Italian Charm Bracelets

by Madubanti Rudra

They can be chic and fun at one go, they can be worn for a cause or simply worn to make an individual fashion statement—in any form, Italian charm bracelets can add value and personality to your jewelry wardrobe. The article throws light on many aspects of this versatile accessory.

They can be chic and fun at one go, they can be worn for a cause or simply worn to make an individual fashion statement—in any form, Italian charm bracelets can add value and personality to your jewelry wardrobe. The article throws light on many aspects of this versatile accessory.

Oprah Winfrey is reported as being floored by their charms, Singer Mariah Carey is known for her obsession with these dangling beauties, makeup and skin care Empress Trish McEvoy has been reported to have built a second empire on these very trinkets, Keira Knightley clings to hers for luck– celebrities and non-celebrities across the globe seem to share same passion as it comes to adding up to their collection of charm bracelets and Italian charms.

Italian charm bracelets: Looking back

Italian charm bracelets, as their name suggests, were actually born in Europe but they were made popular by Americans. During the mid 1980’s European soccer players started wearing these bracelets with the emblem of their national flags on them. In response to the soccer fans’ growing interests in these pieces, jewelry giant Nominations decided to launch its first ever line of modular charm bracelets and these became the most worn jewelry pieces in Italy in other parts of Europe. They also caught the attention of American vacationers in the Mediterranean and they carried the style across the Atlantic.

The rest, as they say was history, the 90’s saw the rise of Italian charm bracelets as the must-have accessories among the jewelry collectors and consumers of all ages and at the turn of the new millennium, the demand for Italian charm bracelets shaped into a veritable craze among the fashion-bitten Americans. Let’s flash back a bit in order to dig dipper in the past and we will see the early Christians carrying the “ichthys” (fish) charm, under their garments to identify themselves with the fellow members of the secret society, while Jewish scholars during that time used to carry golden amulets containing parchments with laws scribbled on them. Through the middle ages, the Christian fighters would wear them on belts to ward off the evil as well as to flaunt their pedigree.

During the Renaissance, the popularity of charm bracelets receded among the wealthy class. But in the Twentieth century, it was the English Queen, who contributed to the revival of the charm bracelet, but this time as a fashion accessory and not as something with a talismanic value. In the twenty first century, Italian charm bracelets triggered off one of the biggest fashion trends of recent times.

Italian Charm bracelet: A unique piece of jewelry

In its look, it is a flat, colorful band; in its feel it exudes a strong personalized and even emotional statement. Italian charm bracelets are nothing but a collection of small rectangular pieces adorned with emblems or designs snapped together on a stainless steel base to make a bracelet.

An Italian Charm bracelet is a kind of flat band comprising of a series of individual modular links. The traditional Italian charm bracelets flaunt as many as eighteen charm links, each of which has a separate charm design soldered onto the surface of the actual flat link. While the charm link bases are made of high quality stainless steel, the charm faces that are soldered on the top are usually made of 18K gold or are often gold-plated.

The face of the charm featuring the design is sometimes glued to the stainless steel link. The more expensive charm faces are adorned with colorful gemstones as part of their design schemes. The flat Italian charm bracelets are very different from their dangling cousins; on the former, the links are made to pop on and off of its stretchy band. You can add charms to empty slots or insert charms to complement your ensemble. You can wear them to promote a cause or you can just wear your mood with specially selected charms. Options are unlimited as it comes to sporting this particular piece of jewelry.

Making personalized statement with Italian charm bracelets is easy

As opposed to traditional charm bracelets, the Italian charms do not dangle from a chain. Here the individual charms are soldered on the flat surface of the eighteen blank links. The modular design makes room for interchangeable charms. Just replace one charm for another to rightly complement your ensemble, mood or the occasion. You can build your personalized collection of charms on different themes and styles, starting from an event, particular sport, animal or a particular hobby as a theme to a combination of styles including hand-painted, laser or photo Italian charms. Due to the standardized sizing, Italian charms are compatible with bracelets belonging to renowned brands such as Zoppini, Nomination and Disney. With over 6,000 Italian charm designs making the rounds, it is easy to pick and choose to create a personalized Italian Charm bracelet to reflect your personal style in incredible detail.
Italian charms can range from very high end to inexpensive pieces. This is the reason why they are loved by masses and classes alike. Branded Italian charms from the house of Louis Vuitton or Nomination using high quality anti-allergic stainless steel and 18K gold can range from anywhere between $15 to $100. However, regardless of their price and origin, at the end charm bracelets are fun to wear, great to gift and exciting to swap between friends. If you are heavily into e-shopping, then e-Bay is the place to make some cool bargains on vintage Italian charm bracelets. If the internet fails to impress you, then hit the local Hallmark stores or Ashley Averys for getting the special charm for your bracelet.

