Flowing With The Tide

Archive for the ‘Universe Of Jewelry’ Category

Engagement rings encompass in them the sense of love, commitment and fidelity, they are given at a special moment in the lives of two people, promising an eternal love and honor between the two.

So you are now faced with the first decision of your new life, it is clear that making a proposal is far more important than anything material, your marriage proposal is going to be remembered for a long time, and will be told over and over again to all of the closest and dearest people in your life. A marriage proposal is something to consider and reflect about.

While most people know that the intention of inviting someone to share your life with forever is the most precious thing a men can offer, many disregard the importance of symbolism in the act itself and the gift that comes with it. An engagement ring is a sign that a promise has been made and that a time of significant change will arrive in the life of the person wearing it. Do not forget that most woman keep their engagement ring on their hands long after the marriage, sometimes on the same finger as the wedding ring.

Most people choose a diamond ring as an engagement ring, this means that you need to learn a thing or two about diamonds before actually going to the shop to choose one. Understanding diamonds requires knowledge of the basic four elements, the color, cut, clarity and carat.

Color is the result of the composition of a diamond and it can not be changed, meaning that a diamond does not change or can not be changed into any other color . When a jeweler is describing the color of a diamond they are referring to the presence or absence of color in white diamonds. Because a diamond with no color allows maximum light to pass through, colorless diamonds are preferred for their sparkle.

The common thing to think about when thinking of a diamond, is the way they shine and the different facets they have (turning a diamond in light produces this affect which indicates the cut), the cut refers to a diamonds reflective quality. This is very important when shopping for an engagement ring.

Carat is the diamond industry standard, it is a unit of weight to measure diamonds. When speaking of one carat you are in fact speaking of 200 milligrams of weight. The carat itself is made of one hundred particular parts called points. These points in the carat are the ones you refer to when talking about points, for example 150 points in would be one and a half carats.

Carat is the unit of weight by which diamonds are measured. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. A carat is divided into 100 segments called points. 150 points would equal one and a half carats. The clarity is the factor of the inner quality of the diamond, since during the formation process some inclusions occur in most diamonds you will have to compromise for some kind of decreased clarity. Engagement rings are not expected to be perfect rings, with perfect diamonds, it is normal that a diamond on a engagement ring would not be flawless.

Now that you know the basics of diamonds you can start shopping for the engagement ring, traditional engagement rings have a huge rock (”look at the size of this rock!”) on them, it is not necessarily the best way to go, try to think of the woman you are buying it for, what is her favorite color, does she have any sensitivity to any kind of metal, what is her opinion of diamonds and how flashy would she like her hand to be.

Do not be afraid to ask the jeweler questions, it is not every day that you will be shopping for an engagement ring, and speak your mind.

Good luck buying your engagement ring, and I wish you a life full of happiness and glitter, just like a brilliant diamond engagement rings has…

Roy Dietelzieg has worked in the jewelry industry for 10 years, serving costumers from every background and writing about his reflections on jewelry philosophy. Roy currently writes articles with tips and advice for buying diamond engagement rings for http://www.ZupaTips.com

Engineered to the nth degree, the Omega watch brand is a staple on many a well-to-do man’s dresser; tucked safely away inside its luxurious velvet box, ensuring that this extremely fine timepiece will be free from dust and scratches when not eloquently strapped to its owner’s wrist.

Now let’s take a brief but intriguing look at the history behind these luxurious watches long before they signed Hollywood A-list stars Nicole Kidman and George Clooney, as well as tennis superstar Maria Sharapova, to become their celebrity endorsers.

The fairy tale known as the Omega Watch Company actually started way back in the 19th Century -1848 to be exact, when the Omega founder, Louis Brandt, a Swiss watchmaker who resided in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, began creating his “Omega” masterpieces. Of course, back then he constructed each piece using only his bare hands by meticulously assembling each watch piece by piece.

The first watches that Mr. Brandt made were pocket watches, because back then they were the timepiece that was considered to be vogue and were highly sought after and cherished. In the mid 1800’s the thought of attaching a bracelet to their time piece never even crossed a persons mind. The fashionable and preferred thing to do was to carry their beloved “Omega” watches – which, at the time were called “Bienne” watches – in their pockets.

Unfortunately, Mr. Louis Brandt passed away in 1879 and he left his modest company to his sons, Louis Paul Brandt and Cesar Brandt who carried on their father’s tradition of impeccable pocket watch craftsmanship. They decided to rename the company “Bienne” in January 1880.

