Laurence Graff Is A Favorite Jeweler

Laurence Graff designs gorgeous high jewelry, pieces so tasteful and wearable, we wish we could afford them! Let’s do an eye candy roundup featuring a few items from the jeweler’s lovely Laurence Graff Signature Collection that could easily be more than just runway showpieces. Graff combines a classic style with an element of edge that is sooo attractive.

Click on the links above to learn the nitty-gritty details, such as diamond carat weights and prices of the featured individual pieces. Today I’m not covering it, because the pieces are the same price, namely unaffordable to average wage earners. It’s only a matter of degrees -- i.e., the number of yikes for each article! We ordinary folk can admire, yet would consider saving up to buy them ludicrous!

Here’s what we average Janes and Joes who love jewelry can do. Appreciate the craftsmanship, take note of the styles that make our hearts flutter, then find commercial-grade stones in 14k gold that we can save up to buy. Also consider lab-grown diamonds. They are chemically and optically as real as mined diamonds! Purchase a few classic pieces to wear time and again. We don’t need a collection, only a capsule of classic, wearable  jewels that won’t go out of style. Another idea is to only buy the smaller pieces our eyes can see: rings, bracelets, or earrings (when in the bathroom washing our hands, we always look in the mirror). Necklaces are heavier pieces that require more gold, so they are more expensive than rings, earrings, or bangles, often in that order. On a budget, perhaps a matching ring and earrings will suffice? Start with them!

IMHO, saving up for 14k gold is smarter than settling for gold-plated jewelry. With daily wear, gold-plated jewelry wears out in a short time. Gold-plated jewelry typically lasts from 6 months to 2 years, and the longest is about 5 years with daily use. Designer costume jewelry is also a huge waste of money. If shopping for value, save up for a capsule  (not a collection!) of real solid 14k gold jewelry. 18k gold is 75% pure gold, softer, and costs about $200 more per piece than 14k gold, which is 58.3%–58.5% pure gold and harder. Although getting 18k - 22k gold jewelry from a high earner is never disappointing, we want to get the most durable pieces to fit our budgets: pieces we can wear daily that don’t need babying! After splurging on jewelry wear it! 

Cocktail rings and delicate pieces that stay in a box are for rich people, not for SAVVY SHOPPERS who want to get the most bang for their bucks. Wear a splurge every day because you love it!

Without a doubt, Laurence Graff will always be one of my favorite designers. His jewelry is so beautiful it’s inspiring! Click the 1st link below if you want to see more of his jewelry.

Due to algorithms, after writing about Graff jewelry, these gorgeous rings began following me around the internet. Wow, I love them all, ''Fairy godmother!!''*ੈ✩‧₊˚

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Jeweler Ann Angeletti Is 101 Years Old

All photos courtesy of WABC News unless noted otherwise

Ann Angeletti, age 101, still works 6 days a week. Mondays are spend in Manhattan’s diamond district bargaining with vendors to bring in new inventory. Five days a week she works alongside her daughter and granddaughter at Curiosity Jewelers, her family owned business which she opened in 1964, located at 24 Union Avenue, Cresskill, New Jersey.

Customers rave about the customer care and welcoming atmosphere inside the shop, calling Ann Angeletti fair in her pricing and the most knowledgeable jeweler in the Tri-State area. They also say there is a great selection of beautiful jewelry.

Photo: Curiosity Jewelers

There’s much to be admired about this 

 

centenarian. Starting and sustaining a successful independent jewelry store for 62 years with the aim of putting customers first, and loving what she does with no plans to retire.

Although Curiosity Jewelers is known for its fine jewelry, it also sells antique and costume jewelry. Usually it's wiser to save up for one good classic piece of fine jewelry than to buy lots of costume jewelry. A lovely gold ring, bracelet or necklace can be wore over the years and passed down to offspring.

Curiosity Jewelers seems to have found the winning formula as a trustworthiness business: Combine expert knowledge, honest prices and treat customers right after they walk in the door.