Rose Gold Jewelry

by Madunbanti

Women have changed, their preferences have changed, so have changed the color of gold. It has been long since the designers have started thinking beyond yellow and they have come up with the options of colors in gold. Pink is essentially identified with everything that is soft and feminine and the designers are making the most of it in their lines of rose gold jewelry. No wonder, rose gold jewelry tops the chart as one of the most desired Valentine gifts and most coveted possession for the betrothed couples.

Breaking the Clich; Switching From Yellow to Rose Gold

Women have changed, their preferences have changed, so have changed the color of gold. It has been long since the designers have started thinking beyond yellow and they have come up with the options of colors in gold. Pink is essentially identified with everything that is soft and feminine and the designers are making the most of it in their lines of rose gold jewelry. No wonder, rose gold jewelry tops the chart as one of the most desired Valentine gifts and most coveted possession for the betrothed couples.
Dressy and glitzy, gold jewelry pieces were always meant for the special occasions; but not anymore. “From showroom to the darkness of bank vault” is passé. Gen-X designers are more in favor of “sick and chic”, so that the gold jewelry pieces can be used as stylish accessories by twenty-first century women. Thanks to a lot of innovation by the leading designers, gold has crossed the threshold of kitty party circles and stepped into the corporate world. Today’s women can choose from a wide array of design and even colors. Yes, yellow is no longer the only color associated with gold jewelry—you can find fine jewelry pieces in white, green and rose gold.

Rose gold jewelry is in-thing in fashion circuit

Yellow and white gold are undoubtedly the top-scorers in the contemporary jewelry design. But the Gen-X designers are keen more on bringing out the versatility of gold than sticking to the traditional yellow version. And that explains the colored gold’s bold invasion of the contemporary fashion circuit. The color pink is quintessentially associated with everything soft and feminine and rose gold jewelry can help you flaunt your feminine charms to the best effect. Russia is regarded as the birthplace of rose gold and as such it is often referred to as Russian gold. Russian artisans were believed to introduce rose gold jewelry in the early 19thcentury. By 1920’s it took Europe by storm. It has made a bold come back in the 21st century. A soothing color and vintage feel make rose-gold very attractive and is commonly manufactured throughout the globe.

Rose gold purity

Consumers are easily attracted to the beautiful non-conventional gold jewelry pieces created with colored gold. But the concept of colored gold often confuses the consumers to the hilt and very often, confusion stems from their ignorance about the value and purity of colored gold. Gold is essentially yellow in its purest form; when we speak of colored gold, we simply refer to the gold alloys that are white, brown, green, pink and even red in colors. So far as rose gold is concerned, its pink shade often puzzles the gold buyers. A gold jewelry that is not yellow, but pink in color—how’s this possible! A class of consumer just refuses to believe that gold can be available in other than its regular yellow version. Some believe rose gold is plain imitation. In reality, pink colored gold is a kind of gold-alloy that goes by the name, rose-gold. It is a variety of colored gold that borrows its color from other metals.Pure gold is too soft to be used for making jewelry—other metals are to be mixed with gold to make it fit for manufacturing jewelry. Rose gold gets its color from a slight overdose of copper and it is as real and valuable as its yellow sibling. So far as gold is concerned, 24 K gold is regarded as pure gold or 100% gold. Gold jewelry pieces are commonly made with 18K gold that contains 18 parts of gold and 6 parts of other metals. In terms of percentage 18K gold means 75% gold.

