Tag: Fine Jewelry

Fine jewelry from Houston Jewelry makes the perfect gift to give this Valentine’s Day! It’s hard to find a gift that says “I Love You” more than a stunning piece of jewelry. February 14th is the traditional day when romantics convey their devotion by exchanging gifts of endearment.

Fine Jewelry Makes the Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift

Posted on by HoustonJewelry
A Heartfelt Gift PreviewFine jewelry from Houston Jewelry makes the perfect gift to give this Valentine’s Day! It’s hard to find a gift that says “I Love You” more than a stunning piece of jewelry. February 14th is the traditional day when romantics convey their devotion by exchanging gifts of endearment. Valentine’s Day jewelry offers unique and time-tested designs to proclaim your feelings. Many of yesteryear’s favorites remain very much in demand today.Romantic Hearts, there is no symbol more endearing. It is love’s most popular and timeless icon. Today, you can choose from hearts big and small, gold or silver, in either traditional or contemporary designs.Lustrous Pearls are another Valentine’s Day favorite. Designs set with glowing, white cultured, colorful freshwater, or dramatic Tahitian pearls are gifts that are always flattering and perfect for a special someone.Love Notes. There’s no more personal way to express your feelings than with a piece of jewelry that displays a visible or hidden message. Engraving an item or having something monogramed is the perfect way to get your message of love across.Diamonds. No matter how small the package is, when the gift inside is a dazzling piece of diamond jewelry, you can be sure to receive a tremendous reception! Nothing says “I Love You” the way a precious diamond does! Remember a diamond lasts forever, chocolate melts! Give her the candy she really wants from Houston Jewelry this Valentine’s Day!Visit Houston Jewelry today and select from a wide range of all-time favorites guaranteed to warm your Valentine’s heart! We have gifts in every style and for every budget. Whether you are looking for a diamond heart pendant or a diamond band, we have the gift she will love! Did You Know?Ancient Egyptians were amongst the first known to exchange rings of love. Reeds, bone and leather were woven in circles, symbolic of eternal love and placed on any finger, even thumbs. It was the myth of a vein, called the “lovers vein,” thought to pump blood from the forth finger of the left hand directly to the heart, which started a tradition. From hand to heart, the left ring finger has since been dedicated for wedding rings.Visit Houston Jewelry today and let us assist you in finding a heartfelt gift for your special Valentine!

Geometric Jewelry: Fall 2016 Fine Jewelry Trends

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Geometric Jewelry, Layered Looks, Mix And Match Gems

Geometric jewelry is everywhere this season! Key accessories play an important role in Fall 2016 fashions.  The Fall 2016 trends in fine jewelry are geometrically inspired designs such as spirals, circles, squares, rectangles, and triangular shapes in rings, pins, earrings, pendants, and bracelets. Jewelry that provides a bright, layered look is also a sure-fire way to liven up outfits in this season’s popular colors. Colors such as rose gold, gold and dark silver are all hugely popular in the Fall season.

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A widespread trend for today’s fashionista is the mixing and matching of various styles, colors, metals, and gemstones. And this fall, the pairing of two mismatched earrings is flirting with tradition. The lopsided lobe trend of mismatched ear embellishments such as one moon and one star, or a gold and diamond chandelier swaying on one lobe while the other is adorned by a single gemstone stud is becoming increasingly popular. Ear climbers, and ear cuffs are still hugely popular with millenials. Pulling off any of these trendy looks is simply about having fun and expressing oneself.

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Trending necklaces remain to be the subtle and simplistic layering of two or more strands or styles of karat gold or silver. We are seeing lots of delicate necklaces layered with different stones, dainty diamonds, and creative shapes. Crescent moon shapes, hamsa hands, horns, and arrows are being featured on many designs. Geometric charms are also being seen dangling from simple chokers and collars to create a clean chic look. In addition, stackable rings, bangles, and cuffs set with richly colored gems also lend themselves to fashionable layering. Today, many jewelry designers are mixing various gem colors, cuts, carat weights, and shapes to provide many new and exciting combinations that might not normally be seen together. These can add more character and interest than perfectly matched gems.

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Jewelry Trendsetters: Colorful Gemstone Cocktail Rings

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Colorful, easy to wear, and versatile designs top this season’s hottest jewelry developments. Fall 2016 is about big, bold and colorful cocktail rings!

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Reach for the sky in this Ivory Sky cocktail ring. Lovely Lapis, white mother of pearl and white topaz combine for a vibrant grey-blue with rainbow hues. This ring is a true show stopper!

Jewelry fashion trends are often born rom the creative minds of designers and featured on high fashion runways. These designs start out as extravagant , avant-garde statements meant to accentuate a collection of garments and overall concept of the designer’s line. From there, celebrities and stylists cherry pick and cultivate jewelry designs to wear n the red carpet, and those looks are shared to the masses.

