What Does Solitaire Mean? – Diamond Rings De-Mystified

Hi All,

Here's some fun facts about Diamond Jewellery. Source: SerendipityDiamonds

What exactly does solitaire mean?

Within a jewellery context, the word Solitaire is used to describe a single diamond or gemstone set into piece of jewellery. We apply the generic word to any item of jewellery holding a single stone—a solitaire diamond ring displays a single diamond.

The word solitaire does not describe a particular diamond shape. When you ask for a Solitaire Engagement Ring, you are merely referencing a single stone engagement ring.

Most popular solitaire diamond styles

The most popular solitaire styles vary by diamond shape. These are a list of some of the most popular solitaire shaped in order of popularity.

Round solitaire – round brilliant cut diamond

SOLITAIRE RING

Princess solitaire – square princess cut diamond

Emerald cut solitaire – rectangular step cut diamond

Oval solitaire – similar to the round brilliant but elongated

Marquise solitaire – boat shaped with pointed ends

Heart solitaire – most romantic heart shaped brilliant cut

 

What makes the solitaire ring so popular?

Solitaire engagement rings have featured within the advertising campaigns of many famous jewellery houses – Especially Tiffany & Co. Engagement ring campaigns created by De Beers resulted in an iconic status for the single diamond engagement ring.

 Visit Bond Jewellery 

The Differences Between

9, 14, 18, 22 And 24 Karat Gold

Source: http://beststuff.info/the-differences-between-9-14-18-and-22-karat-gold/

Hi Folks, 

Some interesting reading if you dig your gold jewellery like I do!

Everyone knows that 22 karat gold is more expensive than 9 karat gold. But why? A karat (or carat) of gold is a measurement of how pure it is – the number of carats in a piece of gold indicates the percentage of pure gold in the piece. The chemical symbol for gold is Au.

Twenty-four karat gold is pure Au, and is seen only in bullion bars. Gold is an extremely soft metal which loses particles if used or handled a lot, so other metals have to be added to strengthen it before it can be made into jewelry or coins (because you don’t really want precious gold particles being lost by rubbing off on your skin and clothes). You often see Olympic athletes bite their gold medals – that’s because traditionally, if you could make teeth marks on the soft metal you knew it was genuine and very close to pure, even though modern Olympic medals are not solid gold. Usually you just need to add a little silver or copper to harden and toughen it.

Twenty-two karat gold is 91.6% Au – if you divide the mass by 24, then 22/24 parts of it by mass are pure gold. Most high quality gold jewelry is made of 22 karat gold. It tends to look a shiny yellow – how bright the yellow is depends on whether the other 2 karats are made from silver or copper. Gold jewelry alloyed with copper is usually has a slightly redder tint. Sometimes zinc is added to the copper to neutralise the rose color and make it more yellow. The best quality 22 karat gold is alloyed with silver (and this is the most expensive version). Because this is the softest form of retail gold jewelry, you need to care for it so that it doesn’t wear thin from over use.

Eighteen karat gold is 75% Au – that is, 18/24 parts of it are pure gold. This is the most popular karat for gold jewelry, as it’s strength copes well with holding gemstones such as diamonds and emeralds in place, without the prongs weakening and the gems falling out.

Fourteen karat gold is 58.3% Au – that is 14/24 parts of it are pure gold, and the remaining 41.6% are another metal.

Nine karat gold is 37.5% Au – that is 9/24 parts of it are pure gold and the remaining 62.5% is another metal. Because of the low percentage of gold in it, this is the cheapest type of gold jewelry. If the other metal in the alloy is copper, it will look a dull bronze color. If the other metal in the alloy is silver or nickel it will look white, hence “white gold”. European white gold is always 9 karat made with silver because they restrict the use of nickel in jewelry as it causes skin problems.

Because gold is more expensive than copper and silver, the higher the percentage of pure gold a piece of jewelry has, the more expensive it is – 22 carat gold jewelry being the most expensive.

Gold does not tarnish and lasts forever, but the other metals in the alloy will tarnish. 22 carat gold tends to retain it’s shiny yellow look, especially if it is alloyed with silver. However 9 carat gold is vulnerable to tarnishing badly especially if alloyed with copper, and will sometimes turn green or black. The other metals in 9ct jewelry may also react with the wearers skin (especially if nickel is present), sometimes producing dermatitis.

All good quality gold jewelry is hallmarked to tell you exactly what the karat is. 22ct gold is sometimes hallmarked with “916”, which denotes it is 91.6% pure. Sometimes the hallmark will just say “22” to denote the carat. Similar hallmarks are found on 18ct and 9ct gold.

Here's hoping we've learnt something new and interesting.