Now rose gold jewelry pieces are available in 18K, 14K and 9K gold. Rose gold obtains its distinctive pinkish hues from the blend of gold and copper. Copper is added to make traditional yellow gold jewelry, but in case of rose-gold, the proportion of copper is much higher. More copper is added to bring out its unique rosey hues.

Know your pink gold better

So now you know what rose gold actually means: it is a gold alloy with pinkish coloration. It helps at the time of purchase, if you have a basic understanding of how rose gold is made. It is simple to produce rose gold. Gold alloys are basically mixture of gold, silver and copper. While white gold is created with high concentration of nickel, it is the high proportion of copper that renders a rosy tint to gold. By increasing the proportion of copper to a certain point, it is possible to create rose-colored gold alloy. In order to maintain the purity gold, the proportion of silver is decreased, when copper proportion is raised.Now when you are going to buy your rose gold jewelry, make sure the gold is pink in color and not red. Red coloration means higher share of copper in the alloy and less silver and gold. Scrupulous jewelers used to resort to this practice in the past to increase their profits as copper is cheaper than silver. They simply took advantage of the belief of a class of gold buyers that red gold are old gold and as such better gold.

However, there is actually no connection between gold’s being old and of better quality. The gold with a red tone indicates a bigger proportion of copper in the alloy. So when buying a rose gold jewelry piece, make sure the piece comes in a delicate pink shade or deep rose shade. In rose gold jewelry, the alloy is usually made of one part of copper to three parts of 24K gold. Like the idea of wearing gold in pink shades? You can consider choosing your rose gold jewelry from the collection of Black Hills Gold. This is a world famous brand for colored gold alloys. Black Hills manufacture rose gold jewelry in 10K or 12K gold alloys. Often the gold alloys in shades of yellow, pink, and green are used to create fine jewelry pieces and the design schemes most commonly involve leaves, grape clusters and vines. The style originated in the Black Hills of South Dakota and thus acquires its name, Black Hills gold.

World Official Gold Holdings

by Mark

Info graph of “Who owns the world’s Gold”.

by Erum

Who wore what this week in June. We take a look at what the stars are wearing with their designer labels. For the summer, the stars pretty well kept to the tried and tested, hoop earrings, drop earring, layered chains and chunky bracelets.

Who wore what this week in June

We take a look at what the stars are wearing with their designer labels. For the summer, the stars pretty well kept to the tried and tested, hoop earrings, drop earring, layered chains and chunky bracelets. Read on to get the lowdown on who wore what and where with which outfit.

Pick me up Drops

Super model Iman set her color blocking technique outfit to a great advantage with a pair of shoulder dusting turquoise and diamond studded Irene Neuwirth drop earrings. The turquoise blue top and tangerine pencil skirt dazzled and delighted everyone at the Gordon Parks Foundation’s awards dinner in N.Y.C. Jessica Biel too was spotted wearing Irene Neuwirth drop earrings set with what appeared to be green chrysoprase and black spinel gemstones. At the El Museo del Barrio gala honoring fashion photographer Mario Testino British beauty Kate Winslet wore drop earrings in pristine white with her matchingNarciso Rodriguez gown.

Hype and Hoopla

Hoop earrings are back in vogue with many celebs sporting fairly large hoops with or without embellishments. Hoop earrings adorned beauties like Kelly Osbourne, Sienna Miller and Halle Berry although all three were quite different from each other. Sienna was spotted wearing plain metal hoops to match with her jumper-cardigan-tights casual wear as she left a showing of Flare Path in London. Halle Berry on the other hand rocked the Fifi awards in NYC in a daring Halston LBD with a difference and accessorized with bronze concentric hoop earrings. A Tods clutch and Suzanne Felsen cocktail ring completed the ensemble. Kelly Osbourne wore hoops with large dangiling embellishments (possibly pearls) with her lace panelled Alice+ Olivia, by Stacey Bendet-mini-dress and shrunken moto jacket at the Tim Burton exhibit.

Chunky does it

Teen sensation Miley Cyrus and First Lady Michelle share a love for the chunky things in life. Whereas Miley showcased her favorite rock and roll look at a photocall for her Gypsy Heart tour in Mexico City with chunky silver oxidized cuff and necklace the first lady stacked gold bangles with her Naeem Khan gown at the state dinner she hosted for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Mrs.Obama’s sleek bangles were a decided contrast to Miley’s grungy metal cuff but chunky is what they both had in common.

