While certain pieces of fine jewelry are symbolic of ultimate love, a diamond engagement ring for instance, other jewelry is only as symbolic as you make it. If you’ve just started dating someone and wish to impress her with fine jewelry for Valentine’s Day, you need not worry that it might mean more to her than it does you as long as you are careful about the type of jewelry you give. Fine jewelry shows just how special she is to you but that engagement ring or any ring is likely off the table for now.

Past, Present, Future Diamond Ring

Every woman on the planet cannot have enough earrings. Affordable diamond earrings will not only please her very much but she will know that she is someone special to you without going overboard by thinking she needs to start shopping for a wedding gown. Gemstone earrings might be another alternative that will thrill her. A very popular gemstone choice is to go with birthstones. By doing so you are showing her that you’ve paid attention and know when her birthday is.

Bracelets are another Valentine’s gift idea that is very special but non-committal. The variety of diamond and gemstone bracelets available at most fine jewelry stores is sure to have many that she would love. Gold or silver bangle bracelets have been popular gifts for decades. Stackable and versatile, she will appreciate the thought you’ve put into an accessory so useful.

If you’re a little further along in the relationship and would like to show her a little bit more love, nothing beats a heart-shaped pendant accented with diamonds to show that she means the world to you. When you visit your local jeweler, you’ll find that they often have a huge array of affordable pendants to choose from that will show your love for her without indicating that the next step in the relationship is down the aisle.

Valentine’s Day offers an opportunity to show her just how much she means to you at this point of your relationship. While love may be a part of it, if you’re not ready to commit to a lifetime with her, be sure to stay away from diamond rings entirely. Even right hand rings have the never ending circle that, more often than not, symbolizes your commitment to her. It’s best to choose other types of jewelry until you’re ready to slip a diamond engagement ring on her finger.

How are diamonds graded? What exactly makes up the final price you pay at the fine jewelry store? Well, it all comes down to a simple and easy to remember formula – the 4 “C”s of Diamonds. These carry over in some ways to the grading of other gemstones – even pearls – but when we talk about diamonds in relationship to the 4 “C”s, we are talking about a very specific way of exploring production and perfection quality.

4 C’s of Diamonds

Color refers to the hue of the diamond. Chemically perfect diamonds are without hue and translucent, creating the stunning and glamorous shimmer we associate with these stunning natural miracles. However, colored diamonds – while many are synthetically heat treated to produce outlandish and brilliantly unnatural shades of reds and blues – can be even more valuable than diamonds without hue, depending on the type. Pale pink diamonds are extremely rare and highly valued, for example, because their natural impurities are so rare.

Cut refers to the facets of the diamond itself and the shape that it takes, which is all determined by the way in which it is cut and how many planes are carved into the stone. When diamonds are set into specific band settings, they have to be cut in a way that allows them to stay still and safe. Loose diamonds can be inspected more adequately in relationship to cut because all angles are easily visible.

Carat weight refers to the mass of the diamond, or, to put it simply, the amount of diamond you are dealing with. The more diamond, the better, although size and weight is not a hard and fast rule when it comes to value. A very impure diamond with visible surface scratching with certainly be worth less than a smaller and chemically perfect piece.

Lastly, we need to talk about clarity. When we are talking about clarity in reference to diamonds, what we are referring to is the surface scratching, cloudiness, and overall impurities found on the diamond itself. The more visible these impurities are, the more that those impurities will have an effect on the overall value on the diamond. Some impurities can only be seen under extreme magnification, and won’t weigh as heavily. Some are highly visible and detract from the value significantly. It all depends on the diamond.

The 4 “C”s of diamonds is important to understand for anyone who loves precious gemstones and wants to know more about them.

(How diamond anniversary bands supersede everything)

My wife and I have been married for seventeen years. Now, I’m sure that is the plastic anniversary, or maybe diamond, or possibly major appliance one. In other words, there is most likely a calendar out there that says this year I owe my wife a present made of anything from shooting marbles to stainless steel. I could easily combine those two into a marble that never tarnishes, but I decided to find something even better. I arranged to have diamond anniversary bands as our gift.

Diamond A.Jaffe Anniversary Ring

Seventeen might seem like an odd year to make such a celebratory purchase, and if it were any other couple, I would agree. The thing is, we met when we were that age, even though we didn’t date for another six years. Dating and the engagement took four more years out of our lives, so our seventeenth anniversary would really seem like nothing special…perfect for an out of the blue anniversary gift.

The good thing about choosing anniversary bands is that they do a fantastic job doubling as wedding bands. I went and looked at hundreds of rings that I found myself wishing I had been able to afford back in the day. Thankfully, now I could and I found the perfect design that would not only fit the diamond engagement ring I had first given her, it would also make the perfect companion to the original wedding bands we had exchanged.

