Ever Wonder About the “2 Months Salary” Guideline? Check this out.

This may be tantamount to heresy in the jewelry industry, but I have never been a fan of De Beer’s 2 Month Salary guideline.  In case you haven’t ever heard about this, De Beers, in their ever-present marketing, delicately suggest spending the equivalent of 2 months of your salary on a diamond engagement ring.  When asked about this over the years, my response has been to spend what you think is appropriate for YOUR situation.  No two couples and circumstances are alike.  Do what you want.

So today I ran across this amazing pictorial representation of this recommendation (thanks, Woot!).  This artist has taken US Dept of Labor statistics for wages, figured out 2 month’s salary amounts, then assembled images of 9 rings in that dollar range for 20 professions (each piece of art is 8 by 10 inches).  Check it out:

"Anesthesiologist" Engagement Ring Image, Lee Gainer

Looking at the images, I find this so fascinating.  It appears that size does matter: it’s a reflection on your socio-economic status, and to some it is an indicator of how much your fiance really loves you.  This is a subtle, brilliant social commentary on when marketing and relationships intersect.  Thank you, Lee Gainer.  Check out the artist’s equally amazing installations of “the thought that counts” and “group therapy“.

"Welder" Engagement Ring Image, Lee Gainer

What do you think of the 2 months salary “rule”?  Useful guideline for engagement ring neophytes, or Evil Corporate Mandate?

Kiss My (Royal) Asscher…

…Asscher Cut, that is.  All jokes about the name aside, Asscher cuts have been making waves since the early 1900’s.  If you’re not familiar, the name refers to stunningly beautiful, modified square-cut diamonds.  They sort of speak for themselves, don’t you think?

Royal Asscher 3-Stone Ring

What is an Asscher Cut and what makes it special? 

Asscher cuts have a wonderfully rich history.  The Asscher brothers were diamond cutters in Amsterdam around the turn of the 19th century.  Their cutting house became quite known for their skill and precision.  In 1902, Joseph Asscher developed a variation of the classic emerald cut.  This new cut was square, versus the rectangular emerald cut, with proportionally larger blocked corners, forming an almost octagonal outline.  The bottom was scissor-cut with symmetrical parallel facets, ending in a single central point, instead of the standard keel-line of the emerald cut.  The symmetry of this new style, combined with the greater depth of the stone, resulted in such radiant brilliance that people were really dazzled.  The design was patented, and a number of Asschers were cut and set into the Art Deco style of the times until World War II. 

Platinum Art Deco Ring with Asscher Cuts, $32,000 Retail

A bit of Asscher history:

If the Asscher name sounds familiar, you might be interested to know that in 1907, Joseph Asscher cut the Cullinan, a 3106 carat rough diamond.  The largest cut diamonds from the Cullinan are part of the Crown Jewels of Britain.  Diamond cutting at the time was totally done by hand, and the first cut made had to be accurate to split the crystal atoms correctly, or the world’s largest diamond would become the world’s most expensive pile of diamond dust.  Legend has it that ol’ Asscher struck the first blow to cleave the stone (successfully, obviously), then promptly passed out.  (The family refutes that, but I’m sticking with it.)

A Note About Size and Quality of Asscher Cuts

Color can concentrate in the corner facets of this cut, plus you can see inclusions through the clear step facets, so I recommend going a little higher quality with this cut: G or higher color, VS2 or higher clarity (click here for a diamond quality overview).  If you are in love with an Asscher cut, you should know that they face up quite small for their carat weight due to their depth relative to their diameter.  If you have a modest budget, or you prefer a diamond under 1 carat, you really should see a mounted stone and try it on for size.  A “halo” mounting, one with diamonds micro-paved around the center stone, will add a lot of volume without the same expense of going with a much larger carat weight Asscher center stone.

 

Danhov ME2 Pave Diamond Mounting for Asscher Cut

 

Modern Asscher Cuts

Sometime in the late 1990’s, coinciding with renewed interest in estate-looking mountings and platinum designs (plus mentions in Sex and the City and celebrity wearers like Kate Hudson), consumers rediscovered the Asscher cut.  In 2001, Edward and Joop Asscher updated the design slightly, adding more facets and a slightly larger table to increase brilliance.  Now you can purchase authorized Asschers from Royal Asscher.  

