Engagement rings Archives

Win a FREE Sylvie Collection diamond ring! #MatchTheStack

November 9, 2018

I’ve teamed up with Sylvie Collection to bring you an incredible jewelry opportunity: how would you like to #MatchTheStack by scooping up a FREE Sylvie Collection diamond stacking band?

If you’ve been following Diamonds in the Library for a while, you already know I’m a big fan of Sylvie Collection’s diamond stacking bands. When the brand approached me to ask if I wanted to partner with them for a giveaway of one of their famous diamond stacking bands, I jumped on it!

The first thing you need to know about Sylvie Collection is that it’s a family-owned business with a strong commitment to ethical sourcing. Sylvie is the name of the actual designer, who is a real human that I’ve met in person. She’s absolutely lovely; and she and her husband have been creating award-winning jewelry for 30 years now.

Engagement rings are Sylvie Collection’s bread and butter: they offer over 2,000 utterly gorgeous styles, with more than 100 styles of wedding bands. The wedding bands are so beautiful and easy to wear that the brand has become known for them; they’re prefect for stacking bands as well as wedding jewelry.

The world’s love of these diamond stacking bands is the inspiration behind the #MatchTheStack giveaway that we’re talking about today!

#MatchTheStack is a one for me, one for you situation: Sylvie Collection generously offered me the chance to pick out one of their stacking bands for myself, and now I get to pass the same offer along to one of you!!

The actual giveaway is taking place on the Sylvie Collection website, so you have to click through to them to enter. Here is the giveaway link again, so click here to enter #MatchTheStack!

The giveaway ends on December 14th, so don’t forget!! It’s quick and painless and completely worth it.

The only downside of #MatchtheStack for me is that it meant that I had to pick just ONE of Sylvie Collection’s 100+ gorgeous stacking rings to make my own…not an easy choice! Lucky for me, I have a Sylvie Collection retailer in my area, so I skipped on over to John Greenan and Sons and Silver Spring to check out my options. (Click here to find a Sylvie Collection retailer near you).

John Greenan & Sons is a lovely jewelry store that I’d never been to before, even though it’s just a couple miles from the house I grew up in. They brought out alllll of their Sylvie Collection stacking bands for me to play with, which was a thoroughly enjoyable process. Thank you again for your hospitality, lovely folks of John Greenan & Sons!

It’s not possible to overstate the versatility of a good diamond stacking ring. It can fly solo, it can compliment the sparkle of a ring on another finger, it can share a finger with a ring that needs a little extra oomph, it can stack with MORE diamond bands, it can stylishly anchor a ring that’s too big (very useful in winter).

You’ll have to go watch my Instagram story if you want to know which Sylvie Collection diamond stacking band I chose, but don’t worry: I’m going to be wearing it allllll the time so you’ll have lots of chances to catch a glimpse of it.

Now, let’s get one for you too!! Click here to go enter #MatchTheStack so that you can enter to win a Sylvie Collection stacking band of your own!!

Sylvie Collection was kind enough to gift me a ring, but, as always, my opinions remain my own. Thanks again to John Greenan & Sons for welcoming me into their store and to Sylvie Collection for my #MatchTheStack ring!

The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry headed to Las Vegas!

May 24, 2018

When I think of Italy, I think of pasta, romance, and extraordinary Italian jewelry; three of my favorite very things!

I have had the good fortune to visit Italy several times to see The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry at the VicenzaOro show, but I’m also about to have a chance to meet with some of Italy’s finest jewelry brands right here in the US!

A jewelry box full of glamour at Pasquale Bruni.

Considered a global trendsetter since the days of the Renaissance, Italy has long since secured its status as a hotbed of cultural and artistic inspiration. Generations of Italian artists have enriched the world with notable developments in architecture, music, art, fashion, and (of course) The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry design.

In our ever-changing world, the allure of The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry is more potent that ever. Rather than getting bogged down in the past, Italian jewelers and goldsmiths are constantly on the cutting edge of design, using skill to blend their region’s rich creative history with a keen eye for evolving fashions to introduce innovative, breathtaking, game-changing jewels.

An incredible diamond ring by Picchiotti.

