Diamonds are running low but prices continue to grow..

So I happened upon an interesting read while on LinkedIn: Here's the article

Lately colored stones have been taking center stage in the jewelry field, particularly since the prices of diamonds and gold continue to rise, and perhaps because a certain British princess rocking a gorgeously huge natural sapphire. And let's face it, it's much more cost effective to purchase a gemstone wedding set versus the grotesquely priced diamond counter-part.

I've always defended the high price of diamonds being justified in that I understood how unique and rare each well cut stone was.  It's also an easy price to defend when you know that the retail price is typically marked up 3X, and you know you don't have to pay that price if you know where to look.  However, lately I'm having a harder and harder time explaining away the price, especially when I see the speckled gray monstrosities that the big name chain jewelers are dishing out for an outrageous price.


The big mines that were spewing out the big, brilliant, beauties are depleting and there's no new miracle mine in sight.  What I have come to love as a jeweler, is the vintage pieces that come through, because you just don't see that size, color, or quality anymore.

What's alarming about this read is that organizations, like De Beers, think that jacking up the price is really going to sell the rarity of the stones.  Yes, good quality diamonds are rare, but not diamonds themselves.  The rare stones are the natural Emeralds and Tanzanites out there that are in the same danger of depletion, but there are no companies out there interested in the longevity of those stones since the market has been built around the diamond.

I'm interested to see how this plays out in the next coming years. I've already seen a great decline in the purchase of gold jewelry, people are going for the tougher, cheaper metals. What I am seeing in people is that if they are going to spend that huge of a chunk of change, that want that piece to last.  De Beers has famously coined the idea that diamonds are forever, but gold unfortunately does not.  I've already been approached several times about setting stones in metals like steel and tungsten. So what kind of jewelry alternatives will a future with overpriced materials bring in?

Blog post on article by Vinod Kuriyan on Gem Connect: Here's the original article

Photo Cred:

Princess Kate: link
Princess Diana's Ring: tumblr
Loose Diamonds: De Beers

Hurricane Sandy's Effects on Silverware

A lot of us on the East Coast felt the effects of Hurricane Sandy, whether it was the torrential rainfall or the maelstrom winds, there was quite a bit of destruction left in her wake.  And as human beings often do, we cleaned up the mess and resumed our daily lives, quick to forget the chaos that was inflicted.  However, for many, Sandy had much more lingering effects.  Sandy is still a looming dark cloud to those who owned homes along the Jersey Shore who had to abandon their belongings and head inland for drier land.  Still today, they are waiting for a certificate of occupancy that will deem it safe for them to venture back into their homes and access the loss and damage.

In our shop in Philadelphia, we had a client wander in who did indeed own a shore house up in New Jersey.  Earlier this year, she was allowed to go back to her house to see what became of it.  Sure enough locked away in a safe in her garage was her entire collection of silverware.  Over 170 pieces of silver wrapped up in clothe that had become damp with salt water due to the fact her house was underwater for quite a bit of time.  She was dumbstruck by what she found.  Like most people, she assumed metal to be the epitome of strength, that nothing could possibly damage it.  Instead she was faced with silver streaked with black tarnish that does not wipe off.  She tried googling a solution to her affliction online to no avail. Soaking in baking soda, vinegar, and all other do-it-yourself remedies simply did not remove the darkness.  So she came to us.

What she has come across is Silver Sulphide, a tarnish that is a covalent bond that occurs between silver and sulpher.  This happens when silver comes in contact with a chemical compound, in this case salt water, and it is induced into a low oxidization state where sulpher gets negatively charged  and becomes sulphide.  That sulphide is what bonds to silver causing the black streaking.  On an atomic level, her silverware has changed, so no home remedy is going to take that away. 

Fortunately, hers is a simple solution. We have successfully been removing the tarnish by deeply polishing each piece, taking off that top layer of silver sulphide to reveal the untouched silver underneath.  Luckily we were able to salvage her beautiful collection and I hope she puts it to good use with a dinner party to celebrate.

sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_sulfide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxidation_state

Tiffany's Homage To The Great Gatsby

On Wednesday April 17th Tiffany & Co. revealed their newest window display in homage to Baz Luhrmann's upcoming film "The Great Gatsby".  The original book, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was set in the roaring 1920's. This Jazz Age is the latest jewelry craze, and I absolutely applaud Tiffany for making that connection. The hottest designs selling right now are the micro beaded creations of Scott Kay and Neil Lane.  Both designers openly admit to drawing inspiration from the glitz and glam of old Hollywood, but bring a modern twist for today's woman.

Tiffany & Co. remain the pioneers of jewelry design and really stay ahead of the curve by realizing that display and delivery of a design is equally as important as the design itself.  When you display your jewelry, that's your moment to have a conversation with your viewer and convey your message.  Tiffany & Co. is unique in that they can successfully mass produce jewelry on a large scale, and yet at the same time, masterfully produce one of a kind pieces that become groundbreaking in the jewelry design world.

Here we see one of those times where Tiffany & Co. flawlessly bring the Jazz Age to life from the watercolor designs in their Blue Book all the way to the vintage display cases on the fourth floor of their location on Fifth Avenue.  Even the interior decoration of the display room was antiqued to resonate the glamour of that era.  Jay Gatsby was written to be the life of the party, larger than life, and I do believe Tiffany created the perfect environment to echo that persona.


                                                                                                             
                     

                       

                       

                       

                      

https://www.facebook.com/Tiffany?fref=ts images found on The Tiffany & Co. Facebook page