Other diamonds are cut into a similar style.  They may not all have the actual “Asscher Signature”, but there are a lot of gorgeous modified-square brilliants out there, in some equally stunning mountings.  

Here is a beautiful 1 carat Asscher cut from Blue Nile, it’s a great balance of color/clarity for this cut (you can choose a mounting from their selection):

Blue Nile 1.01ct Asscher Cut, G color, VS1 clarity, $4677 Retail

Here’s an Asscher mounting to maximize bling:

Pave Split-Shank Setting for Asscher Cut

Lest you think I am only about $30,000+ totally beautiful yet unattainable Asscher Cut rings (see my fav-or-ite Asscher ring here), here is a relatively affordable .77 ct Asscher Cut  in a pave split-shank mounting by one of my all-time-favorite jewelry designers, Mark Patterson:

.77 ct Asscher Cut Diamond in Micro Pave Mark Patterson Setting, $8225 Retail

If you are into simple elegance, maybe a solitaire is in order:

Blue Nile Trellis Solitaire Setting with Asscher Cut Center

With their clean outline and sophisticated brilliance, Asscher Cuts manage to be very modern and very classic at the same time.

Make Your Mark with Personalized Jewelry: Charm Necklaces

People have always loved to declare their devotion with jewelry.  Engraved lockets have been around forever, and people have figured out ways to include initials on rings since Renaissance times.  I’ve noticed some interesting personalized jewelry lately, and thought it would be fun to show a few designers (thanks, Lauren, for suggesting this topic!).  Any of these would be great to call out someone special in your life, as subtly or obviously as you want!

One of the best known personalized jewelry designers is Heather Moore.  She has a collection of discs in silver and every color of gold, hand-stamped with initials, names or anything you want.  The whole collection can be highly personalized, there are little dangly jewels you can add, and keep collecting more to make it very much your own.  You can see the collection and start building your own set by clicking here.

Heather Moore Personalized Charm Necklace

 

My first thought was that her stuff is pretty spendy.  For instance, I built a necklace on the site with 2 small engraved 14kt discs plus a few jewels on a fine 14kt 16″ chain, and it was over $1500.  But after spending some time on the site and seeing some other designers, I am really loving her style and her company.  She’s truly an artist (there’s some info about her bio here), and I can see that in her designs.  It’s important to note that her designs are crafted in recycled precious metals.  If this is to commemorate your family, kids, or significant other, those things are forever, and so is her jewelry.  I recommend splurging, you won’t regret it!  You can also start small and build slowly, which can help.

A note about sterling silver:  this can be a less expensive option.  But think carefully about this.  Sterling tarnishes, so if you are not going to enjoy pulling out the silver polish occasionally to get into the grooved lines of the engraving, or you won’t appreciate the natural patina that happens over the years without the polish, I don’t recommend it.  If you’re talking about a sweet gift for your favorite girl friend, and you’ve got a limited budget, then go for it!

If Heather Moore’s style isn’t quite what you’re looking for, there are some other great options.  At the online retailer Max and Chloe, you can find several designers.  Here is Christie Martin’s 14kt disc engravable with up to 8 characters.  Not a bad value for $230, including the 16″ chain:

Christie Martin Charm Necklace, $230 Retail

 

You could also build a little collection of disks by Zoe Chicco in gold and/or sterling silver.  Not quite as customizable as Heather Moore’s selection, but nice.  For less than a $1000, you could have some gold and silver charms of various sizes on a 16″ chain.  Here’s an example of an oval shape that can be engraved with up to 5 letters:

Zoe Chicco Oval Charm Necklace, $435 Retail with Chain

If money is no object, there are plenty of diamond options as well.  Here’s a lovely little monogram in 14kt white gold and diamonds:

Kacey K Medium Monogram Personalized Necklace, $2035 retail

I also really like little initials, they could be worn singly or combined with engraved discs for a sentimental little touch.  I love this little lower-case font from Ariel Gordon:

Ariel Gordon Initial Personalized Necklace Charm, $300 Retail

On Etsy.com there are a few artists making personalized necklaces.  I really had to wade through a lot of listings, but I found this person making initials,and a seller called PeaceofMind is doing some sweet things here.   Jeneri Jewelry is doing custom sterling silver and gold-filled stamped disks for reasonable prices:

Jeneri Jewelry Silver Charm Necklace, $43 Retail

Speaking of reasonable prices, I found this designer of simple stamped discs.  If you just want something sweet and affordable, I think these are nice, especially the “Edison” font (for $28!!):

Mountain Girl Silver Charm Necklace, $28 Retail

Please comment if you have other designers to recommend!

