Archive for Jewelry Infos
12.28.08
Posted in Jewelry Infos at 6:11 pm by admin
You don’t need a special occasion to give mom a gift. A gift of jewelry is welcomed any time of the year, and there are so many special pieces to show much how much you love her. Then again, if it is a special occasion, there is no better way to say thank-you “mom” than with a beautiful piece of jewelry.
When you are shopping for jewelry there are many favorites that are sure to please. There are beautiful assortments of gold necklaces, silver necklaces, diamond necklaces and custom designed necklaces. If you’d rather go with a bracelet, a charm bracelet with mom’s favorite things is special or a delicate pearl bracelet paired with matching earrings is stunning. For a more personalized touch an original Mother and Child pendant by Jane Russell is beautiful, as our mother’s pendants and pins. These pins can be set with your mother’s birthstone or yours and your siblings. What mother wouldn’t love a photo pendant with an engraved photograph of you or your child set in silver or gold. There are also stylish family tree pins and pendants. A gold, silver or diamond heart is very special and can be set in a necklace, bracelet, earrings or pin.
The list goes on because there are so many beautiful jewelry gifts that you can get for mom. Go online and search for “jewelry for mom,” or check local jewelry shops or malls. You’ll find a special gift for a very special mom.
Gifts For Men provides detailed information about gifts for men, birthday gift for him, anniversary gift for him, gift basket for him and more. Gifts For Men is the sister site of Wholesale Embroidered Hats.
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Posted in Jewelry Infos at 11:58 am by admin
More and more women are deciding to tie the knot this year, whether it be their first or fifth time. Top jewelers forecast this year’s hottest trends in engagement ring design and pinpoint five styles that many fiancées will be wearing before the big day: the classic cuts, titanium settings, the vintage pieces, the bezel and floating styles and the colored stone rage.
Classic cuts are making a huge comeback. The good thing about classically designed rings is that you can still wear them tastefully in the next three decades. They make great heirloom pieces as well. Most women are now leaning towards getting a classic-cut diamond solitaire, or if that’s too much, at least a diamond accented ring. Despite the colored stone trend, diamonds still appear to be a girl’s best friend-at least for the engagement anyway. Round and emerald-cut diamonds are still the top sellers, followed closely by the classic oval cut. The pavé setting, where the band is studded seamlessly with diamonds, is also an elegant way to set diamonds. This setting is also poised to be a big trend in the coming year.
Platinum is still the top choice to set precious stones, however it is no longer plain and simple. Most females now want the metal carved with designs or inlaid with other gemstones while the thick and simple platinum band is still the top choice for grooms. White and yellow gold are also quite saleable and are the preferred metals for those on a limited budget.
A new trend in metals that is poised to equal platinum is the growing use of titanium in conventional jewelry settings. Studies show that a large number of men and women have developed allergic reactions to the common precious metals, so they are starting to opt for titanium-set jewelry. Titanium is also a very good investment because it is actually a stronger metal than gold and silver and so far has also proved to be the most “bio-compatible” and hypoallergenic. It is also lighter than platinum and looks very similar to white gold. It also supports any precious stone as well as other conventional precious metals.
The third trend is bringing back the old to the new. Following the vintage rage set by fashion houses, antique engagement rings are making a striking comeback. Women are now looking for rings that have a bit of nostalgia found in the gold filigree settings and mod designs. Stones are usually cut in the Old European round style with a lot of meticulous details like tiny diamonds and beaded edges. More sophisticated and mobile women are making vintage rings their choice and the market for diamond vintage rings have expanded rapidly to meet this demand. Vintage engagement rings usually have varied cuts that are combined in one setting and this makes the rings highly appealing to the varied and fickle tastes of today’s women.
The Bezel setting and the “floating style” settings are also hot now. These are techniques where the stones are skillfully placed on a simple band to make the entire ring look as delicate as possible. No worries though; these styles are sturdy enough to withstand daily use. If you are bored of the “normal” stone settings like the emerald or princess cuts, a popular new cut that uses the latest stone-cutting technique is called the Zales cut, which can show off more facets and increases the stone’s brilliance.
