Is your diamond cursed? August 19, 2008
Posted by Jill Renee in : Jewelry , add a commentIs your jewelry trying to kill you? Read on to find out, but don’t worry. Unless you are spending millions for your next diamond you are probably safe.Man has always had a fascination with bright shiny objects from the heat of fire to the malleable metals that fire can make into beautiful jewelry. And with that fascination is the urge to find the biggest and best – such as these six gems and precious stones.
Unfortunately, some believe these famous prizes may carry their own price for ownership. Looking back at the first appearance and their subsequent journeys has put a question in the minds of the superstitious as to whether they are cursed or not. There is some debate to this day. While myth may be debunked by history, the legend, for many of these gems, lives on. (more…)
Best Marriage Proposal Videos July 22, 2008
Posted by Jill Renee in : Romantic Tips, Proposing Marriage , add a commentDanforth Diamond is happy to announce a new addition to our site that we think you will find very entertaining. We recently scoured the Internet in search of the best marriage proposal videos ever created, and what we found amazed us. We uncovered videos of people proposing on the fifty-yard line of a football field, videos of people propsing immediately upon their return from Iraq, even videos of people proposing on gameshows, such as The Price is Right.
After trudging through all the videos, we decided on eight videos that will surely stand the test of time. These videos are now being showcased on our site for your enjoyment. We hope they inspire your wedding proposal ideas, and we hope you find the best diamond engagement ring for your signficant other. On the topic of engagement rings, 14k white gold engagement rings with red ruby side stones are gaining in popularity right now. You may want to consider those as you browse our selection of affordable yet elegant engagement rings.
Enjoy the videos and thanks for stopping by!
–The Danforth Team
Conflict-Free Diamonds, Recycled Rings & Green Jewelry Advice June 23, 2008
Posted by Jill Renee in : Jewelry, Diamonds, Palladium Jewelry, Green Weddings, Q&A from Jill , 1 comment so farI received an interesting set of questions from a concerned gentlemen. I felt sharing my answers would help others who have similar questions about conflict-free diamonds, recycling and other green issues.
Hello, I feel a bit guilty writing to a Diamond jeweler for advice on this subject, but please honor me with a sincere response. I found your contact information on a “Green” wedding site and read a bit about materials and stones.
I absolutely do not want to ruin a proposal with a ring which even remotely represents “conflict” in her life. I read a bit about palladium?
Is it manufactured? Mined?
Any advise will be greatly appreciated.
Dear Earth Wise Friend,
Your dilemma is not so unusual and I have been wondering what I can do to be a responsible member of our fragile planet in regards to jewelry and diamonds.
Recently, one new option has been brought to my attention. Some jewelry manufacture companies have been using recycled precious metals to make their jewelry. This metal was previously mined and made into jewelry and then remelted and turned back into pure metals to once again be alloyed and used. The challenge here is to choose a responsible refiner who only uses earthwise methods for refining. In the past harmful chemicals were used in this process but now new methods have allowed the refining process to be clean and environmentally friendly.
Palladium is a metal that is also mined from the earth but the company that mines the Palladium that we use is right here in the USA and they are earth friendly. We can also purchase recycled Palladium.
I am making a decision to offer a line of rings that are made from recycled metals only. These rings will require no mining to get the metal. The metal will be totally recycled. I think your girlfriend could feel proud and good about wearing one of these rings.
As far as diamonds go. I am committed to sell only conflict free diamonds from responsible vendors who comply with the Kimberley Process and all of their guidelines.
Another option would be to purchase a synthetic diamond. Charles and Colvard is a company that sells moissanite which is man made silicon carbide that closely resembles a diamond. You can easily research this online. Of course there are other man made options that you could also use.
If you would like to purchase a recycled ring let me know and I can help you with the setting. I only sell conflict free diamonds so I cannot help you with the synthetic stones. Hope this helps you with your decision.
Thank you and Best Wishes, Jill Renee
The Best Times to Propose Marriage June 6, 2008
Posted by Jill Renee in : Romantic Tips, Proposing Marriage , add a commentWhat is the best time of year to propose marriage? Christmas and Valentine’s Day are perennial favorites, but are they really the best dates to ask the bribe-to-be to be whether she wants to tie the knot? It may be better to pick a date that accommodates the bride’s schedule than to pick a date simply because it falls on a major holiday and “everyone else” likes to propose on that day.
Without question, Christmas and Valentine’s Day are safe bets and are sure to be met with a pleasant reaction. But the bride may be expecting a proposal on a holiday, taking the element of surprise out of the equation. Indeed, Christmas and Valentine’s Day have grown so popular as wedding proposal days that the bride-to-be may not even be surprised at all. If you really want to catch your future fiancé off-guard, propose to her the day after a major holiday. It’s highly unlikely that she’ll be expecting a 14K Art Deco Style engagement ring on February 15th.
