Jewellery for any occasion Jewellery from Hot Diamonds - Rennie Mackintosh Celtic Sandstorms - Kit Heath - Pave About our range of Gold and Silver jewellery. Diamonds are not just beautiful and highly desired, they are also the hardest substance known to man and the only way to cut a diamond, is to use another diamond ! Diamonds are formed under extreme pressure deep within the earth between 1 billion and 3 billion years and as a natural process, this makes each pure carbon diamond unique and gives rise to a wide variety of colours. Records indicate that the first diamond was discovered 4,000 years ago in India and since that time, much has been discovered about diamonds which evolved the current classification: The quality of diamonds is not all about size alone, but includes various criteria to be considered when making or just buying a piece of diamond jewellery. These qualities are the four C's - cut, clarity, colour and carat. Please Scroll down page to read lots more information about jewellery......
Diamond Set Style	Rings for men and women to suit every occasion.	Graceful Line epitomise this Collection
Amethyst & Topaz, Citrine & Topaz, Garnet Pendants	Brilliant-cut Diamonds set in Five, Seven or Circles Movement & Two-Colour Gold are combined in this Stunning Set Distinctive Diamond Designs Brilliant cut Centre Diamond Set	Hot Diamonds Just Add Love

The cut of the diamond is the only charicteristic of a diamond's defining qualities that is not created by mother nature and refers to the angles and proportions that professional diamond cutters create in the stone to polish it and maximise its brilliance which is so desired, this is also known as the diamonds fire. Many diamonds are classically round cut with 58 facets, from the table to the cullet (or from the top to the bottom in non-technical terms) but they can also be marquise, heart, emerald,princess, pear and oval shapes often dictated by the raw stone when it was discovered during mining, and naturally the skill of the craftsman who ultimately does the cutting. A round cut diamond is a diamond cut into a sphere or ball. Marquise is a brilliant-cut diamond, meaning that it reflects the most light from within the stone. Marquise cut is boat-shaped, long and thin with gently curved sides that come to a point on either end. A heart cut diamond is a very romantic design, a pear shaped and oval diamond. All are brilliant cut. Emerald cut is a rectangular or square-shaped cut-cornered diamond and princess cut is a square or sometimes rectangular shaped, modified brilliant-cut diamond.

The clarity of a diamond is judged by the quantity, size, position, colour, release and shape of its inclusions which are tiny flaws, imperfections and impurities which all natural diamonds will have to some degree, however, the fewer the inclusions, the greater the quality and corresponding value of a diamond, which is graded on a clarity and colour scale. Diamonds are a natural substance, and each diamond is different, so naturally the majority of diamonds contain “inclusions”, or tiny flaws, with the appearance of minute feather shapes, clouds and tiny crystals that are formed when the diamond is created. Inclusions change the way light travels through the diamond and stop the light being refracted as effectively out of the diamond, thus making a difference to its brilliance or fire. The range of diamond clarity is divided into grades with IF (Internally Flawless) classed as a diamond with no visible characteristics under magnification, or that no flaws are visible. VVS means that the diamond is Very, Very Slightly Included, VS1/2 means that minor characteristics are visible under magnification, SI1/SI2 means that the diamond is slightly included, or that characteristics are visible under magnification, and I1, I2 and I3 mean that characteristics are visible to the eye. The numbers mean that the diamonds can be graded more precisely, as each number represents levels within each grade. The 1s will have fewer or smaller inclusions than the 2s. Diamonds with no inclusions (IF) are referred to as flawless and are extremely rare.

The range of diamond colours, may surprise many people, with fabulous yellow, blue, pink,green, red, brown and black diamonds, all of which are very rare. The black diamond has always been for many years used by industry for commercial cutting tools, although recently there has been some demand to use black diamonds in fine jewellery. Technically speaking, the white diamond should be called colourless and yet most colourless diamonds have a degree of yellow colour which is too faint to be seen by the naked eye. Traditionally most diamond engagement and wedding rings use clear colourless diamonds where colour is absent, and the closer a diamond is to being completely colourless, then the more valuable a diamond becomes. Diamond colour is judged on a scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the range is from D (colourless and therefore extremely valuable), through to Near Colourless, Slightly Tinted, Very Light Yellow, Light Yellow, Yellow, to Light Fancy, which is graded at around a Z. The alphabetical colour scale is only currently graded from 'D' which is the whitest, to 'Z', which is very brown. Why not consider "A" "B" or "C" to be the whitest colour rather than 'D', well, quite simply this is in case a diamond even more white than the current whitest "D" diamond is ever found! Even diamonds that appear colourless and seem simply to refract other colours than to have their own intrinsic colour have a slight yellow, brown and grey tinge that diamond experts can identify. The colour can add a character to a diamond - some of the world's most beautiful diamonds have colour in them. Selecting your diamond is only part of the journey and decision process towards choosing and buying a ring, you will also need to consider the setting you would like for your diamond, typically diamond rings can be in both yellow and white gold settings and of course platinum.