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The Dove’s Viola cocktail ring above features the Pantone Color of the Year. Rich Amethyst is coupled with pink mother of pearl resulting in an expressive, creative and embracing purple. Surrounded by diamonds, this is the ULTIMATE cocktail ring!

This season, it’s all about colorful cocktail gemstone rings. The bigger, and bolder..the better!  These dramatically styled rings are often seen in clusters of vibrantly colored gems or with large, colored center stones surrounded by diamond accents or smaller complementary colored gems. From Sapphires to Rubies, to even Turquoise stones, the options for this look are endless. Some people prefer a giant center stone showstopper look, while others prefer a smaller center stone surrounded by gemstones or diamonds. The design choices are vast and there is a style to accommodate any taste.

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The center stone for this cocktail ring originated in the Amazon River, this “Hope Stone” is known to soothe the spirit and calm the soul. Faceted, clear white topaz is layered with amazonite and surrounded by diamonds to create a glamorous look.

At the top of the list are the designs worn by royalty and celebrities. When copied and revamped, these fashion forward designs are readily available in a wide range of styles and prices to suite any age, budget or style!

How to Care for Fine Jewelry

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As a retailer of fine jewelry we get lots of emails and calls asking us how to protect these valuable assets. Here a few valuable tips to keep your fine jewelry safe and sparkling. Dirt buildup may hasten the wear of your jewelry. Visit your jeweler at least once a year to have your fine jewelry professionally cleaned and inspected for worn or cracked prongs, faulty clasps, or any other potential problem that can occur with daily wear.  Avoid heavy blows to your diamond. Diamonds can chip if they are struck at just the right angle. If you bump or snag your jewelry, have it inspected for potential damage that may be unnoticeable to you. When you are not wearing your jewelry, place each item in a separate, soft, compact container. If cluttered together, jewelry can become scratched or chipped.

Diamond Care

Don’t wear your jewelry in the ocean! Salt water and jewelry just don’t mix. Ocean water can actually damage some stones and metals.Don’t wear your jewelry while cleaning! Exposure to chemicals can damage and discolor precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Certain household chemical cleansers can actually damage colored gems. Remove your jewelry before going into chlorinated water, salt water, when using household cleansers.  Swimming in jewelry is also a bad idea as the water can constrict fingers making it more likely for your rings to fall off. Don’t place or store your jewelry near vents, grates, sinks or drains. This is just a disaster waiting to happen. When wearing pearl jewelry be cautious what cosmetics and lotions you use, as pearls are easily damaged by such products.

Pearl Jewelry

Keep jewelry in an unlikely place. Jewelry boxes are an obvious place for thieves to look. When traveling, keep valuable jewelry at home or store it in the hotel safe, not your safe. Most burglaries happen in broad daylight. Always keep doors and windows locked during the day. One of the best ways to keep valuable or extensive jewelry collections secure is to store them in a burglary and fire-resistant safe.

Ruby the Birthstone of July

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Coast Ruby Ring

Ruby the birthstone of July, is considered the King of gems. A ruby is also a traditional gift for 15th and 40th Anniversary’s. The ruby stone represents love, health and wisdom. It is believed that wearing a ruby bestows good fortune on its owner. According to ancient legends the ruby contains the original spark of life known as “a drop of the heart’s blood of Mother Earth”. The word Ruby originates from the Latin word rubens which means red. These stunning gemstones range in color from the richest shades of red to pigeon blood and,  pinkish reds. Rubies are considered one of four precious stones. The others are diamond, sapphire and emeralds.  A ruby gets its coloring form trace amounts of chromium. The most desired rubies are those that are a very deep red, widely known as “pigeon’s blood”.  Ruby stones are very hard and on the Mohs scale of hardness as they register at a 9, thus making them only slightly softer than a diamond. For a ruby to be considered perfect it must be the right shade of red, have a rich glow, and be brilliant and pure. Almost all rubies have flaws, and those without are considered exceptionally rare. Such rare rubies can fetch prices higher than those of diamonds of the same weight and quality. Almost all natural rubies are treated to improve their color. This is a standard practice accepted by the American Gem Trade Association.

Ruby & Diamond Pendant

The finest rubies where originally mined in Myanmar, which is how the term “Burmese” ruby came to describe the finest rubies on the world market. Due to Human Right’s violations there are still many restrictions in place banning the import of goods form Burma. As a result this has impacted the production and sale of Burmese rubies in the marketplace. Rubies are also found in Thailand, Cambodia, India, Afghanistan and Colombia. In 2009 a large deposit of rubies was found in Mozambique.

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The worlds most expensive Ruby is known as the “Sunrise Ruby”.  This 25.59 carat Burmese pigeon blood ruby was mounted by Cartier and considered one of the rarest gems in the world. In May 2016 the “Sunrise Ruby” went up for auction by Sotheby’s Geneva. It was estimated to be worth $12-18 Million dollars. It sold for 30.42 Million dollars to an anonymous buyer.

