Buying a Diamond Online

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Whenever you buy something off the internet, you take a chance at being scammed. There are very many good sites to purchase from, but you need to know what to look for. This goes for buying a diamond online also. You’re going to be sending some company a large amount of money, so you need to make sure that money is safe, is paying for what you are ordering, and that you can recover that money if something goes wrong.

Do some in depth research of sites you are looking at. If it is within the United States, run them through the Better Business Bureau. If they don’t have a listing or rating for the company, the company may be fairly new so check around on the internet for any complaints or reviews before doing business with them. You should know up front, though, that many internet businesses will post fake reviews and reports of their company.

Make sure the company you have has a guarantee or warrantee that you can get in writing. Be sure that the diamond you are purchasing comes with a certificate of authenticity. You should also have the option to speak to a live person. It wouldn’t be wise to order something from an online store if you cannot communicate with anyone there.

Also check on the return policy of the site, the method of delivery, and their insurance. If they don’t insure your shipments, do not purchase from them. It would be so easy to say something has shipped after they collect the money, pocket the money, and you never see your item or your money again.

A diamond is a very popular and precious stone. They are not cheap, so if you are thinking about purchasing one on the internet, check out the store and its policies in detail first.

How to Plan a Wedding, When it’s Not Your First Walk Down the Aisle

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When it comes to today’s family, it seems there are no two families alike.  The rise in divorce rates has changed the face of the family all over the globe.  Don’t let this statistic worry you if you are about to experience the magic that comes with a wedding.  Today there are simply more and more people getting married a second time than there ever has been before.  In fact it has even been said that as many as 30% of today’s weddings are weddings with couples that have already experienced a previous marriage.  For many of these couples, they already know the pain of a marital breakdown, and their second marriage is even more meaningful than their first.  Finally they have found the soul mate that they want to spend the rest of their lives with.  Does this mean you shouldn’t have a beautiful wedding if it is your second? Of course not.  Let’s talk about that today.

Every marriage is a beautiful one, even if those moments of beauty become fleeting.  If this is a case where it is a first wedding for one of you, but a second for another, this is even more cause for you to make the celebration as big as you want it to be.  For the bride that is getting married again, she wants this wedding to be as unique as the first, as she should.  Every single wedding is one where joy should be experienced, no matter how many times he or she has been married before.  You can still have the My Wedding of your dreams if you want.  In fact, many brides want to make their second wedding even more beautiful than the last, especially if it didn’t go so well last time.  Grooms as well that are getting married again know better than anybody how important it is that their bride is happy during every step of the way.

In some cases, couples that are on their second marriage are blending families with children already in the picture.  Weddings are a family event, and this is a wonderful way to make the entire family feel like a family unit for the first time, by including children into your second ceremony.  Wedding songs that are especially made or sung for the children as they walk down the aisle with you will be another wonderful way to ensure that your children are honored in the same way that you are as you begin this new life.
Whether or not you wear white on this day for the bride to be is a personal choice.  If you didn’t get a chance to wear one the first time, or this is your first wedding, you have all the more reason to wear white again.  There was a time when this was considered a no-no, but today’s changing family is changing all of the rules on this one.  White is a traditional wedding color, and there is no reason you should not wear white if that has always been your dream.

As you get closer to counting down the wedding timeline, if you are getting married for the second time, the only thing you need to remember is the same thing that other brides and grooms are remembering.  There are no more rules on this day, as it is all yours, to make as big and as personal as you want it to be. You’ve waited just as long for this day as anybody else, and deserve the wedding of your dreams.

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White gold, Yellow gold, Platinum? What to choose?

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Gold, White Gold & Platinum

When it comes to wedding rings and bands, you are likely starting to think of heavy metals, and not the kind that you are considering to play at the reception.  These metals in this industry are actually referred to as precious metals.  Precious metals in terms of engagement rings all vary, with the most common metals used being gold and platinum.  Which one to choose is the most frequently asked question in the design your engagement ring process.  The only time you won’t have to concern yourself with this is if you have an engagement ring to start off with, in which case, your precious metal has already been selected.  Here we talk about what the differences between the metals are, to help you narrow down that choice.