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Photo: Harry Winston

The Golden Globes aired last week and soon Oscar's A-listers will walk the red carpet adorned with borrowed jewels worth thousands (and sometimes millions) of dollars from the world's leading designers of high jewelry. 

On the right Graff and on the left Bvlgari

So let's do a quick round-up of 10 of the World's Most Prominent Jewelers (in no particular order) featuring pieces of their jewelry:

1) Cartier - Louis-François Cartier founded Cartier in Paris in 1847, but it was his grandsons, Louis Pierre and Jacques, who turned the family jewelry business into a globally recognized luxury brand.

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2) Boucheron was founded in Paris, France in 1858 by Frederic Boucheron. In 1921 Boucheron was commissioned to make the gorgeous emerald and diamond Greville tiara inherited by Queen Elizabeth II that her granddaughter Princess Eugenie wore for her wedding.

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3) Bvlgari - The Italian luxury jeweler is headquartered in Rome and was founded in 1884 by silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris who began his career in his family's shop in Ottoman Epirus (now Greece). In 2011 Bvlgari became a subsidiary of the French conglomerate LVMH. Its pieces have a timeless yet modern vibe.

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4) Van Cleef & Arpels—The French luxury jewelry company was founded in 1896 in Paris, France, by Dutch diamond cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels. After Solomon died in 1906, Alfred's brothers-in-law, Charles, Julien, and Louis Arpel joined the enterprise. Flowers, animals, and fairies are common themes in its jewelry.

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5) Tiffany & Co. - Founded in 1837 as Tiffany & Young by American Charles Lewis Tiffany, it was renamed Tiffany & Co. in 1853 when he took control of the store and concentrated on jewelry. Tiffany became famous in the early 20th century under the artistic direction of Charles's son, Louis Comfort Tiffany. The luxury brand specializes in luxury diamonds and flawless colored gemstones and is also famous for its Tiffany diamond engagement ring, a 6-prone setting. The shop is very accessible to the public. Inside the 5th Avenue/57th Street flagship store, locals and tourists always feel welcome admiring its luxury jewelry.

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6) Mikimoto - Kokichi Mikimoto started the cultured pearl industry by successfully creating the world's first cultured pearls and after establishing his luxury pearl company called Mikimoto in 1893. Before cultured pearls (real pearls grown on pearl farms), drivers had to deep dive into the ocean to find pearls growing in oysters; consequently, only royalty could afford to buy them.

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7) Chopard - Louis-Ulysse Chopard founded the watch and jewelry company in 1860 in Sonvilier, Switzerland. Today it is owned by the German Scheufele family. Chopard is best known for making luxury Swiss watches (and jewelry), and its clients have included Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

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8) Harry Winston - Is an American luxury jeweler and  Swiss watch company headquartered on 5th Avenue in New York City. It was founded by its namesake Harry Winston in 1932. It is one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world. Harry Winston has owned some of the biggest and most iconic gemstones on earth including the rare blue Hope Diamond which he donated to the Smithsonian in 1958, famously sending it through the US mail. He is known as the jeweler to the stars since they often wear his jewelry to high-profile events.

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9) Graff - Was founded in London in 1960 by British jeweler Lawrance Graff. The jeweler, who began his jewelry apprenticeship at age 14, is fascinated by diamonds and collects diamonds and gemstones of unparalleled rarity, perfection, and beauty. He designs unique and classic pieces and his business acumen made Lawrance, his ex-wife, and his adult children billionaires.

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10) Pomellato is an Italian jewelry company founded by Pino Rabolini in Milan in 1967. Its jewelry is characterized by round, tactile forms and colorful, mixed-sized gemstones.

Nudo rings

Are you now more familiar with the styles of these 10 top jewelers I've featured today? If so, try to guess whose pieces the stars wear on March 2nd at the 97th Academy Awards. 

Do you have a favorite jewelry designer?

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