For adding some vintage charm to your daily outfit, Bryant recommends on pearls, and the more the merrier. “I love the pearls from the period”, she says in an interview for Elle Magazine, “but to make it contemporary, pile them on. I love mixing the period jewelry with a contemporary look, like a modern dress with a fantastic period cocktail ring or several charm bracelets”.

» Antique Engagement Rings

Now that the Draper family and they’re friends are going into the post JFK assassination and the mid 60′s, the fashion part is even more fun. A side from the timeless pearls there’s a lot of Jackie O, Chanel and Grace Kelly’s inspirations such as big dramatic brooches, huge cocktail rings, long gold chains and lots of multi stranded bead necklaces.

By the way, Janie Bryant released a new clothing and jewelry line for QVC called “Mod by Janie Bryant”, and it’s all inspired by Mad Men’s atmosphere.

pics via AMCTV

Carl Lagerfeld failed to disappoint  with some crazy creative cuffs:

Jean Paul Gaultier managed to impress with his fantastic creations:

And Armani continued with his solid calm line and presented combination of wood and metal:

So, what are your favorites?
(pic via style.com)

» Naomi Campbell to Testify Over Blood Diamond

It seems that this time, the dresses took all the focus at the Gala and that’s why most celebrities attending decided not wear too many pieces of jewelry (Just like at the Oscars a few months ago). When you wear a dress that lights up in the dark, like Katy Perry wore for example, wearing jewelry might look excessive, however Perry did wear an amazing pink bolt lightning bolts necklace and proved to us that only she can pull off such a look.
Most of the jewelry choices however weren’t as bold as Perry’s choice and we were able to see lots of precious stones on the red carpet and amazing couture pieces that matched the dresses perfectly.

Among the pieces that were noticed during the evening we can mention Marishka Hargitay and her amazing Egyptian beetle necklace that looked both colorful and ethnic, Model Hilary Rhoda that looked astounding with a gorgeous Cartier Onyx and diamond necklace and Emmy Rossum that wore an ethnic inspired necklace by House of Lavande. It seems that the other starlets chose to go for a more classical look with diamond pedants and diamond bracelets and we bless them for their fine choice.
We feel lucky that we don’t have to pick our top favorite dresses because we probably won’t know what to choose from.
To see all the looks from the event, please click here.

Unlike other award ceremonies that are usually more toned down, this evening was all about splurge and the celebration of fashion and that’s probably why we were able to witness such incredible dresses and such amazing pieces of jewelry. We can only hope that all the celebrities will take on this approach in other events as well and will always look glamorous and accessorized and giving us more  eye candies such as this.

18k “White” Gold, rough metal, not covered.

18k Gold ring after finish and Rhodium dipping.

Pure gold is too soft to hold valuables like Diamonds with claws (prongs) therefore the Gold Alloys were invented. 58.5% pure gold in any alloy will be called 14k Gold, 75% of pure Gold is 18k Gold, 24k is pure gold, %100.
Since Gold is a yellow metal “18k White gold” is an alloy of Gold (75%) and Nickel (8%) or Gold (75%) and Palladium (15%).

10 to 15% of women are allergic to Nickel released to their skin while wearing a jewel. This will result in different skin rash levels.

Metal prices as of 13th April 2010

Pure Platinum      US$ 55      per Gram.
Pure Gold           US$ 37      per Gram.
Pure Palladium    US$ 16.4    per Gram.
Nickel                  US$ 0.025  per Gram !!!

It is clearly seen that using Palladium to make the alloy white will significantly increase the price and put it close to Platinum price.
The use of Nickel is banned by countries like Switzerland and controlled by regulations in the EU community; there is yet any Nickel use regulation in the USA.
European regulations limit the amount of nickel that could be released from any item which is intended to come into prolonged and direct contact with the skin.The regulations entitled “The Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Nickel) (Safety) Regulations 2005″ clearly require that any finding component that pierces the skin may not release more than .2 micrograms of nickel per cubic centimeter per week, and that no other jewelry component release no more than .5 micrograms of nickel per cubic centimeter per week.
Nickel exposure is tested under BS EN12472 and BS EN 1811:1999. The first of these separate tests replicates two years of wear under normal use, and the second tests for subsequent exposure to nickel.
We at Diamonds-USA.com use only “Nickel free” metal alloys as required by the EU regulations.

The romantic trend- ‘Alice in wonderland’ brought to our world not only a massive amount of merchandise but also the trend of romantic pieces.
Bows, bunnies, hearts, miniature kitchen supplies- everything goes and you can wear just about anything as a necklace or as a ring.
How to wear this trend? Well, since these pieces are so cute and trendy you can wear them with just about anything- you can go for the classic sweet look if you’re looking for an Alice total look or you can mix it up with casual pieces of clothing like a tank top and a nice pair of jeans.

(From Etsy)

The floral trend- The entire world went crazy for h&m’s garden collection and that might have launched the floral trend. What can be more appropriate for spring that patterns and shapes of roses, daises and butterflies?
We were happy to find out that our beloved floral prints are appearing not only on clothes and fabrics but also in pedants, cameos and earrings.

(From Etsy)

The Eco trend- Since spring is all about getting in touch with nature and with our environment it’s no wonder that the Eco trend is catching speed as well. Recycled pieces are all the rage not only in clothing but also in the jewelry department. Eco friendly jewelry are just as trendy and good looking asother fashion jewelry with the unique perk of being environment friendly .

