Tag Archive for 'Gemstones'

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 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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Birthstone Of The Month – June

Published on June 12, 2011 in Bridal Jewellery, Eskae Private Jeweller, Freshwater, Gemstones, Keshi, Pearls and South Sea. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Pop open an oyster and hope to find what? June’s birthstone: Pearl!

The pearl birthstone is a favourite of millions and is the only precious stone to be created by a living organism. Talk about a unique birthstone!

Origins

There are two types of pearls: Natural (non-nacreous) and Cultured (nacreous). Natural pearls happen accidentally, naturally and can occur in just about any salt or fresh-water mollusc. Coming in three basic forms, they can be shaped as whole-round pearls, blister pearls and blisters.

Nacreous pearls are formed by irritants, such as a single grain of sand that’s added by people. To create a the best and most valuable cultured pearl, the irritant should only be stimulated inside of the mollusc and nothing more, allowing nature to then take its course.

Cultured pearls come many different colours with two specific factors that determine its overall colour: Body Colour and Overtone. The Body Colour is the base of the pearl’s colouring, such as white, cream, black or gold whereas, the Overtone is considered to be the secondary colour or tint. This is the most visual colour, i.e. pink, rose, peacock or blue.

Unlike most other gemstones, pearls are extremely fragile and soft which makes a lot of room for marring and other small imperfections. Usually, the bigger a pearl is, the more imperfections it will contain which is why large, minimally marked natural pearls found in the wild are extremely rare and very seldom found for an affordable price.

In order to create a fine cultured pearl, professionals let pearled oysters sit for a minimum of two to three years. This develops what is called nacre and gives the pearl its layer of protection as well as that beautiful sheen with ridges and swoops.

Mystical Qualities

Also known as the Stone of Sincerity, pearls signify faith, charity and innocence to enhance one’s personal integrity, bring the truth to light and inhibit boisterous behaviour. Other mystical qualities derive from ancient Chinese myths that say pearls fell from the sky where dragons fought, ancient legends that state pearls are the tears of gods and ancient Greek legends that believed pearls were drops of love to be worn and prevent newlywed women from crying.

Besides its legendary qualities, pearls are believed to also hold healing powers. People who believe strongly in a pearl’s healing power, ingest them to cure bloating and biliousness along with stronger powers of increasing chance of childbirth and easing pain from giving birth.

Gift Ideas

In today’s day and time, pearls are used to symbolise June birthdays and 30th wedding anniversaries. One quality pearls did carry over from ancient legends is the purity and innocence that shows through when worn. There is something so wholesome about pearls, alone, that make it a favourite for office wear, formal occasions and most popularly, bridal jewellery.

Women are coming up with newer, more modern ways of wearing pearls by adding other precious stones, such as diamonds or coloured gemstones to make the pearl pop. Another popular way women are wearing pearl necklaces is by either layering them or wearing long strands of pearls

However you choose to gift a woman with pearls, whether it’s a fancy ring, gorgeous earrings or a magnificent necklace, you can’t ever go wrong because she’ll love them the minute she lays her eyes on her brand new pearls!

And women, don’t forget that pearls can be given to men as birthday and anniversary gifts too! While you won’t see a man with a string of pearls around his neck, men do enjoy tie clips, cufflinks and money clips accented or set by pearl. As long as it keeps a masculine look, don’t be afraid to give a valuable gift of pearl to the guy in your life!

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Birthstone Of The Month: May – Emerald

Published on June 5, 2011 in Emeralds, Eskae Private Jeweller and Gemstones. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Birthstones are especially extraordinary jewels because there is always a birthstone for everyone! No matter who the person is, when they are gifted with a piece of jewellery that holds their personal birthstone, it’s a very sentimental occasion.

Because of this reason, once a month, we’ll be posting the Birthstone Of The Month to explain its history as well as offer some unique and creative ways to show off your personal gemstone.

Although a year is typically started with January, we’ll begin with the current month, May. Most people have heard the saying of Spring: ‘April showers bring May flowers,’ but do you know what else May brings? Emeralds!

Origins

Emeralds almost always include flaws due to small inclusions of other minerals when growing and yet, they are one of the loveliest birthstones around and sell for higher prices than all other gemstones except for diamonds.

Coming from the beryl family of minerals and a sibling to the aquamarine gemstone, its green hue is given to the emerald when pure, clear beryl contains either chromium or vanadium. One quality that makes emeralds stand out from the other birthstones is the fact that they’re extremely strong with a rating of 7.5 on the Mohs scale (to put it into perspective, diamonds are a 10).

