The eternity ring is one of life’s great purchases and the choice of diamonds for this sentimental piece is one of the great decisions you need to make for your wedding. Usually women like their eternity diamond rings to match their engagement ring. Most of the time this is possible but sometimes brides like to go in a different direction.

For a white gold diamond eternity ring the most popular diamonds are rounds and princesses. Round diamonds give eternity bands a soft organic look, especially when the diamonds are mounted in shared prongs. Deftly alternating diamonds and prongs give it a wonderfully symmetric look. Shared prongs are generally beefier than pave diamond prongs and stand the rigors of daily wear quite well. The only real maintenance of this type of diamond band is maybe an occasional re tipping and re-rhodiuming if the metal is white gold. If the metal is platinum then there will hardly be any maintenance for their diamond eternity ring.

A princess cut diamond eternity ring is suitable for women whose engagement ring has a princess center stone. Princesses require more extensive matching than round diamonds because edges need to be perfectly straight if they are to be set in a channel setting with edges touching. Also, many lower quality small princess diamonds are not perfectly square.

The length may be a hairsbreadth  longer than the width. Although these differences seem infinitesimal, they are quite easily seen with the naked eye when you look at the loose stone. Some of these slightly off square stones can be passed of as square when mounted in a channel setting because the extra width of the princess stone can be hidden under the lip of the channel by digging out the channel a bit more where that stone is to be set in the diamond eternity band ring.

Asscher cut diamonds are now all the rage for diamond eternity bands because this semi step cut has such a distinctive reflective pattern even when the diamonds are fairly small. This type of gold diamond eternity ring looks quite different from a baguette diamond eternity ring because the diamonds are square and are often set in shared prongs just like rounds are in an eternity band. When round and princess diamonds get small, they tend to lose their ability scintillate in broad flashes because their facets are so small.

However an asscher cut diamond being step cut on top can throw out broad flashes of light even when they are as small as 5 pointers. Asscher cuts are also used in half eternity bands because they require an appreciable amount of depth in the mounting when they are 10 points and over. This is more  than a round or princess would need of the same carat weight. Some women like a simple row of asschers on the top half of the band because if they went all the way around, the band would not be comfortable.

Diamond eternity rings can be some of the most complicated pieces of jewelry to get right. This type of ring from the get go has a few disadvantages that make it challenging to get the ring that you desire. For one, diamond eternity rings cannot be sized unless it comes with a sizing bar and most women don’t consider a diamond band with a sizing bar to be a true diamond eternity ring. Secondly, the diamonds in eternity diamond rings are exposed on the underside of your hand that draws the most wear to the ring.

Many women have experienced the trauma of losing their diamonds from their eternity rings through simple wear and tear. This is especially true of micro pave set diamond bands. Prong set, bar set and channel set eternity rings don’t have this problem as frequently.

The white gold diamond eternity ring is the standard for most women who end up purchasing these rings. White gold is the symbolic color of bridal rings in general and so you’ll have to consider a better color of diamond for your ring than if it were a yellow gold diamond eternity ring. D, E and F in the colorless range are ideal diamond color choices for white diamond eternity rings.

Of course, you don’t want your eternity ring to mismatch the diamond color in your engagement ring so its always safe to use the same color of diamond that was used in your engagement ring. You have to be careful to not go too far down the color scale into J and K territory because then this shade becomes quite apparent against the stark white rhodium plating that is often used on white gold diamond eternity rings.

Eternity band diamond rings are best bought at the same time that you get the engagement ring. Its always best to consider the style of ring that you want and how that’s related to how you’re going to wear your eternity ring. Many women choose not to wear their diamond eternity band rings on the same finger as their engagement ring. They prefer to wear it on the right hand ring finger and so many women make the mistake of getting an eternity ring with a very thin profile which gets lost when worn alone.

Women that want to wear their eternity ring with their engagement ring need to consider how the two will look together. If both band and engagement rings are wide and seem to take over the ring finger then the rings will be uncomfortable and will look odd. Engagement duos worn on the ring finger need to have some finger area around them in order to look balanced.

