Thursday 7 May 2015

Three Ways to Reduce Chances of Mistakes in Custom Jewelry Design

Custom jewelry sounds like music. Yet, when it comes to details, many people are at a loss. A lot of individuals struggle to explain to their local jewelry repair shop what kind of necklace, ring, or wristband they desire. And even if they somehow manage to spell out their ideal jewel, there always remains a chance—however small—that the jeweler will not get the details right. The gulf between your ideas and speech seems insurmountable, but it is not.

There are several ways to communicate your ideas well to a jeweler. This blog shares with you three most effective of them.

Prefer Experienced Jewelers
There is a very good reason to speak to experienced jewelers when you want custom jewelry designed or repaired. A jeweler with more than 30 years of experienced under his or her belt is more likely to get the right details from you and work on it. In contrast, someone who has just started out in this line of business is more likely to make mistakes.

Use Internet
Baselworld is a prestigious festival in Germany where many jewelers gather each year to showcase their latest designs. You can look up the website of the festival on Internet. Alternatively, you can try out Flickr, Instagram, PinInterest, Google Images, Bing Images, and other such websites to find jewels that reliably visualize your ideas.

Don’t Go Alone
If you think you are not a good speaker, take someone, who is loquacious and can explain things clearly, with you. The two of you will be able to put across your point more clearly and correctly.

Custom jewelry repair and design are complicated process. You can make them simpler for your jeweler and reduce the probability of mistakes if you consult experienced jewelers, use images, and take a friend with you.

Wednesday 11 March 2015

For the perfect care of your jewelry!

We all like to invest in good quality jewelry, not just for its beauty, but also for the investment value that it contains. These costly pieces of jewelry that we like to flaunt only sparingly, need to be kept with great care and precaution, otherwise it will just get damaged and start spoiling in terms of color, shape and design. Though there are jewelry repair and service options in New Jersey; here are a couple of pointers that can ensure there are no permanent damages incurred by your jewelry.


Simple steps that can keep jewelry safe

  • The first and most essential thing that you need to make sure is keep your ornaments away from excess moisture. Storing them in zip lock plastic bags will help to keep your jewelry clean and dry

  • Another major enemy that you need to protect your fine jewels from is perfume! Perfumes and deodorants can be damaging for the luster and texture of your jewels. This is why you need to make sure that you don’t spray on it

  • Always wear your jewelry in the end! Whenever you are dressing up for a special occasion; make sure that you wear your jewelry last. Similarly when you are back home, you need to remove jewelry before changing your clothes. This will basically ensure that your jewelry doesn’t get stuck in your clothes or hair and get damaged

  • Cleaning jewelry with lukewarm soapy water and wiping it clean with a soft dry cloth is essential every once in a while. This not only helps in keeping the jewelry shiny and good-looking, but also free from germs which might tend to give you infections

  • There are also Jewelry repair store options in NJ that you can look up if your ornaments get accidentally damaged or if you willfully want to change the look of the same

Tuesday 3 February 2015

Why is Custom Designed Jewelry Better?


An amethyst ring, a diamond heart, or a gents’ band custom designed for you is a great conversation starter. You attract more attention when you put on your custom designed ring, necklace, or band and at a party or an official even than when you wear run-of-the-mill, mass produced jewelry. Though an excellent, this is not the only reason to prefer custom jewelry over factory designed jewels. New Jersey’s most reputed  custom jewelry design and repair service, Alex & Cliff, has suggests five excellent reasons to go for custom designs when you go out shopping for jewelry the next time:

Quality

The days of jewelry produced in assembly line design factories are over. A custom jewelry designer can turn your dream ring or necklace into reality using the metals (gold, silver or platinum) and diamonds of your choice. So when it comes to quality, you are the one who sets standards.

Customer service

Alex & Cliff’s job does not end with design. You continue to be provided with an exceptional custom jewelry repair service years after your purchase. This profoundness in customer service is lacking in many store selling you mass-produced jewelry.

Design

Jewelry is expensive. Why should you pay through the nose for a ring that you merely “like” instead of going for your dream design. By deciding to come to Alex & Cliff, you are essentially saying that “I refuse to settle for anything less than perfect. I want world class designs.”