The last big trend in engagement rings is using colored stones over diamonds. A growing number of women are leaning towards wearing colored stones to look more individualized and lively. Colored diamonds are also quite popular - the pink and yellow varieties sell very well. These stones are placed in the new tension settings or on the classic four-prong setting. They are also set in a filigree design to achieve a vintage look. Birthstones or favorite colors are usually the deciding factors for women eying a colored stone engagement ring.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Engagement Rings
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12.27.08
Posted in Jewelry Infos at 1:38 am by admin
Before learning about watches you should be familiar with some of the terminology. The word horology has two meanings; it is the study or science of measuring time or the art of making clocks, watches, and devices for telling time.
Since the first appearance of man on the earth an effort has been made to measure time. The tracking of the sun’s movement across the sky, candles that were marked at intervals, oil lamps with a marked reservoir, sandglasses (hourglasses) are some of the ways in which time was measured. In the Orient knotted cords and small stone or metal mazes filled with incense that would be burned at a specific rate.
Water clocks did not depend on the observation of the sky or the sun. The earliest water clock was found in the tomb of Amenhotep I who was buried around 1500 B.C. Greeks called them clepsydras; they were stone containers with sloped sides that allowed water to drip at an almost constant rate from a small hole in the bottom. Other clepsydras were cylinders or bowl shaped designed to slowly fill up with water coming in at a near constant pace. Markings on the inside of the bowl marked the passage of the hours. Though this was used primarily at night, it is thought they were used in the day hours as well. A metal bowl with a hole the bottom was placed in a larger bowl filled with water. It would fill and then sink in a certain amount of time.
Since water flow was not exactly predictable and difficult to control the flow accurately, timepieces that depended on water were very inadequate. People were drawn to develop more accurate ways of measuring and telling time.
The development of quartz crystal clocks and timepieces depended on the crystal size, shape, and temperature to create a frequency. Quartz clocks and watches continue to be popular. They work well enough for the price and although they tend to be slightly ‘off’ the correct time most people can afford them.
The first watches had a natural movement but no minute hand. They had to be wound every twelve hours. Watches were originally worn more for adornment than functionality. Timepieces worked with weights but these were not practical in portable timepieces.
Time measurement has been a goal of man from the beginning and a time line will help you understand how we got to where we are with watches. Watches have so many new functions. They have the date, the time, times across time zones and some have stop watches. Most watches have some kind of an alarm in them. The possibilities are endless and I can really see a Dick Tracy type of watch being real.
Here is a timeline of watch history. Some of the years might not be listed in chronological order but I got them as close to it as possible. It is very interesting to learn how watches have developed. It’s amazing when I think of the minds of the people who had their hand in creating watches, how smart and technical they must have been!
Prior to 1600 - The main problem was the driving power the timepieces ran were balanced weights. This made it difficult to carry them around.
1524 - Henlien was paid fifteen Florins for a gilt musk-apple with a watch. This is the earliest date of watch production that is known.
1548 - Other watches appeared and were probably French or German in origin.
1575 - Swiss and English products began to appear. This was the period of the most advancements and innovation. First watch movements were made of steel and then later brass. They were straight verge watches with no balance and were highly inaccurate. The use of spiral-leaf main spring began. This allowed the power of a movement without hanging weights. These pieces were inconsistent in their accuracy.
1600 - 1675 - This was the age of decoration. Watches became more of a decoration and jewelry piece rather than being functional. The shape of cases changed from tambour cylinder with a lid, to a circular case with hinged, domed covers on the front and back. Champleve enamel and relieved case filled with colored enamel appeared.
1620 - The glass crystals were fitted to the cases as a typical alternative to metal opaque covers. The glass is translucent and allowed the owner to see the time without taking off the cover. In order to set the watch and see the time, the cover had to be removed.