The pave diamond eternity ring allows slimmer profiled rings for women who have short stubby fingers and want their rings to look dainty. Be warned though that their are durability issues for women who are hard wearing on their rings and choose gold diamond eternity rings that are pave set.

The diamond wedding band sometimes ends up as an after thought after all the hoopla over choosing the perfect engagement ring for the proposal. The man usually has a lot of time to go out and do the legwork required for putting together the engagement ring so he can propose. If it takes longer then he estimated it would, then he simply postpones his proposal till the ring has been put together, made to the right size and appraised. When it comes to the wedding bands however, the date that they are to be given is usually fixed on the day of the wedding ceremony.

Putting weddings together is no walk in the park which is why we have wedding planners. Even so, most couples become totally absorbed in wedding preparations and thoughts of diamond wedding bands usually don’t come on the radar till all the other arrangements are in place. By that time it is too late to get the custom designed wedding rings done to perfection and many couples end up scrounging around trying to shop for ready made rings. Who knew that it would take at least a month to choose mountings, diamonds and turn it all into perfectly sized wedding bands?

The mens diamond wedding band is typically the simpler of the two and most men have no problems with simple channel set wedding bands with a single row of diamonds going across the top and center of the ring. These types of rings are frequently already made up and in jewelers’ cases and all it needs is a simple sizing which can take as much as 10 days or as little as an hour  if he’s willing to pay for expedited sizing.

A men’s diamond wedding band can also take time if the groom has taken a fancy to something like a tungsten diamond wedding band or a titanium diamond wedding band either of which cannot be sized but would have to special ordered in his size. This can often take up to three weeks if the item is not in stock at the manufacturer.

The woman’s wedding band on the other hand is going to be a bit more complicated because she will usually want it to go with her engagement ring in a certain way. She may try on many bands that may or may not fit against her engagement ring in the way that she would like. Most women  don’t take into consideration that they will more than likely want a diamond band that fits flush against their engagement ring with no gaps  and should match it perfectly. The only way to accomplish this is to shop for both her engagement ring and wedding band at the same time. In this way the groom to be will have already selected a number of different styles of diamond bands that will fit properly against the engagement ring that he has chosen so that the chances remain high that his bride to be will certainly like at least one of the bands that her fiance has chosen.

Most women like a pave diamond band because of the way they look. They are extremely delicate and feminine looking while at the same time having that punch of sparkle from the diamonds. Some women like the muted effect of a baguette diamond wedding band or the geometric look of a princess cut diamond wedding band which will contrast elegantly against an engagement ring that has a big and bright center stone that begs for all the attention.

Baguette diamond bands are also more secure than pave diamond bands because the baguettes are nicely secured in thicker metal channels as opposed to the skinny .2 mm thick pave prongs. A white gold diamond wedding band is the standard for most women. Yellow gold has become passe for bridal purposes and silver is not precious enough.

Jewelry products can be tricky to evaluate for your average consumer in trying to find out its true worth. If its a branded piece of jewelry that is available in many stores like Pandora jewelry charms then it’s simply a matter of comparing prices. However if it is a diamond ring with say one large diamond and several smaller diamonds in gold then it becomes more complicated. Most jeweler shoppers with extensive shopping experience can just pick up  piece and make an educated guess as to what its price should be. Other people that are not so experienced often send their important pieces to an appraiser to get them evaluated after purchasing them and if their value is not what they expected they return the piece back to the retailer.

Discount jewelry is simply a reflection of the fact just discussed. Retailers are aware that it can be difficult to fathom whether a jewelry piece is a good deal or not, especially when it comes to important diamonds in a bridal or anniversary piece that is of high value. So jewelers and other retailers often inflate the price on the tag and then do a markdown of 10% and more. For discount diamond jewelry this is a tried and true gimmick because people would rather put their faith in a discount then take the effort to evaluate what is being offered. Others are true jewelry buffs and will crosscheck the specs on the piece with current precious metal pricing and gem pricing lists like the ones provided by Rapaport.

When it comes to discount fashion jewelry, the waters can get murky especially when trying to compare prices on products at Online stores. There is not much that you can do with an image of the jewelry piece except compare the specs on the pieces from store to store. At a physical jeweler it is much easier because you can properly see the finish on the actual piece that is being offered and can try it on. Jewelry will often look different once you put it on unless you have seen the piece physically and are now going online to purchase.

