Jewellery News

There seems to be an interest in sapphires for engagement rings after the royal wedding but the new wave today is not the usual blue sapphires but pink sapphires. Most people tend to think that sapphires can only be blue – many slightly different shades of blue, but blue all the same. However, there are some wonderful variations in colour when it comes to sapphires – and pink is a shade that seems to be the newest fashion wave when it comes to engagement rings.
How exactly do pink sapphires get their colour? When the amount of chromium in the gemstone increases, you get a pink colour which is light or dark depending on the quantity of chromium present. Today, with technology being what it is, there is a process called lattice diffusion which can give a sapphire its pink colour. Sapphires are available in many more colours than blue – you can get yellow, orange and brown sapphires too. However, when a sapphire is red, it is called a ruby and it becomes a different gem altogether.
Sapphires are mined in Sri Lanka, Australia, Burma, Madagascar, India, China, Tanzania and Kenya among other places. Does this mean that sapphires, especially the pink ones are going to give diamonds a run for their money when it comes to engagement rings? Not likely because most engagement rings will have the sapphire set with diamonds surrounding or flanking them. Diamonds still are a girl’s best friend and while other gem stones might come into their own for a while, diamonds rule the day in the long run.

He’s coming back to IJL – International Jewellery London – after being away for five years and he’s going to be showcasing his new collection of men’s wedding rings as well as a collection of accessories and pearl cocktail rings. This collection will include the Celestial pendant, the Satellite cocktail ring and the Triumph ring which are some of his best selling items. The pearl cocktail rings feature the Mohawk and the Triumph ring is set with brilliants while the Satellite ring is set with square stones.

He plans to exhibit his pieces in specially made illusion cabinets and his engagement ring collection will have many more exhibits with rings that have 25pt and 33 pt brilliants. The Platinum Trail at the event will feature his bridal tri-set. His presence here seems to indicate a strengthening of ties with all his old, existing and potential partnerships. Andrew Geoghegan is known for his designer engagement rings all over the UK and even globally. His designs are very often striking and unusual and they are designed meticulously with an eye for detail.

He mainly uses platinum and 18 carat gold and his brand, called AG has won several awards in the UK to make him one of the best known designers and he has over fifty retailers who stock his designs in the UK and in Ireland. His designs are elegant and timeless and at the same time it oozes luxury and perfection.

It’s going to be a really exciting event and the International Jewellery London event is going to be held between the 4th and the 7th of September at Earl’s Court. It is, after all, one of the most talked-about events in the UK and this year promises to showcase a number of new entrants, new designs and new trends. Many of the UK’s best retailers and buyers are sure to be seen at this event.

The event also has seen the launch of new brands and new collections – what better time or place to launch something new than at an event where the cream of jewellery buyers congregates? The jewellery stalls all have one thing in common – they will all feature designs and jewellery of the highest finish and quality. Of course, British designers will be the main group here but the event has also showcased designers from Europe and the USA. The seminar programme has already been released and can be viewed at their website. There’s a catwalk that will run through the whole length of the venue and there will be two shows a day. This, they hope, will bring the designs that are showcased to life. There are a number of new design areas scheduled for the event this year as well.

This year, you have the Henrich & Denzil stand featuring Stuart Moore, the famous American modern jewellery designer, celebrating his fifty years in the business by launching a range of engagement rings and wedding rings. For the first time, Daisy Knights will be a part of the show and she will be launching a new line called ‘Wise’. Kate Moss and Rihanna are fans of her brand. The other British designers who will be featured are Kleshna, William Cheshire, Shaun Leane and Malcolm Morris. There’s going to be a special section of silver jewellery as well and it will feature some new designers with some very path-breaking collections including the trendy Festina watches. There will also be a special section on pearls and designer pearl jewellery.

Ever since gay marriages were declared legal in New York, there’s been a mad scramble for wedding rings as more and more same sex couples are rushing to make their union legal. The State legalised it on the 24th of last month, much to the delight of gays living there. There was a huge Gay Parade which was held along 5th Avenue from Midtown to Christopher’s Street.

