Mens Jewelry in Classic and New Materials

In recent years, men’s jewelry has come into the spotlight. Years ago, Tiger Woods began wearing magnetic bracelets to apparently help his golf game. These bracelets were titanium, steel or sterling silver and were often in the cuff style. Well, I do not know if the bracelet improved his game but it may have helped start the ball rolling on the bracelet jewelry trend. Soon after, more and more professional golfers began to wear these bracelets and soon after that more and more golf enthusiasts. Not surprisingly, these enthusiasts were soon wearing their “golf” bracelets all the time. Perhaps they thought that the more they wore their bracelet, the greater benefit it would have. In hindsight, I wonder if there was something more to the increased popularity of these seemingly functional-only bracelets.

Years later, professional cyclist Lance Armstrong unveiled his now infamous yellow rubber “Live Strong” bracelet and launched his Lance Armstrong Foundation. These little yellow yet powerful bracelets were soon being worn by everybody from celebrities to your next door neighbor men included. Lance’s choice of material rubber and color (very gender neutral) were probably key factors to their immediate and widespread popularity. This is, of course, not to mention that the bracelets were for a worthy cause and led by one of America’s favored sportsman at the time.

Well, many years have passed since the Tiger Woods magnetic bracelet and the Live Strong bracelet. However, the jewelry designers began to take notice of the bracelet trend and immediately went to work creating men’s jewelry, and in some cases entire men’s collections. At last year’s JCK jewelry trade show in Las Vegas, hundreds of designers showed off their mens jewelry and collections. Several themes emerged from the many designers. Popular materials were sterling silver (think John Hardy Jewelry and David Yurman Jewelry and leather, platinum and white gold (think the D.Side collection, accented with tiny diamonds, by Damiani), and also rubber (think the Falco for Men collection by Di Modolo).

The rubber material may have been inspired from the Live Strong bracelet or from the material now being popular strap choices for mens sport watches. Popular items were bracelets, perhaps thanks to the early pioneers of the men’s jewelry trend and pendants on sturdy chains (again think of the D.Side collection by Damiani). While women’s jewelry has been the center of attention, men can finally find multiple luxury designers and luxury jewelry intended just for them with the sole purpose of enhancing their style with classy, attractive and not-too-blinged-out jewelry.

Military Watches

A Brief History of Military Watches

Military watches, as their name suggests, were developed for use in the armed forces. The first military watches were naval pieces, chronometers that worked well for their purposes, but as other branches of the military – aviation in particular – made major technological advances around the time of the Second World War, precise seconds became critical. As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and Navigator (also known as “Pilot”) watches were born.

In Navigator watch design, the seconds bezel allowed the pilot to synchronize the seconds hand with correct reference time before takeoff, and to make manual corrections to radio time signals while in flight, thus eliminating any “chronometer error” and the navigational errors that could result.

Great War, Great Technological Advances

Seconds continued to be of the essence in both military technology and military watches. “Center-seconds” hands, (also called a “hack seconds feature”) – the feature that allowed for synchronization between two timepieces – continued to improve and advance.

The definitive Navigator “hack” watches feature a black dial and white Arabic numerals and indices, hour, minute, and center-seconds hands. Sizing is all over the board; historically, such notable companies as Elgin, Waltham, and Bulova Watches crafted watches (for the renamed Army Air Force in 1941), as small as 31mm in diameter. The German army tended toward larger faces, often in the 55mm range. These watches were worn on the outside of a flight jacket or on the navigator’s thigh. The Germans also added antimagnetic protection to their chronometers.

Within another major Axis power, Seiko produced a staggering number of military watches for the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy. These watches averaged around 49mm in diameter.

Navigating The Cold War

As the days of WWII faded into memory and the strained peace of the “Cold War” became reality, military budgets and military technology boomed. In the era of nuclear bombs the airplane ascended to its most powerful military and political role in history. Watchmakers rose to the call by designing an instrument worthy of going into battle with humankind’s most powerful weapon. Those were the Glory Days of the military watch, although no one design house can claim full credit for the strides made in the industry during that time.

