As the debate over lab grown versus natural diamonds continues, there are several reasons why some people believe natural diamonds are superior. Here are some reasons why people prefer natural diamonds.
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Religious jewelry has a rich and fascinating history that dates back centuries. It has played a significant role in various cultures and has been used to express faith, identity, and social status. From ancient amulets and talismans to modern-day symbols of devotion, religious jewelry continues to hold deep meaning for many people worldwide.
The Origins of Religious Jewelry The use of religious jewelry can be traced back to ancient civilizations. In ancient Egypt, for example, people wore amulets that depicted their gods and goddesses to offer protection and bring good luck. Similarly, the Greeks and Romans wore jewelry that featured images of their deities, which they believed would protect them from harm and bring them prosperity. In the Middle Ages, Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe, and religious jewelry began to take on a more significant role. People wore crosses, rosaries, and medallions that depicted saints to show their devotion and faith. These items were often made from precious metals, adorned with gemstones, and passed down through generations as family heirlooms. Religious Jewelry During the Renaissance During the Renaissance, religious jewelry took on a more ornate and elaborate style. This was due in part to the wealthy patrons of the arts, who commissioned artists to create intricate pieces that showcased their devotion and status. Many of these pieces featured religious scenes, such as the Madonna and Child, which were often depicted in vibrant colors and set with precious gemstones. Religious Jewelry in the Modern Era In the modern era, religious jewelry continues to hold significant meaning for many people. It has become an essential part of religious ceremonies and practices, such as baptisms, confirmations, and weddings. Many people also wear religious jewelry as a symbol of their faith and to offer comfort during difficult times. The popularity of religious jewelry has also given rise to a wide variety of styles and designs. Some people prefer traditional pieces, such as crosses or rosaries, while others choose more modern interpretations, such as personalized pendants or bracelets that feature their favorite scripture or prayer. Religious Jewelry Today Today, religious jewelry continues to be a meaningful and popular choice for many people. It is available in a range of materials, from precious metals to alternative materials like wood or stone. Some religious jewelry pieces are also eco-friendly, made from recycled or sustainable materials. Religious jewelry is also an essential part of interfaith dialogue and understanding. It allows people of different faiths to express their beliefs and engage in conversations about spirituality and religion. In conclusion, religious jewelry has a long and fascinating history that spans cultures and centuries. It has played an essential role in expressing faith, identity, and social status and continues to hold deep meaning for many people today. Whether it's a simple cross or an intricate medallion, religious jewelry remains a powerful symbol of devotion, hope, and faith. This week we examined a ring which was sold and claimed to be made in 1750. The age of a piece of jewelry can, certain times, drastically increase its value. Circa dating a piece can be difficult and often takes expert specialty knowledge, advanced testing, and experience to get it right. Recently we had the pleasure of inspecting this bauble above for a full evaluation. The evaluation was multifold and one of the purposes was to determine the age of this piece. It was reported by the seller that this piece was made in 1750. This is often one of the most difficult things to do in jewelry, circa date that is. Many jewelers have never seen pieces that old. Some jewelers do not understand how to date items properly. Some, quite frankly, just make it up.
At first glance many jewelry appraisers may take a look at this ring and say "sure that sounds correct" however it would be a grave misconception. After inspection of the ring we found many inconsistencies with aging this piece to 1750. Firstly construction, as experts in our field we have examined many pieces from the era and are quite familiar with build type, finish work, setting work, and so much more from antique pieces. Certain consistencies in this piece and inconsistencies tell the store of age. (Our knowledge here is proprietary sorry other appraisers). That being said we can help you with circa dating this ring without considering the construction of the ring. Many of you professional appraisers may be thinking, sure its the stone type, or stone shape, or cut of the center...unfortunately those details would not be as helpful as you would like. There is one key element to this ring that does help date it. That is.....the.....design! Yes the design of this ring helps to tell us at the very least, the earliest it may have been made. This ring was sold to the customer as a gimmel ring, or Fede ring. The first thing to note is that it is NOT either of the above. That style generally opens and closes and features two hands clasping each other at the close. Though there are examples of Fede rings that do not open and simple show hands clasping, this is NOT one of those. Notice that both hands are open and holding the central heart. You may be thinking well that is obvious. If so you may be thinking that this ring is a Claddagh ring. You'd be... RIGHT...sort of. Diving deeper you will notice the general design does resemble a claddagh ring however it is missing one key