The truth is, in many cases personal preference in her style will be a leading choice in determining which metal you choose.  The preference doesn’t always need to be dictated by budget either.  If most of the jewelry that she wears is gold, then your decision is pretty much made.  You want to get the metal that corresponds with her personal preference, because quite simply, you know she will love it more.  If she likes to wear more silver, than you know that platinum will pair well with her current preference choice and current style for accessorizing.  If she likes her accessories on the more copper side of things, you may also want to consider pink gold.  Sterling silver is often not recommended as an engagement ring band, as it is a very costly metal to maintain, and it is malleable with time.  If you are going to lose a diamond out of any band, it will likely be a silver band, and this will definitely cost you more with time, even if your ring is insured.

Thus, if she likes gold, your options are 14K gold or 18K gold.  If she likes silver your options are platinum or 14K white gold, or 18K white gold.  We do not recommend anything lower than 14K for a wedding or engagement piece.  Also, you may consider her skin tone if you are still unsure, so knowing whether her skin tone is cool or warm will help.  Cooler skin tones are the lighter shades of skin tones, and platinum and copper stands out better on cooler skin tones than warmer skin tones. On the other hand, with warmer skin tones gold creates a beautiful pop that makes it a very popular choice.
Now that you’ve narrowed that down, you want to talk budget, right?  There are advantages and disadvantages to each metal.

Of the three metals, platinum is the most expensive, but you get what you pay for.  It is considered one of the rare elements, thus the price range, but is also extremely resistant to wear and tear in terms of corrosion.  You can wear your platinum for a very long time without seeing any of its luster fade.  As such, platinum has become a leading choice and considered worth the investment for many young couples today.

Gold is also a very common choice as well, as a gold band or ring is the traditional metal of choice and has been for centuries.  The most common alloys used are the 14K and 18K, taking note that the higher in K you go with gold, the purer your gold will be. The higher in K in the gold family are more expensive, as in that range you are getting more gold and less alloy. Thus the purer your precious metal is, the more expensive it is going to be. This is true for either yellow gold or white gold, with the most common choices for those metals being 14K or 18K gold.

White gold has become extremely popular for both men and women getting married.  It looks very similar to platinum, but does not come with the price tag.  Stunning beside a diamond solitaire, or for a man’s wedding band, you can’t go wrong. Because white gold is made with yellow gold, you will see some yellowing with time.  This will mean you will need to have it treated with Rhodium as maintenance over time when white gold begins to yellow.  Rhodium will keep your ring brilliant in order to preserve the beauty of your ring over time.

In the end, whichever metal you choose, if you are sticking with her personal preferences, you can never go wrong as there is a metal for every preference in every budget available today.

Comparison between Gold, Platinum and White Gold Ring:

  • Gold RingGold Ring
    Weight: 2.26 grams
  • White Gold RingWhite Gold Ring
    Weight: 2.24 grams
  • Platinum RingPlatinum Ring
    Weight: 3.72 grams



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Do I need a wedding planner for my wedding?

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If you are planning a wedding, you may be watching all of the reality television shows to get some ideas. It seems today that just about everybody is using a wedding planner to help them out with the process. In fact, the idea has become so trendy that even movies have been made about it. But when you consider the cost of a wedding planner which can average anywhere from two to five thousand dollars, it may not be an expense you can afford. Here we talk about advantages and disadvantages of a wedding planner when you are creating your wedding timeline.

A wedding planner is certainly a huge asset if you have a big wedding planned. Who wouldn’t love to have a personal assistant of sorts on hand to tackle every menial task? This is a great idea if you have a big wedding with a lot of little details in play. There is no event more stressful than planning a wedding, and today’s bride has a lot on her plate. She also probably needs to go to work every day to pay for the wedding! Having a wedding planner is a great advantage if you need someone to take care of things for you, or if you anticipate a high stress wedding.

Another advantage to hiring a wedding planner is the issue with the in laws. No doubt, in laws will play a role in your wedding planning, whether you want them to or not. The bride today has to keep a lot of people happy, and this is one of the most stressful parts about having a wedding at all. A wedding planner works as a good buffer between you and the in laws to ensure that all people are indeed happy, without letting the bride feel any of the stress at all. It is a good investment if you think in law stress is a big deal for you. Delegate it to your wedding planner!

