Tag Archive for 'designer jewellery'

White Gold and Sterling Silver Cross

Published on January 21, 2012 in Designer Jewellery, Eskae Private Jeweller and Jewellery. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Hi,

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New year to you!

I am back to talk to you about my new year as a 2nd year apprentice jeweller. Since we last spoke I have graduated from being a first year to now becoming a second year apprentice jeweller which is very exciting.

One of the last projects I had been working on before the Christmas break was a wax carving. Sometimes we create wax carvings for large bulky pieces of jewellery where the jewellery piece is quite heavy in weight and is therefore more efficient for both – our clients and us – to carve in wax.

Prior to Christmas I was lucky enough to create one of these pieces- a sterling silver and white gold ladies cross.

The cross consisted of a wax carved curved shape silver cross with a white gold con cave plate which then had a an opal set in a bezel on top of that.

To begin the wax carving I started with a flat sheet of wax, thicker than the final depth of the cross. I marked out the design I was given, marking a grid onto the wax sheet – I used this grid as a guide to map out the design. I chose this method of marking out the design as I feel it is a lot more accurate than tracing and the gridlines help me see the overall shapes and lines within the overall design.

The next step is to cut away excess wax around the shape by using a wax saw blade. To come in even closer to the design I use my normal saw blade to a much closer cut around the outline of the cross. This allows me access to the corners of the shape where my file wouldn’t normally fit it I had only just used the wax saw blade. This is because the wax saw blade cuts through the wax very well, however it creates a thicker and rougher cut, because the teeth on the saw blade are set out in a spiral pattern all the way up and down the length off the blade.

Now I can begin to carve details of the shape of the cross. I do so by using my normal files, especially the smaller files called ‘escarpment files’. I found that I could get cleaner lines and shapes using my normal files as opposed to the wax files which tend to take off too much wax at once. Using my normal files did take a little longer, however I felt it was a better result in the end.

White Gold and Sterling Silver Cross

White Gold and Sterling Silver Cross

A great thing about using wax is that if for some reason a piece of wax breaks away or is taken off in filing or sawing by accident (as wax can break quite easily in finer sections of the design, you do need to be gentle and handle it softly), or if you change your mind on the shape or design of the piece whilst in the middle of carving, you can always melt a bit of the same wax back onto the area needing repair or change. This is great as you don’t have to start the piece all over again from scratch like you may have to in gold, but can add and change as you go, giving the jeweller more freedom and fexinbility.

It is also a very soothing method of creating jewellery I personally feel. And I really enjoy carving in wax.

After creating the shape of the cross using various files and sawing, I then burred out the back of the cross creating concave sections in the thicker parts of the cross, this is done to remove excess weight from the piece as the cross was quite a large sized cross and you need to think about the wearer whilst you are making the cross and put yourself in there shoes. In this case we thought about how heavy a piece like this would be to wear around your neck. It might be uncomfortable if it is too heavy, and hurt the wearer’s neck.

When all details are finalised the wax is sent of to be cast in the desired metal, in this case the client wanted sterling silver.

White gold and Sterling Silver Cross 2

White Gold and Sterling Silver Cross 2

Talk to you soon,

Holly

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Birthstone Of The Month – August

Published on August 14, 2011 in Birthstones, Emeralds, Gemstones, Peridot and Refreshing Ring Rejuvenation. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

The birthstone for August is called a peridot which has two different ways of pronouncing it correctly. The first way is pronounced, PEAR-A-DOE and the second is PEAR-A-DOT..

Peridots are especially sentimental to wearers of this gemstone because it’s only found in four known places: Burma, China, Pakistan and America. Besides only the limited locations in which you can discover a peridot, another reason these gems are so special is for all of the fascinating facts that surround it

Take its colouring for example: Its light green colour can often confuse people into thinking it’s a light green emerald; especially when the peridot is often called an evening emerald. These birthstones, however, are nothing alike considering that each gem comes from two entirely different types of elemental compounds!

To help remember the difference, the colour of peridots are usually in reference to foods such as limes, kiwis and olives, whereas, emeralds are very rich in colour and can only be described as an emerald colour. Keep reading to see how these little beauties get their lime colouring!

Origins

Volcanic formation

Every gemstone carries its own story to tell and the peridot birthstone isn’t any different. The peridot carries so much history with it that it can still be found in ancient Egyption jewellery artefacts from the early 2nd millennium B.C.!

Coming from deep, down under the surface of the earth, peridots are normally found in very small increments so getting one bigger than a 3carat stone is very rare. It takes an extreme amount of heat and pressure from volcanoes that form an igneous rock when the magma cools down.