I Heart Valentine’s Day Heart Pendants

Heart pendants are one of those polarizing jewelry items: people either love them or they don’t.  I think they can be wonderful–good heart design does not have to be an oxymoron.  If they are done well, hearts can be beautiful and very romantic.   You are wearing a tangible symbol: someone loves you!

There are a lot of hearts out there.  For my edited list below, I had a few criteria I looked at carefully.  Graceful design.  Quality of execution (as far as I can tell online).  Integration of the pendant with the chain.  Value. 

Find yourself (or your gift recipient) in the descriptions below and see if cupid’s arrow makes its mark.

Purist: You value good design and want something enduring. 

You can’t beat Tiffany.  Elsa Peretti created THE iconic design, and it’s a good value in sterling silver, and possibly gold.  How else can you give the little blue box (and probably get a nice smooch) for $165?

Tiffany Small Heart Pendant, $165 Retail

Another nice Tiffany design, I like the rose gold with the silver:

Tiffany Double Heart Pendant w/Rose Gold, $675 Retail

 

Classic: You like simple, tailored designs and want something brilliant, but tasteful; sparkly, but not overwhelming. 

Lovely little piece from Blue Nile, it’s definitely a nod to Tiffany, but a good value:  

Blue Nile 1/4 ct Curved Heart Pendant, $420 Retail

Very sweet piece, love the pearl, and it’s a steal at $55:

Blue Nile Heart Lariat w/ Freshwater Pearl, $55 Retail

This should lay right in the hollow of the neck, like a little kiss:

Blue Nile Infinity Heart Pendant, $420 Retail

Sporty:  You want good design, but you don’t want it to get in the way of your active lifestyle.

This is clean and simple, I like the way it floats on the snake chain:

Platinum Diamond Heart Slide, $900 Retail

I like the bezel setting for these diamonds–no prongs to catch on anything, and it’s a clean look:

C. Gonshor Diamond Heart Pendant, $2895 Retail

 

 Downtown:  You’re a little bit rock and roll, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t a romantic:

I’m a big fan of this designer.  This is kind of spendy, but I bet it’s pretty substantial, and beautifully executed.  Very organic:

Wendy Brandes "Diana" Pendant, $5500 Retail

Inspired by the Illusionist, ingenous twisting mechanism allows it to go from heart to oval (PS, I think this is the one I would buy if I had my choice, I love the mechanics plus it’s got over 1 carat in diamond weight):

Wendy Brandes 18kt Sophie Pendant, $7500 Retail

Romantic: You are inspired by vintage designs and can’t get enough of delicate scrollwork:

Very pretty estate-looking design in white gold:

14kt White Gold Diamond Heart Pendant, $610 Retail

Romantic, yet kind of contemporary at the same time:

14kt White Gold Diamond Scroll Pendant, $1850 Retail

Bold:  You don’t mind making a statement with your jewelry, and you’ve never met a diamond that is too big. 

This is one of my favorites, love the puffed shape and the way the chain slides through, and the diamonds look like they are set nice and tight:

14kt YG Diamond 1.0 ct. Pave Heart, $1361 Retail

A heart that is not really a heart, big look for the $$:

14kt White Gold and Diamond Heart Pendant, $1149 Retail

Classic, gorgeous, CANNOT GO WRONG (other carat weight sizes available):

Blue Nile Platinum 2 Carat Diamond Heart Pendant, $3400 Retail

And the ultimate heart necklace, a one-of-a-kind by the design house Tacori (sorry the image is not so impressive, if you click through you can see it in all it’s gorgeousness):

Tacori Platinum and 18kt Pink Diamond Necklace, $145,000 Retail

 

Virtual Purchase: 1/2 Carat TW Round Diamond Stud Earrings

Several times a month, I am going to do a “virtual purchase” of a piece of jewelry.  I will  articulate a jewelry purchase scenario, and go through the decision-making process of what, how and where I choose to “purchase” the item.

