September 2007 Archives
AGS Certified Diamond Documents Are Too Bulky
We just got in a bunch of AGS certified diamonds today.
Let me tell you, as prestigious as an AGS certified diamond might be, the fact is that these diamond certificates are flat out BULKY.
A GIA certifed diamond comes with a diamond certificate in a small slip cover.
The certificate is easy to carry and easy to store in our vault. The GIA cert, like most other diamond grading reports, measures approximately 4 inches wide by 10 inches high. This allows for the diamond certificate to be inserted into a jacket pocket, or conveniently lined in special boxes inside a safe (as we do with our in-house diamonds in our vaults).
Conversely, the AGS diamond document, measures approximately 7 inches wide by 9 inches high. This combination might be "pretty" to look at when the diamond certificate is opened, but it makes for a carry and storage nightmare!
AGS & GIA certified diamonds with Certificates.
Surf The Web and Spend More In The Store!
I just noticed this interesting article on Jewelers Circular Keystone.
N.Y.C. Diamond District Rat Race
Well, the summer is officially over and the annual diamond industry vaccation (July 1 - 14) and trade shows are already a distant memory. Things are really starting to heat up again, here in the New York City Diamond District.
I kind of enjoyed the relative quiet and tranquility the summer months brought to the district.
Nobody was in a rush and it was actually fun walking the street.
Now everyone is back from vacation and ready to rumble.
47 street is the "eye of the storm" all over again, with people running and going in a cacophony of flying bodies...
Walking on the street is like an adventure; you don't know whether you're gonna come back in one piece!!
Why is everyone in such a rush, why the frantic running and stumbling, and what ever happened to manners??
Perfect Ilustration of the N.Y.C. Diamond District, this time of year.
$12 Million Dollar Wedding Dress, Not For Everyone!
Jeweler Martin Katz and dressmaker Renee Strauss teamed up to create the most expensive wedding dress on record, featuring a stunning 150 carats worth of diamonds sewn throughout the dress.
Via: Diamond Blog
My Mother In-Law's New Diamond Engagement Ring! {Pics!}
Well, my In Law's have been married for almost a quarter century now, and my Mother In Law recently decided to change her diamond engagement ring for an "updated version".
My Mother In Law has impeccable taste (she chose me..;-) and was looking for an engagement ring that would be classic/elegant and showy/substantial at the very same time.
She also wanted something "different" and removed from the classic round center diamond she had been wearing for so many years (her previous engagement ring is a 3 stone "DeBeers" round diamond engagement ring).
I suggested that we create a replica of the famous Tiffany "Legacy", Halo Engagement Ring, set with an Asscher Cut Diamond and came up with a few different mock-ups for her to consider.
In the end, she opted for this exact replica of the original Tiffany engagement ring.
We were working within a specific budget and I offered an outstandingly beautiful Asscher Cut Diamond in a GIA certified 1.50 I SI2. The SI2 inclusions cannot be seen with the naked eye and the I color faces up considerably whiter, as a result of the diamonds' excellent light performance!
The diamond also exhibits a beautiful 'windmill effect", which is quite exquisite in an Asscher Cut diamond.
We decided to manufacture the engagement ring in Palladium, which is becoming an increasingly popular and less expensive alternative to Platinum.
The engagement ring was to be set with hand selected G color VS clarity diamonds, with a total of .50 carats.
I was not overly concerned by the discrepancy between the color of the "I" graded center diamond and the G color surrounding diamond accents, due to the I color's excellent face-up appearance.
Well, we just completed the engagement ring today!
Here is the result!!
I hope she is gonna be happy when she receives this....
Pictures really don't do any justice to the beauty of this ring!
MTV Awards A Total 'Bling-Fest'!
The evening lights went up In Las Vegas September 9, 2007, as music television channel MTV hosted its annual video music awards. Wherever you looked, diamonds and jewels sparkled like mad. The Hollywood celebs., were seemingly trying to "out-perform" each other with gaudy and ostentatious diamonds and baubles.
From the red carpet right on up to the awards stage, this season’s diamond fashion trends featured diamond bangle bracelets, Right Hand Rings, and diamond studs.
Ashanti sparkled in a glitzy diamond Right Hand Ring set in platinum.
