Charm Bead Bracelets

2015 is a new year, new beginning and new way of life, i.e. if one chooses to do so. Ever heard of a character's narration in a drama, which describes what sunrise means. The exact translation is as follows:

"The more a city thrives, the more the line between day and night is blurred.  But as humans, regardless of how long we’ve been living in a world that’s operating 24/7, we’d naturally follow the rise of the sun and mark dawn as the start of a new day. You may say it’s our animalistic instinct, but I’d rather think that it’s a philosophical outlook we’re born with. Along the pavements of life, not everyone knows how to move forward. But the moment the sun rises above the horizon, it’s a new day. And then we’d have the right to tell ourselves: nevermind how the path was trodden before, it’s a new start. The end might not be what we’d want it to be, but when we decided that it’s a new start, and we took that first step, that’s a form of bravery. And that’s worth being proud of."

A new way of life, a new start is what one can choose for oneself. And to achieve it, one needs the courage to take the first step. It may not start on 1st Jan 2015 but it can start the moment one takes the first step. We cannot say for certain the pavements of life will be smooth sailing after taking the first step but at least we have chosen to a new start, no regrets later. And that is worth being proud of. :)

Depending on where fate leads us, one may rely on one's faith, principles and perseverance to ride through, albeit having bit of luck is always welcoming. Chinese Zodiac forecast said that I should wear a turquoise gemstone in 2015. That is how I ended up with Syndey Evan's website, and their charm bead bracelets. 

The bracelets can be worn individually or stack together, much like what the character said in the drama, human beings exist as individuals, but we influence and affect each other, such that, subconsciously, we grow, and change, again and again, which is what Heraclitus said "The one thing that is constant is change." Happy 2015 everyone. 

Choosing jewellery for friends

Christmas is just round the corner and almost everyone is in a festive mood. Being a multi-racial, multi-religious society in Singapore, Christmas day is a public holiday for all, even the non-christians. Sometimes, non-christians join in the celebration too with their friends, including gift exchange - after all it is a season of giving and sharing.

However, choosing a gift for close friends and family members can be daunting. Has she had this before? Does she like the colour? What about the size? You know what I mean. Sometimes, I think it boils down to how well you really know or understand the person. One will know the answer when the recipients wear or use what has been bought for them. If not, spend more time communicating and understanding the friend / family member. Hopefully, you got it right the next Christmas.

My shopping list for the ladies of different personalities from the Singaporean jewellery artisan  Carrie K. is as follows: -

For an Artistic lady - a beautiful mess spilled blue and gold bracelet

Bold-funky lady - a raw knuckle sandwich ring

Epicurean lady - a small safety pin paved pink sapphire rose gold ring

Free-Spirited lady - a pair of Egyptian hoop earrings

Gothic-styled lady - a razor ring

Minimalist lady - a pair of liquid drop earrings

Punky-rock lady - a leather antique brown nut and bolt bracelet

Religious lady - a pair of coat of arms earrings

Shirt-pants lady - a pair of forget me knot cufflinks

For rest of the ladies who do not fall under the above categories - a charmed wishbone necklace, may all their wishes come true...

Hopefully, it is a 'right' gift for them. If not, there is a always the next time..

And Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. :)

Wearing a Brooch as Pendant

A good design jewellery, no matter how much one loves it, one still feels a need to change it once in a while. Maybe that is why stack rings, interchangeable jewellery, etc are invented so that people can vary their designs occasionally. It maybe boring to wear the same piece of jewellery day after day. Or simply, it is a human's desire for a change once in a while. 

Speaking of interchangeable jewellery, one should not be unfamiliar with Pandora charm bracelets from Denmark. Or Charlotte Ehinger-Schwarz jewellery from Germany, which produces modular pieces that one can change and mix to make a ring, pendant, brooch, etc. 

Pandora Charm Bracelet

Charlotte Interchangeable ring and pendant

A brooch can double up as a pendant as I have discovered recently. One needs a necklace with a spring clasp to string the brooch. Just remember to string the clasp last before fastening the brooch pin as shown below: 

It works on a leather cord with lobster claw clasp too. String the clasp last before fastening helps to balance the brooch and prevent it from flipping when it is worn. 

