In Minnesota, we have a lot of pride for our state. Recently, I have had several requests for custom made pendants shaped like the state of Minnesota. So I wanted to share a little information about my current project.

I am working with my goldsmith to create a few “state pride” pieces in sterling silver. These will be simple but straightforward designs that really scream how much we love our state. Of course, these custom pieces will be available in 14 karat white and yellow gold, but starting out in sterling seemed like a great idea.

Some of you may not know this, but Diamonds Direct is also the exclusive jewelry designer for the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders. We designed the “MVC” logo and have worked with them on their custom pieces for several years. Since beginning that, we have also started doing the design work for the Minnesota Timberwolves Cheerleaders and Minnesota Swarm Lacrosse Cheerleaders. We love our Minnesota sports teams! Now if only the Twins would get a cheerleading squad….

Keep Sparkling!

Kristina

Things have been busy here at Diamonds Direct! Normally things slow down in January, but 2012 has been good to us even four weeks in! We have working on several custom rings and a few custom pendants. We’ve also seen an increase in the number of people getting engaged during the cold winter months. All of this is good news and we are thoroughly enjoying the projects.

I have a lot of friends and a lot of them are single ladies. This is good news for me because it means future engagement ring business. It also means I have spent a lot of time listening to the girls let me know what the want ‘someday’ when they meet the right guy. Whether it is engagement ring styles, diamond studs, a gem stone ring, a nice chain…anything! So here is my question- why do you have to have a man to buy these things for you? My fiancé has bought me a couple pieces of jewelry and I love them, but I have bought myself several pieces of jewelry which I love as well. Of course, it is very special when you are presented with an engagement ring…or any piece of jewelry for that matter! There is something about picking out a piece of jewelry for yourself that is very personal and satisfying. When I moved back to Minnesota three years ago, I decided to buy myself something to symbolize this new chapter in my life. I purchased the most beautiful natural blue sapphire ring I have ever seen. To this day, I am in love with it. I think a big part of why I love the ring so much is because I bought it for myself.

Another idea if you want a nice piece of jewelry for yourself is to recycle! Do you have some old jewelry pieces that you no longer wear? Do you have anything that has been handed down to you by a family member? At Diamonds Direct, we have the ability to work with any existing stones you have. We actually love it. There is something exciting about taking something that is getting no use anymore and making it into a new amazing piece you can wear all the time.

Here are some examples of pieces we have made over the past few years using customer’s existing stones:

Until next time...

Keep Sparkling!

Kristina

Well, the holidays are over. We are pulling down our cheesy store decorations. Putting away the Dean Martin Christmas collection. The twinkle lights are still up along France Avenue, but the holiday window displays are all slowly disappearing. Another year ends and another year begins.

The end of a year is a time to reflect. At Diamonds Direct, we are no different. The end of a year symbolizes a lot for any business- especially a business that sells luxury goods. We are happy, grateful and humbled to say that our sales in 2011 were up substantially from 2010. Since the economy has been so wishy-washy the past few years, this sparks our enthusiasm and makes us feel like we have ‘weathered the storm’. This feeling would not be possible without an amazing customer base and awesomely loyal customers. We have been doing business since 1981 and have seen lots of interesting times, but none as challenging as the recent years. We have watched several small jewelry businesses around us close their doors, but we are still here! Doing business the way we always have. No paid advertising. Referrals, insurance claims and repeat business only. Not spending money on advertising all over the place, creates a smaller overhead which turns into saving for our customers. We continue to be ‘snobby’ about quality, but not about price. This way of doing business has always set us apart and now we feel it is what has saved us.

Perhaps I am being too optimist that things are looking up, but I don’t really see a reason not to be optimistic. There are plenty of people out there being plenty pessimistic for all of us.

2011 was the holiday season filled with engagements. Not only engagements, but over the top proposal stories! I will be starting to compile some stories and photos for all of your “ooohhhing” and “ahhhhing” needs.

Happy New Year from all us at Diamonds Direct. We truly appreciate your support and loyalty!

Keep Sparkling!

Kristina

As you begin thinking about getting engaged, it is a good idea to contemplate some different routes you can take to reach that point. First question...should you completely surprise her or should you involve her in the process?

1. Total Surprise.

She has no idea what is coming. This is the traditional method. You select the design, metal, diamonds/gemstones and ring size based upon your detective work, her personal style from your perspective and ideas of what you think she would want.

Complete Bridal Set. You purchase both the engagement ring and the wedding band. She doesn't have to lift a finger (except for her ring finger, that is), and she has absolutely no choice about her rings. If it is a ring that is custom designed and already has a band paired with it, this can be more cost effective over the long term.

Engagement Ring Only. You purchase just the engagement ring and let her be involved in the selection of the wedding band(s). Again, this is the traditional method. Usually purchasing the engagement ring alone can be an intimidating task. I tend to suggest that you let her be involved in picking the wedding band. You never know if she might have something different in mind than the traditional band.

Pro: You can create a magical moment, sweeping your loved one off their feet, causing a strong emotional response. There will be a great sentimental value in the fact that you did all of the work yourself, and your special lady is sure to love anything you select. Great choice for a sentimental gal.

Con: She will have no input as to design, metal, stones or size. The ring may need to be sized. Will you worry about if she likes it? Will she pine over another design to grace her finger?

