4Cs App from GIA

This past week GIA contacted us about a new app they've developed for Facebook. Being the geeks we areThe 4Cs App for diamonds & technology we jumped at the chance to test it out! The app is now live on our Facebook page & gives a great overview of the 4Cs for anybody wanting to learn more about diamonds.

The app is divided up into four sections, one each for Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight. Each section has a short video & an interactive tool for reference. The information corresponds to the 4Cs section on the GIA website, so be sure to check that out too!  We've definitely enjoyed playing around on the app and wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone looking for a diamond education.

Nothing can replace seeing a diamond up close, so we still suggest you shop for your diamonds in person, but this tool will help you get a jump on your research and education. If you'd like to look at any diamonds or have one of our diamond experts give you a more in depth education please contact us! 

A Proposal Story

We have an incredibly special couple with an even more special proposal story! Trey & Megan have been kind enough to share their story with us and we are so incredibly thankful; we knew that Trey had proposed on more than one occasion without receiving the answer he'd hoped for & we vividly remember him picking up the ring, but from there we were missing a few details...

 A classic diamond solitaire

Trey wrote the following email to us:

As for how I asked Megan to marry me, I wanted to do something special.  A buddy of mine has a friend who works with the Caps and could get my proposal up on the jumbotron.  I was leaning towards this...however...a couple evenings after hearing this could be a possibility, Megan and I were at dinner and she told me that she did NOT want to be proposed to via jumbotron.  So that idea went down.

My next idea was to incorporate some of what we had experienced up to that point in our relationship.  I would tell Megan how she was my puzzle piece (which she is).  She and I both have some ability with languages.  And I asked her to marry me multiple times, leading up to the official asking.

The place that I asked her the first time and the third time was Rustico, a fun place with great beer and food.  The first time I asked her, I asked her really to see what her response would be...almost messing with her.  She came back at me with a defiant yes...almost as if she was ready for me to ask her and wanted to see how I would handle her yes.  I was surprised, to say the least.  And impressed.

The third time I asked her was at the OctoberFest that Rustico put on and again Megan was somewhat defiant.  She said that I had YET to ask her while on my knees.  Now while we were having this conversation, there were thousands of people around.  There was barely enough room to turn around, much less for me to get down on my knees.  However, when she made this pronouncement, providentially space behind me opened up, enough for me to get down on my knees and plead, "Megan, would you make me amazingly happy and agree to marry me?"  (Or something to that effect.)  Again she said yes and begged me to get up off the ground.

Because of the history we had with Rustico, I wanted to ask her for the final (I continued to ask her after that, and continue to do so) time.  The week I decided to ask Megan, I sent her flowers with a note asking her to be my puzzle piece.  I went online and printed out a jigsaw puzzle.  I wrote on it, "My Darling.  I love you.  Will you be my puzzle piece?" in Gaelic, French, and English.  I cut out the puzzle pieces, putting aside the pieces that had the English on them.

Megan and I were getting together for dinner, but she was held up and by the time we got together, the kitchen at Rustico was closed.  The bartender suggested that we go to Vermillion's, which we did.  As we drove there, we talked about how Megan would like me to ask her to be my bride.  (At this point I wasn't sure I was going to ask her on this night, even though I had the ring and the puzzle pieces.)

We sat at one of the bar tables.  As we talked, I tried to decide when would be the right time to ask her...when she said something (I don't remember what it was.  It may have even just been a look she gave me.) that touched me and I decided that now was the time!  I pulled out the envelope in which I had put the Gaelic and French puzzle pieces and handed it to Megan.  She opened it and we started to put the puzzle together.  I'm sure she knew where this was going.  I pulled out the last two pieces with the English on them, put them in their places, and then I put the ring box down on them.  I totally expected her to pick up the box, but she didn't.  So I opened it.  I then totally expected her to pick up the ring, but she didn't.  So I pulled it out of the box, took her hand, held the ring up to her and asked her to marry me.

I don't remember what I said or how I said it...and neither does Megan.  She said yes, I put it on her, and the bartender gave us a bottle of champagne to celebrate!

Rings are such a symbolic part of a marriage and we are thrilled that we play a small part in each of our customers' lives. We love hearing stories from our couples & hope to hear many more! Thank you again Trey & Megan for sharing your story, we can't wait for a first anniverary to see how you celebrate! 

Diamond Fluorescence

Last week GIA posted an article about diamond fluorescence on the 4Cs blog. We thought this would be a great127.01ct Portuguese Diamond has Very Strong Blue Fluorescence jumping off point to explain a bit more about fluorescence and phosphorescence in diamonds.  Sometimes, we forget the technical explanations of things, so we pulled out our diamond grading books from GIA (courtesy of one of our Graduate Gemologists) and did some research & studying! Back to Diamond 101 you go!