She caught me off guard by getting us a vacation back to our original honeymoon spot. This time the trip was for a week at a four star hotel and not three days at a hostel, but she made the purchase because she knew what seventeen met. Which made it that more special when we were out to dinner and I gave her the gift. Those diamond anniversary rings were two of the best things I ever bought in my life. I don’t care what “year” anniversary if was, gift-wise, and judging by my wife’s reaction, neither does she.

My fiancé has always had a bit of an artistic side to him. Even though he knew it was something he wouldn’t pursue as a career, he took a lot of art classes in school and loves to visit museums. I knew he was talented, but I discovered just how gifted he was when it came to my diamond engagement ring.

Gabriel Engagement

He started asking me questions about what kind of ring would I really love. At first I was kind of shy and said that any diamond ring he bought would be fine, but he kept nudging me, telling me to really think about it. I mentioned that I always thought platinum was a great color, and instead of a big stone on its own, I would rather have something with a a few smaller stones. I finally summed it up by saying I wanted a diamond engagement ring that didn’t really look like a typical ring.

Six weeks later we were on a weekend getaway when he surprised me twice in about thirty seconds. The first was when he dropped down to one knee and proposed. The second was when I saw the ring he had bought for me. It was almost exactly like what I had described. I asked him where he found it, but he didn’t say much until we got home that Sunday night. That was when he showed me the sketches he had been working on.

It turns out he had been looking at rings for several months, and during one of his visits to the jewelry store, he learned that they offered custom designed jewelry. He talked to the artisan and got more information about how the process worked. When he realized it could be done inside his budget, that was when he started asking me the questions.

He didn’t just custom design the diamond engagement ring either. He also made sure that the two wedding bands matched so they looked like a set. In fact, my wedding band is designed so that the line of diamonds on my engagement ring will slide right over it and locks in with the rest of the ring. I would have been happy with any ring, but I love this one almost as much as I love him.

Even though I had followed a slightly more practical path through college and into the business world, I have always had a bit of an artistic side. Growing up, I was always drawing and painting, and even took an occasional class after college in sculpture or design just as a hobby. It’s a good thing I did because that was where I met the woman who just recently became my wife. Knowing that she was as artistic as me, I knew I had to do something special when it came to finding the right diamond engagement rings.

Maevona Noss Pave Engagement Ring

I started window shopping and looking online long before I was going to make the proposal to give me enough time to find the perfect ring. In my searches, I came across something I had never considered: having a custom design engagement ring. I guess I just didn’t realize that custom made jewelry was something that could be done easily and affordably. It sounds like to me something only royalty and Hollywood stars could afford.

I visited my local jewelry store and found out that they had several artisans who worked on creating all types of handmade jewelry. When they explained the process of using computer aided design and 3-D models, I could understand how they had made it affordable. In fact, I realized that I could create not just a diamond engagement ring, but also matching wedding bands for the amount I had already budgeted. They also told me that making custom jewelry only took a matter of weeks, and that had me hooked.

Since I had the extra time built in to my search, I started asking my girlfriend casual questions about what her perfect diamond engagement ring would look like. Naturally, she knew what I was fishing for, but she always laughed, saying I’d never be able to find a ring exactly as she described. She was right, I wouldn’t find one, but I could make one. When she had finally given me all of her details, I took those notes to the jeweler. Within a few weeks, I had her exact ring. The look on her face when she opened that box was priceless, knowing that she is going to have the perfect diamond engagement ring for the rest of her life.

There are all sorts of debates that people will have for the rest of time. Which flavor of cola, what type of breakfast meat and who do you watch for late night are all situations where we just have to agree to disagree. When it comes to jewelry and gem stones, however, the consensus is that there is nothing as beautiful as a perfectly cut, crystal clear diamond, right? Wrong…especially this time of year. The perfect solution to your gift giving dilemma when it comes to the cool, crisp months of autumn is to find fashion jewelry that features stunning colored diamonds. If this is the first time you’ve heard about them, you are not alone.

Champagne and White Diamond Ring

Thanks to engagement rings and other styles of bridal jewelry and wedding jewelry, traditional diamonds make up such a huge percentage of the marketplace that many people don’t even know about colored diamonds. Unfortunately, in some of the cases that they do discover them, the diamonds they are being introduced to have been artificially manipulated with color added to them. The truth is that colored diamonds occur naturally and can have the same clarity that traditional diamonds have. This allows for designers and craftspeople to create styles of jewelry, ranging from necklaces and pendants to earrings and bracelets, that present bold new looks that you may never have considered before.

