Posts filed under 'Great Jewelry Tips'
Three Things You Should Know About Gold Wedding Bands
When it comes to buying a gold wedding band, things can get confusing fast. What color gold do you want? What karat will suit your lifestyle?
Gold is the most popular choice for wedding bands, and very popular in dress rings, bracelets, necklaces, and watches. Gold is easy to accessorize with, and it is durable. There are three things to consider when looking at gold wedding rings.
First, you should look at the karat number. A karat measures the proportion of pure gold mixed with other metal alloy to make up the final metal. There are several karats available for gold, but most men’s wedding bands employ 9-karat, 14-karat and 18-karat. Since an 18-karat ring has a higher proportion of gold than a 14-karat, the 18- karat will be more expensive. Although there are higher karats than an 18-karat ring, it is generally agreed that 22-karat and 24-karat gold is too soft to make men’s wedding rings.
Karat stamps do not indicate the durability and hardness of gold, however. When choosing your wedding band, it is important to consider your own lifestyle. How often will you wear the ring? Do you work with your hands? Could your ring be easily scratched or bent?
Metal hardness is measured by what is called the Vickers scale. The higher the Vickers score, the harder the metal. A 9-karat ring has a Vickers score of 120 and an 18-karat has a score of 125. The difference is so slight that 9-karat and 18-karat rings are much the same in terms of hardness.
Next, you should consider the color of the gold. Gold comes in several colors: yellow, white, rose, bronze, and lime. Wedding bands can also be made using two or three different tones of gold, creating a unique color.
Adding an alloy to the gold creates different colors. For example, rose gold is made using a mix of pure gold with alloys including copper. The copper provides the reddish color. Yellow gold forms from a mixture of pure gold and alloy metals such as copper and zinc, while white gold is an alloy of gold and some white metals (silver and palladium.)
Natural white gold has a gray tinge to it, which is covered up by adding a plating of rhodium. The rhodium also serves to make the jewelry harder, but it does wear off after about 12 to 18 months. You can get your jewelry re-rhodium plated at your local jeweler.
There are many options when it comes to choosing a wedding band, but ultimately you should be certain that the ring you choose is right for you and your lifestyle. After all, the ring is a symbol of your love and marriage, so it should suit you perfectly.
Amanda Trevino is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing-More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. To find more information about wedding bands, please visit International Jewelers.
November 29th, 2009
Physical gold is a sound investment; a reason for this is it was used by numerous cultures and civilizations as a medium of exchange and a way to store wealth. Some of the reasons why scrap gold was and is utilized in these ways are its physical characteristics. Some of these physical attributes that gold possesses is its ability to store, divide and combine wealth. A next property gold has is its uniformity. Pure gold is always the same quality; no matter what place or year it was mined. Its malleability is a next characteristic that it possesses. It is easy to shape and can also be combined with a number of other metallic elements.
Gold because of its density is one of the most difficult elements to counterfeit. One final of its many properties is gold’s resistance to corrosion. This is one of the main reasons why gold is applied in the industrial and the jewelry industry. Its resistance to corrosion is one of the reasons why it’s chosen for instruments intended to go through tough environments like deep space. Its ability to resist corrosion also is why gold is used for jewelry that’s design to last the test of time. As an investment it also has properties that make it one of the best investments out there. One of these qualities is the low to no maintenance cost of gold.
This means if an investor has possession of physical gold and has a safe; it will cost little to nothing to keep the gold. A next attribute that makes it one of the greatest investments out there is its ease to liquidate. Commonly a majority of businesses that sell gold will also buy it; this is why gold is one of the easiest assets to sell. A couple of final characteristics that makes it one of the greatest investments are gold’s intrinsic value and its lack of counterparty risk. With assets like stocks it is not out of the question for it to become worthless overnight if the business is mismanaged or if the products or services the company creates becomes obsolete; but gold because of its intrinsic value and lack of counterparty risk; is impossible for it to become worthless overnight; barring an act of God.
November 11th, 2009
In 1837, Raphael Picard was the give of the "Invicta Watch Group". The company was in the beginning founded in La Chaux-de-fonds, Switzerland. "Invicta" is the Latin expression for "Invincible". In the first decades of its existence, Invicta quickly becomes famous for its elegantly designed and functionally constructed wristwatches wrist watches.
The company was owned by Picards family for a very long time until 1991. Then Invicta was acquired by an investment company settled in the United States and their headquarter moved to Hollywood, Florida. The chief executive officer of Invicta is named Eyal Lalo. He often appears in television shows on the channel NBC.
Some of their wrist watches are still made in the United States
Invicta is still producing new types of wrist watches but they recently outsourced their manufacturing to firms in Asia and Switzerland. A tiny part of their wrist watches are produced in the United States. These wrist watches belong to a specific collection called "Made in the USA". The other wristwatches are labelled normally with the name of the country where they have been built in.