That’s a pretty typical answer of how many gems are formed but with the ever-fascinating peridot, there’s an even more exciting way that they can also be formed: Meteors. That’s right! These aliens from outer space travel down to earth inside of a stony-iron meteorite called a pallasite.

Now, this explains the rock formation the peridot but doesn’t explain how this birthstone gets its green appearance. To understand the colouring, you have to first understand its transformation process.

Meteor formation

Olivine is the silicate mineral rock that’s formed by volcanoes and meteors and is very rich in magnesium and iron. It’s when this olivine crystallises that it then turns into the peridot gemstone.

Because olivine has an extremely large melting point, it takes a very, very long time to form. The vividness of the colouring that occurs depends entirely on the composition of the olivine magnesium. The higher the amount of magnesium there is, the paler green, almost a yellowish colour is present. Lesser amounts of magnesium equal darker, richer colours.

Mystical Qualities

Going back to the B.C. Egyptian days in the 1500s, Cleopatra famously wore what were thought to be emeralds at that time but are now believed to be peridot. Known for her beauty, she ironically wore the gems for completely different purposes.

Among one of its many names, the peridot was also known as, ‘gem of the sun’ in which it carried highly magical powers that worked the best when set inside of pure gold. A line from a poetic representation of this birthstone says:

Wear a Peridot for thee,

No conjugal fidelity,

The August born without this stone,

Tis said, must live unloved alone.

Peridots were believed to ward off evil and protect those who had nightmares but more importantly, these stones were used as positive preventative measures taken against negativity. Wearing these stones meant relaxation, stress reduction and the alleviation of fear, anger and emotional trauma.

Health wise, drinking from a peridot goblet was thought to increase medicinal potency, heal persons with asthma as well as an all-over body tonic. The uses for this stone were endless and while this carried a lot of believers all of those centuries back, people of today still feel a sense of awe when wearing it.

Gift Ideas

Peridots aren’t one of the harder gemstones like diamonds and emeralds are but they can be just as expensive. It only has a 6.5 – 7 rating on the Moh’s scale of hardness which means that you must take excellent care of your peridot! This means follow your jewellery professional’s instructions and never try to fix it or give it a good, hard cleaning at home.

It might be your favourite gift in the form of a ring, earrings, bracelets or necklaces that you’ll want to wear without taking off for days at a time but this is one gemstone that you should save for special occasions. Household chores, daily errands, cleaning peridots or any type of hard wear will allow a distinctive absorption spectrum to show or worse, break or dent the gemstone which is definitely be something you wouldn’t want to do.

Peridots aren’t necessarily extremely bright stones but they do have a lot of sparkle within their pale colours. Like its birth month, peridots look fantastic during the summertime making it largely popular for favourite summer jewellery.

Lime green may not be the colour that people think will go with any clothes or other coloured gems but it can actually get along quite well with a lot of colours! Thinking about summer colours again, peridots look amazing with white, turquoise, peach and yellow colours so don’t worry about clashing or only wearing it with exact matching exact. Mix it up a little!

After reading up on all the amazing qualities peridots have to offer, who doesn’t wish their birthday was in August?

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The Royal Wedding Jewellery

Published on August 7, 2011 in Diamonds, Gemstones, Jewellery, Proposals, Sapphires, Uncategorized and White Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

A special thanks to Dr. Marc Dussault of Exponential Programs for providing us with this great find on Happily Ever Richer! With the royal wedding still abuzz around the globe, it was only a matter of time before the jewels became a highlight for us to talk about!

Click to enlarge

There probably isn’t much of Prince William’s and his new bride, Kate Middleton’s wedding left that hasn’t been viewed or talked about all over the world. This ‘It’ event of the year (or century) has people are talking about a Cinderella-ish wedding that girl’s only ever get to dream of!

While people are still buzzing about the wedding dresses (yes, that’s plural!) Kate wore during her big day, let’s talk about the royal wedding rings that are just as lavish and worth much, much more.

Engagement and Wedding Ring

In an era where coloured gemstones and diamonds are the new white diamond, the engagement ring that Prince William proposed to Kate with extravagantly fits right into that category. Previously, Princess Diana’s own engagement ring, this 18 carat oval blue sapphire surrounded by 14 small diamonds originally cost $45,000 USD.

The sapphire, alone, is now valued $300,000 USD. With the total price of the ring equalling a little over half a million USD, what many people may not know is that Princess Di’s sapphire engagement ring was originally given to Prince Harry while Prince William received her Cartier watch. When the older Prince became engaged, Prince Harry gave the ring to him for Kate Middleton. How’s that for brotherly love?