Discount gold jewelry without precious stones can be easier to evaluate if the weight and karatage of the precious metal is provided. You would simply take the karatage into consideration and do a straight forward calculation multiplying the gram weight by a dollar value to come up with a metal cost value. From that you can interpolate the level of workmanship in the piece and add an amount to account for that which would give you an approximation of the basic cost to the retailer.

Discount body jewelry is kind of a misnomer in the sense that most body jewelry is not made of precious metals or gemstones. Most are made from surgical steel so it just depends on the particular design of the piece and whether it is a branded item or not. Prices on body jewelry generally run under $50 so discounts on these types of items are not terribly important. Their safety is more important in terms of the metal being totally hypoallergenic.

Discount bridal jewelry is the trickiest of them all. There are many designers and brands represented in bridal jewelry and their pricing is usually fixed by the Manufacturer and available to the public from any number of online sources. However merchants are generally given a territory that they must stay within when it comes to high end designer bridal jewelry and are restricted from offering these products online. You have to physically go to the store in order to purchase.

Discount costume jewelry covers a wide range of products but generally excludes jewelry made from precious metals and stones although discount silver jewelry may fall into this category. Price points are generally low and for the most part may be related more to the costs of design and assembly than the materials used.

Some discount jewelry stores like Kay’s and Zales are constantly running promotions with discounted jewelry and then there are others like the jewelry departments in Costco that have everyday low prices for their paying members. Many engaged couples have reported getting good prices on big diamond engagement rings from Costco and Sam’s Club. Discount jewelry online was initially made famous by the likes of Ashford dot com and  then later on Blue Nile dot com.

As baby boomers age and begin to depend on their pets for company as their homes turn to empty nests, they’re beginning to spend more and more on fancier fare for their dogs. From organic dog food, professional grooming and of course, jewelry. Dog jewelry comes in many forms. Although I wouldn’t call a basic dog collar jewelry, there are certainly dog collars that are studded with everything from rhinestones to diamonds. There is more selection of jewelry for dogs now than there ever has been.

Jeweled collars are perhaps the first piece of jewelry that a dog owner will buy for their dog. Glitzy Canine Couture Collars come in all different types of looks from collars with mohair and charms to mesh collars with slide on initial charms. It all depends on the size and breed of the particular dog to determine what will turn your dog from a pooch to a glam dog. Toy breeds will look good in pearl pet collars while larger breeds will look good in more rugged mesh collars that can be blinged out with crystals and dangle charms.

There is also room for the socially conscious dog. Breast Cancer Awareness dog collars and leashes may be purchased and some percentage, usually ten or fifteen of each pink ribbon collar or leash would be donated to the foundation for cancer research. Breast Cancer Awareness dog collars in pink ribbon nylon are comfortable to wear and have a side release buckle and the all purpose D-jump ring so you can attach dog ID tags and leashes. Of course the term dog tag jewelry has more to do with mens jewelry than dog jewelry

Larger or more aggressive dogs like pit bulls, dobermans and bull dogs and other exotic pets with strong personalities like Gila monsters would do well with spiked dog collars to give them even more character and oomph. For small dogs or toy dogs that want to look more fierce some but still look like a glam dog, there is the smaller version of the spike leather dog collar in pastel pinks, mauves and sky blue with smaller spikes and square rivets or the more popular and with it  rhinestone studded dog collar.

For themselves, nothing speaks of a dog lover’s priorities than dog breed jewelry. Dog jewelry for people is all the rage with many designers doing great work to identify all the breeds popular in the Western hemisphere.

Some of the more common breeds that you find in dog breed jewelry charms are Bassett Hound Dog Charm, Beagle Dog Charm,Boston Terrier, Bull Dog Charm, Chihuahua Dog Charm, Collie Dog Charm, Cocker Spaniel Dog Charm, Dachshund Dog Charm, German Shepherd Dog Charm, Greyhound Dog Charm, Irish Setter Dog Charm, Husky Dog Charm, Jack Russell Terrier Dog Charm, Newfoundland Dog Charm, Pit Bull Dog Charm, Poodle Dog Charm, Pomeranian Dog Charm, Pug Dog Charm, Retriever Dog Charms, Schnauzer Dog Charm, Scottish Terrier Dog charm, Scotty Dog Charm, Spaniel Dog Charm, Shit-zu Dog Charm, Shar-Pei Dog Charm and Toy Poodle Dog Charm. These are just some of the basic breeds As dog lover jewelry goes. There are many others along with designers that do very detailed work in terms of dog charms and gold dog jewelry.

