2010 May | Rox Blog

Archive for May, 2010

ROX sponsors Miss Scotland 2010

Monday, May 31st, 2010

We’re very proud here at ROX once again to be the official jewellery sponsor of The Scottish Sun’s Miss Scotland 2010 competition – the lucky winner will star in our next advertising campaign so we’re following it every step of the way!

We surprised the ten finalists last week with a goodie bag from ROX to congratulate them on all of their hard work so far… aren’t they lovely?!

Credit: The Scottish Sun - Andy Barr

We’ve had a really sweet message from one of the finalists Claire Grehan …

I would like to thank ROX for letting us wear their beautiful jewellery at events and photoshoots during our time as Miss Scotland finalists. It has really made us girls feel like a million dollars!

Having said that, it was tough returning the jewellery afterwards - after all “diamonds are a girls best friend!”. I was so excited to wear diamonds - it makes you feel instantly glamorous – it even changed my stance and the way I walked. I instantly grew with confidence and felt great about myself – always a good thing!

The staff at Rox are really friendly and helpful – they know exactly what piece of jewellery would set off any outfit – if you’re ever stuck for accessoring you should definitely check them out. ROX were also kind enough to give the finalists gifts including a gorgeous Thomas Sabo bracelet which I haven’t taken off yet.

Thank you so much Rox for your amazing generousity – it is a gift I will treasure forever. I am so excited about the ROX jewellery that I will be wearing at the grand final of The Scottish Sun Miss Scotland 2010.

Good luck to the girls for the final!

Love,

ROX

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Ethically Sourced Diamonds

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Because diamonds are small enough to be extremely easy to transport but very valuable indeed, the diamond market is an ideal target for illegal smuggling operations. Coupled with the fact that most of the stones of sufficient quality to be used in fine diamond jewellery and watches are found in some of the poorest and most troubled places on Earth, there is a recipe for trouble.

In these days of heightened consumer responsibility, the way diamonds can be used by violent and vicious regimes to gain power and the money to buy arms has been brought out into the light. In the past these ‘conflict diamonds’ found their way into designer watches and diamond earrings all over the world. Even some unlucky people’s wedding rings, bought in complete ignorance of the deadly serious issue of conflict diamonds, have been tainted by it.

However, times change, and in this matter they’ve changed for the better. All diamonds coming into the EU now have to be certified to come from conflict-free, legitimate sources. No conflict diamond may now be knowingly sold here, either as part of any diamond jewellery or as a cut stone.

You can buy diamonds from ROX with the full assurance that they are conflict-free. We’re proud to be a part of the new, more socially responsible trade in precious stones. So much so that we even scrutinise all our gold suppliers to make sure their practices are safe for workers and environmentally sound. We make sure that our jewellery is ethical jewellery.

Tags: diamond earrings, Diamond Jewellery, Diamond Rings, ethically sourced diamonds
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What Is A Carat?

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

The weight (and therefore the size) of stones used in diamond jewellery is measured in carats. They are a very old measure, and these days carat weights are the standard for precious stones. For precious metals like gold, carat is a purity measure rather than an outright weight, so that is slightly different. In diamond rings, the carat value stated may be the weight of the centrepiece stone or the combined weight of all stones including small chips- fell free to ask if in any doubt about any of our diamond jewellery.

Back in the early days of diamond trading for jewellery, the stones were measured against the weight of carob seeds, which are remarkably uniform in size and weight. One carob seed came to be one carat. There is a finer measurement called ‘point’. One point is one hundredth of a carat, so a half carat diamond is a fifty point diamond.

While size certainly does matter, diamond quality is also important. Clarity and colour will also affect the price and desirability of a given stone. So will the type of cut.

One carat is 0.2g. That doesn’t sound like much, but one carat diamond engagement rings are actually quite good and the central stone in question will probably look quite impressive. Most of the stones used in diamond jewellery are smaller than that. A 2 carat diamond is on the decidedly large side, and a 3 carat diamond is truly outstanding in size. Good quality loose stones of that weight are usually sold for tens of thousands of pounds when cut, or more.

Tags: diamond carats, diamond engagement rings, Diamond Jewellery, Jewellery
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Measuring Diamond Clarity

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Clarity is one of the four Cs of diamond quality testing. The other three are carat (or size), colour, and cut. For the moment, let’s concentrate on clarity. For most people high clarity is a given when talking about diamond jewellery – not for nothing do we say ‘as clear as diamond’ but it does vary from stone to stone.