2. Options That Use Her Input

There are a number of ways to still create that magical moment of the engagement ring proposal with a little less stress and guess work.

Present her with a solitaire with the intention of resetting it. You can focus your surprise on the stone, by choosing a special diamond, sapphire, ruby, or spinel, and then have this stone set in an ultra simple prong setting. After the proposal, you can let her know that you want her to be involved in the selection and custom design of her special ring. Being allowed to participate in the design of her own ring, collaborating with you and the jeweler, will be a rich and rewarding experience for her. This is a great choice for a contemporary woman. It also allows you to spread out the cost a little bit (stone first, some shopping time for her, before you need to put down a deposit on the mounting).

Ring shop in advance. This is a very common practice. You’ve been together for awhile and both feel you are on the track to being engaged. Take her into a store where you feel comfortable (Diamonds Direct, obviously) and spend some time letting her try on rings and talk about what she likes. Have your sales associate write the information down for you, including a ring size. Then, when you are ready 5 days later or 6 months later, then information will be there for you to surprise her with a final product.

Pro: She will love being involved in the creation of a fine piece of jewelry. This is something that she will wear and look at every day, and it will be an expression of her style as well as your commitment to her.

Con: Some of the surprise element is missing, and she may get antsy in anticipation of when you are going to present it to her.

In a nutshell, you really have to do what is comfortable for you. If you are more traditional and want to choose the engagement ring completely, then chances are your lady knows that about you and will appreciate it. If she has been very verbal about choosing an engagement rings and is dropping hints about styles, then you might be safer getting her involved. The most important part is that you both have realistic expectations and respect that this is a symbol of something much bigger than just a ring.

On a side note, I received the sweetest thank-you gift from a client today. Kathy and her husband, Joe, have been married for 30 years. To celebrate their anniversary, he bought her a beautiful new diamond engagement ring. When Kathy came in to pick up her ring, she presented me with a nice card and the cutest Christmas tree ornament. She was in the store choosing out her ring when we found out the offer we placed on our new house had been accepted so she wanted to get me something for the new house. I already modified it a little by adding the infamous “McMahler”. I couldn’t help myself!

Maybe we can call this my Wednesday rant. I have something to vent about. Before I start and have you fellas explaining to me all the reasons I am wrong or going on about saving money or time constraints, let me just say that I am woman and I can’t explain why I feel a certain way, but that’s the way it is so deal with it. Ladies, are you with me?

There is a big trend in jewelry that I am not down with. Shopping for your diamond online. Yes, I am a jeweler so I am biased on this topic, but I think shopping for your engagement ring (or any piece of jewelry) is part of the romance. Whether you shop alone or bring your significant other along, there is something to be said for going somewhere and having a conversation with a jeweler. I love my clients. When I sell an engagement ring, I literally cannot wait to hear about the proposal, to see the ring on its new owner and get their input on how it turned out. And I really believe that most ladies love having that experience as well. Who doesn’t want to have a family jeweler?

When I have a new client call who is also shopping for diamonds online, I don’t really get worried. Nine times out of ten, I have no problem presenting a diamond that is competitive and usually more affordable. Just because it is online, does not mean that it is more affordable. If the online distributor can get it for a good price, so can I!

Many people feel that just because a diamond is graded a certain way that it will look like all other diamonds with that grade. Not true! Many of these large diamond houses can have diamonds graded as something better than they actually are. We see it all the time. By definition, an SI-1 clarity diamond should have no imperfections visible to the naked eye. Even though this is a fact, we keep seeing diamonds that have been sold in large retail store and online which have huge, blatant imperfection that is clearly visible to the eye. You cannot go on grade alone! It makes much more sense to go see a jeweler, like myself, who can bring in a few diamonds in your price range and lay them out in front of you. Compare the qualities. Figure out what is the most important to you when it comes to the quality of your diamond.

With the amount of technology in our world, the personal experience of great customer service is lost on us. If we want something, we point, click and it is ours. This is fine when you are buying a CD or some stationary or some office supplies, but not something like an engagement ring. Would you feel comfortable buying a car without seeing it, taking it for a test drive and checking under the hood? No. Diamonds and gemstones have just as many complexities, if not more, as a car. Make sure you are getting what you are paying for!

When I think about shopping for an engagement ring online, I get this mental image of a guy at his computer, eating a sandwich, clicking on the little arrows to narrow down his diamond search. What is romantic about this? Shopping for the single most romantic symbol of your life while sitting at your desk on your lunch break? Make an effort. Drive to the jewelry store. Get to know the person you are buying this ring from. I guarantee that when you have a problem with that ring, that online store will not be as motivated to make you happy as I would be.

There is also something to be said for having a place where you can go. Show us exactly what you want, tell us what your significant other is like, tell us what you are comfortable spending, give us your timeline. We want to help you. We are motivated to help you make this proposal a success. We want you to come back for anniversaries, birthdays, children, etc. We have a desire to develop a long term relationship with. The person who is available to have an online chat with you is not as motivated to support you as we are. It doesn’t hurt that we are all hopeless romantics at Diamonds Direct too. We love a good “how did you pop the question” story.

My last plug…support Main Street America. Small businesses are the life blood of our country. We’ve all seen what happens when large companies get too large. Show the little guys some love. I can guarantee we value our relationship with you much more than these huge chain stores.

Keep Sparkling!

Kristina