You Have Time to Learn
In most traditional jewellery retail stores, employees earn commission based on the volume of sales generated. Therefore, a sales representative is most likely interested in generating a success full sale rather than spending enough time and energy to educate customers about their precious diamond jewellery.

There is so much more to diamond rings, earrings or pendants than just how big the stone is. Yes, the carat weight does give you a rough idea of how large the gem is, but it won’t tell you why the stone sparkles and catches the light as it does. To truly understand the beauty of diamond jewellery you wish to buy, an expert jewellery consultant is required to explain how the 4Cs of a diamonds, cut, clarity, carat weight and colour affect the brilliance and value of a diamond.

Most online diamond jewellers provide a detailed explanation about different aspects of diamonds as well as various jewellery items.  When you buy jewellery online, you can take as much time as you’d like to research these features. Online simulators give you the opportunity to play with different combinations of the 4 C’s and find the best price-to-beauty ratio for you without any high-pressure tactics from a sales employee.

Wide Range of Options
In typical brick and mortar store that carries limited physical stock, a salesclerk might show you five or ten diamond engagement rings. Even if you want to see more, there is a limit to how many diamonds the store has in stock.

On the other hand, the selection of diamond rings online practically never ends. When shopping diamond jewellery online, you can compare prices of different jewellery  items as well as prices from different online jewellers.

If you find a winner right away, there’s no one stopping you from adding it to your cart and checking out. However, if you want to continue your online online diamond jewellery browsing, you can keep comparing one piece after another for as long as you’d like until you find the diamond of your dreams. In fact, if you want to browse jewellery online  all night long, you can.

Furthermore, since most online jewellery start manufacturing jewellery items after an order is placed, they offer full flexibility of customization. In other words, for each design you can choose different metal grades such as 18K gold, 14K gold or even platinum to suit your style or change diamond quality to fit your budget.

You Can Save up to 20-30 %
Since online jewellers do not have to bare huge inventory expenses or other retail expenses, they can offer highly competitive prices compared to traditional retailers.

Overall, online jewellery shopping gives you full control of the buying process from the beginning to end. You can take your time to learn as much as you would like about diamonds and use online visualization tools to know exactly how the diamond jewellery would look in real life. You can browse thousands of designs, and compare as many pieces as you want. And finally, you can buy your dream ring, whether from home or office and save up to 20-30%.

Bracelets were first made using nothing more than a few stones, shells and bones tied together with a string around the wrist. Over the centuries, bracelets have come a long way. While the original styles still exist in one form or another, newer styles, newer metals, stones and designs have come up to take center stage.

Interesting Trivia: More than any other jewelry item, bracelets have been adopted by major jewelry brands as brand emblems. Metal, leather, as well as many other modern man-made materials feature in bracelets worn by men and women across the globe.

1. Women’s Bracelets: In most cases, women’s bracelets are modified forms of bangles. However, while bangles are worn on both wrists, bracelets are meant to be worn on just one. Like men’s bracelets, women’s bracelets also come in a number of different styles and designs. These are far more delicate and stylish than men’s bracelets and can often be studded with diamonds and gemstones.

2. Men’s Bracelets: Compared to women’s bracelets, men’s bracelets tend to be slightly heavier, but simpler in design. They may or may not be studded with diamonds and are often made with silver, gold or platinum. Attractive designs and high quality finishing are hallmarks of men’s bracelets. 

3. Designer Bracelets: These modern day versions of bracelets are quite chic and stylish. They are not necessarily made of metal, but come in a combination of leather, rubber, metal and even diamonds. These bracelets are often customized to represent key theme of individual brands.

4. Fitness Bands: Undoubtedly the latest trend in health and fitness, these bands help health enthusiasts track their daily calorie intake and outtake, the steps they have walked and many other fitness related data. Due to advanced technology used to make these bracelets, they are typically made with combination of plastic, rubber or metals and often come in simple less intricate design.

5. Magnetic or Health Bracelets: Different from fitness bands, health bracelets are usually magnetic bracelets worn around the wrists. It is believed that the magnetism of the bracelet helps keep illnesses away. Similar to fitness bands, magnetic bracelets are not made for style and generally come in a single format that does not cost too much.

There are of course, many other styles and manners in which bracelets are made and worn.

Hard Fact: Bracelets are perhaps the second most popular jewelry item for men after rings. This makes them different from other jewelry items, which are largely thought about and designed mainly for women.

The popularity of pendants is because of their flexibility to match any ensemble and occasion. Additionally, they come in many shapes and sizes, from extra light and affordable to ultra-heavy and extremely expensive. Furthermore, there is a whole range of pendants that come with matching earrings, and in many cases, matching rings as well. In other words, a full “Pendant Set” is the complete jewelry package!

Hard Fact: While most pendants are worn on chains, there are also necklace-pendants that are parts of intricate necklaces. These pendants are as elaborate as the necklace they are part of, yet they stand apart from the necklace as they hang below the main body of the necklace.

Even among pendants, there are many different styles. And depending on your mood, choice and pocket depth, you can select any of the following types.

1. Casual Pendants: Worn around the neck on a simple chain, light casual pendants are the most popular and widely sold of all pendants. Plain metal or studded with diamonds and colored stones, casual pendants come in all shapes, but are usually small to medium in size. Owning them is not too costly either.

2. Pearl Pendants: These pendants can be something as simple as a single large pearl suspended below a metal cap, or as elaborate as a vibrant array of various sized pearls in metal. Either way, pearl pendants are considered the epitome of style and beauty. They mix with most ensembles, be it a chic party or a formal work place.

