




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