GIFTS UNDER $100.00

Diamond Sterling Silver Earrings

Amethyst Stackable Sterling Silver Ring

Stainless Steel Dog Tag

Silver Dangle Earrings

GIFTS BETWEEN $101.00 and $250.00

Silver Black Onyx Bamboo Hoop Earrings

Stainless Steel & Diamond Money Clip

Sterling Silver Dome Ring

Sterling Silver Bamboo Link Toggle Bracelet

GIFTS FOR HER

Double Heart Pendant

Diamond Cluster Earrings

Pink Opal Briolette Drop Earrings

Diamond Cocktail Ring

GIFTS FOR HIM

Golf Theme Keychain

Men's Stainless Steel Ring

Stainless Steel Chain

Sterling Silver Money Clip

GIFTS FOR CHILDREN

Children's Pink Butterfly Ring

Small Duck Frame

Gold Ladybug Children's Earrings

Children's Butterfly Necklace

Jewelry is the PERFECT Gift for any and every occasion! Browse our entire jewelry collection now at www.jrjewelers.com

Rhodium is a rare chemical element found on the Periodic Table of Elements. It is one of the five main precious metals used for jewelry and a member of the platinum group.

Rhodium plating is used on jewelry items to provide a coating that will protect the underlying metal from scratches and tarnish, and will also give a shinny white, almost reflective appearance.

White gold has a yellowish color undertone to it, because pure gold is in reality, yellow. White gold is actually a mixture of gold and a white looking metal, usually silver, nickel or palladium.

Rhodium plating is applied to white gold jewelry, used to make the jewelry item more white looking and bright. The rhodium plating will not tarnish or discolor as quickly as white gold. Also, rhodium plating adds a layer of protection to white gold jewelry; due to its level of hardness it is not easily scratched.

It is also wise to keep in mind that rhodium plating does not last indefinitely. If it is on something that is worn constantly, like a wedding ring, the rhodium plate will usually last two to three years, but if it is on something that is used for special occasions then the rhodium plating can last up to ten years. Keep in mind that a rhodium plate will not completely eliminate dents and scratches, but it will make your jewelry more shiny and bright!

Rhodium is a precious metal, although it is generally not considered a feasible material to make solid jewelry from because it is very difficult to work with, and its price is very volatile. Rhodium can be 5x as costly as gold with fluctuating costs sometimes reaching 25x costlier than gold. Nonetheless, rhodium is fabulous as plating for jewelry because it is dazzlingly, white and mirror-like.

Another great feature of rhodium plating is that it makes diamonds look bigger and better. Because rhodium is so bright it’s hard to see where the stones end and the metal begins. Nothing sets off diamonds like rhodium plating does!

A good indication that your jewelry may need to be rhodium plated again is when you start noticing the color of the metal underneath. Pricing will depend upon the thickness of the rhodium plate that you want. I would recommend choosing a thicker layer for jewelry that you wear daily, like your wedding ring, so you won’t have to replace it every few years.

Stop by J.R. Jewelers today for your rhodium plating needs and we will be happy to add shine and brilliance to all your white gold jewelry!

There are a few different options to consider when insuring your jewelry. Some options you have may include using your homeowners or renters insurance or attaining a separate insurance policy to specifically cover jewelry items.

Renter’s and Homeowner’s Insurance Policies

Renter’s and homeowner’s insurance policies set limits for the loss of certain categories of personal property, including jewelry. Homeowner’s policies typically pay a maximum of $1,000 for jewelry theft. A renter’s insurance policy might have a lower limit for jewelry loss, commonly $500. Another aspect to consider is that most policies also have deductibles of $250 or $500, which is first applied to an insurance loss.

You might be surprised to learn that many renter’s and homeowner’s insurance policies only cover jewelry loss as a result of theft and do not provide coverage for lost or damaged jewelry items. It is important to read your policy carefully and ask your insurance agent to clarify the types of losses that are covered on your standard policy.

Additional Jewelry Insurance

You can usually purchase additional or separate insurance for your jewelry through your homeowner’s and renter’s insurance, called a policy “rider”. Be sure to ask your agent questions so that you have a good understanding of the coverage. Some questions that may be helpful are included below:

• Is there a deductible? If so, how much is it and how does raising or lowering the deductible affect my policy costs?
• Is an appraisal required prior to obtaining insurance? Are there only certain types of appraisers whose reports are accepted?
• Are the items covered no matter where the loss takes place? Would the policy cover me for a loss that occurs during domestic or international travel?
• Are items covered for full replacement cost? Must I replace the item, or can I obtain cash settlement?
• Does the policy cover repairs to damaged jewelry?