Besides all of the attention given to wedding jewelry, another reason why these naturally occurring colored diamonds are far less well known than their crystal cousins is because, as you might imagine, they are also far rarer. Just like it takes very precise conditions to create diamonds in general, the situation for a diamond to have a brilliant yellow or a smoldering orange color to it is far more complex. Basically, the result of a gigantic environmental lottery, some colors are so rare that only a few carats-worth of them have been found. That is the perfect reason to make colored diamonds your next purchase this fall. With everybody traveling across the country to see the beauty of the changing leaves, imagine if you had those same colors hanging on a necklace or wrapped around your wrist.

I don’t know what it is about me. They say that everybody has a gift, but I just never knew that mine would be shopping form diamond engagement rings. Keep in mind that I have only had to buy one for myself. It worked, she said yes, we’re still married to this day. I have also, however, had to take my best friend, my college roommate, my cousin, my wife’s sister, a co-worker, and two people who were practically complete strangers all shopping for diamond engagement rings. Since I might not ever meet you, I figured I would at least tell you what I think my secret is so your shopping experience can be as pleasant as possible.

18kt A. Jaffe Engagement Ring

Everybody knows that shopping for wedding jewelry is unlike shopping for anything else, and that includes any type of diamond jewelry as well. The trick is not to let it panic you. Instead let it free you. When it comes to style, design and price, you know what you are looking for, but you don’t know how you’re going to get there. That’s all right. I look at shopping for diamond engagement rings like I do going to the aquarium: I have an idea about what I might see, but I simply try to let my mind be open to all of the surprises I am going to discover. Once you see all of the amazing possibilities, then you can start to form an idea of what diamond engagement rings are going to be the type that you are looking for. The trick really is to enjoy the experience instead of dreading it.

It may well be easier said than done, and I will admit I’m probably a little more relaxed helping other people shop for their diamond engagement rings than I was for my own, but it can be done. Another secret that I share with people is to remember that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Many people dread things they have to do over and over again. This is one shot and your down, so relax and enjoy it. In fact, you’ll be surprised how many jewelers go out of their way, with snacks, recliners, televisions, even cocktails, to make diamond engagement ring shopping as pleasant as possible.

As April and the month of diamonds comes to an end, we put a spotlight on those designers that create some of the most beautiful diamond jewelry in the world.

Sholdt

Dusty and Brian Sholdt own and operate the jewelry shop that bears their name. For over 75 years the Sholdt family has been making jewelry – and the dust that goes with it – in their unassuming Seattle area workshop. In four generations the business has grown from a repair bench to an internationally recognized design and manufacturing house for wedding and engagement rings, known simply as “Sholdt”.

Their work area is an intriguing blend of old and new. Rolling mills from the ‘30’s share floor space with modern laser welders. Old-fashioned pendulum scales see-saw next to digital scales accurate to one thousandth of a gram. There is a palpable sense of history. Every workstation bears the benchmark of hundreds of hands, and all the wooden cabinets and tool-handles glow with the patina of use. Many of the tiny folded gemstone papers still bear inventory dates from the late 1800’s.

MaeVona

MaeVona, the award-winning New York City-based luxury brand supplying Maeve Gillies unique Celtic-inspired bridal jewelry to high-end retailers across North America. MaeVona quickly gained international acclaim, with a dedicated customer following for Maeve’s market-leading, innovative bridal designs.

Maeve has received numerous awards for her jewelry, including three from the Royal Society for the Arts in London, four from the American JCK Jewelers Choice Awards, plus the prestigious Town & Country COUTURE Award in Las Vegas, USA.

MaeVona 18Kw Oronsay Pave Setting Semi-Mount Solitaire Engagement Ring

A. Jaffe

A. Jaffe’s designer jewelry follows a theme that combines timeless elegance with modern style. A. Jaffe offers handcrafted jewelry in the finest tradition making your bridal moment all the more special.

A. Jaffe is one of the most respected names in bridal jewelry, engagement rings and wedding bands. Their combination of timeless elegance and modern style shines through with a rich heritage of celebrating life’s most joyous occasions.

They offer a stunning collection of classic and finely styled bridal jewelry that is exquisitely detailed and hand crafted. Whether it’s engagement rings, wedding bands, anniversary bands or ring wraps, A. Jaffe has the perfect piece to match your unique style.

A. Jaffe 18kt White Gold Classic Three Stone Engagement Ring

Representing eternity, love and protection, the symbol of the circle reflects the lack of beginning or ending and instead gives tribute to the notion of forever. The sun, earth, moon, inclusion, wholeness and perfection, for the circle can never be broken.

The wedding band is the most common use of the circle in jewelry, and one that most embodies the meaning of the circle. Slipping a ring on your beloved’s finger is not to be taken lightly. As a symbol of wholeness and eternity, the wedding band says, “I want to be with you forever.”

