Hi Whiteflash Sales Team,
Just wanted to give you and the rest of the Whiteflash team a huge THANK YOU for my redesigned diamond engagement ring. I can’t stop staring at it. I LOVE IT!!! I know that WF would do a good job but WJW. My ring is perfect in every way. The work on the surprise bezel set diamonds is amazing. And the engraving is beautiful and even. I am just in awe at how beautiful my ring is.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for making my dream ring.
Jennifer
Hi Whiteflash Sales Team,
I love it. It is exactly what I was looking for - warmer color, lots of fire!!! I know it was kind of crazy that I wanted to trade in a D for a G, but it was SO worth it to me.
And I have to say, I absolutely LOVE the way it was set. It's just beautiful all-around!
Thanks to you and to Vera for all of your patience and assistance with this transaction. I will continue to come to Whiteflash for all of my "special" diamond purchases!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
If you remember the T-shirts that said “I F***ed Paris Hilton” and “I F***ed Chloe Sevigny,” you definitely know New York-based artist and designer Ken Courtney. His independent fashion label, Ju$t Another Rich Kid, makes unique pieces that blend a rebellious attitude with pop culture. Lately, Ken Courtney commissioned a group of fellow fashion designers to design gold and silver coke spoons in a limited edition. The set is a kind of art object titled “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” and each piece in the set has been designed by a different designer. The names include Courtney, Terence Koh, Various Projects, Daniel Jackson and Nice Collective. The idea for the special set originated from a gold-dipped McDonald’s coffee stirrer, which was made by Courtney as part of his “Indulgences” series, which included a $5,000 pair of gold-dipped, high-top Nikes. The set is being sold in a custom box designed by Playground. The full set of “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” is currently on display at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. These custom-designed coke spoons are a cutlery hangout that’ll rob you of your bucks. The only upgrade would to bling out this art with diamonds.
For bachelors like John Heywood, now’s the time to pop the question.
Whether it’s the $50,000 5-carat marquise set in platinum, down 25 percent from two years ago, or the Amazon.com variety with a twinge of yellow that’s going for $89.99, diamond prices are the lowest in five years.
“I’ve got a budget of about 6,000 pounds ($8,870) and want to see how far I can stretch that,” said Heywood, a 32-year-old salesman, as he studied the window displays on Hatton Garden, London’s diamond-shopping center and the setting for “Snatch,” the 2000 gem-heist film by Guy Ritchie. “I’m happy to see some shops offering discounts.”
The $65 billion global diamond market is reeling. The price of polished gems dropped by an average of 31 percent since an August peak as the worst recession since World War II deterred buyers of luxury items like diamond necklaces and diamond earrings, according to diamond data company PolishedPrices. Antwerp, the world’s biggest gem trading hub, has seen exports drop as much as a third. De Beers, the largest diamond producer, slashed output by 91 percent.
“People are not buying earrings, bracelets, things they can do without if they want to tighten their belts,” said Joe Boll, 36, owner of JP Diamonds on Hatton Gardens, which opened about six months ago. “They are still buying rings for weddings, engagement.”
$50,000 Budget
The slump is good news for buyers. Katherine Huang, a Boston-based consultant to jewelry buyers, said she helped a client from California with a $50,000 budget find a ring in December for $38,000 with a bigger diamond than he anticipated.
Rings with 3- to 5-carat diamonds of VF2 clarity and G color -- meaning they have no visible faults and are almost colorless -- have dropped in price by as much as a quarter in two years, she said.
“Go for the larger stones, because the discount is greater,” she advises.
Wholesale diamond prices have dropped about 20 percent to 25 percent from their highs around June last year, according to U.S. Internet jewelry retailer Whiteflash.com, which gets about 70 percent of its sales from diamond engagement rings. The average price of an engagement ring in the U.S. was $3,200 last year, Chief Executive Officer Diane Irvine said.
At the cheapest end of the market, Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. is selling a platinum ring with a 0.5-carat diamond for $1,675, down from a list price of $3,425. The gem’s clarity is SI1 or SI2, meaning there are slight defects that normally can’t be seen by the naked eye.
Retailers Suffer
Jewelry retailers are suffering as buyers stay away or hang on for a discount. Signet Jewelers Ltd., the world’s largest jewelry-store owner, posted a fourth-quarter loss of $424 million after writing down the value of assets. Tiffany & Co., the world’s second-biggest retailer of luxury jewelry, posted a 76 percent drop in fourth-quarter net income.