3. Initials / Name Pendants: Initials and name pendants can be quite romantic when gifted by one partner to the other. Many couples love wearing pendants with each other’s initials. Simple metal alphabets, or studded with diamonds make excellent choices for every day wear pendants.

4. Gemstone Pendants: These pendants are quite popular in India and many other countries around the globe, where people follow moon signs instead of sun signs as gem stones carry astrological connections. Of course, these pendants also look very stylish when worn as a fashion statement. A large gemstone set in the center surrounded by beautiful, sparkling diamonds makes for an eye-catching pendant.

5. Religious or Ethnic Pendants: Many cultures and religions around the world have been expressing their faith though artistic pendants. These pendants are often believed to carry the blessings of God. The most common religious pendants are “Cross” pendants.

Interesting Trivia: The church officially banned piercing of ears and wearing earrings in the 13th century as they believed that the human body was the image of God and it shall not be altered from its natural God given shape. However, those outside the law, continued to pierce their ears and wear earrings.

In certain European societies, the only son in the family wore an earring in the right ear. The sons of a single mother, on the other hand, wore a single earring in the left ear. And if by any chance, a man wore earrings in both ears, he would get extra protection as the earrings would signify that he was the last man in his family line.

While the trend of men wearing earrings continues even today, it has reduced quite drastically. Today, earrings have become fashion and style statements mainly for women. Many different styles of earrings have been developed over the years, ranging from the simple gold bead studs, to solitaire diamond studs and long, designer dangling earrings.

Studs: One of the earliest forms of earrings, studs can be either a metal ball, or a stone encrusted design. Either way, the earring would remain flush against the skin of the ear lobe and remain there unmoving. Solitaire earrings and small cluster earrings mainly fall into this category of earrings.

Tear Drops: This earring style draws its name from the shape of a tear drop. They can also be described as dew drop earrings. These earrings can be made of plain metal or feature a pearl or precious and semiprecious stones. The tear drop would usually hang just below the lower edge of the ear lobe and would swing freely.

Hoops: Most probably the first earrings ever crafted, hoops are basically large rings that are threaded through the pierced hole in the ear lobe. Most hoops are plain metal strips or extremely thin tubes. However, certain modern hoops also have a single string of diamonds studded on their outer circumference.

Ear Huggies: Another form of hoops but of much smaller size, ear huggies are earrings that usually sit on the ear lobe through a clamp or clip. These can also be plain metal or diamond studded on the frontal visible circumference.

Danglers: Amongst the most elaborate earrings around, danglers are big earrings that can be made of one or more parts. These earrings dangle well below the ear lobe and have intricate designs and patterns made of metal and diamonds. Danglers are among the most worn and in demand earrings, especially among the celebrities and style icons.

Cluster Earrings: These earrings are similar to studs, yet slightly different. Cluster earrings stay flush against the skin of the ear lobe, but their size is larger and they are made of intricate designs that extend beyond the lower edge of the ear. Cluster earrings are extremely chic, stylish and perfect option for cocktail parties.

In my last blog, Rings Setting Guide: The Settings that Carry the Stones, I talked aboutProng Setting,
Tension Setting, Bezel Setting,Channel Setting,Halo Setting.In this blog, I will go over a few more intricate and exceptional jewelry setting types.

1. Pave Setting: To achieve the paved look, tiny incisions are made in the metal and then small stones are set into those incisions. Microscopic prongs are then created to hold the stones in place. This creates the illusion of one continuous sheet of diamonds and increases their luster. The only issue with pave setting is the difficulty in making changes after the pave has been set. 

2. Three Stone Setting: In line with the name, this setting is made using three stones, either of similar size or with a larger center stone. The stones are set extremely close to each other, either in a single, straight line, or with the center stone slightly raised. This is a very symbolic setting, especially when used as an anniversary ring as it is believed to represent the past, present and future.

3. Cathedral Setting: A single stone or a small cluster of multiple stones is set atop a ring, with graceful arches raising it above the shank. The overall look and feel of this setting is that of the arches of a cathedral – thus giving this setting its name. This style is most commonly used for solitaire rings, particularly for engagement and wedding rings. This setting style uses the arches in combination with either prong, tension or bezel setting styles to keep the stone in place.

4. Cluster Setting: Somewhat similar to Halo setting, Cluster setting utilizes multiple small stones set almost flush with each other in a cluster to create the impression of a single comparatively larger stone. The cluster itself can be of any shape – round, square, oval, or anything else that catches the imagination. However, the setting is best suited for round diamonds.

5. Invisible Setting: An extremely tough setting to achieve, Invisible setting requires micro grooves to be cut into the diamond or stone on the side facets, below the girdle. The stones are then set flush with each other and two micro plates or strips of metal are passed through the grooves such that from the top, there is absolutely no indication of any metal contact with the diamond. The impression created is a bunch of diamonds, set perfectly, without any metal support. The Invisible setting is ideal for Princess cut diamonds as the diamonds sit perfectly aligned with their sides flush against each other.

There are of course several other settings that are in use around the world. However, these are the more popular and in demand settings.

Interesting Trivia: One particular setting is called “The Cathedral Setting” because of its appearance of raised arches of a church or a cathedral. It is a fantastic setting for an engagement or wedding ring as it gives a divine look to the ring. But, it is also quite delicate and prone to snagging and bending because of the diamond’s height above the shank of the ring.