While a diamond’s clarity is what makes it more expensive, an emerald’s richness of its green colour is what demands very high prices. The paler an emerald is, the less it’s worth and if pale enough, the emerald no longer considered an emerald; instead, it’s classed as simply, green beryl.

The catch to this is that there’s no law that states green beryl cannot be sold as an emerald which means that you have to shop wisely and always pick a darker colour green when shopping to get your money’s worth!

Mystical Qualities

Emeralds are often dedicated to the Goddess, Venus, for immortality

Many people are fascinated by reading their astrological signs for the month, week or even daily to pass time, as an

interest or they truly believe in it. Birthstones were often used the same way thousands of years ago and are still used that way for today, so much so, that there is a whole different calendar of birthstones set aside and called ‘Zodiac Birthstones.’

When using this system of birthstones, emeralds are known to have very significant powers since it goes back to Biblical times, with many believing that the first known emerald formed the Holy Grail.

Also associated with Greek mythology, emeralds have long been believed to hold psychic powers, purity and immortality. Also called the Stone of Successful Love, the romantic side of emeralds are thought to enhance domestic bliss and fill couples with loyalty and sensitivity towards each other.

Gift Ideas

Not only is an emerald significant for the month of birth, it’s also used as a traditional gift for 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries! This birthstone looks gorgeous in any way it’s worn but because it has such a bold colour to it, emeralds look the best when worn alone or adorned with clear, white diamonds.

Some may feel that emeralds can only be worn when wearing a matching green outfit but remember that the idea is to bring attention to the emerald, not to camouflage it. The colour of any emerald looks great on top of any colour since it doesn’t have any clashing qualities so go ahead and mix-n-match your wardrobe up!

Many people do prefer to have their emeralds customised since it represents one person in particular and they’ll surely feel a special bond with their birthstone. For example, smaller people will choose a short chain if they wear their emerald in necklace form while others enjoy picking out different styles of cut – such as pear-shaped, round, emerald-cut, trillion, marquise, princess- if they prefer to wear it as a ring.

Because an emerald is so strong, it will require an equally strong setting such as platinum or white gold. Yellow gold is beautiful but when combining this with an emerald, it can change the colour’s appearance dulling it out. Choosing a precious metal like platinum or using both white and yellow gold simultaneously allows the reflection of its own green shade allowing it to shoot sparkly beams of birthstone delight!

Whether you’re the gifter or the giftee, emeralds are fun to admire and even more gorgeous to wear. Others will be green with envy (like the pun?) over your emerald since you can never go wrong when wearing it or choosing this gemstone as a birthday (or anniversary) gift!

http://www.eskaejeweller.com.au/custom-art-deco-jewellery
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Choosing Wedding Rings Together

Published on March 6, 2011 in Bridal Jewellery, Diamonds, Engagement Rings, Eskae Private Jeweller, Jewellery, Mens Jewellery, Platinum, Wedding Jewellery and White Diamonds. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , .

There was a time that it was popular for men to save every cent of their hard-earned money to secretly buy an engagement ring while believing they were concocting the perfect surprise. After hiding the brand new, dazzling wedding ring set in their jacket pocket for a couple of weeks, they would then plan a romantic date, the next hour was filled with stuttering and nervous fidgeting before finally bending down on one knee and giving his fiancé the surprise of her life: A marriage proposal.

Ironically, since females tend to have a lie detector implanted in their brain at birth, covering up surprises isn’t the easiest feat to pull off. Because of this, women feign their surprise and reply with, ‘How did you-when did you-I swear I had no idea!’ before bursting into tears. In all actuality, it’s the true emotion of being proposed to that turns their tear ducts into waterfalls and causes shouts of joy and unfortunately, not the element of surprise.

As this cat was slowly let out of the bag, men and women began picking out their wedding rings together. When the emotional aspect of the proposal was over, it was discovered that when looking down at their new engagement ring, most women didn’t fancy their wedding ring set at all. It became a taboo subject to broach since it sounded entirely ungrateful of all the hard work that their beloved went into finding what they believed to be the perfect ring; but, to wear something intended to be worn for a lifetime – well, that’s just a fashion catastrophe for a woman!

