My Wedding Ideas - Unique Wedding Ideas & Creative Wedding Tips » Wedding Jewelry

Alternatives to The Wedding Veil

Wedding Gal — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:13:45 +0000

Many brides today are choosing to not wear a wedding veil. Looking at the bridal magazines more and more bride models are shown without veils. Are the styles changing so brides will now go veil-less? Only time will tell. But if you do wish to be without a veil, there are a number of lovely options for the blushing bride.

Fresh flowers are one of the most popular options for the bride without a veil. These brides have fresh flowers created into a custom-made headdress they wear. This is an ideal choice for brides who feel especially close to nature or want to celebrate the seasons. Flowers are also very romantic. You may choose a flower to design your headdress around that your groom first gave you when he was courting you. That expression gives your bridal ensemble much more meaning than choosing a wedding veil. Fresh flowers can be worn any time of year with the assistance of a florist.

Tiaras are another excellent choice for many brides. Who could resist a bit of sparkle on their wedding day? The bride who chooses a tiara often has an elegant or evening themed wedding. Compliment your tiara with some sparkly jewelry if you can – as your tiara will be flattered with the extra shimmer and shine. Many women dream of being a princess or a queen for the day and a tiara makes their dream come true!

Theme weddings often make it possible for a bride to forego a traditional wedding veil. Some brides during the Halloween season have all of their guests dress in costume – right along with the bride and groom. Depending on what type of costumes the bride and groom have chosen, a wedding veil may not be the ideal expression she wants. She can get just as pretty a “bride” look from a wedding bouquet, lovely jewelry or fancy shoes.

Wraps are also quite popular and another choice for the bride who wishes to forego the wedding veil. With a wedding veil the eye is naturally brought down to your neck and shoulders. You have the same “eye appeal” when you choose a beautiful wrap. Many bridal stores like David’s Bridal now carry wedding wraps to compliment wedding dresses. A wrap can be perfect for a Winter wedding in a faux or real fur. Or a silk or linen fabric for the Spring and Summer. You have many options when you choose a wrap.

Stunning wedding jewelry is an ideal choice for the bride that doesn’t wish to wear a veil. There are so many choices when you choose jewelry to compliment your wedding dress. You could wear heirloom jewelry from your grandmother and mother. Or you could wear jewelry ideal for the theme of your wedding. Your new husband may even give you special jewelry to wear for your wedding day. Or you could have jewelry custom designed for this day to celebrate your union.

If you choose not to have a wedding veil, know that there are many options to stay just as lovely a bride as you would like to be. Every bride deserves to express her originality and personal style as she says her vows and dances for the first time with her new husband.

Tiara photo by robleto

Pearls: The Ideal Wedding Gemstone

Wedding Gal — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:46:28 +0000

Many brides put on their mother’s or grandmother’s pearl necklace for their wedding, thinking this is a sweet sentiment. But the meaning behind pearl necklaces is just as thoughtful and special to a bride-to-be. We’d like to share it with you now – so you understand exactly why women for centuries have chosen pearls as their wedding jewelry of choice giving them as much importance as their engagement rings.

Most of you surely have noticed the pearl, lustrous, white and smooth. They have been considered precious by men and women for centuries – some might even say as valuable as diamonds. Pearls represent innocence and purity, ideal for a bride to wear for her wedding day. The most popular color for pearls is white. Pearls have a beautiful, shining luster to compliment a bride’s love light in her eyes and her traditional white wedding dress. The radiant glow of the pearl easily reflects back the bride’s natural beauty. These natural gems are an ideal choice for brides of all ages and personal tastes and styles. What if the bride isn’t wearing white? Not to worry….pearls are available in a variety of colors now from deep purple, soft pink, gold and even black. The very fussiest of brides can be soothed and pleased with a feminine, pretty pearl necklace to suit her wedding day dress.

Pearls are also available in many different styles of jewelry, from necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings. Go for a truly luxuriant look with a three-strand choker on your wedding day. Or tiny seed pearls in seven or eight strands for a feminine look. Or a classic single strand pearl necklace in white or ivory. These pearl jewelry styles easily compliment many wedding dress looks.

To obtain pearls, one needs to find them from oyster shells. Some have said that pearls were created from raindrops falling from the heavens. Very romantic thoughts indeed! But we have to admit there is certainly something romantic about the very act of finding pearls. You have to search to find just the “right” oyster and not every oyster will have that pearl. Just like finding your lovely bride – pearls are selective and special. The perfect way to show the woman you love that you’ve found someone you truly want to keep forever.

The pearl is a romantic gem and often is given as a token of love. For many years the pearl was considered to be the most valuable of gemstones. To give or receive pearls showed the value of a relationship. One’s bride is valuable and precious indeed.

So as you put on your pearl necklace like your grandmother and her grandmother before her, remember the romantic pearl’s history. This sweet sentimental gem is honored to be with you on your wedding day!

