(Written by: Harmony Scott)
"Couture" vs. "Costume" for your Wedding Jewelry
Designer, handmade jewelry is such a wonderful choice for your wedding day. Why not wear a work of art that will express your personal style? Handmade, quality jewelry doesn't have to be expensive...you just need to be a smart shopper. It is quite possible to find a jeweler who creates gorgeous, unique jewelry with exotic gemstones and pearls set in silver or gold. "Real" jewelry can be surprisingly affordable, yet still carries lasting value. This can be the one item from your wedding (besides the ring) that you will wear over and over through the years. Handmade, designer jewelry made especially to compliment your wedding day will continue to be enjoyed into the future, and may even become a sentimental heirloom for your children or family members.
Swarovski crystals and faux pearl bridal jewelry are (sadly) everywhere, and often cost just as much as their far more fabulous and "real" counterparts. So why not choose "couture" over "costume" and celebrate your unique sense of style and beauty? I hope you will take a moment to read these tips, and find the ideal jewelry artist to create your perfect handmade wedding jewelry!
Where to Start
Start researching at least four months before your wedding date, so you won't be rushed. As soon as you have found your wedding dress you are ready to find your jewelry. When choosing a jewelry designer, make sure you are familiar with their style and price range. Start with a little research on jewelers in your area, ask your friends for recommendations, and clip photos in magazines of attractive styles. I particularly like Lucky and InStyle magazines for their variety and price range. If you want something very specific, it is always best to find a jeweler nearby that you can meet with face to face. Otherwise, email makes it pretty easy to refine your search and communicate with your designer of choice.
Websites are a great resource. Spend some time online where you can browse and educate yourself at your leisure. The more specific your search keywords, the more refined your results will be. Use keywords like "bridal jewelry" or "wedding jewelry" along with "freshwater pearl", "semi-precious gemstones", "affordable handmade jewelry", "handmade designer jewelry", "sterling silver", and "gold." It is helpful to narrow the field of choices by searching for specific gemstones or materials you like (like moonstone, topaz, amethyst, or pink freshwater pearls) or styles that attract you (like "Victorian", "Edwardian" or "Antique"). One useful website is www.thefind.com. It is basically a shopping search engine that organizes your results by price or search-term relevance, and best of all, it has little thumbnail photos of each piece so you can see if you like the item before you click through to the specific website.
Once you have a few good design candidates, make an appointment to speak with each jeweler on your list in person, by phone or via email. Bring in or email photos of your dress (preferably with you in it), have a clear budget and time frame, and be sure to communicate any other important details that will give the designer a good idea of your desires and expectations.
Buyer Beware
Steer clear of any jeweler who pushes you towards a design that is not your taste or is too expensive. It is one thing for a designer to educate you about the jewelry they create, but don't let someone sweet-talk you into a design that you don't really love or can't afford. This is a big red flag, and the best course of action is to go somewhere else. Also, don't let your sister's best friend guilt you into wearing a necklace she "designed" just because she can string beads in a row. This is your day, and you should have it your way! You deserve to work with a professional who takes their craft, reputation, and customer service seriously. With a little effort you can find a talented designer who creates jewelry you love, listens to your needs, caters to your budget, and treats you with the respect and honesty you deserve.
Budget Minded
Once you have found your jeweler of choice, you can trim your expenses by purchasing a design that is currently available for sale in their line, or by asking the designer to repeat or make small changes to a style they have created previously. This will help save money since the artist will not have to create something from scratch especially for you, and the price should be more reasonable. If you do want something made specifically for you, expect to pay more, and in some cases the increased expense can be significant. This is because the designer will have to take much more time and care to create a look that is exactly what you want, and may have to create and re-create the piece several times to get it just right. Always get an estimate first before any work has started to avoid any nasty surprises! Its best to be upfront with your budget, most jewelry designers will appreciate your candor and be able to guide you to your ideal look and price range.
I hope you have enjoyed these tips! Best wishes on finding the perfect jewelry designer to suit your specific style, budget, and desires for your special day.