As well, an advantage to having a wedding planner is their contact list and source of networks. Many people have personal elements they want to include in their wedding, but they simply don’t know how to execute those ideas. A wedding planner is excellent for this. He or she will know exactly how to do what you want done. For example, if wedding songs that were played at your parent’s weddings are going to be a part of your wedding, but you aren’t able to find those old hits anywhere in the world, very likely your wedding planner will be able to save the day on things like that.

The only disadvantage that comes with having a wedding planner is the cost. But if you interview around, and get quotes from at least three wedding planners, you will get a good idea on what kind of cost you can expect. You might also find that a wedding planner could save you money on some areas of your wedding, in which case that cost will pay for itself through your savings. If you are however having a simple wedding that you think you can handle yourself, something as simple as Facebook Wedding Countdown will be the only wedding planner you need.

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Unique Wedding Registry Ideas

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The question has been popped, she has said yes, and you are ready to start planning My Wedding. How excited you must be! In addition to the many issues going through your head right now, you will be planning venues, picking bridal attendants, and also, planning the gift registry. All of this in today’s economy. While you are remembering your own budget during your wedding countdown, you also need to remember your guests. If you have ever been invited to a wedding, the first thing that likely popped into your head was, how much is this day going to cost me? Remember that your guests are going through the same thing when you are planning your wedding registry. Today however, new couples are getting very creative about how to go about this, and still get everything that they need. Here are some ideas for you to consider.

One thing that is sure is that today’s economy is tough. This is probably playing a role in your wedding plans. You may also be in the same boat as many couples that are also hoping to plan for their first new home together. As you should be, this is all a very exciting, but pressure filled time for you. This is where the gift registry comes in. Before you decide what to do with your registry, you need to think about what you need.

Some couples today will be foregoing their honeymoon because of the cost involved. But if a honeymoon is extremely important to you, you can implement this into your registry and ask your guests to help you out! A new trend in weddings today is using a travel agent as your gift registry. You pick where you and your beloved want to go, and set it up with a travel agent. You simply tell your guests what arrangements you have made, and they deposit money with the travel agent to help you have your dream honeymoon. Every couple should start off with this shared memory, and there will be few if any of your guests that have a problem with it.

Another similar idea is registering with a local bank to collect money directly from your guests. This sounds much less awkward than you might think, because many couples are doing just that to save for their first home. Instead of registering for actual presents, couples register a bank account to start saving for their life together. Think about it. How many times have you slipped some cash or a check into a wedding card? New couples have been getting money as a gift since the age of the dowry, and this is simply a contemporary way of getting it and making the process that much easier for your guests.

When you are hot in the throes of a wedding timeline, and you already have everything you need to begin your life with your beloved, asking for what you need in this economy is an easy way to check more off your list. As well, this tells your guests exactly what you need, and makes their job of gift giving so much easier, as they will be able to spend exactly what they want, without feeling like they have to go over budget themselves. These ideas are a win win for everybody!

The History of the Wedding Band.

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When it comes to weddings, the word tradition is one of the words you will hear the most often during the planning process. There is no human experience short of birth that does not come with a long range of historical elements and tradition the way a wedding experience does. For every family and for every culture and for every wedding there are different traditions. But it seems the one tradition that has held long and true for weddings all over the globe is the tradition of wedding rings and bands. Today we will talk about this tradition, and hopefully give you an idea of why this tradition is still so meaningful and revered today.

There is an incredible amount of symbolism attached to the symbolism of the wedding band. Though there are many different streams of thought as to how or why this tradition started, they all offer the same traditional experience. For many, the tradition of the wedding band started in ancient Egypt, where the symbol of a gold ring became the traditional wedding rings design because the circle represented the notion that life, love, and happiness has no beginning, and no end. This is the statement that even today is said in many vows and ceremonies marking this occasion all over the globe.

Ancient Egypt as well is also attributed for beginning the tradition of placing it on the fourth finger of the left hand, the finger that we know of today as the “ring finger” for this very purpose. The story goes that this tradition began because the primary vein in this finger goes directly back to the heart, thus this finger became the finger of choice as the ring was a direct connection to the wearer’s heart, the organ where love resides eternally.