Turn Runway Jewelry Trends into Everyday Jewelry Wear

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Houston Jewelry has the latest runway jewelry trends just for you! Whether you are dressed in a black evening gown or in your favorite pair of blue jeans, the jewelry trending on the Spring / Summer runways and donned by celebrities on the red carpets are not only fit for an elegant black tie evening event, but can also work well with an everyday wardrobe!

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Celebrities have long influenced our jewelry selections, and while today’s average women can’t always afford to wear fine jewelry designs from the likes of Harry Winston or Fred Leighton, their designs have provided inspiration for a more unique and inexpensive alternative for the everyday woman!

Colorful, affordable gemstones glittering on earlobes offer a basic, yet personalized statement, and today are stealing the show from the ever classic diamond stud earring! Oversized drop earrings and ear cuffs of any metal will add immediate edginess to your go to ensemble.

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That 10-carat diamond and emerald necklace we all drooled over on the red carpet can easily be replaced with an affordable, colored gem and diamond station necklace, or a simple lariat with dangling drops in rose, white or yellow gold.

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And, don’t forget the bold fashion statement ring or popular cuff to accent from wrist down. Whether karat gold or sterling silver, encrusted with pave diamonds or giant center stones, these are all Spring/ Summer fashion must haves.

The 4′ C’s of Colored Gems

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The 4 C’s Of Colored Gems are Different From The 4c’s Of Diamonds

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching many customers love to purchase colored gems! Pink Sapphires, Blue Sapphires, Emeralds, Tourmalines, and many other stones are hugely popular. Our customers often ask us what to look for in colored gems. Below is a brief description of how colored gems differ from Diamonds and what to look for when buying a colored stone.

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Pink Sapphire & Diamond Ring from Coast Available at Houston Jewelry

Diamonds are usually judged on their Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight, the 4 C’s that determine the quality and value of these precious gems. With diamonds, Cut is most important, next is Color, then Clarity, and finally Carat weight. With colored gems, the order of importance of the 4 C’s is very different.  The order is, Color the most important, Cut next, then Clarity, and finally Carat Weight. Here’s why:

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Coast Sapphire & Diamond Heart Necklace Available at Houston Jewelry

Color: As a rule, the closer a gem comes to the pure spectral hue of a color, with no strong undertone of any other color, the better it is. Evenness of color and complete saturation of color are also important in determining value. Equally critical is the intensity of color, its brightness or vividness, and the depth of color, either light or dark.

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Coast Green Tourmaline & Diamond Ring Available at Houston Jewelry

Cut: How a colored gem is cut affects both the depth of color seen in the stone and the liveliness it projects. If a stone’s color is too dark, the cut may be too thick. If color is too light, the cut may be too shallow. Certain cuts and shapes may also be wrong for certain stones.

Clarity: As with diamonds, clarity refers to the absence of internal marks or inclusions. Good clarity is more important in light colored gems than in darker ones. Most colored gems are not totally flawless, but if flaws reduce durability, affect color, or are easily noticed, they will reduce value.

Carat Weight: Remember that “carat” is a weight, not a size. And some colored gems weigh more than others. For example, a 1-carat ruby appears to weigh less than a 1-carat emerald, so the emerald will look larger than the same weight ruby.

For more information visit Houston Jewelry today!

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Necklace Trends Whats New This Season

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What’s New In Necklace Trends

This Season there lots of emerging necklace trends. Although ultra-long necklaces of multi-strand gold chains are still popular, there’s a growing trend toward more decorative necklace designs this Spring season. These necklace trends include the bib, lariat, “Y” and choker styles.

Bib Necklaces. Bib necklaces are a huge trend this year! With their light, airy look of lace and mesh, bib necklaces have a lot of volume without looking sensuous, fabric-like feel and are composed of delicate festoons of three or more strands of gold or sterling mesh. They can also display cascades of pearls, faceted colored gemstones, or nets of sparkling diamonds.

Citrine Necklace

Gold and Citrine Lariat Necklace

Lariat Necklaces. The Lariat necklace trend is huge this year. These open-ended, long strand designs have decorative ends and are looped or knotted, not clasped. They spotlight individually and allow wearers to determine the length. Lariats can be made of white or yellow gold chain, sterling silver or leather, and are frequently brightened with pearls, diamonds or colored gemstones.

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Mastoloni Pearl and Diamond Y Drop Necklace

“Y” Necklaces. This classic style is shaped to drape around the neck like a capital letter Y. It looks good in all kinds of materials and is a very versatile accent with any outfit. Y necklaces generally feature beads, pearls, gemstones or metal designs stationed along a slim gold or sterling silver chain.