About 15 percent of jewelry shops in the U.S. closed last year, Paramus, New Jersey-based watchmaker Movado Group Inc. said in April. Irving, Texas-based Zale Corp., the biggest U.S. jewelry chain, said in February it will close 115 stores.
Internet retailers and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are aiming to undercut the remaining stores. Web sites make it easier to compare prices. Heywood, the shopper in London, said he’s been using Blue Nile to research prices before heading to the shops.
For some, engagement rings are the bright spot.
“People are still getting married, thank God,” said George Katz, 78, who has been in his family’s jewelry business in Hatton Garden for 50 years, mostly selling diamond rings. “Stable is good, considering how much worse things could be in light of what’s going on in the economy.”
As millions of Americans struggle to pay their monthly bills, the word on Main Street is that this is no time for the affluent to be showing off with flashy cars and lavish jewels.
But over in Hollywood, the show does goes on, with the biggest stars of movie and TV dressing up in diamonds and gemstones for the winter awards season, thus providing that window into the glamorous life the public so craves.
Fears that the economy might inspire drab attire and pared-down accouterments at shows such as the 81st Annual Academy Awards, 66th Annual Golden Globes and the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards proved to be unfounded, with color and flash out in full force.
Pulled-back hair, fishtail-style gowns and classic diamond jewelry were among the style hallmarks of the Oscars, with Hollywood's leading ladies forgoing potential fashion risks and instead turning to elegant, sophisticated looks. In terms of jewelry, the most popular combination appeared to be diamond studs or drop earrings paired with a diamond ring and diamond bracelets at the wrist.
Kate Winslet, who snagged the Best Actress award, accepted her Oscar in a Chopard bracelet featuring 117 carats of multi-cut diamonds, which she paired with pear-shaped diamond cluster earrings in platinum and a diamond ring.
At the Globes, statement necklaces made a major appearance. Actress and singer-songwriter Beyonce donned a dazzling Lorraine Schwartz platinum loop necklace featuring a whopping 200 carats of diamonds, and Eva Mendes sported a much-talked-about collar-style turquoise and diamond necklace from Van Cleef and Arpels. Meanwhile, at the SAG Awards, diamonds falling all at once from the ears, neck and wrist proved ubiquitous, with actress Christina Applegate serving as a prime example by wearing looped diamonds-by-the-yard necklaces, stacked diamond bangle bracelets and drop-style diamond hoops, all by Lorraine Schwartz.
Michael O'Connor, a style expert and consultant for Platinum Guild International USA, says the stars excelled in playing the roles that they know best: being celebrities.
"A lot of people asked [prior to the shows] if the mood was going to be more somber, and my thought on that is that people don't go to the movies to live in their own reality, and they don't watch any awards shows to be in their own reality," he says. "I believe that if Hollywood did not dress up and really look glam, they were not doing their job, which is helping to alleviate people's reality and the stress of everyday life."
Andrea Hansen, international communications director for Brazilian jeweler H. Stern, had similar thoughts.
"At the end of the day, do we appreciate [celebrities] for the entertainment they bring or do we want them to emulate us?" she asks. "They have to make good movies; that's what they are paid for. They are not paid to fix the economy."
Hansen says that while a few socially and politically minded celebrities laid low amid the economic downturn (Angelica Huston, for example, skipped the September Emmy Awards, which took place the week Lehman Brothers closed), Hollywood remains relatively insulated, and box-office revenues remain strong, paving the way for business as usual.
Michael Coan, the chair of the jewelry design department at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, says Hollywood has not, historically, dialed down the glamour in tough economic times.
"If you look at the 1930s, [the times] couldn't be more depressing than they are now," he says, noting that the era was a heyday for Hollywood glamour. "I think the ostentation is going down, but the elegance is in. Overall, they're going classic, as people do in times of trouble."
Classic diamond jewelry, including studs and small drops, had a strong showing at both the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards.
Newcomer Freida Pinto, a breakout star from the film Slumdog Millionaire, wore a bolder look to the Globes, but at the SAG Awards, she donned more traditional diamond designs from Martin Katz: drop earrings, a blue and white crossover ring, and a seven-row bracelet, topped off with a second bracelet in her hair.
And some of the shows' biggest winners wore simple diamond looks too, including 30 Rock's Tina Fey, in Judith Ripka stacked diamond bracelets and diamond pendant earrings at the SAGs, and Kate Winslet, who chose Chopard oval-shaped diamond drop earrings and a five-row diamond bracelet for the Globes.
Coan says that celebrities appeared to be most playful with their choice of earrings.