As for the wedding ring itself, the Prince has chosen not to wear a wedding ring but that doesn’t mean he skimped out on Kate’s ring! Going to their family jeweller at Wartski, a jewellery company founded in Bangor, the ring was made from a single, large nugget of Clogau gold only found in Wales.

What makes this gold even more valuable is the fact that this type of gold is extremely rare making this wedding ring, very possibly, the last piece of jewellery to ever be crafted from this particular type of Welsh gold.

Earrings

Princess Diana’s engagement ring wasn’t the only family heirloom passed on down to Kate. During their honeymoon, Prince William also gifted his mother’s diamond and sapphire earrings to his new bride.

Using the great advantage of custom jewellery, Kate took Princess Diana’s favourite earrings and had them the remodelled to include a more modern look that suited her own personality. These exquisite earrings were originally designed as large, jewelled studs but are now a gorgeous pair of single tear drop earrings.

On her wedding day, Kate was given a pair of new diamond encrusted drop earrings designed by Robinson Pelham as a wedding gift from her parents. While these earrings were certainly jaw dropping in price, the simple yet elegant style suited Middleton perfectly

Tiara

Now, not many girls get the option to choose which historical, jewelled filled tiaras they’ll be wearing, Kate Middleton certainly did – and choose she did!

The talk was that Middleton would perhaps wear the famous tiara that Queen Elizabeth wore on her wedding day but instead, she chose the 1936 diamond Cartier tiara that was originally purchased by the Duke of York who later became known as King George VI.

Set in platinum, the tiara is made from old, baguette-cut diamond with the upper part forming a range of lotus flowers and the lower ‘zig-zag’ part forming a removable piece that can be used as a bandeau. This royal tiara was given to Queen Elizabeth when she was still just a princess and has now been passed on to Kate Middleton.

A statement hasn’t been released yet as to whether or not Kate will keep this tiara as her own but for now, all clothing and jewellery is up on display at Buckingham palace.

So there you have it! Something old, something new, something borrowed and a lot of things blue!

While the total value of all these jewels can only be found in a royal bank account, the style and sentiment behind them are entirely priceless!

*If you’re having a hard time viewing the picture, click it to zoom in closer.

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The 10 Most Expensive Dream Shoes – Shoes 6 through 1

Published on July 24, 2011 in Coloured Diamonds, Diamonds, Gemstones, Rubies, Sapphires, Tanzanite and White Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Continuing on with the World’s Top 10 Most Expensive Shoes:

5. Dream Shoe Designer: Stuart Weitzmann, assisted by Oscar Heyman Bros.

Fully understanding what women want out of a shoe, Stuart Weitzmann has created some of the finest, artistic and most expensive shoes of our time. Designing, perhaps, a coveted shoe during the times of The Wizard of Oz, these sparkly red slippers are fully studded with 642 oval Burma rubies that come in with a total weight of 123-33 carats and are set in a half pound of platinum.

When the stilettos were first created, they were the most expensive shoe of their time and designed to be worn only by the famous. Currently ranking in at #5 on the list of Most Expensive Dream Shoes, they still cost an arm and a leg of $1.6 million USD.

4. Dream Shoe Designer: Stuart Weitzmann

Deemed the ‘Cinderella slippers’, these elegant heels are heavy with 565 platinum-set Kwiat diamonds that total up to 55 carats of clear diamonds and one enormous 5 carat amaretto diamond, worth one million USD on its own, on each shoe.

These fairytale 4 ½ inch stiletto shoes are every girl’s dream and with their steep cost, may just remain that! While they’ve been worn once by Allison Kraus at the 2004 Oscar ceremony, these shoes now sit on display in Beverly Hills, California and are worth $2 million USD.

3. Dream Shoe Designer: Stuart Weitzmann and Jeweller, Le Vian

Tying 3rd and 4th place with himself on the most expensive shoes list, Stuart Weitzmann, in collaboration with Le Vian, have created another $2 million USD pair of evening shoes.

Rightfully so, these million dollar stilettos rank in the top 5 of the world’s most expensive shoes due to the 185 carats of museum quality tanzanite, 28 carats of diamonds and another huge 16 carat tanzanite that dangles on the front of the heel from the ankle strap. All of these rare and precious stones are placed on the silver leather embellished shoe making it one of the daintiest and rarest high-heeled stilettos ever made.

2. Dream Shoe Designer: Ronald Winston from the House of Harry Winston

Not to be outdone by Stuart Weitzman, Ronald Winston carries on The Wizard of Oz theme by celebrating its 50th anniversary with these Harry Winston Ruby Slippers. Tying in at first place with Stuart Weitzmann on the #1 spot, not only are they eye-blindingly glittery with very possibly, more rubies that any person has seen at once, they also carry more weight than any shoe designed to date! Completely covered in 4,600 valuable rubies, these low-heeled pumps have a total weight of 1,350 carats or pure ruby.

