We all know that February is the month of love, but do you know that it s also related to the birth stone amethyst?
Here are 6 things that you may find interesting about this very special stone, amethyst!
1. It belongs to the purple quartz family.
2. The name comes from the Ancient Greek, derived from the word “methustos,” which means “intoxicated.” Ancient wearers believed the gemstone could protect them from drunkenness.
3. It is associated with qualities of peace, courage and stability.
4. It can be found in countries like United States, Canada Brazil and Zambia.
5. Colour and clarity are keys to choosing amethyst.
Colour---Look for an evenly coloured tone of purple; avoid stones that have "stripes", layers of colours or that carry any brownish tint.
Clarity--- Most gemologists would value richly colored stone with some minor inclusions (not eye-visible), since the color of this gem is so highly prized. In lighter colored amethysts, visible inclusions will greatly reduce the value of the gemstone.
6. Finally, other than being the February birthstone, it is also used to celebrate the 6th and 17th year of marriage!
That's all for this month's musing! We hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as how our team did preparing it!
Adapted from American Gem Society: https://www.americangemsociety.org/zh_hans/amethyst-overview
We are all familiar of the different love languages--gifts, quality times, words of affirmation, acts of service and physical touch? Which one best describe what you or your partner most desire or value? With Valentine Day only about a month away, why not show your appreciation for that someone special in a gift that would last with time and also capture the heart of every woman! We have you and your pocket in mind as we bring to you our minimalist diamond ring collection!
While love is a luxury, material wealth like jewellery is more valuable to a woman. You must have come across the popular saying - diamonds are a woman's best friend. Diamonds are indeed the costliest stone in the world and only the wealthiest of people can afford to own one. There are some women who are crazy over the stone and the reasons behind it can actually shock you. Here are some reasons why diamond could really be a woman's best friend:
1. Cause They Make Her Sparkle
Diamonds have a specific tint which makes the person wearing it sparkle. This is one of the reasons why women love the stone as it makes her look impeccable.
2. Cause They Show Wealth
The cost of a diamond is itself like a magnet for many women. Strangely, this is one of the many reasons why women are so fond of the precious stone.
3. Cause Of The Stone Itself
There are a number of patterns, cuts and colours. No matter what, the stone is a major attraction for women and bigger the stone, more the attention.
4. Just To Prove Her Status
For most women, wealth is something which makes them over the cloud happy. If a diamond can prove her status in life, she is game to buy an entire jewellery shop.
5. Cause Of The Hidden Meaning
And they are timeless and gorgeous. They represent love, commitment, and the promise to stay true and clear.
6. Cause They Are Truly A Forever Stone
Diamonds are forever... In most cases, there is no re-sale value for a diamond. This is one of the many reasons why diamonds are a woman's best friends, cause she can never find an excuse to sell it away.
What are you waiting for? Shop away at our NEW IN now!
Adapted from Bold Sky, "Six reasons why diamonds are a woman's best friend"
It is the time of the year again, where everyone is busy going through the shopping list for christmas and at the same time listing down all their new year's resolutions for 2017. We hope this month's musing will be a source of encouragement and inspiration to everyone as we mark a close to 2016. As like previous years, we at TFL have planned for you a Christmas special edition of monthly musing as we seek to explore the true meaning of this yuletide season.
Just by witnessing the recent onslaught of events happening around the world---ranging from natural disaster, political scandals, ethnic cleansing to never-ending civil war, it is inevitable for us to wonder what is there to actually look forward to during such day and age? If we focus our gaze on what is seen happening on the surface around us today, then we will bound to feel helpless and hopeless in such a broken world we all live in. However, Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ, who is both God and man, the source of the inexplicable hope that believers have. God came to earth to provide a once-and-for-all substitute for the sins of all men on the first Christmas as baby Jesus. One scholar says that for those who don't know Jesus, hope is a verb. But for the Christian, hope is also a noun. Hope is not simply something we do, with teeth gritted and fingers crossed. Hope--joyful expectation--- is something we have. We possess hope because we know the God who is the source of and the reason for our hope.
It is no doubt that for hope to exist, we must first experience or witness hopelessness as a perfect world would not have any desire for hope or be able to distinguish it. The hope that Christians hold on to is extremely versatile, such that we can respond fully to the different challenges life throws to us. It can be courageous (2 corinthians 3:12), patient (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3), expectant (Titus 2:13-14), stabilising (Hebrews 6:19) and purifying (1 John 3:3). Fortified with such a versatile hope, followers of Christ can then confidently engage this seemingly hopeless world that we all live in. It is as if we are able to catch a shimmer of light from the candle's flame in a dark and bleak room. May we all be filled with this eternal hope that only Christ can provide and approach life here not with dread or despair, but with absolute confident expectation!
"5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." ---Titus 3:5-7 (ESV)
TFL wishes all our supporters a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Adapted from:
The Thrill of Hope, Christmas Devotional (Crosswalk.com)
Hope, Choosing Faith Instead of Fear (Bill Crowder)
In conjunction with this year’s Christmas, we are introducing a very special series of modern coloured stone rings called the colours of life collection. As you might have guessed from its name, we have lined up for you nine different rings, each consisting of one or more unique gemstone ranging from diamond, aquamarine, quartz and etc. Like always, we have chosen nothing but the best for you and are confident each ring will only further enhance your personality and style! To add a meaningful Christmas sprinkle to the colours of life collection, each ring is accompanied with a bible verse that would elucidate the true meaning of Christmas to all our supporters.
