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Monthly Blog - May

May is for mothers. 

It is for emeralds.

It is for flowers. 

And flower motifs and natural textures are in. Early this month we got new merchandise in the sterling silver department, flowery designs, simple lines, bold and brushed finishes. We also added a few exquisite pieces in fine jewelry such as beautiful and unusual diamond heart pendants, ethnic style exotic pieces with beads and color stones. We've just completed the inventory and put our amazing affordable price tags on them as well.

You want it, we got it, and we if we don't we'll make it!

Bigger is always better!

With Spring just around the corner, color gemstones in all their magnificent hues are resurfacing. The raw, natural and tribal look is the rage this Season with floral and leaf motifs in ring designs, pendants and earrings. Multicolor bracelets and an abundance of bangles are also in. Young women are showing a great interest in the more bold and rough finish yellow gold necklaces, while older women are looking for unique cuts and classic styles.

Trend-wise, it seems bigger is always better, this trend was visibly apparent among celebrities since last Fall and still continuing, with the addition of the color splashes. The price of gold has been reaching incredible heights, investing in yellow gold pieces is smart, if you can afford it. However, many designers have branched out into Sterling Silver given the economic climate. While gold, forever the symbol of wealth, is the prefered metal for any precious stone, we're seing beautiful designs with silver and color gemstones stealing the spotlight.

Today's style-conscious customers have many options, women are asking for stand-out pieces, and larger colored stones, among the favorites are the Quartz family and on the more expensive scale, are the Tourmalines, Beryls, Sapphires and Tanzanites. So what's hot in jewelry these days? According to our own in-store experience at Jewels Quest, we're seing a definite interest either in large color stones or large gold pieces with smaller pave accent shades of diamonds, brilliant diamonds, champagne diamonds, chocolate diamonds... It shouldn't come as a surprise to finish this brief look into the jewelry trends with diamonds, they will, after all, always be a girl's best friend.

8 Days to Valentine's Day!

Are you thinking about her? Let me give you a hint - jewelry. I don't mean to sound so blunt and sure don't want to make it so obvious, but truly jewelry and specifically diamond jewelry is a gift unmatched. And if you work a little hard on the presentation, you hit a home run.

Let me share a little Valentine gift giving moment with you. My husband came home with a douzen roses, I was touched of course and very much relieved he didn't forget! Well I accepted the roses graciously with a hug and kiss. While getting them ready to place in my special occasion crystal vase. I noticed my husband watching what I was doing, carefully. Soon enough, my eyes opened wide in complete astonishment, as I pulled one of the roses out, I noticed stuck on one of their leaves two brilliant stud earrings.

Wow! Ithought "What if I mistakingly had thrown away those leafy stems!" Then figured out why my husband's eyes were on me all the while. He was worried I might just do that. I was thrilled to say the least, the unexpected way he gave me those beautiful stud diamond earrings was the cherry on my Valentine sunday topping.

13 Days to Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day quotations taken from "history.com". Imagine any one of these quotations engraved on a gold plate pendant or round or heart shape medallion:


Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.
- Aristotle

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
- Lao Tzu

My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep-burning, unquenchable.
- Henry Ward Beecher

Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age.
- Anais Nin

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward in the same direction.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Love has no desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires;
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
-Helen Keller

Love does not dominate; it cultivates.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.
- Zora Neale Hurston

Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love.
- Leo Tolstoy

Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away.
- Dorothy Parker

I have learned not to worry about love; but to honor its coming with all my heart.
- Alice Walker

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
- Pablo Neruda, "Love Sonnet XVII

THE ECONOMY

First I'd like to say WOW! What an emotional few days it has been! The innauguration of President Barak Hussein Obama. I watched it, felt it, vibrated to it and now I'm still pinching myself. We're part of a big historic moment, congratulations all!