To coincide with this one-of-a-kind pair of treasures, it also carries a one-of-a-kind price tag of $3 million USD!

1. Dream Shoe Designer: Stuart Weitzmann

The factor that determined whether the Harry Winston Ruby Slippers or the Stuart Weitzmann Rita Hayworth Heels took the number one spot was which shoe was more current.

Labelled as the most recent, over-the-top creation in designer shoes, these shoes were inspired by earrings worn by the late Rita Hayworth and worn only once by singer/songwriter, Kathleen Bird York, at the 2006 Oscars. Now owned by Rita Haworth’s daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, they’re off the market although their beauty can still be admired from afar.

These open-toed heels were designed using a rust-coloured satin and decorated with rubies, sapphires and diamonds, all nested in the satin ruffle at the toe of the shoe. Unsurprisingly, the Rita Hayworth shoes hold their value at $300 million USD.

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The 10 Most Expensive Dream Shoes – 10 through 6

Published on June 26, 2011 in Designer Jewellery, Diamonds, Eskae Private Jeweller, Fun Stuff, Gemstones, Hand-made Jewellery, Platinum, Sapphires and White Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

The 10 Most Expensive Dream Shoes – Shoes 10 through 6

Everyone wants to own the nicest and latest fashioned, name branded shoes but what about shoes that girls can only dream about? Believe it or not, they do exist! All you have to do is add the most exquisite diamonds, jewels and precious metals to these coveted shoes.

Still don’t believe it? Well, go ahead and take a look at the first half of the world’s most amazing and expensive dream shoes!

10. Dream Shoe Designer: Unnamed Italian Designer in Wuhu

Although the designer has remained vague about his creation, his masterpiece is anything but! These sparkling, gold pumps used 680 grams of pure gold to mould them into perfection under the invitation of the World Gold Council.

While the price is has also not been released, if you calculate the going rate for 1 gram of gold ($44 USD), then the price for the gold alone comes in $29, 920 USD.

9. Dream Shoe Designer: Bruno Frisoni for Roger Vivier

Named, The Dovima, these taxidermy bird shoes (yes, they’re actually real birds!) were dyed a rose pink colour and attached to the toe of these heels by their crystal encrusted head. Frisoni really knew how to set himself apart in the designer world since this is the type of shoe that will never be forgotten once you’ve seen it!

Each bird’s crystallised head is surrounded by 24 carat gold-coated mesh, silk, ribbons and crocodile-skin rosettes with the added bonus of protective crocodile or snakeskin that are attachable to keep the shoes, themselves, from ever touching the ground.

These oddly creative, animal-esque shoes can be ordered for $30,000 (USD).

8. Dream Shoe Designer: Giuseppe Zanotti

This Italian shoe designer created the design for these extremely pink shoes with the help of the fine jewellery company, Chopard, who gave the jewellery needed for this fascinating footwear.

Unlike the previous shoe Shellis designed using one specific type of stone, Zanotti incorporated pink diamonds, pink sapphires, tourmalines and russellites to create this one-of-a-kind satin high-heels.

The biggest plus for these shoes is that the jewelled ankle strap of the shoe is removable so that the owner can have not one, but TWO valuable bracelets!

Totalling 22 carats of diamonds, 134 carats of rubellites and 199 carats of pink sapphires, Giuseppe Zanotti also designed a matching set of rose gold, pink sapphire and diamond hoop earrings.

Believed to be auctioned off for up to $175,000 dollars USD for amfAR’s fight against AIDS, these gorgeous bejewelled, satin stilettos sold for an even bigger sum of $200,000 (USD) to a private bidder!

7. Dream Shoe Designer: Christopher Michael Shellis for House of Borgezie

Founder and jewellery designer of the House Of Borgezie, Shellis has designed some of the most expensive shoes of all times with his main attributes to them consisting of diamonds, platinum and solid gold.

This shoe was given the title of, The Eternal Borgezie Diamond Stiletto, and rightfully so due to the 30 carats of 2,200 encrusted white diamonds set into this platinum beauty.

Since all of his jewelled and precious metalled shoes are made with such precision and the best raw materials, they’re guaranteed to last much longer than 10 lifetimes – 1,000 years!

Shellis’ reason for creating these expensive shoes is to showcase the jewels and create jewellery rather than making shoes for people to wear. He has begun the pricing at £100,000 UK.

6. Dream Shoe Designer: Christopher Michael Shellis for the House of Borgezie

Designing another shoe on our Top 10 list, Shellis has once again created his own pair of diamond encrusted stilettos that he calls, ‘A treasure of the feet’ – which, they truly are!