Designer dog jewelry is best represented by the work of Meche dog and cat charms. Meche charms are stunningly realistic and three dimensional depictions of various breeds of dogs. Each charm shows the unique character and detailed coloring of more than 130 breeds of dog. Another great dog jewelry designer is Esquivel and Fees.

Drop earrings can be stunning compliments to the face. A drop earring can be long and tapered like a shoulder duster earring or short and stubby depending on the desired look. Long drop earrings add to a slender neck and gives a graceful look to an evening gown. Short drop earrings may compliment a larger central jewelry piece like a bib necklace or a fringe necklace.

Pearl drop earrings are fairly common because pearls that are round or baroque shaped tend to make great end dangles on drop earrings. They are in effect the stylized handle at the end of the dagger. Drop earrings with pearls can come in a multitude of configurations. Some of the most popular are graduated pearl drop earrings with two or three pearls strung together separated by textured metal with the end pearl dangle being the largest. Some pearl drop earrings use a designed hoop from which to dangle a pearl drop like this earring from John hardy where the hoop can be worn by itself or with the pearl.

Diamond drop earrings are popular, especially when they take the format of the three stone graduated diamond earring. Diamond drops usually have a larger then life diamond at the very end of a shoulder duster type stiletto design. The diamonds can be bezel or prong set and are usually separated from the rest of the earring with a jump ring so that it can dangle freely and catch the light.

swaying, sparkly drop earrings are all about movement. Drop earrings sway more gracefully than chandelier and medallion earrings. Chandelier earrings are meant to shimmer and draw attention to themselves whereas drop earrings are meant to call attention to the gracefulness of a woman’s neck or her majestic hairstyle. In most cases you would not want to wear a standout necklace with an elaborate pair of gold drop earrings or silver drop earrings. The necklace would detract from the face and dress and call attention to the neck. If a necklace is to be worn it must be worn with only the simplest of earrings.

Sterling silver drop earrings are best exemplified in John Hardy’s collection of two tone sterling silver drop earrings like the one below.

Crystal drop earrings have a style of their own as young women who are into beading design many of these earrings along with such well known brands as Swarovsi and Nadri. These drop earrings use large faceted crystals in myriad of shapes from briolettes and rose cuts to geometric prisms. They are not really meant to look like diamond drop earrings but have a style of their own. Crystals come in a wide range of colors including black. Black drop earrings made from black crystal is all the rage since they are fairly inexpensive and still look like nice pieces of fashion jewelry. They also come in briolette shapes which is always a popular shape for tear drop earrings.

White gold drop earrings are typically in the pave diamond style with a prominent design in pave diamonds at the end of the drop. Sometimes the center stone of the drop is a diamond and at others it may be a precious colored stone like emerald or sapphire. Semi precious stones are also used in this type of design, notably bright colored stones like amethyst, blue topaz and citrine.

Who could forget the massive pair of Angelina Jolie emerald earrings worn by yours truly to the 2009 academy awards?  The other worldly earrings are the perfect shade of green and there is hardly any metal embellishment on the earrings. It is a pair of all emerald drop earrings with what looks like cushion shaped emerald stud earrings on a post with a massive pear shaped emerald dangling from it. With a specific gravity of 2.72 emerald is less dense than diamond and is half as dense as cubic zirconia which is a  monumental 5.8. Also you would have to consider the fact that these emeralds are not cut deep as would a cubic zirconias meant to imitate them.

So CZ imitation would be more than double the weight so I would think twice before contracting Emitations to knockoff this pair for you. Your earlobes would be positively stretched. If Angelina’s earrings tip the scales at 35 to 40 carats your Emitation lobe stretchers would be at least 120 carats which translated into grams would be approx 12 grams per side. trust me, 12 grams of whatever hanging from your earlobe is going to hurt something fierce after a half hour or so of wear.

