Jason and Trista have been friends and customers of ours for many years. When Jason wanted to do something special for Trista for their 5 year anniversary, he turned to House of Diamonds. He wanted Karen to work her magic with a custom design. And he wanted Trista to be able to work with Karen to create something beautiful.
Trista loves the ocean and cruising. She had talked about wanting a ring with a blue diamond as the central focus to remind her of the sea. She also loved the idea of knots on the side to represent nautical rope used to anchor ships.
Karen and Trista worked together to come up with design ideas and then Karen went to work creating a design as a computer model that Trista could see. Trista was so excited with what Karen had created!
Once Trista approved the design, Karen created a mold of the ring so that Trista could see what it would look like on her hand. After that, the jewelers at House of Diamonds cast the platinum ring and set the diamonds to create the finished item.
Jason surprised Trista with the ring during a gathering of friends, right before their vacation to Turks and Caicos. Trista was able to wear her ring on their trip, where the water in the ocean perfectly matched the blue diamond in the middle of her setting.
We loved seeing the smile on Trista’s face when she told us about getting to wear her new custom jewelry for the first time!
October is another month with multiple birthstones, Tourmaline and Opal.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline is available in a wide variety of colors. Tourmaline is known for displaying several colors in the same gemstone and can be found for any taste. These two and three color gems are formed in many combinations. Gemstones with clear color distinctions are even more valuable.
One multi-color variety is called watermelon tourmaline, and features green, pink, and white color bands. The gemstone is cut into thin slices having a pink center, white ring, and green edge.
Tourmaline is found in many localities including Brazil, Afghanistan, East Africa, and the United States.
Opal
The name opal comes from the Greek word Opallos, meaning to see a color change. Opals range in color from milky white to black with flashes of yellow, orange, green, red, and blue.
Opals are desired because of the interesting contrasts between their primary color and the background.
Opal is a formation of non-crystalline silica gel that seeped into crevices in the earth’s crust. With natural heat and time, the gel hardened to form opals.
The mines of Australia produce more than 90% of the world’s precious opals.
Do you have old, out of style jewelry items that are sitting in your jewelry box that never get worn? Don’t scrap them, re-purpose them!
Gold can be recycled. Jewels can be reconfigured and reset. We can create a brand new jewelry item for you from those old items.
This is a story that happens daily.
A client comes in with a bag of rings, chains and bracelets that they aren’t wearing any more because they are damaged or out of style. They would like to know how we can help them turn their old items into a beautiful new jewelry creation. We specialize in custom, in-house jewelry creation.
Here’s how it works:
Karen will do a consultation to get a feel for the style of jewelry they like. She will then do design work and come back with ideas on how to re-use the metals and gemstones. The process starts with sketches and project parameters (what will be used and any additions that might be necessary.)
Once a design is agreed on, Karen removes all the stones from their settings to get perfect measurements. She then designs the new item using CAD (Computer Aided Design) software for a 3D representation of what the finished item will look like.
Next, a model version of the item is 3D printed in true size and scale, so the client can see, touch and feel what it will look like when worn.
After final approval, the model is cast in the material of choice, stones are set, and everything is detailed and polished.
This is where House of Diamonds is different than other jewelers.
At this stage, most jewelers outsource the entire project for casting and finishing. We do everything in house to make sure the original design intent is maintained. It’s so important to maintain control over this part of the process to make sure that the client’s requests are being met.
It’s also good that we do everything in house for security reasons. You can be confident that the stones in the finished product are actually the stones that you originally brought in.
Karen and our master jewelers work hard to make sure the new item is finished exactly the way the client was hoping for. And you should see the joy on their face when they see the new item! The before and after pictures do a great job of showing what is possible.
We know that your jewelry is precious. We’ve found that people don’t realize how damaging day to day activities can be on those items. There are quite a few chemicals that can seriously damage your jewelry. Sadly, once serious damage has occurred, it’s usually impossible to repair the jewelry. It must be recreated or repurchased.
Obviously, this would be devastating. Especially if the damaged jewelry was a family heirloom.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Before diving into a pool, or relaxing in a hot tub, consider the potential effects of chlorineon your jewelry.
Jewelry can degrade to the point of disintegration when submerged in chlorine for extended periods of time. The actual damage to the jewelry is called stress corrosion cracking. The higher the karat of the gold in the jewelry, the longer it takes for the chlorine to cause stress fractures. Regardless, chlorine is bad for your jewelry.
Cleaning Products
Never clean rings with bleach or other household cleaning products. We recommend that you have your jewelry cleaned professionally. All jewelry purchased at House of Diamonds will be cleaned for free, just bring it in and we’ll take care of it for you!
Some gemstones may discolor when exposed to harsh chemicals. It’s always good practice to remove jewelry prior to cleaning the house or performing any household chores requiring the use of chemicals.
Saltwater
Exposure to saltwatercan 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. Whether you are snorkeling, scuba diving or just swimming, we recommend that you remove your jewelry before going into the ocean.
This has been a public service announcement from House of Diamonds! We hope that you found the information helpful.
If you were born in July, then the ruby is your birthstone. The ruby is among the most highly prized gemstones.
Did you know that large rubies are harder to find than large diamonds, emeralds and sapphires? As a result, the value of a ruby increases with size more than any other gemstone.
The word ruby is derived from the Latin “ruber,” meaning red. This name was once used to describe all red stones, including red spinel, red tourmaline, and red garnet.