These shoes required a team of goldsmiths to work with temperatures of over 1000ºC to create the entire shoe out of gold. After the base was made, over 2,200 white diamonds were again added to both shoes, totalling a humongous 30 carats.

Having gone on sale just 5 months ago, these dream stilettos can be bought for the big price of £140,000 UK or $319,469 USD.

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Luxury Emerald And Diamond Tiara

Published on June 19, 2011 in Diamonds, Emeralds, Eskae Private Jeweller, Gemstones, Hand-made Jewellery, Jewellery and White Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Breaking the news again after auctioning off the word record holding Graff Pink just last year, Sotheby’s is at it again this year, bringing a circa 1900s and extremely rare emerald and diamond tiara to this years auction!

This exquisite, once-in-a-lifetime jewel encrusted tiara was created by renowned jewellers, Chaumet, for Guido Count von Henckel, First Prince von Donnersmark, as a gift for his second wife, Princess Katharina. The emeralds, themselves, are believed to be a part of a collection owned by Napolean III’s wife, Empress Eugenie before the tiara was designed for Princess Katharina.

Not only is this the most rare and valuable emerald and diamond tiaras to come to light, it’s also one of the most historic and prized jewellery pieces to make its debut at Sotheby’s in over 30 years!

Sotheby has recently released this description of the Luxury Emerald and Diamond Tiara:

“The tiara is a crown of foliate and floral inspiration. The base is set with a central row of eleven larger cushion-shaped diamonds, each set between pairs of muguets, above a line of laurel leaf motifs and surmounted by festooned ribbons, pierced and millegrain set throughout with rose and brilliant-cut diamonds, surmount by a row of eleven polished pear-shaped emeralds. The emeralds, totaling approximately 500 carats, graduated in size from the center, each emerald drilled and held in diamond set cusp motifs, the nine largest tipped by rose diamonds, mounted in silver and gold, later detachable tiara fitting”.

Quite the description to match the tiara’s intricate, magnificent historical piece of work!

Understandably so, this amazing and brilliant Luxury Emerald and Diamond Tiara is estimated to sell for $5 to $10 million dollars in Geneva on May 17, 2011.

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Presenting Eskae Private Jeweller’s – Birthstone Art Series – To Royal North Shore Hospital

Published on March 27, 2011 in Designer Jewellery, Eskae Jeweller Events, Eskae Private Jeweller, Gemstones and Jewellery. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

A company, business or organisation can easily go unnoticed without its community’s dedication and service there to support it. This is why, at Eskae Private Jeweller, we’re always excited about fantastic opportunities that present themselves within our community.

Just recently, my wife and I were presented with such an occasion in which we were able to donate Eskae Private Jeweller’s personalised artwork to the maternity ward in Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH). Gifting a total of 12 posters with each portrait containing a birthstone and its symbolic meaning for every month of the year to RSNH, was definitely an honour for us!

While we always look forward to participating in community events, this particular event was incredibly special to us because it’s where our daughter was born! Returning to the familiar maternity ward, my amazing wife, Sharisse Kritsotakis, and our gorgeous daughter, Seanna, presented the Birthstone Art Series to RSNH maternity ward nurse unit manager, Mary Cameron.

As new parents, ourselves, we know that new mothers and fathers love any given chance to share their memories with others which is what inspired the great idea to contribute a series dedicated to showcasing birthstones. Every birth is the most precious, memorable event in a parents life and what better place to share this with, than at a maternity ward with other new parents?

Of course, using these precious stones to celebrate the birth of a child isn’t anything new but how it was originated to become the treasured gift it is today is fascinating!

According to Christian religious traditions, it’s believed that birthstones date back to Biblical times and used to signify the 12 Jewish apostles described in Revelations. Ancient Judaism held their own belief about the mysterious powers believed to be held, once upon a time, within these gemstones was to be attributed to the 12 Jewish tribes.

There is some discrepancy amongst the Eastern Biblical writers who claimed that Aristotle stole this philosophy from Solomon’s book and that the 12 birthstones accounted for the coloured gemstones placed within the breastplate of the Mosaic high-priest.

Whatever the case may be, the mystical and legendary powers believed to be held inside of birthstones carried over into the 15th century. This began the popularity of wearing colourful gems as talismans to ward off evil and good luck charms in accordance with the monthly zodiac. As birthstones continued to evolve for over the last 1000 years, the meaning behind them also evolved to its current representation: The month of birth.

The history and the sentimental value behind birthstones are what make the perfect gift for loved ones that it still does now and will for future generations to come. Birthstones are currently used most popularly for anniversary gifts, Mother’s Day presents or for the birth of a newborn baby.