                                                                by Erum

Estate jewelry or vintage jewelry is often known as period jewelry too. Jewelry thus classified may belong to many eras such as Georgian, Victorian and Art Nouveau. What do all these terms mean? How do you identify which era a particular piece of jewelry belongs to? We search for answers for all these questions and come up with some interesting insights in the process.

Introduction:

Estate jewelry or vintage jewelry is often known as period jewelry too. Jewelry thus classified may belong to many eras such as Georgian, Victorian and Art Nouveau. What do all these terms mean? How do you identify which era a particular piece of jewelry belongs to? We search for answers for all these questions and come up with some interesting insights in the process.Historians and jewelry professionals are divided as to the exact time period each era lasted. But for clarity’s sake we will skip rigid timelines and dates adhering instead to general periods. Another important thing to be aware of is that not even an expert who has been dealing in antiques and vintage jewelry for years can say with perfect assurance what era a piece may belong to unless it comes with provenance and/or is signed. This is due to the fact that many of the eras overlap, many jewelry manufacturers have copied vintage pieces convincingly and also many a times a piece may be a mix of two styles or eras. So what is a jewelry lover to do? The first step is read up! Knowing as much as you can about these pieces and seeing as many examples of the work you can will help you in understanding the jewelry even if you may not be able to identify it conclusively. And when you do decide you buy after research and taking expert advice, you can always go in for a second opinion to be sure. So, let’s get started!

Georgian jewelry

The earliest style recognized as period jewelry is Georgian jewelry. Named after the English monarch King George and subsequent heirs this period of specific jewelry design lasted from sometime in the early 1700 till mid 1800s. This style of jewelry was defined by hand-made ornate and intricate pieces and has left behind such legacies as the chandelier earrings and three strand concentric necklace. In keeping with the opulence of the times, diamonds were the choice of gemstones in this period. Filigree (using thin wires to create lacy, openwork designs) and repousse (working at the back of the metal to create a raised pattern at the face) techniques were used extensively.

Victorian jewelry (Romantic Period)

The Georgian Era was followed by the Victorian era- thus named after Queen Victoria was crowned in 1837. The early Victorian years were also referred to as the ‘Romantic Period’. The designs in this era combined many different styles to fit the idea of purity, innocence and romanticism. The motifs used were floral, avian, or other nature-inspired themes like fruit and creatures. By the end of the Romantic period agate (a type of banded quartz) and Celtic motifs were being used abundantly in lockets and pendants. Cameo brooches carved from agate, sardonyx or conch shells were popular items of this time. This era was not high on precious stones and diamonds, instead Wedgewood ceramic, Limoges enamel painting and glass gemstones were used in jewelry.

Victorian jewelry (Grand Period)

A new period of mourning known as the mid-Victorian or Grand period followed the Romantic period. This period coincides with the death of the Queen’s husband and so the jewelry is more of a mourning jewelry type. It consisted of dark, melancholy shades of red, purple and black set with stones such as black onyx, garnet, amethyst and jet.

Victorian jewelry (Aesthetic Period)

After the mid-Victorian period it was the “late Victorian” period (also known as the Aesthetic Period) that lasted till 1900. In this era, the design which was burdened by dark mourning jewelry escaped to a brighter and more fun place. Diamonds came back in a big way as new mines were discovered in Africa. Multi-colored gemstones such as spinel, sapphire and peridot were used in heavenly body-inspired designs such as stars and crescents.

Arts and Crafts jewelry

From the late 1800 till the beginning of the 1900 the Industrial revolution inspired jewelry known as arts and crafts jewelry flourished. Jewelry during this era was simple, nature inspired and not very extravagant-either in choice of metals or gemstones. Copper, brass and silver was used, rather than gold and gemstones were used more for their bright colors and aesthetic appeal rather than monetary value. Pearls, moonstones, opals and turquoise were popular during this time.

                                                      by Mark

Million dollar worth diamond jewelry sold by Sotheby auction house during the period Jan 2011, to Dec 2011