The Diamond Studio Daily 12/11/2013

The Gold Guide - Colour

Although gold's natural colour is a beautiful warm yellow, different colours of gold are wonderful to wear. Whatever colour you choose, just remember they're all real gold, it's a matter of fashion and personal individuality and taste. As a result of cutting-edge technical know-how and continuous industry research and development, carat golds are now available in a variety of colours: brown, black, purple, green, blue and apricot. When carat gold is alloyed with other metals it is possible to use these alloys to produce varying colours of gold. Gold alloys are usually a mixture of silver, copper and zinc and the amounts of each can be varied to affect the final colour.


White Gold - Gold plus alloys like palladium or silver - cool, sleek, elegant 


Yellow Gold -  The natural colour - warm, sunny, energising. 


Rose Gold - Gold plus alloys such as copper - vintage, romantic, feminine

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Cora Sun-Drop Diamond is the largest known yellow pear brilliant-shaped diamond, weighing 110.3 carats (22.1 g). It was sold for $10.9 million at Sotheby's auction in Geneva and set a world record price for a yellow diamond.





In at number 44 of our Celebrity Engagement ring countdown is Jennifer Garner 
Ben Affleck could never be accused of being thrifty when it comes to engagement rings. After the Jennifer Lopez proposal, he wooed Jennifer Garner with a 4.5 carat cushion-cut diamond

The Diamond Studio Daily 08/11/2013

The appetite for coloured gemstones has grown in the UK and globally as consumers seek gems that stand out from the crowd or to own as investments. You only have to step onto Bond Street or peruse the windows of luxury jewellers from Paris to New York right now to spot a recurring theme: coloured gemstones. While gemstones have played a huge part in jewellery design for millennia, there has been a notable renaissance for punchy, juicy coloured stones that consumers are no longer afraid to wear. So what is it about coloured gemstones that is winning the hearts of the consumers? Popular trend and sales are showing gemstones are the new diamond, at least for brides-to-be. Jewellers have noticed an increase in coloured gemstones amongs consumers, especially those who seek alternatives to the traditional diamond engagement ring, Instead of a diamond solitaire or diamond three stone ring they ask for striking green tsavorite garnet and red spinel. Statement necklaces in onyx, coral or amber have been popular, and cluster rings are now very much in demand, as are particular hues of stone such as peach-coloured sapphires and aquamarine. The Gemological Association of America (GIA), while offering training and education for diamonds and stones, also keeps an eye on the evolving markets. Its senior industry analyst Russell Shor agrees that stones considered obscure have become increasingly popular in recent times. “For many years the popular notion of garnet was a brownish-red coloured stone, however garnets come in nearly every colour of the rainbow, and in all price ranges,” he explains. “The popularity of these so-called ‘obscure’ gemstones has increased exponentially in recent years because consumers have come to know their beauty through telvision and the internet. I believe that we have entered into a new era in which colour is going to play an increasing part in our lives, our jewellery and our luxury purchases.”

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Briolette of India a colorless diamond (weighing 90.38 carats) that was found in India. It is cut in a briolette shape, and is a D-coloured (colourless) type diamond. If the fables about it are true, it may be the oldest diamond on record, perhaps older than the Koh-I-Noor Diamond. In the 12th century, Eleanor of Aquitaine, the first Queen of France and later England, brought the stone to England. Her son, Richard the Lionheart, is said to have taken it on the Third Crusade. It next appeared in the 16th century when Henry II of France gave it to his blonde mistress, Diane de Poitiers. It was shown in one of many portraits of her while at Fontainebleau. After disappearing for four centuries, the stone surfaced again in 1950 when the jeweler, Harry Winston, of New York, bought it from an Indian Maharajah. It was sold to Mrs. I.W. Killam and bought back by Mr. Winston, following her death, about 10 years later.


In at number 45 in our Celebrity Engagement ring  is 
Khloe Kardashian Odom.  The 12.5-carat radiant-cut engagement ring from Lamar Odom is worth $850,000.