The special bond that each birthstone represents opens the doors for new parents to recreate great memories and design ideal gifts through custom designed jewellery, trinkets or charms – not to mention the amazing stories to be heard when we’re visited by our neighbours!

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Unique Jewelry

Published on February 27, 2011 in Designer Jewellery, Eskae Private Jeweller, Gemstones, Hand-made Jewellery and Jewellery. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

When hearing the words, ‘unique jewelry’, what comes to your mind?

The most popular answers given are costume jewelry or funky jewelry. Unique jewelry can resemble both due to its distinct style but the materials used construct it are very different. In essence, costume jewelry uses cheaper and generic products to make lovely designs minus the value, whereas, unique jewelry used precious metals, gemstones and customized materials to ensure durability.

What most jewelry wearers don’t associate unique jewelry with are the terms of designer jewelry, custom jewelry and handcrafted jewelry when it is, in fact, a combination of those three components, all rolled into one personalized embellishment.

The only difference that lies between designer and custom jewellery and unique jewellery, is that unique jewellery can be duplicated if the client so chooses. Most people choose not to repeat the design again to keep it as a designer piece of jewellery but there are certain occasions that a reason may arise to replicate the design – such as a wedding parties, family occasions or other personal reasons/events.

Unique jewelry creates bold statements about the designer and the client which is where the handcrafted aspect comes in this customized, designer wear. While earrings, rings and necklaces are considered typical styles of wearing jewelry, unique jewelry can take on brand new designs that include different ways of wearing it.

What puts unique jewelry in the same class as custom jewelry is both the unique aspect along with the client’s suggestions slipped into the design process. The important focus here is that clients completely rely on their jeweler’s artistic skill to take reign and design something enviable and stunning.

From the unique point of view, it’s fantastic because many of the resources used are brought in by the jeweller who is able to use their trade connections to source some  rare and impressive gemstones and other exquisite precious materials.

The best thing about unique jewelry is that the sky’s the limit when creating it and there’s nothing boring about it! It’s fresh, different, meaningful, colourful, twisty, square, worn anywhere and everywhere – so go ahead and have fun with it!

With a limitless variety in which to create unique jewelry, here are a few ideas that will, perhaps, inspire a little of your own creativity:

Upcycling/Collage:

A favorite trend throughout creating unique jewelry is gathering old pieces of jewelry, broken jewelry or even certain memorabilia that’s been lying around waiting to be put on some sort of display. Think of collages – lots of memories arranged all into one, big picture to portray beautiful times and places – the same goes with this method of designing unique jewelry. By utilizing all of the little bits of precious metals, gemstones and other precious materials collecting dust in jewelry boxes waiting to be put into practical use, it can then all be arranged into one artistic piece of unique jewelry.

Body Piercings:

While not everyone is into body piercings, there are quite a few that are mesmerized by it. It’s more popular than one might think because believe it or not, it’s not only designed for rebellious teenagers. There’s quite a history behind it and in many cultures, having piercings in places other than the ears is as common as wearing a wedding ring!

For those not wearing body piercings for cultural reasons, belly rings come in as the most popular trend for cosmetic body piercings which has, in turn, begged for the availability of uniquely, created designs. Some enjoy wearing a single gemmed stud while others veer towards adding customized charms, dangling gems or shaped precious metals to show personal tastes.

Ethnic:

Those who have travelled the globe or have arrived from different countries to settle miss the cultural aspect seen in different locations. Incorporating tribal designs or colors, stones or artifacts and other materials only found in these locations creates a distinctive, unique piece of jewelry that allows for culture to speak for itself.

Collectibles:

With genres that generate collections of fantasy (think Star Trek), pop culture (think Elvis Presley) or historic (think War Re-enactments) memorabilia – along with many others – always present, imagine all of the ways it can be integrated into jewelry! Although some prefer to leave their collectibles untouched, there are others who enjoy proudly displaying their obsessions for all to see.

Bridal:

Brides like to keep their bridesmaids coordinated and oftentimes, it doesn’t stop only at dress attire. A maid-of-honor may share the same bridal bracelet as the bride, however, instead of pearls or diamonds, might opt for colored gemstones to allow the bride to stand out on her celebratory day. Brides who gift jewelry to their bridesmaids may decide to take the route of keeping her crew in sync by presenting them with the same bridal jewelry design, but all with one little change added to personalize each accessory accordingly.

Occasions:

It’s memorable to give a symbolic memento to someone special as a gift on an extraordinary day. Specialized unique jewelry for anniversaries, baby and bridal showers, birthdays and congratulations are just a few of the ways people enjoy showing love and affection to individuals they hold close to their hearts. By engraving a personal message, date or name or adding birthstones, there are numerous ways to incorporate personalized messages of endearment.