To see the comple list of celebrities and to find out "who wore what" click on this link!
Consumers Hate Internet Diamond & Jewelry Stores With Convoluted Policies.
Got it??
So you have a diamond and jewelry website set up and you are ready to sell!
You spend a fortune of money and a ton of effort optimizing your site for maximum performance and visibility on the major search engines.
You engage in SEM to help with your internet exposure.
You might even display beautiful, quality products, at great prices!
Problem is, your policies absolutely STINK!
Some websites get so caught up with their products and visibility on the net, they forget how important it is to put forth clear and cogent policies geared towards facilitating a smooth and enjoyable shopping experience for their customers.
Some of the "best websites" have cumbersome and tedious policies with respect to their products and services, leaving consumers dazed and confused.
Do they offer a lifetime upgrade or not? They call in every diamond for an evaluation..but then they charge you for the shipping? They don't charge for the initial shipment of the diamond to them..but they charge for the return shipping back to the manufacturer if you do not buy the stone.. They won't sell a diamond they haven't personally evaluated first.....and indeed this is promoted as a distinguishing "selling point".....until you find out that they charge you money for the "service".
They offer a collection of "their very own" "Signature Diamonds" which (fine print here..) they actually just source from a virtual diamond database.
They do offer a price match policy....but it depends on the diamond and who the competing vendor is...
They make no stipulation that you purchase a completed diamond engagement ring from their company...and yet......they won't ship the loose diamond you just purchased to a different Internet seller who is earning your business on the ring setting.
They have no problems selling an engagement ring setting by itself....that is, until they find out that you purchased the loose diamond from their competition!!
Policies are often extremely convoluted and sometimes change from minute to minute and depending on which representative you happen to get on the phone at the time.
In my experience, clear and straightforward policies on the part of the seller, is just as important as the quality and value of the merchandise provided.
It is not easy for many to make the transition to buying (any) product(s) online. Therefore, efficient and clearly outlined policies can only help build consumer confidence and will ultimately help facilitate a smooth and enjoyable shopping experience.
Shana Tova From Diamond Vues!
On Rosh Hashana, we blow the Shofar.
The Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana begins this year on Wed. evening, September 12, 2007.
Our offices and factory will be closed Thursday and Friday, the 13 & 14th, in observance of the holiday.
We wish all of our readers and customers a Happy and Healthy New Year, with an abundance of blessings and all good things!
Is Your Marriage Dead? Bury Your Engagement Ring Here!
The stats tell us that 1 out of 3 marriages end in divorce. With very few exceptions, neither ex-spouse wants to keep the rings because of the negative memories.
What to do?
Jill Testa came up with an idea at of all places, a funeral! Today, she and her brother, Steve,
run weddingringcoffin.com, an online site that sells miniature caskets to display rings and symbolize a dead marriage.
Wedding Ring Coffin.com
The coffins are priced from $30 to $35, measure about 6 inches long and are made of solid wood with a dark mahogany finish and black velvet lining. A split lid allows for an open or closed casket. Also available are engraved brass plaques, with messages ranging from the hopeful — "Bury the past and move on" — to the cynical, "Six feet isn't deep enough!"
You can also provide your own message as one ex-husband did whose plaque read: "You should have learned to play golf."
Jill; Kudos! I believe you've got this nailed! Congrats!
Remembering 9/11: What Is Love?!
From todays Boston Globe:
No Editorial Comment necessary.
I Will Not Write About The Emmy Awards!
Every blog/website in the world is already dissecting the Emmy awards and "who wore what"...
Suffice to say....IT WAS A TOTAL BLING FEST!
End of story ;-)
Is that a diamond spear she is wearing??
This man is not ready for prime time!
Wedding Rings Personalized With...Your Fingerprints!!!
Talk about personalizing your wedding rings!!!
This company has come up with an incredibly unique way of putting "your stamp" on his and her wedding rings; it is called your own fingerprints!!!
Commissioned bands are delicately hand-engraved with the fingerprint of your partner and therefore completely unique to each couple. Available in 9, 14 & 18ct white/yellow/rose gold and platinum. The bands are available in a number of styles with the fingerprint hand-engraved on either the in or outside of the band. Each set is tailored specifically to the couple's taste.