Source: http://crystal-cure.com/pearl.html

Choosing a Diamond

Wedding Gal — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:57:42 +0000

diamond wedding ring with blue sapphires

If you are looking to buy that special someone an engagement ring or a ring to show how much you care you should first be knowledgeable about diamonds. By knowing some basics about diamonds you can make a smart choice which will also fit into your budget. The more you know about diamonds the better you will be at the finding a high quality diamond at a reasonable price. The first thing you should be aware of is what jewelers call the 4 C’s; which are cut, color, clarity and carat weight. These are the things they use to obtain the value of the diamond.

One thing to consider is the brilliance of the diamond depends heavily on its cut. The cut give a diamond the brightness that makes it shine. The diamond cut is on a grading scale which is; Ideal, Very Good, Good and Fair/Poor cuts. The Ideal cut gives maximum brilliance and is more expensive. Very Good cut diamonds let in a lot of the light and have a good deal of brilliance. The Good cut diamond offers quality and beauty for a reasonable price. Fair to Poor cuts only reflect a small portion of light and most reputable jewelers to do not carry this cut.

It is normal for diamonds to contain some type of flaw or inclusions that happened when they were formed in the earth. The clarity of a diamond takes into account the number, size and visibility of the flaws. The less flawed diamond will create more brilliance and therefore are highly prized and pricier. It is possible to find a diamond with some imperfections that still has brilliance and sparkle.

No color is the most desirable in a diamond because it allows the most reflection of light. Jewelers refer to a professional color scale to grade the color of a diamond. The highest rating is the letter “D” for colorless and the color scale goes to Z. Diamonds that are graded J through M may have a very faint hint of yellow in the diamond and look stunning in a gold setting.

The unit of weight a diamond is measured by is called a carat. Large diamonds are higher priced because they are less common than small diamonds. The standard is usually the larger the diamond is, the higher the price will be. Your budget will help determine the size of diamond you will want to choose. If you compare diamonds you will find one that is the size and quality you desire.

When you are looking for diamonds it is in your best interest to look for ones with a Diamond Certificate. The Diamond Certificate will give you all the information about the diamond. It will have the specifications of the 4C’s and also a diagram explaining all aspects of the diamond. If you buy an uncertified diamond you are not going to know exactly what you’re getting. The Diamond Certificate is like a blue print on the diamond and will have all the properties listed. An appraisal is not the same as a certificate; an appraisal gives the approximate retail replacement value of the diamond.

A diamond engagement ring can be a substantial investment and you should choose carefully and wisely. If you use the information provided you will be able to make a knowledgeable decision. By being informed you will be able to get the best quality diamond that will fit within your budget.

The Making of Your Wedding Ring

Wedding Gal — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:07:29 +0000

There are a variety of different methods used to create fine jewelry. Some rings are created using wire stock which is usually either half round or flat. The designer takes a precut length of this wire and uses a ring mandrel to make the ring the desired size. The two ends are then soldered together. Using filler and polishing the ring it is made to shine and the solder point isn’t noticeable. This type of ring looks good at first but eventually the place where it was soldered will become noticeable. This is because the solder seems to tarnish at a faster rate than gold alloys.

There are other methods used to make seamless wedding rings. These rings are created from cold worked tube which allows the finished product to be seamless and solder free. A long length of tube is used and ring “blanks” are cut and machined to the proper size. A seamless ring will wear better over time and will be tarnish resistant which makes the ring stronger. When you are buying a piece of jewelry you can ask about the method used for creating the store’s rings.

Casting is a manufacturing process where a mold is created and molten metal is put into the mold and set aside to cool. This process is sometimes referred to as investment casting or the lost wax process. This is a common process for making jewelry and is an easy way to produce multiple items. The drawback to casting is that the mountings are slightly porous and less durable than hand fabricated or die struck.

The process called die striking to produce a ring is the process using metal parts mechanically stamped out of a compressed sheet of metal using steel dies. This is the same type of process used for stamping coins. A bar of alloyed gold is rolled under heavy pressure to produce a metal ribbon. The pieces are cut out using steel dies, the whole process is repeated until the ring is formed. The die striking process is very time consuming and it can require up to 35 separate steps to produce a ring. The end result is a ring that is perfectly proportioned and has a superior finish.

Hand fabrication is when a mounting is made by sawing, filling and shaping metal parts by hand and then soldering them together. This type of mounting will be a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry. This method is very time consuming and requires a high skill level and should only be done by a talented artesian.

A quality ring will look like one continuous piece of metal and will have no large noticeable pits or bumps. The ring will be of high quality if the metal looks perfectly smooth and does not show tiny pits or pores which are called porosity. This can result from cooling the ring too slowly or by casting too many rings together. All parts of the mounting should look symmetrical, balanced and well proportioned. The piece holding the stone should not be tilted or bent. The right side of the ring should look the same as the left side.

These are some of the methods used for making jewelry. It is always a good to ask the jewelry what specific method was used to produce the jewelry you are intending to purchase. These are some things to take into consideration when looking for that special piece of jewelry.

photo by Lori107

My Wedding Ideas - Unique Wedding Ideas & Creative Wedding Tips » Wedding Jewelry

Alternatives to The Wedding Veil

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Pearls: The Ideal Wedding Gemstone

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Choosing a Diamond

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The Making of Your Wedding Ring

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