Ricco’s Italian Bistro has been next door to House of Diamonds for more than 23 years. Gene said, “They feed us well and we are good friends.”
Gene jokes that his waistline is a result of their excellent food. From their wood fired pizzas to their oven baked pastas, the menu is fantastic. Be sure to try the calamari appetizer, the lasagna and JP’s favorite dish, the chicken Spedini. One of Karen’s favorites is the chocolate martini.
Gene said that the Ricco’s team is extended family. They are good people. Because of that love and respect, House of Diamonds is constantly referring customers to Ricco’s and they always come back raving about the food and service.
Next time you stop by House of Diamonds, leave some extra time on the front or back end for the Ricco’s experience!
Gene received a special gift for Father’s Day this year from his girls. It was a collection of 3 rings that fit together perfectly to make a full size ring. Each of the smaller rings represent Gene’s daughters, Alexis, Reagan, and Tallia.
Each ring has the name, birthday and birthstone for each of the girls. They also have the birth weight and length inscribed on one of the faces. The fun thing about this present is that Gene gets to choose what is facing up each day. Sometimes he chooses the birth stones. Sometimes he chooses their names.
Karen designed the rings. The girls gave it to him on Fathers day at their home. They were super excited because each one got to see their name and birthday on the rings and they knew their daddy was going to love it.
Gene’s plan is to give each girl their ring back at some point. It will be a pendant with special meaning because Gene will have worn them for years.
One of the questions we get all the time is, “Why do prices vary so much for basically the same diamond?” This is usually a question that comes up when people are trying to compare our prices for diamonds through other sources.
The answer is simple. It’s because the diamonds are not the same.
It can be more than a little confusing – especially when you look at very narrow criteria, and for the “same stone” it can vary in price by several thousand dollars.
The best way we can describe this would be to compare the selection of a diamond to purchasing a piece of art. Imagine you are comparing that work of art with others based only on description – there would be no way to compare unless you saw each piece, and then those descriptions make sense. But you wouldn’t make a decision without seeing and comparing.
When we purchase inventory, we look at the diamonds, and then we narrow down the selection to what meets our quality standards. Then we look at the GIA certifications for each stone and see if they match what we are seeing and if the value makes sense. It often doesn’t, and those stones don’t make the cut for our inventory. The diamond tells the tale, and the certification helps give some facts and identifying characteristics of the stone.
Our philosophy is to sell diamonds that present white, with no visible inclusions, fantastic make (finishing and cut) with amazing brilliance, beauty, sparkle, and value.
We’ve repaired jewelry with saltwater damage a few times already this summer. We wanted to post this as a public service announcement… don’t wear your jewelry in the ocean or in swimming pools!
Exposure to saltwater and chlorinated water can erode the soldered joints of most jewelry. These solder joints experience the most stress in normal wear, but saltwater can erode the joints more quickly and cause mounts and settings for gemstones to fail. How awful would it be to come back to shore after snorkeling to realize a stone in your ring is missing?
People just don’t think about it. But it really does happen.
Whether you are snorkeling, scuba diving or just swimming, we recommend that you remove your jewelry before going into the ocean.
And you can still let people know you are married by swapping your wedding band with a silicone band for your time in the water. There are inexpensive silicone rings that are easy to find on Amazon.com.
Corey is one of our jewelers. He proposed to his girlfriend during the holidays in 2014 with a solitaire ring. Over the next year, he took his time designing and meticulously creating her wedding ring for their wedding day. He took the time to specially craft a ring just for her, and just because he works for us, doesn’t mean you can’t too! We can create custom rings for all of our customers, so consider the House of Diamonds for custom jewelry anytime you want to have something for your special day.
We love Ricco’s Italian Bistro
Gene jokes that his waistline is a result of their excellent food. From their wood fired pizzas to their oven baked pastas, the menu is fantastic. Be sure to try the calamari appetizer, the lasagna and JP’s favorite dish, the chicken Spedini. One of Karen’s favorites is the chocolate martini.
Here is a link to their menu.
Gene said that the Ricco’s team is extended family. They are good people. Because of that love and respect, House of Diamonds is constantly referring customers to Ricco’s and they always come back raving about the food and service.
Next time you stop by House of Diamonds, leave some extra time on the front or back end for the Ricco’s experience!
A Father’s Day Ring for Gene
Each ring has the name, birthday and birthstone for each of the girls. They also have the birth weight and length inscribed on one of the faces. The fun thing about this present is that Gene gets to choose what is facing up each day. Sometimes he chooses the birth stones. Sometimes he chooses their names.
Karen designed the rings. The girls gave it to him on Fathers day at their home. They were super excited because each one got to see their name and birthday on the rings and they knew their daddy was going to love it.
Gene’s plan is to give each girl their ring back at some point. It will be a pendant with special meaning because Gene will have worn them for years.
Why Do the Prices Vary So Dramatically for the “Same” Diamond?
The answer is simple. It’s because the diamonds are not the same.
It can be more than a little confusing – especially when you look at very narrow criteria, and for the “same stone” it can vary in price by several thousand dollars.
The best way we can describe this would be to compare the selection of a diamond to purchasing a piece of art. Imagine you are comparing that work of art with others based only on description – there would be no way to compare unless you saw each piece, and then those descriptions make sense. But you wouldn’t make a decision without seeing and comparing.
When we purchase inventory, we look at the diamonds, and then we narrow down the selection to what meets our quality standards. Then we look at the GIA certifications for each stone and see if they match what we are seeing and if the value makes sense. It often doesn’t, and those stones don’t make the cut for our inventory. The diamond tells the tale, and the certification helps give some facts and identifying characteristics of the stone.
Our philosophy is to sell diamonds that present white, with no visible inclusions, fantastic make (finishing and cut) with amazing brilliance, beauty, sparkle, and value.
Don’t Wear Your Jewelry In the Ocean!
Exposure to saltwater and chlorinated water can erode the soldered joints of most jewelry. These solder joints experience the most stress in normal wear, but saltwater can erode the joints more quickly and cause mounts and settings for gemstones to fail. How awful would it be to come back to shore after snorkeling to realize a stone in your ring is missing?
People just don’t think about it. But it really does happen.
Whether you are snorkeling, scuba diving or just swimming, we recommend that you remove your jewelry before going into the ocean.
And you can still let people know you are married by swapping your wedding band with a silicone band for your time in the water. There are inexpensive silicone rings that are easy to find on Amazon.com.
Corey Created a Beautiful Wedding Ring for His Bride
Corey is one of our jewelers. He proposed to his girlfriend during the holidays in 2014 with a solitaire ring. Over the next year, he took his time designing and meticulously creating her wedding ring for their wedding day. He took the time to specially craft a ring just for her, and just because he works for us, doesn’t mean you can’t too! We can create custom rings for all of our customers, so consider the House of Diamonds for custom jewelry anytime you want to have something for your special day.