When you become engaged, you have so much to plan for! It’s a healthy mix of love, excitement, and anticipation for what has yet to come. And now that you have purchased the engagement ring, do you have plans to insure it?
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group has created an informative (and fun) flowchart to help you decide whether to insure or not to insure. Click here to learn more!
By Isabelle Corvin, CG, Staff Gemologist at Panowicz Jewelers.
Pantone has officially announced it’s 2019 Color of the Year as “Living Coral” (16-1546)!
This bold, energetic, and dynamic color is sure to liven things up for the New Year! Pantone calls Living Coral “sociable and spirited” and says that it is a nurturing color. It’s a blended hue of orange and pink, creating a bright spot in our everyday lives.
The first known written use of the word “coral” to describe a color was in 1513, and the use of “coral pink” was in 1892. The term “coral” for color has been used to described reds, oranges, and pinks, as well as mixed colors from those components.
Cheerful and shocking, coral lends itself well to all aspects of décor, graphic design, and fashion. In fact, you’ll find several gemstones that display this bright, bold, and beautiful color!
Padparadscha sapphire and Rhodochrosite match Living Coral almost perfectly, with their lively blend of just the right amount of pink and orange.
Padparadscha is a high-energy stone with an exotic look. The name comes from the Sanskrit word for “lotus.” And indeed, some lotus blossoms exhibit Living Coral excellently!
Rhodochrosite embodies the feeling of Living Coral with its color and the belief that it is a powerful stone for opening your heart once more. It is said to heal emotional wounds and be a guide for finding love.
Other gemstones that depict shades of Living Coral are additional sapphire colors, and some hues of topaz and spinel, as well as certain garnets.
Living Coral reminds us that the world around us is alive, filled with wonder and magic, if we only take a few moments to look. The color dives deep into our hearts, beckoning an appreciation for life’s moments and worthwhile memories.
According to Pantone, they chose this color for that very reason. In a world so immersed in technology, we all seek connections. Living Coral is a delight to the eyes and a light to the heart.
Happy New Year!
Jewelry images by credentialed AGS members. Visit ags.org/findajeweler to find an AGS jeweler near you.
Isabelle Corvin is an AGS Certified Gemologist (CG) who is the Staff Gemologist at Panowicz Jewelers. Since she was 14-years-old, she knew she wanted to be a gemologist. Ms. Corvin also writes for Panowicz Jewelers’ blog.
Tips on Buying Jewelry This Holiday Season
With the holiday shopping season here, the American Gem Society (AGS) has been receiving questions from shoppers seeking jewelry buying tips and secrets. We thought we would answer a few of our most frequently asked questions to help ease the pressure off this hectic season.
“How do I know if I’m getting a good deal?”
Trust your jeweler. Do your research, read reviews of their store, ask friends and shop with a credentialed jeweler. We take great efforts to vet all of our members, to make sure that they continue their gemological education and that they adhere to the AGS standards of ethics and integrity.
Click here to learn more about the importance of shopping with a credentialed AGS jeweler.
To find an AGS member jeweler near you, visit americangemsociety.org/findajeweler.
“Before I buy gems that have been altered to enhance their appearance, is there anything I need to know?”
Make sure that the piece comes with the proper disclosures and that you understand how to care for the gemstones. Ask your jeweler if the treatments are permanent. For example, fracture-filled diamonds can have their filling damaged by an ultrasonic cleaner or steam cleaning. Some irradiated stones are susceptible to color change with high heats such as that from a jeweler’s torch.
“What advice do you have when shopping for diamonds?”
Ask for a diamond that comes with an independent diamond grading report, specifically, an AGS Laboratories diamond grading report. AGS Laboratories is a nonprofit lab created with a mission of consumer protection.
A diamond grading report from AGS Laboratories offers a simple, straightforward, and intuitive 0-10 scale and provides all the information you need to be comfortable with your diamond-buying decision. Visit americangemsociety.org/agsdiamondgrading to learn more.
“When should I get an appraisal?”
There are different kinds of appraisals for different purposes. The most common reason for an appraisal is to obtain insurance to ensure a replacement of equal quality and value in the event of damage or loss.
For this purpose, either an Insurance Replacement Appraisal or Statement of Replacement Cost should be requested. The Insurance Replacement Appraisal represents the retail replacement cost with a comparable item.
The Statement of Replacement Cost is provided by the actual seller of the item of jewelry and will report the actual selling price based on the normal selling price of that item in that particular store. In general, you want to get your appraisal updated every two years, or if you have a significant life change, like a change of address. Of course, the best reason to get an appraisal is if the piece has significant meaning to you.