(From Etsy)
Colors- when we thing of spring, pastel and almost angelic colors pop into our minds.  When spring times arrive we enjoy feeling like a butterfly ourselves and we wear lots of nude colors as well as pinks and purples. Since we enjoy wearing color so much, why shouldn’t we integrate it in our jewelry selection as well? Colorful gemstones are all the rage in the jewelry world therefore you should definitely consider adding a pink cocktail ring or a emerald pedant to your collection.

(From Marie Claire)

When it comes to applying hot trends always make sure to find your personal taste and tendencies in order to become a fashion dictator instead of a fashion victim.
Happy spring time!

Just like in the world of fabrics and clothes- the designers are usually the ones that dictate which jewelry we would want to purchase next season. However, we can’t just credit the designers for morphing our stylish taste- celebrities have an important part in it as well.
How many times have we seen your favorite celebrity wearing a piece of garment or jewelry that you immediately wanted to have?
The designers may decide which jewelry will be trendy next season, but the celebrities are the ones that literally take off the jewelry from the runway and eventually make us fantasize about those wonderful pieces.

What are the current trends in the jewelry world?  Here is a sneak pick:

Colorful diamonds- It was probably Jennifer Lopez that made this trend such a huge success back in 2001 when she received an amazing pink diamond engagement ring from her than fiancée- Ben Affleck.
Ever since we began stepping out of the traditional world of clear diamonds and into a world filled with colors.
Nowadays if we take a look at the red carpet we can spot multicolor diamond necklaces and earrings and so it’s safe to say that this trend is here to last.

Eco friendly jewelry- it has been very trendy to become aware of our environment and therefore it’s no wonder that this trend has also touched the allegedly superficial world of fashion: from the growing population of vintage clothes and jewelry to the predictions of an ecological end to the planet by designers such as Alexander McQueen RIP and Vivienne Westwood in their collections- it was only a matter of time before this trend will find its way to the world of jewelry as well. Vintage jewelry, jewelry made of organic parts or recycled pieces are now all the rage in the world of the precious bijoux.
The most important trend in terms of jewelry is the growing awareness to the blood diamonds issue which is becoming more and more important for jewelry consumers all over the world.

The statement necklaces- statement necklace is the easiest way to make an appearance with no effort. You can wear a simple black dress and add a dominant necklace to the ensemble and surprise, surprise- you end up looking amazing.
The leader of this trend is undoubtedly the Parisian fashion house of Lanvin- they were putting jaw dropping necklaces on the runway before this trend became a worldwide mania. Although many of us can’t afford a piece of jewelry made by Lanvin, surely we could find a similar interpretation that will suit our taste.

Cuffs- when we think of basic jewelry, bracelets are probably the last to pop in mind after rings, necklaces, earrings and diamonds. However, these days the cuffs are a popular trend and we cans spot on every fashionable lady’s arm.
Cuffs from all sizes, colors and textures are currently all the rage in the world of jewelry and they came to replace the classic tennis diamond bracelets most of us learned to love so much.

Although it’s nice to purchase a trendy jewelry now and then- nothing can replace a timeless classic piece.
We encourage you not to invest huge amounts on jewelry that might run out of style during the course of the season and to invest it in jewelry that will forever be classic. Nothing is quite as classy like diamonds.

It was the famous writer Marc Twain that was quoted saying: “Let’s not be too particular, it’s better having second hand diamonds than not having diamonds at all”.

Shirley Bassey has even taken it a step further as she was quoted comparing between men and diamonds, saying “men leave you, diamonds never do!”

(From Diamonds-usa)

Apparently, we are much more respectful to the diamond rings that we receive than to the men that gift us with them. This matter can be explained quite easily: diamonds are known as the most solid foundation in the world, as for marriages- we all know that every third marriage ends up in court so perhaps the sympathy towards diamonds in this situation is understandable.
Diamonds are also used as a reference for the benefits of hard work, as George S. Patton explained: “Pressure makes diamonds”.
Ron White however used diamonds for a more chauvinistic purpose when he was quoted saying: “Diamonds – that’ll shut her up… for a minute!”- How inappropriate!

(From diamonds-usa)

It seems as if diamonds are an important part of our culture for many years now, as they appear in movies, in songs, in metaphors and in famous quotations. Diamonds are no longer just a sign of affection but a simple that represents status and wealth.

Joan Rivers was referring to diamonds in her next quote: “I don’t exercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor”. This quote might explain the special relationship women are having with diamonds.

Although it appears that diamonds are also growing popular over the years with the male population, women are undoubtedly their main targeted audience.

(From diamonds-usa)

Diamonds have a significant role in our pop culture and it would be hard imagining our lives without jewelry and diamonds.

One thing is certain- if this amazing rock wasn’t discovered, we would never have heard all these lovely quotes, for example: “I never hated a man enough to give him diamonds back.”- What a lovely saying by the legendary Zsa Zsa Gabor.

It appears that all the fair ladies that represent old Hollywood had a true fascination with diamonds that led to our interest with these rocks even today.

“Last year my boyfriend gave me a painting – a very personal one. I really prefer personal gifts or ones made by someone for me. Except diamonds. That’s the exception to the rule.” – this quote by modern star Minnie Driver proves how much women are still drown to diamonds and how much they love jewelry.

(From diamonds-usa)

To conclude this matter we might add that diamonds have an affect not only on the jewelry that decorates our neck but on our entire culture as well.
How would the face of our society looked without its unique relationship with diamonds in uncertain, however- as long as diamonds exist we shall continue to enjoy them.