As time went on, the Roman era continued this tradition, but the ring became a contractual document of sorts. The symbol of the ring was the symbol of marriage, and this ring would represent the legalization of the marriage when it became public. Eloping would not have been considered in this time, as the public exchange of rings was an important step in sealing the deal, or the symbolic way of signing the dotted line. Today, this tradition is still present in many contemporary ceremonies when you hear the bride and groom say before their loved ones in public, “with this ring, I thee wed.”

A few centuries later, Europeans would expand on this tradition with a tradition that would become known as the engagement ring. This was a ring that would be given in addition to the wedding ring, and one before the wedding. This tradition is still present today, all over the globe. In Europe at the time in the 1600’s, this ring was not called an engagement ring, but rather a Poesy Ring, and given as a symbol of promise to marriage. The circle represented fidelity and was consider a pledge of eternal love in much the same manner that today’s engagement ring promises. Today, whether you are getting wedding rings for cheap, or going as extravagant as you can for your future betrothed, the history of this tradition lives on and is an important step for any couple getting married.

Original Engagement Rings

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The day has finally arrived where you have come to the conclusion without hesitation that you know exactly who you want to spend the rest of your life with. Every experience you have from this point forward needs to come with almost as much consideration as you have placed into the selection of this perfect individual for you. This is someone who is a one of a kind original in your life, and always will be. As such, you want to have an original engagement ring that speaks volumes about how unique you are, and how unique this unity will be from this day forward. Being original is in fact fashion’s biggest trend right now and this trend is definitely making its mark on the engagement ring industry. It simply has never been easier to create original engagement rings, that are as unique as the couple who invests in them.

The build engagement ring model is one that many online retailers have launched. It is one that answers the trend of today’s need for originality. At Diamond Traces, we offer you this service, and more, as our huge selection is unsurpassed by anyone in the industry. Here you can design your engagement ring from start to finish so that it is nothing but you through and through.

If you aren’t sure what you want, our unique templates allow you to mix and match styles, setting, metal, shape, cut, quality and much more, for as long as you like until you create the ring of your dreams. Knowing what your budget is will be the ideal starting point before you begin the design process. From there you can determine whether you want something that looks antique, contemporary chic, or offers more sparkle than the midnight sky.

If you are buying the ring for someone else, and she doesn’t quite know yet what surprise you have in store for her, now would be a good time to start dropping hints with her to get an idea for what kind of ring she would truly gasp over. Although many starlets today wow the world with huge rings with a ton of diamonds, these are not practical choices for every woman, and some women simply like something a little more simple. She might even be dropping hints herself, by drawing attention to gems seen on television or flat out telling you what her dream ring would look like.

You can also get a very good feel for what a woman would like in an engagement ring by using her current way of accessorizing as a way to tell what kind of jewelry she likes to wear. Keep in mind if she frequently wears one metal more commonly than others, such as if she wears white or yellow more frequently than the other. You will want to get a ring that matches her everyday style. If she wears a lot of accessories every day, chances are the bigger and more brilliant will take her breath away. If she wears little jewelry on a day to day basis, a sleek but simple ring will surely impress her.

Once you have an idea on what her personality says about her ring style, you can begin the process to design your engagement ring. Use our simple but handy tool to start this process, and within minutes you could have an engagement ring that is as one of a kind an original as she is.

Some exemple of engagement rings:



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Women & Diamonds

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“The Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” is one of the most iconic phrase that is known around the world, it was first introduced by Carol Channing in the original Broadway production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, but it become world wide famous when Marilyn Monroe played the film with the same title in 1953. Since then, the phrase become an iconic word with a hidden message for every men.

The meaning is “if you wish to find your way into the woman’s heart” it will happen with a nice diamond. I work in the diamond industry over 17 years as a sales consultant and I could not find any better phrase that will top this one.

The reason for it is very simple, it is true as millions of man noticed over the years, this is the reason that engagement rings become a “standard” for the “act” that is to ask the girl to marry you the gentleman. This short story from the original Broadway play changed the world of diamonds for ever, the only thing from the show that is not true is “gentlemen prefer blondes” as the diversity of beautiful women covers the whole spectrum of color very respectfully.

Thanks
Jimmy