The rider is usually covered by a separate deductible that only applies to a loss of this kind of personal property, and it customarily covers for any type of loss!

Private Jewelry Insurance Options

The Chubb Group
The Chubb Group provides insurance specifically for jewelry. They offer policies through independent insurance agents and jewelry retailers.

Chubb’s jewelry policy guidelines are detailed below:

• Full coverage for the itemized amount shown on the policy
• No deductible
• Coverage applies worldwide for lost or stolen rings
• Replacement is not required, Chubb offers cash settlement. If you do replace the ring, you select the jeweler.

Chubb recommends an appraisal for all insured jewelry, but only requires an appraisal for items valued over $50,000. Chubb does not offer coverage for loose diamonds.

With a policy from Chubb, you can have the peace of mind to wear, use and enjoy your jewelry anywhere in the world. Your jewelry will be insured against most types of loss without a policy deductible.

Chubb provides some coverage for your new jewelry purchase, giving you time to contact your agent. And we make it easy by offering one of the most flexible appraisal requirements in the business.

Jeweler’s Mutual

Since 1913, Jewelers Mutual has been a leader in jewelry protection for jewelers across the country. They can protect your personal jewelry, frequently covering jewelry insurance claims that homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance doesn’t. The standard homeowner’s policy provides only limited jewelry protection, often excluding breakage or loss.

Jeweler’s Mutual offers personal jewelry insurance that covers both repair and replacement. The policy is not available for unset stones, damaged items, or antique jewelry. An appraisal is required for coverage.

You may either insure your jewelry for full value with no deductible, or you may elect a deductible of up to $500, that will lower the annual premium by as much as 14%!

Jeweler’s Mutual Insurance provides coverage for:

• Jewelry damage
• Jewelry loss
• Jewelry theft
• Mysterious disappearance

Jeweler’s Mutual insurance policy offers jewelry protection with no deductible, unless you choose one, so if you experience jewelry damage or loss, you won’t have to pay out of your own pocket.

They offer jewelry repair or replacement for your lost or damaged jewelry with items of same kind and quality, returning you to the same position that you were in before the loss.

Many homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies force policyholders to use impersonal jewelry replacement companies for jewelry repairs and replacements or to obtain several estimates to cover their personal jewelry damage or loss.

With Jeweler’s Mutual jewelry insurance, when you experience jewelry damage or loss on a piece covered by your policy, you’ll be able to work with a jeweler of your choosing. With Jeweler’s Mutual, you will only be required to attain one estimate, as opposed to other companies that require you to get several estimates.

When determining whether to insure your jewelry, you may want to consider that according to the U.S. Department of Justice; nearly $1 billion worth of jewelry is stolen each year. You can protect yourself from this risk with an insurance policy and have peace of mind knowing your jewelry’s value will be reconciled to you.

We feature a unique and diverse selection of gifts specially designed to celebrate your mother or the mother of your children with jewelry.  Browse our entire Mother’s Jewelry Collection by clicking this link.

Just like any other mechanical object, such as automobiles, airplanes, and boats, watches need care and repair to keep functioning. They are a luxury item that needs much of the same in order to function at its best or even to function at all! The most common types of Watch Repairs are the Battery Replacement, Overhaul and New Movement.

Battery Replacement

Changing Batteries is the most common watch repair there is, because the majority of common watches are quartz. When your watch stops working or the second hand starts acting erratically by ticking every five seconds; then it’s time for a new battery.

Some batteries will last a year, while others can last for five or more. Each watch is different, and it has to do with the watch itself and how many functions it has. If your watch has a day, date, second hand, chronograph, stop watch or even music, it will use more of the battery life and will need to be replaced more often.

Do note that at times batteries will leak and corrode inside the watch and rust the movement and parts. This can get expensive to clean and repair. If you’re not going to be wearing your watch for a while, you may want to have the battery removed so it doesn’t cause harm.

Overhaul

All luxury watches, even quartz models, can need to be overhauled. Overhaul is really a simple and effective way to refurbish your watch, and get it running accurately, again. All watches should get an overhaul every 3-5 years.

An overhaul is basically like a tune-up on a car. The Watch Maker or Watch Repairman checks out all the parts in the movement (guts of the watch), and cleans them and re-lubricates them. Pieces and parts in a watch create friction and rub against each other as they move. They need grease or oil to help them glide properly. Lubricant dries up over time and needs to be replaced, otherwise your watch will not keep time properly or at least it won’t be very accurate. When an overhaul is performed, your watch will be disassembled and inspected for any damage. The timepiece will be cleaned, in order to remove any build-up, which may be getting in the way of the performance of the watch, and any damaged components will be replaced, at this time. Parts like mainsprings (barrels that rotate in the watch) and coils are common items that need to be replaced. Worn gaskets, or seals, should also be checked and replaced; this keeps your watch water proof or water resistant. If the watch is a water resistant model, its water resistance is tested.