So the economy has been the second hot topic - for a while, are you worried? Many of our piers are. In fact they are very concerned about their businesses. Here at Jewels Quest, we have felt it too, it was an expected Holiday Season, but we count our blessings, as we received many special orders on which we worked very hard. Keeping an upbeat attitude, smiling and focusing on growth rather than tilting our heads down in despair, is the reason our business is still thriving. On a slower pace but moving forward just the same. Let's look at the glass half full shall we?

From custom engagement diamond rings, to unique settings for color gemstones. Working with our Matrix technology, we're able to deliver detailed pieces and our customers keep refering us. We are always grateful and we reward our customers for their referals with great deals on future purchases and special gift cards.

Christmas sales were high as usual, however small ticket items were the more popular choice this year. Now Valentine's day is coming up and we're polishing our heart jewelry. Diamond pendants, journey diamond jewelry and light whimsical gold earrings are getting ready to be owned by lucky ladies this Valentine!

We're counting on the men - or the women that often do the hinting. This is the way it goes, from one major Holiday to the next and everything in between. Jewels Quest is here to stay.

Does Custom Design cost more?

Don't worry because it does not cost more!

When you shop at a chain store you'll get what you pay for and that "Clearance Sale' may soon end up a regret. We can usually provide better stones and a great design for a fair market price that is comparable - if not lower - to what you could pay at a large-scale retailer. With a family owned and operated jewelry store like Jewels QUest, you get the benefit of a more relax atmosphere, and a more personalised service.

We take pride in creating sturdy jewelry and we never cut corners in the quality we provide. We don't believe in pressure selling, we get paid to make you happy, not based on how much we can make you spend. And our relationship with you doesn't end because the project did. We stand behind our work and will continue to take care of your new custom jewelry. Stop in for a cleaning anytime, we'll inspect weakened prongs and look for loose stones.

Our workmanship is our good reference, therefore our most important priority is having you completely satisfied with your experience.

The Benefits of Custom Design

Retailers carry one or two standard sizes and send jewelry off to be resized to fit. This is why having your piece made exactly to fit you the first time, will wear better in the long run. Plus when you opt for a custom design, you set yourself apart from the mass with a one-of-a-kind piece no one else will have.

Your design will be rendered with 3-D design software mentionned above, giving you the advantage of seeing your finished piece before it's ever created. We then take that file and load it into a milling machine to carve out the wax, you will have a chance to see the wax piece. The wax is then cast into the metal of your choice - 14K, 18K, platinum or sterling silver - our talented jeweler Andre, who has over 20 years experience in this trade, will hand polish and give the finishing shine to your personalized one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

No one else will have a similar jewelry piece!

Gay Marriages

On June 16th, 2008, same sex marriages began taking place in California. Prior to May 16th, when a ruling allowing same sex marriages in California took place, gay and lesbian couples were forced to travel elsewhere to marry one another. But as of June 16th, the allowance for same sex marriages began, and wedding bells chimed all over the state.

Many gay and lesbian couples are not sure where to start with choosing wedding rings for each other. A marriage is a lifelong commitment to love, fidelity and each other, and it's not always easy to select the rings that will symbolize that everlasting bond. This is especially true with marriages that are made between men and men, and women and women, as opposed to the traditional man and woman marriage. While marriage is certainly a tradition, men marrying other men and women marrying other women is a relatively new thing in terms of being legally able to, so these couples may want to seek out rings that aren't traditional.

Seeking out a token of your love in an alternative style is now easier than ever with all the new materials and colors offered these days. Metals are being used that were never considered for fine jewelry before. Combinations of different metals can be done with new state of the art technical perfection. From wedding bands to standard rings, tungsten rings, for example, offer sleek profiles that are plain, grooved or inset with intricate designs that are sure to draw the eye.

Black titanium rings is another idea. Titanium is obviously the material used in these rings, though titanium itself is not black: it is a grayish/white color. It is turned black through a process in which Black-Ti is combined with titanium, and temperature and atmospheric conditioning cause the alloy to turn black. Black titanium rings are gorgeous, and stylish. Rings come in plain form, as well as grooves of silver and gold, and even included set diamonds.

