The Top Drawer

Valentine’s Day Diamond Heart Shaped Pendants and Jewelry

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we would like to feature our collection of diamond heart shaped pendants and other heart shaped Valentine’s Day jewelry gift ideas that have caught the eye of buyers in our showroom. The current availability of each piece is listed below. Please note that you must first inquire for a price quote on some of the unmarked designer pieces. Others marked unavailable can always be special ordered. Click on the image for further details. Happy shopping!

Ever found that perfect diamond engagement ring you’ve been looking for, only to find out that it’s quickly been sold to another determined buyer? Looking to warm your wife’s heart on that upcoming special occasion with a stunning piece just released by one of the world’s top jewelry designers? Perhaps you are the fashion forward, tech savvy, diamond jewelry aficionado who strives to stay abreast the latest designer trends? If so, then Firenze Jewels invites you to join us on our new spot on Twitter.com/FirenzeJewels. Be the first to instantly get a sneak peak on the most gorgeous jewelry pieces from top designers around the world days before they are added to our showroom for public display. See them right as they come in and are measured and photographed by our by our e-Commerce staff.

Not familiar with Twitter yet? Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging site that allows its users to send and receive other users’ updates (also known as tweets) through the website, SMS text messaging, RSS feeds, instant messaging or other means. Whether it’s a close group of friends, a non-profit organization or a media outlet like CNN, millions of people use Twitter to instantly deliver, receive and talk about breaking news right as it happens.

Come follow us on Twitter and let us know what you think of the latest pieces or ask us any questions, we look forward to hearing from you!

As the summer days come to a memorable end and the crisp fall weather makes its way through the coming weeks, jewelry colors and designs begin to heat up! Expect traditional warm tones in jewelry designs and stones to become a hot staple for most wardrobes this season and well into 2009.

Some trends becoming more popular among designer jewelry aficionados are statement accessories. Whether it’s a stunning cuff bangle bracelet or a gorgeous diamond necklace, one eye catching piece will be enough to create a dazzling signature look.  The “less is more” approach is definitely in right now.

Designer jewelry lovers have a lot to look forward to this coming season, there’s many surprises in store!

Antique Styles
For people who are not fortunate enough to have heirloom engagement rings in their family, pieces that are handmade using styles from generations past also provide historic  reverence.  A vintage ring is sometimes made with filigree designs, highlighting a period’s characteristics (Edwardian, for example), and have attention to detail that one would find more often when these styles were contemporary.

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.

As investments in Real Estate and stocks continue on a downward spiral, many are realizing that a girl’s best friend may also be her best investment.  Very high quality diamonds and other gemstones have a lot of investment appeal if one takes into account global trends in the coming years.  The fact is that wealth is being distributed more widely in our global world, but at the same time mines are being depleted of fine quality stones.

Antoinette Matlins is the author of “Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide.”  She says “The cost of the finest emeralds has increased approximately 75% over the past 2 years, rubies about 70%, and sapphires over 60%.”  She notes that wealthy individuals in the Middle East and China are increasingly interested in purchasing top quality gemstones, and their habits go a long way in explaining why prices are moving up.

Investing in gemstones requires a tremendous amount of expertise.  Stories of tourists trying to buy gems from individuals near mines in places like the Golden Triangle in Thailand are infamous.  Scores of people have been swindled while outside their home countries because they think their hobby or amateur knowledge is good enough to identify quality when buying from individuals at seemingly immense discounts.

If you want advice on what gemstones are most likely to increase in value, ask one of the experts at Firenze.  Test our salespeople’s knowledge and you’ll see they are some of the most educated in New York when it comes to high-end gemstones.  Our reputation comes from our genuine commitment to each and every person that approaches us for advise.

If you lose jewelry at the beach this summer, chances are it will not stay buried in the sand. In contrast to years past, amateur “treasure hunters” will have a much easier time locating your lost gold necklace or ring. Technology advances, as well as falling prices from higher production numbers, mean the metal detector of 2008 does far more for much less. A “hobby” metal detector ten years ago could help you find tin cans. Today, for a similar price a detector can find small jewelry items, sometimes worth over $1000. Machines today can detect the difference between platinum and gold. Furthermore, the high price of gold and shaky economy makes hunting for gold objects particularly attractive this year.

If you are forgetful, and leave a ring or bracelet under a beach blanket, chances are you won’t find it the next day; regardless of whether it’s still there or a treasure hunter found it after the beach goers left for the day.

There are, however, plenty of stories of good Samaritan treasure hunters who find identifiable items they return to owners. Vietnam veterans have been reunited through finds of their class rings and dog tags.

For $153, you can be the proud owner of the Garrett Ace 150 Metal Detector

Do not give a “secondhand” engagement ring to someone! If it was a family heirloom that’s different of course. If you’ve given that heirloom to numerous wives from numerous prior marriages, and your soon to be fiancé will probably guess that, think twice. Engagement rings have far more meaning to most women than wedding rings. Remember that, as girls, diamond rings stand along-side princes in storybooks and represent all that is love.

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.”

In just eight days, the largest diamond to be seen in any worldwide auction will be offered by Cristie’s “Jewels: The Hong Kong Sale“. It is expected to sell for over $6,000,000. It was cut from a 460 carat rough to create the 101.27 carat stone, was given an F color rating by GIA, and is internally flawless.

It is a telling sign that the gem is being sold in the region where economic growth is moving at a massive pace. “Only 3 colorless diamonds of over 100 carats have ever appeared at auction, all sold in Geneva.” says Francois Curiel, Christie’s Chairman of Jewelry. The May 28 auction will sell 345 lots and is expected to achieve in bring revenue of $56 million.