Below is a guide to follow when determining if you need an overhaul.

1.    Overhaul your watch if it runs through batteries very fast.

2.   Overhaul if you have recently replaced the batteries and your watch is gaining or loosing time, unexpectedly.

3.   Overhaul when your watch stops and starts on its own.

Even if your watch is running well and you do not detect any problems, it’s a good idea to have it overhauled at least every 5 years just to keep the parts from wearing down.

New Movement

This repair is literally putting in a whole new working movement. It’s like a new engine. Everything gets replaced inside the watch.

A New Movement is necessary when the price of fixing a movement gets more expensive than replacing it.

New movements can get very costly. Prices will vary depending on the size of the movement and the manufacturer. Every watch is different.

Mechanical watches have become rare, and repairing them is very specialized work, which should be entrusted to those who are well trained in this lost art.

At J.R. Jewelers, we work with highly trained and experienced certified watchmakers, who have many years of experience in the craft of repairing all brands of watches, such as:  Rolex, Patek Phillipe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantine, Piaget, Breitling, European Watch, Shaffhausen, Tiffany & Co., etc. We guarantee their work for a period of one year, if due to the same problem.

Christie’s was founded in 1766 by James Christie, and was known for having conducted the greatest auctions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Today Christie’s continues to showcase the unique and the beautiful with individual sale prices ranging from $200 to over $80 million.

Christie’s has 53 offices in 32 countries around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai and Hong Kong.

As to keeping up with the modern times, Christie’s now offers its clients worldwide access to its sales through Christie’s LIVE, its real time online auction bidding service. If you are unable to attend an auction in person, you can easily view and bid on Christie’s auction items from the privacy of your home or office.

Christie’s also offers their clientele the valuable service of brokering the private selling and buying of both works of art and jewelry. Since Christie’s has an international network of professional and private collectors, they are well-equipped to quickly help you successfully attain your goal.

These are simply a few of the wonderful services that Christie’s has to offer and that have attributed to Christie’s unparalleled success around the world.  Below are a few jewelry items that will be auctioned in the coming months through Christie’s, just in case you happen to be in the market for such!

Photo courtesy of Christie's

Christie’s will auction a 10.09 Carat Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink Diamond in New York on April 12, 2011 as the highlight of its Magnificent Jewels Sale. The estimated value of the diamond is between $12 million and $15 million.

Christie’s will auction a Rectangular-Cut 5.1 Carat Diamond Ring in Paris on May 23, 2011 that once belonged to Gloria Swanson, the highest paid actress in Hollywood by the 1920s. Swanson was known as a big jewelry fan with an annual jewelry budget said to be $500,000.

These gemstones range in color from a faint light blue to blue and bluish-green, with lighter colored stones being the more common type. Aquamarine is more affordable in lighter colors, with deeper and more saturated colors being more expensive.

Aquamarine is a hard and durable stone that will not chip or crack easily, unless one bangs it very hard in which case it can crack internally. More often than not, they are internally clean and free of inclusions.

Where do they come from?

Brazil is the largest producer of Aquamarine gemstones. Other important producers are Pakistan, Myanmar (Burma), Russia, China, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya, and even in California and Colorado of the United States.

What I am Not…

Some people can confuse aquamarine with a blue topaz or a blue zircon, both of which are a darker tone of blue and have a different makeup. These stones are not as expensive as aquamarine, making them more appealing for some consumers.

How Big?

The largest aquamarine crystal to ever be cut was found in Brazil in 1992 and named “Dom Pedro” after the two emperors of Brazil: Dom Pedro Primeiro and Dom Pedro Segundo. It weighed 24,875 grams, was 10,363 carats and 23 1/4 inches tall.

In 1993, the “Dom Pedro” stone was cut to create the aquamarine gemstone sculpture “Waves of the Sea”. This is currently the largest single piece of cut aquamarine in the world, and stands 13 13/16 inches tall.

More aquamarine jewelry at affordable prices

Get ready for the new products in the luxurious Signature Collection! JR Jewelers is getting ready for the 2011 wedding season with new additions to the Signature Collection. The splendid bridal jewelry at great affordable prices will impress you surely. Have a look at the stunning collection on JR Jewelers website.