Silver Sale Extended - Now Includes Rotary Watches

Our super silver sale has now been extended to include ALL our Rotary watches - even the current models have a whopping 30% off!

But hurry - the sale can't last forever!

What does your 'new for old' insurance policy REALLY mean?

One of the services that we offer here at de Marsac is written jewellery valuations that can be submitted to your insurance company to aid you should you need to make a claim.  Whilst we have been encouraging clients to update their valuations recently in line with the sharp rise in the prices in gold and precious stones, there is another element to the insurance story that is well worth telling:

A practice very common amongst insurance companies, but little known by the consumer, is that of negotiating discounts with certain jewellery suppliers or shops - a discount that isn't passed on to the claimant but can tie them into choosing their replacement item only from the retailers on the approved discount list.

What this means for the poor soul who has lost or broken their beloved ring/earrings/necklace is that rather than being able to return to the independent jeweller from whom they bought their original item and then simply reclaim the replacement costs, they could be issued with a voucher to spend at the insurance company's preferred retailer - sometimes then leaving them with an item worth a lot less than the original piece.

The best way to combat this is simply to look at the small print of your policy or speak to a independent insurance broker as they will be able to advise you about policies that offer suitable coverage for the value of items that you own.

Feeling blue

As with any design-led industry (fashion, interior design, even car production), trends come and go in cycles.  For example white gold has overtaken yellow as the most popular type in the last 15 years, however we now see signs of a comeback.

One thing that is certainly la mode is blue stones:  Rubies and emeralds are out of favour with many clients, and sapphires are in – helped a great deal of course by the popularity of Kate Middleton’s stunning engagement ring.

Interestingly, sapphires have exactly the same chemical composition as rubies, with only the trace elements determining whether the colouring will be ruby red or sapphire blue.  In addition to being available in varying shades of blue (often from Burma), sapphires can also be found (mostly in Sri Lanka) in pink, yellow, lilac, green, white and orange.  However, the stunning and even cornflower blue of the stones found in the (now mostly exhausted) Kashmir mines remain the most desirable. 

Whilst it is possible to heat treat a pale sapphire to bring out the desired hue, it is possible to tell the difference so these stones are not as valuable. There are also synthetic stones on the market so the buyer should be made aware of what they are purchasing.

'Eternity' style bangle set with a total of 5.37 carat of sapphire and a total of 0.54 carat of diamonds - £6,750.00

2.80 carat sapphire pendant (and chain), set with a total of 0.20 carat of diamonds - £6,200.00

Cocktail ring set with a 0.98 carat rectangular cut sapphire and a total of 0.76 carat of diamonds - £2,950.00

5 sapphire 'eternity' ring with a total of 1.99 carat of sapphire and a total of 0.68 carat of diamonds - £2,450.00

Cocktail ring set with a 3.04 carat natural yellow sapphire and a total of 0.60 carat of diamonds - £7,450.00

Collar necklet set with a total of 1.80 carat of pink saphhires and a total of 0.71 carat of diamonds - £4,250.00

However, it is also worth noting there are a lot of other blue stones available too, offering the buyer a fantastic range of shades and tones at almost any price point:

Tanzanite, only found in Tanzania (hence its name), has only been available since the 1960s.  At this time, supply was unstable so it was very expensive – only really available to very rich collectors.  However, since further mines have been founded and supply has stabilised, tanzanite has become a very popular choice for modern buyers, both for the unique factor, and for its slightly more purple colouring.

Cocktail ring set with a 4.23 carat cushion cut tanzanite and a total of 0.55 carat of diamonds - £7,950.00

3.63 carat cushion cut tanzanite pendant (and chain) set with a total of 0.35 carat of diamonds - £5,750.00

Ring set with a 0.68 carat princess cut tanzanite and 10 cushion cut diamonds with a total weight of 0.66 carat - £2,625.00

Often used by modern jewellers as ‘something a little different’ to sapphire or tanzanite is Iolite.  A wide variety of shades are found in nature, but it is the deeper, violet toned stone that we see most in jewellery.  Being readily available in many parts of the world, yet not that well known, iolite also has the advantage of being less expensive than other blue stones.

Iolite and diamond pendant set with 9 carat white gold (with chain) - £200.00.  Matching earrings - £185.00

Ring set with a 2.86 carat iolite and a total of 0.75 carat of diamonds - £2,500.00

Aquamarine comes from the same family as emeralds in that it is a beryl, however whereas the presence of chromium in the chemical composition would give us the green of the emerald, it is the presence of iron that gives us our natural aquamarine blues.  They are much paler in colouring than sapphires, tanzanites and iolites, offering a lovely light sky blue.  Although aquamarine is fairly readily available (mined in Brazil, Russia, Madagascar, The US and Afghanistan), natural aquamarine doesn’t have an exceptional brilliance, so synthetic spinel is often used in larger pieces to give the desired effect.

Emerald cut aquamarine pendant and chain - £550.00

2.72 carat pear shaped aquamarine pendant (and chain) with a total of 0.54 carat of diamonds - £2,850.00

Cocktail ring set with a 2.73 carat aquamarine and a total of 0.73 carat of diamonds - £2,450.00

Cocktail ring set with a 7.17 carat natural blue spinel and a total of 0.89 carat of diamonds - £4,750.00

Blue Topaz is more readily available than its similarly coloured friend aquamarine, both naturally and in the form of paler stones that are radiated to bring out the more intense sky blue colouring, making it a less expensive option for the buyer.  It is however a very uniform blue so perhaps less pleasing to some eyes than the slightly varying tones of an aquamarine when turned in the light.

Cocktail ring set with a 3.98 carat blue topaz and a total of 0.54 carat of diamonds - £2,150.00

Fancy, multi-shade blue topaz pendant (and chain) set with a total 0.31 carat of diamonds - £3,650.00

13.8 carat pear shaped blue topaz pendant (and chain) set with a total od 0.50 carat of diamonds - £1,575.00

Zircon is a naturally occurring stone that in its white form was at one time commonly used as a diamond substitute since it has a very similar brilliance.  However, with the invention of the cheaply produced and totally synthetic cubic zirconia, the zircon’s role as a diamond substitute has diminished, and its reputation has suffered due to the similarity of the name.  However, clear or pale zircons that are heat treated, are readily available in a very pleasing mid tone green/blue, whilst retaining that brilliance that made them so popular originally.  Best of all however are the very rare blue zircon’s whose colour has occurred naturally

Natural blue zircon and diamond cocktail ring - £8,500.00

Silver Sale

Following from the huge success of our recent half price sale in gold and fine jewellery, we have decided to let our silver wares have a turn.

Pop in to take advantage of our fantastic reductions of 30% and 50% on a massive range of plain and stone set silver jewellery.  But you must hurry - the sale won't last forever!