Tiny bubbles, cracks, and imperfections inside the diamond (or any other precious brilliant stone for that matter) can lower the clarity. Those that don’t have what it takes to warrant inclusion in jewellery are used for industrial purposes or are broken up so that the high clarity pieces can be used as smaller secondary stones. Fancy cuts can sometimes be used to remove areas of lesser clarity too.

Clarity is measured on a number of different scales, but most of them have the first few categories in common. F stands for flawless, and is the best possible class. It means there are absolutely no flaws that a trained eye can find under a microscope at 10x magnification. Next is IF or internally flawless. Stones of this class are still considered outstanding and ideal for inclusion in fine jewellery like wedding, eternity and diamond engagement rings.

After that come the VVS (very very small flaws) and VS (very small flaws) classes. These are still very good diamonds, clarity-wise. They can be found in all kinds of jewellery. While they have flaws that are visible under magnification, any stone in either of these classes will look perfectly clear to the naked eye.

Tags: diamond clarity, Diamond Jewellery, Diamond Rings, Jewellery
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Diamond Cut

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

In diamonds and other precious gems, the ‘cut’ refers to the shape of the finished stone. There are a huge variety of cuts available from the classic to the fancy, and there are different pros and cons to each. It’s not just the shape that counts for aesthetic purposes or to suit a particular kind of jewellery fitting. It is the cut of a diamond set in diamond jewellery that draws light into the centre of the stone and makes it sparkle. The number of facets (the individual flat planes) and their angle to one another impacts the way light is reflected and refracted around inside the stone.

For diamonds, where that internal fire is the main drawcard, cut is obviously of paramount importance. Since the advent of laser cutting equipment, cuts have grown more and more sophisticated. The understanding of the optical physics involved has also grown. New cuts can now be designed and analysed with computer programs. All these factors combined mean that the diamonds used in jewellery are now more spectacular than ever. The jewellers of a hundred years ago would be amazed by today’s diamond engagement rings.

Cuts are divided into families. The most common is the round brilliant style, which is designed to make efficient use of a perfect, flawless diamond crystal. The symmetry and carefully calculated angles of a classic round brilliant do perhaps the best job of bringing out a diamond’s sparkle. It’s the most popular choice for the large, high quality centrepiece diamonds found in jewellery, although there are many more.

Tags: diamond engagement rings, Diamond Jewellery, Diamond Rings, Jewellery
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A Note On The Colours Of Diamonds

Monday, May 17th, 2010

The most common diamond found in watches and jewellery is the perfectly colourless or ‘white’ diamond, but that is certainly not the only colour available. More than 20 officially approved colours are known to experts. Pink, blue, and champagne are three of the most popular in jewellery.

Colour is distinct from clarity. While clarity scrutinises a diamond for flaws and interruptions, colour refers to the tint. Any colour of diamond can have a high or a low clarity and a correspondingly high or a low quality. Some of the largest and most valuable diamonds found either loose or in diamond jewellery settings in the world are coloured.

Of the ten greatest diamonds ever valued, most are either blue or white. The exception is the Golden Jubilee Diamond, which is the largest cut diamond in the world at more than 540 carat. That’s more than 100g, or the weight of a generous chocolate bar. The clear golden colour is called ‘fancy yellow brown’. It is worth millions of pounds.

For those considering a jewellery piece or a watch with diamonds, choosing coloured stones may or may not drive the price up. Because they are rarer, large diamonds with high clarity and a particular tint are usually more expensive than their white equivalents, but there is no denying that they can also be truly beautiful stones.

Selecting a diamond colour to suit your loved one not only shows that you care enough to buy diamonds, but also that you’ve put extra thought in to the choice. For example, nothing beats pink diamond engagement rings for a woman who loves that colour.

Tags: diamond bracelets, diamond engagement rings, Diamond Jewellery, diamond necklaces, Diamond Watches
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Get Your New Diamond Jewellery Insured

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Fine diamond jewellery is by its very nature expensive. What’s more it’s small, lightweight, and has a high resale value, so this kind of item is the perfect target for thieves and housebreakers. As soon as you receive a piece of diamond jewellery or a watch from us you should add it to your home and contents insurance policy. Don’t wait until your next renewal.

