Thank You!
A heartfelt thank you to all my amazing customers, friends and family for making 2011 the marvelous year that it was. Wishing you all health, happiness and only good things in the year to come.
XXOO, Barbara
Image courtesy of Elizabeth Winheld of Sweet Letter Press
Diamonds 101
Every diamond is as unique as the individual that wears it and weighing the pros and cons of a particular stone can be confusing. Here's a quick overview of the 4C's
CUT
The most identifiable of the four C's and the only grade that humans actually play a role in influencing. The cut of a diamond does not only refer to the shape but the facet design, finish and proportions of the diamond. A diamond that is well cut will radiate light and brilliance because the facet angles are optimum. Vintage diamonds can be an exception to this rule.COLOR
The color of a diamond refers to the hue and saturation of the intensity or lack of color in a diamond. Color is graded in shades of yellow, brown and gray and comes from different levels of nitrogen below the surface of the earth; little to no nitrogen produces colorless diamonds. High levels of nitrogen produce yellow and brown hues. Color is graded in letter classifications from colorless (D-E-F), near colorless (G-H-I-J) and degrees of yellow and brown (K to Z). Some of the most rare colors occur in fancy, vivid shades of yellow, pink and even blue.Featured in Huffpost Weddings
The brand new Huffpost Weddings launched this week and I'm pleased to say that the Unisex Golden Twig Rings were selected as the Handmade Etsy Object of the week.
New York Botanical Gardens Jewelry Collection
What to Know About Insuring Your Jewelry
Today I'm pleased to introduce insurance experts Brian Boak and David J. Singer who have written this guest post to answer your questions about how jewelry insurance works. Thank you Brian and David.
Insuring Your Jewelry by Brian Boak and David J. Singer
A very common question that insurance brokers hear is, “Why do I have to cover my jewelry any differently than my other possessions?” In this short piece, we will give you the answer to that question, and what you should think about when deciding about jewelry coverage. The reason that jewelry is treated differently than other possessions is that it is a target of thieves. Therefore, the insurance companies need to charge more to cover your jewelry. In order to do that, every home, condo, co-op, and tenants’ policy has limits on jewelry coverage and if you have more jewelry than the policy’s limit, you need to buy more coverage. The limit may be as low as $500, but could be as high as $5,000. The jewelry coverage may also be subject to the policy’s deductible, meaning that the policy would only pay for claims in excess of the amount of the deductible. Even if you do not have more coverage than the policy’s limit, you may wish to “schedule” your jewelry, as discussed below. Jewelry coverage can cost between $15 and $25 per $1,000 in coverage (depending on location).
There are two ways coverage can be added to your policy, Blanket or Scheduled:
BLANKET COVERAGE: You tell the insurance company how much coverage you want in total. You would not need to list individual items (good). Some companies have an endorsement to add $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 of jewelry coverage to your policy. Other companies allow higher limits. A deductible may apply to a loss and there is normally a per piece coverage maximum.
Surface Finishes on Metal - Will that be polished or satin?
A finish is a treatment on the exterior of jewelry which gives the piece a subtle flavor. It's the icing on the cake, that final detail that enhances the design. It is usually one of the final steps in completing a piece and has no bearing on the overall construction of the piece.
There are different types of finishes such as brushed, patination, etching, enamel, electroplating and hammering. The two most common finishes in fine jewelry are polished (shiny) and satin (matte). These mechanical finishes are applied by physical abrasion of the metal surface using a secondary media. The media may be cloth, stone, metal or plastics used with a waxy finishing compound and is washed off after each step. Methods of application include wheel, hand abrasion, blasting, tumbling barrels and vibratory finishers.
Celebrate Reclaimed Silver with Celebrate Green
It's official and very exciting - Celebrate Green and I have just launched the first three styles of the CELEBRATE RECLAIMED SILVER collection. Celebrate Green was founded by dynamic Mother-Daughter team Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson, who educate, entertain and inspire positive change so that together, we can create a real and sustainable difference in the world. Their new book Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family is great.
I have always recycled and found creative uses for things but the thought of digging much deeper seemed daunting. In their book, Lynn and Corey encourage making small changes and I started doing just that. In baby steps, over months, I've reassessed many of the buying choices I make and have found better alternatives - painlessly. I encourage you to read their book and try it for yourselves. Once you start it becomes a fun challenge to keep doing better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBi93qFzso