These metals are a relatively new materials for rings, and so it brings to the table something fresh and innovative.

Jewelry isn't just for women!

Jewelry isn't just attractive to women, it's attractive to women seeing it on men. Tired of shopping jewelry for her? Isn't it time to have a few interesting pieces of jewelry to compliment your outfits and personality? Let's skip the diamond studs, and go straight to the stylish and masculine bracelets and necklaces. You may opt for a heavy gold link chain but with the prices of gold as high as they are, sterling silver, stainless steel and titanium could become the perfect choice in men's jewelry.

Sterling silver jewelry for men is hot. It compliments any outfit, suit at your office or jeans at your friends barbecue, cool will be the word of the day. Sterling silver jewelry has an ultimate masculine look. If you like the slicker, more refined look, titanium stainless steel offer great designs in bracelets and rings. Stylish and equally masculine, you'll never want to take it off your wrist.

Today's men's jewelry are not gaudy, they exude inner strength, virility and simplicity. Men's fashion hasn't been this cool since years! Unlike gold jewelry and diamond; silver, titanium and stainless steel are not only more stylish but also reasonably priced.

Going Green!

Since green is the color of this month, I can't help but think about this "going green" craze. Yes I believe part of it seems to be a trend, though I am hopeful it becomes more of a way of life. There are many reasons to change our ways of living and thinking in order to create an environment change for our children and grand children's future. Change, after all, is the only certainty in the world. So why not nudge it in the direction that will create a cleaner, safer environment.

At Jewels quest, we have taken small steps to promote this thinking by using recycled gold to create new pieces. It's a small step that we intent to continue in a more consistent way. In our private lives, we have found several ways to contribute. Since our first baby girl, who blessed us in 2006, we started purchasing non-toxic household cleaners. We make sure to recycle, and will walk rather than drive, when ever possible.

There's a list of things one can do to help the planet. It's true that it is difficult for people to do too many things all at once, so start out small with whatever you feel comfortable doing.

A few examples:

Avoid Fast Food. Most fast food is over packaged and most fast-food companies are responsible for producing mountains of trash. By avoiding fast food whenever possible, you'll help reduce this needless waste.

Bike Instead Of Ride. Riding your bike instead of riding in a car saves energy and reduces pollution, of course. But it is also fun! That makes it a double benefit.

Reuse A Bag. Some people believe that bags made of trees--paper bags--are less harmful to the earth than bags made of chemicals--plastic bags. The fact is, making both types of bags creates a lot of pollution, and both paper and plastic bags use a lot of resources. So neither is much better than the other. The best solution is not to use any bag at all, or to bring your own bag. Some people carry a canvas or mesh bag they can use over and over. If you must use a paper or plastic bag, don't throw it away. Try to use the bag over and over--as many times as you can.

Here's more information and statistics you may find interesting http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/4990/ggstatistics.html

Green is beautiful!

Aquamarine

Aquamarine captures the energy of the ocean, a gemstone that truly reflects the beauty of the sea, a constant favorite is the oceanic light hues of Brazilian Aquamarine. The more intense the color of an Aquamarine, the more valuable it is. The gemstone collector will find the gentle, delicate tones of Aquamarine a wonderful addition. It's gentle luster, translucent quality is so well suited to large jewelry pieces, drop earrings and pendants.

Aquamarine is the March birthstone, and the 19th marriage anniversary gemstone.

Belief and tradition:
Sailors used to carry Aquamarine or wear Aquamarine pendants believing it would give them courage, bravery. In Thailand culture it is believed that Aquamarine jewels can ward off sea sickness and prevent the wearer from drowning. Today Aquamarine is considered a cleansing gemstone that clears and the mind and thoughts.

Details of gemstone:
Origin: mineral beryl
Hardness: 7-8
Color: Iron is the substance which gives aquamarine its color, a color which ranges from an almost indiscernible pale blue to a strong sea-blue.