If you want to bowl over your partner this Valentines, why not choose a gift that will last a lifetime rather than a few days? It often helps to start with a concept, a budget and rough design idea. The internet and social media provide an endless source of inspiration and themes but the humble pencil and paper can be just as useful when conceiving a design! The basis for any jewellery piece begins with the metal type, design and gemstone selection. Ruby is a very popular Valentines' gift, as red is commonly associated as the colour of love but ruby is not the only red stone in town! Other red gemstones to consider include spinel, garnet, red beryl or even red diamond (if your budget is in the hundreds of thousands!). Pink is also a popular colour when it comes to Valentine's day gifts, including pink sapphire, spinel and even pink diamonds for the more affluent. Emeralds, and especially Colombian emeralds, are beautiful centre pieces to any piece of jewellery, conjuring images of eternity and youth. Lab created gemstones are around 30-40% less expensive than comparable natural stones and they are rising in popularity around the world but in the Far Eastern markets especially. It is very important to ensure that you buy through a reputable jeweller who provides gemmological certificates from a leading laboratory to be certain of the exact provenance of the gemstones. These will also disclose any treatments (such as heating, oiling and fracture filling etc) that may have been applied to the stones.
Consider heart shaped gemstones. It is said that the reason a woman wears her engagement and wedding rings on the fourth finger of her left hand is because there is a vein that leads directly from that finger to her heart so what better way to symbolised this than to adorn her with a heart cut gemstone ring. Go bespoke - every relationship is unique so why not celebrate that with a one of a kind, handmade piece? If you are not married to your partner we would recommend steering clear of buying a ring until you are ready to propose. Of course, if you are proposing, or you are already married, then a ring can be the ideal Valentine's gift!
Earrings, whether drop or studs, containing diamonds or coloured gemstones (or both), are a favoured option.
Pendants and necklaces can also be worn close to the heart, giving them special significance on Valentine's Day.
Bracelets and Tennis Bracelets containing diamonds and coloured gems can look amazing, both on men and women!
Eternity rings are the perfect addition to a jewellery set, symbolising eternal love many designs incorporate combinations of different gemstones to give a vibrant feel to the ring.
Cocktail rings can compliment wedding, engagement and eternity rings for the woman who has it all!
Where to buy?
As has been widely reported, the high street no longer holds a monopoly over retail shoppers. Whilst this is much lamented, the basic economic fundamentals simply do not work in favour of retail stores, with their incumbent high rents, staff costs, business rates, insurance and stock overheads. As a direct result, the typical cost of purchasing jewellery items from a physical store is around 30-50% higher than buying online. However, purchasing deeply meaningful (and often very valuable) gifts online can be an impersonal experience and it is hard to gauge exactly what the end product will be. For these reasons we advocate a 'clicks-and-bricks' business model, in which customers have the functionality, choice and value for money of online shopping, combined with personal interaction with sales consultants, whether face-to-face (in our sales office) or remotely by phone, WhatsApp, email, Skype and video chat. When buying jewellery for another person it is always important to understand their style and tastes, as what can be beautiful for one person may be undesirable to another!
A good starting point is to consider what jewellery they already possess and how and when they wear it. For example, the different types of precious metal (silver, rose gold, gold, white gold, platinum or palladium) can complement different skin types and tones. They may also have a preference when it comes to the cut of a gemstone and indeed they may prefer one stone type to another. Many people have a close affinity with their birthstone or a favourite colour for example. When it comes to buying rings, it is of course important to have some idea as to the ring size you require. Although most rings can easily be re-sized, full eternity settings and some elaborate designs involving significant engraving or detailing can be difficult to significantly resize. Other rings the person already owns can sometimes give you a clue as to their ring size but it is important to remember that every finger on each hand has a unique size so it does not necessarily follow that the ring size of the fourth finger of the left hand will be the same as the fourth finger of the right!
Buying an engagement ring ahead of Valentine's Day can be a great time to do it as many jewellery retailers offer promotions, special offers and discounts to entice new customers. In fact, recent industry research by Forbes suggests that Valentine's has overtaken Christmas as the most popular time of year to pop the big question to one you love! However, it pays to scrutinise the discounts on offer as some may not be what they seem. As ever, it pays to find a reputable company offering a genuinely good price point - and that can be a bewildering prospect. High Street retailers will sometimes display 50-70% discounts across their ranges but their mark-ups are often between 300-500% so it is worth shopping around for a true deal. Whatever gift you buy your loved one this Valentine's Day the important thing to remember is that it is the thought that counts!
To find out more about coloured gemstone engagement rings, get in touch with us today.