The Diamond Studio Daily 06/11/2013

Rose gold is what’s trending this season in both the fine jewelry and fashion jewelry markets. While this lovely, pink-hued metal has been used in jewelry pieces for decades, recently rose gold jewelry has increased in popularity in every jewelry avenue. Rose gold is now seen in fine jewelry, engagement and wedding ring settings, watches and also fashion jewelry pieces. In fact, now men’s watches and other jewelry pieces are even sporting rose gold accents! The warmth of rose gold jewelry brings out the underlying pink tones of skin in contrast to the bling factor of white and yellow gold. Also, rose gold brings out the natural beauty of diamonds as well as many colored gemstones.     
Rose gold jewelry’s recent increased popularity can be attributed to several factors. First, it’s different. For the woman, or man, who is less traditional, rose gold jewelry offers an alternative to the more common white or yellow gold jewelry. Also, the soft pink tone of rose gold pieces works well with the colors and hues of the soft colors and feminine styles
popular in women’s fashion right now.
Second, rose gold provides another color to add for mixing and matching metals as well as materials. The two-tone look for mixing white and yellow gold has been popular for years. Women are now mixing rose gold with either white or yellow gold pieces and sometimes they mix it with both. Rose gold adds another color and dimension. Women mix different gold colors of bangle bracelets, stacking rings, and necklaces to create an individual look.
Cartier helped introduce this look in the late 1920’s when they introduced the Trinity band, a ring made of three intertwining bands of rose, white and yellow gold. Customers and fans of rose gold may be surprised to learn that there is actually no such thing as pure rose gold. Gold in its purest form always has a gold or yellow color. But, gold in its purest form is soft. Jewelers have to add other metals to the mixture not only to increase gold’s durability and strength but also to change the color. Rose gold is typically a mix of yellow gold and copper alloy. The ratios can be adjusted to create a deeper or lighter color. The more copper alloy used, the deeper and darker the color.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Beau Sancy. As soon as she set eyes on the Beau Sancy diamond, Marie de Médicis, wife of the French king Henri IV, knew she wanted it, and she nagged her wayward husband until he bought it for her.

It was to bring neither of them great pleasure. In 1610, a day after her coronation – for which the large pear-shaped gem was set atop her crown – Henri was assassinated, leaving six children under the age of nine. So began the Beau Sancy's 400 year journey through European royal history.

The 34.98-carat jewel became the oldest diamond ever to go under the hammer at auction, selling for eight million francs (£5.3m) at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland. 

In at number 46 in our Celebrity Engagement ring 

countdown is Natalie Portman. Natalie Portman has kept relatively quiet about her engagement and secret wedding with Benjamin Millepied, but that hasn't stopped us from drooling over her ring. Not only is it gorgeous, but it's also eco-friendly. Millepied designed the ring himself, making sure to use recycled platinum and conflict-free diamonds. Beautiful and good for the planet – we love it! 

The Diamond Studio Daily 4/11/2013

                                                                                                                                                                                                  We where so pleased to go to Belfast on Saturday to show off some of our different collections, We where overwhelmed by how warm and inviting the city and it's people are. Its truly a magical place and we hope so very much that we can return to work their on a regular basis! So much to see and do in this vibrant city, not to mention the amazing breakfast we got from Failte's restaurant.

Today's Diamond of the Day is the Archduke Joseph a colorless, antique cushion-shaped brilliant, originally weighing 78.54 carat. It originated in India's Golconda mines, where the colorless Koh-i-Noor, the Blue Hope Diamond and other famous diamonds also originated. It was named after Archduke Joseph August of Austria, its first recorded owner who had it deposited in the vault of the Hungarian General Credit Bank on 1st June 1933. This was the first record of the existence of the Archduke Joseph diamond. In 1936 it was sold to an anonymous buyer who is believed to have been a European banker and kept in France, locked away in a safe deposit box, where it remained undiscovered from the German occupation powers during World War II. It surfaced at auction (but not sold) in 1961 in London and again at Christie's in Geneva in November 1993. On November 13, 2012 the Archduke Joseph (76.02 carat) was sold for more than 20m Swiss frank.

Today's celebrity engagment ring comes from Colleen Rooney in at number 48 on our top 50 countdown. Wayne Rooney might have proposed to a 17-year-old Coleen McLoughlin in a petrol station in 2003, but he more than made up for that with the four-carat, emerald-cut diamond ring he gave her. Estimated Value: $46,000

Commitment Rings

They might be all the rage these days, but commitment rings (also known as 'pre-engagement rings' or 'promise rings') are actually nothing new. In fact, they supposedly date back to the 16th century!
In those times, if a man could not afford to marry the woman he loved at a certain point, he would give her a ring to show that they would get married eventually.
Commitment rings with this purpose are still quite popular today, particularly among young couples who intend to get married, but perhaps aren't at that stage in their lives yet when they're able to afford to get married and have children.