"They're bold, large and oval," he said, calling out a prevalent drop-hoop style at the SAG Awards.
Consumers can easily emulate the bold earring designs, such as those worn by Applegate and the yellow gold and ruby Bochic pair chosen by Jane Krakowski for the SAG Awards, Coan says.
"The outline is very replicable and that's very important to know," he says. "Everything they were wearing in jewelry can be modified to any price point."
And in terms of diamond jewelry, customers may be asking jewelers for lower-carat-weight versions of Hollywood pieces they like, but experts say it's a good time for sales associates to emphasize the idea of "fewer, better things," as promoted in De Beers' 2008 holiday campaign.
"Fashions come and go, but during a recessionary period, what you have to do is invest in pieces that you can mix and match with your outfits to create totally different looks," O'Connor says.
From Hollywood to hockey moms
--Classic diamond jewelry will always be a winner. Emphasize the lasting power and versatility of traditional designs.
--Hoop earrings, from small diamond versions to oversized drop styles, were red-carpet favorites, but lightweight versions offer a big look without the big price tag.
--Style expert Michael O'Connor and H. Stern's Andrea Hansen both call out long chain necklaces, which can be worn in numerous ways: long and simple, layered a few times around the neck or twisted around the wrist.
Diamond necklaces come in several basic styles, which have very different looks and feels. The taste of the wearer can be a factor; both men and women can wear diamond necklaces, although diamond necklaces for women tend to be more common.
There are two basic types of diamond necklaces: pendants and true necklaces. A diamond pendant is a small setting, which hangs from a chain. True necklaces can be made in a variety of ways; with the key distinction being that the setting is not free hanging, like a pendant.
Diamonds are available in the form of chokers, collars, and chains, which can be fabricated in a variety of styles. A true necklace tends to be more expensive, because it requires more stones, since the stones are often set all the way around the necklace, rather than just being present in a pendant.
There have been many different styles of diamond necklaces that have been popular over the years. Recently, the most popular style of diamond necklace has been the Journey diamond necklace. Journey necklaces have a meaning similar to the three stone "Past, Present, and Future”. The Journey jewelry line uses a series of diamonds that gradually get larger to show how your love grows over the years.
The 4cs of diamond, which must be present in every diamond necklace, are cut, color, and clarity and carat weight. Therefore, before buying diamond necklace, which truly shines, it is necessary to carefully consider these four characteristics. These diamond necklaces enhance the beauty of the wearer.
Reflecting unique flavor of fashion and style, the diamond pendants are gaining immense popularity in the fashion industry. Diamond necklaces are becoming more and more popular now a days among girls and women. The main reason for this is that they are becoming very trendy and fashionable.
Author suggests to you purchase best n latest diamond jewelry like diamond rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, and many more.
There are so many reasons why men choose to wear tiffany jewelry: A charm for the lucky gambler; dressing for a date or a night out clubbing; to personalize a mundane business look or to set oneself apart while on the beach, but what’s for sure is that men’s jewelry is no longer confined to the Harley Davison crowd because men’s jewelry products are now much more sophisticated and contemporary.
Leading the way were men from the worlds of music, television, film and fashion, who in years past commissioned pieces from leading designers, but now with a wider range of men’s silver jewelry available from leading UK designers, the finest quality products are becoming accessible to non-celebrities.
Extroverts like UK comedian and actor Russell Brand may wear several pendants and bracelets on each arm, but you don’t need to ‘bling-it-up’ as much as Russell to look stylish and cool. Even a single diamond pendant or bracelet can add loads of character to your look ad what you choose to wear will tell people much more about your personality than you would imagine, without ever saying a word.
Things have changed" says Stephen Webster. "The fear factor, the reverence and the rather staid formality have all but disappeared. Magazines now have fashion shoots featuring cheap H&M jeans worn with $5000 diamond rings. Having a diamond-studded accent to a watch or a piece of jewelry no longer marks a customer as a flashy, ostentatious type. It just makes a person look more…lively." So wearing the right piece and the right brand of jewelry is so important. Unlike clothes where a good quality pair of distressed jeans looks good no matter the brand or cost, the quality of jewelry materials and the manufacturing process makes all the more difference to the end look.
Men’s jewelry is much more about your personal preferences and a statement of self than some other fashion items and your options are plentiful. For example, men’s jewelry transgresses musical styles, where R&B star Jay-Z wears Stephen Webster belt buckles and dog tags while Heavy Metal acts like Ozzy Osbourne wear rings and pendants from the very same designer. Try getting them to wear the same brand of t-shirt!