Not Your Typical 50th Wedding Anniversary

Everyone knows the 50th wedding anniversary is a golden anniversary, unless you’re the Smithsonian. Their love affair and marriage with the famous Hope blue diamond has lasted a full fifty years, and now they’re celebrating this occasion with even more diamonds. In honor of the occasion, they’ve commissioned the illustrious Harry Winston designers, to create three fabulous new settings for the much acclaimed blue diamond. The public is invited to join in by voting for their favorite design, all of which have a hopeful theme.

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.

Picking the Right Diamonds for Your Teenager

You want to mark those special moments in your teenage girl’s life with something unforgettable that will last forever. If it’s a milestone birthday, a graduation ceremony, or any other noteworthy event, diamond jewelry is perfect for any occasion that calls for something extra. She’ll be happy to wear this gift long afterward.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Tips on buying large diamond studs

When purchasing large diamond studs, 3ctw and over, there are a few things to keep in mind:

- 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.

For most of us when we think of June we think of warm weather, cooling off and playing at the beach or back yard barbeques. For those of us born in June we think of what presents we want from family and friends. The first thing I always think of is pearls, June’s birthstone. The pearl through out history has been prized for it’s unique luster and texture. In ancient mythology the pearl was associated with the moon and was believed to be born from the tears that the moon cried into the ocean. Also for it’s clean and simple look has been associated with purity, wisdom and loyalty. The Chinese believed that pearls could grant eternal youth and still use them in cosmetics to add that extra boost for more youthful looking skin. The most fascinating aspect of a pearl is that it is organic. While it starts from a grain of sand, a clam or oyster adds coat after coat of organic shell material to turn it into the shinny round gem that is now sought after by almost every culture in the world.