element. That element is what dates this ring (at least tells us the earliest it is likely to be made). It's the typical crown that generally rests a top the heart. This version of the claddagh ring with NO CROWN originated in Dublin Ireland and was not known until the 1800's. It is now known as the Fenian Claddagh, or Dublin Claddagh. This design is said to have originated by those in Dublin wishing to gain independence from British rule thus removing the crown. Thus it is impossible for this ring to be older than when the design was first made. There are many key take aways for those of you not in jewelry. First is seek knowledge. Understand what you are looking at and looking for. If you are unsure most jewelry companies are happy to help and educate. We feel our job is to educate buyers and will always "nerd out" in jewelry. Second is purchase from reputable sellers. It is always paramount to find honest, trustworthy, and forthcoming people and businesses this will help eliminate extra time, money, and head/heart ache in learning about pieces the hard way. Third, not all appraisers are created equal just as all doctors, surgeons, mechanics, or any other job. There are experts in each field and their knowledge can drastically help you. If you have a piece you need help with never hesitate to email us. We are expert jewelry appraisers, gemstone appraisers, diamond appraisers, and watch appraisers. Our services are many from expert witness in jewelry to jewelry liquidation appraiser. We have helped with estate appraisals as well as settlement appraisals. We are happy to help. To read more about our appraisal services check out our appraisal page here. We receive lots of questions regarding the difference between and old mine cut diamond and an old European cut diamond, as well as circular brilliant cut, and round brilliant cut. For more technical information please see our previous blog post. To simplify the answer we decided to add this photo just showing relative differences between an old mine cut and old European cut. The main difference you will notice is overall shape. Old mine cuts generally have what we like to refer to as "corners" sort of like a couch cushion would. The European cut is more round! To learn more see our previous blog posts! Looking for and Old European cut diamond or Old Mine Cut Diamond? Look no further. We have thousands of loose natural diamonds of both cutting styles NOT listed on our website. If you are interested in a particular size or grade contact us today! We often get the question why is this stone considered a "circular brilliant' by GIA versus an 'Old European' cut. This question comes from dealers, as well as the public alike. After analyzing the stone usually it comes down to measurements, or angles. Here is a quick guideline.
Size Of Rolex WatchesRolex has produced watches that have changed in size over the years. Datejust: 31mm; 36mm; 41mm Date: 34mm Oyster Perpetual: 28mm; 31mm; 34mm; 36mm; 41mm Sky-Dweller: 42mm Day-Date: 36mm; 40mm Lady-Datejust: 28mm Pearlmaster: 34mm; 39mm Cellini: 39mm Submariner: 41mm Daytona: 40mm Sea-Dweller: 43mm Deepsea: 44mm GMT-Master II: 40mm Yacht-Master: 37mm; 40mm; 42mm Yacht-Master II: 44mm Explorer: 39mm Explorer II: 42mm Milgauss: 40mm Air-King: 40mm WE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN PURCHASING PREOWNED AND VINTAGE ROLEX WATCHES! CONTACT US ANYTIMEIn recent years we have seen the rise of the metaverse. Virtual real estate, and digital art have been commanding high premiums both at auction as well as in private sales. It is likely this will continue yet we suspect probably not at the same rate it has been accelerating as of recently. We predict that in the coming years the larger jewelry brands will get involved in the metaverse opening digital stores and selling possibly digital versions on their pieces, diamonds, or gems. This should create new opportunities for designers, programmers, and digital engineers. Creators will blossom and creativity will transfer from screen into physical items. We are excited to see the transformation and creation of these pieces both in the metaverse and in life!
Herbert Marcus Sr. left his job to found a new business with his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman and her husband, A.L. Neiman. In 1907 the trio had $25,000 from the successful sales-promotion firm they had built in Atlanta, Georgia, and two potential investments of funds. Interestingly enough, they were offered ownership in Coca-Cola at the time yet declined the investment opportunity. The store, which opened on September 10, 1907, was lavishly furnished and stocked with clothing of a quality, something not commonly found in Texas. THe store sold most of its inventory within a few weeks as oil rich Texans were looking for places to spend their money. By the 1920s-1930s Neiman Marcus began expanding into jewelry as it meshed nicely for their clients. Original Neiman Marcus designed and crafted pieces can be found from time to time. The extravagance continued in all things including jewelry when, in 1952, Stanley Marcus introduced extravagant and unusual gifts in each year's Christmas catalog. The idea was sparked when a journalist discussed with Marcus on air if the store would be offering anything unusual that might interest his radio listeners. Marcus invented on the spot the idea of selling a live Black Angus bull accompanied by a sterling silver barbecue cart. After the interview and press they altered the catelog to offer the bull and sterling BBQ for $1925. Neiman Marcus continued to make headlines for years and in November 2013 they discovered a 25-carat rough diamond off Namibia's coast, which was valued with a reserve price tag of $1.85 million. The diamond was referred to as the "Nam Diamond".