An important factor to keep in mind when determining a proposal date is the schedule of relatives. Is your fiancé’s sister expecting a baby in June? Then don’t propose in such a way that your announcement takes away from the birth of the baby. Is your girlfriend’s brother getting married in July? Then consider not proposing in the same month to avoid any feeling of one event overshadowing the other. Wedding proposals never exist in vacuums. They ought to be viewed in the grand scope of all family-related events.
Ultimately, you know your future fiancé better than anyone; therefore, only you can determine what the best proposal date is. Think about the characteristics of your fiancé. Does she love the cold and generally dislike warm weather. Then don’t propose to her on a beach. What’s her favorite season? If it’s fall, then take her on a day trip to an area of the country that boasts spectacular foliage scenes and present her with a white gold designer engagement ring during a candlelight dinner. Maybe she prefers warm weather. If you feel that proposing to her during the winter is necessary, then travel with her to a sunny destination and then surprise her with the ring, perhaps a six prong classic marquise diamond, which is gaining in popularity every year.
You may wish to consult with your friends or immediate relatives about a proper date. Doing so might put a damper on the idea of calling them to spontaneously surprise them with the news, but if there is any potential future conflict regarding the date of your engagement announcement, it may be worth asking your tightly-knit relatives and friends for their opinions. You’ll likely get a more pointed answer than you would if you asked a random person on an Internet message board, as some people tend to do.
Odds are that any date you choose to propose will be fine in the long run. After all, a proposal is merely an announcement of intentions. The far more significant date is the wedding.
Clever Tips for Finding Your Girlfriend’s Ring Size May 19, 2008
Posted by Jill Renee in : Engagement Rings, Romantic Tips, Proposing Marriage, Buying Jewelry , 1 comment so farYou want to propose and give her an engagement ring that fits, but you don’t know her ring size. A great deal of thought goes into the preparations required to make your proposal unique, memorable and error-free. In most cases, months are spent selecting the engagement ring, coordinating the exact place and time of the proposal, and rehearsing the words that come closest to expressing what the heart feels on the day the question is finally asked. And just like the glass slipper in Cinderella, the ring must fit to confirm that you are indeed the handsome prince she has been waiting for.
Finding the ring size of your bride-to-be without making your intention to propose obvious can require imagination, ingenuity and a stroke of luck. Having a ring she currently wears on her ring finger can ease the burden, but most women keep their ring finger sacred and free of jewelry that would provide an exact ring size. To help, we provide the following list which contains a few sneaky ways to figure out what the size of her ring finger is.
Trust In Friends To Help
Most of those close to you and your bride-to-be are more than happy to help you on your quest to find her ring size. Think about her best friends, coworkers, and even her mom to get the ring size information. This can easily be done if they allow her to try on their rings, go window shopping for jewelry, or have them simply ask.
Covertly Capture the Ring’s Size
If you are fortunate enough to have a bride-to-be that enjoys jewelry, then make it a point to “borrow” a ring-finger ring once it is removed. In some cases, the wearer won’t notice that the ring is missing if it’s only gone for a few hours while you’re having the jeweler obtain its size. However, if the ring-finger jewelry is only removed for brief periods (such as while showering), a model or imprint will have to do. To capture the ring’s size, simply trace the inner circle of the ring on a piece of paper or make an imprint of the ring in a soft material such as soap, clay or bread and return the ring to its former location. In this way, a measurement can be made without the physical ring being present.
Use Paper or a String to Guess the Ring
If your bride-to-be is a heavy sleeper, then it may be possible to wrap a thin strip of paper around her finger and mark where the paper overlaps itself. This method will provide a fairly accurate ring size. A twist could also be to tie a string to her finger to make sure she does forget something you deem important. Insist on having the string tied to the ring-finger, and when it is removed pocket the string. This is crafty and works best on a very unsuspecting bride-to-be.
Bring It Up in Group Conversation
If all else fails, then simply comment (or have your friend comment) on a ring that belongs to someone else. This may get the ring size conversation going in your direction. Fabricate as necessary by talking about the similarities of the ring in question with your (mother’s / grandmother’s/ sister’s) ring; ask what size it is and if you can see it; allow your bride-to-be to try it on; comment on the stones; anything to get the ring conversation going. You don’t have to get the exact size now; you can subtly revisit and finish the discussion at a later time when the two of you are alone.
Both you and your bride-to-be deserve perfection from start to finish, and hopefully, these tips will help you to make sure the engagement ring is sized perfectly. By taking the time to secure the right ring size you open up more options on your ring selection and ensure that she is showing off her engagement ring immediately following the proposal. The time spent finding out the right ring size is sure to pay off big dividends on your proposal day.
