Fashion Costume Jewellery

Archive for April, 2010

Diamond is the traditional birthstone of April.

Diamonds have been around for some time and have been prized for centuries, but the first thing most people think about when talking about diamonds is the price – a good diamond has a price tag which can be prohibitive for many. Cost aside, there are not many people who would not wear a diamond and be very pleased with their ownership.

In the past, only white diamonds were used for jewellery; now, because of the scarcity and cost of mining these gems, the coloured stones are also being used and becoming sought after, with many diamond companies creating fantastic marketing campaigns around the colours. Coloured diamonds in the past had been considered inferior to the white – though from my perspective, I cannot understand why as the coloured stones offer character and refinement!

The most famous of the diamonds is probably the Hope Diamond. Found in the 1890s in South Africa and the largest of the found diamonds. It is currently owned by the Smithsonian Institute in the US, having been gifted to them by the famous jeweller Harry Winston. The diamond is said to have a long history of misfortune, but I suspect that this is simply due to its fabulous nature and the envy it engages!

Another famous South African diamond is the Jongers Diamond. Although not as large as the Hope, the Jongers has an unusual story associated with it. Harry Winston managed to purchase this fabulous stone and was concerned about transporting it back to the US. Rather than send it via courier or carry it himself, he placed it in an envelope and posted it (yes, though the normal mail serevice!) at a cost of 62 cents. It arrived intact.

When looking for a diamond, there are a number of factors to consider. The first of course, must be the amount of money you are prepared to spend on the jewellery – this will limit yur choice of gems. Next, decide on a colour, the most popular colours are white (traditional), pink (from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia), champagne or even blue diamonds.

There are any number of different cuts that the diamond can have, this is the way the diamond cutters slice through the diamond and create the pattern within the stone.

The other issue to consider is the clarity of the diamond – its sparkle! How cleanly the diamond reflects the light and how bright it shines is one big factor in its price and in its desireability.

Diamonds are traditionally considered to be gifts for special occasions, not the least of which are engagement rings once thought to be the female domain, but now used for enagement and wedding rings for both men and ladies. Diamonds are sometimes said to enhance love, spirituality and prosperity.

For those without the budget for diamonds, good cubic zirconia are often used as a replacement and can look great!

Once upon a time base metal jewellery was only produced by the cheaper, fad design houses, but now in the 2010’s even top designers are using traditionally cheaper materials to manufacture their accessories. Witness for example this wonderful Lanvin necklace made from gold-tone tin and brass.

Fashion Costume Jewellery by its nature is often made of base metals and by these we mean iron, copper, brass or alloys often with a plating of rhodium, silver or gold. Platings are very thin – often just a few microns – so they will wear away through use depending on how often you wear the piece and its contact with its surroundings. The plating will assist in avoiding tarnish to the jewellery. Rhodium plated jewellery is specifically designed to avoid tarnish and the effects of wear so is a great choice.

Your skin type makes a huge difference to how quickly base metals tarnish. Some folk produce more acid than others and find that they can wear jewellery for a small amount of time before it tarnishes (my nephew is like this – I have to avoid letting him touch chains and the like as within the week they go a horrible colour!). Some folk (the lucky ones – like me) find that it does not matter how long they wear their jewellery it will not tarnish; it is importantly only to store it properly. Whatever your skin type, consider wiping your jewellery with a soft cloth when you take the jewellery off – this removes some of the body oils and assists in keeping your jewellery as much as possible like new.

If you have non plated jewellery then you need to take extra precautions when storing. Consider placing all of your jewellery in small zip lock bags. If the bag is only just big enough to hold the jewellery all the better – this avoids air pockets. Pop in a silica gel sachet – like those you see in shoe boxes and handbags (for example). The sachet will assist by absorbing any moisture that makes its way into the bag or that is accidentally stored with the jewellery.

If your jewellery was purchased in a gift box which closes, use that to store the jewellery, pop in one of the silica gel capsules too – these are great!

Sterling Silver jewellery is also subject to tarnish. Oxidisation is the term that is often used. Some jewellery manufacturers (ourselves included) use Argentium Sterling Silver as an alternative to the standard Sterling Silver. Argentium Sterling Silver is an alloy (still sterling silver) but is resistant to oxidisation so often you will not get the same amount of blackening or tarnish on your jewellery.

It is possible to purchase anti tarnish strips; these strips work a little like the silica gel sachets in absorbing moisture from the air to keep the jewellery dry and bright. Honestly, I have found that the silica gel sachets are just as effective (and considerably cheaper as you keep an eye out for them in other packaging).