1625 - Plain watches came about as the result of the Puritan movement.
After 1660 - Fancy shapes and adornments were seen mostly on ladies’ watches.
1675 - The spiral balance spring is first used in watches. The accuracy now was measured in fractions of minutes as opposed to fractions of hours. This increased accuracy caused watchmakers to create a dial that had a minute hand and was divided by minutes.
1675 - Charles II introduced waistcoats with pockets. Men now carried their watches in their pockets rather than on a pendant.
1704 - Dullier and Debeaigre developed a method of using jewels as bearings.
1715 - Sully found out that creating a small sink around each hole would retain the oil because of the surface tension.
1725 - It was common to find a large diamond endstone in the cock.
1750 - The names of watchmakers never appeared on the dials of watches till now.
1761 - John Harrison made a clock that was so accurate it was used to measure longitude during sea voyages.
1775 - Champleve is now rare.
Purrelet began production of self-winding watches.
1780 - Rareguel produced these watches.
1800 - The pocket chronometer was a readily available and accurate watch.
1814 - Massey was the first who used a push or pump with a rack that operated by pushing the pendant that turn on a ratchet basic or going bowl.
1850 - The United States were the first to use mass production with mixed results
1900 - Advances were made in metallurgy. This was the introduction of the balance spring on the first verge watch.
1952 - Battery powered watches became available.
1970 - Electronic watches were very successful.
Watches today use quartz crystals, batteries, and there are even atomic watches. Time tracking has never been more accurate and advances in the field of Horolgy are being made all the time.
About the Author
Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of products which includes
Wedding Ring and and more! His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information.
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12.18.08
Posted in Jewelry Infos at 6:26 am by admin
‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.’ This is a saying that many brides take to heart when considering their wedding trousseau. From wedding gowns, accessories and motifs, brides from all walks of life throughout the years have tried their best to stick to this formula. It’s interesting to note that bridal jewelry can follow this adage, too.
‘Something old’ could most often be a piece of bridal jewelry that is a family heirloom. Sometimes the groom would give to his bride a ring or another piece of jewelry that had once been owned by his mother, grandmother, or past brides in his family. Maybe the bride would wear her own mother’s antique jewelry or some other gem that has been handed down to brides in the family from generation to generation. One thing is certain, wearing such bridal jewelry would reinforce a sense of family, tradition and continuity in a wedding ceremony.
‘Something new’ hardly needs any explanation. Thousands upon thousands of bridal jewelry stores, both the Internet e-commerce sites and bricks-and-mortar stores, offer a dazzling array of accessories to make the bride shine on her wedding day. The would-be bride can choose from among various jewelry pieces one or several items that she would wear at the ceremony and which she could treasure and keep as a memento of that most special day.
At first thought, ’something borrowed’ doesn’t seem applicable to bridal jewelry. After all, a bride would most probably want to wear her own jewels and not have to borrow and then return them. But for women who want to add to the accessories that they will be wearing on their wedding day without having to spend thousands of dollars more to buy new ones, renting jewelry offers a practical solution. Many establishments rent out antique or estate bridal jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, and only the rental fee plus a refundable deposit need to be paid.
Finally, for that ’something blue’ in a bridal jewelry ensemble, there are several gemstones that fit the bill. Depending on the shade of blue that she wants, a bride can opt for a necklace, bracelet, or earrings that are accented with sapphires, aquamarines or blue pearls. Hair ornaments or tiaras with other blue-tinted stones such as agate and topaz are also beautiful accessories for the bride.
The bride is the belle of the ball on her wedding day and it is important for her to look her best on that special occasion. Bridal jewelry, chosen tastefully and worn properly, will complement her wedding dress and make her look as radiant and as beautiful as any bride should be.
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.
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12.14.08
Posted in Jewelry Infos at 12:17 pm by admin
Your pearls are a valuable investment. Though their compact crystalline structure makes them durable, their exterior is delicate and soft. Proper care is necessary in order to maintain their beauty and luster for future generations to come.
