The Diamond Studio Daily 03/12/2013

Buying jewellery as a gift - The Guide

So you want to give someone special the gift of jewellery but where do you start ? What will they like ? Don't get overwhelmed and hand over money for something you aren't sure of. Use our useful guide to picking jewellery as a gift to avoid what starts out as a thoughtful gesture turning in to a costly nightmare. 

Who is it for ?

This sounds like a simple question but always think about the individual person your buying for and never buy the same piece in mass for example all the lucky ladies in your life wearing the same earrings in different shades most definitely wont make them feel special.

Look for clues.

Once you've decided who you have to buy for look for clues to make your life easier.  

What jewellery do they wear just now ? 

What colours are their favourite ? 

What is their birthstone ? (Again don't panic just ask Uncle Google)

Don't forget to borrow a current ring for sizing.

Mystery Shop.

If your able to its always a great idea to try and take them in to the store your thinking of buying from or any jewellery shop for that matter just to get a further idea of what they like and don't like. If you cant do this bring along a picture of the person you would be surprised how much it helps us to pick out something that suits once we can put a face to the product. 

Time is of the essence.

If your choosing a ready to wear piece it's not really an issue unless its got to be re-sized to suit or engraved with a personal message which can be done within the week or if its really important on the day. However if you choose to make up a bespoke piece for them it can take between 2-3 weeks from design to finished product. So always think ahead on timescales.

Last step.

You made it ! see it wasn't to bad was it?Now all you have to do is watch them open and enjoy a piece they can keep and cherish forever no more dusty cookbooks and bundles of socks.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Graff Pink Diamond a rare 24.78 carat pink diamond, once owned by American celebrity jeweler Harry Winston, has been described as "one of the greatest diamonds ever discovered". The diamond, mounted in a ring, was sold by Sotheby's auctioneers. Before its sale, the stone was expected to enter the list of the top ten most expensive diamonds in the world on selling for £29 million.

In at number 38 of our Celebrity Engagement Countdown is Zara Phillips.

The Queen’s oldest grand-daughter, was given a bespoke ring by rugby-playing hubby-to-be Mike Tindall. The sparkling circle solitaire is set in a beautiful band of pavé diamonds, but the value and carat count of the engagement ring has so far been kept schtum. 

The Diamond Studio Daily 28/11/2013

Here at The Diamond Studio we have some wonderful american friends and it all started with DaMarcus Beasley who went from wonderful friend to collaborating on a jewellery range with us! We have watched his career go from strength to strength and we couldn't be more proud as he and his teammates heads off to the World Cup in Rio next year. So on this day of Thanksgiving we would like to give thanks for friendships that span continents and don't change a bit ! To truly get in to the spirit of the day we researched a history of Thanksgiving. The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, to commemorate the harvest reaped by the Plymouth Colony after a harsh winter. In that year Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving. The colonists celebrated it as a traditional English harvest feast, to which they invited the local Wampanoag Indians. By the mid–1800s, many states observed a Thanksgiving holiday. Meanwhile, the poet and editor Sarah J. Hale had begun lobbying for a national Thanksgiving holiday. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, looking for ways to unite the nation, discussed the subject with Hale. In 1863 he gave his Thanksgiving Proclamation, declaring the last Thursday in November a day of thanksgiving.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond a 31.06 carat (6.21 g) fancy deep-blue diamond with internally flawless clarity. Laurence Graff purchased theWittelsbach Diamond in 2008 for £16.4 million. In 2010, Graff revealed he had had the diamond cut by three diamond cutters to remove flaws. 

In at number 41 of our celebrity engagement countdown is Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon’s wife has a whopper of a ring to match her larger-than-life personality. Not only is it a $2.5 million 17-carat sparkler, but it also exudes girliness with an emerald-cut pink center diamond surrounded by 58 (yes, 58!) intense pink diamonds and two half-moon rocks on either side. We wonder if she had to chip in?

The Diamond Studio Daily 1/11/2013

"Who first comes to this world below
In dreary November's fog and snow,
Should prize the topaz amber hue,
Emblem of friends and lovers true."

November Birthstone - Properties of the Topaz
For those who were born in the month of November the Topaz is the traditional birthstone. The November birthstone poem reflects some of the properties with which the Topaz is associated - constancy, loyalty, faithfulness and friendship. The traditional metaphysical properties for the November birthstone Topaz are strength, releasing tension and balancing emotions. The healing properties of the birthstone are reputed to be effective for health problems relating to  sanity, asthma, blood disorders, tuberculosis and insomnia. The Topaz is also used to enhance spiritual rejuvenation and feelings of happiness. At The Diamond Studio we can source any colour of Topaz and set it any way you would like, So why not treat a fiend or love one to a birthday surprise with extra special meaning.

Today's Diamond of The Day is the striking "Angola Star" it was unearthed in its namesake country of Angola, after nearly a billion years in the making. Extremely unique in size, shape and character, it is the prize jewel of Diamond in the Rough's impressive collection. The 217.39 carat central natural rough diamond is set in Pave diamonds which accent this historic, conflict-free natural rough diamond, on a 32 inch chain containing 12 additional rough diamonds for a total carat weight of 237.54 carats.

In at number 49 of our Celebrity Engagement Ring countdown is Emma Bunton with this stunning 3 stone engagement ring from her longtime partner Jade Jones. This baby (couldn't resist the reference) has a 3-carat brilliant round cut for a center stone with 1-carat pear shaped stones as a side stone. Estimated cost? Around £60,000.