Zaida

Bond Investment Jewellery

Types of Watch Movements

Hi folks

Interesting article to further our eductation! Source: http://www.wixonjewelers.com/education/swiss-watches/watch-movements/

Types of Watch Movements

A watch movement (also known as a “calibre”) is the engine of a watch that acts as the powerhouse to make the watch and its functions work. This internal mechanism inside the timepiece moves the hands and powers any complications such as a chronograph, annual calendar or a dual time zone. Driving all of the timekeeping functions, the movement is the essential component in a watch and keeping accurate time; a watch would not function without it.

There are countless different movements that are created by watch manufactures utilizing proprietary innovations, but each of these movements will fall into one of two categories—quartz or mechanical.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT
Sweeping motion

QUARTZ MOVEMENT
Individual ticks

An easy way to differentiate a quartz from a mechanical movement is by looking at the second hand. On a quartz watch, the second hand has the tick-tick motion that moves once per second while mechanical watches have a smooth, sweeping seconds motion.

Quartz Movement

Quartz movements are very accurate and require minimal maintenance aside from battery replacements. They tend to be low cost since they are battery powered and have few moving parts. Quartz watches aren’t as desirable to most watch enthusiasts because they lack the technical craftsmanship and engineering that mechanical timepieces have. Quartz movements in fine Swiss watch brands, such as Patek Philippe, are designed to comply with their strict quality standards.

How a Quartz Movement Works:

A quartz movement utilizes a battery as its primary power source and is typically the type of movement that you will find in your standard, no frills watch. To create power in quartz watch movements, a battery sends an electrical current through a small quartz crystal, electrifying the crystal to create vibrations. These vibrations keep the movement oscillating and drive the motor to move the watch hands.

Mechanical Movement

Mechanical movements are often chosen over quartz movements for luxury watches because of the level of quality and craftsmanship of mechanical movements. Skillfully created by expert watchmakers, these movements contain an intricate series of tiny components working together to power the timepiece. Although the general design of mechanical watches hasn’t changed much in centuries, technology has allowed for more precise engineering and a greater attention-to-detail.

How a Mechanical Movement Works:

Unlike quartz movements, a mechanical movement uses energy from a wound spring, rather than a battery, to power the watch. This spring stores energy and transfers it through a series of gears and springs, regulating the release of energy to power the watch.

Differences Between Mechanical Movements

There are two types of mechanical movements found in luxury timepieces today, manual and automatic, each with unique characteristics. Although mechanical movements are the preferred movement, the type of mechanical movement comes down to personal preference.

Manual Movement

Considered to be the most traditional movement, manual movements are the oldest type of watch movement. Manual-wind watches that we carry are often loved for their beautiful display of the watch movement, which can usually be seen through the case-back. These movements are often referred to as “hand-wound movements” because they have to be manually wound by hand to create energy in the watch’s mainspring.

How a Manual Movement Works:

The wearer must turn the crown multiple times to wind the mainspring and store potential energy. The mainspring will unwind slowly and release energy through a series of gears and springs that regulate the release of energy. This energy is then transferred to turn the watch hands and power the watch’s complications.

Winding Intervals

Winding intervals for manual-wind watches will depend on the power reserve capacity of the movement, which could be 24 hours to five days or more. Some watches will require daily winding while others like the Panerai Luminor 1950 GMT, which has an eight day power reserve, only needs to be wound approximately every eight days. Many manual wind watch owners are simply in the habit of winding their watch before they put it on.

Automatic Movement

The second form of mechanical movements are automatic. Often referred to as “self-winding”, automatic movements harness energy through the natural motion of the wearer’s wrist. Watches with automatic movements are very popular because the wearer doesn’t have to worry about winding the watch daily to ensure constant operation. As long as the watch is worn regularly, it will maintain power without requiring winding.

How an Automatic Movement Works:

An automatic movement works largely the same way that manual movements do, with the addition of a metal weight called a rotor. The rotor is connected to the movement and it can rotate freely. With each movement of the wrist, the rotor spins, transferring energy and automatically winding the mainspring.

Winding Intervals

Watches featuring an automatic movement will still require winding, but dramatically less than a manual watch. If the watch is worn every day, it will maintain timekeeping functions without winding; but if the watch hasn’t been worn for an extended period of time, it will need a quick wind to garner initial power. A great alternative to hand winding automatic watches is to use a watch winder, which will keep the watch fully wound when it’s not being worn.

The History of Rolex Watches

Hi Folks!

Stumbled across this whilst doing research for our website.  Thought it interesting. 

Rolex was founded in 1905 by Hans Wildorf and Alfred Davis in London but by 1919, Rolex had already moved its base of operations to Geneva, Switzerland, a city renowned worldwide for its watchmaking. 

The Rolex Oyster was released in 1926 which was the first wristwatch to be considered waterproof. This was later proven when it was worn by typist Merecedes Gleitze, who swam the English Channel. Rolex had sponsored the event and gained positive exposure and publicity as the swim lasted over 10 hours and the watch still worked perfectly. This made headlines around the world! 