Nothing makes jewellers happier than getting the opportunity to design and create unique jewelry. It provides the opportunity to take some time aside from their daily responsibilities and put their amazing talent to use.

Being able to use exceptional and exclusive material to create brilliant masterpieces that illustrate their personal artistic flair is every jeweller’s dream. This is the secret of what holds the pure definition of unique jewelry because this is what can never, ever be recreated!

Unique is one of a kind and is sometimes a little funky but it’s the artist whose heart lays within it those pieces of jewelry that makes this style of jewelry carry its title of uniqueness!

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Custom Jewellery

Published on February 20, 2011 in Designer Jewellery, Diamonds, Engagement Rings, Eskae Private Jeweller, Gemstones, Hand-made Jewellery and Jewellery. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

It has previously been mentioned that there is a fine line drawn between designer jewellery and custom (designing) jewellery. Since that time was spent more on what defines designer jewellery, this time around, we’ll delve into custom jewellery.

Just to jog your memory a little bit, the key component that separates designer jewellery from custom jewellery is who controls the designing process. When a jewellery designer is making a designer piece of jewellery, it’s completely thought up and created through the jeweller’s artistic eye. The goal is to design a masterpiece that will remain as a one-of-a-kind, never to be recreated again piece of jewellery. The amount of dedication, precision and materials used to complete this unique work of art requires a top-notch jeweller, the most precious of metals and the most magnificent of jewels.

Custom jewellery, on the other hand, is client based meaning that the design is thought out or portrayed from the client to the jeweller. It’s up to the customer to determine carat size, width of bands or chains, gemstone, types of precious metals and/or other materials they wish to incorporate into their cherished creation.

More importantly than only how the jewellery looks, it’s the sentimental reasons that go into the custom design that create a truly, original piece of jewellery. Think about heirloom jewellery – what makes it an heirloom? Many times, they’re older pieces of jewellery that are no long created but that isn’t specifically what makes them an heirloom. The secret is the emotional attachment to these pieces of jewellery that are passed down the familial line – sometimes for centuries!

It’s the same thought process behind customised jewellery. A proud husband may gift his wife a diamond ring for the birth of their first child. Mothers may wish to design similar rings or pendants that can grow as her family does, adding birthstones to signify her loved children.

Spouses may want to engrave their jewellery for anniversaries or weddings to include an endearing term or date; perhaps also including a special stone indicating something only each other understands.

Just recently, a very touching and inspiring experience occurred, here at Eskae Private Jewellers, requiring a customised engagement ring for an older couple. Both had, sadly, lost their spouses. Miraculously, this amazing couple found happiness again within each other and became engaged! Wanting to treasure the precious memories each had with their previous spouses, the couple wished to incorporate jewellery from their previous marriages to produce a magnificent engagement ring in honor of their deaths. Talk about a masterpiece!

From a jewellers viewpoint, customised jewellery is a great choice for clients (especially repeat clients) BUT it’s just as fantastic for the designing jeweller! Jewellers are artists at heart and customised jewellery allows for the required finances and extra time to do exactly what got them into the jewellery trade to begin with: Creative design.

Because ordering and purchasing vast amounts of gold and jewels are limited, jewellers save the bulk for their retail stock which doesn’t leave much time left over for their passion of designing. When a request for customised jewellery comes in, that means extra money and time for the jeweller to get the best custom materials by using their trade connections to make sure that you end up with the best piece of custom jewellery possible for your budget

Since custom jewellery has a completely different set of rules than all other jewellery – that is to turn your dream jewellery into a reality – quite literally! The processes used for designing are completely different than your run-of-the-mill window shopping wishes.

For custom jewellery newbies, when first meeting with your jeweller, he/she will sit down with you and work the details you have in mind into a sketch. After your initial meet-and-greet, the jeweller will begin incorporating his thoughts and master mindedness to expand your ideas into several more design options for you to peruse through.

Since most of the custom work revolves around mounting, some of the best custom jewellery creations are created from older or heirloom jewellery you already possess that you may have already thought of incorporating into your design. If you have an heirloom  or a family engagement ring you’d like to adjust to suit your tastes or update it while keeping its sentimental value , this is the perfect opportunity to do so!

For those lacking any creativity in their blood but still wish to have a piece of custom jewellery, fear not! This just means more fun for the jeweller to come up with some designs that can either blend your older jewellery into a new piece or coming up with a new idea altogether.

While many jewellers use old methods to create custom jewellery, many newer technologies have been incorporated, such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing), to add a large variety of newer options that can’t be done by hand.