Cold War-era military watches were much larger in size than the average American navigators before them. Averaging 36mm in diameter, the crafting of these timepieces was moved to Switzerland and Swiss military watch companies with centuries’ old reputations for precision. Like those before them, these Navigators also featured a matte black dial marked with white Arabic numerals 1-12, and with white indices. The new designs did not have white numerals at cardinal 3, 6, 9, and 12. Another new addition was a shatterproof Perspex acrylic crystal, which protected its large 12 ligne movement from magnetic fields. These hand-wound watches were expected to be water-resistant to 20 feet, including water-resistance under low-pressure at operational altitudes.

Own A Piece of History – At A Reasonable Price

While several of the top-tier watchmakers are reviving this classic style, vintage quality does not have to break the bank. Seiko watches established a reputation for the brand, recognized by watch collectors. You can buy watches from Seiko for reasonable prices, classic Navigator-style watches can be enjoyed by all.

Moissanite An Amazing Gift from the Stars!

Moissanite! As sparkling as a diamond but more brilliant and harder than diamond, moissanite is available at a fraction of the cost and has become one of the more popular choices for jewelry lovers the world over. If you like high quality jewelry and enjoy the beauty and brilliance of diamonds but cant seem to afford it, then moissanite jewelry is your best and most affordable choice.

Indistinguishable from diamond to the naked eye moissanite engagement rings make for the perfect romantic present. If you want to show her that shes your brightest star present her with a moissanite 14K ring set in white or two-tone gold or turn heads with a pair of tear drop moissanite earrings in pure yellow gold.

Moissanite or silicon carbide (SiC) is an incredible, almost colorless jewel that glitters more than any other gemstone in the world. With nearly 2.5 times more fire than diamond, it is in a class of its own and it is not a substitute or replacement for diamond. But it is a unique gem with exceptional dazzle and fire that delivers quality, beauty, and value like no other gemstone. Women across the world find it hard to resist the big and exceptionally bright sparkle of this fantastic jewel!

A Perfect Combination of Art and Science

Born from a rare geological discovery made more than a century ago, Moissanite is a man-made gemstone. Discovered by Nobel Prize winning French scientist Dr. Henri Moissan, Moissanites origins can be traced to some particles found in 1893 in the Canyon Diablo meteor crater in Arizona State. Since these crystals were too small and scattered, they couldnt be set into jewelry. So for years, scientists worked hard to re-create these rare but uniquely brilliant gems.

And just recently, with advances in technology, Charles & Colvard were able to replicate Moissanite! This has made Moissanite jewelry affordable and popular amongst women who want high quality jewelry that is not only beautiful but long-lasting.

How is Moissanite Gemstone Created?

Today, Charles & Colvard, Ltd. is the only and single largest producer and distributor of artificially created Moissanite. They have patents for the manufacturing process itself, and for its use as a gemstone. Single crystal Moissanite is grown through a proprietary thermal growing process. Mass production of this gem is difficult as well as expensive. At Charles & Colvard, each Moissanite crystal is crafted by hand to provide maximum brilliance and enhance the spark of the jewel.

Most popular shape for Moissanite is round, though it is also available in almost all fancy shapes and cuts such as Princess and Cushion. You can find Moissanite engagement rings, earrings, and pendants in many modern, chic, and glamorous designs; these affordable jewelry pieces are exceptional in quality and have an unparalleled brilliance.

More brilliant than diamond and almost as tough, Moissanite is also very durable, which makes it the perfect gemstone to adorn any designer jewelry piece. Extremely resistant to breaking and chipping, you can be rest assured that your Moissanite engagement rings or wedding bands with Moissanite studs will always stand the test of time reminding your loved one of your commitment and love for them.

Moissanite Earrings, The Modern Brazilian Beetle

The history of earrings is a varied history indeed. And the latest in the long line of female body adornments known as earrings are Moissanite earrings. Moissanite is taking the jewelry world by storm and moissanite earrings are no exception.

