Friday, November 20, 2009
With the holidays quickly approaching, don't forget that someone special on your shopping list! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook where we list daily specials to help you start your shopping early.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Diamonds are not just for getting engaged!
Gentlemen: of course you should buy the love of your life a diamond engagement ring. Then you can invest in diamonds as gifts for various anniversaries; a lovely bracelet for the tenth anniversary, a special diamond pendant for the twenty-fifth anniversary, or a pair of earrings to mark any anniversary in between. Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and birthdays are prime diamond jewelry occasions, too.
If the two of you make it to your 60th wedding anniversary, that’s the Diamond Anniversary. That occasion deserves a huge celebration for so many reasons! The 25th anniversary is remembered with silver, the 50th with gold, and the 60th with diamonds. Truly, a gift of diamonds on the 60th anniversary symbolizes the indestructible power of love.
There’s a trend among Hollywood husbands to give diamond gifts to their wives upon the birth of their children. These gifts are termed “push gifts” for obvious reasons, and are more than the common bouquet of flowers and bunch of balloons.
Push gifts are actually an ancient tradition coming out of the time of sultans, who gifted their favorite wives extravagantly when they gave birth to sons. The idea has just started to catch on again in these modern times, and celebrities give push gifts with real style and extravagance, worthy of sultans.
Pierce Brosnan gave his wife Keely three lovely bracelets when their son Paris was born, all three gold and diamonds, to symbolize each member of the family.This trend coming out of Hollywood husbands is catching on with regular people, as well. Many designers now offer a very nice “celebration” ring for new moms, with pink sapphires and white diamonds for celebrating a girl, and blue sapphires and white diamonds for celebrating a boy.
A sweet present from Dad to Mom is a diamond-studded baby bootie pendant. The diamond pendant can be worn on a fine chain around the neck, or used as a charm on a bracelet.
These diamond gifts don’t need to be extravagant or costly; the purpose is to mark those special occasions, and acknowledge how much you really appreciate your wife putting up with you for all those years.Friday, October 30, 2009
The Most Popular Misconceptions of Diamonds - Part 6 of 6
6. It is virtually impossible to tell a fake diamond from a real diamond.
This is a definite misconception - most people who work with diamonds can easily tell a real from a fake. Giveaways as to fake diamonds might include inferior quality nuances found in the color, cut, carat and clarity of the stone, a low-quality setting, signs of minor damage to the stone (unlikely, if it’s the real thing), and the reflection color (which should be gray instead of rainbow-like). Other ways of detecting fakes include transparency testing, fog testing and facet examination with a loupe. It is probably true that people who don’t know much about diamonds will probably never know the difference between a genuine stone and a simulation. However, even common sense prevails in some cases. Perfectly shaped diamonds if genuine are very expensive, and someone who probably couldn’t afford a perfect diamond under normal circumstances probably wouldn’t be able to surprise a loved one with the real deal.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Most Popular Misconceptions of Diamonds - Parts 4 and 5 of 6
4. The bigger the diamond the better.
Not necessarily. Large diamonds are initially impressive, and if the size of a diamond is what appeals to you or your loved one then you have made the right purchase. However, big diamonds do not always mean big price. Again, cut, clarity, color and carat must all be considered in deciding the diamond’s market worth.
5. The more facets the better.
The function of facets is to increase the refractive index of the diamond you hold. The number of facets is not the most important factor in determining brilliance. What really matters is how skillfully the creator cuts the facets.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Most Popular Misconceptions of Diamonds - Part 3 of 6
3. Diamonds are the most expensive form of jewelry.
Not only have there been some famous cases of very expensive non-diamond jewels like emeralds and rubies, but even generally speaking, not all diamonds are insanely expensive. Diamonds are made expensive when they have a brilliant cut, a high carat weight, flawless color and clarity. A loose diamond can actually be purchased for as little as $250.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The Most Popular Misconceptions of Diamonds - Part 2 of 6
2. Diamonds are indestructible and last forever.
Not exactly true. The idea of a diamond lasting “forever” is the result of the same marketing campaign that sold the idea of a diamond ring as a marriage token. A diamond can certainly last for multiple generations–in fact, most diamonds found today are over one billion years old. However, to say that a diamond is forever would imply that it is an indestructible object. Diamonds are naturally hard substances and are able to withstand various forms of scratching. However, hardness is slightly different than toughness and a diamond is not the strongest form of material known to man. Furthermore, a diamond can still be chipped, broken or damaged if it is treated in a haphazard way.
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Most Popular Misconceptions of Diamonds - Part 1 of 6
There are many misconceptions about diamonds floating around. Most of the time, it’s harmless to have fun with the various diamond myths that everyone knows. However, if you’re looking to purchase a diamond, you may want to get your facts straight.