One of the people who was ecstatic was Neil Patrick Harris, TV actor who has been waiting for years to get married to his partner, David Burtka. They apparently have been wearing engagement rings for years but now there’s hope that they can be legally married. They have twins, a girl and a boy who were born of a surrogate mother. Neil has been tweeting his joy ever since there was a possibility of the bill being passed. Neil acts in very popular TV serials like How I met your mother and was the young doctor in Doogie Howser, a serial about a young genius who becomes a doctor at sixteen.

This approval has really been great for the jewellery industry with people rushing to buy engagement rings and wedding rings. There seems to be celebration in the air and people openly acknowledge their relationships now. Event planners and bakeries too, have their hands full with all the celebrations. It’s been a long time coming and America has been rather slow thanks to its very conservative underbelly that sees homosexuality as a sin rather than as something that is natural and that people are born with. It looks like the times they are a-changing, though very slowly indeed. Considering that many third-world countries accept it, it seems a bit old world for there to be so much debate about whether or not to legalise these unions. There are still a number of American states that do not recognise it.

The reality show actors are taking their lives on screen into real life and it looks like the duo Kirk Norcross and Lauren Pope are thinking of tying the knot. The couple was seen looking at rings for a long time at a jewellery store and speculation is rife as to whether they were looking for engagement rings or wedding rings. The show has not been aired for a while now so anything to do with the actors makes a lot of news.

The reality show follows the lives of people in Essex and in the show, Kirk’s girlfriend is Lauren so when they were actually out looking for rings, it looked like the line between the show and real life had gotten very blurred indeed. But then, the show says that they are following people and their everyday lives so maybe this is as real as it gets.

Kirk and Lauren met when he hired her at his father’s club to be the DJ and their relationship has often been described as being tempestuous. It had broken off when he threw her out of his life, breaking off things between them publicly at a bar. It looks like they have gone past that however and they are back together, maybe stronger than ever. So Lauren has moved back in with Kirk and people feel there will soon be a wedding. Their togetherness is really very strong – they even had nose jobs done together recently. That didn’t stop them from looking at those diamond rings, though!

The price rise seems to have hit all metals and it is not just the price of gold that is flying through the roof. Whatever the precious metal that most people use for engagement rings and wedding rings, the prices are going up, up, up, be it gold, silver, platinum, tungsten or titanium. Which is perhaps why many couples are thinking twice before rushing into an engagement or marriage.

Why is this happening? Economists feel that it’s because the dollar is weakening and people who want to invest and beat inflation are putting their money into these precious metals. Add that to the deficit that a lot of countries, especially in the Western world, are facing and you’ll see why metals are so attractive to anyone who is in the financial business.

So where does that leave couples who wish to get married? Considering there’s a royal wedding on today, more couples will surely want to tie the knot as well in the near future. It’s like engagements and marriages are in the very air we breathe. However, with a tight budget, this might have to be postponed by many because the costs of engagement rings and wedding bands are steadily increasing. With most jewellers having put their prices up, there’s little a couple with a limited spending capacity can do buy wait and hope that the tide turns.

Who would think that one of the largest retailer chains not just in the US but in the world would also stock engagement rings? Not just any engagement rings but rings with diamonds that could go up to almost 7 carats. Maybe there seems to be a fit somewhere because Costco is also the largest fine wine retailer in the world and wine, romance and diamond rings are such a great fit. This chain which opened in the early 80s in Washington has grown so quickly to become a leader in America and then it expanded its chain all over the world.

Costco is known the world over for its great deals. It has become famous for low priced bulk products and so is ideal for large families who can take advantage of volumes at much cheaper rates. You need to become a member to shop there and you get information about all their great deals. Who wouldn’t want to become a part of this chain? It’s got practically everything and when you realise that engagement rings can also be bought as you are pushing your trolley through the aisles makes it really versatile.

So where do the rings fit in? Costco has apparently always sold engagement rings and the best part is, there is a return policy. So if you buy a diamond ring and then find that you don’t like it – hard to imagine, but just in case – then you can go return it and get your money back. What’s more, in true Costco style, even the rings enjoy a discount. Yes, even the 6.77 carat diamond one. Now that is really great news for anyone. Imagine Costco’s competing with Tiffany’s when it comes to engagement rings.

