Great Video from GIA and GQ

I came across this video the other day – got a kick out of hearing guys trying to list the 4Cs and thought you all would probably enjoy it too.  You can find GIA videos on YouTube, Metacafe, and a handful of other video hosting sites.  Or I’ll just keep posting them here!

 

Life Span of Jewelry

I wanted to make sure to note here some facts about the lifespan one can expect for the jewelry they invest in because this is one (of the many) selling points that really solidified my decision in getting a platinum engagement ring.

In addition to platinum, tungsten also has a notable lifespan for a precious metal.  Though I do like Tungsten as a material, the look and association isn’t nearly that of platinum.  An additional issue is that tungsten rings cannot be re-sized, so if your fingers change sizes over time (which they often do), a ring made out of it would be beyond  a pain to try and re-size, if not totally impossible.  That said, once again, platinum really does reign over the other precious metals out there.

It really does shock me when I hear about people not investing in it b/c it’s so practical and worth it.  There is no price tag on something that will be reminding you and your spouse of eachother for the rest of your lives – truly.  The ring I proposed to my wife is below.  Can’t believe I haven’t posted it on here until now!

Cheers!

Stunning!

Choosing a Precious Metal

After doing my preliminary research, I pretty much ended up using that, “Seven Facts for Six Metals” chart to decide what material to choose my ring to be out of.  The intrinsic value was a huge selling point for me because buying an engagement ring is a large investment – as it should be – but I wanted the best of the best so that the ring would be a part of my wife’s life and then of the lifes of those whom the ring is passed down to.

I have cuff links from my father that he passed down to me years ago; they’re made of platinum and have such an incredible look to them after many years.  I’ve had them lightly restored a few years back – just to clean up any small scuffs on it.  I didn’t realize until recently however, that what I had done to them couldn’t necessarily be done to other precious metals.  Platinum has the same surface strength of white and yellow gold, however, neither can be restored with such ease as platinum.

I say all of this because, of all the types of jewelry out there, rings probably get the roughest treatment since they’re on your hands.  I wanted to invest in something strong, valuable and restorable – all of which only seem to fully apply to platinum.  See where I’m going here?