June is here – the start of summer, Father’s day, and graduations – giving us another opportunity to honor people with gifts.  People can choose from a number of options, like ties or new socks for dads and nice pens or maybe brand new cars for graduates.  While these ideas make great gifts, think about giving something that makes people feel extra special.  I suggest jewelry, such as diamond pendants and mens gold chains.

I remember back when I graduated many years ago, jewelry was definitely not on mind…I was scared that I have to work a real job but excited too.  I was finally done taking stupid exams, writing papers, and can start earning money.  And my parents were going to throw me a big party, which meant getting lots of money!  The party was so cool, and I did get lots of money.  I thought money was going to be the best present, but it turned out that I treasured my grandma’s gift the most.  She gave me a simple chain necklace, nothing too flashy.  I never really wore real jewelry before, not too many guys I knew did.  Yet, for some reason, when I tried it on, I felt like an adult, like I was finally stepping out of my life as a student and into a real working man.  Because of this experience, I now give jewelry as presents for special occasions and suggest it to other people.

When buying jewelry, I take time in choosing which one to buy because people have different styles and the price is pretty high.  First, I think about the gift recipients’ fashion styles – flashy, romantic, clean J-Crew type, simple, etc.  Then I think about what types of jewelry they wear, or if they even wear jewelry at all.  I look at all the trends, and then I ask my wife’s opinion.  She generally makes the final decision!

For example, my grandfather loves gold.  Any piece of jewelry that he bought for my grandmother was gold.  He had a gold rope-shaped necklace, which matched his gold bracelet, passed down to him from his father.  Ten years ago, the lock broke, and the bracelet fell off unbeknownst to him, devastating him.  Later, I found a mens gold bracelet shaped like a rope and gave it to him for Father’s Day.  He was elated!  I knew what type of jewelry he liked and got it for him.

Another example, when my niece graduated last year with a Masters in Counseling, I wanted to get her a beautiful piece of jewelry, as well as money, to honor her career choice.  Being a girly-girl who liked wearing white gold bracelets, I didn’t want to just pick any type of jewelry, so my wife suggested diamond charms to go with her bracelets.  I ended up giving her an angel diamond charm with a huge smile its face to brighten up her days.  To this day, my niece swears that it uplifts her day, especially when her clients’ issues start wearing her down.

Overall, jewelry makes a perfect gift to fathers, graduates, and just about anyone.  Just consider their style and accessory-usage when choosing that thoughtful jewelry piece.  That gift will be something that they will treasure for a long time.

Tom B

One attribute that differentiates humans from other animals is our ability to understand symbolism. Symbols have been an important aspect of jewelry virtually since the first proto-human put a string and a shell together, and symbols remain an important motif in today’s ornamental wear. One symbol often used in rings, earrings and pendants is the Claddagh — two hands holding a crowned heart between them. This Irish symbol has come to represent a range of affiliations, from friendship to marriage. Jim Morrison, legendary singer of the 60’s band The Doors, helped popularize the design as a wedding band. The elements are said to represent love, friendship and loyalty. While the design originated in the 1600’s, it is no doubt an extrapolation of earlier motifs. The name comes from the Irish village of the same name.
Another popular design is the Celtic knot, either as a raised pattern on a sold background or as intertwined gold threads without backing. The design can be traced back at least as far as monk’s illuminated texts such as the Book of Kells dating back to the 8th century.As you might expect, the knot motif has always been associated with attachment and devotion, and therefore is often used in wedding bands. Artisans continue to enjoy pushing the boundaries of intricacy with the knot design. A favorite extrapolation of the knot theme is the ribbon and bow, a festive design that is particularly appropriate for holiday wear.
Continuing on the Irish theme, another design often given in friendship is the clover, or shamrock. The three-lobed design hearkens back to St. Patrick’s conversion of the Irish in the 400’s, when it is said he adopted the shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity.
A design that transcends any single country is the heart, familiar to us all as the ultimate symbol of love, as well as a container for fine chocolates. The heart as the foundation of human qualities, both good and not-so-good, can be traced back to the earliest passages of the Bible, and plays an equally important role in other ancient religions. The fact that our heart symbol does not really resemble the human heart has led some to propose that it represents Eros, the love bound with fertility. A less complex interpretation suggests it derives from the outline of a kissing couple.
Religious symbols have always been popular in jewelry. In the west, the cross has been cast and forged into innumerable variations. Other symbols such as the yin-and-yang of Zen Buddhism, representing the harmony of the male and female principles, are also common themes for rings, pendants, bracelets and earrings.
Finally, we see a number of designs based on nature. Flower rings, with the delicate petals of roses often reproduced in pink gold, are particularly attractive. Interwoven vines or wheat berry designs are the perfect ornamentation on running designs such as bands or bracelets.
The joy of symbol jewelry comes from the understanding that the giver intends the recipient to understand that his regard, devotion, friendship and/or love is as immutable as gold. Quite a message from such a small but pretty gift!

Tom B

Gold is gold, right? A rich yellow, the color of a field of sunflowers or a bottle of Chateau d’Yquem sauterne.

But have ever compared the color of you wedding band against 24-carat gold artifacts from ancient civilizations? Then you many not be surprised that the world gold encompasses a wealth of hues, from green to rose and even purple.

Of course, pure, 24-carat gold is always the same color but we rarely encounter 24-carat gold jewelry. Pure gold is a very soft metal, capable of being stretched into amazingly thin foil sheets, even to the point that it becomes translucent. In a ring, it would very quickly lose its shape.

Therefore, most gold jewelry is made from gold alloyed with other, more durable (and usually less expensive) metals. Since gold is the only yellow metal, any alloy will change the color of gold.

The most common form of gold, 14k yellow, is a paler shade of yellow due to the addition of silver and a bit of copper. The same metals are added in lesser amounts for 18k gold, more common in European jewelry, and 10k, often found in men’s bands when heavy wear can be expected.

The most common alternate color for gold is white gold, an alloy that became popular first in the 1920’s when a shortage of platinum coincided with art deco’s enthusiasm for white jewelry. White gold can be made with several different recipes. The most prevalent has been copper/ nickel/zinc, which yields an adequately white gold that is relatively easy for jewelers to work with.

However, some people have an allergic reaction to the nickel in white gold, so other alternatives have been developed. The most popular of the non-nickel alloys for white gold is a palladium/silver/copper/zinc mix, which makes a fine white gold, albeit harder to work with and more expensive, since palladium is even costlier than gold.

Goldsmiths have found ways to extend the color range beyond these two, however. Red/pink/rose gold, produced by bumping up the copper content in the gold alloy, while not truly red, has a distinct cast in that range.

By deleting copper and using only silver as the alloying metal, gold takes on a striking pale green hue. The combination of yellow, green and rose gold is often used in tricolor chains and rings that intertwine the three gold hues.

Other unusual forms of gold include purple or amethyst gold (gold and aluminum), blue gold (gold and iron), and black gold (gold and a variety of additives). However, each of these has shortcomings in durability and workability, so I wouldn’t recommend them for use in rings or chains.

If you have a taste for the unusual, why stick with yellow when there is a rainbow of gold waiting for your display?