Fashion is On

Model Cindy Crawford is extending her brand with a new line of fine jewelry priced from $79 to $299 that will be exclusive to J.C. Penneybeginning in April.

The One Kiss by Cindy Crawford collection will launch with 45 pieces. Necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings are made from sterling silver and gold-plated silver featuring a henna symbol that means “to kiss.” Some pieces have diamonds, smoky quartz, lemon quartz, garnet-colored rhodolite and deep purple iolite.

This is the 44-year-old model turned entrepreneur’s second venture with Plano-based Penney. Last year, Penney started selling her Cindy Crawford Style brand of home furnishings and accessories, a line that offers window coverings to recently added outdoor furniture.

Source:http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-JCPjewelry_04bus.ART0.State.Edition1.3cf7036.html

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. will stay in the fine-jewelry business even after the exit of Finlay Enterprises Inc., the company’s president announced in a conference.

In response to a question from an analyst, Bon-Ton President and Chief Executive Officer Bud Bergren said, “Finlay will be in our stores for about three or four more months, and then we’ll be back in the fine-jewelry business with another strategy.”

When asked by the same analyst if the company has the people and infrastructure in place to operate a fine-jewelry department, Bergren said the company has four or five options when it comes to fine jewelry but did not elaborate further.

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Gold jewelry is very popular today and available in more styles, colors, and finishes than ever before. It is also a popular choice for setting gemstones. But it is very important to understand gold, and differences that affect price, in order to avoid confusion about the wide range of prices that seems to pervade the market for what may appear to be the “same thing.” As with gems, wherever there are significant price differences there are usually quality differences. The key to getting value in gold is understanding what accounts for differences in quality and price.

What is gold?

Gold is one of the world’s most precious metals. It is so soft and workable that one ounce can be stretched into a five mile long wire, or hammered into a sheet so thin that it could cover a hundred square feet. It is one of our rarest metals, and since pure gold doesn’t rust or corrode, it can last forever. Interestingly, gold is present almost everywhere around us; in the earth’s crust, in seas and rivers, and in plants, but it is very difficult and expensive to extract. Approximately two and a half to three tons of ore are needed to extract one ounce of gold.

Most gold used in jewelry is an alloy

Gold is the most popular metal used for jewelry today. The simple gold wedding band probably accounts for more of the world’s gold than any other single type of jewelry. But pure gold is very soft so it is usually mixed with other metals to make it stronger and prevent it from bending too easily. When two or more metals are mixed together, we call the resulting product an alloy. Most gold used in jewelry is an alloy; and the metals added to the gold are also called “alloys.”

What is a Karat? Or is it Carat?

In jewelry, the term carat (or, Karat) has a double meaning: carat is used as a measurement of weight for gemstones, with one carat weighing 1/5 gram; carat is also used in countries around the word to indicate the amount of pure gold in a piece of gold jewelry. In the United States, however, when using the word to indicate gold content rather gemstone weight, it is spelled with a “K;” hence “karat,” to avoid confusion. Jewelry should always be marked to indicate how much pure gold it contains.

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Diamond Jewelry being precious on one hand and delicate on other needs special care. Taking good care of diamonds not only maintain a long life of your jewelry but also the pleasant effect on your personality. Better is if it’s stored in individual jewelry cases or cloth pouches, but more care can go for more benefits. Here’s a short list of DOs and DONTs for good care of your diamond jewelry.

• Cosmetics like lotions, soaps, perfumes and powders and hair sprays can affect the spark of the diamonds by leaving a film on them, so avoid keeping diamond jewelry near any of these.

• Another important thing to be noticed is to take off your diamond jewelry while participating in sports and swimming.

• One of the properties of diamonds is that it repels water but readily accepts wax and grease, so keep all such ingredients away from diamonds.

Taking care while cleaning the diamond jewelry:

• The diamond jewelry needs special care while getting cleaned and a better way is to soak the jewelry for a short while in a liquid dishwashing and then give it a mild and gentle scrubbing.

• Use a lint-free cloth to dry the diamond jewelry.

• There’s no need to get it cleaned very frequently, once in a single or two years is enough for its professional cleaning.

Though diamond is known as the hardest metal but delicate jewelry made of it can be ruined even with a little change in day-to-day activities, and taking care of such dainties increases its life and your charm.