The birth of the Omega watch brand actually took place in 1894, more than a decade after the renaming of the company to Bienne. Louis and Cesar Brandt introduced, for the first time, the brand “Omega” to the Swiss public. Over time, the Omega watch has come to be one of Switzerland’s biggest and most luxurious exports. The Omega watch name actually came from one of the two Brandt brother’s watch movement calibers.

Sadly, the reign of the two Brandt brothers in the Omega watch company was short-lived because both brothers suddenly died in 1903. This resulted in four individuals taking control of the Omega watch company. One of the individuals was Paul Brandt, who not only inherited the Brandt family name but their entrepreneurial instincts as well. At just 23 years old, Paul was actually the oldest of the four who took over the Omega watch company after the death of the Brandt brothers.

After a merger with fellow Swiss luxury watch brand, Tissot in 1930, SSIH (Société suisse pour l’industrie horlogre) in Geneva, Switzerland was created as the new parent company of the newly merged watch companies. Fortunately, the merger between Tissot and Omega was a big success, which is why in a relatively short time the SSIH group grew to over fifty other companies including Lemania, Lanco and Hamilton. And in a relatively short period of time, the SSIH group has managed to position themselves as the third largest producer of luxury watches, as well as watch movements in the world.

It was during this time when Omega produced a number of its most loved time pieces. Vintage Omega watches that are still highly sought and are famous to this day.

During the Second World War, Omega built a solid reputation for themselves by coming out with military and pilot watches for servicemen. They have always been known for their fine craftsmanship and their great attention to detail. Other popular watches from that era were the Omega Speedmaster chronograph, the Omega Seamaster waterproof sports watch and the Omega Constellation watches, which are all still incredibly popular.

During an economic downturn in 1980, Omega found itself once again merging with another Swiss watch giant – ASUAG, which manufactures and produces other popular Swiss watches such as Swatch, Longines and Rado. The new company that emerged from the Omega-ASUAG merger was called the ASUAG-SSIH company. Unfortunately, even the combined resources of the newly formed company was unable to fight off the economic slump that Omega was facing during that time which resulted in the newly formed company to be taken over by a private group. The ASUAG-SSIH company was renamed and shortened to just SMH which still exists today.

This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

Scott Knutson is an entrepreneur and writer. For more of his articles visit: Fossil Watches | Seiko Watches | Rolex Watches

Did you ever walk into a jewelry store and
see blue diamonds, pink diamonds, yellow
diamonds, or green diamonds, and wonder how
they got to be that color by nature? Yes
diamonds come in all of these colors, and
more naturally
When a diamond appears colorless, white light
or daylight ( all the colors of the spectrum
combined)
enter the diamond and are all absorbed so no
color is reflected back to the eye.
Color in diamonds is absorption and
reflection of light.

This is caused in three ways:
Diamonds are pure carbon so something else
was caught in the stone during the formation
of the diamond
which changes the absorption spectrum.
Take yellow and orange diamonds for example
they contain nitrogen while blue diamonds
contain boron.
Gray, violet and some green diamonds contain
hydrogen.
As you can see these are all elements that
were caught in the stone during its
formation.

So what is another way green diamonds get
their color bet you can never guess? Give up
well here is the answer:
(Natural Radiation) which over millions of
years alters the atomic structure of the
diamond thus changing
the absorption spectrum to give it a green
appearance. No natural green diamonds are not
radioactive,
so you do not have to worry about wearing
them.

How do pink, red or brown diamonds get their
color? Plastic Deformation; yes that’s right
plastic a
twisting of the atomic structure of the
carbon atoms during the formation of the
diamond in the earth.
How ever they get their colors they are
beautiful to look at nature has out performed
herself
when it came to the making of colored
diamonds.

You can also color a diamond by radiation Nu
Age Tecnologies is one of many companies that
does this treatment and they can color a
white diamond blue, green, yellow, and
orange. If you are buying a colored diamond
you should make sure if it is color treated
or colored from nature. Diamonds that are
colored by nature are more expensive then a
color treated diamond.

Kathy Abdelhak is Co-Owner of N.J. Diamonds in Dearborn, MI
You can also get more information on diamonds, diamond engagement rings, and colored gemstones at njdiamondsonline.com