As more and more couples are beginning to pick out their wedding ring sets together, the ‘surprise’ wedding rings purchased have dropped down to a mere 19% as of 2007,[1] changing the proposal scenario a little bit. While men may still try to scheme the perfect proposal, the ring part of this performance is saved for when both partners can go ring shopping together.

Going to shop for a ring together may sound as though the woman will choose her wedding ring while the man chooses his wedding ring. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Call it old-fashioned but men enjoy having a large amount of their choice being included with the final cut (pun intended) of which wedding ring his fiancé chooses.

Women, not to be outdone, also enjoy getting to have her thoughts and ideas incorporated into her significant other’s wedding ring. After all, it’s what says to her; ‘You’re mine – now and forever,’ allowing her to always be reminded of its significance.

Because the newly-engaged pair’s thoughts and feelings lie within the wedding rings, it’s important to understand how each of their ideas can be integrated while keeping each other’s needs in mind.

Ladies first:

Tips On Choosing Wedding Rings For Women – The Men’s Guide:

Find Your Inner Fashion

That’s awful sounding to a man but its intent was to get your attention! The real ploy is to take notice of the colour metal your fiancé wears most often. If she wears silver toned jewellery a lot, the obvious choice would be a platinum wedding set. For yellow gold, then stick with yellow gold. Simple enough, right?

The trickier part is helping to decide what type of wedding and engagement ring design to go with. When noticing which metal your fiancé favours, also notice the style in which she’s wearing jewellery: Is it a lot of dangly jewellery, chunky jewellery or simple studs, gemstones and fragile looking chains?

For women who wear dangly jewellery, this can be incorporated into the wedding ring set by the amount of stones and the settings in which they’re placed in. She’ll already know exactly the style she’s looking for so don’t stress out too much!

Women who like wearing over-the-top, big jewellery then obviously, the size of the diamond (or precious gemstone) they’ll be looking for will follow suit. If the cost is too high, both you and your woman may be able to compromise on distributing some of the stones into a multiple stone cluster setting rather than a single high carat gemstone.

Then there is the simple woman who wears just enough jewellery to subtly enhance her features. A simple diamond or coloured gemstone will suffice, along with a smooth, metal band.

Find The Right Sized Ring

How many times has your girlfriend-turned-fiancé come asking for your opinion on how something makes her look? Chances are, she most definitely has. It’s not to be confused with low self-confidence, rather, that your thoughts are the thoughts that count and matter the most to her.

This is the reason why your input for her wedding and engagement ring is so important to her. The ring your sweetheart finally chooses will be something that she’ll want to display to make a statement of the man she’s marrying. Your fiancé may want to wear something large to show off to friends and family but it may not look the best on her. It’s up to you to rein the excitement in and help her choose a wedding ring set that flatters her, not outweighs her.

Women’s hands are much smaller than men’s hands meaning that her wedding bands should remain a smaller width than his. There are generally four shapes female fingers go by:

  • Long Fingers – For women with long fingers, keep away from marquis and oval shaped cuts. Other than that, any sized stone and band width will do. Just keep in mind that going too large can weigh the hand down while going too small will appear even smaller.
  • Wide Fingers – If your fiancé has wide fingers (never say this aloud to a woman, I guarantee you she’s aware!), stay away from round and rectangular cut stones since this can make fingers look even shorter. Nudge her in the right direction of wearing elongated stones such as teardrop cuts, marquis cuts and pear shaped stones to lengthen the finger by giving it a slimmer shape.
  • Narrow Fingers – Much like long fingers, narrow fingers are more forgiving to any shape or width of wedding and engagement rings. With narrow fingers, big stones look stunning! Cluster rings, which have become extremely popular lately, go perfectly on narrow fingers because it leaves little skin showing on either side, maintaining a full sense of balance.

Find A Sense Of Patience

Women are sentimental and emotional creatures. Already on cloud 9 from a near impending marriage on the horizon, they will take their time looking at and inspecting ALL wedding and engagement rings. It will need to be the perfect size, perfect metal and perfect design since this will be the most valuable possession she’ll treasure for the rest of her life.

Putting aside the shopping aspect, now your gal gets to tell everyone her story of how she got engaged while introducing her new fiancé to everyone within eyesight. The time spent together shopping for wedding rings will not only be cherished but stored away into her mental lockbox. Impatience can bring out the strongest of emotions and allow your soon-to-be-bride to break down into tears or worse, cause a quarrel that will forever change this historical memory of a great experience.

