University of South Carolina Filled Ruby and Diamond Signature Ring by Collegiate Jewel

University of North Carolina Enamel Ring

It’s easy to find Valentine’s Day jewelry for women.   Stylized hearts and cupids, etched words of love, and vivid red or pastel pink gemstones are readily available in jewelry selections.  Similar options are out there for guys, but the question remains as to whether or not the man in your life will actually wear it.  Some guys might not be comfortable wearing such romantic jewelry as it’s not exactly a “tough guy” choice.  Instead, opting for jewelry that is not necessarily reminiscent of the holiday might be a better idea if the buyer wants her fellow to wear her gift.  One type of jewelry for men that is sure to please is college or university jewelry.  I especially like the officially licensed university rings designed by Collegiate Jewel.  These rings are attractive, durable, and sure to please the avidly school-spirited guy.  University and collegiate rings are a unique and great gift idea for Valentine’s Day.

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Swarovski Heart Truth Pierced Earrings

Created Ruby and Diamond Heart Pendant

Okay, red hearts are definitely cliche as a gift for Valentine’s Day.  Shaped in the form for boxes of chocolates, scrawled on Valentine’s cards, and stylized on clothing and jewelry, red hearts exemplify the holiday.  A host of variations on the concept are readily available in gifts in every shopping mall across the country.  Red hearts may be large or small, simple or intricate, embellished or plain.  Gifts can range from inexpensive trinkets to lavishly expensive jewelry.  Certainly, when opting for a red heart to give to a loved one on Valentine’s Day, the buyer is going with the obvious and easy choice.  At first impression, this may seem to be a gift selection that implies that the buyer didn’t take the time to put a lot of thought into the gift.  However, I believe the reverse is true, a red heart is a widely recognized symbol of love to just about everyone.  Red heart jewelry is a vivid and clear declaration of love and deep affection.  Red hearts will always be a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift idea.

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Chamilia Jeweled Heart in Heart Pastel Pink and Orange Bead

Chamilia Dove of Love Bead

Are you looking for a unique, made from the heart type of Valentine’s Day gift?  Well you should check out the romance beads from Chamilia.  You can design your own Chamilia bead bracelet to express your love for your special valentine.  There are so many beads designs to choose from to create the perfect gift to express your love and to reflect the type of relationship the two of you share.  There are many designs of hearts , love, pink and red colored beads to mix and match to make the perfect valentine bracelet or necklace that she can enjoy all year long. Another creative idea would be get the initial beads of both of you with a heart in the middle or spell out the word “Love”.  There are so many creative ways to show your special valentine how much you care with Chamilia beads.  REEDS Jewelers now has Chamilia beads on sale!

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Boston Skyline Charm

New York Skyline Charm

This year’s Superbowl features a match-up between two cities that have a long history of aggressively competing against each other in sporting events, Boston and New York.  Even before the the Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919, resulting in the “Curse of the Bambino”, the two cities have found a way to beat their collective chests over which city has the better team.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the Celtics vs. the Knicks, the Islanders vs. the Bruins, or even Harvard vs. Columbia, the rivalry is strong and sometimes bitter.  When the Giants upset the Patriots in the 2008 Superbowl, the Giant fans chanted “1918″ referring to the Babe’s move to New York.

USS Constitution in Boston Charm

Statue of Liberty in New York Charm

Wearing jewelry to support your favorite city or team is sure to inspire a reaction from someone.  Charm bracelets are a wonderful way to showcase a city’s landmarks and teams.

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Sweethearts KISS ME pendant

Sweethearts BE MINE Heart Pendant

Valentine’ Day is right around the corner and all the stores are full of romantic gifts and candy to promote this special day.  I saw an ad the other day for the Sweethearts Jewelry Collection and fell in love with it.  The collection consists of heart pendants that look like the timeless candy classic that we all love with the little sweet sayings printed on the colorful heart.   The candy company Necco that created the iconic candies back in 1847 became the company’s longevity that has touched everyone in some way with the special and unique messages. “Kiss Me”, “LOVE”, “XOXO”, and “BE MINE” are just a few of the classic sayings on the heart shaped candies that can now be adorned forever in the Sweethearts Jewelry collection.  What better way to show your “Sweetheart” how much you care than with a Sweethearts pendant.  Whether your Valentine is your spouse, daughter, or special friend there is a colorful, loving message for everyone!