Normally you would expect a really flashy pair of green earrings to be something like a really fancy pair of emerald and diamond earrings. You know the kind I’m talking about. Usually it will be a rather large emerald center stone that is either emerald, cushion, oval or pear shaped surrounded by a blaze of very white and clean diamonds. As Emerald diamond earrings go though, this type of look is a dime a dozen and would certainly not be worthy of the red carpet unless the earrings are antiques.

In Angelina’s case, the show stopper is the fact that the oversized patches of green on her ears are genuine Colombian emeralds that are as close to perfectly matched in size, shape, quality and color as you could possibly get. This is extremely difficult to do with Colombian material because there is such a variation in color and clarity across the production from the Colombian emerald mines.

All the more reason to showcase the beauty of the emerald and leave the gold out of it. If you notice, the gold prongs are barely visible as are the jump ring connectors that connect the pear shaped emeralds. This is deliberate so that every square millimeter of those stones is visible for maximum impact. The gold used appears to be 14k yellow.

Yellow gold definitely looks better with the sweeter green tones in the Colombian material as opposed to white gold which looks better with the steely gray overtones of the Zambian material. Yellow gold emerald earrings will therefore be more than likely to have the Colombian or even the Brazilian emerald material instead of the Zambian.

Emeralds have always been a mixed bag when it comes to jewelry. Emerald is one of the few precious stones that are expected to contain wisps, tiny fractures and fissures in the affordable quality and so most consumers had to accept that their emeralds would always have a multitude of inclusions. However, today many consumers of fine emerald jewelry have come to expect clean emeralds ever since 1976 when a very different type of emerald was discovered in Zambia. Stones that were cut from Zambian rough material was so clean that many gem dealers first thought that these emeralds were lab grown. Their saturated greens with a tinge of gray were in stark contrast to the softer and sweeter green colors from Colombian and Brazilian stones.

This Zambian discovery offered the opportunity for genuine emerald jewelry to be accepted not only for color but also for clarity and brilliance. No doubt there was a clash in the market place between these completely different looking type of emeralds and the Zambian gems were often relegated to second place status because they lacked the definitive coloration of The South American emerald and the pedigree of the Colombian Emerald.

However in time they radically changed the expectations of consumers with regard to emerald clarity and ended up taking over a large share of the affordable emerald market. For the first time emerald jewelry sets could be made with emeralds that were not only matched for color but clarity as well. An emerald jewelry set of matching emerald ring, earrings and pendant could be put together without the the difficulty of trying to match for clarity.

Emerald jewelry rings and pendants could now be made with eye clean stones on a regular basis without the pitfalls of Colombian emerald jewelry that although matched for color would often be mismatched because of each stone’s different set of inclusions. No longer was it necessary to forage through antique emerald jewelry on a desperate search to match emerald stones. It also became possible to use small clean Zambian emeralds in silver emerald jewelry because of the lower cost for clean goods and the way the higher luster of these emeralds complimented the soft whiteness of polished silver.

Emerald and diamond jewelry looked better with the higher luster Zambian material because the brilliance of these emeralds complimented the high refractive index of diamond. Emerald diamond jewelry rings in the traditional three stone setup with emerald in the center flanked by a matched pair of diamonds now looked more stunning than ever.

Emerald has been known in the ancient world as the greenest of green stones. It was a revered gem in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and India. In fact Cleopatra was famous for wearing emeralds as much as Elizabeth Taylor was known for wearing some of the most collectible diamonds ever to come to market. The standard bearer as far as green gems go, emerald has been associated with the color green for much of history. Emerald being the birthstone for the month of May has always symbolized the eternal hope and promise of Spring.

The emeralds that you see in today’s emerald rings more than likely come from three major sources. Colombia is still the most famous emerald producing country in the world. Other major sources for emerald include Zambia and Brazil. Colombian emeralds have the highest reputation for color. There is even a chain of stores in the Caribbean that is named “Colombian Emeralds International” and is world famous for carrying the biggest selection of emerald jewelry including emerald earrings, emerald engagement rings, emerald and diamond rings and mens emerald rings.