1945 saw the birth of the Rolex Datejust, the world's first self-winding watch featuring a date window. Rolex developed a Jubilee bracelet especially for the Datejust to make it instantly recognisable. The watch was originally created for men but later became available in many different styles for men and women. 

The classic Rolex Submariner was launched in the year 1953, the world's first 100 meter water resistant watch made it very useful for diving. The uni-directional rotating bezel allows the wearer to keep track of their immersion time which goes nicely with the easy readable dial featuring the new style Mercedes hands. The Submariner is one of the most recognisable watches in the world today having appeared in many Hollywood movies such as James Bond. 

In 1955, Rolex released a watch, after a request by an American airline, to cater for pilots who were frequently flying from timezone to timezone, the GMT Master. It featured an additional hour hand which pilots would set to GMT time.

Back in 1963, Rolex launched a new generation of the chronograph watch, the Cosmograph. This watch was later named the Daytona as Rolex signed a deal to be the official timepiece for the Daytona International Speedway in Florida. The brand have continued to sponsor the Speedway ever since. 

Pic of Rolex Air King we have in store, 

WE have an awesome range of Timepieces on sale at our store, Bond Investment Jewellery.  Some of which we can look into learning some more about soon! For now the pics will have to suffice...

Tag Heuer

Bvlgari

Omega

Pocket watch

Omega

Zaida

What's 'EPNS'

Hi Folks

So for some education, today we are learning what EPNS means!!

What does 'EPNS' mean on my silver pieces?

Next: Where to sell your silver plate (silverplate) flatware

June 15, 20125:10 AM MST

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Silver plate tea set

J. Stringer

Questions arrive frequently regarding the identification of the marks found on the bottom or back of silver flatware and hollowware pieces. The questioner usually is trying to determine one or more of these pieces of information:

• Manufacturer
• Pattern
• Silver content
• Value

Very often, the marks will include one of these designations:

• EPNS
• EP
• EP over copper
• EPBM
• EPCA
• EPGS
• EPWM

In these examples, the key letters are “EP”. They represent “electroplated” or “electroplating”. The other letters often represent some other metal. For example the most common designation, EPNS, means “electroplated nickel silver”.

All these designations indicate that the piece in question is made of silver plate.
Electroplating involves placing an extremely thin layer of silver on the surface of the piece. The resulting silver content is very small. The remainder of the piece is made of some more common metal such as copper.

The value of such pieces most often is not based on silver content. It’s based more on the design and construction of the piece.

For further reading, follow the link:

http://www.examiner.com/article/what-does-epns-mean-on-my-silver-pieces

Happy Shopping!

Zaida

The 4C's and FAQs regarding Diamonds

Hi Folks

I thought a good starting point for our blog would be, Education!  A huge portion of the jewellery we sell at Bond Investment Jewellery, is set with diamonds and,  in fact, we have a selection of loose diamonds as well!

Yup! You’ve heard about the 4cs right! Well here’s some info about the 4cs in layman’s terms! That’s right; it’s easy enough for ME to understand!

I’ve included a few other FAQs that may help you on your quest for the perfect piece of jewellery!

Question: I've heard of the 4C's but don't truly understand what they mean. In layman's terms, what are a diamond's 4C's?

Carat:

The carat weight is simply the mass (size) of the diamond. One carat is defined as exactly 200 milligrams. All else being equal, the value of a diamond increases exponentially in relation to carat weight, since larger diamonds are rarer. This being said, other factors (such as Cut, Color and Clarity) come into play when determining the price of a diamond. The price of a stone is not based on the size of the diamond alone. In a store you may see two stones, one slightly larger than the other, yet the larger carat weight diamond may be the same price or even cheaper than the smaller diamond. This is because the grades of the color, clarity and cut of the smaller diamond will be better.

Cut:

This refers to the proportions and finish of a polished diamond. Proportions are the size and angle relationships between the facets and different parts of the diamond. Finish includes polish and details of facet shape and placement. Cut affects both the weight yield from rough and the optical efficiency of the polished diamond. A well-cut diamond will internally reflect light from one mirror-like facet to another and disperse and reflect it through the top of the stone. The better cut the stone, the better the sparkle, or 'brilliance'.

Colour:

The colour of a diamond is ranked on a scale from ‘D' down to ‘Z'. A ‘D' color is the top color grade (colorless) and a  ‘Z' - would mean that stone has a noticeable tint of color, typically yellow. If though, the stone has a greater colour saturation than a ‘Z', it is considered a Fancy Colored Diamond and is graded on a separate scale. It is also far more valuable. Most coloured diamonds are yellow and brown. More rare are pink, blue and red.

Clarity:

Most diamonds, with the exception of flawless diamonds, have natural imperfections, commonly referred to as ‘nature's fingerprints'. Inclusions can be white, black or colorless. Most inclusions are undetectable by the human eye and can only be seen with 10x magnification. Diamonds are ranked on a scale from ‘internally flawless' (no inclusions visible under 10x magnification) to ‘included ‘(eye visible inclusions).