1. Diamonds have always been part of engagement proposals and wedding ceremonies.
Everyone tends to associate love and marriage with diamonds. However, the origins of diamonds as well as of engagement and marriage ceremonies are entirely different. The idea of the engagement ceremony is derived from the ancient Egyptian civilization. These people believed that a special “love vein” ran from the fourth finger directly to an individual’s heart. For wedding rings, it is believed that the original concept of the ring was to symbolize husbandly ownership as well as a debt owed to the family of the bride. This trend peaked in Roman times though there’s evidence of it even in the B.C. era. On the other hand, diamonds were never really associated with matrimony until modern times. The earliest diamonds were discovered in India and used for holy decoration and valued for their ability to refract light. In Medieval times they were also used as a medical aid. It wasn’t until the 20th century when a certain diamond industry giant ran a much publicized marketing campaign that the diamond truly became a marriage symbol.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Not Your Typical 50th Wedding Anniversary
The Hope diamond is famous, not just for being the largest blue diamond ever found. It also has a long history that made it a great fit for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Ever since its installation at the Smithsonian, this diamond has attracted an estimated 7 million people through their doors. It has played a role in royal history, had a stint with a heiress, and been smuggled and stolen as its owners began to wonder if it was cursed too. It’s this rich history that really adds to the mystery of the Hope diamond, even though the uniqueness of its color is beyond compare. This color is obtained from traces of boron that are embedded in the diamond itself.
The Hope diamond is a rare treat for visitors to the museum. Its classic setting has not changed in fifty years, and many may find the idea of voting for a new setting a bit disturbing, if it weren’t for the fact that it will be temporary - lasting a total of six months at most. Anyone who wants to vote, can do so online at the Smithsonian’s channel website. They can choose from three different and glamorous styles with hopeful names: Renewed Hope, Embracing Hope, and Journey of Hope.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Picking the Right Diamonds for Your Teenager
Special birthdays call for a diamond and birthstone combination necklace. When choosing a combination birthstone and diamond necklace, look for complimentary shapes and faceting on the stones. Many smaller diamonds will often surround the larger, colored birthstone.
Middle school or high school graduation calls for a diamond necklace, diamond earrings, or a matching set. You can choose from many diamonds for extra sparkle, or just a few in a truly beautiful setting.
A wonderful gift is a necklace with a pendant of the year she graduated made up of diamonds, or perhaps her initials in diamonds. A more timeless gift she’ll wear again and again might be a simple gold or silver metal heart with a colored stone surrounded by diamonds.
Earrings could be simple enough for everyday wear, or they could be more intricate with more stones for special occasions in the future. Diamond studs will never go out of style, and they can be shaped in a variety of ways. An elegant pair of diamond drop earrings elevates any occasion to special.
A truly unique and thoughtful set of gifts for a young girl could be a series of diamond jewelry. Start out on her fifteenth birthday with a simple set of earrings. For the sweet sixteen, choose a matching bracelet to compliment the diamond earrings you gave her last year. On her seventeenth birthday, a diamond necklace that matches the earrings and bracelet make it an ensemble. And finally, for the eighteenth birthday, a watch studded with diamonds will send your girl out into the world in elegant style. She’ll feel more and more special each time she opens that jewelry box.
You want this gift to last a lifetime, so make sure you choose classic looks and timeless touches. The clasp must be sturdy, and if you choose a diamond or combination diamond and other stone pendant, the chain must be heavy enough to withstand the weight.
Round cut or princess cut diamonds are very popular right now because they show off the facets so well. When shopping for diamonds for a teenager, you can compliment her personality by choosing a certain diamond cut. You can find princess cut, round, oval, heart shaped, and many others. Each shape has its own personality, just like your girl. Most teenagers will just simply love showing off these precious stones!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Ruby Red Slippers - Wizard of Oz
Perhaps the most recognized pop culture "rubies" are the shoes worn by Dorothy in the movie "The Wizard of Oz". It is speculated that at least 7 pair were originally made for the filming of the movie. One of the pair is on display at the National Museum of American History in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.
These famous ruby shoes, in fact, were not decorated in rubies at all. The shoes used for Dorothy's slippers were dyed red; then burgundy sequined organza overlays were attached to each shoe's upper and heel. The film's early 3-strip Technicolor process required the sequins to be darker than most red sequins found today; bright red sequins would have appeared orange on screen. The Art Deco-inspired bows comprised three large rectangular red glass jewels with dark-red bugle beads, outlined in orange-red glass rhinestones in silver settings. The stones and beads were sewn to a piece of red strap leather, then to the organza-covered shoe.
On May 20, 2000, one of the pairs sold at Christie's East Auction House for $666,000 to a group of partners who own memorabilia shops in Hollywood, CA.