There’s probably nothing Christine Bleakley would like better than an engagement ring on her finger. And what better place to have that engagement ring slipped onto your finger than in romantic Paris? That’s where Frank Lampard and Christine are on a break from his hectic sporting commitments. So is spotting them in the romantic city enough to start speculating? No, it isn’t just that – they were seen in the jewellery centre in Paris – that golden triangle that is filled with the top names in jewellery designs and that is what seems to have fuelled the rumours that there might be an engagement in the offing.

Apparently they visited quite a number of jewellery stores – from Chopard to Patek to Cartier but the question still remains – were they looking for a diamond engagement ring or were they just looking at jewellery in general – maybe watches or earrings, perhaps? But they have been together for a long time and naturally there are many waiting and watching to see if wedding bells are going to be ringing any time soon. When the couple is seen at some of the most expensive jewellery shops, though, people are bound to whisper and wonder about a diamond engagement ring.

Christine would love to get married and she would love to have children together but she’s waiting for him to do the asking. She did talk about it a bit with the magazine SHE and said that she would love for it to happen but she is happy just being with him and the way things are. Apparently Lampard jokes about getting married but till he asks her for sure, she and everyone will just have to wait. Does the Chelsea footballer want to get married? If he is thinking along those lines, nothing better than a proposal in Paris!

The two big names have launched Modern Bride, a range of jewellery that any modern bride would love to have. It is an exclusive range of jewellery and it gives the US buyers the trust and quality that these two names stand for. They call it a very comprehensive range and they feel that the designs target the modern young woman of today. However, the line also has a timeless feel about it.

For example, the engagement ring is very often something that the couple shops for together today and the bridal shopping is also done often with friends and family. So, to cater to this, the stores have a lot of the brand’s in-store material and the whole range is set at the back of jewellery stores to give the couple a very intimate feeling. For additional styles and designing, couples will be able to do so on an iPad provided by the store so they can get just the engagement ring they want. So much planning and pride goes into an engagement ring which most couples want to be unique and which they treasure for a long time.

The salespeople undergo very special training so they can give good, professional advice to couples when they are choosing their engagement rings. They will be trained to provide useful ideas about a diamond’s cut, carat, size as well as the metal that will be the best for the design. They will also be trained on trends and fashions so that they can give people who are shopping the best insights. Most importantly, they will be trained to de-mystify jewellery terms so that couples understand exactly what they are buying and will be educated on what to look for.

It seems to have caught on in a big way. From matching rings, now it’s stacking rings and there are many couples who just seem to love the idea. The great thing about these rings is that they can be personalised and can become quite unique. The concept isn’t absolutely new but it has made a comeback after being popular in the 70s and 80s. What began as a fad with silver and semi-precious stones is now becoming popular with gold and diamonds.

The rings can be stacked any which way you want and you can wear it as one or the whole set depending on your mood and what you are wearing. They are available in the very high end price range too with platinum and diamonds. Jewellers are experimenting with colourless as well as coloured diamonds.

Some of the jewellers are using visuals or stacking rolls to show the many different ways the stacking rings can be worn. There’s so much that can be done with stacking rings and it just makes wearing rings a lot more exciting. Each time you wear it, it can look different and new and maybe that’s why so many women are getting hooked onto this new idea.

Voltaire Diamonds of Ireland has announced that they are launching a new collection of diamond engagement rings which will include vintage designs, classic ones as well as very fashionable trendy rings. In focus where modern rings are concerned is the halo style ring.

The head of the company announced that with technology having advanced so much in the area of diamond cutting, now diamonds can be cut with a lot more facets that the ones in the traditional cuts. The great thing is, women can now choose their rings according to their budget – they can pick any design they like and it will be custom made within their budget. They can also choose from settings in yellow or white gold, platinum or rose gold.

The company realises that an engagement ring is such a great investment and people want the best and they want something unique for the amount that they are spending. The personalised service that the company provides and the customised engagement rings they get make buying an engagement ring such a pleasurable experience.