Monthly Archives: July 2007

Gomelsky Wins Jewelers Press Award

The Jewelry Information Center (JIC) honored Victoria Gomelsky for exceptional coverage of the fine-jewelry and watch industries at a luncheon held on Tuesday in conjunction with the JA New York Summer Show.

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Victoria Gomelsky

Editor since 2004 of Couture International Jeweler, and with a Master’s Degree in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, Gomelsky was previously the diamond and gemstone editor for National Jeweler. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Escape, The Sun and an anthology called Waking Up American: Coming of Age Biculturally.

Congrats Victoria! LOVE those earings !!!

Bedat Celebrates 10 Years..Shh!!

I’m not sure why I forgot to mention this right after the recent watch show in Basel..but one of my favorite luxury watch companies celebrated its 10th birthday this year!!

Yes, it is Bedat!

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I know I haven’t exactly been faithful to you this year Bedat (I currently sport the classic Ebel wave watch in two tone on my wrist), but I am still one of your biggest fans!

In conjuction with its milestone birthday, Bedat has launched a new advertising campaign called ‘Shh!’, which features models Carmen Kass and Andoni Anastasse with fingers to their lips in the universal ‘Shh!’ sign.

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The campaign tag line reads “Very famous amongst very few people”. This marketing strategy, IMO is a very cool and effective way to bring an already respected and established luxury watch brand to the broader public. The marketing strategy and idea came from the famous Paris based advertising agency Pascal & Thierry.

Here is to the next 10 years!!

Want Your Diamond To Sparkle? Keep It Clean!

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One of the biggest mistakes women make is not cleaning their diamond rings.

Diamonds have a tremendous affinity to the oils of our skin. They are also the center of gravity for the collection of every piece of dirt and grime a woman will come across during her daily routine.

Any time you cook, eat, wash dishes, handle food, etc. the dirt will get trapped in your diamond engagement ring and cake up the stone.

Very soon, you will find that the beautiful and sparkly diamond you purchased will appear dull and lifeless.

How could that be?

Very simple.

Think of the following analogy:

You take a transparent window that has the potential to let sunlight stream into a room, illuminating it beautifully. Now you pull a shade over the window, effectively blocking all sunlight from entering the room. Is there something wrong with the window? Did something happen to it? Of course not! You are simply preventing it from letting in the light.

It is exactly the same with your diamond engagement ring, just in reverse!

A perfectly cut Ideal diamond engagement ring, will refract maximum light entering the stone back out to the eye in a dazzling display of brilliance. However, if the stone is caked with dirt and grime, you are literally “pulling a shade’ over the diamond and preventing the stone from refracting the light properly and effectively.

As a result, the diamond will “appear” dull and lifeless until you bother to clean it, bringing back its original beauty and brilliancy.

So how do you clean your diamond ring? Well, my Dad blogged on this some time ago over here.

How about the “no-no’s” when it comes to properly maintaining the hygiene of your diamond engagement ring..;-)??

Are there any specific activities you ought to avoid?

Well, I just saw a really cute posting by Sean Dunn of J.R. Dunn Jewelers, with a list of items to avoid when attempting to keep your diamond ring clean!

Check it out!

Irradiated Blue Topaz: Be Very Careful!

The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) has called for the checking of irradiated blue topaz and for members to consider temporarily suspending imports of these gemstones.

Recently the United States, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) stepped up enforcement of irradiated gemstones, which resulted in some retailers pulling these goods from the shelves.

AGTA said that while there hadn’t been a confirmed report of cancer or radiation poisoning as a result of irradiated gemstones to their knowledge, increase care in handling was prudent. “We have no reason to believe that any significant quantity of dangerous gemstones [exist] in the market today. However, since there have been a handful of sightings over [the past few decades] of gemstones with potentially harmful radiation, we are taking the prudent step of reminding all AGTA members that if they handle deep blue topaz, they should do their own radiation checks”.

Government rules affect darker color blue topaz, as some light blue topaz is LINAC (linear accelerator) treated and had been exempt from the rules. NRC rules apply to treated gemstones. In coming months however, LINAC treated gems will face there own regulations including having an NRC license for the importation of blue topaz, red tourmalines, many beryls (except emerald,) kunzite and irradiated diamonds.