An explanation from SymbolDictionary.net is, “The circle is also the symbol of boundary and enclosure, of completion, and returning cycles. The circle symbolism most familiar to us is that of the wedding ring which encircles the finger associated in ancient times with the heart. The wedding ring symbolizes not just a pledge of eternal love, but the enclosure of the heart- a pledge of fidelity.”

Comfort fit wedding band in yellow gold style influenced by European design. This 2mm wide wedding band was created for one purpose only: comfort and simplicity. Amidon Jewelers takes comfort to a new level by offering this revolutionary design! Both appealing and attractive wedding rings obtain through the process of lathed seamless extruded tubing, compressing the gold to ensure maximum strength and density. Extruded bands polish brighter, are harder and wear longer than the cast rings. This will also provide seamlessly sizing of rings.

Yellow Gold Comfort-Fit Plain Wedding Band 2mm

Gabriel & Company 14K White Gold Victorian Straight Wedding Band WB6707W44JJ style with .20 total carat weight of diamonds. Featured Diamonds have at least G/H color and SI2 clarity.

Gabriel & Co 14K White Gold Victorian Straight Wedding Band

Gabriel and Company 14K White Gold Contemporary Curved Wedding Band WB7457W44JJ style with .17 total carat weight of diamonds. Amidon Jewelers is an authorized Gabriel & Co dealer in Tax-free New Hampshire. Featured Diamonds have at least G/H color and SI2 clarity.

Gabriel & Co 14K White Gold Contemporary Curved Wedding Band

Used as either an anniversary band or a wedding band, this ring will certainly always remind you of the love you have for each other. Ring embellished with sparkly round diamonds, beautifully arranged in a channel setting, fashioned in 14K white gold. Total diamond weight of 1/2 carat, featured diamonds has at least HI color and I2 clarity. At Amidon Jewelers, we offer a great selection of jewelry and a variety of sparkling Diamonds.

Diamond Anniversary Band 1/2 CT TW Round Cut 14K White Gold

A vintage style wedding ring similar to something you might find in your grandmother’s jewelry box, the halo diamond engagement ring accents a center diamond with a halo, or border, of smaller diamonds. A throwback to the 1920’s, the visually impactful rings can be flushed, with the halo encircling the center diamond, or the ring can be designed with a separation between the center diamond and the glittering border.

A halo ring can be an excellent choice to give you an impressive looking ring with lots of sparkle. Buying a halo ring is a guaranteed delight with an air of sophistication and sparkle that only your beloved can match.

The vintage-inspired yet contemporary look halo is currently trending and the style many celebrities have chosen as a symbol of their love.

Tim Witherspoon opted for the trendy and classic halo ring when proposing to former Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland.

“It’s a classic style that we keep seeing more and more of these days! Celebrities are really gravitating towards cushion-cut diamonds because it’s the best of both worlds, it’s a mix of round and square shapes and it’s really taking over,” celebrity jewelry expert Michael O’Connor told E online. “The mounting is very classic with diamonds around the main stone and along the shank, too. The halo setting makes the diamond look even bigger,” O’Connor explained. “The sentiment of a halo setting it that you’re the center of the giver’s universe, which is appropriate for an engagement ring.”

Show your beloved she’s the center of your universe with a halo ring by Alishan. While maintaining a commitment to elegance and style, Alishan has not lost sight of quality. His jewelry pieces are bold, graceful, complex, daring and often provocative Because of his artistic skills,

Alishan Halo Diamond Engagement Ring

Witherspoon isn’t the only one opting for the heirloom halo effect; the Bachelor’s Sean Lowe presented a 3.15 carat cushion-cut sparkling halo ring to finalist Catherine Giudici.

Who needs roses when you can present the love of your life with an amazing contemporary halo square engagement ring with diamonds on both sides of the split shank, emphasizing the stunning center stone princess cut diamond. This setting features round diamonds totaling 0.53 carats weight on the 14k white gold. The ring displays a gleaming detailed work of art.

Halo Square Engagement Ring

Tennis star Ryan Sweeting proposed to Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco last September, after only three months of dating. Though Sweeting pulled a few antics for the proposal, like starting a fake fight and using a 2.30 carat cushion cut halo engagement ring as an offer to make up, the two have been happily married since the beginning of the year.

Serve your love an ace with an elegant Amidon 14K White Gold Diamond Emerald Pie-Cut Engagement Ring with diamonds 1.34 total carat weight. Refinement elegance style; a new collection form Amidon Jewelers!

14K White Gold Diamond Emerald Pie-Cut Engagement Ring

When we have a special occasion in life we turn to buy that unique jewelry gift. Something exceptional and unseen before such as diamond engagement and wedding rings made of precious metals.