To learn more about jewelry designers check out a Makers Biographies section. Non-fungible tokens (NFT) are digital assets that represent a wide range of unique tangible and intangible items. They are changing the world from sports cards to virtual real estate and to even jewelry. We are one of the first companies in the jewelry industry to get in on the NFT space and early.
The main benefit of owning a digital collectible versus a physical collectible like a is that each NFT contains distinguishing information that makes it both distinct from any other NFT and easily verifiable. This makes the creation and circulation of fake collectibles pointless because each item can be traced back to the original issuer. So in certain high value pieces owning the NFT for that piece can be important. For example any of our photos we are able to convert to NFT's for you should you purchase a piece from us for an additional charge you can buy the rights to those photos. Some important things about NFT's that make them attractive to own as a part of purchasing a piece from us:
In 1896 in Paris France Salomon Arpels and his son-in-law Alfred Van Cleef founded the trailblazing brand in fine jewelry. Van Cleef & Arpels baubles have long been coveted by royals, celebrities and other members of high society. The brand even patented the “Mystery Setting”, which is a proprietary technique that allows the prongs of a jewelry piece to be nearly invisible. VCA's unique offerings make many of their pieces in a league of their own.
That being said creating such beautiful items attracts the attentions of copycats and counterfeiters. Though some do make a fairly convincing imitation, there are usually different tells that one can look for to identify a fake. We will try to outline some of them as we have been writing a book for about 12 years on counterfeit jewelry such as VCA, Cartier, Winston etc. One thing to note is these tells are based on our experience and opinion and are not to be taken as advice. We recommend sending the items to Van Cleef and Arpels for authentication for more guaranteed results however this is a paid service (the cost is around $2000 we were told but cannot guarantee the accuracy) Our methods are meant as a guide, and not a foolproof security measure, they will definitely help you separate a genuine piece from a counterfeit VCA piece however they are not perfect. Some counterfeits can be easier to spot than others, so thorough inspection and caution are highly advised. Trademarks, Hallmarks, Serials, Styles, Local There are three main things that become important in identifying a genuine versus counterfeit vca piece.
*Always look at the entire piece. The quality of build and quality of stones. VCA pieces are coveted because of their quality. Cost If you've found a Van Cleef & Arpels piece that's being sold for an uncharacteristically low price its likely because it isn't real. There are price differences from store to store and online shop to online shop, but when comparing prices, they are mostly very close in price. If a price is much lower its likely not correct. The price tag is high for a reason, VCA makes quality. Quality, design, reputation, and skill are all reflected in the cost of each piece. Quality Van Cleef & Arpels is crafted by hand with high quality materials and techniques. There is a great amount of time and labor that goes into each piece, you will understand why a Van Cleef & Arpels is coveted. Each piece should be outstanding. So if anything about the piece is of doubt its best to pass. There should be no gap between stones, all stones should be cut to perfection. Diamonds with easily noticeable inclusions are not VCA pieces. Serial numbers, hallmarks and trademarks should be smooth and legible, very very rarely crooked or sloppy. Consider the Source Certain preowned websites and even local jewelers may need extra caution and attention. Fraudulent sellers love websites and they make it easy for them to sell, with false information, photoshopped or stolen photos, etc. Many times your item arrives and is not what you ordered, is clearly a fake, or worse yet, you shell out money for authentication only to be told it's not an authentic piece later on. ALWAYS shop with a reputable, honest seller, with EXPERT KNOWLEDGE, also with an excellent record. Buying from a trusted jeweler very much increases the chance of you securing an authentic piece of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry. NOTE: a local jeweler may not have the experience with buying or selling a VCA piece. They may be an expert of their craft however doing business with a company that has experience with buying and selling VCA daily may be a better direction to consider. We constantly review both genuine and counterfeit pieces. In fact we have been tracking counterfeiters progress for approximately 12 years documenting signatures and tells. Note: These notes are just our opinions and experience and in no way are any advice in buying or selling piece. We are serious buyers and sellers of all things Van Cleef and Arpels. Our experience is vast from Alhambra collection pieces, to custom one of a kind pieces, and even watches. Should you have a piece to sell we are serious buyers and have collectors all over the world who are personal friends and clients of ours this helps to make sure you are getting top dollar for your pieces. If you are looking for an authentic VCA piece we are happy to help. |