Wow!!
Via: e-Potpourri
A $10 Naturally Pink Sapphire on E-bay; Fact or Fiction?
Heads Up! Fellas!!
A woman I have been corresponding with regarding an engagement ring, is looking for a natural 1.00 carat pink sapphire to set in the center.
Anyway, we are corresponding back and forth and she sends me a link to a 1 carat plus- pink sapphire on e-bay, currently listed at $18 with no reserve. She further indicates that there are "$10 pink sapphires" selling on e-bay. She wants to know what I think.
So, I take a look at the listing..and lo and behold, there is a strategically placed and extremely vague indication that the stone has been treated and is "heated".
Right here is the dead giveaway that this stone is not the rare and expensive NATURALLY pink sapphire, she thought it was.
I am still and always amazed that consumers are so eager to believe that sellers are literally giving away valuable, expensive diamonds and jewelry on e-bay for absolutely nothing!!
Here was my response to this woman's request for my thoughts:
---------------------------------------
XXXXXXXX,
DON'T!!!!
It is not a naturally pink sapphire (rare and very valuable).
It has been heated in a special process that gives it its color...
Please re-read the (cleverly) presented information very carefully.
Purchasing these kind of items on e-bay is dangerous and should be done at your own peril...and yes, there are many horror stories.
Indeed, many of the "success stories" are also from unsuspecting and uneducated consumers, who have been lured by the $ tag and simply don't know any better.
They either don't wish to learn and educate themselves, or they simply do not care at those prices.
Either way, nobody is altruistically inclined to give away something for nothing.
You gotta tell yourself this:
You know approx. how much a real, natural pink sapphire has to cost right?
Right?
Now, if somebody is selling something that looks like it might be a sapphire...for ten bucks!! and he is making a profit on that amount!!...then what exactly could you be getting already???
No, I cannot source you a true and beautiful, natural pink sapphire in a 1.00 carat for ten dollars.
I might also add, if you purchase a "sapphire" on e-bay for $10 that is certainly your right and I respect that.
However, our company will not set this stone in one of our rings, due to liability issues.
I have no doubt that in the severe heating process of setting and polishing this stone in a ring, the coloration might come out, the stone might break, or any one of a number of other possibilities related to the structural integrity of a $10 "gem".
We cannot and will not assume that responsibility.
Your call.
Regards,
Did You 'Hair' About This? A Beethoven Diamond Engagement Ring!
Classical music aficionados with i-pods plugged into their ears can walk around and listen to Beethoven. Very soon they will be able to wear a diamond engagement ring fashioned from Beethoven's hair on their hands.
Lifegem, a company that has heretofore made diamonds out of people's ashes has now used strands from Beethoven's hair to form a half-carat diamond which will soon be auctioned off on Ebay.
Story is here: Beethoven Shines!
"Texted" Engagement Rings
Text messaging is the rage today and Couples-in-Love are adding Text Messages to their Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands.
The story is here: I Text My Love To You
Just make sure that your Jeweler engraves your text message in the area that ranges from the mid-point to the top of the shank and not at the bottom of the shank. This is because should you ever have to have the ring re-sized, the re-sizing is done from the bottom and placing an inscription there will guarantee that some if not all of the inscription will be erased at additional and unnecessary cost to you. See the illustration below:
Happy Texting!
Kabbalah Bracelets Replacing Diamond Bracelets!
Nowadays, you almost cannot be considered a true Hollywood celebrity if you are not chic enough to run around with a simple red string tied around your wrist.
These red strings have become so coveted, they are begining to usurp the more "traditional" diamond jewelry worn on the wrists of many celebrities.
These red strings are called "Kabbalah Strings" and are designed to ward off the "evil eye".
In reality, today's "red strings," are nothing nothing more than crass commercialism and a complete perversion of this old Jewish custom related specifically to red string which was wrapped around the tomb of the Jewish matriarch, Rachel.
Here is one typical, albeit modernistic explanation to the "Red String" phenomena:
"Long ago, the ancient Kabbalah scholars revealed a powerful technology of protection. Its purpose is twofold: to protect us from the envious looks of others, and to help us eliminate feelings of jealousy and resentment in ourselves. The technology is the red string; a strand of Red wool worn around the left wrist.
