Whitening - improving the look of your teeth and your jewelry!

Have you ever looked on the back or the inside of your white gold jewelry and noticed the stamp "14K" or "18K"? This symbol shows you that your jewelry is indeed made out of gold and what percentage is gold. If you find the symbol "24K", your jewelry is 100% gold.

So why is your white gold jewelry not 100% gold? If it was, your jewelry would not be white. Gold is mixed with other metals to give it a white tone, while still maintaining the value of gold. On its own, gold is very malleable - it can be easily scratched, dented, stretched, and squished. To maintain the shape of your jewelry for easy daily wear, stronger and more resiliant metals are added.



The white gold chain on the spool
looks quite yellow compared to the
rhodium plated white gold chain
draped across it!

 If you compare white gold to yellow gold, you will notice that it is much brighter and crisper. However, if you compare white gold to polished silver or platinum, you will notice that the white gold has a yellowish tinge. So how do you get a white look that doesn't tarnish like silver or have the price tag of platinum? Have your white gold jewelry rhodium plated!

Rhodium is a metal that will give your jewelry a brighter, whiter look without altering the look of your gemstones. Rhodium plating typically lasts about two years with normal daily wear and tear. This timing is perfect - all jewelry should be checked at least every two years to make sure all stones are secure. With polishing and replating your jewelry every two years, it will stay looking like new!

Fall 2011 Fashion Trends in Jewelry

What jewelry can you expect splashed across glossy magazine and catalog pages this fall and on the runway? We took a look into our crystal ball and this is what we found:

The rise of rose gold. With its warm, eye-catching color, rose gold is working its way into the mainstream. From accent metal on watches to settings for stunning stones, you will see its pinkish hues making a statement. We love this rose gold cuff ($166) with a rough, natural look. To order, call Dynamic Designs Jewelry at 425-827-7722.

Statement chains. Who needs a pendant with a chain that can speak for itself? On runways, stages, and red carpets, chains with an attiude have been making their debut. Especially noticable are links encrusted with glittering diamonds and links created from woven metal. We find this link chain to be quit stunning with black ruthenium plating ($850). To order, call Dynamic Designs Jewelry at 425-827-7722.

The gold watch has made a triumphant return! This classic look speaks of strength and authenticity. With a simple, polished band, the champagne-colored face becomes the feature of this time piece. We love this modern turn on a classic look - the Citizen Eco Drive Silhouette Sport ($250) that recharges its power through both sunlight and artificial light. To order, call Dynamic Designs Jewelry at 425-827-7722.







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Are your prongs worn low? Do your jewels wobble to and fro?

Imagine that you're driving along in the middle of rush hour and your caught in traffic on I-405. Instead of focusing on the infuriating taillights, you decide to daydream about the love of your life. You look at your engagement ring in a full state of bliss until you realize...Oh no! Your diamond is missing!

While this story may not be yours, we hear similar renditions way too often! The culprit for this issue? Worn prongs and settings for your precious and semi-precious stones. It is no secret that diamonds are one of the hardest materials around. Gold is much softer - this is why we create alloys to strengthen it and why it is wonderful to work with in creatinging intricate details.

Unfortunately, this means that as your ring is banged around during daily wear and tear, your prongs are worn away while your diamond stays in great condition. To make sure all of your jewels stay where they belong, it is important to know what a solid and secure prong looks like and what it looks like when a prong needs to be rebuilt.

Prongs tend to be on the tiny side - they are meant to hold the stones but not act as a distraction, so you might want to use a magnifying glass to help you.

This first image is of a secure prong. Notice how far it rises above the stone:

These next images are of a worn prongs - one worn from the top, the other from the side. Notice how thin they have become:

You also want to look out for the posibility that your prongs are lifting - this means that they are no longer in full contact with the surface of the stone and have higher likelihood on catching on your surroundings and breaking off.

If you do notice any of these issues, I highly recommend contacting your jeweler immediately and scheduling a time in the next two weeks for repair. If at all possible, refrain from wearing the worn jewelry until it has been repaired. I know you might feel naked without it, but it is more important to make sure you keep those stunning stones in place.

Photos are a courtesy of madebycustom.com.

Do you have the same fashion sense as Kate Middleton and Jessica Simpson?

Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City 2 was proposed to with a black diamond, Kate Middleton said "Yes!" to a sapphire and diamond engagement ring, and Jessica Simpson is sporting a stunning ruby and diamond ring. With high profile couples choosing to express their own style with less-than-traditional rings, you might feel the urge to have an engagement ring that tells your story. There are a few tidbits you should know before going ring shopping:


Canary Yellow Diamond Ring



You need to have fun with your design! You can spice up your ring with a sutble pop of color in the smaller stones enhancing the band or go for the Wow! factor and use a brilliantly colorful center stone. Think of what colors speak to you, especially colors that you have felt drawn to for quite some time. Also consider using stones in different shapes from rectangles (baguette cut) and triangles to half-moon shapes and trapeziods.

Diamonds come in plenty of colors besides the normal "white". You can also find them in yellow, pink, blue, brown and black. Untreated diamonds, also known as natural diamonds, have more muted colors, while treated diamonds have colors that are deep and brilliant.

Nearly all engagement ring settings can be set with a stone other than a diamond. Emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and tanzanite are all stunning in their own way. Some individuals believe that each kind of stone offers a different healing property. You can have fun choosing a stone not only for its looks, but also for how it can help you!

If you do choose a stone other than a diamond, keep long-term wear and tear in mind. Diamonds are the hardest stone rating - a 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness where 1 is easy to scratch and 10 is very difficult to leave a mark. Emeralds measure a 7.5-8, rubies measure 9, and sapphires measure 9. To keep up the brilliance of stones that measure less than 10, they may have to be polished on occasion.

For more information on diamonds and bridal jewelry, visit http://www.dynamicdesignsjewelry.com/. If you like this article, please post it to facebook!

Beware of the Fracture-Filled Diamond!



Photo from Debeers.com

 Diamonds are a great investment - they look amazing (especially when you're wearing them), they last extremely long periods of time, and they can be sold for a profit. Similar to the price of gold, the price of diamonds is slowly rising as well.

When you buy a diamond, you want to make sure you are getting your money's worth - similar to buying a car. You feel much more confident when you can drive off the lot without having to worry about hidden mechanical problems. It is smart to know the "features" of your diamond too!

Each diamond is unique and can be identified by internal imperfections known "inclusions." Inclusions are tiny cracks or particles that can be visible either to the naked eye or by microscope. To make the diamond look more uniform, some diamond providers fill the cracks. This eliminates the immediate visibility of the cracks, but can be identified if as a flash of pink or orange when the diamond is viewed in bright light(see image above).

Why should you avoid fracture-filled diamonds? It is difficult to determine the true value of a filled diamond and how resistant it is to cracking apart. Oftentimes, jewelers will not buy fracture-filled diamonds from you or will offer a buying price far lower than what you paid. They are often hesitant to work with fracture-filled diamonds because these diamonds have a higher likelihood of breaking in the process of being set into jewelry.

My advice to you: Avoid fracture-filled diamonds! It is wise to treat jewelry as an investment and it is much easier to sell or trade up if your diamonds are truly valuable.