Diamond Searchers

Posted by diamondjim on Thursday, 16 July, 2009 @ 9:07 am

Best Jewelry Box Ever Designed

Over the course of thousands of years of history, hearkening back to the most ancient of civilizations, jewelry artifacts have been found and have served to illuminate many aspects of daily life in these former times. The pieces of valuable jewelry worn by a culture can provide information about the lifestyles and priorities of the people. In a similar way, the jewelry boxes of those same time periods can offer additional clues and insights into the owners of the jewelry.

In fact, it is fair to declare that the history and the significance of the intricate jewelry boxes date back for as many centuries as the pieces of jewelry. Especially in ancient cultures, fine jewelry was revered and was often used to display the position and the power of a particular person or family. In addition, fashion jewelry and embellished items, such as various gemstone and diamond jewelry pieces have always been, as they are today, outward expressions of wealth.

In this way, the jewelry boxes from different eras are also able to reveal a great deal of additional information about the culture and the people. Since precious metals have always been scarce and the refining process more challenging in some eras, fine jewelry was always carefully taken care of and stored in jewelry boxes that protected the pieces.

Historically, jewelry boxes were specially designed and hand-crafted items created by skilled craftsmen. In fact, in some instances, the same artisans responsible for the wonderful fine jewelry that was being made also put their talents to work to build beautiful jewelry boxes. In this way, their works of jewelry art would be housed in proper vessels that would do justice and honor to their craft.

Many of the traditions of fine workmanship that went into jewelry boxes of yesteryear are still quite alive and well today. Just as one can find an enormous selection of fine jewelry, from simple costume jewelry to highly embellished fashion jewelry, there is also a wide array of jewelry boxes to carefully store the precious items that people collect.

Since so many people do collect a significant number of jewelry pieces over the years, often jewelry boxes that once provided adequate space are replaced with a larger container. Some people simply buy another jewelry box or two, while others decide to go with grander options. One of the common items seen nowadays, which is an offshoot of the basic jewelry box, is a jewelry armoire.

The jewelry armoires are really more of a piece of furniture than the standard jewelry boxes that are common in many homes. They can range in height from about three feet to about six feet. They typically feature swinging doors on the front which reveal many specially designed nooks, crooks and crannies for storing different types of fine jewelry, such as diamond rings, silver jewelry, gold jewelry and watches.

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Posted by diamondjim on Thursday, 11 June, 2009 @ 12:38 am

When you sit down and envision a pearl necklace, what pops up in your head? It is very likely that is a perfectly matched necklace of round, lustrous pearls- and if so, the image that comes to mind is the famous Akoya saltwater pearl! Ever since Mikimoto revolutionized the glamorous world of jewelry by commercializing the first cultured Akoya pearls, this beautiful gem has captured the imaginations and won the hearts of all cultures around the world.

The cultured pearl was born out of Japan during the 1900’s as the result of many years of conducting trials and tests by three Japanese men: Nishikawa Mikimoto, Tatsuhei Mise and Tokishi Nishikawa. Experimenting independently on various nucleation methods with the Pinctada martensii oyster (the indigenous saltwater oyster that produces Akoya pearls) the researchers each discovered the surgical nucleation techniques that will force the oyster to create a pearl- this is the same technique used to this very day by nucleation technicians worldwide, known as the Nise-Mishekawa method. However, Mikimoto was the person who intuitively used his business proess to gain worldwide attention and has made a worldwide brand based off of his name.

For almost a century the Japanese maintained a monopoly on the Akoya pearl trade, guarding their cultivation and processing techniques jealously. These people have been revered for being the big players in pearls; the Japanese pearls are known to be the top pearls to be found. Growth times for the pearls (the amount of time that the oyster was allowed to secrete nacre over the nucleus) were approximately 3-5 years per pearl, ensuring thick, lustrous nacre layers that gave the pearls their renowned glow and shine. Due to this, the pearls are much more likely to withstand elements that may cause damage to the nacre such as sweat and perfumes.

However, as with any monopoly, it would not last forever. In order to satisfy a growing demand for their wonderful pearls- which had quickly staked their place as a staple of every woman’s wardrobe throughout the 1940’s and 50’s- the Japanese began cutting their growth times in order to accommodate the burgeoning market’s requirements, and quality began to suffer. Also, pollution and disease wreaked havoc and played a large part in the decline of Japanese pearl quality. With an eye toward the future, the Japanese have begun to culture larger pearls measuring over 8.0mm almost exclusively, focusing their efforts on maintaining their position as a leader, and the best source for gem-quality cultured pearls today.

China began culturing Akoya pearls as well starting in the 1960’s, although quality was acknowledged to be quite inferior to that of their Japanese neighbors. However, over the years the Chinese have rapidly gained ground in terms of quality and market share in an industry that was considered to be unshakeable. Concentrating their efforts on perfecting the smaller pearl sizes of 4.0mm to 8.0mm- as they have not yet mastered culturing the larger sizes that Japan is renowned for.  Utilizing their vastly cheaper production costs than that of Japan, and adopting a wiser, more long-term approach in terms of pearl quality and reputation, China has proved that it is a force to be reckoned with in the pearling world.

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Posted by diamondjim on Monday, 1 June, 2009 @ 5:17 pm

diamond jewelry

We live in a time when proudly displaying the jewelry that you own tells people a lot about your fashion and style sense. Making sure that you have diamond earrings included in your sophisticated or fashion jewelry collection is simply a basic essential. Even if you are covered with loads of dazzling and attention-calling diamond jewelry, omitting the ear adornments and leaving them naked is a fashion misstep in many circles.

It can also be said that making an investment in diamond earrings is not only a wise and insightful business transaction, but it is also very much of an emotional decision, as would be true of any type of purchase of diamond jewelry, whether it be a white diamond, a blue diamond or a black diamond. In fact, it is fair to say that most people first regard the emotional, sentimental and even romantic aspects ahead of the cost of investing in fine jewelry.

For many people, diamond earrings are the first item of fine diamond jewelry that they ever own. Often these sparkling ear enhancers are given as gifts. Other times, they are personal indulgences purchased for him or her self.

Because jewelry for the ears can make a huge impression, they are a perpetual favorite. And, because they don’t need to be large to get attention and to make a statement, they are often the most affordable of all precious stone jewelry pieces, whether set in yellow gold, white gold, platinum or silver.

One reason why diamond earrings get so much attention, even if they are the tiniest of stones, is because of their placement near the face. Since most people communicate by looking at each other, it is more likely that even a stranger will notice the sparkling ear jewelry that can be taken in with an easy gaze. It is not quite the same in the case of other jewelry items, such as a diamond ring or other items of jewelry and watches. To discreetly draw attention to these baubles may be more difficult.

One of the most important factors in choosing just the right pair of diamond ear adornments is the size, which of course has a great deal of bearing on the price of the set as well. In general, it is advised to purchase the largest size stone that will easily fit within your budget. But if the budget is small, then this should not be discouraging. Even the smallest of diamonds can make a statement of taste, elegance and style.

If you can afford to purchase a pair of diamond earrings larger than a shimmering fleck, then you will need to also decide upon the shape of the stone. The most seen and most basic of gemstone shapes is the simple round radiant. Other standard cuts of gemstones are the emerald, the pear, the heart and the baguette.

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