What:  This week’s virtual purchase will be a pair of 1/2 carat tw (total weight) round diamond solitaire earrings in simple white gold mountings, with nice sparkle without overpaying for quality you can’t see.  While this is a popular size for diamond earrings, keep in mind that these will be smaller than you think–the 1/2 carat diamond total weight is spread across 2 stones, so each is 1/4 carat and the typical diameter is about 4mm each.  Click here for a neat little graphic from Blue Nile illustrating relative diamond size. 

Where: I am going to shop online at Costo.com, Blue Nile, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Diamond.com, Diamondstudsonly.com, and Union Diamond.  NOTE: unlike loose/solitaire diamonds, earring of this size won’t typically have independent diamond reports/certificates from the major grading labs.  I am only going to sites where I am reasonably confident that I would get the quality that is stated on the website.

Here are the results, click here if you need help on the diamond 4C’s terminology:

Company:	Mounting Metal:	Min Color:	Min Clarity:	Cut:	Price:	Comments
Amazon.com	18 kt	H-I	SI2	VG	$521.99	Excellent value, cryptic price messaging
Diamondstudsonly.com	14 kt	G-I	SI2	VG	$599.00	If they can deliver this quality, it’s a good option
Union Diamond	14 kt	H-I	SI1-SI2	NA	$600.00	If they can deliver this quality, it’s a good option
Blue Nile	18 kt	I	SI2	Good	$700.00	OK value, nice site, consistent quality
Costco.com	14 kt	I	VS2	Good	$799.99	Nice value for higher clarity, probably can’t see difference
Walmart.com	14 kt	I-J	I1-I2	NA	$499.00	Not comp quality, not recommended
Diamond.com	14 kt	H-I	I1	NA	$695.00	Not comp quality, not recommended

Bottom Line:  If I were purchasing for myself, I would purchase the Amazon.com pair.  They have the best quality/value ratio for the $521.99 price.  However, I don’t know how long the “sale” will last, so if they discontinue the sale price, I would recommend either the diamondstudsonly or the Union Diamond pair.  If you are really into higher clarity, the Costco pair might do it for you.  As with all jewelry purchases, it takes some research and legwork to compare, and it can get confusing for the lay person.  Not all diamond earring quality combinations are equal across different companies, as the table above shows.  Below are my notes about the specific details of the merchants and their offerings, and links to the exact pairs reviewed.

Costco.com:  Yes, their site is clunky–the refining browse structure is just awkward.  But their prices are usually very good, they tend to have nicer qualities, and are scrupulous about quality control.  They have a smaller selection than other sites, but they have a nice pair of 1/2 carat tw round diamond earrings set into classic 14kt white gold baskets, I color or better, VS2 clarity or better for $799.99.  I know from industry reputation that their cut quality is pretty good.  That price includes shipping, and the site says you can have them in 2-3 days.

Blue Nile:  Beautiful site, pretty intuitive to browse for earrings.  At Blue Nile, you can build your own pair of earrings by selecting matched pairs of diamonds and a mounting style of your choice, or you can choose from popular sizes/shapes already mounted.  The most likely pair of round diamond studs was 1/2 ct tw, I color or better, SI2 clarity or better, good cut, set into 18 kt white gold screwback settings for $700.  You can get them next day for free if you order by a certain time.  These are slightly lower clarity than the Costco pair, but at SI2 you are unlikely to see any inclusions with the eye, and you get better mountings for almost $100 less than the Costco pair.

Amazon.com:  If you click on Amazon’s Jewelry catagory, they have a “Diamond Stud Earring” heading in the left nav that takes you to this page set up with all of their pre-set diamond earring choices in popular shapes/sizes/qualities.  The round diamond stud earrings in 18k white gold basket settings with a regular friction back are H-I color, SI2 clarity or better, and very good cut (which will give you great sparkle) for $869.99 retail plus shipping, which doesn’t sound competitive with BN or Costco.  BUT, there is a sale of 40% off applied when you actually put the item in your cart and go through the purchase process until the final “submit”.  The final price is $521.99 which is an excellent value.  I don’t think shipping is free unless you are an Amazon.com Prime member.  But I find the whole pricing strategy to be odd.  These earrings have a $2380 retail, which is TOTALLY ridiculous!  Then they have their published discounted price of $869.99, which is high.  The final price of $522 is very good, but it’s not transparent and difficult to get to. 

