Diamond jewelry is classic and beautiful, which is how it’s maintained such steadfast popularity over time. Engagement rings are still primarily diamonds, past/present/future necklaces were first designed with diamonds, and diamond earrings are still being touted as the jewelry staple every woman must own. But what if you would love to have a pair of…
Not just a fun word to say, filigree is a delicate jewelry metalwork made with tiny beads or twisted threads that are soldered together to resemble latticework or, at its very finest, lace. (The word comes from the Latin “filium” and “granium” meaning thread and grain; in fact, it was once called “filigrane.”) Around since…
Somewhere along the way, some judgmental people—probably in the sixties or seventies—decided that hoop earrings were somehow an indication of questionable and unladylike character. Can you imagine anything so ridiculous? Hoops have survived so long, they’re classic—you might even call them a retro classic—and anything available in diamonds can’t be trashy. Aside from being classic…
If you every heard someone claim that “they” say you shouldn’t wear diamonds and pearls together, we sure hope you’re ignoring it. Let whatever fashion snobs who still adhere to it turn up their noses all they want: diamonds and pearls are two classic looks that look great together, and if it was good enough…
There are many reasons to choose a channel setting, which places stones—usually round, though emerald, oval, square, and baguette cuts are also seen—in a trough-like (or channel) setting, so that the stones are flush with the shank. First, it’s a secure setting that prevents the stones from snagging or being pried loose from prongs. Second,…
If you buy a diamond at a retail jeweler, it’s likely marked up 100 percent from its wholesale value. If you buy a diamond ring, you could be looking at 200 to 300 percent markup. So what do you think happens when you walk out of the store? That’s right: the value of that purchase…
You may have heard of colored diamonds and, of course, they’re fancy, but are they different from fancy colored diamonds? Not really. The difference is that the rarer colors—pink, blue, green, red—are usually called pink diamonds, blue diamonds, green diamonds, red diamonds. But the less rare ones, the yellows and browns, well, they get the…
In evaluating the four Cs of diamonds, Cut is probably the easiest, because it’s clearly discerned just by looking. Of all the cuts, the most popular is round, or brilliant (sometimes even called diamond cut), developed by Marcel Tolkowsky in 1919. Shop for jewelry in the DC area and you’ll see that the majority of engagement…
Everybody loves diamonds, but not everybody can afford them—at least not in the big and dazzling sizes. But the smaller diamonds are, the less they cost, because they are more plentiful, take fewer cuts, and can hide flaws more easily. But they can still beautify a piece of jewelry with their simple cuts. As such,…
Pawn shops have always been a great go-to for traditional wedding jewelry; think lots of diamonds and pearls. But this year’s hottest trends are a far cry from your grandma’s wedding jewelry, but maybe not so far a cry from the other stuff in her jewelry box. Here’s some of what’s hot for 2016, and…