To find an AGS-credentialed appraiser near you, visit americangemsociety.org/findanappraiser.
If you have more questions, you can reach out to any AGS member jeweler or AGS-credentialed appraiser, and they’ll be happy to assist you. The American Gem Society wishes you a very happy holiday season, full of sparkle and wonderful surprises!
Did you know that brown diamonds show more flashes of colored light than “colorless” diamonds?
If you are in the market for brown diamonds, be sure to ask your jeweler for an AGS Laboratories Colored Diamond Document. It’s a grading report that presents the technical aspects and nuances of colored diamond grading to jewelry buyers with easy-to-understand verbiage and graphics.
Brown diamonds will no longer be described simply as “a brown diamond,” but will be communicated visually, highlighting the nuances within the diamond’s color. For example, a diamond with even distribution of brown throughout and hints of orange, could be described as a deep, rich, brown diamond with moderate orange accents.
Click the image below to view the Colored Diamond Document.
“Brown diamonds are beautiful and are an alternative choice to the more traditional colorless diamonds. They are also trending as an affordable choice for fine jewelry,” said Jason Quick, Laboratory Director at AGS Laboratories. “We recognized a growing need in the market and decided to create a tool that will truly enhance consumers’ buying experience.”
AGS Laboratories encourages jewelry buyers who are shopping for diamonds to always ask for a diamond grading report from an independent third-party laboratory so that they can better understand the quality of the diamond they are buying. To find an American Gem Society retailer, visit americangemsociety.org/findajeweler.
To learn more about AGS Laboratories Colored Diamond Document, visit agslab.com/browndiamonds.
Here are a few designs we love from members of the American Gem Society that feature brown diamonds.
We often share beautiful images of American Gem Society members’ jewelry. Today, we wanted to take that a step further and give you a sneak peek into their passion for jewelry, the symbolism it represents, and the way it makes them feel. In some cases, we just wanted to give you a glimpse of their humor, with jewelry as their much-adored punchline.
To achieve all that, we asked these five members to give us a quote about jewelry, along with an image of one of their favorite pieces. Enjoy!
Opal brooch from Paula Crevoshay.
Pink tourmaline pendant from Sharon Wei Designs.
Moonstone, sapphire, and diamond ring from Omi Privé.
Custom-designed ring from Michaels Jewelers.
Diamond engagement ring by Tacori.
To find some jewelry inspiration of your own, visit your local American Gem Society (AGS) jeweler. Ask your AGS jeweler if they have a personal saying or a favorite quote about jewelry! You can ask them to show you one of the above pieces or something that inspires you and your imagination. Visit ags.org/findajeweler.
By Robin Skibicki
As we change our calendars to September, our sights are set on cooler weather, and on sapphires!
Sapphires are known for their beautiful blue hue, but they can also be found in a variety of pinks, yellows, and oranges, even peach, green, and violet colors. These colors are referred to as fancy sapphire.
One of the most sought-after fancy sapphires is the padparadscha. Its pink-orange coloration can be compared to that of a tropical sunset. Princess Eugenie, a cousin to Princes William and Harry, received an oval cut padparadscha sapphire ring for her engagement, bringing this rare gemstone into the limelight.
Padparadscha sapphire and diamond ring by Omi Privé. This ring is the AGTA 2018 Spectrum Award Winner.
Sapphires can also display the celestial-like optical phenomena, asterism, adding the name “star” to this type of sapphire.
Pink star sapphire cut en cabochon, by Suna Bros.
September babies are lucky to have a birthstone that comes in a variety of colors! Below are a few images from American Gem Society (AGS) members that showcase the chromatically-gifted sapphire. To find an AGS-credentialed jeweler near you, click here!
By Donna Jolly, RJ
As summer stretches out toward its final dog days, and the thermometer keeps bobbing toward the high end, you are probably feeling the need to cool down. We have some nice ice to help. As usual with us, it’s the jewelry kind of ice.
Let’s look at five amazingly lovely pieces of jewelry we’ve recently featured on our AGS Facebook page to help us take our minds off of the temperature.
First up, these blue topaz and peridot earrings, and blue topaz pendant, from Goshwara are as calming and cool as the ocean itself.
Staying with the light blues, we love this custom engagement ring from Tacori:
Let’s keep the light blue theme going, with this big, beautiful zircon ring from Carizza:
Straying from the lighter blues, let’s get a little deep, as in the deep violet hue of this Tanzanite beauty from United Color Gems.
Last, but certainly not least, imagine this blue-green sapphire from Gem 2000 in the style of your choice. What would you do? A pendant? A solitaire ring?
To find any of these beauties, contact your local AGS jeweler here.
