Choosing From the Most Popular Diamond Shapes

When people think about diamonds, they tend to dwell on one or two shapes. It is true that the most popular shape of diamonds these days account for almost seventy five percent of what is being sold. However, the most popular diamond shapes have constantly been changing throughout the years.

The most popular cut today is the round cut diamond. On account of its shape and the angles that have been cut into it, it is one of the most explosive looking styles when it comes to brilliance and shine. It, along with the princess cut, also tends to be the most versatile in regards to the styles of rings with which they work. Because of this, they are the most popular choice for engagement rings, which explains why they have so much of the market.

Two hundred years ago, it was the cushion cut diamond that ranked as one of the most popular diamond shapes. In fact for the first century it was around, it held a market share similar today to that of round cut diamonds. Some of the other shapes and cuts that have remained popular are oval cuts, which give the impression of being larger, and classic styles, such as emerald cut and marquis cut.

Celebrity Diamonds Grace the Red Carpet

Diamonds and celebrities go hand in hand in today’s world. In the not too recent past, celebrity beauties like Elizabeth Taylor and the Gabor sisters collected diamonds while they broke hearts on the world stage. Elizabeth Taylor was famous for her taste in diamonds and other gemstones.  One large diamond ring bought for her by the love of her life, Richard Burton, became known simply as the “Taylor-Burton Diamond.”Younger celebrities have their first exposure wearing borrowed diamonds on the red carpet. Designers and luxury brands lend these pieces out to create awareness and demand for their products.  Is it any wonder that the wearers want their own diamonds after being exposed to the best? Gwyneth Paltrow won the academy award for best actress in 1999 for “Shakespeare in Love”. She wore a borrowed diamond necklace her father, Bruce Paltrow, later bought for her.

Away from the red carpet, today’s celebrities wear diamonds with jeans and other causal clothing. They also mix metals and create fashionable looks by wearing fine jewelry with inexpensive fashion jewelry. The stacked wrist, wearing many slender bracelets at one time, is popular with young celebrities.  They also layer small pendant necklaces that will include diamonds.

Celebrity men also wear diamonds.   They wear diamonds on their luxury watches, or in all jewelry if they’re in the music world. Rappers have taken diamond jewelry to another level, Many of the jewelers that create pieces for rappers have become celebrities themselves, like Joseph the Jeweler.

Realistically, it’s safe to predict that any new trends in diamond jewelry will be seen on celebrities both female and male.

 

Make Your Own Jewels with the Tools of the Trade

Do you have a desire to make your own jewelry?  It can be done and the products made can rival some of the most intricate products you might find in any retail store.  The trick is having the right tools of the trade to create these homemade jewels.

In order to starting homemade jewelry making, the most important part is having a vision of what you want to make.  There are many craft and bead stores that will supply a plethora of different styles and sizes and looks for you to work with.  They will also have a supply tools that are critical to making pieces that are sturdy and long lasting.  You will need a wide selection of pliers that all have different type tips that are essential in making different size loops for your jewelry.  You will also need a tweezers and needles for threading of beads and creating knots in between to keep beads evenly spaced.  A thin flexible wire is also needed to create the jewelry with a thicker wire needed for areas that need to be sturdier. 

With the right tools, you can create jewelry that will wow your friends, and for a fraction of the cost.  More and more people are creating their own, coming up with custom made jewelry that is specific to them and totally unique.  Now that’s an eye catch.

The Warmth of Heirloom Jewelry

When I was very young, my grandmother gave me a pair of silver and turquoise rings she had had when she was a young woman. She said she hoped to see me wear them one day. Well, it turns out they sat in my mom’s jewelry box until this day. I’m not a big ring wearer, but the thought of those rings, nestled safely in the red velvet rows of the black lacquered box that so held my attention as a child, is warming. Those rings are a part of her and she was willing to give them to me. They sit safe and unworn, but perhaps when my brother and I bring new people into the family, they can find a more appreciative home on some beloved hand.

Heirloom jewelry is a delicate gift. Fortunately, my generation is inheriting keepsakes made before planned obsolescence. I am not afraid that those sterling silver rings will break, for instance, but I am afraid I will lose them. I want to wear them so my grandmother will see that I am grateful, but I hate wearing rings, especially in the lab. It’s a bit of a Catch-22, but it’s one I’m willing to dance with. The warm fuzzies those rings give me is worth a little fear and discomfort now and again.