Some golds do dull slightly. If you have this problem (and this works for sterling silver too), purchase a cleaning cloth specifically for precious metals and rub over the jewellery. You can see the murk and dirt on the cleaning cloth as you rub. If you are considering doing this for base metals, do make sure your cleaning cloth is suitable – some just make the situation worse.

The other way of storing your jewellery is to use a jewellery roll. A roll is basically a piece of backed fabric often with pockets or ties into which you place one or more pieces of jewellery. Roll the jewellery into a cylinder using the fabric and tie or fasten it closed. This has the advantage of keeping the air from the pieces.

Rings and bulky bracelets can be stored in the same manner.

Some jewellers offer a cleaning service using an ultrasonic cleaner. These cleaners are quite clever and very effective in bringing back the shine or sparkle to your jewellery. Do check to see that your jewellery is suitable for this treatment however; some gemstones in particular may be damaged by this cleaning method.

Do not use toothpaste on your jewellery. It is a popular myth that a gentle brushing of your jewellery with a toothpaste solution will clean the crevices. This may be true but toothpaste is a corrosive substance and may scratch and damage metals and loosen gems from their settings.

Honestly, the use of a small zip lock bag may not be pretty but it does prolong the life of your jewellery.

The sea is a huge source of inspiration for many jewellers and we are no exception. How many blue hues does an ocean hold? How many strange, wonderful and beautiful creatures live there? This is the inspiration for our long pearl ropes. These amazing two metre long necklaces are just crammed with freshwater pearls, mother of pearl chips and an eclectic mix of glass beads. At two metres in length, wear it single (to drape to your knees!), as a double strand or even a triple strand. Or wear it round and round your wrist to make a huge bracelet. The picture to your left shows our “Romance” pink jewellery, pearl rope.

All of the Mother of Pearl Chip beads featured on these beautiful necklaces have been dyed, this is not their natural colour. The wonderful white freshwater pearls, however are entirely natural colours.

The pink jewellery pearl rope we call Romance, it has the beautiful soft pink hues that are tipped to be the colours for Spring 2010. The painterly watercolour tones are just perfect for softening modern shapes. Be Pretty in Pink this Spring.

Team our Romance Pink Pearl Necklace with simple stud earrings in the same tones – let the necklace be your statement piece or go wild with chained drops holding the same colour base. It’s all about feeling good.

On the same theme, the second colour in this series of contemporary pearl jewellery, is “Contemplation”, a multi-hued mix of turquoise and blue. Clever ways with colour mean that this large necklace can be worn with all sorts of outfits – costume fashion jewellery comes of age.

To dress up a pair of jeans, wear a simple white t-shirt and let the jewellery do the talking. Add a pair of OTT earrings and you have an outfit the paparazzi will want to collect on camera.

Pearls of course are also renewable – did you know that a freshwater pearl oyster can be used up to seven times before exhausting itself and then the shell is used to create other works of art like the dyed shell beads used in this necklace, carved cameos (like those featured on this site and on www.rayclif.com ) and sometimes blister pearls which are like pearls growing right into the shell itself.

Readers of FashionCostumeJewellery.com will receive a free pair of freshwater pearl earrings with every pearl rope purchased by quoting FCJrope at checkout in your comments. Even if you forget – rayclif.com won’t!

So often vintage pendants are somewhat tongue in cheek and a little disappointing, but this new, handmade, vintage like pendant took my fancy. The hummingbird is a copper construction while the blue agate (yes, a real gemstone) is a lovely foil.

Blue agate is said to aid in the truth, so you can be sure that if you wear this pendant, you will be true to yourself. Because the gemstone is natural, you can expect some variations in the colour.

The chain is 14 Kt gold filled and measures 24 inches in length (thats about 60cm). The pendant itself is almost three inches long (thats about 7cm in length).

The designer is Katharine Sise and each hummingbird pendant is handmade.

Do you like it? It retails at about $195.

Delicate Teardrop Earrings Earring Jewellery varies considerably, from the strong and chunky to the small and delicate. This pair of glass earrings is somewhere in between. The long glass dangles are enhanced by a crystal rondelle adding sparkle.

These romantic style earrings are suitable to be worn on formal occasions or for a special night out. Earrings such as these make any evening dress look more glamorous. Allow the earrings to shine through by down playing your eye makeup to soft shades and add a matching soft shade lipstick. This gives an ingenue feel to your killer outfit. The rhinestone rondelle between the teardops adds a slight touch of bling without being overpowering, adding to the ladylike ambiance of the earrings.

The earrings would be equally as suitable for a bride or bridesmaids. The glass beads add an air of the virginal while the rhinestones add an air of drama. Our sister website rayclif.com offers more details on this beautiful earring.