How Custom Celtic Engagement Rings Are Made

Custom Celtic engagement rings have an impact that many mass market rings lack. Many Celtic rings have to be personalized to the eventual ring wearer's size, taste and style. Other Celtic design elements may be chosen and a unique Celtic ring can incorporate a variety of enduring, yet popular designs such as Celtic trinity knots, spirals, and the Claddagh design.

The most common design element used for Celtic engagement rings are Celtic knots and it has become an important characteristic in many Celtic engagement ring designs. While there is little documentation on the intended meaning of the mysterious looping Celtic knots, the popular belief is that it brings eternity and interconnectedness to its wearer. This lack of documented history of the Celtic knot design in these incredible pieces of art only adds to the mystery and increasing appeal

The manufacture of a Celtic ring is a time consuming and delicate process. Each step is overseen by a Celtic jewelry specialist. There a four main stages to the creation of a custom Celtic engagement ring:

1. Ring Design: Established Celtic jewelers have in house jewelry designers who work on improving and creating new designs using inspiration drawn from old Celtic manuscripts. watches process of designing a Celtic ring is an important step because proper planning and design ensures that the final ring comes out perfect and pleasing to the eye. Several considerations prior to integrating the ever popular Celtic knot design into a Celtic engagement ring are symmetry, diamond cut, and engagement band size. The final design is then the blueprint to create a ring cast.

2. Ring Assembly: Ring castings are assembled by the Celtic jewelry goldsmith. The three parts to assemble for the Celtic ring are the shank, the center mount, and the trinity shoulders. After securing the shank, each piece is carefully soldered onto the shank starting with the center mount. Soldering creates a discoloration in the metal and dipping the ring into a picking compound to cleans it off.

3. Setting the watches The diamond is measured to ensure that the mount fits the diamond perfectly. A careful visual inspection by the jeweler of the diamond position is made to guarantee it is in perfect position. Next, the claws are pushed into place. In order to maintain a level position for the diamond set in the center mount, each claw is slowly pushed down individually. Each prong must then be filed down to ensure no gap exists between the ring and the diamond. Each prong is then rounded off.

4. Polishing: At this point, the gold still doesn't shine like those found in jewelry stores. Polishing is an important step to bring out the beauty and brilliance of the Celtic engagement ring. First, a mechanical polisher with a narrow bristle is used to refine the head of the Celtic ring. Second, a polishing buff is used to remove any rough spots found along the shank of the ring as well as smooth out the ring's head. Third, a firm felt is used to smooth out and flatten the sides of the ring. Lastly, a Rouge is used to bring out the true gleam of the precious metal.

While the Celtic engagement ring manufacturing process seemingly incorporates a few major stages, the jewelry lover must keep in mind that each step requires the skillful hands of a Celtic jewelry craftsman to bring out the glorious Celtic engagement ring. The care and attention to detail in each step ultimately brings out the beauty of these incredible objects d'art.

By Tim O'Malley for Shanore.com. Why settle for just any engagement ring when Celtic engagement rings carry the intrinsic meaning in its designs like no other? They have a wide assortment of Celtic wedding rings too. Customize your Celtic rings or choose from their catalog of popular ring designs on their website Shanore.com.

Compare Cubic Zirconia Stones to Diamond Carat Weight and Quality

We are going to explain to you in this guide the equivalent size and quality of cubic zirconium also known as cubic zirconia or cz in relation to real diamonds.

CZ diamonds are man made manufactured diamonds that are usually hard, colorless and flawless, all attributes that are highly desirable for real natural diamonds. Natural diamonds are gemstones and are the most desired of all the gems.

Diamonds are usually described in a weight measurement called a Carat which is 200 milligrams. Since cubic zirconia is a bit less dense than actual diamonds, it is easier to describe a cz stone in terms of actual size not its carat weight. Since a lot of people don't really understand the metric value here is a breakdown:

4.0mm round: 0.25 tcw
5.0mm round: 0.50 tcw
5.5mm round: 0.66 tcw
6.0mm round: 0.75 tcw
6.5mm round: 1.00 tcw
7.0mm round: 1.25 tcw
7.5mm round: 1.50 tcw
8.0mm round: 2.00 tcw
8.5mm round: 2.50 tcw
9.0mm round: 3.00 tcw
9.5mm round: 3.50 tcw
10.0mm round: 4.00 tcw
10.5mm round: 4.50 tcw
11.0mm round: 5.00 tcw
TCW stands for Total Carat Weight.

