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It’s no surprise to us. Diamond alternatives are the way of the future. Never before could you purchase such a high-quality gem that possesses (and sometimes exceeds) the attributes of a traditional mined diamond, and for a fraction of the price. For millennials who are conscientious of the world around them, diamond alternatives (like moissanite) provide a sound, eco-friendly alternative.

According to CNBC:

“Millennial consumers have distinctive preferences, which in many ways diverge from previous generations,” Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Ashley Wallace said in a research note this month. “They tend to be more value conscious, more concerned with sustainability and ethical production, and often value unique and individual products versus items that are standardized and mass-produced.”

Millennials also break the mold when it comes to fancy colored gems. They don’t adhere to the mindset that only a diamond represents true love. Instead, they embrace a stone that is significant to them.

“Millennials don’t want what all their friends have and don’t want what they’ve been told to have,” said Amanda Gizzi, a spokeswoman for Jewelers of America, a trade association with more than 8,000 member jewelers.

Below, one of exclusive designs using moissanite.

 

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We love Pinterest! Where else could you find such amazing images of jewelry? But more than just stunning pictures, Pinterest offers us great tips to take care of jewelry or advice on how to wear jewelry more effectively. Here are a few of our favorite pointers.

Oh…and follow us on Pinterest too!

A quick and easy reference to necklace lengths.

Match the right necklace with your neckline.

More advice on neckline/necklace pairing.

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Spring is officially here and floral designs are busting out everywhere, including the red carpet. At Sunday night’s Tony awards, many a celebrity donned a floral-inspired dress (see below) and posed in front of an amazing floral backdrop that served to enhance the natural beauty of the celebrity.

The backdrop included 100,000 red roses and was designed by famed florist Raul Àvila. It took nearly 20 hours and 50 crew members to assemble. Wow!

Lupita_Nyongo wearing a beaded floral gown with delicate cap sleeves.

Here are a few of our floral designs for your next “red carpet” event !

Style 102058 Floral And Bezel Cluster Design Anniversary Band With Round Diamonds Anniversary band with floral design and bezel clusters featuring approximately .40ct t.w. round diamonds.

Barkev’s Blue Sapphire And Diamond Cathedral Engagement Ring With Floral Accents From the Barkev’s Collection: Cathedral engagement ring with floral accents featuring .59ct t.w. channel set round blue sapphires and .24ct t.w. round natural side diamonds. Fits a 1ct (6.5mm) round center stone (setting only, does not include center stone). Barkev’s style #7944LBSW

Engagements are serious businesses. And wedding plans are based on detail. That type of detail touches every aspect, including the choice of cut for your engagement ring.

The cut of a ring is a personal decision (since there are so many!). Rose cut stones are becoming increasingly popular, especially with millennials who appreciate the simple, clean line approach to ring design.

But the rose cut dates way back (all the way to the 1500’s).

Why is it called a rose cut?

The stones are designed to resemble the petals of a rose by imitating the spiral of petals. Usually, they are flat at the bottom which creates a larger surface area of the stone’s brilliance. It’s considered a simpler cut than the brilliant cut but continues to gain in popularity because of its simplicity.

Here’s an example of rose cut sapphires.

Diamonds often have what some consider “flaws.” They’re called inclusions. And they’re not necessarily always a bad thing. Inclusions may be considered the “birthmark” of the diamond. They’ll be there forever, distinguishing the gem from any other.

The next time you spot a perceive a flaw in yourself, reframe it. These personal “inclusions” are what makes you distinctly you. When you reshape your thinking in this way, you’re able to remember that you are a bright and beautiful diamond, not in spite of flaws, but because of these one-of-a-kind distinguishing features.

Metal finishes on jewelry are commonly used in jewelry making and gives the metal a shiny, highly reflective look. But finishes can also be used to reduce shine and create a matte look (which accentuate gemstones like diamonds).

Brushed finishes are another technique that give jewelry a textured look and are created by brushing a material (like with sandpaper) against the metal, leaving stylish brush strokes.

Hammered finishes are relatively self-explanatory. They’re created by using a round hammer and give jewelry a distinctive wavy texture.

There are other interesting and creative finishes, such as stone finish or glass blasted, each creating its own particular look.

What finish is right for you? Like a thumbprint, each finish is unique and individual. When looking at the chart below, decide which ones speak to you and match your personality and lifestyle!

Ready for crazy statistic:

A sexual assault occurs every 22.5 minutes in India.

Well these men have come up with a piece of jewelry that will help this stat drop.

According to CNN:

“The public doesn’t read about most of these incidents in the newspapers,” said Manik Mehta, cofounder of startup Leaf Wearables. “But this fact shook us to the core.”

Mehta and four of his friends became obsessed with finding a technology solution to help keep women in India safe.

The five men were engineering students at India’s top colleges, including Delhi College of Engineering and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

In February 2015, they launched smart jewelry startup Leaf Wearables. At the heart of each specially-designed pendant, bracelet and key chain is a small circular device called SAFER.

When a threat is perceived, the user double clicks the SAFER device that’s attached to the jewelry, which triggers the corresponding app.

Jewelry is no longer just for fashion anymore…and it makes sense, we wear it, right? Help can be that close.

Holy space age, Batman!

Found on Mashable yesterday, this flexible LCD bracelet isn’t quite a fashion statement…but it makes up for its lack of style in off-the-hook technology. The company responsible for this amazing piece of work is UK-based FlexEnable whose goal is deliver curvy, flexible screens.

A UK company called FlexEnable is working to deliver screens that are much more curvy, and fully flexible.

According to Mashable who stumbled across this piece at a show in Barcelona,

“The LCD screen is functional, and even though it’s not a real touchscreen, we could tap the buttons on its side to change the displayed info, including an animated map and a grid of icons.”