The new window display gets installed at marylebone high street.
Here is the original post: Wild Thing Windows | Kabiri Designer Jewellery Blog
With gold prices high, many silver neophytes have begun dabbling in the metal, but longtime .925 aficionados Montblanc are showing newcomers how silver is done with a bold sterling silver jewelry collection called “Montblanc Star Decor.”
Read more: Montblanc silver collection reaches for the stars
Jul 232010
Emeralds. Prized since ancient times, a fine emerald can be more expensive than a high quality diamond of the same carat weight. Did you know that most emeralds are treated to enhance their appearance? These facts about emeralds explain common emerald enhancements and alert you to deceptive practices sometimes used to market emerald jewelry.
View original post here: Emeralds, Facts and Folklore
April 05. Antique Jewelry: The Victorian Age. Antique jewellery is highly desirable and really collectible and can demand really high costs when sold in an on-line jewelry auction.
Read more here: Antique Jewelry: The Victorian Age – Windows Live
saunthra@topazturtle has added a photo to the pool:
These long dangly earrings are made from resin beads in a rich lime green color with a translucent pale champagne background. One bead is a long triangular shape while the other is a short oblong. Silver colored wire, jump rings and ear hooks bring it all together.
The earrings are 3 ¾ inch (9.5cm) long and the beads are 2/5 inch (0.9cm) high. The triangular bead is 1 1/5 inch (3cm) long and the oblong bead is 9/10 inch (2cm) long.
Read the original here: Chandelier resin earrings in lime green and champagne
The main reason I decided to set up the London Jewellery School is because when I was doing my training for jewellery making there were so few, high quality jewellery courses in London. There were lots in Birmingham, York, Cornwall and …
Link: Interview with Jessica van Zanten – Founder of London Jewellery …
www.inspiredbyjewellery.com Watch in HD for better results. Unique affordable high-quality necklace sets, rings, earrings, and bracelets. Collections include Pearl, Sterling Silver, and Ethnic Indian jewellery.
See the original post: Inspired by Jewellery in HD
Sporting a D&G T-shirt, a pair of Lagerfeld jeans, a Tiffany necklace and a Louis Vuitton bracelet, Wan Zihong, chairman of M&L plaza, is living proof of the grip of elite branding. But his pursuit of high-street fashion is nothing …
Read this article: Profits sparkle for gemstone business
By John Lewis
The British shopper is a strange beast. It seems that our love affair with high street shopping may have peaked this year yet our trends to shopping on the web look to be increasing even further. Recent statistics released suggest we are far more likely to buy on the internet than our European or even American cousins. The irony though is that although the UK is benefiting from an internet sales boom our UK manufacturers continue to struggle.
Many industries in the UK have suffered as a result of cheap imported foreign goods and as a result of the strength of the pound against other currencies.
Whilst there are undoubtedly some excellent quality imported goods there are equally as many poor quality, poor value goods. A good example in this area is in the manufacture of jewellery and our UK market has been flooded with cheap foreign rubbish, much of which comes from the far east and is probably produced in less than desirable working conditions. The jewellery is usually of the costume variety, the quality is not great so it won’t last and the materials used are cheap and can produce allergic reactions.
Why not support some of our local home grown talent? Here in the UK we have many talented, skilled independent jewellery designers who struggle to make a living. These people handcraft all types of jewellery from all types of materials including precious metals and gemstones and many pieces will be unique. Most designers are happy to produce one off commissions at very reasonable prices enabling you to own a beautiful piece of UK made designer jewellery.
For your handcrafted jewellery made here in the UK, why not consider using the internet to make your purchase from a secure e commerce shop.
It is predicted that this year there will be bumper on line sales in the UK of over
By Ashley Shameli
We are often asked why silver jewellery has hallmarks on it. In the UK the most common hallmark is a 925 stamp. In other countries you may see hallmarks with the words ‘silver’ or ‘quality silver’ in capital letters. Although the types of hallmarking used internationally vary, the principle behind the hallmarking system for silver jewellery remains the same.
Let us first look at the law as it stands. In the UK nearly all high quality 925 sterling silver jewellery must be stamped with a 925 hallmark. A rigorous body of laws, dating back from Medieval times, governs the system and legal requirements of hallmarking. More recently the 1999 European regulations and directives have introduced further requirements to the Hallmarking Act 1973. Only those 925 silver items specifically excluded by law may legally avoid the requirement of a hallmark.
Similar laws apply all around the world and are usually just as firm as those in the UK. Where hallmarking laws exist you inevitably find an official body tasked with carefully monitoring the hallmarking system and empowered to issue hefty penalties for any breaches.
Now that we know what the law is, we can look at why it exists. In essence hallmarking laws are designed to protect the consumer. High quality 925 silver is a combination of 92.5% silver and the remaining 7.5% is composed of another alloy, added to increase durability and resistance to damage. Unscrupulous jewellery merchants and retailers were tempted in the past to reduce the total level of silver in this combination. Furthermore, the dishonest producers and sellers escaped punishment because it is impossible to assess the total percentage of silver in an item of jewellery without chemical testing it.
Although it is fine to sell silver jewellery which contains less than 92.5% silver, such jewellery can not be branded as 925 silver. 925 sterling silver has a reputation for excellence and is justifiably the consumer’s preferred choice. It contains a high percentage of silver while the 7.5% alloy added to the mix enhances the quality and strength of each item. The benefits of passing-off inferior silver jewellery as 925 quality are therefore patently obvious.
The hallmarking system was designed to resolve the problems of dishonest traders and to address the drop in consumer’s confidence in 925 silver. A third party – such as the current main Assay Offices of London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh in the UK – would analyse and stamp each item of 925 jewellery. As this third party carried out all chemical analysis themselves, and then issued the hallmark stamp, all items stamped with the 925 hallmark were guaranteed to conformed to the required legal standard. Furthermore, heavy fines and criminal sanctions were introduced to ensure public trust in the hallmarking scheme.
The hallmarking scheme remains in operation today in the UK and most countries around the world use a similar system to ensure customers can buy 925 silver with confidence.
As an interesting historical side note the silver jewellery hallmark originated in the early Middle Ages in England. At first only the Goldsmith’s Hall in London was able to mark silver – thus the word hallmark, being a mark given in Goldsmith’s Hall, came into common use.
About the Author: Ashley Shameli, the author of this article, is a director of http://www.purdicejewellery.co.uk and http://www.purdicehome.co.uk. He can be contacted through either of the Purdice websites.
Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=15856&ca=Arts+and+Crafts
View original post here: Why Is 925 Silver Jewellery Hallmarked?