Many attributes come into play when picking out a natural diamond. One of those traits is color. The most desired color of diamond is a totally colorless diamond. In reality almost no gems are truly perfect as they have some amount of color or inclusion watches by the earth.

Cubic Zirconia diamonds are able to be produced so that none of these visual imperfections are able to be noticed to the naked eye. It has been said that some professional jewelers have trouble distinguising between a real diamond and a synthetic cz diamond.

Although CZ stones have been sold on the watches for many years they are just now becoming an important fashion role in women's jewelry design

April is a fashion guru and purchaser for the site http://www.celebritysilver.com a site that imitates celebrity fashions to create inspired silver jewelry that makes you look like the star at a price you can afford.

How to Choose a Reliable Jeweler Or Jewelry Retailer

Jewelry industry brochures usually tell you to choose a jeweler by getting recommendations, by checking credentials and length of experience and by finding out if they're affiliated with trade organizations. This is good information, but it's no adequate. Just because a jeweler is a member of trade and has diplomas displayed on the wall does not guarantee he or she is ethical and well-informed. Conversely, some of the most knowledgeable people in the industry do not have gemology diplomas. In addition, it's easy to lie watches your experience and educational background.

Getting recommendations from someone you trust is not always easy or possible, especially when you're traveling abroad. More often than not, you'll need to judge yourself if a jeweler is reliable. To make a good judgment, you'll need to know some basics so that you'll be able to understand and assess the salespeople. When you choose a jeweler or salesperson, here are some things you should consider. You should then be prepared to ask some of the following questions:

1. Could you tell me about this piece (or stone)? A salesperson who can compare it to other pieces and who can tell you about the background and quality shows more expertise than the one who can tell you the price, the weight and the identity of the metal and stone(s) by reading the tag.

2. Which one of these pieces (stones or strands) is more valuable and why? Two of the advantages of buying jewelry in a store rather than from a catalogue or the internet is that you get to see the merchandise before buying it and you get the free services of a jewelry consultant, provided that the seller is knowledgeable. When a jeweler can explain quality differences to you, this indicates he's a more competent consultant and he's probably a better watches of merchandise for his store than a jeweler who can't.

3. Are these stones treated (and point to the stones of your choice)? If sellers tell you that none of their emeralds, for example, are treated in any way, this is a strong indication they're either ill-informed or dishonest. If sellers tell you that an individual stone is not treated ask how they know it's not treated and ask if they're willing to write this on the receipt. Untreated stones can be worth more than those that aren't.

The way in which jewelers disclose treatments is one of the best indications of how ethical they are.

4. Can you tell me something about the cut of this stone? It's not sufficient for a salesperson to simply describe the shape of a stone and tell you it's a fine make, if it is. You need specific information about why it's a fine, average or poor make. For example, they should be able to point out if a stone has a strong window, a very thick girdle, a unique faceting design, etc. You could also ask the salesperson to show you one of the best-cut gemstones in the store and to compare it to an inferior one. Not only will you learn more about cut, you'll also learn if you're dealing with a knowledgeable salesperson. Keep in mind that rubies, sapphires and emeralds are normally not as well proportioned as most diamonds.

5. Will you show me the piece (or stone) under magnification? If they aren't willing to provide you with a loupe (hand magnifier) or a microscope, consider shopping elsewhere.

6. Are you willing to put in writing what you've told me verbally about piece (stones)? Reliable jewelers will say yes.

7. What's your return policy? It's a good sign when jewelers back up their merchandise and claims by a 100% money back guarantee. Some jewelers only allow exchanges in order to prevent customers from "borrowing" their merchandise for special events. When you buy jewelry away from home, though, exchanges become impractical. There are many jewelers throughout the world who offer a 100% money-back guarantee on jewelry that is not custom made. It's the best deal with one of them.

When buying expensive jewelry abroad, have the salesperson give you a written copy of their return policy or have them write it on the receipt. Then pay by credit card, not a bank debit card. If there's a problem with the piece when you get back home, it will be easier to get your money back.

8. How would you rate the quality of your jewelry craftsmanship? Why jewelers that sell well-made jewelry often like the opportunity to explain why their mountings, settings and finishes are better than those of competitors. You can learn a lot about workmanship by listening to them. Salesperson must know something about pearl jewelries or jewelry craftsmanship in order to help you select a well-made piece.

Ms. Aires Clemente is a jewelry design and crafts hobbyist. She have a degree in Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts, and taken some courses on Jewelry and Metalsmithing at RISD. She currently works for a multinational jewelery company in Kyoto. Aires blogs about art jewelry at this URL, http://www.artjoolree.com