At the turn of the 20th century, decorative art movements such as Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, Jugendstil and Skonvirke sprung about across the globe with diverse influences and styles from each country. The jewelry created during this era differed greatly from most jewelry seen in the late Victorian period. On October 29th, an exhibition at The Forbes Galleries in New York City will present pieces from various movements side by side and explain the global interest in creating jewelry during this time.

International Art Jewelry: 1895-1925 will feature almost 200 pieces of jewelry and related decorative art objects by 75 different artists including work coming from Great Britain, United States, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and the Scandinavian countries. The exhibition will demonstrate the connection between the jewelry movements during this period while pointing out the differences and similarities between each.

“This exhibition will focus on the broader subject of the relationship of a number of early 20th century art jewelry movements rather than zero in on work in one particular style or country,” said Bonnie Kirschstein, Forbes Galleries managing director. The exhibition will run through March 17, 2012.

Art Nouveau jewelry was crafted with a heavy emphasis on color and the female form. These jewelry motifs largely included orchids, irises, pansies, vines, swans, peacocks, snakes, dragonflies, mythological creatures, and the female silhouette. Today, these type of pieces are commonly characterized as antique style jewelry and still remains a popular accessory among fine jewelry connoisseurs. Below are some vintage inspired pieces that capture the essence of the Art Nouveau period:

Last Saturday, Simon G Jewelry held their annual Summer Soiree at The Palazzo Las Vegas. The renowned fine jewelry artisan teamed up with fashion designer Marc Bauwer to launch their latest collection of diamond wedding bands and other jewelry pieces as well as raise awareness for Generosity Water.

The event was held at Azure Luxury Pool where Multi-Platinum recording artist Gavin Rosdale gave an intimate acoustic performance on a 70-foot stage over the pool and guests enjoyed an evening of entertainment and fashion. Some of the designer jewelry pieces debuted consisted of textured rings, cuffs, pendants and earrings designed from various shades of gold, diamonds and other precious stones. Celebrity guests that attended to support Simon G and the cause include America Ferrera, Terri Hatcher, Torri Spelling, Dean McDermott, Tim Urban, Jamie King, Raven Symone and Lindsey Vonn.

Generosity Water helps bring clean drinking water to impoverished countries around the world. Over the last 3 decades this charity has funded over 250 wells in 17 countries and served clean water to more than 100,000 people.

Below are a few snap shots of Simon G’s latest collection taken at the JCK Las Vegas – the jewelry industry’s biggest show of the year.

Perhaps no other jewelry you purchase will have greater sentimental value and be worn more often than your engagement and wedding rings. As timeless symbols of your love and commitment to one another, it’s only natural that you want to take the utmost greatest care of them.

1) Protection: Be gentle to your rings – It is advised to remove your rings before potentially undertaking any heavy work, gardening or dealing with harsh chemicals. Despite being incredibly strong, gemstones and even diamonds can chip or crack if accidentally struck too hard.

2) Upkeep: Keep your rings scratch free – All precious metals will eventually get scratched over time and can be brought to any professional jeweler to be buffed and polished. If your rings are made of white gold, your jeweler may also suggest that they be re-plated. This is normal as white gold is an alloy with a yellow gold base; it gets its white color from being plated in rhodium. After being buffed, the ring may begin returning to its natural gold color. If you’ve purchased platinum wedding bands, they can be polished back to their original condition. Platinum is naturally white, so no upkeep is needed to retain its luster.

3) Inspection: Watch out for loose diamonds – For peace of mind, have your jeweler occasionally inspect her engagement ring to ensure the stones are securely in place. It’s not uncommon for diamonds to come loose with everyday wear and tear. We generally recommend an annual inspection. However, depending on her lifestyle and the ring’s metal type, this may need to be done more or less frequently. Because of its density, a platinum setting will hold stones most securely in place.

4) Cleaning: Let those diamonds sparkle – The maximum brilliance of her diamonds can be maintained by keeping the ring clean. This can easily be done by soaking the ring in a mild solution of soap and warm water or a jewelry cleaning solution and gently rubbing dry with a soft cloth. Do not do perform this near a sink as you may risk the ring falling down the drain! For a more thorough cleansing, take the wedding and engagement ring to your jeweler.

5) Storage: Keep your rings safe – Store your pieces in a jewelry box, individually lined compartment or chamois bag when not being worn. Ensure that they are carefully placed separately to avoid the diamonds from rubbing against other pieces of jewelery which may produce a scratch.

Given that platinum wedding rings have a very modern look, the best styles are elegant, but simple.  A “comfort fit” is curved slightly in the inside, and most men find them a good choice since a ring is worn more then anything else that adorns the body.  Platinum is heavier than gold which is often the main reason men choose them over gold.  Remember that many men love Swiss sports watches for the same “weighty” reason.
You will pay a premium for platinum.  One reason some buyers go with gold is they are concerned they will lose their ring, and want to be able to replace it less expensively.  Do keep in mind that an engagement ring is not like a set of car keys.  You will grow to love it more and more with each passing year, as you do your partner, and will have a magnetic connection to it.  That may mean that IF you take it off, you will have a brilliant system for making sure your ring is never lost.

Bezel Settings
A lipped metallic ring keeps a diamond safely in place on bezel rings and make sense for women that are on the go.  An added bonus is that the setting makes  the stone look larger, while also holding it firmly in place.

Engagement & Wedding ring combination
Often these rings have many small diamonds which sparkle brightly around a platinum or gold band.  With the emphasis on more stones, they are higher on glitter and lower on cost than the traditional separate engagement ring with a large stone.

Personalized Engravings
This can be as simple as the date of a wedding or as detailed as a phrase from a song or poem.  If you intend to have a ring engraved by hand, do so weeks in advance.

Colored Diamonds
We’ve mentioned before on The Top Shelf that color is very in with all types of jewelry this year.  Expect to pay a significant premium on colored diamonds due to their scarcity.  These are favorites with celebrities.

No one wants to think about the history a ring had on the finger of a former fiancé or wife.

Educate yourself about ring styles and fashion on at least a simple level. “American consumers favor the largest rocks possible, as demonstrated by Hollywood starlets,” Ruth Donaldson, the UK manager of Platinum Guild International says. “British consumers are still living up to their more austere reputation. Ladies like a better class of diamond and lean towards the best metals being used to secure their jewels. It is strongly felt by brides that their fiancés are getting it wrong if they are just selecting the biggest rock.”

Diamonds shine particularly strong this spring. The right diamond draws character from its environment. The style now is to have large quantities of diamonds in rings to create a potent sparkle. The added quantity also serves to boost the size of the center stone, or, at a minimum, make it look larger.