Big Red, Inc. is one of the top ten beverage companies in North America with a history dating back to 1937. Along with Big Red®, recognized as the number-one selling red soda, Big Red, Inc. also markets beverage brands Big Red Zero®, Big Blue®, NuGrape®, and Nesbitt’s ® products. Distributed widely throughout the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Independent Bottlers and Pepsi Beverages Company, consumers across the country enjoy Big Red, Inc.’s beverages.
In honor of their 75th Anniversary, Big Red teamed up with us for their honorary diamond sweepstakes. One lucky winner, through a promotion on their Facebook page, got the chance to win a loose diamond from us worth $1,937 to commemorate the year Big Red was established. Over the past two decades, Brilliance has built a reputation as one of the leading retailers of diamond, engagement rings, and find jewelry. Each conflict free diamond is hand-picked by gemologists and is manufactured in the US by master jewelers. We offer thousands of certified diamonds as well as a large selection of fine jewelry and engagement rings.
Visit Big Red’s Facebook page to see who the lucky winner is and to participate in their summer long under-the-cap point promotion starting May 14th. Specifically marked anniversary packages of Big Red and Big Red Zero 20 ounce, 2 liter and 12 packs will contain codes with different point values that consumers can redeem for vintage style Big Red memorabilia at BigRedPrizes.com.
Categories: Brilliance, Diamonds, News
With Mother’s Day right around the corner we thought an infographic guide to each month’s birthstone would help. This year, beat out your siblings’ gifts (or that cheesy card) and bring your “A-game” with Gemstone jewelry for the mothers in your life.
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Categories: Brilliance, Education, Gems
College is a great time for exploration. For some people, it’s their first chance to learn who they really are and what they want in life. And for others, it can be the time to find the person with whom they want to share that life. It’s a chance to uncover that diamond in the rough.
Here at Brilliance, we make it our goal to help start off your lives together in the best way possible. But we can’t always do that on our own. Knowing what you want and what will have meaning to you as a couple is an important part of creating the perfect ring. That’s why one customer impressed everyone here at Brilliance by making his custom engagement ring incredibly unique.
Who doesn’t want one of those amazing stories of how you and your spouse met to tell your friends, children, and grandchildren? For Ryan and his fiancé, it was a college romance grown into lifelong love at the University of Michigan. And for them, the place was an important part of the story. So when Ryan came to us looking to create the perfect ring for his soon-to-be fiancé, he had an idea we had never seen before. He wanted to incorporate the University of Michigan’s logo into the engagement ring. Now, we here at Brilliance know what you’re thinking. Why put a school logo on a beautiful, diamond engagement ring? Won’t that take away from the beauty and focus of the stone? And while we do have a customer is always right mentality, we also can say, honestly and without desire to placate anyone, that depends on where you put the logo.
The gallery is a part of the ring where the shank and the setting meet, often in such a way that you can view the base of the diamond. Ryan decided to make use of this space on his custom ring, which is typically hidden from view when a woman holds up her hand to show off that rock. Here, he put the Michigan logo, a capital letter “M”, right below the diamond. This let the culet, or the point at the base of the stone, rest inside the valley of the letter, making the logo look like a natural part of the setting. Just as the University was a foundation for their relationship, the logo is a foundation for the diamond. The important part of the design is not that anybody else needs to see it, but that they know it is there, a simple, elegant reminder of their own story of love and companionship as they start a new phase of their lives together.
The amazing success of this design made us think that if they could do it, why not others? If there is something important that you want incorporated into your ring, we would love to make it a reality. Give our Jewelry Experts a call at (866) 737-0754 and see what we can design for you today.
Categories: Brilliance, Custom Jewelry, Engagement Rings, Jewelry
When shopping for cushion diamonds online or at your local jeweler two very important factors need to be considered: the length to width ratio (square vs. slightly rectangular vs. rectangular) and the faceting (cushion brilliant versus cushion modified brilliant). While most customers have a preference as to the overall shape that appeals more to them, many buyers do not understand the differences between the faceting of cushion brilliants and cushion modified brilliants.
Originally, cushion cut diamonds were cut using step facets, where the facets are elongated and placed in rows to simulate a mirrored staircase. Marcel Tolkowsky pioneered the modern round brilliant cut diamond by cutting facets perpendicular instead of horizontal (facets that resemble triangles) and found that this produced more brilliance and fire from the stone. These angles were incorporated into the cushion cut to give it more sparkle while keeping the outline of the diamond the same. Thus the cushion brilliant diamond was born.
Cushion brilliant diamonds have very similar faceting arrangements as round brilliant cut diamonds. The facets in the pavilion of a cushion brilliant extend from the center of the diamond out toward the girdle (outer edge), resembling a star. Cushion brilliants contain larger facets and do not have a “crushed ice” look. Rather, they resemble the appearance of round cut diamonds with a pillow like or cushion shape – which makes them so desirable and popular.
