As a child growing up in my father’s jewelry stores, I was surrounded by diamonds and precious gemstones. For many years I took jewelry for granted having little interest in the craftsmanship and the rarity of the materials used. However, one thing that always fascinated me was pave diamond setting. I was mesmerized by the
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Wilmer Valderrama has had quite a run. Born in the US, Wilmer’s family later moved to Venezuela and then moved back to the US when he was 13 years old. When he got back, he didn’t know a lick of English and spoke with an accent thicker then Charo. What does a young kid in
As a collector, I’m always amazed by the ebb and flow of watch brands. It seems that watch brands, even the most traditional Manufacturers, go through peaks and valleys. My personal observation is that luxury watch brands seem to follow a 5 year cycle, followed by a 2-3 year product rebirth. A recent example of
When you think of a fine watch brand and a fine jewelry brand, very rarely (almost never) are they the same. Simply put, Chopard and the Scheufele family has been able to do what no other luxury brand has…….. and that is be a true watch Manufacturer and true jewelry brand. It’s true that many
It seems that technology changes everything. Computers get smaller, faster and more powerful. Bandwidth for consuming content, rich media and video continues to improve. And devices in general continue to get more comprehensive. Think about a cell phone that now comes equipped with iOS, Windows or Android, that can SMS (pager) that can download, store
Padparadscha sapphires are a little known treasure in the world of precious gemstones. These unique sapphires are extremely rare and display a striking natural color which lies somewhere between pink and orange. For jewelry connoisseurs these gorgeous gemstones are the pinnacle of fancy, non-blue colored sapphires. The word “padparadscha” is derived from the Sanskrit word
In case you haven’t noticed, Chopard is everywhere! Nearly every red carpet event in the past 12 months has been simply blazing with gorgeous Chopard diamond jewelry, from the Oscars to the Golden Globes and even the Cannes film festival. With mega-stars like Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Sharon Stone, Hilary Swank, and Scarlet Johansson all
What Your Timepiece Salesperson Should Tell you but Usually Forgets! In the spirit of full disclosure, I should tell you that even the most skilled and knowledgeable timepiece salespeople forget to tell you the following “Donts” of properly maintaining a fine watch (including myself). With the average repair time for a fine wristwatch now exceeding 90
It seems that everything associated with fine Swiss timepieces is expensive these days. Yes as connissieur I do realize the level of expertise and the excruiating attention to deal with which most of these watches are manufactured. But replacing a leather strap on your fine timepiece, while expensive, often $300 – $700 per strap, can
Sapphire and Ruby gemstones are both part of the corundum family of gemstones. Ruby is corundum material occurring in various shades of red. Sapphire is corundum material of nearly any other color including but not limited to blue, yellow, purple and green. It is a little known and understood fact that the large majority of
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