Unique

This brings us back to where we started — conversation. Custom design rings are so good at breaking the ice at parties because the people around cannot help but remark the unique design of your jewelry. You are unique and there is not a better way to announce it to the world than put on custom design jewelry.

Alex & Cliff is a custom jewelry and repair service in New Jersey. You can reach out to their expert designers on 973-762-0788.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

History of Jewelry - From Prehistoric Times to Today

Across cultures, jewelry has been a form of adornment for a long time. Shells, stones, and bones have been used to make jewels since prehistoric times. It is likely that jewelry originated as a way to protect oneself from physical harm and later morphed into a symbol of status or rank.

The discovery of how to melt and forge metals was a landmark moment in the development of the art of jewelry making. Jewels become more decorated and intricate as metalworking techniques evolved over time.

Gold is a rare metal which is valued highly. In the ancient world it was not uncommon to bury gold with the dead. A lot of the jewelry the old era comes from hoards and tombs.

Medieval jewelry

In medieval Europe, jewelry was a symbol of one’s social hierarchy. It was an important part of the highly status-conscious society of that era. The royalty and nobility wore gold, silver, and other precious gems.

Until the last decades of the 14th century, gems were worn after a little polish. They were rarely cut. It was the size and luminosity that determined their value.

Renaissance jewelry

During the Renaissance, enamels covering both sides of the jewel became increasingly popular, highly elaborate, and attractively colorful. Cutting technology prospered. These advances brought about cutting and increased the glitter of stones.

During this era, jewels and precious stones were often a symbol of political power. It was during this time that an rise in interest in the ancient Greek and Roman world inspired a resurgence of engraved jewelry with mythological features.

Since the 17th century

As Renaissance gave way to the age of rationalism, new styles of jewelry appeared. Professionals started using dark fabrics to adorn jewels. It was during the 17th century that graceful tops on pearls and gemstones became popular. It was during this time that custom jewelry design and repair first rose in popularity. 

Over time, jewels with brilliant cuts and multiple facets grew in popularity. It took time, but soon diamonds became popular. In the 18th century, diamonds were more or less essential for court life. The largest of these precious stones found place on the bodice.

Today, one can witness the boundaries of jewelry being redefined everyday. The trend has particularly hastened since the 1960s - when college students rebelled against authority for the first time in the United States.

In the contemporary world it is not uncommon to use plastics, paper, textiles, and other materials in jewelry design and repair.

How to find the best Watch Repair Shop in Maplewood Faster?

We live in a world that stresses disposability over reuse. Here in Maplewood, it is hard to conceive of individuals who still take their timepieces to a watch repair shop. But they exist. And they actually take the time to visit watch repair centers in Maplewood because they still believe in taking care of valuables. The moment an issue - exhausted batteries, broken dials, and others - is noticed with their watches, the first thought to strike the minds of these individuals is to run to a skilled timepiece technician and get their device fixed - and not throw their watches in the bin. The emphasis is on “skilled.”


Someone who can take the time to visit a watch repair shop does not want the technician to make things worse. Consequently, watch owners end up spending a lot of time looking for the right person. Sometimes time is hard to come by, so on many occasions watches languish in drawers while the owners wait for the right moment. But there is good news for you if you own a watch that has been damaged. You do not need to wait to find time to spend hours researching for the right water repair technician. This blog presents a short checklist that can help you find the right place to get your watch mended - without you having to devote inordinately many hours hunting for the right professionals.

When you walk out of your place the next time, make sure the repair shop you are heading to possesses these qualities:

  • Trust

This is the most important quality to look for. Some watches are expensive. You cannot hand them over to a neighbor kid in the hopes that he or she will fix them. The situation can get from bad to worse if the person handles your device recklessly, or without care. Worse still, an unreliable shop can pack up with your precious watch. Therefore, trust is the first you should notice. If you live in Maplewood, look for places that have build a reputation around trust. There exist only a few. You can look for them fast by Googling “watch repair shop Maplewood NJ.”

  • Fast and convenient

After trust, the next thing to look for is how fast and convenient the entire service is. If a shop demands eternity to fix your timepiece, they are probably asking for a little too much. Prefer a repair center that offers reasonable deadlines. You can find these centers faster by phoning the people who find after Googling “watch repair shop Maplewood NJ.”