I am so excited to be partnering with the Italian Trade Agency to help bring you an insider’s look at The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry during Las Vegas jewelry week! This week – also sometimes called jewelry market week – is one of the most important events in the global jewelry business: one week, one city, all the most significant trades shows in the industry.

It kicks off on Thursday, May 31st and you can bet I’m going to be there!

I’ll be highlighting The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry in Las Vegas both through my Instagram coverage while I’m there and with a dedicated blog post recap after I come home. There’s going to be so much Italian jewelry to love!

There will be more than 100 Italian jewelry brands at the two biggest Vegas trade shows, JCK and Couture. Find the full list along with all the information you could need to find them or book appointments here on the Italian Trade Agency’s website.

Enjoying Diva Gioielli’s celestial collections.

From simple gold chains to the most exquisite one of a kind masterpiece, The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry continues to spread across the world.

In an age when many luxury markets are struggling, Italian jewelry flourishes. Italian jewelry imports to the US reached $1.3 billion in 2017, the highest number since the 2008 crisis. 2018 is living up to the prior year’s promise, with the first trimester already registering a 10% increase.

Jewelry production in Italy is concentrated in the regions of Arezzo, Vicenza, Valenza, and Naples/Marcianise/Torre del Greco; production in these areas employs thousands of skilled workers and accounts for more than 85% of the sector’s exports. 80% of that is exported internationally, with 25% coming to North America.

Italian jewelry design ranges widely from gold and silver to cameos and coral, precious gemstones, and pearls, and precious diamond creations.

An amazing Roberto Coin ring with a bejeweled bunny rabbit.

All of the images in this post show examples of The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry that I have personally met and loved in my past travels! You can also see my VicenzaOro adventures here, here, here, and here.

Want more of The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry?

Follow the Italian Trade Agency on Twitter and Instagram (also here and here) or check out their website for full and detailed lists of all of the The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry brands exhibiting in Las Vegas.

Beautiful and badass snake jewels by Mattioli - the bracelet is black diamonds and the snake is diamonds and colored gems!

Beautiful snake jewels by Mattioli.

This sponsored post is brought to you by the Italian Trade Agency.

12 vintage engagement rings from Victor Barbone.

December 19, 2017

Are you familiar with Victor Barbone, my darlings? They’re vintage engagement ring specialists: all vintage engagement rings, all the time.

In other words: they’re our kind of people.

There isn’t much I love more than a vintage engagement ring. The romance, the unique details, the soulful sense of history and individuality!

Another bonus of vintage engagement rings – and one that isn’t discussed enough, in my opinion – is the total clarity of conscience that they offer. If you want to make sure your engagement ring has as low an environmental impact as possible, why not choose one that already exists, instead of going for new production? It’s hard to make a more sustainable/ethical choice than recycling!

Now we’re going to look at a dozen of Victor Barbone’s vintage engagement rings one by one and drool happily all over our screens.

Ready?

THIS is Mira. She requires occasional all caps, because HOLY MOLY.

Her vibe is Art Nouveau, but Mira is early Edwardian, from 1905. Are you a wood nymph who dreams of a shimmering antique diamond wreathed in golden flowers? If so: this is your perfect ring.

You’ll never see another vintage engagement ring like this one. If she feels right to you, you should buy her immediately.

Have we talked about my ruby feelings recently? I never used to appreciate rubies, but somehow they’ve become one of my favorite gems.

This ring – the fiery Everly – is a low-profile Art Deco platinum setting with a 1.06 carat transitional cut diamond and 17 rich, rosy rubies. An outwardly simple design made unforgettable by the glowing pop of color. Rubies represent passion, which couldn’t be more perfect for a proposal.

Oh hello, beautiful. This is September, a platinum seductress made in the same year as my own engagement ring: 1930.

Look at those elegant scrolling sides, nimble openwork, and of course that irresistible 2.18 carat old European cut diamond in its sleek bezel setting. This ring is quiet elegance personified, with a heavy dose of glamour on top of that.

Bezel settings are having a moment in contemporary design, but September is gorgeous proof that the concept is a classic, rather than a trend.

This is the luminous Catalina. That’s a 2.21 carat old European cut diamond in the center with another 1.75 carats of diamonds surrounding it.

There’s nothing like a diamond cluster ring for pure volume on the finger. From afar, every one of those facets will catch the light and this baby will blaze like a 5 carat stone.

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