Archives for August 2022

Have you ever wondered who holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most diamonds set in one ring? Well, lately you would have to have been keeping up with the news pretty often to know!  Back in 2019, the Lobortas Classic Jewelry House, a Ukrainian jewelry company, held the record with the Tsarevna Swan Ring. A total of 2,525 diamonds weighing 10.48 carats are set on the 18k white gold ring and it’s estimated worth was $1.3M.

Since then the record has been broken several times with the diamond count increasing rapidly: 3,827, 6,690, 7,777, 7,801. In November 2020, The Marigold or Ring of Prosperity was crowned the record holder with 12,638 diamonds. It is an ornate floral design with eight layers where each petal is unique.

This record too did not last long and was broken in May 2022 with a ring that has nearly double the number of diamonds! The mushroom shaped ring, created by SWA Diamonds has 24,679 diamonds and is named “Ami” which means immortality.

Perhaps this last record holder will be difficult to beat with so many diamonds? Either way, rivals are most likely already working on the next contender! While we mere mortals would most likely never have a ring with so many diamonds, stop by Bridgewaters to find your perfect diamond ring!

Humankind has been using engraving since the very earliest of times. The first evidence of engraving is a chiseled shell, dating back between 540,000 and 430,000 years. Engraving on bone and ivory and on rocks (called petroglyphs) are found from may pre-historic periods around the world. In the ancient world (3000 BC – 500 BC), engraved gems, small, semi-precious gemstones that has been carved, were a major luxury art form. Glass engraving appears in the first century AD and was popular until the fifth century. Decorations based on Greek mythology, hunting and circus scenes and images from the Old and New Testament were popular. In the Middle Ages, engraving was used to decorate and inscribe metalwork.

Machines were created in the late 1800s to make engraving easier and more accessible. Since then different types of machines and processes have become available to offer endless options for engraving on different materials and for different purposes.

Bridgewaters offers machine, laser and hand engraving services. We can engrave awards and trophies, wine and other bottles and on many different surfaces. We love to help you create excellent gifts for bridesmaids and groomsmen, company logo’d items and much more. Stop by to see all that we can do!

Have you ever wondered what jewels might be just waiting to be found from pirate treasure? We wondered too and found some interesting stories as we dove in! We learned that most pirate treasure is gold, not diamonds or other jewels, however there are a few tales about diamonds.

Captain William Kidd, in 1699, hid several bags of treasure, including a large number of diamonds, with a family on what is now Long Island while he traveled to Boston to try to prove himself innocent of piracy. The diamonds and other treasure remained hidden until 1866 and were traced back to the ship The Quehda Merchant. With only these bags recovered, which is a small amount of the booty originally aboard the ship, the rest of the treasure is still lost.

In 1721, Captain Oliver La Bouche, known as The Buzzard, plundered an English ship rich with gold bullion and diamonds. The men shared out the bullion (reportedly 5,000 per pirate) and the diamonds. Each pirate received 42 diamonds except one, who was given the single large diamond. Not understanding how diamond value works, he assumed it would be worth more in multiple pieces and smashed it into smaller fragments.

We would love to find the remaining treasures whether gold or diamonds! Stop by Bridgewaters to find your own treasure!

Are you thinking of gifting someone a piece of jewelry? Then you have come to the right place. Let’s check out a few tips for buying jewelry as a gift.

First, you need to know your recipient’s style – both their preferences as well as their lifestyle. Things to think about include what type of clothing do they wear, do they wear more gold or silver jewelry, what types of jewelry do they wear? It is also good to keep versatility in mind, something that will go with any outfit, for any occasion might be just the thing!

Second, create a budget – before you go shopping! Keep in mind not only what you can afford to spend, but also your recipient’s price range. You don’t want to be so far out of her price range that she can’t reciprocate at some point. And setting a budget will keep you on track. Make sure to tell your jeweler your budget up front.

Third, consider the reason for your gift – this may help you narrow down what type of jewelry to purchase. Are you buying your best friend a gift, gifting a recent graduate something or buying for a romantic partner? Ask your jeweler for ideas as well! They see lots of gift buyers and will know what is trending.

At Bridgewaters, we love to help find the perfect gift for anyone on your list. Stop by and see us!

August is one of only three birth months that are represented by three gemstones. We’ve written about one of the three August birthstone’s, Peridot, the gem of the sun (you can find more information here). Today we’ll explore sardonyx, which was the original August birthstone until peridot was added. The third August gemstone is spinel, but we’ll delve into that one at another time.

Sardonyx has alternating layers of parallel bands of sard and onyx. Sard and onyx are two types of the mineral calcedony. Sard ranges in color from yellowish-red to reddish-brown while onyx is black or white with the white banding being most common in sardonyx.

Sardonyx is perfect for carving into cameos or brooches to show the color contrast of the layers. Ancient Greeks and Romans wore sardonyx carved with images of gods and heroes. Sardonyx was also used for Roman seals and signet rings used to imprint wax on official documents since hot wax doesn’t stick to it. Sardonyx is a symbol of strength, happiness and courage.

Sardonyx is relatively common and inexpensive making it a wonderful gemstone to add to any collection. Stop by Bridgewaters to get more familiar with this beautiful stone.