Showing posts with label colorado bridal jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label colorado bridal jewelry. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Pearl Bridal Jewelry
This is not just my opinion, but pearls have been the first choice for bridal jewelry for a long time. Many years before the Romans considered pearls the ultimate gem, the Egyptians thought that pearls were the most beautiful gem.
Truth be told, the reason that pearls were people's first loved gem was that they needed no cutting or polishing, because the ancient peoples did not have the capabilities to cut and polish the harder gems like diamonds.
So is there any other reason why pearls became the gem of royalty and most importantly the gem of choice for bridal jewelry? In my opinion there is, instead of digging them from the dirt, pearls are obtained from a man risking his life to dive, sometimes quite deep into the sea. When he comes to the surface and presents his bride with a completely finished gem, it becomes so very spontaneous. A diamond or ruby or emerald is quite a bit more contrived. If a man were to present his love with a rough diamond, she would have hardly been impressed with the dull gray rough appearance, but the pearl is immediately beautiful. It needs no artificial contrivance to make it beautiful.
And the same is true today, soft, natural, glowing and lovely the pearl is the ultimate bridal jewelry. Maybe the pearl reflects the natural beauty of the bride. Think about this, there are ways of hiding a diamonds flaws, from coloring or even injecting a fluid to hide deep imperfections, but there are not easy ways to hide a pearls flaws. If the pearl have blemishes or cracks, or is just dull, how can you disguise that to a person?
Consider this the pearl is grown in the deepest softness of the oyster much like a child comes to life inside the bride. A diamond comes from carbon that is compressed and heated inside a volcano. Which way is more closely related us? One way is so hard and not really organic and the other way symbolizes birth. Am I so far off? Another way is that to show a pearls natural beauty, nothing needs to be done. The pearl's soft glow seems almost spiritual, whereas a diamond is almost like looking in to a glass mirror, or a polished piece of metal. What we experience in a pearl is more complicated. See a pearl just doesn't reflect like a mirror.
Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to create a falsely mystical feeling. But a pearl grow layer by layer and what this means to the beauty of this bridal jewelry is that when light is reflected back at your eyes it does not all bounce out like a mirror or crystal, it bounces back inside and reflects on and again from each semi-translucent layer of nacre. This is why a pearl appears to glow.
And this is why I think a pearl is lovelier than an artificially created cut gem, aside from the fact that a pearl is the gem of love.
(source: P E Sherlock)
More about Bridal Jewelry
Truth be told, the reason that pearls were people's first loved gem was that they needed no cutting or polishing, because the ancient peoples did not have the capabilities to cut and polish the harder gems like diamonds.
So is there any other reason why pearls became the gem of royalty and most importantly the gem of choice for bridal jewelry? In my opinion there is, instead of digging them from the dirt, pearls are obtained from a man risking his life to dive, sometimes quite deep into the sea. When he comes to the surface and presents his bride with a completely finished gem, it becomes so very spontaneous. A diamond or ruby or emerald is quite a bit more contrived. If a man were to present his love with a rough diamond, she would have hardly been impressed with the dull gray rough appearance, but the pearl is immediately beautiful. It needs no artificial contrivance to make it beautiful.
And the same is true today, soft, natural, glowing and lovely the pearl is the ultimate bridal jewelry. Maybe the pearl reflects the natural beauty of the bride. Think about this, there are ways of hiding a diamonds flaws, from coloring or even injecting a fluid to hide deep imperfections, but there are not easy ways to hide a pearls flaws. If the pearl have blemishes or cracks, or is just dull, how can you disguise that to a person?
Consider this the pearl is grown in the deepest softness of the oyster much like a child comes to life inside the bride. A diamond comes from carbon that is compressed and heated inside a volcano. Which way is more closely related us? One way is so hard and not really organic and the other way symbolizes birth. Am I so far off? Another way is that to show a pearls natural beauty, nothing needs to be done. The pearl's soft glow seems almost spiritual, whereas a diamond is almost like looking in to a glass mirror, or a polished piece of metal. What we experience in a pearl is more complicated. See a pearl just doesn't reflect like a mirror.
Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to create a falsely mystical feeling. But a pearl grow layer by layer and what this means to the beauty of this bridal jewelry is that when light is reflected back at your eyes it does not all bounce out like a mirror or crystal, it bounces back inside and reflects on and again from each semi-translucent layer of nacre. This is why a pearl appears to glow.
And this is why I think a pearl is lovelier than an artificially created cut gem, aside from the fact that a pearl is the gem of love.
(source: P E Sherlock)
More about Bridal Jewelry
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wholesale Bridal Jewelry
Bridal jewelry is not just glittering pieces of precious stones and metals. Items of jewelry used by brides are treasured as symbols of love and commitment. A wedding entails purchase of jewelry for the bride and for several other female members of the family. This is why quite a few jewelry stores offer free shipping for jewelry purchased for the bride's mother and the bridesmaids.
Almost every jewelry store deals in a fine selection bridal jewelry. This selection is sourced from wholesale bridal jewelry suppliers. All retail jewelry stores, whether online or regular, buy jewelry wholesale and then sell it on a retail basis. The most sought after jewelry is bridal jewelry as weddings are an occasion where jewelry is a must.
Stocking up for wholesale bridal jewelry entails a careful choice of jewelry pieces that will be suitable for the occasion. Delicate, elegant, tastefully made pieces of jewelry are chosen for bridal wear. The bride's wedding ring is carefully chosen. Wholesale bridal jewelry dealers should ensure that they source different standard ring sizes in varying varieties. The popular varieties in wedding bands are diamond bands, platinum bands, diamond solitaires and bands with other precious stones like rubies, emeralds and the like.
Wholesale bridal jewelry orders are also placed for many varieties of engagement rings. Necklaces, bracelets, brooches and the like are also purchased as part of a bride's jewelry.
The items of jewelry remain the same but trends change from time to time. Wholesale bridal jewelry suppliers should keep this in mind and keep abreast of market trends. They should maintain ideal stock sizes in varying designs so that they can cater to a sizable demand without running out of stock. Stock lots maintained by wholesale bridal jewelry dealers should not be so large that they get left with many pieces of unsold jewelry.
Bridal jewelry is generally traditional with touches of modern trends making small but graceful changes. So, wholesale bridal jewelry manufacturers should try out designs that are classic in style, yet have an air of newness about them.
(Source: Ken Marlborough)
Almost every jewelry store deals in a fine selection bridal jewelry. This selection is sourced from wholesale bridal jewelry suppliers. All retail jewelry stores, whether online or regular, buy jewelry wholesale and then sell it on a retail basis. The most sought after jewelry is bridal jewelry as weddings are an occasion where jewelry is a must.
Stocking up for wholesale bridal jewelry entails a careful choice of jewelry pieces that will be suitable for the occasion. Delicate, elegant, tastefully made pieces of jewelry are chosen for bridal wear. The bride's wedding ring is carefully chosen. Wholesale bridal jewelry dealers should ensure that they source different standard ring sizes in varying varieties. The popular varieties in wedding bands are diamond bands, platinum bands, diamond solitaires and bands with other precious stones like rubies, emeralds and the like.
Wholesale bridal jewelry orders are also placed for many varieties of engagement rings. Necklaces, bracelets, brooches and the like are also purchased as part of a bride's jewelry.
The items of jewelry remain the same but trends change from time to time. Wholesale bridal jewelry suppliers should keep this in mind and keep abreast of market trends. They should maintain ideal stock sizes in varying designs so that they can cater to a sizable demand without running out of stock. Stock lots maintained by wholesale bridal jewelry dealers should not be so large that they get left with many pieces of unsold jewelry.
Bridal jewelry is generally traditional with touches of modern trends making small but graceful changes. So, wholesale bridal jewelry manufacturers should try out designs that are classic in style, yet have an air of newness about them.
(Source: Ken Marlborough)
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