Storing Pearls
Because pearls can be easily scratched or damaged, keep your pearls separated from other items or jewelry. They are best kept in a soft cloth, a soft pouch, or a soft, lined jewelry box. Do not keep your pearls in an airtight or excessively dry environment. They need moisture in order to prevent cracking. If they need to be kept in a safety deposit box or a vault, keep a damp (not wet) cloth nearby. Re-dampen as needed, but be careful not to have too much moisture. This can cause mildew.
Avoiding Harmful Products
Personal care products such as cosmetics, perfume and hair spray, can dull the pearl’s luster and should be applied before putting your pearls on. Other harmful products, such as vinegar, ammonia, chlorine bleach, and even inks will also damage the pearl surface. Make sure to remove your pearls before any strenuous exercise or work. Perspiration is another harmful substance that contains natural acids that can eat away at your pearl’s surface. These are all harmful substances that can spot or disintegrate the pearl’s beautiful nacre.
Cleaning Pearls
After each use, gently wipe your pearls with a warm, damp cloth before putting them away. Make sure not to use anything abrasive to wipe off the pearl surface. Periodically, gently wash your pearls in warm, soapy water using a mild soap (not a detergent) to remove any harmful buildup. After washing, gently rinse your pearls in clean water and then, wrap them in a thin, damp (not wet) cotton towel. Once the towel is dry, your pearls will be dry, too. Make sure not to hang your pearls to dry, since this can stretch the silk thread. If your pearls are particularly dirty, you can also wipe them with acetone polish remover. Unlike ammonia and vinegar, acetone will not damage your pearls.
Restringing Pearls
If your pearls are worn frequently, you should have them restrung annually. They should be restrung with silk thread and knotted in between each pearl to prevent them from rubbing against each other and possibly scattering, if the thread should break. The exception is with smaller pearls, since the knots could be aesthetically displeasing.
Christina Suh is a co-founder of www.Pearltopia.com, an online retailer of fine pearl jewelry.
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10.28.08
Posted in Jewelry Infos at 5:18 pm by admin
As a woman I always anticipate Valentine’s day, for me it evokes very strong memories. For so many, happy memories are formed this time of year, I’m no different. Four years ago, I decided to propose to my boyfriend. I’m aware that being a women, that this is slightly breaking with tradition, however I was determined to go through with it. I remember buying the ring, I was very nervous at the time, I still refer to it as my boyfriend’s Valentine’s ring.
It was a very strange experience. I had the idea a few months before. My boyfriend and I were very much in love and had been together for nearly eight years, so it felt right. I knew that we were both ready, I was just a little anxious as to how he would respond as I offered him the Valentine’s ring. Quietly, I was confident. I had dropped a number of hints in the weeks and months building up to it, I guess you’re never one hundred percent sure until the Valentine’s ring is on their finger though.
My family and friends were very supportive, I even decided to speak to my boyfriend’s parents about it. They were overjoyed and offered to help with the preparations. There was not a lot to do at that stage, however their offer and the fact they cared meant a lot to me.
Visiting the jewelry was a great experience. Effectively, I was purchasing an engagement ring. However, since I was breaking with tradition by asked a man to marry me, I wanted it to be known as a Valentine’s ring. I looked at so many, there was just so much choice. It dawned on me how difficult it must be a for a man to buy any form of jewelry for a woman.
Eventually I was able to find the perfect Valentine’s ring. It was just wonderful, it was a fabulously simple design, platinum ring. I was even able to put my own inscription on the inside of the ring, it read “May this Valentine’s ring always be with you, just as I hope to be”. It sounds a little soppy now, however at the time and still to this day, I meant every word.