The most well-known watch collections: "Lupah" and "Pro Diver"
Probably the most famous wristwatch collections from Invicta are the "Lupah" and "Pro Diver" product lines. The "Lupah"-line is available in nearly 200.000 variations and known for its special design. Now the "Lupah Swiss Chronograph" is similar preferred by men and women. New models with changing sizes, styles and capabilities are offered at continous intervals.
"Pro Diver" is one of the first low-price series of automatic divers and has nearly generated a cult status. Moreover, Invicta offers by now a large range of models including 18 different collections – most of them are luxurious. The timepieces made by Invicta are sold international. Beside wrist watches, Invicta also develops and offers accessories like hats and bags. Invicta watches
August 30th, 2009
The third prime luxury goods provider worldwide called Richemont, has released a statement which explained that their profits are down this year in contrast to last year.
The chief executive appeared at an interview on Wednesday to a throng of journalists where he was quoted as saying that the firm in its current state would earn less for their Royal London Watches than last year but had taken steps including a seizure on the hiring of new staff as well as cutting the number of positions, so that the company would see out this exceptional financial crisis.
Everybody across Europe is hoping for a significant reversal in the financial mood by Christmas, however retail merchants especially are bracing themselves for a difficult third and fourth quarter, although they will be pleased if they are wrong.
He never had any way to forecast any turnabout in the US luxury watch market just yet and was unwilling to anticipate whether the financial crisis in Europe had really bottomed out yet; he in fact hinted that the financial crisis was still in full swing, and could have a little bit more to give.
It has been suggested that the requirement for the majority of costly watches has has been taking a battering recently, although the Richemont brand isn’t showing the same signs of having been as dramatically effected as gravely as some of the brands in the Swiss watch market.
However the slack has been taken up by various other markets including the Chinese market which Richemont disclosed would be its one biggest market within three years; quite probably overtaking that of Japan.
Some have leveled the acusation that the company did not contrive to take over or obtain any additional companies at the present moment as it was not a primary priority, however Richemont could well afford some acquisitions given its current net liquidity of over 820 million at the end of March this year. These CEO also restated that should more funds be wanted these could be easily accessed via the normal capital markets, and only this specific strategy is not a priority at present.
July 9th, 2009
“Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.” is a legendary Japanese maker of clockworks and watches placed in Tokyo (Japan). Citizen has been primarily chartered as Shokosha Watch Research Institute in the year 1918. The business concern was established in 1924 when the first product, a little pocket watch called Citizen, was placed on the market. In 1930 the company assumed the name Citizen Watch Company, too. The founding fathers once have been chosen the name Citizen because they tried to get a direct way to the peoples emotions. This is still nowadays the idea behind wrist watches made by Citizen.
First watch with Eco-Drive - Models reaching from dress to athletics
For instance the first Japanese watch including a wake-up-function was established by Citizen in 1958. In the 1970ties Citizen built the debut quartz watches with LCD display and after that also the thinnest LCD wristwatch of all time. In the early 1990ties Citizen originated the premier series production of watchcases consisting of titanium. In addition to that, they designed the leadoff voice recognition watch which was another big milestone in their history. Beyond that the company was an outrider in developing dive watches for professional use. A highlight was the included bathometer - no one else was able to offer a similar specific function. Additional, Citizen is famous for its Eco-Drive collection of light powered wrist watches. Fuelled only by light, it doesn’t require any batteries. Designs reaching from dress to athletics (e.g. professional dive watches), Citizen provides a collection for everybody and every occasion. Find out more about Citizen watches
June 30th, 2009
In Cape May, New Jersey, at Sunset Beach on the shore of Delaware Bay you can see
the sunken wreck of the World War One concrete ship, Atlantus. She lies there, half
submerged, a few hundred feet offshore. The weather worn wreck is all that remains
of an experimental World War I concrete freighter. She was towed there in 1926 to
be intentionally sunk as a breakwater and protection for the entrance to the then
new, Cape May Canal. During a sudden storm on Delaware Bay, she broke free of
the towboats and was washed into the shallow water a mile or more west of her
intended resting place near the Canal.
As it happens, this un-natural, man-made barrier is the happy accident that makes
Cape May Diamonds available to you. Here is what we believe to be the origin of
these unique Cape May Diamonds:
It has been estimated the journey of a Cape May Diamond begins when some quartz
rocks fall from a Pennsylvania mountain into the Delaware River. This is thought to
happen at or near Delaware Water Gap, in the upper reaches of Delaware River.
Over time, the pebbles are washed, ever so slowly, past: Trenton, Palmyra, Camden
and Philadelphia and finally to the broad reaches of the shallow, muddy Delaware
Bay.
