Austin Bling Blog | Discussing Fine Jewelry in Austin, TX | By Calvin's Fine Jewelry

True engagement ring story: 'The dog ate it'

 

One dog in Pennsylvania has racked up quite a reputation for eating everything but the kitchen sink - and that includes one of her owner's most prized baubles.

"We love her and all her lack of manners, like the time she swallowed my engagement ring and my husband's brand new eye glasses," owner Meghan Buselli told the Wayne Independent. "Ever since we had gotten her, she ate batteries, bullets from a shotgun, pennies, dimes, nickels. She was a little bank."

According to the news source, bloodhound/lab mix Liberty decided to investigate her ring a little too closely when Meghan left it on the kitchen counter one morning. When Meghan found it missing, she and her husband tore the whole room apart, up to and including the kitchen sink.

Suspecting the worst, Meghan called on Liberty's instructor, who told them to "try the most buttery noodles [they] could find." It worked like a charm, because the ring was safely back in their hands by the next day.

Brad Womack throws down for most expensive engagement ring in Bachelor history

 

Brad Womack of The Bachelor season 15 has just broke the show's record for engagement ring price tags by purchasing a $90,000 sparkler for his eventual fiancée, whom Brad admitted he already proposed to, ContactMusic.com reports.

Womack also went against the show's tradition of having the producers pick out the bauble after he insisted on selecting the 3 carat ring himself, according to the news source.

"It's worth $90,000. The stone is a round diamond with a pave eternity band. The setting is in platinum. The whole piece is just spectacular," a source told the news outlet. "Whoever is getting that ring is a lucky, lucky girl!"

Though Womack has already proposed to the mystery bride-to-be, the show was filmed months ago, and those in the know have been keeping her name a tight-lipped secret.

For a gorgeous ring befitting a Bachelorette, try a pave-set eternity band with a round diamond on for size, such as the Calvin's Collection White Gold Rounded 3-Row Pave Diamond Engagement Ring.

Making the most of your Valentine's jewelry

 

As the most romantic of holidays is now fading into last week, many women may be figuring out what to do with their first-ever piece of fine jewelry.

One answer may seem simple enough, and who wouldn't want to flaunt it? Jewelry is for wearing, but with frequent use comes the necessity to care for it properly, and using the proper techniques over time can have visible results when it comes to preserving your bauble.

Many women may turn to professional cleaning products for the regular care of their jewelry if they're looking for a trusted method, though they may not always be sure how much is an appropriate price tag for a safe and effective cleanser.

According to some industry experts, it may not make much of a difference. Consumer Reports ShopSmart tested five different cleaners that cost anywhere from $8 to $50, and the results appeared to be all the same, ABC affiliate KSFN30.com reports.

If you're really looking to get resourceful, there are several household products you can use that you probably already have lying around somewhere.

The news source suggests using mild dishwashing liquid for gold and diamond jewelry, while non-gel toothpaste tends to work especially well on silver. Pearls should not be handled with anything but a soft cloth dampened in a bit of water.

For diamonds, it's also recommended to soak them in an ammonia-based cleaner after washing them, as soap can have a dulling effect on gems. Storing them separately from other jewelry will help to prevent scratching, MarthaStewart.com advises.

In addition to regular care, it's also important to take steps to preempt wear and tear to ensure the life of your jewelry. You should aim to put on your jewelry last in the morning and take it off first thing at night - putting on a necklace before you apply your perfume can potentially stain your jewelry, according to the news outlet.

Generally speaking, it's best to limit how often you wear your jewelry as well, as doing house or yard work in 18 carat diamond earrings isn't always the most appropriate use of your bling, but the way you tend to it can help recreate the romantic feeling you received them with.

After all, proper maintenance can "[make customers] fall back in love with it," jeweler Sal D'errico told ABC30.com. "It makes it look like the day it was born."

Dozens of women clamor through massive cake for free engagement ring

 

Ninety-seven women in Utah's West Valley City celebrated Valentine's Day on Monday by climbing through a massive wedding cake in a bid to win a free engagement ring.

The contest, hosted at the Valley Fair Mall in honor of the city's annual 97.1 ZHT Valentine's Day Massacre, gave women a chance to win a complimentary 2 carat diamond engagement ring in addition to other prizes, which included concert tickets for Lady Gaga and Ke$ha, Fox13Now.com reports.

According to the news source, a local woman from Pleasant View named Mara won the bauble after she dove into the 17-by-10-foot cake.

Valentine's Day is one of the busiest days of the year in terms of weddings and engagements, which leads many couples to commemorate the occasion with a diamond engagement ring or wedding band. Remembering February 14 is easy with a finely crafted ring such as the Precision Set Platinum Shared Prong Round Brilliant-cut Diamond Eternity Ladies' Wedding Band.

Man drops engagement ring down sewer, proposal still a success

 

A man in Colorado made a major fumble on Monday when his attempt at a smooth Valentine's Day proposal went a little awry.

John Iverson dropped his heirloom engagement ring into a nearby sewer as he unveiled it to his girlfriend in downtown Denver, who answered "yes" moments before the bauble scuttled out of reach, The Associated Press reports.

Firefighters were able to retrieve the ring after 45 minutes of sifting through the sewer muck, according to the news source. Thankfully, the ring, which belonged to his girlfriend Kaitlyn's mother, is now sitting on her finger with no problem.

