, money clips, etc. Click on the picture to view the PDF version of the catalog. It’s kind of a big file, so be patient.

Also, the retail prices are MSRP, you’ll get a substantial discount from these. Call for details or send us your questions here.

Ancient Egypt still influences our choice of fashion today, if you can believe it. Or perhaps you are already aware, since any of the images below are hardly foreign to our eyes. Cleopatra and her wondrous ways certainly had a direct influence.  Kind of amazing to think of that kind of fashion lasting power!

And remember, we know our jewelry and our history – if there’s a piece that makes you feel like an Egyptian queen, let us create one for you.

Jewelry was extremely popular throughout the history of the Egyptian nation. Excavations of tombs have shown that queens of Egypt were almost always buried with a multitude of jewelry to be used in the afterlife. The amount of jewelry worn by an individual often indicated their social position and level of wealth.

Even the poor, who could not afford much, attempted to adorn themselves with as much jewelry as was possible. While not nearly as expensive, the jewelry of the commoner was usually very brightly colored and was constructed of materials such as pottery.

The Egyptians did not confine themselves to a limited selection of materials: a very wide variety of minerals were crafted into jewelry including amethyst, cornelian, jasper, onyx and quartz crystal. Today these stones are classified as semi-precious versus precious gems like diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds.

Tutanhkamun pendant (photo: J. Bodsworth)

19th Dynasty inlaid diadem, or wig (J. Bodsworth)

Source: Ancient Egypt online