What Makes a Good Diamond

I recently read an interesting interview of Henry Tivol, a Midwest Jeweler who has been around for 80 odd years.  He is pretty much of a snob when it comes to jewelry.  His idea of jewelry is either Gold or Platinum.  He is slowly warning up to Sterling Silver mainly because of the economy and popularity of the metal.  On the subject of diamonds, he notes the importance of the 4 C's.  You know what they are: cut, color, clarity and carat. All are important and integrated into one another for a fine diamond.  One important comment is that the smaller diamonds-perhaps less than 1/2 carat, are probably the best.  Get any bigger and for a quality diamond, you'll need to pay at least $250,000.  Pay less and you'll get a big rock to impress your friends, but it will be a piece of junk. Bad color, flaws and cloudy, even cracks.  Bad cut to not let the light refract properly.  Smaller diamonds are expensive, but for a high quality stone, smaller is better for the money.  It's like buying a Rolls Royce that has paint peeling off and continually needs repairing.  Not much of a luxury.  Sterling Canyon has begun to offer smaller diamonds pave or inlaid into the pendant accompanied with a larger semi-precious stone. Quality small diamonds and very affordable.  Check it out.

Wear White After Labor Day? Does It Matter with Jewelry?

Recent article on Shine dared to capitalize on the changing notion that the old rule of not wearing white after Labor Day was out, passe, old fashioned.  It probably is.  Whether out of fashion ignorance or just don't care attitude, people have been wearing white clothing in October and beyond.  Certainly with climate limitations, (Don't wear white in snow unless your James Bond skiing down the Alps.), people do what they want. But what about jewelry.  Is there a limit of cut off date as to the type of jewelry to wear going into the holidays.  Sort of.  Summer with the skimpy clothing and short sleeves, wide bracelets and big bulky stone necklaces are great.  Show them off!  But under winter coats and long sleeves, less is better. Thinner is in.  Thin bracelets and less bulky, finer necklaces.  Sterling Canyon offers a wide variety of fine Sterling Silver from Thistle and Bee.

                                           

Wilma Flintstone Knows Something About Jewelry.

According to the latest Style news, necklaces and bracelets with large gemstones will be the "In" thing this Fall.  From large agates, quartz, and black opal, big and bulky will be a must for every girl's jewelry box.  I bet you'll see a few actresses this evening wearing them at the Emmys.  This necklace at left is priced at $3000.  At stcanyon.com, solid gemstone necklaces can be found for less than $100.  My wife loves it.

Cuff that Bracelet

My wife bought a bracelet this weekend and should arrive in the
mail in a few days from Sterling Canyon.  We discovered that there are differences between bracelets and cuffs.  Beside the obvious differences, the bracelet should be fitted about 1/2 inch larger than the circumference of your wrist.  If your wrist is 6 1/2 inches round, buy a 7 inch bracelet.
Cuffs are different in that they can be squeezed to fit about
any size wrist.  Choosing the correct width is important.  If you
are a large woman with large wrists, chose a thinner bracelet or
cuff, probably 1 inch  or so.  If you are standard weight for
your height, you have a broader choice of thin or wide bracelets or cuffs.
Either way,  the bracelet my wife bought will look terrific.

Fitting for a Butterfly Pendant

I came across this enameled butterfly, not in the garden mind you, but in the Sterling Canyon catalog.  I began to wonder how big a pendant has to be before it is too big.  How big before it becomes a chest plate, a battle protector for our urban warrior?  Usually a pendant shouldn't interfere with the breasts of the wearer.  Wearing a butterfly on your chest all day while it digs into the side of your left breast can be irritating to say the least.  Usually the maximum size of a pendant should be no larger than three or three and one half inches across.  Doesn't matter what your boob size is, the maximum applies to all.  Unless your a man, then you have other problems.

The length of the chain is critical.  This necklace is 17 inches.  Well above the boob line.  Anything longer than 21 inches and the size of the pendant will need to be reduced accordingly.  So there you have it folks.  Oh, by the way, the Sterling Canyon catalog says this butterfly is 3 by 3 1/2 inches.  Whew! That was close.

Let Earrings Work for You

Earrings are a woman's best friend, whether it be diamonds or emeralds.  Like this woman pictured above. (I think I've seen her in movies).  Ms. Jolie is wearing a pair of 115 carat emerald drop earrings.  And these are the real deal.  Up close, you will see inclusions and imperfections. They will not shine and glisten as you may think.  Fake emeralds will appear perfect and shiny.  When choosing a correct pair of earrings, decide which part of your face you want to accentuate.  Where on the face do you want to draw peoples attention to?  Here, Angelina wants you to notice the curvature of her jaw.  It is nice and well formed.  The larger emerald hangs in that spot on her jaw.  We notice it.  Men relish it. Women admire and envy it.  She has chosen the correct length and style of earrings. You can to.  Analyze your face.  Decide where you want the attention to be drawn to.  Sterling Canyon offers these and many other styles of affordable high quality earrings . And buy them.  You'll cherish them forever. 

Jewelry to Fit a Round Face

What necklace and earrings to pull out of your jewelry box for a night on the town.  Sometimes a tough decision.  After all you want to look right.  When buying jewelry, you need to understand how the type and shape of jewelry fits the type and shape of your face.  They must complement each other.  For a round face, choose the type of necklace that is long and hangs away from the chin.  Too close to the chin, large bulky necklaces or chokers and you'll look like you have a double chin.  Of course a bulky stone necklace is fine if the chain is long enough.  Look for a 3 inch chain extension if you really like the necklace design. Sterling Canyon offers a free 3 inch Sterling Silver extension with necklace purchase. 

  
For balance, the same goes for the earrings.  For a round face, don't go for long oversized earrings.  That will draw attention away from your face and place the balance of your head down to your shoulders.  (After a while your ear lobes will droop like that of a bush woman.)  Complement the face with balance.  Don't try to compete with it.  You won't win.