At Brilliance, we like to think that we know a thing or two about getting engaged… After all we have helped thousands of couples choose an engagement ring for the past 22 years.
Our new infographic, “How to Pull off the Perfect Marriage Proposal” for the upcoming engagement and wedding season, takes into account our many years of experience on getting engaged and what happens next. To view a large size version of the infograph please go to the Perfect Marriage Proposal guide on Briliance.com, and don’t forget to share with your friends or significant other (“hint, hint”).
Categories: Education, Engagement, Engagement Rings
At Brilliance halo diamond engagement rings have been our most popular and best selling settings this year. Halo, which means a ring or a crown, is an engagement ring style in which diamonds or gems encircle a center loose diamond. Many attribute the halo shape or design to infinite and everlasting love. Halo engagement rings come in many varieties. A popular type of halo setting is where the center stone prongs are raised slightly above the encircled diamonds, which has a more prominent association. Another variation is the bezel-style halo ring setting, where there is no gap between the encrusted diamonds and the center stone. The bezel halo diamond ring is also very popular and elegant.
What draws customers to the halo diamond setting is that it accents your center stone of choice making it appear larger and adds an overall sparkle and fire to the ring. In today’s economy, not many can afford large loose diamonds but with the halo setting you can own a ring that adds the appearance of a large loose diamond without paying thousands of dollars for a larger stone. Another advantage of halo engagement rings is that the diamond’s pavilion, bottom part of the diamond that bridges the girdle to the culet, is visible when viewed from the side. The pavilion is essential to the light performance of the diamond.
Brilliance carries a variety of halo set engagement rings in all types of metals to fit every budget. In addition, we can create any number of settings that feature diamonds or gemstones surrounding the center stone. Round and square are the most popular halo shapes encircling center diamonds, however we can create a Halo engagement ring with any diamond shape. Lastly we can create custom halo engagement rings for those who desire a ring that isn’t found on our website.
Categories: Brilliance, Diamonds, Engagement, Engagement Rings, Jewelry
Celebrities and consumers alike are opting for pave and bead set diamond rings this season. Pave or micro-pave, the French word for paved, is a technique in which small loose diamonds are set very closely together. Tiny beads or prongs are used to hold each diamond in place, which creates the illusion that the diamonds appear free-standing with no metal visible. White gold or platinum is often used to minimize the appearance of the metal so that all you see are diamonds, however yellow gold can also add an elegant and chic look to a custom ring or an engagement ring.
Pave ring settings can feature a single row of diamonds while others contain multiple rows of diamonds leading up to the center certified diamond. Pave settings come in either half-pave, where the diamonds only go half way around the band, or full pave, where the diamonds go completely around the band (many opt for half-pave since the diamonds are less likely to rub against the other fingers than full-pave). The center stone in the ring is typically set above the encrusted diamonds and gives the illusion of size against the smaller pave set stones in the band.
Brilliance offers a large variety of pave set engagement rings and wedding bands to fit any style or budget. Round and princess cut diamonds are the most commonly used as center stones in a pave ring setting yet any diamond shape can be used. Our Brilliance Personal Shoppers, with their extensive diamond and jewelry knowledge and information on the latest fashions trends are available to help you create your very own pave engagement ring. Call us at 1-866-737-0754 to get started.
Ever wonder if you could own a gorgeous Harry Winston, Tiffany or Tacori engagement ring without paying a fortune at a retail store? Well now you can. Brilliance can make a replica of any designer inspired ring at a fraction of the price. We also can create a unique one of a kind ring from scratch that meets your exact specifications. Our custom engagement rings are created by our very own jewelry designer through a three step process. First, drawings, sketches and/or pictures that you’ve submitted are sent to our designers. Next, illusion renderings are submitted for you to approve. Once the design has been fully approved, the jewelry is cast, polished and completed. It’s that simple! Contact us to today at 866-737-0754 to create the look of your dreams at a fraction of the price.
Categories: Diamonds, Engagement, Jewelry
With Wedding Season approaching, more and more couples are looking for ways to have the wedding of their dreams while still keeping costs low. The price tag on the average American wedding has dropped by nearly a third from 2007, down from $29,000 to $20,000. The good news is, you don’t have to resort to a cash bar or homemade food to stay within your budget.
Collected from wedding experts and party planners, here are some tips to help you make your budget wedding:
Don’t say “Wedding”
When you call vendors for quotes, let them know you are planning an event or party, but don’t specify that it is a wedding. Florists, bakeries, reception venues, photographers, and other vendors often add a 25-30% mark-up to their prices when they know you’re inquiring for a wedding.
Reporters at a Boston television station called 11 venues to get quotes for a wedding reception. When those same venues were called for quotes for a retirement party on the same day, 8 of 11 had a wedding mark-up; one venue raised their quote from $65 to $90 per person.
Vendors will also offer only their most expensive options to those they know are planning a wedding. Ask the reception venue for all of their menu options, and explore cakes that aren’t specifically marketed for wedding events. If a florist notices your diamond engagement ring and starts suggesting that exotic flowers be imported, ask what local, lower cost options they offer.