During the fall Fashion Week in New York City 2008, Swarovski company held a charity contest with nineteen designers, including Gwen Stefani, Diane von Furstenberg, Moschino, among others, to redesign the ruby slippers from the classic 1939 film.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
July's Birthstone - Ruby
Like a red rose, the Ruby’s rich color speaks of love and passion. Nicknamed the King of Gems, July’s birthstone ruby is among the most highly prized of gems known both for its rarity, as well as beauty.
The gemstone ruby is the red variety of the mineral Corundum, the second hardest mineral known. The stone of passion and heart’s desire ruby is surely a must have. Thanks to its intense red color, the Ruby has been associated with blood, fire, heart and passion throughout the millenia.
Ruby is also the stone for the 40th and 50th anniversary, and the stone of Capricorn.In healing, rubies are the gem of choice to cure diseases of the blood and the heart.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Sapphires
Star sapphire jewelry has always been favorite amongst both the young and old. Everyone is sporting sapphires these days. Celebrities are one reason why these earrings are so hugely popular. You can find them flaunting around their star sapphire jewelry at major events. In fact these pieces are much more than fashion accessories. They are actually status symbols. Sapphire being a rare gemstone is rather expensive. Even the sometimes steep price does not deter people from craving for this type of jewelry.
Sapphire is one the most expensive gemstones known to mankind. These rare gemstones are coveted by jewelry makers all over the world. The sometimes exorbitant cost of sapphires can be attributed to their rarity. Star sapphire pieces are priced according to the number of fissures, flaws or inclusions actually present in the sapphire stone. There could also be in some cases bubbles which affect the quality of a sapphire. All these factors in turn have an affect on the clarity of a sapphire and this in turn has its impact on the pricing.
There are a lot of other things attached with sapphires apart from style. For one if you wear star sapphire pieces, immediately you will be sporting an image of a successful person. In fact the reasons why these earrings find a large number of takers is because of the large number of celebrities endorsing them. There could be seldom a celebrity event when they do not come to the event wearing them. Such is the popularity of star sapphire earrings among the rich and famous. These earrings are much more than style accessories and have become a sort of status symbol these days.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Tips on buying large diamond studs
- Earrings are naturally less visible than other prominent jewelry, mostly due to one's hair. Solitaire rings, pendants, and other pieces are much more visible.
- Again, because diamond earrings are less visible than more prominent pieces of jewelry, clarity is not as vital. BUT, with that said, the larger the stone size, the more likely you are to see visible inclusions. In other words an I1 clarity .50ct stone is going to look cleaner then an I1 clarity 1.50ct stone. We at PDE, suggest going for the higher quality of clarity (SI2 or better) if you are looking for a large pair of studs. Of course the downside of this is the price tag.
-Color and cut is extremely important regardless of the size. Any tinge of yellow will still be visible in the ears and if the stone isn't a good cut it won't give your ears that sparkle you're looking for.
If you have questions, please call us at 1-866-342-2378.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
The final price includes a commission paid by the buyer to the auction house. The stone sets a record price per carat for any gemstone sold at auction of $1,349,752 per carat, (890, 275 pounds) Sotheby's said.
The owner will have bragging rights, as well as the right to name the stone, which is mounted in a platinum ring.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Most Valuable Coin In The World
In 1933 the United States Mint struck 445,000 Double Eagle $20.00 gold coins. The design was the Augustus Saint Gaudens liberty front with the soaring eagle back, which he had created in 1907. What makes this coin truly interesting is that to solve the bank crisis President Roosevelt signed the Gold Reserve Act in 1934 outlawing the circulation or private possession of US gold coins, with the exception of collector coins. Being the year after the coins were minted it did not fall into this category and would stay off that list until a lawsuit in July of 2001. Until 1944 these Double Eagles were traded amongst collectors and the US Government and Secret Service stepped in to seize these now rare coins. One of these coins was acquired for a private collection held by King Farouk of Egypt in the 1940’s. 40 years later the Double Eagle surfaced in New York and seized from a coin dealer. A lawsuit continued until 2001 and the coin was set up for auction in July 2002. The Double Eagle $20.00 gold coin sold for an amazing $7,590,020 and became the most expensive coin in the world. So just remember that pocket change you have might be worth a little more then you bargained for.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Although overall diamond prices are down, the sales for the big and rare stones are still pretty strong. Petra Diamonds, a miner of stones in Africa, is hoping for a high number for their first sale of a cut and polished stone through Sotheby's. They will be selling a 7.03-carat blue diamond from the Cullinan mine in South Africa. The Cullinan mine has yielded most of the best blue diamonds in the world. The stone has a fancy vivid blue color and is rated internally flawless. Petra decided to sell the stone as cut and polished versus selling the rough as they usually do because they are hoping to get maximum exposure for the gem.