Moissanite earrings, well earrings in general anyway, are a fashion with a long history. They are believed to have originated around 3000 BC. Fashioned often in gold, silver or bronze, numerous examples of earrings dating from around 2500 BC to the time of Christ have been unearthed.

Many fascinating examples have been uncovered from the royal graves in Iraq!

Earring styles have varied enormously over the last 3500 years. Earrings were often buried with the dead, as were many other forms of fashionable jewelry of the time. This is fortunate as it allows us to determine exactly what earrings were popular at various times in our history.

Around 1350 BC hoop earrings were popular which fitted inside a larger hole in the ear than would normally be the case. We can only imagine what it would have taken to produce the hole in the ear in the first place! Probably a small hoop earring at first, followed by larger ones as time progressed.

Earrings had styles and motifs which fitted the times. For example in Greek society around the second century BC earrings often displayed motifs of the gods of the time. And precious stones also adorned the ears of the wealthy women of the time to display their riches.

From around the third to the tenth century AD earrings were overtaken by head adornments which often covered the entire side of the face. And then for a few centuries after that long hair styles and high collars covered the ears and earrings lost their appeal.

Earrings took a back seat for quite some time, but re-emerged unscathed around the sixteenth century. At the time womens hairstyles crept up exposing the ears again and by the seventeenth century earrings were back in fashion.

Earrings then were often long and heavy and extended use resulted in women suffering permanently stretched ear lobes. This can be clearly seen in pictures of Queen Victoria, a dedicated earring wearer. Perhaps she had a lot to do with the fashion of the time.

Earring fashions varied with hairstyles. When the hair was worn on the top of the head the ears were prominently displayed and so earrings were essential, however from time to time the hairstyles favoured covering the ears, and earrings went back out of fashion.

All sorts of exotic earring materials were used including in the late 1800s, of all things, Brazilian beetles for their attractive green color.

Back then it was Brazilian beetles, now its moissanite. The newest of the modern earring materials, moissanite earrings are taking the earring world by storm. Why? Simply because moissanite earrings look as good as diamond earrings but without the price tag.

Moissanite earrings feature moissanite stones, a modern alternative to diamonds which offer all the qualities of diamonds but at a fraction of the cost.

Whether its simple round cut moissanite stones set into white or yellow gold to produce stunning moissanite stud earrings, three stone moissanite earrings in gold or solitaire moissanite earrings with lever back settings, any would complement the ear of the modern woman.

Moissanite Jeweller

There are many jewellers in the world and if you want to be precise there are millions. They are situated in every country and they all seem to have something different to offer you. For example jewels found in Asia will be different to the ones found in North America so each jeweller will have different jewels in their shops. However finding a moissanite jeweller will be a mammoth task to complete. This is due to the startling fact that moissanite jewellery has only been available to jewellers for a few years. So a moissanite jeweller will not be as easy to find as a diamond jeweller. However if you are the sort of person that likes to have jewellery that is unique and new then you will love purchasing moissanite jewellery. You could very well be the only person that you know that has moissanite jewellery in your jewellery box.

Each piece of moissanite jewellery will look absolutely stunning and this is because moissanite is easy to form into many shapes. You can even tell your moissanite jewellery how you want your design to be. This will give your moissanite jewellery an even more unique design. If you do find a moissanite jeweller then you should make sure that you become good friends with the jewellery shop owner. This will mean that you can get all the information on moissanite jewellery.

Every moissanite jeweller is learning about moissanite jewellery and it is possible that a lot of jewellers are not used to this jewel yet. Instead they might have just received some moissanite jewellery and so they might still be getting used to everything that moissanite can offer them. It is hard to believe that moissanite is just coming out in jewellery form. It took 104 years to perfect this jewel so you should use it to your advantage. During the next 5 to 10 years it is very likely that moissanite jewellery will become more and more popular so this is your chance to own an exclusive piece of moissanite jewellery before everyone gets some.

