By admin on Jun 5, 2009 in Jewelry | 0 Comments
The first step in creating a beautiful custom jewel is creating an exciting design. Thomas Edison said that
invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.When it comes to custom-designed jewelry, the numbers are reversed -
designing a beautiful, personalized jewel is 99% creativity and fun and, maybe, 1% labor.
Most custom-designed jewels celebrate a special person or event: thus, the design of the jewel should carry a special meaning
for both the creator and the wearer. There are many ways to add “personal touches” to a custom jewel. Here are several ideas:
Brooches and pendants have long been showcases for miniature portraits of loved ones and special places. Sometimes the
portraits are prominently painted, enamelled or etched of the surface of the jewel; other times they are hidden in a secret
compartment!
Or, in the last century a style known as “acrostic jewelry” was popular. In acrostic jewelry a phrase or name is “spelled out”
using the first letters of the names of gemstones. For example, a ring set with four stones - Jadeite, Uvarovite garnet, Diamond
and Iolite - would carry the secret message “Judi”.
Finally, a custom-designed jewel can be personalized by incorporating a special gemstone, color or motif which has special
meaning for the wearer.Often, the simplest design carries the deepest meaning.
When you are designing a custom jewel, there are three important guidelines you should follow:
1.Allow yourself and your jeweller enough time to create a jewel which will be truly special and of lasting beauty. A custom
jewel whose design is rushed or compromised will often look awkward and incomplete. (Ed. note - If you plan to create a
special jewel for the Christmas holiday season, you should begin the design process in early November.)
2.Cast a wide net when searching for design ideas. Possible sources of inspiration include antique and ancient jewels, jewels
from other cultures and contemporary jewelry designs.Clip magazine ads and catalog listings of design ideas you may want to
incorporate in your jewel.
3. Work with a designer who will help you enhance and interpret your ideas. The design should be a statement of your personal
tastes and life style.Be wary of a “designer” who “knows exactly what you need” or works from a catalog of hackneyed
commercial designs.
At Bijoux Extraordinaire, our designers and gemologists are available to help you design a jewel of lasting beauty and value.
We will work with you to translate your ideas and sentiments into a truly unique jewel inspired with personal meanings.
By admin on May 30, 2009 in Jewelry | 0 Comments
Tanzanite History and Information
If you ask any colored gemstone connoisseur, they will tell you that tanzanite is becoming the most desired gem in the United States. We also see this trend manifesting itself in Europe. American and European designers, collectors and tanzanite jewelry manufacturers are keenly aware that with only one relatively tiny and unique geological source in Tanzania, tanzanite pricing fluctuations have sometimes been extreme and tend to move with the current news and season of the year. In fact, wholesale tanzanite prices have more than doubled since early 2004, with regular price increases being passed to retailers on an ongoing basis.
It is tanzanite’s color and relative scarcity which has caused these dramatic price fluctuations. We all remember the days when one could purchase a very deeply colored tanzanite for around $300 per carat. There were even smaller tanzanites in the 1 to 2 carat range that had rich color. Just try finding one of these today! These tanzanites were mined mostly in the D shaft of Merelani Hill, just outside of Arusha, Tanzania. This area has since been depleted and new shafts have been opened. The color being produced by these new shafts is not quite what Block D produced. This notwithstanding, much richly-colored tanzanite is still being produced and is available.
With the current supply of tanzanite being ‘controlled,” essentially, by TanzaniteOne Ltd., prices are expected to continue to increase over time, though at a more stable rate than in years past due, in large part, to a sightholder distribution network comprised, at present, of 5 sightholders. In fact, many projections indicate that some day tanzanite could be the most expensive gemstone on earth. So, the opportunity exists today to purchase tanzanite relatively inexpensively, even at $600 to $700 per carat, when compared to the prices of fine rubies, sapphires and alexandrites which sometimes sell into the $1000’s per carat.
For local tanzanite miners, when it comes to tanzanite, the process of obtaining any type of permit to mine can be expected to be met with a great deal of resistence. One only needs to look at the history of Afgem (Johannesburg) to determine this. Before TanzaniteOne Ltd. purchased all of Afgem’s interests, there existed a great deal of turmoil between the local miners and commercial tanzanite mining operations.
As of 2005, all tanzanites sold in the USA are sold under “The 2002 Tucson Protocol” which essentially states that the contents of shipped/invoiced tanzanite parcels have been mined in Tanzania and have been traded through legitimate sources. The seller warrants that the proceeds from the sale of tanzanite are/were used for legitimate purposes. The seller affixes the tanzanite warranty sticker to all tanzanite they sell.
