First off, I am so very sorry for my lack of posting. To put it plainly, things have been crazy around here.

We went to the SMART Jewelry Show in Chicago at the end of April and all I can say is "wow" there are some amazing trends coming down the pipes. Yellow gold is making a huge comeback in engagement rings and fashion. The new trend we saw the most of was something called diamond slice jewelry. Basically, designers are taking slices of large, imperfect diamonds and setting them into jewelry. Sometimes the top is flat and sometimes they add a chunky facet. The effect is a very over the top, large, organic look. I am a big fan. Here is a random example.

So if the chunky, organic look is something you are into, please let me know. We made lots of great contacts in Chicago who would just love to send us some fun things.

Our entire crew went to Chicago (all three of us) and it was an awesome bonding experience. I am sure many of you can relate to the fact that we get stuck in our every day mindset and don't let the creative juices flow as often. We are on the brink of some major changes at Diamonds Direct, all of which are good. This trip gave us the opportunity to talk over the direction we each see the business going. We also got some great new ideas for our upcoming remodel!

Here is a photo of your favorite jewelers on our trip- Naomi, John and myself.

Sorry again about slacking in my blog duties! It is my goal to post once or twice a week. I've got a long list of topics!

Keep Sparkling!

Kristina

Almost every day at Diamonds Direct, we are asked for tips on keeping jewelry looking as sparkly as possible. Here are five easy ways to keep your fine jewelry looking great for many years to come.

1)      Give your jewelry a break! I know, I know. Your engagement ring is gorgeous. But it is hard work being on your finger all the time. We recommend taking your engagement ring off before you go to bed every night. Have a place in your home where you always leave it so there is never a “where did I take off my ring?!” panic moment. I leave mine in my jewelry cleaner every night so it is clean and perfect in the morning.

2)      Lotion is not your diamond’s friend. The biggest enemy of a sparkly diamond is lotion. We live in a crazy climate and lotion is a necessity most days. When you moisturize take your ring off and let your skin dry before putting it back on. Think of it like this…if you cleaned your window and then pressed a freshly lotioned hand on it, it would leave a cloudy hand print. Same thing applies to your sparkly diamond.

3)      Be aware of your movements. Women like to fidget. Believe me, I am the worst! Many of us are tappers. We tap our feet, we tap our pens, we tap our rings…! Every time your jolt your ring by tapping it on a hard surface, you are wearing away the gold or platinum. Over time, you could even loosen your diamond- especially if you have small diamonds set into your mounting! This also applies to wearing your jewelry during physical activities, such as yard work, weight lifting, tennis, etc.

4)      Make your own jewelry cleaning solution. I am not a fan of buying the pre-packaged jewelry cleaning solution. It seems like a waste of money to me. When I clean my own jewelry at home, I mix equal parts ammonia and water. Then I leave my jewelry to soak in it over night. Right before I leave every morning, I take it out of the solution, give it a quick scrub from all angles with a soft bristle toothbrush, rinse it and pat it dry with a towel. Clean jewelry every day!

5)      Leave it to the professionals at Diamonds Direct. We love seeing you so why not let us do the leg work? We do not charge anything to inspect and clean your jewelry. Plus, we love catching up on what our customers are up to. If your ring requires any extra TLC, we can let you know and get to work on it immediately. If everything looks good, you can rest easy knowing a professional has given it the thumbs up.

Keep Sparkling!

Kristina

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

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