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Roberta Z Ideal Certified Diamond Solitaire Ring

REEDS Princess Collection Certified Three Stone Diamond Ring

Valentine’s Day is getting closer and a lot of guys out there are confused by all of the options available to them in choosing a diamond engagement ring.  It’s not just the understanding of carat, color, clarity, and cut (the 4 c’s), there’s also type of metal, mounting and setting, accent diamond and gemstones, and certification.  Certification is perhaps the least understood.  Certified diamonds are evaluated and rated by independent, third party experts from a premier lab that specializes in appraising gemstones.  The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL) are two of the best known.  These experts use precision tools and exacting industry standards to examine and grade each diamond according to the 4 c’s.  The diamond is often inscribed with a unique (invisible to the eye) number that links it to it’s certification.  There are two really nice aspects about having a certified diamond.  One, the buyer doesn’t have to rely on the seller’s word that the diamond is what it’s purported to be.  Second, if the engagement ring is ever lost or stolen, it can be identified by the lasered inscription, even when separated from the mounting.  Obviously, certified diamonds are more expensive, but it’s an important consideration for any soon-to-be fiance.

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Tacori 18k925 Prasiolite Enhancer

Prasiolite and Diamond Ring

Prasiolite is green quartz.  It is a very rare, naturally occurring mineral and is only found in a few places around the globe, primarily Brazil, Poland and Thunder Bay, Canada.  Because of its rarity, most of the prasiolite gemstones used in jewelry are actually obtained by heat treating amethyst, or purple quartz.  Even this artificial process does not easily produce prasiolite, as amethyst is much more apt  to produce yellow or orange citrine than the scarce, green prasiolite.  Although prasiolite is any green quartz, most samples are a shade of leek green.  Stones that are a more vibrant grass green are generally not true prasiolite, but clear quartz with chlorite inclusions.  The mineral Praseolite, which is so similarly named, is the green variety of Iolite, not quartz.  Green quartz is said to inspire love, success, prosperity and creativity.  Prasiolite is a wonderful gemstone jewelry, not only for its unique color, but because of its transparency and hardy rating of 7 on the Mohs Scale.

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Tri-Tone Stainless Steel Earrings

Stainless Steel and Black ion Plated Diamond Bracelet for Men

By definition, two-tone or multi-tone jewelry is jewelry consisting of two or more types of metal or different colors of the same metal, welded together to create a single piece of jewelry.  The unique metals or hues are distinctly separate with sharp boundaries that are clearly seen.  Alternatively, some jewelry may consist of a single piece of metal where portions are plated or dyed to appear to be a different metal or hue.  This type of jewelry doesn’t meet the classic parameters of two-toned or multi-toned jewelry although it is frequently confused for it.  Fine jewelry designers often include multi-tone jewelry as part of their collections because of the distinctive look of each piece.  Favorite combinations include white gold contrasted with yellow gold; yellow with rose gold; and silver with yellow gold.  Other metals, such as tungsten and titanium are also being used because their inherent physical properties can add strength and durability to a piece of jewelry when combined with less hardy metals, and even with ceramic.  Contrasts in sheen, texture, and brightness can make the “look” of a particular piece of jewelry quite eye catching.  Two-tone and multi-tone jewelry is often original and appealing.

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Garnet and Diamond Pendant

Garnet and Diamond Earrings

January is normally one of the coldest months of the year and one way to warm it up is with the fiery red color of GARNET.  Garnet is the birthstone of January. Garnet gemstones are typically known to be dark red in color, but can also be found in orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, pink, and even colorless. The most rare is the blue garnet.

The garnet is a rich looking, deep red color stone that always has a classy look in any jewelry style.  It is a perfect color to warm up the fall and winter fashions.

As mentioned, the birthstone of January is the garnet gemstone and if your birthday falls in January, you share the garnet birthstone with many celebrities.  Two of TV’s favorite leading men, Taye Diggs and Patrick Dempsey to People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” - Bradley Cooper, and as well as royalty of Kate Middleton all share the garnet birthstone.

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Tacori 18k925 Multi Strand Toggle Bracelet

SLANE Large Pearl Carousel Charm Toggle Bracelet

A toggle bracelet is simply a bracelet with a toggle type clasp.  With this style of clasp, a bar or ornament on one end of a bracelet is inserted into a ring on the connecting side.  Often times, the toggle clasp itself  is a primary decorative feature, with the look requiring the ring and bar or ornament to be larger than other clasp styles, such as with the more common lobster clasp.  The reason I particular like this style of bracelet, is that with age, my ability to see small clasps has declined.  Bracelets with minute clasps now require assistance in order for me to put them on.  The larger toggle style is much easier to connect.  Several fine jewelry designers, including SLANE and Tacori, offer bracelets with this style of clasp.  Regardless of age, the toggle bracelet is appealing and a wonderful choice.

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