AGTA concluded that since blue topaz generates more than $1 billion in sales each year, expanded regulations increase the amount of business risk.

NRC rules require documentation of all irradiated gems, including a paper trail of sources, and AGTA members are encouraged to identify inventories by vendor and date of import. Older stock will have had radioactive decay, AGTA mentioned, and could be easier to sell or document as safe.

All new imports must be clearly identified by vendor and date, as should sales to manufacturers and retailers AGTA concluded. AGTA urged its membership to temporarily suspend importing such stones until the status and safety could be clarified.

We advise that you check with your Jeweler before purchasing.

Tax & Spend Rangel Wants Your Diamond Engagement Ring Money!

U.S. Congressman Charles B. Rangel received enthusiastic applause as he opened the Jewelers Association New York Summer Show on Sunday with a message of support for the Brick & Mortar Jewelers on the issue of taxing online diamond retailers.

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House Ways & Means Chairman Charles Rangel at the Podium.

Rangel, the chairman of the House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee, indicated his support for brick-and-mortar jewelers. In particular, he touched on legislation in the current session of Congress that would allow individual states to collect sales tax from Internet retailers.

“Whether it’s the Ways and Means Committee or whether it’s national policy, we have to concentrate on small retailers, making it possible for them to be able to play with a level playing field,” he said, referring to the legislation that would help achieve this goal.

From our vantage point, taxing Internet diamond and jewelry sales will not by itself level the playing field for B&M Jewelers as Internet prices will still be lower.

Gotta love those Polticians

Diamond Manufacturer Reaches Out To Same-Sex Couples

Well known diamond manufacturer, Fabrikant-Tara, has recently announced a new effort to reach out to same-sex couples.

In an effort to celebrate “love without boundaries”, they have released a new collection of cutting edge jewelry called the “LVOE” collection, which features a unique range of wedding bands and solitaires geared towards same-sex unions.

To view the collection, visit www.lvoehasnoboundaries.com

Gorgeous & Unique Jewelry by YVEL!

Well, as you all know, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting jewelry designs and creations for all of you jewelry lovers!

I always enjoy giving kudos and spreading love to the designers and manufacturers of unique and dazzling jewelry baubles and creations.

Enter Designs by YVEL.

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These guys caught my eye with their advertisement in a recent trade publication.

I took a look at their jewelry offerings and was quite impressed with the beauty and originality of their creations.

Their jewelry creations combine pearls, diamonds and precious gemstones in unique settings with a distinct look and a flair for the dramatic!

Check them out, I think you’re gonna love their stuff!

What Is Palladium? How Does It Compare With Platinum & Gold?

Given that we now offer all of our engagement rings in precious palladium, I thought it would be appropriate to briefly outline the properties of this metal in relation to gold and platinum.

Purity

Palladium is from the same precious metal family as platinum at significantly lower prices.
Palladium is 95% pure.

White

Palladium, (unlike yellow gold which has been rhodium plated to create “white gold”) is actually a naturally white metal (similar to platinum). It is hypo-allergenic, nickel free, and requires no rhodium plating.

Precious

Palladium is 30 times more rare than gold and shares the lustre of platinum (at a fraction of the price).

Strong

Palladium wears exceptionally well and does not suffer from porosity and prong failure.

Excel Diamonds Versus Whiteflash. Why Pay For Loose Diamond Information?

When you canvass Internet websites selling diamonds and diamond engagement rings, you will find that most websites offer many thousands of loose diamonds for purchase.

On example, is diamond e-tailer, Abazias.com, who offers a selection of “100,000 loose diamonds” for you to choose from! However, what they fail to mention and what is important for you to realize because it is relevant to every single Internet diamond website, is that none of these websites owns even a fraction of the many thousands of diamonds they advertise for sale. Rather, about 98% of the loose diamond being sold on the Internet are sold via the “drop ship” method, whereby the seller will never see the diamond he is selling, before the customer receives the stone. This can lead to a disastrous outcome, since the seller has no way of assuring the customer of the quality of the diamond he/she is buying.