We had both agreed to spend a lovely evening enjoying a meal for Valentine’s day. We booked a special restaurant that was candle lit and had soft music on in the back ground. It was just perfect. The meal was wonderful, although I can not remember what we had. All I could think about was that I was going to propose to my boyfriend. I must have checked to see that I still had the Valentine’s ring in my pocket a dozen times.
When dinner was over, my time had arrived. I looked into his eyes and smiled. He smiled back at me. I simply said to him “Will you marry me?”. His smile grew wider and he looked at the ring I was holding in front of him. “Yes” he exclaimed, “of course I will”. With that, I placed the Valentine’s ring on his finger.
We were wed the following year. Valentine’s day is so special for both of us. I wish you the same happiness this Valentine’s day.
For 14 years Titanium Rings Studios has been making the finest quality handmade titanium rings and www.tirings.com carries a full line of Weddding Rings, Engagement Rings, Celtic Rings, Tension Rings, Friendship rings.
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10.24.08
Posted in Jewelry Infos at 2:01 am by admin
‘Man made diamond’ is also known as synthetic diamond and this ‘man made diamond’ or the ‘lab created diamond’ undergoes a chemical and physical process in the diamond mines. The main difference between ‘Man made diamond’ and the natural diamond is the composition of three dimensional carbon crystals. The ‘lab created diamond’ or the ‘man made diamond’ are known by various names such as manufactured diamond, artificial diamond, industrial diamond or the cultured diamond. ‘Man made diamond’ is manufactured either from the silicon carbide or the cubic zirconium.
History of the Lab Created Diamond
The first ‘man made diamond’ was manufactured in Sweden in 1953 by Quintus and by an engineer Anders Kampe. This lab created the diamond manufacturing process, bulky and huge machines were used which were designed by Baltzar Von Platen. But this feat was not known to many people. After one year General Electric took a giant step in manufacturing the ‘man made diamond’. This step encouraged the many young aspirants and the ‘man made diamond’ industry came into existence in the nineteenth century. The main industrialist in lab created diamond or the ‘man made diamond’ was the GE Super abrasives and the De Beers Industrial Diamonds.
In and around 1980 some additional ‘man made diamond’ industries were formed in Korea. Later on the Chinese became the pioneers in the lab created diamond process. GE Super abrasives later on sold their ‘lab created diamond’ unit to Little John and this was named the Diamond Innovation Company of 2003. During this same time De Beers Industry was divided into two different ‘man made diamond’ industries and the second industry was known as Element Six.
At present, there are many ‘man made diamond’ industries available around the globe and some are well known diamond industries such as Sumitomo Electric Hard Metal, Smith Mega Diamonds and the United States Synthetic Diamond industry. Today the ‘lab created diamond’ has a market of one billion dollars and produces around three billion carats of the Man made diamonds in a year. Out of these three billion carats only 130 million carats are used in the manufacturing gems.
Manufacturing Process Of Lab created Diamonds
To create a diamond, there are basically two methods that are used now days. One of the methods is high a pressure, high temperature method and commonly known as HPHT method in the ‘man made diamond’ manufacturing arena. As the production cost is less in this process, making it a more popular method used world wide. The main accessory used is a heavy press that provides a pressure of 5 GPA and the temperature that is formed due to this pressure is around 1500 degree Celsius. The diamond better known as ‘man made diamond’ is created by all these procedures inside the earth’s crust. In this process there are two types of presses used and they are a belt press and a cubic press.
Another method used in ‘Lab created diamond’ is the Chemical Vapor Deposition which is also called the CVD method. In this method carbon plasma is formed on the top where the tiny carbon atoms are made form a ‘Man Made Diamond’. In this CVD various gases are used to energize the suitable conditions for diamond growth on the top layer. This method of Chemical Vapor deposition was introduced in 1980.