Walmart.com:  Platinumgirl shops at Walmart for jewelry, you say?  Well, they are the largest retailer of jewelry in the US by volume, and this is a basic item, so I figure I should check it out.  The site is terrible–you can’t sort for size, quality, even shape.  I finally found a pair of 1/2 carat tw round diamonds, H-I color, I1-I2 clarity, in 14k white basket settings for $499.  These are in no way comparable to the other diamond earrings I found at other sites–I just don’t recommend an I2 for anything–and probably not pretty at all.  The Amazon.com pair is light years ahead of these and for not much more ($521 final price).

Diamond.com:  Surprisingly, since they are a jewelry-specific site, I find this site to be challenging.  For all the browse refinements in the left navigation, I still have to wade through a bunch of stuff to find the round solitaire 1/2 tw studs.  The closest I could come to the other contenders was this pair, at H-I color, I1 clarity for $695, in very un-appealing 14k white gold screw back settings.  I would not recommend this pair.  For the same price (or lower, in Amazon’s case), Blue Nile  and Amazon both have finer quality.

Diamondstudsonly.com:  I am giving this site a try, since it comes up at the top of Google search results.  You can sort of “build your own” by selecting diamond shape, mounting style and metal type, and diamond quality ranges.   I selected what we have been comparing: 1/2 ct tw, G-I color, SI2 clarity, very good cut in 14kt white gold basket settings for $599, with free Fed Ex 2 day shipping.  This is a good value.  Only drawback is that I’ve never ordered from them before and don’t know if they are being spot-on with their quality grading.

Union Diamond:  Since I found their selection and pricing very good on my virtual purchase of a 1 carat solitaire, I thought I would check them out for diamond studs, too.  The site is OK.  You can choose from a drop-down menu of mounting options, so I selected their 14kt white gold basket settings.  The detail page says 1/2 ct tw, H-I color, SI1-SI2 clarity for $600.  Free Fed Ex shipping is included.  If the cut is good to very good, this pair is right in the range of Diamondstudsonly.com and Amazon.com for pretty comparable quality.

Men’s Gift Ideas: More Cool Cufflinks

My recent search for cool cuff links (see post here) revealed some interesting designers.  I was pretty focused on finding something fun and affordable, but there are some other fantastic designs out there.  Cuff links are a great gift idea for guys, especially since they probably aren’t splurging on their own. 

If you are into the idea of black diamonds, here is an amazing pair from Robin Rotenier in white gold (also available in 18k yellow gold with Champagne diamonds):

Robin Rotenier White Gold and Black Diamond Cufflinks, $5900 Retail

Here is an equally gorgeous black diamond pair from David Yurman.  One caveat about these–I appreciate workmanship as much or more than the next person, but I have some issues for charging THAT much for STERLING SILVER and black diamonds.  There is a lot of work pave setting those tiny diamonds, and I’m sure the work is near-perfect, but still!:

David Yurman Black Diamond and Sterling Silver Cufflinks, $2150 Retail

If he is a little rock and roll, you could go for these, also from Rotenier (there are TONS of other designs, all fantastic):

Robin Rotenier Skull Cufflinks, Sterling Silver, $295 Retail

I also like these for something totally different, if he’s a watch collector, even better:

Antique Watch Movement Cufflinks in Sterling Frames by Cuffart.com, $155 Retail

Happy Shopping!

The Road to Happiness is Paved in Diamonds

For at least the past 5 years, jewelry designers have been sneaking small diamonds into unexpected places on engagement rings.  I think it started with the vintage-style designers like Jack Kelege and Michael Beaudry, who used accent diamonds and hand engraving to create new Estate-looking rings. 

In the past year or so, it has reached a peak of covering basically every metal surface with glittering diamonds.  Driving this trend is customer’s desire for maximum bang for the buck, coupled with recent technology that has allowed very small diamonds to be cut with relative precision, and then be set in tiny metal beads, called micro-pave, where the surface is literally “paved” in diamonds.  Done well, it’s a stunning look.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Hearts on Fire

Amden Design

Erica Courtney Design

Norman Silverman Design