Indeed, there are only a few diamond Internet vendors (maybe only a handful…if that many) who insist on bringing in every single one of the thousands of diamonds they offer for sale, for a personal inspection and evaluation by their trained staff of gemologists, prior to making a sale. The diamond will be photographed and placed through a comprehensive battery of tests, in order to determine its precision cut quality, structural integrity and visual beauty. Much of this crucial information cannot be learned by simply looking at the diamonds grading report or certificate, which is the only piece of info. provided to internet diamond “drop-shippers” by the diamond wholesaler. This limited information is not enough with which to base a purchase of this magnitude. It would be akin to purchasing a home without a complete home inspection report. No two diamonds are created equal and there is crucial and important information being overlooked when a loose diamond is purchased via the drop ship method.

Indeed, our company is one of these few websites that add real value to every single diamond we sell and even those not of our own manufacture, by calling in every single diamond for a comprehensive evaluation. We supply our clients with all of the important scientific data up-front and upon request, so that they could make an informed and educated decision.

However, it seems that even amongst our few competitor/colleagues who offer a similar and excellent commitment to the customer; there are some very distinctive differences which I feel are important to enumerate for our clients to understand.

I was reading this recent thread on the consumer diamond education forum, Pricescope.com where a surprised customer indicates that she requested a certain diamond be shipped in by internet diamond vendor Whiteflash.com, for an evaluation. Whiteflash diamonds has the policy of not engaging in blind “drop-shipping” of any of the diamonds they sell.

Excellent policy from a reputable company.

However, it seems that the customer (as well as ourselves) where quite surprised to learn that Whiteflash will actually take your credit card/billing information in order to call a diamond in for evaluation. Certainly the merit to this, is that it prevents consumers from having Whiteflash call in many diamonds at their own considerable expense, with the distinct possibility that they may end up purchasing nothing.

However, John Pollard, who is Director of Sales for Whiteflash diamonds, was quoted on that thread as saying the following:

“The only time we charge for bringing something in is when the client requests multiple stones be brought at the same time (we charge for those not purchased) or if the stone comes in, passes all of our tests, we recommend it and the client changes his/her mind”.

While I understand the first half of the policy (Whiteflash does not wish to absorb the considerable cost and expense of having multiple diamonds shipped in for an evaluation and comparison, when clearly only one stone has a chance of being sold….), I fail to grasp the second half of it.

O.k. so the Whiteflash team inspects and passes muster on the diamond, indicating the excellent quality of the stone. Then, the consumer ultimately decides against purchasing the diamond..for whatever reason (broken engagement, negative cash flow, cold feet…whatever..); Whiteflash will charge the customer for not purchasing the diamond.

A customer commitment policy of this magnitude is quite impressive, especially when you consider that very few companies selling diamonds on the net offer something like this.

However, charging the customer for this luxury..and certainly when it is mandated and enforced by the company in order to protect the client, seems a bit odd.

Here is where it seems we distinguish ourselves with regards to this policy. It is in the “fine print” and details.

Unlike Whiteflash.com, we will never collect your credit card information and billing details as a prerequisite for calling in diamonds for an evaluation on your behalf.

Any and every single diamond we have shipped in to us, is done at our own (considerable) expense. We do not charge money for the comprehensive (and unrivaled) level of actual diamond information which we provide.

We give our customers a scan of the actual diamond grading report, actual Idealscope photos, hearts and arrows photos, microscopic diamond photos to showcase inclusions, Megascope/Sarin cut analysis, Gemex Brilliancescope diamond light performance results and more.

We charge you for none of this.

We don’t care to have your credit card information until if/when you are ready to purchase the diamond..;-)

Moreover, if a client opts to pass on any diamond which we have called in for them at our own expense (and after the incredible amount of time, effort and expense involved in doing a complete diamond workup), we will never penalize the client by charging their credit card for the return shipment of the diamond back to the manufacturer.

Of course this means that there is room for abuse of the system and that sometimes we are gonna wind up spending considerable time and money on a “potential customer” who may very well end up purchasing nothing.

These are the “breaks” and our position is that it is a necessary expense to ensure a real commitment to our customers full satisfaction and we would have it no other way.

No hidden strings.
No hidden costs.
No penalizing the customer for not pulling the trigger on a diamond we felt was worthy of their consideration.