Diamond's are also judged by weight which is measured in carats, and one carat equals 200 milligrams. Carats can be broken into 100 points, so a 0.5 carat diamond can also be referred to as a 50 point diamond, or half a carat. Not all diamonds of the same carat will cost the same, the degree of quality of the cut, clarity and colour, all have to be considered and to be the same values, only then would two diamonds of equal carat have the same value.

Diamond Certification
A diamond certificate or grading report verifies that a diamond is genuine and evaluates the quality and size of the stone. Diamond certificates may be issued by a Gemological Laboratory, detailing the ‘grade’ which indicates the physical properties of the diamond. The ‘ physical properties’ being the 4 c's cut, clarity, colour and carat of the stone. A certificate retains its value provided that the diamond is not chipped, scratched, damaged or altered in any way including re cutting. Do not confuse certification with an appraisal, which is an indication of the financial value of a diamond which can easily change over time and appraisals are most commonly used for insurance purposes. A certificate enables you to buy your diamond with confidence. A diamond certificate, however is only useful if it has been issued by a reputable independent laboratory. There are several gemological laboratories throughout the world, Anchor Cert are part of the Birmingham Assay Office, IGI (International Gemological Institute) based in Antwerp, EGL (European Gemological Laboratory USA), GLG (Great Lakes Gemological Laboratory) based in Mumbai, ‘HRD’ (Hoge Raad Voor Diamont) based in Antwerp, Belgium and the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) based in the USA. The public rarely need to have a certificate, unless you are buying an extremely expensive piece of jewellery, however, buying a certified diamond allows you to make an informed choice and helps you to do a comparison shop provided you ompare one diamond with a particular weight and quality with other diamonds of a similar weight and quality.

Cleaning and Care of diamonds
Never store your diamonds with other diamond jewellery as the diamonds may scratch each other, also it is possible that chains or settings become tangled which could lead to damage. To clean your diamond jewellery, make a weak solution of warm water and mild detergent, your washing up liquid will be fine, then take an old soft toothbrush to gently brush the setting and stone over a suitable bowl, well, you don’t want to risk losing anything down the plug hole ! Rinse off with clean running water to remove the detergent, then tap gently onto a cloth to remove excess water and dry with a soft lint free cloth. You can of course use dedicated jewellery cleaner which is available from Jewellery and Gifts in Aldridge !

Jewellery & fashion tips
Gold jewellery adds the finishing touch to many outfits and, whatever the occasion, it makes the perfect gift, but there are several things to consider when you're choosing your jewellery. Plan to build a wardrobe of key jewellery pieces - small earrings, large earrings, bracelets, necklaces and pendants. It's a good idea to invest in a set of classic jewellery that never dates, however, buying jewellery in the latest fashion styles can update your wardrobe in an instant, just look through magazines to see what's in fashion and what the celebs are wearing or you could simply ask Maria, Laura and Kelly for some great advice and ideas. Jewellery should suit you, the shape of your face, the colour of your skin, the fashions you wear and your personality. Men looking a classic look go for a simple chain or bracelet and add a stylish ring, or to be a little more daring, and you don’t have to be a rock star or football player, wear an earring or even two!

At Jewellery and Gifts in Aldridge, you'll find a wide range of jewellery in classic styles and fashion designs straight off the catwalk. You'll also find a large choice of jewellery especially for the man in your life.

Which colour Gold jewellery ?
Pure gold is yellow, but it can be made into a variety of colours by changing the types and proportions of metals mixed with it during a process called gold alloying, however 22ct and 24ct gold are always yellow. In the UK, white and rose coloured gold are becoming increasingly popular, although choice should come down to personal taste, take into consideration your skin tone and the clothes you wear. Many people prefer to wear yellow gold with cream, camel and rustic colours. A combination of yellow, white or rose coloured gold - two or three coloured gold - makes for very versatile jewellery. White gold jewellery first became popular in the 1920s as an alternative to platinum jewellery and continues to become more and more fashionable. White gold is made by mixing pure yellow gold with other metals, such as silver and palladium, in the alloying process. The white gold you see in jewellery is actually an off-white gold alloy. Most white gold items are enhanced with rhodium plating, giving a highly reflective white surface which can over a period of time experience some loss of brightness. This is perfectly normal, especially with rings that receive daily wear and tear. If you prefer the highly reflective rhodium finish, we advise that you have your white gold jewellery periodically rhodium plated.