The Mogok valley of Upper Burma is famous for the finest and rarest rubies of all. The most sought after color is a deep red called “pigeon blood red.” Another major source of rubies is Thailand. Both Thailand and Burma regard the ruby as their national stone.
Rubies have had many legends associated with them. They were once believed to contain the “spark of life.” In Asia, the ruby was thought to be “self-luminous” and they called it the lamp stone.
Because of their rarity, there are very few famous large rubies.
At House of Diamonds, we have a beautiful selection of natural rubies for you to consider for yourself or for that special someone with a July birthday!
Custom Design – Trista’s 5 Year Anniversary Ring
Trista loves the ocean and cruising. She had talked about wanting a ring with a blue diamond as the central focus to remind her of the sea. She also loved the idea of knots on the side to represent nautical rope used to anchor ships.
Karen and Trista worked together to come up with design ideas and then Karen went to work creating a design as a computer model that Trista could see. Trista was so excited with what Karen had created!
Once Trista approved the design, Karen created a mold of the ring so that Trista could see what it would look like on her hand. After that, the jewelers at House of Diamonds cast the platinum ring and set the diamonds to create the finished item.
Jason surprised Trista with the ring during a gathering of friends, right before their vacation to Turks and Caicos. Trista was able to wear her ring on their trip, where the water in the ocean perfectly matched the blue diamond in the middle of her setting.
We loved seeing the smile on Trista’s face when she told us about getting to wear her new custom jewelry for the first time!
Celebrate October with Tourmaline and Opal
October is another month with multiple birthstones, Tourmaline and Opal.
Tourmaline
One multi-color variety is called watermelon tourmaline, and features green, pink, and white color bands. The gemstone is cut into thin slices having a pink center, white ring, and green edge.
Tourmaline is found in many localities including Brazil, Afghanistan, East Africa, and the United States.
Opal
Opals are desired because of the interesting contrasts between their primary color and the background.
Opal is a formation of non-crystalline silica gel that seeped into crevices in the earth’s crust. With natural heat and time, the gel hardened to form opals.
The mines of Australia produce more than 90% of the world’s precious opals.
Making Old Jewelry New… You Will Be Amazed!
Gold can be recycled. Jewels can be reconfigured and reset. We can create a brand new jewelry item for you from those old items.
This is a story that happens daily.
A client comes in with a bag of rings, chains and bracelets that they aren’t wearing any more because they are damaged or out of style. They would like to know how we can help them turn their old items into a beautiful new jewelry creation. We specialize in custom, in-house jewelry creation.
Here’s how it works:
Once a design is agreed on, Karen removes all the stones from their settings to get perfect measurements. She then designs the new item using CAD (Computer Aided Design) software for a 3D representation of what the finished item will look like.
Next, a model version of the item is 3D printed in true size and scale, so the client can see, touch and feel what it will look like when worn.
After final approval, the model is cast in the material of choice, stones are set, and everything is detailed and polished.
This is where House of Diamonds is different than other jewelers.
At this stage, most jewelers outsource the entire project for casting and finishing. We do everything in house to make sure the original design intent is maintained. It’s so important to maintain control over this part of the process to make sure that the client’s requests are being met.
Karen and our master jewelers work hard to make sure the new item is finished exactly the way the client was hoping for. And you should see the joy on their face when they see the new item! The before and after pictures do a great job of showing what is possible.
Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs and Cleaning With Chemicals… Really Bad For Your Jewelry!
We know that your jewelry is precious. We’ve found that people don’t realize how damaging day to day activities can be on those items. There are quite a few chemicals that can seriously damage your jewelry. Sadly, once serious damage has occurred, it’s usually impossible to repair the jewelry. It must be recreated or repurchased.
Obviously, this would be devastating. Especially if the damaged jewelry was a family heirloom.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Jewelry can degrade to the point of disintegration when submerged in chlorine for extended periods of time. The actual damage to the jewelry is called stress corrosion cracking. The higher the karat of the gold in the jewelry, the longer it takes for the chlorine to cause stress fractures. Regardless, chlorine is bad for your jewelry.
Cleaning Products
Never clean rings with bleach or other household cleaning products. We recommend that you have your jewelry cleaned professionally. All jewelry purchased at House of Diamonds will be cleaned for free, just bring it in and we’ll take care of it for you!
Some gemstones may discolor when exposed to harsh chemicals. It’s always good practice to remove jewelry prior to cleaning the house or performing any household chores requiring the use of chemicals.
Saltwater
This has been a public service announcement from House of Diamonds! We hope that you found the information helpful.
Born in July? Lucky you! Ruby is Your Birthstone.
Did you know that large rubies are harder to find than large diamonds, emeralds and sapphires? As a result, the value of a ruby increases with size more than any other gemstone.
The word ruby is derived from the Latin “ruber,” meaning red. This name was once used to describe all red stones, including red spinel, red tourmaline, and red garnet.
The Mogok valley of Upper Burma is famous for the finest and rarest rubies of all. The most sought after color is a deep red called “pigeon blood red.” Another major source of rubies is Thailand. Both Thailand and Burma regard the ruby as their national stone.
Rubies have had many legends associated with them. They were once believed to contain the “spark of life.” In Asia, the ruby was thought to be “self-luminous” and they called it the lamp stone.
Because of their rarity, there are very few famous large rubies.
At House of Diamonds, we have a beautiful selection of natural rubies for you to consider for yourself or for that special someone with a July birthday!