The most sought after cut in emerald is of course the octagonal emerald cut. This cut has such an elegance to it. It is referred to as a step cut because facet junctions run parallel to each other rather than meeting at a point. This type of cut is also found on emerald cut diamond rings. Some women prefer the subtle elegance of emerald cut engagement rings because when the center diamond gets to be over 3 carats a round diamond will tend to look too much like a headlight. In this size range the emerald cut engagement ring has much more class to it as long as the shape appeal and cut are aesthetically pleasing.

The beveled corners on an emerald cut stone protect the stone and make it more easier to set than an emerald cut that has narrow or missing corners. Ideal sized beveled corners also enhance the faceting arrangement and gives the effect of dynamic visual movement instead of the static, motion stopping , sharp turn effect of squared off corners that are too narrow. Narrow corners makes an emerald cut stone look odd and can be hard to mount in a way that makes it look attractive.

This can be particularly important if a woman is contemplating an emerald engagement ring rather than a diamond engagement ring. Apart from the basic requirements such as pure green color with minimal inclusions, shape appeal becomes very important because she will wear this ring more often than others and she would perhaps want this ring to be perfectly shaped to symbolize her marital commitment. Not only should her emerald cut ring be symmetrical and well finished it should also be graceful and pleasing.

Certain length to width ratios are psychologically and aesthetically more pleasing than others. This ratio also will affect durability and practicality depending on the type of stone involved. When you divide the length by the width measurements of an emerald cut emerald, this will give you the length to width ratio. The ratio is represented by the value for length which is a number greater then one and is to the left of the colon. The value of width on the right of the colon is always going to be one.

The preferred ratio for emerald cut emeralds is in the range of (1.50-1.75):1.  Who is to say what the most attractive length to width ratio is. But generally speaking if the ratio is longer than 2.00:1, then the emerald cut will be looking a bit lean. If the ratio is something like 1.1-1.25:1 , then the emerald cut will be looking rather squarish. The impact of length to width ratios can be more plainly seen in an emerald and diamond ring because the white diamonds will always highlight the darker emerald and make obvious any cutting mistakes in the emerald cut emerald center stone. The effect of length to width ration can not only be quite obvious in an emerald ring but also in an emerald cut diamond ring where diamond will be even more revealing in the quality of the cut.

There is nothing better to signify your promise of forever than a white gold eternity ring with an endless circle of diamonds. Many couples that are getting married are deciding to pledge their love with an eternity ring. This unending band of diamonds representing your union is a wonderful way to say to your spouse to be that you will love them forever. A diamond eternity ring does this in spades and then some.

Going beyond diamond eternity rings is the eternity engagement ring which is basically the circle of diamonds crowned with an engagement diamond. It is the ultimate as custom made rings go because not only is the band and its diamonds configured how you like it but the center stone is also of your choosing. Your engagement diamond and its setting can be any size and shape in a yellow or white gold eternity ring style.

Eternity engagement rings come in a wide variety of different looks. A bar or prong set style looks quite different from channel set in a full eternity ring. Likewise a micropave or shared prong style will have its own look. When you factor in the width and profile of the band along with the different diamond shapes and frameworks around the center diamond, you can see never ending decisions that have to be made in order to realise your custom ring.

Side detailing has undergone its own metamorphosis as engagement ring designers try to distance their styles from the ordinary. For instance, even though you may not know that an engagement ring is a Tacori from the top, you just have to look the design work on the sides and you will see the distinctive Tacori design.

For women who have explored their options with the eternity engagement ring they discover how well it works with the eternity wedding band. They can combine their decision making for both rings because in effect the parameters for the band have already been decided. They just have to remove the center stone and that’s what their band will look like.

Of course it makes sense stylistically to design the head of the engagement ring in such a way that the band can fit flush against it. It wouldn’t be an eternity band if you had it indented to accommodate the setting of the engagement ring center stone. Better to elevate the head a bit to accommodate the height of the band fitting flush against it. In fact in many cases fitting two bands on either side of the engagement ring looks great stylistically. It is also functionally good because you can always wear the engagement ring solo and wear the two bands together as a right hand ring.