Cushion modified brilliants are a variation on the original cushion brilliant shape. This type of cushion cut contains an extra row of facets just below the girdle, where the facets on the pavilion do not actually reach the girdle, resembling a flower shape. Cushion modified brilliants often have exceptional sparkle reminiscent of the “sparkling water” or “crushed ice” appearance of a well-cut radiant shape diamond. Furthermore, because there isn’t a large demand for this particular cut and cutters save more weight when cutting them from a rough diamond crystal, they are less expensive than traditional cushion brilliant cut diamonds.
A third technique was created by diamond cutters to marry the appeal of the cushion brilliant with the brilliance and scintillation of a cushion modified brilliant. Technically still labeled as cushion modified brilliants, we like to call them hybrid cushion brilliants. These diamonds contain four pavilion facets that extend from the center of the diamond out toward the girdle, like the cushion brilliant, but with modified facets in between them. These additional facets provide more sparkle and fire to the diamond while the top of the diamond still features larger faceting like the brilliant round cut. With this cut, diamond cutters are now able to create cushion cut diamonds that retain the carat weight and appearance of a modified cushion with the look of a classic cushion brilliant.
Below you will find a diagram to help you identify cushion brilliants from cushion modified brilliants. If you are currently shopping for cushion diamonds start your online diamonds search now by going to Brilliance.com or contact a Brilliance.com Gemologist by calling 1-866-737-0754 for assistance.
Categories: Brilliance, Diamonds, Education, Engagement Rings, Jewelry
Buying a loose diamond or diamond engagement ring online sight unseen can be unnerving and sometimes downright scary. That is why it is important to research an online retail jeweler before purchasing and check their online reviews written by other shoppers.
While there are many online sites that have reviews on Brilliance.com, Trustpilot is by far our favorite. Trustpilot lets customers post online reviews as well as pictures of their purchased items.
Currently, Brilliance.com is ranked #3 in the category “Jewellery” out of 84 online jewelers and our average rating is 9.2 out of 10 on Trustpilot. View the Brilliance.com reviews on Trustpilot or click here to write a review on any online retailer.
Categories: Brilliance, News
There are celebrity weddings and then there are celebrity weddings. On August 20th, Kim and Kris had the wedding of the decade in Montecito, California and spared no expense. Check out our new infograph that compares the average United States wedding cost versus Kim Kardashian’s wedding cost.
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Categories: Brilliance, Diamonds, News
Understanding how a diamond is evaluated is the first step in making an informed loose diamond buying decision. With that in mind we created an infographic (visual guide) explaining the 4C’s of diamonds to provide a simple overview for first time (and experienced) buyers. Enjoy!
Categories: Brilliance, Diamonds, Education
Brilliance has recently joined the growing number of jewelers and retailers who support the Golden Rules; a set of social, environmental and human rights criteria pushing for more responsible mining of gold and other precious metals. The Golden Rules by Earthworks focuses on the protection of the environment from the impacts of irresponsible mineral and energy development.
Gold-mining, while a lucrative industry, poses a great risk to the environment and may create serious human rights issues, especially in third-world countries where they are abundant. The ecosystem where a mine is located can be severely disrupted by its presence; gold is also traditionally a very dirty metal to mine and process. In addition toxic chemicals are used to extract gold from the earth, which are often dumped into pits and waterways, poisoning the ground and water supply. Ultimately, gold mining damages the quality of life for organisms around the mine, and the damage is often left behind for the host country’s government to clean up after a mine closes.
In Third World countries mining is often coupled with human rights issues. Gold can be mined in very dangerous conditions by workers who have few protections and rights. Moreover, the land in which a mine is situated in is often seized from the indigenous peoples that reside in them, leaving them homeless, with nowhere to go once their native lands are taken from them.
“We’re really glad to be a part of the No Dirty Gold (campaign)”, says Jonathon Ohayon from Brilliance. “We’re always looking for new ways to contribute to society and it’s the right thing to do. A diamond engagement ring symbolizes a future couples’ hopes and dreams. It’s something you build a relationship on and not something that they should feel guilty about.”
“We would like to encourage other diamond and jewelry retailers to join the (No Dirty Gold) campaign as soon as possible,” added Jonathon. “Consumers can also show their support by patronizing businesses which sell ethical and environmentally-conscious jewelry.”
A product of the combined efforts of two organizations, the Mineral Policy Center and the Oil & Gas Accountability Project, the Earthworks organization also seeks to reform government policies, improve corporate practices, influence investment decisions and encourage responsible materials sourcing and consumption through nationwide campaigns such as No Dirty Energy, Recycle My Cell Phone, Save Bristol Bay and Mining Reform Campaign. Click here to visit the Earthworks official website.
Categories: Brilliance, Jewelry, News
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