Moissanite is a great jewel and it is being compared to diamonds. It seems also that moissanite will always beat diamonds when it comes to the crunch. Even though they are both perfect jewels it seems that moissanite will become more popular then diamonds soon. Get your foot in early and buy yourself some moissanite jewellery from your nearest moissanite jeweller.

More Than Your Average Valentines Gift

Valentines Day is approaching, and you have no idea what to get your special someone. Sure, you could try chocolates, flowers, or another plush gorilla singing Wild Thing, but for a Valentines gift that is fun, personal, and says more than just wild thing, you make my heart sing, consider jewelry.

What could be more exciting on February 14th than taking your special someone to your local jeweler and letting them choose their very own Valentines gift? This would be an exceptionally enjoyable way to bond over Valentines Day, but if youd rather keep your gift a surprise, there are plenty of ideas to create a fun way for your partner to open her gift. You could take her out for a romantic dinner and have the waiter bring the ring with dessert, or you could lead her on a scavenger hunt through all the places that are significant to you, with the final clue leading to you and the ring. These are just two of hundreds of fun ways to present your special someone with her Valentines gift.

Jewelry is personal. You can choose something already fashioned, or you can design your piece for a keepsake shell treasure. Either way, a Valentines gift of jewelry is a gift that says that you truly care about your partner. And there are so many options to choose from, its hard to go wrong. You can decide on a gemstone, or a precious metal. There are necklaces, bracelets, rings, anklets, brooches, watchbands, and much more. With so many options, you can choose a Valentines gift that reflects your loved ones personality and tastes.

A Valentines gift of jewelry can show your feelings for your significant other. Your Valentines gift can be passionate and serious or fun and lighthearted; giving her jewelry shows that you put a lot of thought into your gift, and she will be sure to love it no matter what because it is from you.

Diamond and Sapphire Engagement Rings

Sonny and Cher, Fred and Ginger, chocolate and peanut butter…some things are just meant to go together. And diamonds and sapphires are no exception. With so many choices, a diamond and sapphire engagement and wedding ring set can go down in your personal history with as much romance and excitement as Antony and Cleopatra…with a much happier ending, of course!

No need for the blues, with sapphires you can branch out into a variety of melodies. While sapphires are usually associated with the deep blue only a sapphire can exude, sapphires cover a large portion of the rainbow from purples to reds to oranges and yellows. Imagine the glitz and glitter of a brilliant white diamond surrounded by a sparkling ruby sapphire…there’s something you’ll enjoy looking at for years to come! And if you love the idea of a colored diamond, such as a pink or yellow, you can find the perfect complimentary sapphire to create an elegant sunset on your finger.

On the bright side, if the cost of a colored diamond is too much to consider (at least for now–always keep your options open!), consider a colored sapphire instead. The main attraction could be the yellow or pink sapphire, supported by a brilliant chorus of smaller diamonds, and no one would know the difference unless you chose to reveal your brilliant secret!

Or consider this–if your heart’s desire is a pink or yellow diamond, but you’re not dating a movie star (for which you may want to thank your lucky stars), you can create the “look” without the price tag. Set a smaller yellow or pink diamond in the center and surround it with the same color of sapphires. This creates the stunning yellow or pink glow you’ve got your heart set on, but significantly lowers the cost. You can have that ‘two million’ look without emptying your bank account (or putting yourself in debt that will last as long as the marriage).

Sapphires are pretty study rocks, too–only second in hardness to diamonds, which means you can mix ’em up as much as you want and be confident that your ring will last for years to come, just like your favorite classic tune that never goes out of style.

Need another reason to consider the diamond/sapphire duet? The rocks are gorgeous and can be put in any kind of setting you prefer and still look great. Whether you like to dance to the beat of your own drummer or prefer the classic sounds of Mozart, you can combine your diamond and sapphire choices in a way that will make your heart sing for years to come.