Choose a restaurant for the reception
When you eat at a restaurant, there is no rental fee or surcharge for your table, chairs, napkins, glasses, silverware, and table décor. The price of the meal includes everything necessary for the dinner, and the same applies when purchasing a meal for 200 people. Plus, there are no transportation and setup fees, and parking is usually free, making your favorite restaurant the perfect place for your budget wedding. In fact, restaurants have focused lately on catering towards special events and making it affordable for the hosts.
Schedule it right
If you are flexible with your dates, avoid the traditional “Wedding Season” when scheduling the event. Vendors sometimes add a surcharge to provide services at weddings held during the months of May, June, and July. Additionally, venues will always charge more for an event held on a Saturday than an event held on a Sunday or a weekday.
Avoid stores that cater to bridal couples
It may not seem romantic to purchase your cake, wedding favors, or flowers at wholesale stores like Costco, but they provide the same services offered for a premium at specialty bridal stores. You can also avoid those premiums by choosing micro-vendors, like artisans and craftspeople, who sell things like bridal accessories and invitations directly to couples. To save on the wedding dress, brides have turned towards less traditional white garments and dresses that can be found at regular retailers and cost in the hundreds, instead of going to boutique bridal dress shops and paying in the thousands.
Shop online
Shopping online gives brides planning a budget wedding access to many more purchasing options than shopping locally. Almost anything needed for a wedding can be found online, from wedding invitations to wedding favors to a bridal dress, often at lower prices than at brick-and-mortar stores. Couples looking to save on the bride’s engagement ring and the couple’s wedding rings can turn to an online diamond retailer like Brilliance, which offer the same quality jewelry as traditional retailers at 30-50% lower prices.
Categories: Brilliance, Education, Engagement, Jewelry
Diamonds, fine jewelry, and engagement rings are prized possessions and it important to protect your purchase with jewelry insurance. Although every order from Brilliance is fully insured during shipment, the responsibility for your purchase is transferred to the customer upon arrival at your address. Jewelry insurance can be purchased through your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, or can be bought separately through a specialized jewelry insurance company.
Most homeowner’s and renter’s insurances automatically include coverage from between $500 to $2,500 for all jewelry items within the home. One option is to add your jewelry or diamond purchase to your homeowner’s and renter’s insurance as an additional item to protect you in the event of theft. However, these policies do not always protect against other events such as loss or damage. Additionally, they may only cover a portion of the value of your jewelry or have certain policies that you need to be aware of such as deductibles, source for replacement, coverage amount, and others. If you select this method of insurance, it is important you ask questions regarding these policies and be knowledgeable of your coverage.
The option that offers the most protection is to add a rider to your homeowner’s or renter’s policy. Before insuring your purchase, the insurance company will request a gemological appraisal, which is a document that provides a detailed description of the item to be insured as well as the replacement value of the item. Gemological appraisals are usually conducted by an expert jeweler or gemologist and can cost between $50-$250. As a unique service to you, Brilliance provides a free gemological appraisal certified by our Master Gemologist with every purchase. This option guarantees enough coverage for your jewelry or diamond. Keep in mind that the coverage rates are often negotiable.
If you do not want to add a rider to your homeowner’s or renter’s policy, or do not currently have insurance, you can also purchase insurance through companies like Jeweler’s Mutual or The Chubb Group that specialize in protecting prized assets like fine jewelry or engagement rings. These companies will also require a gemological appraisal prior to insuring your purchase. Jeweler’s Mutual policies generally cover loss, theft, mysterious disappearance, and damage. Additionally, with Jeweler’s Mutual, you get to work with the jeweler of your choice and not through a dictated replacement company, as other companies require. However, a policy through Jeweler’s Mutual does not usually cover unset stones or loose diamonds. The Chubb Group offers a policy that covers personal valuables such as jewelry. This company has an insurance option that provides full coverage for the itemized amount shown on the policy without deductibles. Additionally, this insurance covers loss and theft world-wide. In addition to the option of replacing your jewelry item, Chubb also allows you to receive a cash settlement instead of replacement. An appraisal is recommended for jewelry insurance and required for items valued above $50,000.
Any insurance company will recommend that you have your jewelry inspected and appraised often to prevent potential losses and to update the replacement value of your items. Brilliance offers this service free of charge to our clients twice a year with our care and maintenance program. You can send your Brilliance jewelry to us for free inspection, cleaning, polishing, and refinishing. This way you will keep your jewelry looking like new and your diamonds set securely to help prevent a loss. Additionally, an updated appraisal can be issued to our clients upon request.
A Brilliance representative can explain your insurance options and can assist you in the process of insuring your purchase. Upon request, we can also fax your jewelry appraisal to your insurance company prior to shipment so that your purchase is insured upon arrival to you. Contact a Brilliance representative at 866-737-0754 to get started.
Categories: Diamonds, Education, Engagement, Gems, Jewelry
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