Tips On Choosing Wedding Rings For Men – The Women’s Guide:

Find A Manly Ring

This doesn’t mean picking the biggest and heaviest wedding ring out on the market. Men worry about their looks just as much as women do; they’re just quieter about it and jewellery isn’t a rule to that exception!

Because rings can easily look too feminine or too gaudy on a man’s hand, take some time to get familiar with the size and shapes of his hands and fingers. If your fiancé has smaller shaped hands with lean fingers, think proportional – not too small and not too wide. Going on the heavier side of the ring will weigh the hand down; going too small will make the hand look overtly feminine – which is never a good thing for a man!

For men with heavy palms and thick fingers, thinner wedding rings are better . Without going too small in the band width, keep it on the slimmer side of measurement. A neat trick-of-the-trade is if choosing a diamond or coloured gemstone to place into his wedding band, have the stone set in vertically which also helps lengthen the finger!

Men with medium sized hands and long fingers should opt for a heavier, thick or average-sized wedding band that will help keep a balanced look.

Find The Right Level Of Comfort

Comfort is a MUST for men, whether it’s clothes, shoes or jewellery – especially for men who don’t like wearing jewellery in the first place, such as, active men who play sports or men who work with their hands. Wearing a wedding ring that has the feeling of impending normal physical activity can cause annoyance and cause wedding rings to be found on the bathroom sink or left on dressers.

To determine the correct level of comfort, there are several factors to take into consideration:

  • The edge of the wedding ring – Different wedding ring designs call for different styles of edges. The best option is having a ring with a soft curve on the inside edges of the ring for maximum comfort level. While this edge is more commonly found in yellow gold wedding rings, it can also be placed in other rings with different metals used or different designs.  Another option is having a comfort curve placed on the inside of the ring. Talk with your jeweller about options available to soften the wedding ring’s curve so that your guy is getting both the style and the comfortable feeling he’s looking for.
  • The width of the ring – Although wedding band width can vary in size according to men’s tastes, the average size of the width is between 5mm and 7mm.[2] Obviously, the smaller you go, the more comfort he’ll feel but remember, going too small can make the ring appear too feminine on a man’s hand!
  • The depth of the ring – This part of the ring is known as the ‘wall thickness’ defining the distance from the inside of the ring to the outside of the ring.[3] Because the depth of the ring determines the weight of the wedding ring, this is considered as more of a comfort to your fiancé’s bank account but it can also factor in the overall feeling of his wedding band.

Find His Fashion Sense

With new styles of male wedding rings more present than ever, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the selections available. While yellow gold was always the most popular choice of metal for men, platinum, tungsten carbide and titanium has risen to meet its match.

Not only is there a bigger selection of precious metals to choose from, there’s also the choice of designer work, engraving and precious gemstones to add to the assortment. Have your fiancé share his ideas with you before going shopping together for that stylish wedding ring. Portray his ideas to your jeweller, who can then present both of you with an array of wedding rings as described, minimizing your fiancé’s stress level.

Keep Emotions In Check

Picking out wedding sets can generate excessive tears and emotional swings between stress and happiness. Remember that your soon-to-be-husband may not necessarily enjoy shopping as much as you do and by remaining calm, he’ll participate more and have as much fun picking out your ring, as you do his.

Also, because you’ll most likely be choosing two rings instead of one, planning ahead on which style to look for or perhaps looking up different styles online from home before heading to your jewellers will decrease his amount of time spent wedding ring shopping.

References:

[1] http://www.yourtango.com/2007945/study-finds-that-more-women-picking-out-their-engagement-ring.html

[2] http://www.man-wedding-ring.com/mens-wedding-band-01.htm

[3] http://www.weddingrings-direct.com/guidance/profile_guide.php#http://www.weddingrings-direct.com/images/category_images/plat_wed_cat_7b.jpg

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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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Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Corporate Beholder – 2/3

Published on November 28, 2010 in Diamonds, Eskae Private Jeweller, Gemstones, Jewellery, Mens Jewellery, Pearls and White Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

People get older, women have children and accidents occur that sometimes permanently changes sizes and/or appearances. For some people, nature cruelly creeps into genetics on the day of conception – it’s an unstoppable force. You can love it, hate it or EMBRACE it!

Studies show attractive people tend to fare better in the corporate world because good looks appear to go hand-in-hand with self confidence which matters A LOT in the workplace. People are walking advertisements of themselves which is portrayed by the way they dress and present themselves.