The teachings of Kabbalah do not include prohibitions or commandments. Instead, the kabbalah speak of positive and negative energies. The negative energies of jealousy and envy emanate through the eyes—which gave rise to the very vivid and very ancient term, the Evil Eye.
Maddonna seen wearing her "Kabbalah Bracelet".
Effective Jewelry Selling. The Great Debate.
I just read a very compelling article in one of the diamond industry's monthly magazines.
The article revolves around the question of whether a jewelry store ought to focus on selling what they love (merchandise), or selling what actually sells (even if they personally find it to be distasteful).
The writer interviews two particular jewelers who have different opinions. Indeed, there is much merit to both.
Here are the two schools of thought in a "nutshell":
1. Love what sells.
When you fall in love with your diamond and jewelry inventory at the expense of paying proper attention to inventory turnover, you will fall into debt or debilitating cash-flow. "Dead inventory" = Dead money, plain and simple. Always look to satisfy the tastes of your customers and not your own.
2. Sell what you love.
When you become passionate about what you sell, you become good at selling. If you love and believe in what you are doing/selling, you will learn the art of closing a sale. Trust your judgements and try to think like a consumer when you purchase items for stock to fill up your jewelry cases.
10 Tips For Providing Excellent Customer Service
From In-Store Magazine...with my interpretations..;-);-);-)
1. Satisfy Every Single Customer
"There is no competition when you go the extra mile".
2. Leave Your Personal Life At Home
Your customer is not your shrink....or your punching bag.
3. Don't Congregate
When your customer sees you guys huddled in a corner shmoozing, you give off the impression of being crass, rude, indifferent, and INSULTING.
4. Greet Every Customer
Every person in your store is a potential customer. Treat them as you wish to be treated.
5. Forget Appearance
Customers who look like the biggest shlubs can often spend a fortune on merchandise, so don't judge them by how they look. Hey, they probably think they look charming!
6. Give Them Their Space
There is nothing worse than a pushy and overbearing salesperson.......except maybe the Herpes virus.
7. Don't Interrupt
Only a total prude would feel compelled to stop a customer in mid-sentence to say something they feel is more important.
8. Present With Enthusiasm
You might think the merchandise looks like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. You wouldn't even take it for free! Remember, "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder".
9. Adapt Your Style To Them
Learn how to "talk the language" of your customers.
10. Always Dress The Part
Don't show up to work in your birthday suit, or your bathing suit..it makes for bad business!
Nuff' said.
Look At This Luxury Watch!
A "Brand" can stand for something meaningful, important, and quality.
Here is a watch by DeWitt that no one has ever seen but just sold for approximately $500,000!
Now that's what I'm talkin' about!!
When Less Is More
Less, is sometimes More.
I was presented today with a new line of diamond engagement rings that was supposed to be "contemporary yet classic".
Not being sure how the rings would actually reconcile the clear paradox in that statement, my interest was piqued.
Well, I took a look and was extremely disappointed!
The rings were all "busy", "funky", and completely over the top, with all kinds of filigree, etchings, carvings, and accent diamonds set into every conceivable orifice!!
It was almost as if the creator of these rings wished for people to look away from the center stone!!!......just ugly!!
Whatever happened to the idea of understated elegance; that less is actually more??
For someone who actually has a beautiful center diamond to showcase, why in the world would they get a ring of this kind to detract attention away from the prize??
I am at a loss to understand this....
Matching Hearts & Arrows Diamonds For Studs!
I just took these pictures a few moments ago for one of our customers!!
This is why I love diamonds so much...YUM!!
We Will Be Closed For The Jewish Holiday Of Sukkot
Our offices and factory will be closing this evening (Wed. September 26) and reopening on Monday, October 1, 2007 at 9:30 a.m.
We are closed in observance of the beautiful Jewish holiday of Sukkot, when we rejoice with our creator.
On Sukkot we eat in the Sukka.
A Sukka
During this time, we will not be updating this blog.
We wish all of our friends who are celebrating this wonderful holiday a happy and joyous holiday in the company of friends and family.
Of course to all of our friends, customers, and loyal readers, we wish you all the best of health and happiness, now and always and look forward to greeting you when we get back!