The definition of fluorescence is emission of visible light by a material when it's exposed to ultraviolet radiation. This doesn't seem to mean much and at the same time makes you want to say "Well, duh..." but, what happens to a white tshirt under a black light is similar to what happens to a fluorescent diamond. Now do I have your attention? 

Many diamonds emit fluorescence when they're exposed to UV radiation, which is invisible to the naked eye though it's everywhere, in sunlight and fluorescent lights. Because of this UV radiation a diamond (if fluorescent) will react in those situations. About 35% of gem quality diamond exhibit fluorescence. Diamonds can fluoresce in almost any color but most commonly they do so in varying strengths of blue. A diamond with very strong fluorescence can tend to appear oily, even outside of UV radiation.

Historically, people thought fluorescence affected diamond color and therefore price; this still carries over into today's market. Fluorescent diamonds in the D-H color range may appear more blue, the opposite is true for fluorescent diamonds in the I-N range; their 'blueness' cancels out some of their yellow coloring and therefore they look 'more colorless'. This perception has an affect on the pricing and marketability of diamonds, both with and without fluorescence. 

Fluorescence Scale from GIA

As a retailer we do our best to keep fluorescence out of our loose diamonds. Though we don't want to hate on fluorescence, we do have to take into account our consumer and their best interests. If in the future you decide to sell or upgrade your diamond, the salability of your diamond may be hindered due to the blue glow it gives off in the bar or club. Most of the diamonds we sell will have None or Faint as their fluorescent grade. In some cases when the diamond is already discounted, or has other desirable factors (very large size being the main factor), and we don't feel that fluorescence negatively affects the diamond, we will sell it or keep it in our inventory.  

A last tidbit about fluorescence is that it goes away once the light source has been removed. There are rareFluorescence & Phosphorescence in the Hope Diamond diamonds that will continue to glow after the light source is removed, this is called phosphorescence, and doesn't affect the diamond color. A rather famous and local diamond will phosphoresce red, and the diamond itself is blue; the Hope Diamond is quite patriotic, who knew?!

Hopefully we haven't overwhelmed you with this diamond stuff, but we truly believe the more information you have as a consumer, the better shape you're in. Please don't hesitate to email or call us with any questions!  

Mother's Day

Where would we be without our Moms? Obviously, we wouldn't have gotten far without their nuturing, care, and many life lessons! We just want to give a big Thank You to all of our Moms, it's because of you and all of your hard work, love, and dedication that we have grown up to make you proud (hopefully...). 

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.  ~Washington Irving

More than 70 countries dedicate a day just to Mothers and we think that's fabulous. The celebration dates back many, many years to the Egyptians and their goddess Isis. Since then the reverence has changed from a spiritual polytheistic "holiday" to a secular one as we celebrate more literally, giving thanks for our own moms. 

We hope that you at least give her some flowers, maybe a bottle of wine, or even better some jewelry! Pearls are a great way to show Mom you love her!

All women become like their mothers.  That is their tragedy.  No man does.  That's his.  ~Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895

Earring Trends-Buttons & Clusters

Last week we showed you the warm weather trend for long & sparkly earrings but this week it's about the button & clusters! We don't have any cluster or button style earrings to showcase from our store, so we're passing the torch to Kate Spade's fun, trendy and affordable jewelry line today.

Again, we found our inspiration through Cynthia Sliwa from JCK Online & fell in love with the Harper's Bazaar image of Miranda Kerr. Her look is entirely inspired by the 1950's from her hair to her dainty Hamilton watch. Though the earrings in her photo don't steal the attention they convey the general sense that the ladylike fashions of a few decades past are back.

Below are our two favorite pairs of earrings from Kate Spade. We chose these for their whimsy (leopard print!) and feminine styling.

Putting On The Ritz

Classic styles like these stud earrings are always in fashion & always easy to wear. The cluster earrings will jazz up a dress for a night out on the town so you don't have to worry about losing your best diamond studs while you're out in Adams Morgan (sadly, it does happen now and again...). They are available in a white metal as well, in case you haven't jumped on the yellow gold bandwagon.

Show Your SpotsThe leopard studs are great as it can add a bit of flair to an otherwise ordinary outfit. There's no need to go out and buy a pair of animal printed pants when these cute studs will do the trick! 

Another go to place for these styles of earrings would be Stella & Dot or even Nordstrom (think Dogeared or Juicy Couture) for something trendy and on point but budget friendly. Maybe one day we'll have an excellent reason to create a gorgeous pair of diamond cluster studs!