Month: March 2014

What are the 4 hottest trends in engagement rings today? Before we address that,let’s have a little background. Over the decades the idea of giving an “engagement ring” has changed a lot. It is true that “betrothal rings” were given in Roman times but they weren’t like today’s diamond ring. How did it come to be that a white diamond meant “engagement ring”?

Back in the 1940s the DeBeers company designed a marketing campaign that made a permanent impression! They successfully implied that diamond engagement rings were always the norm. That was the trend for many years with very little change. Recently, though, the latest trends have veered away from this idea. Trends have changed because people want something different. They want their ring to stand out from all the rest. Today it isn’t unusual to see many different cuts and colors of diamonds. Let’s look at 4 of the latest trends.

Trend #1: Vintage Inspired Design

This design harkens back to the days of chivalry and romance. It has the look of the rings ladies used to wear in those old classic movies. The diamonds can be emerald-cut or round and are surrounded by many smaller diamonds. You could also have a family heirloom diamond that you’d like to have made into a newer setting. The style is usually intricate and exquisite.

Trend #2: Cushion-Shaped Halo With a Round Diamond

A lot of ladies are choosing this popular ring but with one major difference. They are choosing a round-cut center stone to get the most sparkle. This style has the best of both worlds since it uses the classic-shaped stone with the newest style trend. And again, the center stone is surrounded by many smaller diamonds.

Trend #3: Color Diamonds

These diamonds only happen once in every 10,000 stones. They have natural colors ranging from yellow to red, blue or brown. If you’re looking for a truly unique kind of ring, this is what you want.

Trend #4: Eternity Bands as Engagement Rings

This is a new trend. Rather than a solitaire, many women are opting for eternity bands instead. The design is meant to show the eternal nature of marriage. It is a stunning look that is becoming very popular.

No matter what style you prefer you can be sure to find it at Midtown Jewelers. Please visit our website for more styles and information.

Northern Virginia’s premier engagement ring retailer, Midtown Jewelers, is proud to announce this year’s Spring Bridal Showcase will take place March 28th-30th. Representatives from their boutique bridal designers will be on-hand with hundreds of styles of rings and wedding bands for these three days only.

Featuring the styles of Danhov Bridal, Gabriel & Co. Bridal, and Sylvie Collection, Midtown Jewelers is excited to extend special pricing during this event. There will be a wine tasting event to kick-off the weekend Friday evening, put on by Paradise Springs Winery of Clifton, a national award winner.

In addition to the wine tasting and specials, Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Award winner, will host Tyler FitzHugh of Voila! Event Studio. Tyler, an event and wedding planner specialist, will be in house to assist with last minute wedding questions or starting to plan from the beginning.

The selection of wedding bands and engagement rings will be on display for soon-to-be brides and their fiances to try on and compare. The event is open to the public, however, appointments are strongly recommended. Guests are encouraged to call into Midtown Jewelers and set up a day & time for their visit.

About Midtown Jewelers
Midtown Jewelers is located in the trendy shopping destination of Reston Town Center in Northern Virginia minutes outside of Washington DC. Voted Best Jewelry Store by Washingtonian Magazine and has won WeddingWire’s Bride’s Choice Award 4 years running from 2010 until 2013. The secret is out and the store has become a premier jewelry destination for Washingtonians and visitors alike.

A family owned jewelry boutique that has roots in the community all the way back to 1982. Midtown Jewelers prides itself in providing an unsurpassed level of service, education, and options to our customers. Every designer and every piece of jewelry displayed has been very carefully selected based on quality, design, uniqueness, and beauty. Whether you wish to custom design an engagement ring or anniversary gift or pick out a beautiful piece from our collection, we always take great pride in being part of that special moment with our guests. For more information please visit us at http://midtownjewelersinc.com.

Midtown Jewelers in Reston, VA is known for its premier jewelry selection. We were voted Best Jewelry Store by Washingtonian Magazine. We have become the place to go for fine jewelry. We carefully select each designer and piece of jewelry in our store. We base our choices on how unique a piece is. We also look for top quality, beauty and design. With this in mind we are very proud to have, as one of our designers, Armand Jacoby.

Armand Jacoby has been a leader in jewelry design for over 60 years. This design house was a pioneer in developing the “designer line” which they sold in fine jewelry and high-end department stores. They are always looking for new ways to blend old world methods with modern technology. The aim of Armand Jacoby is to produce the finest jewelry possible. No matter how much fashion trends change, their values remain steady. They feel that jewelry should blend the elegance of the classics with the free flow of modern ideas. Their reputation has been earned by their zeal for excellence in every step of the design process.

Besides pieces made with classic stones, Armand Jacoby has also ventured into a new form of design. They call this new line The Solare Collection and it is cutting-edge in jewelry design. It features a process where diamonds are set in carbon polymer rather than precious metals. Why is this important?

What are the advantages of carbon polymer?

This carbon is translucent which means that light can pass completely through it. This allows the diamonds to shine at full strength without anything blocking the light. This can’t happen when pieces are set in metal. Also, the diamonds are set into the carbon rather than being gripped by prongs as they are in metals. What this means is that dirt and dust can’t build up under the stones so the brilliance is never dimmed. The carbon polymer has a light, airy feeling to it which fits into any lifestyle.

The Solare Collection uses F-VS2 quality diamonds in every piece so there will be sparkle to the max! Armand Jacoby also offers a lifetime guarantee for this line of jewelry. Once you see how truly beautiful this is you’ll want to own a piece for yourself.

You can see the Armand Jacoby collections at our store in Reston, VA. You can also visit our website for more information.

You may have heard of the “4 C’s of Diamonds” but how many people know what they stand for? Have you ever wondered why some diamonds cost thousands of dollars while some only cost hundreds? What makes a diamond worth a lot of money? Let’s take a look at the 4 C’s and find out.

Color

A lot of people would say that a diamond is clear and has no color. While it’s true that some diamonds are classified as colorless or white, others can range from pale yellow to red. There are also diamonds that come in browns, blues, greens and pinks. Because these colors are so rare they are considered more valuable. Colors are graded on a scale of D to Z with D being the highest quality and Z being the lowest. But color is only one of four standards that determines the value.

Clarity

The next standard is clarity and this relates to the purity of the carbon that makes up a diamond. The purity is determined by any imperfections that might be in the diamond. Imperfections on the inside are called inclusions while those on the outside are called blemishes. Diamonds are graded on a scale from Flawless to Included #3. Flawless is, of course, what the name implies. Then any flaws that show up under a microscope are graded from slight to S12. After that are the diamonds that have flaws that can be seen with the unaided eye.

Cut

The fire and sparkle in a diamond comes from the way it’s cut. The flat side of a cut is called the facet. The quality of the way the facet is cut is what determines the diamond’s beauty. For example, a round, brilliant cut has 58 facets. The way these facets are arranged is most important since it determines the amount of light that’s reflected back to the eye. This reflection is called brilliance. This is also why flawless, well-cut diamonds sell at high prices while blemished, poorly-cut ones sell at a discount.

Carat Weight

This is a unit of weight for a diamond. The value increases with each carat size because larger rough diamonds don’t appear as often as smaller ones do. What that means is that if you had two half-carat diamonds, together they wouldn’t cost as much as one full-carat diamond would.

These 4 C’s added together are what determines how much a diamond will cost. Obviously a colorless, flawless diamond will cost much more than a colored, blemished one. It all comes down to how much you plan to spend.

Visit our website for more information. While you’re there, we invite you to look at our selection of beautiful jewelry.