Month: July 2014

We live in a world of planned obsolescence. Electronics, appliances and even clothing is designed to wear out and be thrown away, not repaired or refurbished. The neighborhood repair shops are relics of bygone eras. You can’t repair your toaster or television for any price, because there’s just no one who knows how, and even if they did, you can’t really buy parts for a toaster.

And if you didn’t know any better, you would think the same was true for watches.

There was a time when every man and most women wore an elegant, well-made timepiece. It was a mark of culture and sophistication, and still is. But keeping watches in good repair is harder than ever. That’s because few people know how to repair these complex instruments. A watch is still a treasured piece of adornment though, and no one wants to release their treasure into the hands of an unreliable repair shop. That’s why we suggest some questions you can ask potential repairers before you accept their help.

Do You Repair Watches on Site?

Because so few people are trained to repair clockworks anymore, most jewelry stores will simply accept the watch and then mail it back to the manufacturer. This is better than having an amateur work on your timepiece, but it has a number of drawbacks. For one thing, the process is not transparent. Your watch will be shipped off for an assessment. After a number of weeks, you will hear from the company with a quote about what work is required. After you agree to the quote, work will commence as soon as your watch gets to the front of the line. Depending on the demand, there may be a considerable wait, and you will probably not hear anything for several weeks. Although at the end of it, you will have a working watch, it will take considerable time and expense.

Who Will Be Doing the Work? How Long Will It Take?

If it turns out that they do repair watches on-site, you will want to find out a little more about the repair person. They should hold a certification from at least one of the major watch manufacturers. They should be able to tell you how many other watches are in for repair and how soon they will get to yours.

Is the Watch Worth Fixing?

Clockworks are an extremely specialized field, and the older the piece, the more difficulty there will be sourcing the parts, and the more cost that will be involved. Unless the piece is particularly sentimental, it may cost more to repair the watch than it is worth, and the repair shop should apprise you of this ahead of time.

At Midtown Jewelers, we offer full service on-site watch repairs. Mr. Singh has been repairing watches for over 30 years, and is a Rolex Certified Master Watchmaker. Bring your watches in any time — we will perform estimates at no charge.

Summer is a great time to switch up your jewelry selection. With the sun out and bright floral colors everywhere your jewelry should reflect that. Yellow gold in 14K or 18K is a great metal to wear in the summer. Yellow gold is warm just like the sun’s rays and looks very special in natural light. If you have ever seen a 24K gold nugget you will recognize that radiant glow and warmth. Many people are hesitant about yellow gold as they think it will look dated but try pairing it with some colored stones in a contemporary setting.
Imagine a nice yellow or orange citrine, bezel set in yellow gold. This would look great as a ring or pendant. Round is a classic shape but citrines also look great as checkerboard faceted cushions. As citrine is a semi-precious stone it tends to be very affordable so you can go bold with the size, which will also help it look more contemporary.
Yellow sapphires are also great stones to use with yellow gold. The natural glowing warmth of yellow sapphires is enhanced when set in yellow gold. Sapphires are precious and very hard wearing stones so a yellow sapphire set in yellow gold would make a great showstopper ring. If you really want a breathtaking piece think about combining yellow gold, yellow sapphires and a yellow diamond in the center. Each element although the same color will sparkle slightly differently making for a very unique and contemporary effect.

Another great color of gold to do in the summer is rose gold. Rose gold works with everybody’s skin tone. Any stone with a pink hue will look amazing in rose gold. Rubies look extra red when set in rose gold. Rubies also happen to be the July birthstone. For a classic look choose a round cut ruby with a diamond halo. For a more contemporary look try a simple bezel set floating pendant.
One combination that is becoming very popular, is morganite set in rose gold. Morganite is part of the beryl family which includes aquamarines and emeralds. Morganite has a peachy light pink translucent color and is almost always very clear and free of inclusions. Morganites set in rose gold make great statement ring which is exactly the look you want in the summer.
Whichever option you decide, use the special summer light to give your diamond white gold or platinum jewelry a break. Pull out or invest in some special colorful summer pieces, you’ll be surprise at what a difference they can make to your mood and outfits.

An alternative to diamond in an engagement ring has long been sapphire. Sapphires represent love, truth, fidelity and commitment. Sapphire is an alternative choice for many of the rich and famous. Sapphire is also the birthstone for September.

Although it may appear to be new, sapphires have been used for centuries set in engagement rings.
If you believe in folklore you may find this bit interesting. During Medieval times, it was used to test truthfulness and fidelity. When a husband went away to fight, upon his return if the sapphire that his beloved had worn had faded or changed color it would prove that she had been unfaithful. It was also used as a test to see if a groom was worthy to be wed by the same means. Sapphire was also worn by Priests because they believed sapphire to symbolize purity and to ward off evil thoughts and temptations. Kings wore sapphire for protection.

You can be like the Royals. Royalty prefers sapphire engagement rings to diamond because sapphires are rarer. Prince Charles chose to present Princess Diana with a beautiful large faceted oval blue sapphire surrounded by round diamonds for her engagement ring. Passed on to Prince William, Diana’s ring was used to represent the engagement to his love Kate Middleton. Another Royal, Princess Anne also received a sapphire as her engagement ring. Elizabeth Taylor admired sapphires which also matched her eyes. She received a sapphire ring as her engagement ring from one of her many husbands.

How did Sapphires get its name? The word sapphire comes from the Latin word, Sapphirus which means blue. Sapphires over the ages were chosen by many because they were believed to resemble the “heavens” or blue sky. The most prized color sapphire is a deep velvet blue color. Sapphires, a form of corundum are cut in a variety of shapes and sizes. So you thought sapphires only came in blue? Sapphires are available in every color of the rainbow with exception of red which is ruby. Sapphires are second only to diamond in hardness on the Moh’s scale of hardness so they are a durable choice as an alternative. Sapphires rate 9 and diamonds rate 10 on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hardest. Sapphire is the hardest of all of the blue gemstones.

Sapphire is a beautiful choice as an alternative to diamond used in an engagement ring. It looks beautiful in all colors and types of metal. Sapphire will add color and sparkle for a lifetime. With all of the many color choices of sapphire to choose from, what color will you choose?