Heirloom engagement rings are a meaningful way to get down on one knee, but if you don't have such an item to give, you can still honor tradition by purchasing a princess-cut ring.

Look to designs such as the Michael B. Platinum Pave Diamond Princess Engagement Ring or the Precision Set White Gold Flush-Fit Cathedral Style 1ct Princess Engagement Ring for top quality cuts.

Vivica A. Fox savoring her engagement ring

 

Vivica A. Fox is still taking in her pre-wedding bliss following her December 26 engagement and says she's in no rush to begin nailing down the details of her ceremony just yet.

According to Us Magazine, the former Curb Your Enthusiasm actress has been basking in the glow of her 8 carat engagement ring bestowed upon her by fiance Omar "Slim" White, and the couple doesn't intend to tie the knot until this coming fall.

"Can we be engaged for just a moment? Geez!" Fox told PopEater at the Cash Money Records Annual Pre-Grammy Awards party in West Hollywood. "Everyone's just like, 'Holy moly, when's the wedding?' We're just basking in the moment."

According to the news source, Fox is thrilled to have someone to share her Valentine's Day with this year, though the two won't be physically together this holiday. However, White sent Fox a dozen roses and a teddy bear.

"He's a good one. That's why he's my fiance," Fox told the news source.

Fox has been married once before to singer Christopher Harvest, but they divorced in 2002.

Mark Ronson pops the question

 

Representatives of Mark Ronson have just confirmed to Us Magazine that the DJ/producer personality has won the hand of French model Josephine De La Baume, following engagement rumors that started when the bombshell was seen wearing a sparkler on her wedding finger last month.

A black and white photo of De La Baume flaunting a diamond ring at Mama Shelter in Paris first surfaced last month in Purple Magazine. The model is pictured holding her hand up to her face with a square, princess-cut stone on her fourth finger.

The pair started dating in March 2009 and made waves when Ronson featured De La Baume in the music video for "The Bike Song," his hit single with Mark Ronson & The Business Intl., the publication reports.

Ronson was engaged to actress Rashida Jones in 2003 and has briefly dated British socialite Daisy Lowe and The Like musician Tennessee Thomas in the past.

A princess-cut engagement ring is the ideal choice for many a proposal, and is best exemplified by quality-cut rings such as the Varna Platinum 3-Stone Princess-cut Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring.

Super Bowl championship rings continue to outdo themselves

 

Following a tradition of bigger, faster and louder, the Super Bowl XLV championship ring is expected to be even pricier and shinier than its predecessors, which were all on display at the football championship on Sunday.

Dallas News reports that the Packers also held title to the first Super Bowl championship ring in 1967, which featured just a single 1 carat white diamond in the middle and was valued at $750.

Super Bowl rings appreciated in value and ostentatiousness throughout the years, culminating in the New England Patriots' Super Bowl XXXIX ring, which featured 124 diamonds and weighed nearly a quarter of a pound on football players' hands, the news source reports.

"Bigger, bigger, bigger," jeweler John Scarpellini told the news outlet. "More diamonds and more gold. The players want them to be seen from five barstools away."

According to SBNation.com, the 2011 ring will be designed with the help of the Green Bay Packers and is due to come out close to the start of the 2011 season.

Colored diamonds a leading spectacle in 2010

 

Colored diamonds were primarily responsible for record-breaking sales at Christie's International in 2010, which sold $426.4 million, up 56 percent from its sales in 2009.

"With many new buyers in Europe, the U.S., and Asia actively participating at a high level, competition has become more intense than ever for rare jewels and gems of the highest quality," said the auction house.

The Israeli Diamond News Center reports that the sale of blue diamonds particularly helped boost industry sales. The Bulgari Blue, a ring which features a 10.95 carat triangular-cut blue diamond juxtaposed with a 9.87 carat white diamond, sold for over $15 million and set a new standard price of $1.4 million per carat.

The most expensive diamond sold was the pink diamond, however. The Perfect Pink diamond ring sold for over $23 million and stole the title for the most expensive jewel ever sold in Asia. The ring featured a 14.23 carat pink diamond, the news source reports.

For an example of quality colored diamonds, see the Calvin's Collection White Gold Pink Spinel, Round Brilliant-cut and Pave Diamond Dangle Earrings.

One in every three brides is against ring-less proposals

 

According to a recent survey conducted by TheKnot.com and Men's Health magazine, a third of the brides-to-be who responded think that proposing sans-engagement ring is "the biggest proposal mistake a man can make," Jewelers' Circular Keystone reports.

Meanwhile, "blowing the secret ahead of time" was considered to be the top faux pas among the male respondents, according to the news source.

The survey also found that men were reluctant to admit they received help while shopping for engagement rings. Thirty percent of men surveyed said they bought their rings without help, while 18 percent of their fiances said the same thing.

As for ring satisfaction, the numbers were higher. The vast majority - 96 percent - of brides said that their rings were "exactly what they wanted," though 40 percent said they helped their husbands shop and some even chose the rings themselves.

With 26 percent of brides wanting more from their proposals, it wouldn't hurt for men to up the ante on their creativity. Hiding a Michael B. Platinum 3-Stone Round Brilliant-cut and Pave Diamond Cushion Trois Engagement Ring inside her favorite dessert would likely be well-received.