Here, on the pebble-filled shoreline of Sunset Beach, you can search for Cape May
Diamonds. What you will find are clear quartz crystals that, after being polished,
look like diamonds to the untrained eye. It is believed that the sunken ship has
become a barrier that diverts the tides and currents carrying the Cape May
Diamonds from the mountains of Pennsylvania toward the Atlantic Ocean. In this
way, the journey of the quartz pebbles is changed and they are washed ashore here
instead of flowing into the nearby ocean. Scientists estimate it can take over 1,000
years for a pebble to move approximately 200 miles, from the mountains of
Pennsylvania to its final resting place on Sunset Beach, in Cape May New Jersey.
The largest Cape May Diamond ever found weighed almost eight ounces. Nearby gift
shops sell polished Cape May Diamonds, but it’s more fun to search the beaches
around Cape May for your own “diamonds.” Buff them to a shine and you’ll dupe
your friends at home into thinking you’ve hit the mother lode.
About the Author:
Terry Weber is a retired advertising/direct mail sales letter copywriter and
inventor of several useful items. Terry and his wife Doris are Habitat For
Humanity, RV Care-A- Vanners who, for the past eight years have volunteered to
help build more than 39 houses all over the USA. They travel to and from the 2-
week long builds in their RV. The money they make on their Crafty-Ones website
helps them pay their expenses to and from those volunteer Habitat builds.
http://www.originalsbyweber.com
http://www.webermaskman.com
http://www.crafty-ones.com/web/viewproduct.asp?prodID=2414
September 24th, 2008
The joyous season of Christmas is steeped in tradition, and gift giving is one ritual that is inseparable from this holiday. Who hasn’t had difficulty at one time or another in choosing a suitable present for a beloved family member or a dear friend? Fortunately, jewelry Christmas gifts are widely available and there is an endless variety of styles from which to choose. Twinkling and shining, they reflect the nature of that season to be jolly.
Sparkling and glittering are two words that would describe diamonds. Browse through the World Wide Web and you’ll see a plethora of online stores that showcase jewelry Christmas gifts. Imagine a woman’s pleasure at the shimmering sight of diamond snowflake dangling earrings or a glittering diamond bracelet adorned with traditional symbols associated with Christmas. Men, on the other hand, will surely appreciate flashing yet tasteful diamond cuff links. Other gemstones make wonderful jewelry Christmas gifts. Sapphires or rubies set in gold, sterling silver or platinum will gleam subtly from rings or necklaces.
Not all jewelry Christmas gifts that glitter need to be expensive, though. Whimsical and unique designs at an affordable price for the holiday season abound. For instance, brightly colored, rhinestone encrusted pins shaped like Christmas trees are widely available. For young recipients, bracelets, necklaces or anklets made from gold- or silver-plated metals, engraved with their names for a personal touch, will fit snugly in any Christmas stocking. Stores or web sites that specialize in vintage and antique items also offer bright jewelry Christmas gifts. Take your pick from pieces such as brilliant poinsettia-shaped hairpins or nativity-inspired pendants dotted with Swarovski crystals.
For many centuries, men, women and children have been eagerly counting the days until Christmas morning, when everyone would rush to the Christmas tree to open their presents. The giving of gifts is a time honored tradition, and the selection of presents that will be appreciated and enjoyed by those whom we love is no trivial task. Scintillating jewelry Christmas gifts have always been part of that tradition and they continue to contribute to the glow that the holiday season brings.
Sam Serio is an Internet Marketer, musician and a writer on the subject of jewelry and gemstones. For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of “How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off.” This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at www.morninglightjewelry.com.
September 22nd, 2008
Platinum is a rare, extremely long wearing, natural white luster metal. However, it can be used in its purest form when used in jewelry. Platinum does not require being rhodium plated like white gold. One advantage of platinum rings is that they can be cut-off the finger in the event of an emergency.
Since platinum is a very dense, heavy metal, so a platinum ring is usually heavier than an 18ct gold ring. Platinum is also more durable than gold and so is more preferred for wedding bands. However, because of all these positive characteristics of platinum, it is significantly more expensive than gold, approximately twice the price of an 18ct white gold ring. Platinum provides an excellent backdrop for diamonds but is equally elegant alone. Most men prefer platinum wedding bands, if they can afford it, because of its streamlined beauty, and hypoallergenic proprieties.
Taking into account it’s rarity and cost, the selection of men’s platinum wedding rings is obviously smaller than the ranges available for gold and titanium rings.
Most men, when choosing a platinum wedding band, tend to opt for the simpler version, even though platinum allows for maximum versatility. A simple platinum men’s wedding band can be bought for as much as about $145 with no specific higher range. Most platinum rings are made on a thick extruded blank. It is suggested to ask the vendors to clearly display the thickness and the weigh of the rings. Platinum rings can be made with a comfort-fit also for more comfortable wearing. Platinum rings can be set with precious stones, like Rubies or Blue Sapphires, instead of diamonds, or a combination of precious stones and diamonds.
Mens Wedding Bands provides detailed information about men’s wedding bands, men’s diamond wedding bands, men’s gold wedding bands and more. Mens Wedding Bands is affiliated with Moissanite Rings.
September 22nd, 2008