Instead of clipping the the brooch on the blouse, one may consider wearing it as a pendant.  Make it an interchangeable jewellery and give a second thought to the new pendant you are eyeing.. :)

Artistic jewellers who set stones in silver

There is a loose lavender jade stone in my drawer and I am looking for a jeweller in Singapore to transform it to a minimalist ring set in silver. Why silver, you may ask..it is easier on the pocket and it is also chic and evergreen. Think of Tiffany silver rings and their blue boxes..

Looking through several websites, the designs from My Vintage Jewel Box (mvjb) caught my attention. Their designs are minimalist and each piece of jewellery is painstakingly handmade. MVJB is found by two jewellery artists, Ryn and Chris, based in Singapore. They pride themselves in making organic minimalist fine jewellery infused with stories. 

Their love seed oracle pendant, a new collection, which drew inspiration from love seed or saga seeds is engraved with an ancient Chinese oracle bone script below:

One may string the oracle pendant on a bracelet and wear it on  the wrist. 

I was also drawn to their scroll rings, which one can customise quotes and have them engrave on the ring. It can accommodate 160 characters. Likewise, one may string a necklace through it and wear it as pendant. Personalise it and it is a wonderful gift for Christmas. 

Looking through their profiles for customised jewellery.. It will be interesting to see the design they come up for my stone based their past profiles below:

 Maybe I share it in the future..well, that's for next time. :) 

Girl's best friend - Diamond and its 4Cs quality

Going through the jewellery that a woman owns, it is not hard to find a diamond among them. It may be a solitaire diamond, pave diamond, or diamond look-like. A diamond can stand on its own as a centrepiece or add sparkles to a gemstone centrepiece. Using the analogy of diamonds, it also reflects how a woman can be a leader or team member in the organisation and do well in both situations - i.e. she 'sparkles'. Hence, it is apt to say a diamond is a girl's best friend.

As you may have known that choosing a diamond depends on the 4Cs - carat, colour, clarity and cut. These standards are summarised in the table below :

Standards	Highest - - > Lowest
Carat	1 carat is divided into 100 points or 200 milligrams
Clarity	F -> VVS1 -> VVS2 -> VS1 -> VS2 -> SI1 -> SI2 -> I1 ->I2 -> I3
Colour	D -> Z or colourless, near colourless, faint, very light, light
Cut	Excellent -> Very Good -> Good -> Fair -> Poor

For more information, you may watch the video : GIA Video

The question that one may ask should I choose a bigger carat diamond with low clarity or a smaller carat diamond with high clarity given the same budget? Well, the seller usually values the latter than former, i.e. a smaller carat diamond with high clarity. It is rarer to find a diamond of flawless or F clarity. However, if one is buying a diamond ring to propose, it does not hurt to choose the bigger diamond. After all, one cannot tell the difference between F and VS1 without a microscope, and the perceived value of a bigger diamond is higher. 

However, one should not compromise on the colour and cut though. If you are considering a white colour diamond, the recommended grading is colour grade D to H (within the colourless group). Or you may consider the other end of the spectrum, i.e. a warm or yellowish colour diamond, the recommended grading is colour grade S to Z. Depending on the cut, a yellowish-colour diamond does not lose out to white-colour diamond in brilliance. I will mention coloured diamonds in my future post. 

The next question is the cut. Thanks to the advancement in technology, most of the diamonds are of good cut and above. I seldom come across a poorly cut diamond. The cut one may also consider is the shape of the diamond, i.e. heart shaped, cushion shaped or round brilliant. A point to note - different cut provides different light return through the top of the diamond, affecting the brilliance of a diamond. Thus, an emerald cut diamond is not as brilliant as a round brilliant cut. Depending on what suits you or the person who you are buying for, you decide which diamond is the best for you or the person.

Depending on the your 4Cs criteria and budget, one may proceed to choose a loose diamond from jewellery stores. Personally, I refer to the mobile apps 'My Jewelry' and 'Caraters' to find the guided price of a loose diamond. Remember each diamond is unique because of its 4Cs. 

Diamond earrings
source - caraters.com

Diamond ring
source - lovisdiamonds.com

Diamond pendant
source - vivodiamonds.com

Diamond bracelet
source - michaeltrio.com