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Mastoloni Pearl Choker Necklace

Chokers. Collars are a necklace trend that is always classic! Making an ultimate comeback, the choker was first seen worn by wealthy ladies, ballerinas, and later queens in the late seventeen and eighteen hundreds. Close fitting around the neck, common styles today include open collar, Victorian, vintage, gemstone, pearl and Gothic.

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2015 The Year of Large Diamonds and Record Prices

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Photo Courtesy of the Lucara Diamond Corp.

2015 was a BIG year for Diamonds! In November 2015 the Lucara Diamond Corp found the second largest diamond in the world. The stone was found in the Karowe mine in the capital of Gaborone. This tennis ball sized diamond was 1,111 carats. Lucara Diamond Corp said the stone was so big it would not fit inside their scanner thus requiring a third party scanner. The stone is second only in size to the 3,106 carat Cullinan Diamond found in South Africa in 1905. The current value of the Lucara Diamond is unknown at this point and will remain unknown until color, clarity and cutting are evaluated. Analysts suggest its value could be upward of $70 million dollars.

The Lucara Diamond Corp didn’t stop there! Later in the week they also discovered an 813 carat diamond as well as a 374 carat stone!

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Photo Courtesy of National Jeweler

Hong Kong Billionaire Joseph Lau set tongues wagging when in November he bought not one, but TWO fancy vivid diamonds for his seven year old daughter Josephine! His first purchase was for a 16.08 carat fancy vivid pink diamond. Lau paid a reported $28.5 million dollars for the stone.  This was the largest cushion shaped stone in the category fancy vivid that had ever gone to auction. Christie’s stated that only three pink stones classified by the GIA as fancy and weighing more than 10 carats had been up for sale in over 250 years. The stone was previously owned by Harry Winston, and Laurence Graff.

Mr. Lau has now named the stone “Sweet Josephine” after his daughter.

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Photo Courtesy of Sotheby’s

The buying did not end there for Mr. Lau. A week later the property tycoon purchased a 12.03 flawless fancy vivid blue diamond for $48.4 million dollars.  The Blue Moon Diamond according to Sotheby’s is among the largest known fancy vivid blue diamonds in existence today. Mr. Lau has renamed the stone “The Blue Moon of Josephine”.

We can’t wait to see what 2016 in store!

Le Vian Jewelry Trunk Show

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Join us this Thursday, December 17th for our Le Vian Fine Jewelry Trunk Show! This show will feature the LARGEST collection of Chocolate Diamonds in store! We will also be featuring other designs of Le Vian jewelry as well.

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WHAT ARE
CHOCOLATE DIAMONDS?

Natural fancy color brown diamonds are available from light to dark brown, in many hues and clarities. Chocolate Diamonds® are Le Vian®’s original brand of natural fancy color diamonds that are selected for their rich chocolatey flavor, and sold exclusively by Le Vian®.

  • In the year 2000, Le Vian® initiated a campaign to brand Chocolate Diamonds® in order to distinguish them as high quality and separate them from the lower clarity, poor color diamonds. Le Vian® is the originator of Chocolate Diamonds® and holds the registered trademark in countries all over the world.
  • To be branded as Chocolate Diamonds®, these rare and natural beauties need to rate between C4-C7 on the color chart, have a clarity of SI1 or better, have a specific hue, be within the top 5% of the production, and sourced by Le Vian®. Chocolate Diamonds® of 20 points or larger are 10,000 times rarer than white diamonds.
  • Chocolate Diamonds® of ½ carat or larger are laser inscribed with the Chocolate Diamonds® brand on the girdle.
  • The color of Chocolate Diamonds® is determined by the tremendous pressure they receive deep within the earth.
  • Chocolate Diamonds® have been the most affordable natural fancy colored diamonds, their earth- toned color is wearable every day. However, the larger gems have been fetching record prices by collectors.
  • Le Vian® revolutionized fine jewelry by combining the flavors of diamonds, gems and gold in new ways, using its proprietary black rhodium within unique original designs.
  • Chocolate Diamonds® are mainly found in one mine in the world, the Argyle mine in Australia.

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What: Le Vian Trunk Show

Where: Houston Jewelry

When: Thursday, December 17, 2015

For more information call 713-784-1000

While this event has ended we still have an amazing selection of Le Vian jewelry in stock. Stop in today to view our collection of Le Vian Chocolate Diamonds.  We also have several other Le Vian designs in stock beside just the chocolate diamonds. So whether you are looking for a Le Vian chocolate diamond ring or a gorgeous emerald design we have the style for you. Our skilled sales staff will be more than happy to show you our amazing line of Le Vian jewelry. Le Vian has some truly unique designs and every lady should have a piece or two in her jewelry box. The best part of the Le Vian designs are they can be worn with anything.From a classy evening gown to blue jeans you will always be dressed to kill with a piece of Le Vian jewelry.