Although of course,commitment rings aren't just for women, or even just for one person in the couple.
Many couples who have been married for a while often choose to get commitment rings to perhaps mark a special milestone in their marriage, like a special anniversary.
There are also couples who choose to get commitment rings as an alternative to marriage. If marriage isn't what they want to do, commitment rings are the ideal way to show a partner just how much they mean and that the other person is in it for the long run.

Whatever you're looking for, whether you're married, thinking about getting married or looking for a way to tell someone just how much they mean to you, commitment rings are the way to do it!

Here at The Diamond Studio, we love working with customers to create bespoke designs and we can cater to any budget or taste.
We can make rings in any metal you would like and with any stones or gemstones you would like!

Engagement Rings

At The Diamond Studio, we know that choosing the perfect engagement ring is not something that can be rushed, nor is it something you can do without putting in some effort!

It's important for the one you love to have a ring as unique as they are, and The Diamond Studio is the place to find it!

We have a selection of gorgeous engagement mounts in stock, to help give you inspiration - or perhaps you'll find what you're looking for among them!
However if you have something completely different in mind, we can have it made up exactly how you want it.

Now for the diamond itself! Whatever cut, colour, carat and clarity you're searching for, we will do our very best to make sure that we find the exact diamond you are searching for!

We have recently joined up with Nordic Fire, a diamond mining company based in Antwerp, Belgium. The origins of this family-run business date back all the way to 1898!
Their diamonds come from the Diavik mine in Canada's Northwest Territories and they are fairly mined, so you can have peace of mind, knowing exactly where your diamond came from.

We will soon be uploading a diamond stock list onto our website, so you can browse it at your leisure, to find your perfect match.
We then order the onr and it gets shipped over all the way from Antwerp, just for you!

The diamond and mount will come together to create a stunning, one-off piece you will both treasure for a lifetime.

We can also re-model items of jewellery - perhaps there is a family heirloom which holds sentimental value, but could do with a bit of an update. We will happily talk through designs and ideas with you - to help keep cherished memories alive, but with a modern twist!

If you don't really like white diamonds, there are more colours to choose from! Black, yellow, or even pink - to name but a few!
Or, if diamonds aren't really your gemstone of choice - you can have an engagement ring with a sapphire, an emerald, whatever you prefer! Or even just a plain band with a pattern or engraving of your choice, we make bespoke pieces to suit all tastes!

We have worked with some wonderful couples over the years, and we are always as excited as they are to see the finished product!
However you envision your perfect engagement ring, The Diamond Studio will be with you every step of the way, to ensure you will be completely thrilled with it!

Diamond Studio Stories!

Here at The Diamond Studio, we often find that some of the pieces we make and the customers we have often have brilliant and interesting stories to go along with them!

When engagement rings are involved, we put everything we have into making sure that the finished product is exactly how the couple want it to be.
This can involve searching the globe for the perfect diamond, designing and making a bespoke mount - or sometimes just re-sizing something we already have made up, if someone likes what they see in the Studio!

Since we gladly make bespoke pieces, we have had some fabulous ideas from customers, and amazing pieces made to their specifications!
Sometimes there has been a story to do with why a piece is being made, an inscription on the inside of the piece which has special meaning - or perhaps even something to do with the design itself!

Do you have a Diamond Studio Story?
If so, we'd love to hear from you!

Send us in your photos and videos of your Diamond Studio Story, and you could feature on our Facebook page or YouTube channel!

You can e-mail us info@thediamondstudio.co.uk

Looking forward to seeing/hearing all your stories!

Product of the Week - Cufflinks for Dad

Here at The Diamond Studio, we're starting a brand new feature - Product of the Week!

Since Father's Day is coming up very soon, we decided what better product to get us started than cufflinks?

We have lots of different cufflinks in stock, so we're sure you would manage to find something to suit your Dad's taste!

And if not - why not have a pair of bespoke cufflinks made for him? You can get them made however you like, or bring your Dad in and he can have them made the way he wants!

We also have Rangers and Celtic cufflinks, as we are Official Licensee to the Old Firm, and all of our products can be engraved at no extra charge.

If that's not quite enough for you - our Men's silver jewellery including Fred Bennett and Denison Boston is 20% off just now, plus there is 10% off any product if it's for Father's Day!