How many carats of Gold?
Caratage is an important factor in buying gold jewellery as it indicates the purity and hardness. Pure gold is very soft which makes it unsuitable for most jewellery as it may damage and wear excessively, to make it stronger, it is mixed with other metals, such as silver, copper, zinc and palladium during the alloying process. The carat (ct) tells you how may parts of gold and how many parts of other metal are in the gold alloy, but don't confuse this with the carat weight of diamonds and gemstones. One carat is one part of 24, or 41.66 parts of a thousand. 9ct gold is 375 parts gold per thousand parts. 18ct gold is 750 parts per thousand. 24 carat gold is pure gold. Preference for a certain caratage is often based on cultural factors. In the UK, 9ct and 18ct is most commonly sold, while in America, 14ct is more popular. In India, 22ct gold is preferred. 24ct gold tends to be used for exchange and investment where handling, wear and tear is not really an issue.

What is a hallmark ?
British hallmarking was introduced over 600 years ago and was probably the first example of consumer protection law. When you're buying gold jewellery, make sure it has a hallmark. This is a quality control mark placed on gold, silver and platinum and provides a safeguard to purchasers. The hallmark on an article shows that it has been tested (assayed) by an independent body (the Assay Office) and guarantees that the metal is of one the legal standards of fineness, or purity so you know exactly what you are buying. A hallmark also allows your jeweler to quickly identify what carat your jewellery is if you have to take it for repair or alterations. It is illegal for most articles of precious metal above a certain minimum weight to be described, or sold, as gold, silver or platinum, unless they carry an approved hallmark. A British hallmark is made up of at least three compulsory symbols: The Sponsor's Mark - This indicates the manufacturer, or sponsor of the item which shows the initials of the person or firm who sent in the item for assaying. The Fineness Mark - This indicates what the metal is and its standard of purity in parts per thousand. The Assay Office Mark - This identifies the Assay Office at which the item was tested and marked. There are also optional marks: The Common Control Mark - This contains the standard of purity. The shape of the shield indicates what the metal is. The Pictorial Quality Symbol - This indicates the metal by picture. The Date Letter - This indicates which year the item was submitted for hallmarking. Only gold items more than 1.5 grams in weight and silver jewellery that exceeds a weight of 7.7 grams are required to be hallmarked in the UK.

Precious Jewellery Metal Guide
Silver was once called the 'lunar' metal – its appearance being cold and luminous, similar to the moon's reflection on water. It has always been a valuable metal, ever since it was discovered and first mined in Anatolia (now Turkey), more than 6,000 years ago. Classed as a 'Noble' metal, silver has a stable chemical structure that resists oxidisation and corrosion from acids. Sterling silver is an alloy of 92.5 % fine silver and 7.5 % copper which is added to fine silver so that it becomes more workable and durable, whilst retaining all of its beauty.

Gold has a chemical symbol of 'au' from the Latin aurum, which means shining dawn. This relates to the exquisite and uniquely warm, yellow glow radiated by gold - an attribute that has helped make it the most desirable precious metal ever known to man. Gold is the most malleable of all metals and in its purist form is considered too soft for use in many types of jewellery, Consequently, Gold is often alloyed with other metals, usually silver and copper, to make it more durable. The purity of gold is measured in karats, with 24 karat gold being 100% pure, 18 karat gold 75% pure, 14 karat gold 58.3% pure and 9 karat gold 37.5% pure.

White Gold is an alloy with a mix of nickel, zinc, copper, tin and manganese, to give it a stunning platinum-like white sheen.

Rhodium is the hardest of all precious metals and is extremely expensive.

Sterling silver is jewellery plated with rhodium to ensure the most wear resistant finish possible and sterling silver reflects light beautifully.

What is a Ring ?
The parts and purpose of a ring design which is made of distinct elements where often the stone will account for 75 to 90% of the overall cost of the ring. The Setting holds the center stone, a strong precious metal is important to keep the stone safe. The Band will endure the most wear over time since it's in constant contact with the fingers and everything that your hand touches. The Hallmark Stamp indicates the type and purity of the metal and all rings must have this. Ring Settings all have their own unique personality to compliment your personal style and tastes. Prong settings let the stone be the focus, making it visible from all sides for maximum sparkle and fire. Cathedral or Contour settings are simular to prong but with rising slopes to protect the stone on two sides making it elegant, but a little more secure. Channel settings allow the stone to sit between two parallels of metal, visible, but not prominent providing the metal and stone to each have their own distinction. Bar settings are distinctive with a thin metal bar that separates each stone but leaves the sides open to bring in light and create the fire. Bezel settings area a timeless classic that draws attention to the stone, and away from itself, by framing it in precious metal. Pavé settings are sophisticated, but subtle with tiny metal beads which hold each stone in its own discreet setting. Tension settings grip the stone with 65-95 pounds of pressure, creating the illusion that the stone is floating free above the band. Flush settings are a high-impact, low-stress setting which offers the security of small stones inside tiny holes.