When people aren’t confident about themselves, they tend to go into ‘hiding’, which instead, creates the opposite effect. Those who want to hide excess weight might wear baggy clothes making them appear even bigger than before. Men who miss long, lost strands of hair on top of their head may hide behind hats or a comb-over, which has yet to make the Top 10 Fashion list. Women who are self conscious of teenage acne scars might hide behind excessive makeup creating a clown-like resemblance. These are all ways that many people try to cover their flaws when, as you might have noticed, more attention is being drawn to them.

Appearing ‘corporately attractive’ (meaning tall, well dressed and good-looking) may sound discriminating and be a controversial subject to broach but you can’t change certain stereotypes. You can, however, create attractive illusions by learning how to subtly hide flaws by creating an overall balance.

While wearing the right type of jewellery won’t magically lose those extra pounds or gain those couple of inches, it WILL trick the human eye at first glance, helping you add a couple of beauty points overall.

Try applying these Jewellery Do’s and Don’ts to your business attire and see if you don’t feel more confident, look better and receive tons of compliments!

Jewellery Do’s and Don’ts:

Do’s

  • Do think vertically - Perhaps the most famous rule of any fashion guru is to never wear stripes horizontally because it adds pounds. This applies to all aspects of apparel and isn’t limited only to stripes. Wearing jewellery that drapes downward rather than hugging your body can have a slimming effect. Make jewellery and accessories work for you, not against you!
  • Do use symmetry – The highest emphasis on what deems a person as good-looking is held within the facial features. Symmetry is more important in the face, rather than the body as a whole, because it gives the appearance of good and psychological health. Wearing single stud earrings or single pearl earrings adds to the overall effect of symmetry, oftentimes drawing attention out at evenly, rather than pinpointing specific areas of the face.
  • Do wear big jewellery if overweight – Chunky jewellery, big stone pendants or collarettes help balance weight without weighing the body down. While wide bracelets make wrists appear thinner, there is one exception to this is for people who carry extra weight on a small body frames. Because wrists are the dead giveaway of frame size, they’re the one area of the body that won’t pack on the pounds, in which case, nix the bracelets and stick to only earrings, necklaces and rings.
  • Do wear long jewellery to add height – When lengthening height, the last thing you want to do is bog it down with excessive amounts of jewellery and accessories. Keep jewellery long but keep it simple. Choosing long chain and opera necklaces with matching dangle or drop earrings will perfect your illusion of supermodel height!

Don’ts

  • Don’t wear loud jewellery – In an office, especially a small office, wearing loud, jingly jewellery is just as annoying as someone wearing excessive perfume to the point of knocking people unconscious. While it may be trendy, it’s certainly unprofessional and distracting, drawing ALL of the positive attention away from the amazing look you worked so hard to achieve.
  • Don’t over-accessorize – Sure, most people have many favourite pieces of jewellery or a lot of jewellery containing their favourite gemstones that they feel they must wear all at once but that doesn’t mean you should.. For those who insist on wearing a lot of jewellery, remember that in the office, it’s very distracting and even worse, others might actually perceive you as superficial. Choose either one matching jewellery set or keep it toned down to one pair of earrings, one bracelet, one necklace and one ring on each hand.
  • Don’t ‘over-match’ your jewellery – Jewellery should hold its own while emphasizing physical features and attire. If you’re wearing an all black business suit, why not create your own fashion trends by adding colourful gemstones that pop?
  • Don’t limit jewellery to just women – Men can also wear jewellery and accessorize in ways that show masculinity! Choosing the right wristwatch or ring can show power and stamina, as long as it’s not too flashy and matches body proportions.

While these tricks are great for boosting your confidence and enhancing your attractiveness, the most important thing you can do for yourself is to continue taking the utmost care of your body. Get enough sleep to get rid of your dark circles, stop drinking large amounts of caffeine and if you’re a smoker, stop smoking to rejuvenate your skin, get on a healthy diet to remove pesky zits and exercise to stay healthy.

When you feel great, you look great! Everyone CAN look attractive in their own way; it’s just a matter of emphasizing the nice parts and hiding the flaws so that you can put yourself on display in the corporate spotlight!

Sam Kritsotakis
Eskae Private Jeweller

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Treat Yourself – or Someone You Love – to an Almandine Garnet

Published on September 25, 2010 in Garnet and Gemstones. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Almandine garnets are classic gemstones that, thanks to their abundance, remain excellent value in terms of price.

