Aliciamiyares.org – The guide to all things of fashion

A diamond stud earring is made up of just one perfectly cut diamond, set in fine gold or silver. The simplicity of the design itself is its own selling point: anything fancier and you could easily fall into the trap of over-accessorizing. A single-stone earring is singled out for its sophisticated look.

A diamond is 58 times harder than the next hardest mineral on earth, corundum, the stuff from which rubies and sapphires are formed. Only diamonds can cut other diamonds. Ironically, diamonds are also brittle. If you hit one hard with a hammer, it will shatter. If it is placed in an oven and heated to about 763 degrees Celsius (1405 degrees Fahrenheit), it will simply vanish, releasing only a little carbon dioxide and NO visible traces whatsoever.
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Tags: buying diamonds, diamond earrings, diamond earrrings, Diamond Jewelry, diamond stud earrings, diamonds, jewelry shopping tips

Men grow cold as girls grow old
And we all lose our charms in the end
But square-cut or pear-shaped
These rocks don’t lose their shape
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend

– from the movie “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”

Diamond hoop earrings are perfectly popular these days, thanks to young pop divas like Jennifer Lopez or J-Lo, hiphop diva extraordinaire. J-Lo is also known for spreading the trend of the chandelier earring, and other cascading-style ear ornaments.

Now take another diva and examine her choice of jewelry. We’re talking about actress Elizabeth Taylor and her special fondness for diamonds. When she was dubbed a Dame of the British Empire, the nation held a “black tie and diamonds” event, to commemorate her love for that specific precious stone. Diamond hoop earrings are part of Miss Taylor’s not inconsiderable jewelry collection.
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Tags: buying diamonds, diamond earrrings, diamond hoop earrings, Diamond Jewelry, diamonds, divas, jewelry shopping tips

“A diamond is forever,” as the old saying goes. The late actress Marilyn Monroe said it best: “a diamond is a girl’s best friend.” So much tribute has been paid to the everlasting glory of the diamond, which is among the most valuable (and expensive!) precious stones in existence. Is it any wonder then that diamond jewelry is so fashionable? Diamond earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets – many of these are regarded as works of art.

The diamond is the most unadulterated of all the gemstones composed of a single pure element. It is also the hardest transparent substance that exists. It is for this that the diamond stands as a symbol of strength, purity of spirit, and even physical chastity.

Diamond earrings first reached the height of fashion in Europe in the 18th century, just before the Renaissance era. To this day many people, even men, wear diamond earrings as a classy adornment. George Michael and Prince are only two of the many male celebrities who have been known to use diamonds as ear decorations. From time to time, David Beckham of soccer fame sports the odd diamond earring worth around $12,300.
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Tags: buying diamonds, diamond earrrings, Diamond Jewelry, diamonds, jewelry shopping tips

Diamond shoppers today have more choices than ever on where to buy their diamond engagement ring, diamond earrings and other diamond jewelry items. However, with greater selections come bigger potential risks and rewards. You need to do your homework and understand how to select the best company for your diamond purchase.

The retail diamond market is comprised of three broad categories of diamond sources; jewelry stores, ecommerce diamond companies and diamond brokers.

Jewelry Stores
Until recent years, jewelry stores were the only option for most diamond shoppers. This was especially true for smaller towns and rural areas. These stores had a monopoly, much like Ma Bell with the phone systems during most of the 20th century. Jewelry stores were the only game in town and could set their prices at whatever markup they wanted.

Jewelry stores depend on impulse buying so they focus on having a selection to pick from, name recognition through extensive advertising, and being convenient so shoppers can walk in and make a purchase with no education or knowledge of the product. If it looks nice to an impulse buyer, they will pull out the credit card and have it gift-wrapped. To attract the impulse buyer, jewelers built elaborate stores with polished marble floors, expensive display cases, and lighting that makes everything in the store sparkle.

To pay for the stores, the decorations and all the expensive advertising, jewelry stores must maintain high markups on the items they sell. The more expensive stores have bigger inventory, higher rent and more advertising, which dictates the higher markup necessary to pay for all that overhead.

E-Commerce Diamond Retailers
The online shopping cart of hundreds of jewelry retailers has been one of the big growth areas for e-commerce. Shoppers can shop from the convenience of their home or work computer, look at the pictures of thousands of jewelry items online and place their order without ever talking to a human. E-commerce diamond retailers provide a list of diamonds owned by groups of wholesalers and let the shopper pick the diamond they want based on the specifications in the list. The shopper pays for the diamond in advance and then the wholesaler or the retailer ships the diamond to the consumer.
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Tags: buying diamonds, diamond broker, diamond retailer, diamond rings, diamond shopping, diamonds, Jewelry Store, jewelry stores, online diamonds