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!

A diamond from the rough

The process of turning a rough diamond from the ground into a stunning stone to be set into something really special is a fascinating one!

Beginning with the piece of rough, the manufacturer will often use laser mapping to plot out the optimum return on the stone once certain shapes and sizes have been cut, bearing in mind the weight loss incurred whilst cutting, and also ensuring to avoid any areas of poor colour or larger inclusions.

Following the designer marking out where to cut, the stone can either be cleaved (broken apart by inserting a steel blade into a small notch or 'kerf' and tapping it with an iron bar), or sawn using a phosphor-bronze saw coated in diamond dust or a laser saw.

The basic shape of the diamond will then be achieved by taking two diamonds, and rotating them against each other before the 'blocking faceting' is undertaken by a cross-worker to give the diamond its first 18 or so facets.  A 'brillianteer' will then work to precisely polish the remaining facets.

For the buyer, it is the faceting that is the key point since this will bring out the diamond's ability to reflect light. The basic symmetry of the diamond does of course have a role to play, but even the slightest error by the brillianteer, and the light can be lost out of the bottom of the stone, leaving a very dull diamond.  How much light is reflected back to the viewer is known as the brilliance. 

More facets can mean better brilliance.  For example, radiant cut diamonds (which usually have 70 facets) do offer better brilliance than a round brilliant cut diamonds (which usually have 58 facets).  However, this isn't always so, such as in the case of the princess 144, created in the 1960s.  As the name suggests, this cut has 144 facets, but experts agree that there was no real visible improvement.

But we are not just concerned with light reflection, but also refraction - that is to say how the diamond splits the light to reflect back the 7 colours of the rainbow.  This is known as the diamond's fire.

Finally, how much intense sparkle the diamond has is its scintialltion.  The ideal stone will have many of these pleasing flashes, spread evenly across the diamond's surface.

Ultimately, for the consumer, it all comes down to personal taste - the longer, narrower Emerald cut diamond offers masses in terms of elegance (and often fire), but isn't as reflective and 'sparkly' as the more popular round brilliant, princess and radiant cut.  Fortunately, improvements in laser technology mean that new cuts are being created all the time, such as the the stunning Asscher cut which offers a square cut but with more brilliance, and the lovely Phoenix cut, which offers a rounded shape with extra bling!

Platinum ring set with a Phoenix cut diamond weighing 0.91 carat - £11,500.00

Platinum ring set with an Asscher cut diamond weighing 1.02 carat, and baguette diamond shoulders - £7,950.00

Another satisfied customer - a bespoke commission

We received an enquiry recently from a client who was looking for some inspiration with regards to making her 10 year old engagement ring more wearable with her newer jewellery.

With white gold and platinum jewellery being more in vogue, it was decided that madam’s stunning 0.70 carat solitaire diamond could be taken from its white gold setting on a yellow gold band, and re-set into platinum, surrounded by a further 0.5 carat of round brilliant cut diamonds to form a lovely modern cluster ring.

And so the result? One thrilled customer who has brought the design of her engagement ring up to date, without losing the sentimentality and emotional importance of the original ring. 

Kate Middleton’s Jewellery – get her look!

Yes, we here at deMarsac have have fallen completely in love with Ms Middleton too – or the Duchess of Cambridge as we should call her.   This is a Royal who knows how to accessorise!  Her earring collection alone speaks volumes about her personal style – the perfect mix of fine jewellery and more affordable pieces:

Silver twisted drop earrings - £22.50

 Freshwater pearl drop earrings set in 18 carat white gold with diamonds - £575.00

Silver and cubic zirconia drop earrings - £115.00

And it seems that our newest princess is quite keen on hearts – always a classic:

Silver and cubic zirconia crossover heart necklace - £110.00

Floating diamond ring in 18 carat white gold - £925.00

18 carat yellow plain polished and satin gold heart bracelet - £2,475.00

Citrine and diamond heart necklace set in 18 carat yellow gold - £6,395.00

Silver and murano glass heart necklace - £34.00

We unfortunately don’t have any vintage Cartier tiaras, once worn by the Queen in stock – but we can do you a stunning line in sparkle to dangle from your lobes!

Pave diamond triple teardrop earrings - £4,250.00

Diamond cluster drop earrings - £2,695.00

Pave diamond twisted drop earrings - £1,650.00

Saving the best for last, we can’t for a moment forget that stunning engagement ring, once worn by another supremely stylish royal, Princess Diana:

Diamond and iolite cluster ring - £2,500.00 

Classic beauty, elegance and grace - it's a great look to aspire to!

Image credits:

Earrings:  http://www.celebrityclothingline.com,  http://www.handbag.com, http://whatcatherinewore.com

Hearts:  www.stylebistro.com, http://jewellerybook.blogspot.com

Wedding and engagement: http://thejewellerychannel.blogspot.com, http://www.brides.com