But how custom jewellery is made is another story for another time, so until then, happy designing!

Sam Kritsotakis

Private Jeweller

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Designer Rings And Men – Squashing Stereotypes

Published on February 13, 2011 in Designer Jewellery, Diamonds, Eskae Private Jeweller, Jewellery, Mens Jewellery, Platinum and Wedding Jewellery. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

It’s natural for most people to automatically associate women with jewellery because women are generally dainty creatures who love wearing beautiful diamonds and gems which enhance their femininity. While most men won’t always be as flamboyant about their love of jewellery, it doesn’t mean they don’t admire and appreciate jewellery just as much as women do.

Many times, when all a man wants to do is slip on a ring, he feels self conscious because whether it’s talked about or not, most men feel certain stigmas about wearing jewellery. They think other men may find it too feminine, perhaps it looks too flashy or the simple fact of just not knowing how to wear it properly will make them look gaudy.

Saying that, it may be hard for some folks to imagine that men’s designer rings are, in fact, the most booming area in men’s jewellery today! Some might not believe this to be true but herein is where the stereotype lies: Just because men are not as vocal about displaying their jewellery as women are (putting aside our bling-flaunting rappers) doesn’t mean they aren’t collectors and admirers of exquisite jewellery, especially rings. Men and designer rings have quite the history together for the simple fact that rings were initially worn to display wealth and status. As time went on and jewellery progressed, women started to wear them more fashionably for social acceptance and less representative of familial status whereas men continue to this very day, to keep rings as a symbol of accomplishment and manhood. Just to give a few examples – aside from wedding rings – of other men’s designer rings include:

  • Masonic rings
  • High school sports rings
  • College rings
  • Rings that represent countries, i.e., Super Bowl rings, Armed Forces rings
  • Signet rings

Unlike women, the majority of men aren’t window shoppers and instead, tend to go straight to the jeweller to have their rings designed for them. Because men do heavier lifting and more physical work than most women, their rings tend to carry the brunt of  misfortunes making a simple gold ring an easy target of daily wear and tear. Instead, durable, precious metals like platinum, titanium, palladium and tungsten are used to endure dings and scratched surfaces. Diamonds and gemstones are channel set into the ring to forego claws breaking or bending for the same reason. As always, how men wear jewellery is all about style and execution. Because wearing rings on certain fingers can look more feminine than others, it’s important to know the significance each finger represents. The commonly known international reasons for what wearing rings on each finger symbolizes goes a little something like this:

  • Thumb – Generally no ring
  • Index Finger – Means he/she is unmarried but looking for a steady relationship
  • Middle Finger – Shows he/she is in love with a fixed person
  • Ring Finger – Means he/she is engaged or married
  • Pinky Finger – Shows his/her determination for avoiding marriage from the cradle to the grave

For women, this formula can be applied since wearing designer rings is more sentimental and is usually based upon feelings and love. However, in ways that men’s rings are created differently than women’s rings, men wear their designer rings for different significant reasons which then changes this theory of wearing rings to a more updated, masculine formula:

  • Thumb – Historically worn on both, nowadays worn on one which allows the designer ring to portray a statement of self, sexuality or fashion
  • Index Finger – Wearing your designer ring here shows dominance, energy and power
  • Middle Finger – Similar to what showing the middle finger implies, wearing a designer ring on this finger shows rebellion, decadence and irreverence
  • Ring Finger – Universally shows marriage
  • Pinky Finger – Historically used to imprint their signet ring on a stamp or seal, nowadays is most commonly worn to show fashion; although some men also choose the pinky finger to beef up the gangster/mafia look or to show reference to gambling

Most men don’t wear rings on index and middle fingers but to each person, goes their own style. Wearing a ring on the pinky finger is commonly seen and recommended by all jewellers since it’s the fashionable and proper way for men to wear designer rings. Not to mention that it brings out one of a man’s most attractive features! It’s a well know fact that studies prove one of the most attractive physical traits women find in men are their hands.

An interesting trend that’s recently been on the rise is women proposing to their boyfriends with male engagement rings. Before your mind stereotypically wanders off, remember that it’s a man’s ring! It won’t hold a high diamond setting with lots of frilly highlighted details; it will be a customised thick band sometimes including a channel diamond, etching or even a two-toned band for those who wish to add some pizzazz. While men and their rings have a lengthy history together, the mindset is changing as more and more men are accepting designer rings, not only as a form of symbolism or another trophy to add to their collection, but as a fashionable statement of self that’s shows confidence and class. The bottom line is that designer rings are as equally desirable for men as they are for women and there’s nothing stereotypical about that!

Sam Kritsotakis

Eskae Private Jeweller

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