But don’t let their affordability fool you!  Almandine garnets possess a charm that has attracted people from all walks of life, including royalty – most notably the millennium-old Hungarian Royal Crown – for centuries.

Almandine Garnet History and Info

The deep red, dark purple, intense brown and/or almost black almandine garnet is found throughout the world, most notably in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Brazil, India and the United States.  Deposits vary in size and typically only the small to mid-sized garnet stones are used to make jewellery.  (Unlike many types of gems, larger is generally not better when it comes to a garnet’s quality.)

Almandine Garnet - has an incredibly rich and deep colour

Because the colour of the almandine garnet is so murky and naturally opaque, the underside of the gem is usually hollowed out regardless of the cut that’s chosen.  This hollowed-out interior allows light to bounce from facet to facet, enabling the vibrant garnet hues (hidden before the gem was cut) to burst forth.

Though most almandine garnets are inexpensive compared to other similar-sized precious gemstones, there are some garnets containing asbestos fiber inclusions that are quite rare.  These types of almandine garnets carry a higher price tag due to their scarcity and complexity.

Folklore and Legend

Like many gemstones, almandine garnets are steeped in folklore.

Numerous past civilizations believed that having almandine garnets close to one’s body offered protection and wisdom.  Physicians in the middle ages (and possibly before that time period) were even known to place garnets at the site of physical injuries or painful body parts to encourage healing.

Almandine garnet is the birthstone for January babies as well as for the Zodiac sign Aquarius.  This makes it a good choice as a “starter” jewellery item given for one’s birthday!

Caring for Your Almandine Garnet

One of the distinct advantages to buying almandine garnet jewellery is that it’s a very easy gemstone to care for.  Having a Mohs hardness scale of roughly 7.0-7.5, garnet isn’t easily scratched.  This makes cleaning at home trouble-free.

Though you can definitely take your almandine garnet necklace, ring or bracelet to a jeweller to bring its sparkle back, you can also get a great deal of shine out of it by cleaning it with a soft cloth, non-abrasive cleanser and water.

As with all jewellery, it’s important that you store your almandine garnet in a dry place and, if possible, within a soft cloth.

Is an Almandine Garnet Right for You?

There’s no doubt that the almandine garnet is a good buy; from a purely financial standpoint, it’s a great way to make your jewellery budget stretch farther.  But it’s just as important to consider aesthetics when determining if almandine garnets fit your style.  For instance, do you like the colour?  Is the look of a garnet something that “calls” to you on a personal level?

The almandine garnet comes in many shapes, so it’s best to check out a number of jewellery items before making your final decision.

Sam Kritsotakis

Eskae Private Jeweller

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Discover – and Share – the Mystery of a Carnelian Gemstone

Published on September 3, 2010 in Carnelian, Designer Jewellery and Gemstones. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Discover – and Share – the Mystery of a Carnelian Gemstone

If you yearn for jewellery that falls into the “I’ve never seen anything like that before!” category, you may want to invest in a piece featuring carnelian.

A semi-precious gemstone, carnelian (also referred to as cornelian or sard) comes in a variety of colours, from buttery tan to deep, dark brown.  It’s opaque, rich and relatively abundant; perhaps that’s why carnelian has been used to decorate jewellery items for at least 6,000-7,000 years.

Carnelian - tumble polished

A Bit of History about Carnelian…

Carnelian is mined around the world in locales from Russia to Australia to Brazil.  Like many gems, carnelian, a variety of chalcedony, was once relegated to the jewellery collections of the rich and famous.  Today, though, it can be found in jewellery boxes of everyday people.

Carnelian’s toughness (6-7 on the Moh’s scale of hardness) makes it a stone that can be relied upon to keep its shape for generations.  In fact, there are many royal jewellery items featuring carnelian that look stunning thousands of years after their creations.

Carnelian’s colours vary depending upon the levels of iron oxide in the stone.  Occasionally, carnelians are heated to intensify their hues; some may also be specially colour-treated to further enhance their appearances.  Once polished, the outside of a carnelian gem takes on an almost silky look and feel, which makes the gemstone highly attractive from both visual and tactile standpoints.

Carnelian - cabochon cut

Carnelian in Mythology and Legends…

Carnelian stands as one of the gemstones that can be used for many birthstones, most notably for those born under the Zodiac signs of Virgo, Aries, Leo and Taurus.