That will cover your ring or watch against theft from your home, but most policies won’t cover accidental loss or damage. They also won’t apply if a theft occurs outside the home. To address that problem we can help arrange cover for you, with a policy especially designed for valuables like watches, rings, and bracelets. The insurance comes through Allianz, who are a well established and well recognised insurance firm, but if you need to make a claim we can look after all the details for you.

You don’t even need to contact the insurance company yourself. If you lose or damage diamond jewellery bought from ROX, or it gets stolen, get back in touch with us and we’ll guide you through the process. Your item will be repaired or replaced by us as swiftly as possible.

Consider our special Forever Precious insurance whenever you buy from ROX. Any piece of diamond jewellery represents a significant investment, and like all of those it needs to be protected. We understand exactly how to do that, and will be happy to help ensure the safety of that investment if the worst should happen.

Tags: diamond bracelets, Diamond Jewellery, Diamond Rings, Diamond Watches
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Viva ROX!

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

If you were asked to describe your personality in one word, what would it be? Mysterious, carefree, chic…?

Whatever you are, you can now match your personality to your accessories with our new ROX Viva bracelets – a quirky, colourful and downright cool range of friendship bracelets that look lovely worn on their own or stacked for an over the rainbow sort of feel.

Copy of ROXVivaBraceletHotpink£75

The ROX Viva bracelets are available in fourteen different shades at £75 each…

1. Turquoise for those with a vivacious disposition

2. Black for individuals with an intense nature

3. Grey for those with a powerful side

4. Brown for individuals with an indulgent personality

5. Hot Pink for your inner diva

6. Purple for your mysterious side.

7. White for your innocent side

8. Dark green for generous souls

9. Gold for an extravagant personality

10. Baby pink for those with a youthful side

11. Red for passionate personalities

12. Lime Green for individuals with a zest for life

13. Blue for those with a carefree attitude

14. Navy blue for chic personalities

So which shade of Viva will you go for?

Love ROX

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Is Your Diamond Ring Stuck On Your Finger?

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

It does happen, especially for wedding and eternity rings that are worn all day every day for years. Getting diamond rings stuck also happens when the gentleman making the proposal guesses the ring size wrong. Understandably reluctant to spoil the surprise by asking the (hopefully) bride to be her size, most people make a guess, and of course that choice might not be spot on.

So, what to do if diamond rings gets stuck? First of all, don’t worry at it. That will just cause the finger to swell, which will only make it worse and can result in quite severe pain and even harm the hand. Don’t try to use butter, soap, or oil as a lubricant either. It probably won’t help and will almost certainly get stuck in the setting. Diamond rings can be difficult to clean, and that is especially true when substances like these get into them.

Run the hand with the ring on it under a cold tap for a minute or two. The chill will take down any swelling and divert blood away from the fingers, making them significantly thinner in size. Make sure the plug is in the sink first though! That might well do the trick. If not, try soaking the hand in ice water for as long as you can bear to get the same effect, only more so.

Once you’ve got the ring off, get it re-sized. For any diamond rings sold by ROX, your first resizing is free. Any high street jeweller will be happy measure your finger for ring size. Send it back to us with your measured size, and we’ll sort it out for you. We resize to the highest standards, so you needn’t fear that the ring will look any different or lose quality when we resize it.

Tags: Diamond Jewellery, Diamond Rings, eternity rings, wedding rings
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Shopping For Diamond Engagement Rings Online

Friday, May 7th, 2010

The internet is a wonderful marketplace. You have the power to view a far greater range of diamond engagement rings online than you would in any city, all from the comfort of your own home and incredibly quickly. Going to half a dozen jewellery shops in town would take all day, assuming there were retailers of the right quality in the area. You can do that online in an hour or two, in the evening after work or whenever you like. There is much greater choice available to those who shop online. That’s important when a gift has to be absolutely perfect.

It’s easy to compare online retailers and their prices – diamond engagement rings are a significant investment and of course you should always shop around before making the final choice. Because competition between internet jewellery shops is so high, prices are kept fairly reasonable across the board. Naturally we think ours are very reasonable indeed.

At ROX, we understand that you may have to return the diamond ring that you finally settle on. We are happy to resize rings if necessary, and the first resize is always free. Subsequent resizes attract a small charge, but we can still handle the process for you. Of course, not all diamond engagement rings will be kept – not all proposals are successful (although we think a beautiful ring increases your chances!). You are welcome to return any product bought online within 14 days of receipt for either a refund or exchange for a different item.