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10.20.08
Posted in Jewelry Infos at 10:57 pm by admin
With the cost of diamonds soaring to record highs and the huge influence of ‘bling’ on today’s fashion scene, Cubic Zirconia jewellery is seeing a huge rise in popularity. Cubic Zirconia is probably the closest man made material to the looks, hardness and feel of real diamond. But few people know what it is or how it’s made so here’s a brief summary for those interested…
Zirconium in its pure form is actually a chemical element that can be found in the periodic table. For those interested it has an Atomic Number of 40. However, although a naturally occurring element and metal, it is not found in its pure form and instead forms a part of several minerals, the most common being Zirconium Silicate which is mined heavily in the USA, Australia, India, Brazil and Russia.
Zirconium was discovered in 1789 by the German chemist Martin Klaproth, although he did not manage to isolate the element. This was achieved in 1824 by Jons Jakob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, with pure Zirconium first prepared in 1914. Pure Zirconium is a greyish-white metal that is used in a wide range of industrial processes including heavy use by the Nuclear industry due to its hardness, heat resistance and non-reactive properties. These characteristics also help to make it ideal for jewellery.
Obviously a grey-white metal would hardly make an ideal substitute diamond so the raw material needs processing to produce the clarity required for jewellery. To do this high purity zirconium oxide powders, stabilized with magnesium and calcium, are heated to very high temperatures until they melt together, crystalising and clarifying on cooling to produce a clear, hard substance with properties similar to diamond and suitable for use in jewellery. During this process small amounts of other chemicals can also be added to produce different coloured crystals.
Although ‘close’ to real diamond, there are obviously small different between Cubic Zirconia and diamond including hardness and brilliance. The naked eye finds it hard to differentiate between the two, however true diamond does have an increased refractive index (the ability to refract a ray of light into its component colours). Cubic Zirconia (CZ) has a refractive index of around 2.16, whereas diamond has an index value of 2.42. As I say, although this is difficult to pickup with the naked eye it does mean that true diamond will always ’sparkle’ just that little bit more when properly cut.
The hardness of the two materials is also different. As most people are aware, diamond is an incredibly hard material and often used for industrial cutting and grinding processes. In fact diamond tops the hardness scale with a value of 10 whereas CZ is a little lower at around 8.7.
Hardly exciting reading I know but the above at least gives a little insight in to where CZ comes from and why it remains so popular for Jewellery. At the end of the day it simply looks good and can be purchased without breaking the bank.
Elizabeth Brodie is the owner of Silver Jewellery World an established online jewellery store from the UK specialising in quality designer silver jewellery.
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10.19.08
Posted in Jewelry Infos at 1:37 pm by admin
One thing you can do to protect your jewelry is not wear them when your gardening, housework, swimming or other activity where you have a greater chance of damaging or losing them. The chemicals in pools can discolor or damage your jewelry.
Get a jewelry box and/or wrap each piece of jewelry with paper, velvet or silk. The harder stones like diamonds could scratch your pearls or other jewelry and that could happen if you “throw” your jewelry all in the same place. Keep everything from touching each other, even from itself.
If you have jewelry and it came in a box and wrapping keep it. Put the jewelry back in the box when your not wearing it.
To check for loose stones place the piece next to your ear and tap gently with your finger. Something might be loose if you hear any movement from the piece. You should check for this on a regular basis, more if you wear the piece regularly.
Pearls should be restrung every couple of years. If you clean them use a mild soapy water. Rinse them well after.
You should have your fine jewelry looked and possibly cleaned by a professional once a year.
Before cleaning jewelry make sure the stones are not loose. When cleaning you don’t want them coming out.
To loosen dirt around the prongs you can use a soft brush with the hard gemstones. Using toothpaste is not a good idea because it is an abrasive and can damage some soft gems and metals.
Don’t take silver jewelry into the pool or any other water. The chlorine in the water will discolor your silver.
Ultrasonic cleaners are not recommended as the vibrations they make can enlarge inclusions and make them more noticeable.
To help prevent damage to your jewelry, don’t put them on until you have your makeup, hairspray, perfume or anything else on. The stuff that is in these products could harm your jewelry. Put bracelets on your opposite hand if your right or left handed. Less wear may occur because it’s not the main hand used.
