Green Fashion

Archive for the ‘Jewelry’ Category

It has only been within the last two generations that most grooms have been exchanging wedding bands with their brides. Called “double ring ceremonies” this phenomenon slowly caught on after the Second World War and has been growing ever since.

There were two reasons why a man wouldn’t wear a wedding ring: cost and custom. The economic boom of the 1950s increased disposable income, which meant that people had extra cash available to buy treasured items including jewelry. Also, up until that time, many men weren’t that interested in jewelry, although a gold tie clip, watch, or money clip often made for an appropriate gift.

As times have changed, so have customs. Jewelry designers, seizing upon the demand for gold, silver, and platinum, as well as precious stones, began to craft “his and her” wedding bands as customer tastes began to shift. By the 1970s, double-ring wedding ceremonies came into vogue and, today, the vast majority of American weddings have bride and groom exchanging rings while they exchange their vows.

Still, some guys are resistant to change thinking that a wedding ring isn’t manly enough or that they’re just not comfortable with wearing jewelry. Designers understand the difference between men and women, and have crafted matching rings that look feminine on a woman’s hand, yet masculine on the man’s hand. In addition, jewelers make sure that when a guy tries on a ring that it fits right and looks good. After all, he’ll be wearing a wedding band for the rest of his life – he might as well look and feel good wearing it!

Brides are appreciative when the groom heartily agrees to wear a wedding ring. Women value symbolism, seeing wedding bands as an expression of mutual love, a visible commonality uniting husband and wife together.

When selecting a wedding band, you’ll be shown rings containing the following precious metals: gold, silver, or platinum. Usually, the metal selected matches the bride’s engagement ring, therefore if you chose a white gold or yellow gold ring, then the same metal should be chosen for the wedding rings. If you already own a gold watch, then a yellow gold ring would match that perfectly.

Many wedding bands contain stones, specifically diamonds. Not many men want to wear diamonds, while most women do. Therefore, when choosing rings the style of the band can be the same, while allowing the bride to have hers embedded with diamonds. Most men’s wedding bands are wider than the woman’s too, therefore there is no mistaking which is the guy’s ring and which is the gal’s ring.

The most difficult part of shopping for wedding rings is traveling from store to store in search of the right pair. Fortunately, the internet has revolutionized jewelry buying by putting entire stores online. Go ahead and make that one visit to a favorite mall jeweler to look at rings up close and to try some on. Then, go home and log on to your computer with your future bride and visit the James Allen website to preview amazing three dimensional (3D) movies of wedding bands that could be of interest to you both.

Why purchase online? Well, it certainly beats several trips to the mall and traveling through traffic eating up time and gas. In addition, with a lower overhead and, in most cases, no sales tax to pay, you could save a big amount of money by shopping online. These days we’re all looking to save and she won’t mind as long as the wedding rings match her expectations. By shopping with James Allen you get the highest quality jewelry plus the James Allen guarantee.

Once you’ve shopped from the comfort and convenience of your own computer, you’ll be in a better frame of mind to choose a pair of wedding rings everyone will be happy with. Shopping online is fast and convenient, just the way us guys like to shop in the first place!

The engagement ring is something very sacred and precious to the couple who own it. This engagement ring should be treated well. Many people believe that simply wearing your engagement ring while washing hands is a sufficient way to clean it up. In fact, soap and other cleaners used in your hands can damage and fade the color of your ring, and it must be cleaned periodically to keep it bright.

Let’s take a look 5 step to clean your engagement ring:

1. Procure for yourself a small kitchen bowl or container that is capable of holding a few ounces of water and gentle cleaning detergent. You will want to create a cleaning solution and will be using this bowl for your process.
2. Prepare a second bowl of distilled water that will be used to wash clean the ring after rinsing in the cleaning solution prepared in the previous step.
3. Use a toothbrush, gentle and soft to scrub the surface of not only the diamond but the ring setting and band. It is important to note that you want to use a gentle tooth brush and not a metal bristled brush that can damage and scratch the metal of your band.
4. Use a gentle, soft material cloth, that is lint free and will not catch in your setting to rub dry and polish your ring and diamond set.
5. Use a toothpick to pry out any stubborn grime in hard to reach areas of your setting.

Now that you have been familiarized with the five steps needed to clean your diamond engagement ring, take note of a few of these pointers to make sure you get the best results. Be sure to soak your ring set in the cleaning solution for a few minutes, this allows for the detergent to act upon the dirt and grit and loosen it before you continue. Distilled water for the final wash will help you avoid any hard water stains or other chemicals in the tap water that can hinder your diamonds brilliance.

For best results, after enacting the cleaning steps above apply a small amount of hand cream as needed to bring keep your diamond engagement ring at its most beautiful.

You must know the quality and price of jewelry.  A good book is: “JEWELRY & GEMS, The Buying Guide” by Matlins and Bonanno, published by Gemstone Press and available at most bookstores.

• Shop around. Compare prices of comparable quality jewelry to find the best value. The lowest price is not always the best value as diamonds and colored stones vary greatly in quality and price. A flawless and colorless one caret diamond can be as high as $30,000 and a “promotional grade” diamond as low as $500. So be sure you are comparing prices of comparable quality stones. Also be aware of stores that double and even triple the retail value of the jewelry and then offer a “50% Discount” of the inflated price.

• Have the jeweler give you at least a week to return the jewelry you are buying for a full refund after you have it appraised. Get full details of the materials and stone quality on your receipt, plus the fact that it is returnable for a full refund.

• Get a jewelry appraisal by an independent appraiser certified by GIA not on the store staff. Find an appraiser that does not buy or sell.

• Review the other categories in this section to find out more about Diamond Grading, Diamond Jewelry, Gemstones, Jewelry Quality, and Best Buys.