Throughout the centuries, many societies believed (and some still believe) in carnelian as a stone that could help the wearer (or holder in the case of loose carnelian stones) in a number of different ways, including:

  • Healing blood-related diseases.
  • Guarding against poverty and financial woes.
  • Increasing physical desire in both males and females.
  • Helping with back pain and body cramping.
  • Improving a bad temper.
  • Assisting women and men with infertility issues.
  • Heightening overall energy.
  • Protecting a dead body from evil spirits.
  • Promoting a sense of humor.

Whether or not carnelian actually possesses any of these powers is debatable; however, regardless of its otherworldly or medicinal prowess, it’s undeniably a lovely stone to showcase.

Taking Care of Carnelian

Like other hard semi-precious gemstones, carnelian is not particularly difficult to care for.  A soft cloth and gentle hand soap can bring lustre back to a dull carnelian cameo, brooch or other jewellery item.

One note:  Be careful when cleaning carnelian because the other materials with which your jewellery piece is crafted may require professional cleaning or special cleansing solutions.

Are You a Candidate for Carnelian?

Is carnelian a gemstone of choice for you?  It all depends.  Carnelian is not a stone with tons of “splash”; it’s much more subtle in its appeal.  Yet it conveys a sense of earthiness and warmth that other gemstones do not enjoy.

If you like nature and down-to-earth tones, carnelian is indeed a great match for your lifestyle and personality.

Sam Kritsotakis

Eskae Private Jeweller

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Alexandrite – the Gemstone That Was Named for a Russian Tsar

Published on August 26, 2010 in Alexandrite and Gemstones. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

You just might feel a little like royalty if you choose a jewellery piece made with Alexandrite, the gem named after Russia’s 19th century Tsar Alexander II.

Alexandrite possesses unique characteristics in that its tint or colour continuously changes; thus, depending upon what you wear as well, the setting that you’re in, and,  more particularly, the lighting situation surrounding you, the gem will take on different shades and tones.  For numerous jewellery-owners, this fact alone makes Alexandrite an essential part of their jewellery collections!

Alexandrite History and Info

Originally found in Russia’s Ural Mountains, Alexandrite remains incredibly rare.  In fact, Alexandrite wasn’t even known to modern man until the early 1900s.  What a shame that antiquity never had the opportunity to get to know this incredible gem!

Today, Alexandrite has been found in other places around the globe, including Brazil and Sri Lanka.  However, it still is far from being abundant (and some of the deposits are hardly usable from a jewellery point of view), so collectors need to take this into consideration when budgeting for Alexandrite jewellery, which can get a little expensive because of this rarity factor.

One of Alexandrite’s most magical qualities is that fact that it never seems to stay the same colour!  Depending on the shades around it as well as the time of day (e.g., natural sunlight versus man-made lighting), Alexandrite will literally change before the wearer’s eyes!  Sometimes it seems green, other times it appears blue… or even deep red!

Alexandrite’s colour shifts aren’t magic; they are based on hard science.  Different frequencies found within the various types of light make the stone’s colour change.  This means if you head out for your lunch break, the Alexandrite gemstone in your ring will be one colour; but when you get back into the office you will see that it is very definitely another colour due to the change in light sources.

Alexandrite - and its two colours!

Folklore and Legend

Because Alexandrite hasn’t enjoyed a lengthy popularity due to its relatively recent unearthing, there aren’t many legends associated with it.  One of the only ones is that because it was found on the day that the Tsar Alexander II came “of age”, it must be connected with royalty or prestige/power in some manner.

Additionally, some artistic types claim that wearing Alexandrite helps them be more creative.  And since there’s really no way to gauge creativity, perhaps it has more than a grain of truth!  After all, plenty of expert jewellers also swear by the stone and enjoy making it the showpiece of a variety of jewelry items.

Caring for Your Special Alexandrite Jewellery

Alexandrite is very, very hard (around 8.5 on the Mohs scale).  This makes it easy to cut from a jeweller’s standpoint and even easier to care for.  It would be very difficult to “nick” this gemstone, so if you tend to be hard on your jewelry, Alexandrite could be your ideal choice!

Is an Alexandrite Perfect for You?

Because Alexandrite isn’t widely known in most circles, you’ll probably be asked quite frequently, “What kind of stone is that?”  So be prepared with a great answer if you decide that Alexandrite is going to be the centerpiece for your next bracelet, ring or necklace!

Sam Kritsotakis

Eskae Private Jeweller

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