If shipping your jewelry to be cleaned or repaired use a shipper that has tracking and get it insured.
Turquoise should be put in warm water and you should use a soft toothbrush on it. It should then be washed off with warm water and let it air-dry. Coming in contact with cleaning solutions like ammonia can discolor or damage it.
Silver can be rinsed in warm water and pat it dry. You can use silver cleaner but don’t use an abrasive cleaner or a toothbrush as it can scratch it.
Pricing for cleaning will vary by type of jewelry and the place you take it too. If you recently bought jewelry from a store they might clean and inspect it for free on an annual basis or something like that. They can also give you a repair quote for any repairs needed. Before getting it repaired or professionally cleaned, document and take pictures of your jewelry before. Just so you have proof if the jewelry should be chipped, damaged or has some other problem with it.
Dave William G. runs http://www.thejvirus.com, a website devoted to all things jewelry. From designs to gemstones we try and cover it all. So please visit us today. You can sign-up for our 7 part mini-course on diamonds while you’re there. http://www.thejvirus.com
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10.18.08
Posted in Jewelry Infos at 9:44 pm by admin
Hawaii is a well-known tourist destination that leaves everyone who lands on her shores dumbfounded by the exquisite display of nature in all its glory. Whether it’s the frothing volcanoes, the vast blue ocean, the luscious tropical fruits, vibrant flowers or endless beaches - Hawaii is like nature’s museum. One natural wonder on display after another and each more magnificent than its predecessor.
Using Nature As Inspiration
It is hardly any wonder that nature has found its way into various forms of creative expression on the islands including Hawaiian jewelry. From the earliest inhabitants in the 4th and 5th century, Hawaiian jewelry has been a canvas for nature. The earliest baubles were made of shells, seeds, coral, teeth, whale ivory, bone and bark and featured patterns of various sea creatures. Sea turtles and fish were extremely popular motifs. Another surprising motif that found popularity was that of the canoe. The motifs reflected the isolation of the island life and the high value associated with the canoe. In addition, royalty wore a hook shaped necklace called the lei niho palao made from whale teeth and human hair.
With time, the popularity of motifs depicting nature in all her glory continued to grow. In the 20th century the famous Hawaiian jewelers Ming’s and Gump’s both sold jewelry depicting island flowers such as hibiscus, orchids, pikake, bird’s of paradise and anthuriums. Guglielmo Cini who designed some of the most popular Gump’s jewelry was best known for his tropical floral motifs.
Today, nature continues to the muse for most artists in Hawaii. Pineapples, palm tress, hibiscus and plumeria flowers, fish, ships, ukuleles, volcanoes, lush tropical fruits and shells find their way on earrings, necklaces, bangles and brooches.
Wedding bands designed to represent the natural native foliage of the hala tree found in Hawaii have also become extremely popular. They have escalated the simple, traditional Hawaiian wedding bands to exotic Hawaiian heirloom jewelry.
Shell Jewelry
Shell jewelry from Hawaii has been around forever. Shell jewelry generally uses no motifs and in fact shells themselves are used as motifs on other materials like gold and silver. Ni’ihau shell jewelry is extremely famous and sought after.
The Cultural Influence
In addition to nature, Hawaii is steeped in a culture frothing with customs and traditions. The petroglyphs found on the islands reflect this very primitive and spontaneous culture and also are a source of ideas for designers.
All in all, motifs used in Hawaiian jewelry include various things around the islands that represent the warmth of Hawaii; the warmth that is found not just in its beautiful climate but also in the people that reside there. And the best thing about Hawaiian jewelry is that you no longer need to be in Hawaii to select from the latest trendy designs. Websites feature traditional as well as contemporary Hawaiian jewelry of the best quality and with a 100% guarantee.
Visit My Hawaiian Jewelry for more information! Please feel free to email info@myhawaiianjewelry.com for any inquiry.
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