The blue beauty will be shown in Hong Kong, Paris, New York and London before winding up in Geneva for the Sotheby’s auction on May 12th, where it is estimated to sell for as much as $8.5 million.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Phillies Championship Bling
Each ring is made of 14 karat white gold and contains 103 diamonds, totaling 3.84 carats. The 103 diamonds represent the 92 regular season wins and 11 postseason wins. On the left side of each ring, you'll find the player's name and number along with the Liberty Bell. The right side of the ring shows the World Series trophy rising out of Citizens Bank signifying the remarkable support of the fans, as well as the initials of the two World Series teams and the number of games won by each team. The top of the ring is crowned with a field of rubies, topped with the Phillies' signature "P" set in diamonds. The title "World Champions" is written along the top of and bottom of the ring's rim.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Spring is in the air...and so is love
If you are thinking of getting engaged soon PennDiamondExchange has a few words of advice and encouragement.
1. Congrats!
2. Browse our site to look at some of the handmade rings we have already made and our
huge selection of loose diamonds.
3. Give us a call. We'll walk you through the process from picking the right shape, size, and
cut stone to picking the right kind of mounting.
We hope to hear from you and here's to Spring and saying "Yes!"
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
We Want to Buy Your Unwanted Gold
Well, it is but there's only one problem....these companies aren't paying you enough!!! That's where PennDiamondExchange comes in.
We're sure you didn't know that besides our diamond website we are one of the biggest gold buying companies around. We promise you will receive top dollar for all your old, broken, and unwanted gold jewlery, watches, diamonds, etc...
How it Works: Contact us at info@penndiamondexchange.com or 1-866-DIA-CERT and request a pre-paid shipping envelope with delivery confirmation. Once you receive your envelope place all your old, broken, and unwanted gold jewlery, watches, diamonds, etc... in the envelope and mail it to us. We'll give you a no obligation quote. If you agree we'll send you a check, if you don't we'll send you your items right back to you. All this at no cost to you.
We know you'll be suprised how much PennDiamondExchange pays and how much your items are worth. So, what are you waiting for? Get paid for getting rid of your unwanted items. Now that sounds like a great Stimulus Plan!!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Bachelor proposes with a Neil Lane sparkler
On March 2, the Bachelor known as Jason Mesnick, had to choose which of the bachelorettes he would be proposing to - Melissa Rycroft or Molly Melaney. But getting down on one knee, he had to choose an engagement ring. He was given 3 choices of which to choose from, including pear-shaped and oval cut diamonds. The handsome bachelor was torn between an exquisite marquis and oval-cut bedazzler. Jason ultimately went with the marquis because of it's feminine quality and he thought the woman he had in mind would love it. The marquis-cut diamond-and-platinum ring from Neil Lane features a 1.94-carat marquis-cut diamond encrusted with 170 smaller ones for a total of 3.18 carats.
***taken from the National Jeweler Network email
Welcome Back.....
We are proud to announce that we're back on Ebay. Eight years ago we launched into cyberspace and as you can see, it has been extremely successful. We took a hiatus, but are now back under our original Ebay store name - diamondpaige. We will have all the items listed from www.penndiamondexchange.com, as well as pieces that we purchase from estate sales.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
1ct Diamond Stud Earrings
0.93ct to 0.96ct Round Diamond Stud Earrings
1.11ct to 1.15ct Round Diamond Stud Earrings
Friday, February 27, 2009
2 ct. Round Diamond Stud Earrings
Monday, February 16, 2009
Specials!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Valentines Day
Valentines Day is just around the corner so we here at Penn Diamond thought it would be fun to look at some Valentines Day facts and statistic.
180 million Valentines Day cards are exchanged every year making it the second largest card-giving holiday.
Over 50% were purchased within the six days prior to Valentines Day.
2.2 million couples get married annually which brakes down to more than 6,000 a day.
30.5 average age of women at their first marriage.
31.7 average age of men at their first marriage.
24.7 pounds, the average each American consumes of chocolate every year.
In February 2005 28,527 jewelry stores sold $2.4 billion worth of jewelry.
22,022 number of florists in the United States in 2003.
$422 Million worth of wholesale domestically cut flowers were sold the following year.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Now On Twitter
Penn Diamond Exchange is now a part of Twitter, just look up PennDiamond. We here at Penn Diamond have been trying to expand into social networks to try to connect with everyone that would like to educate themselves and to get as much feedback from you as possible. If there is anything we can do to get more in touch with our audience please let us know.
Friday, January 23, 2009
The First Lady's Jewelry Style
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Now On Facebook
PennDiamondExchange is now a part of the ever expanding facebook universe. Please bare with us for the next couple of weeks while we set up our page. However when it's done you'll be able to view special offers, new and existing products, youtube videos, and give us your feedback. Additional features will also include a forum and other interactive features. Follow the link, watch us grow, and become a fan!
Penndiamondexchange on Facebook