The world of gemstones is certainly not one that is easy to navigate through and we believe many might have wondered before in some point in life whether a treated gemstone is the same as a synthetic stone or imitation. We hope this month’s musing would help to clarify all this confusion for you!
Natural gemstones are indeed rare in today’s market. This refers to stones that are not subjected to any type of artificial treatment or enhancement. Treatment of gemstones has been increasingly common today as natural flawless gemstone supply is been depleted over time. Such man-made treatments not only help to improve the quality of natural gemstone, but also allow the commoner to possess beautiful gemstones at an affordable price. Some common treatments done to gemstone today include heating, radiation, diffusion and fracture filling. Precious gems like sapphire and ruby are commonly heated to produce better colours and improve the clarity of the stone, while virtually almost all blue topaz found in jewellery stores has been irradiated to some extent to achieve various shades of blue.
Having clarified on treated stones. So what then are synthetics and imitations? A synthetic is not an imitation. The term synthetic indicates that the material is artificially made by using the same chemical ingredients found in natural products. On the other hand, an imitation refers to a gem that is artificially made without using “nature recipe”, so it is very different in terms of its chemical and physical properties from the gem it is imitating, unlike a synthetic stone. A good example would be diamond is found as a natural gemstone, man-made diamond is a good synthetic diamond, while glass could be an imitation of diamond. The benefit of purchasing a synthetic stone is that it serves as an excellent alternatives for buyers unable to afford natural gems of similar quality they desire.
We hope you have become somehow wiser in the world of gemstones after reading our article.
That’s all for November, till we meet again next month!
adapted from Jewellery and Gems by Antoinette Matlins and A.C. Bonanno.
Have you checked out our latest series of vintage estate rings? In the month of October, we have prepared a wide selection of a very special gem known as the Cat's eye, set in different settings for you. Hence, we thought it would be interesting to cover some key facts of this very captivating stone.
Do you know that.......
-Cat's Eye is associated with the zodiac signs of Sagittarius- November 23 to December 21.
-Cat's eye unique luster is known as chatoyancy or cat's eye effect. It refers to a changeable silky luster as a result of light reflection from the thin inclusions within its structure.
-When the name "cat's-eye" is used alone, it is understood that the speaker is referring to a cat's-eye chrysoberyl and it is usually available in various shades of green, and yellow,
-Cat's eye mainly originates from Sri Lanka, Bavaria and Burma.
-Cat's eye is believed to be beneficial for physical, emotional and spiritual healing.
See you next month again for our exciting updates!
As promised, here are the latest highlights from our trip to the annual September Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair. This was our second year visiting the fair and it was certainly a very rewarding experience, both “physically” (with all our bargains) and mentally.
It is indeed the hallmark event of the year with more than 3000 exhibitors from 50 countries taking part. We saw crowds consisting of professional jewellers as well as lay public all packed in the exhibition halls. Like our previous experience, it was certainly a challenging task as we attempted to cover as many halls as possible in our short time there to source for the best jewellery products at the lowest price possible for you!
At the entrance of the Fair
Intricate jewellery pieces made from thinly malleted stripes of gold
One of the gem studded necklaces from the show
On top of all the exquisite jewellery that were showcased by leading jewellery brands as well as budding jewellery designers, one head-turner worth mentioning was the Chinese company called MetaGem specialising in gemstones with digital function. Their products were advertised to be able to perform a variety of functions including monitoring of one’s heart rate, temperature and activity. The good old ring on our finger could now just be ”the magic stone between traditional fashion industry and digital age.”
This small fashion item from MetaGem can now measure your hear rate
We were certainly more disciplined and organised this year as we combed through the different vendors to get you the most unique and value for money item out there. We focused our attention primarily on exhibitors from the Asian market this year , which included wholesalers of gemstone jewellery from Thailand, as well as big brands from Japan with expertise in pearl and diamond jewellery. We are hopeful that our line-up of products will appeal to each and everyone of you in one way or another. Stay tuned to our Facebook page and our monthly musing for now!
Some of the antique pocket watches in the antique and vintage pavilion
We were glad to be able to visit the ArtScience Museum and be inspired by the renown exquisite collection displayed by Van Cleef and Arpels before the show drew to a close in Singapore.
More than a century of artisan craft...
What caught our eyes even before entering the exhibition area was actually this magnificent work called the "flying bird" donned with 96.62 carat of yellow diamond. The bird can also metamorphose into a pair of winged earrings and a brooch, while the yellow diamond can be detached from the clip and worn alone as a pendant.
Flying bird created in 1930s...
The design process in creating the Zip bracelet transformable into a necklace...
Another highlight during the exhibition that intrigued us was this delicate "Peter Pan collar lace necklace" made in 1980s with gold and diamond.
Would Peter Pan even have the heart to wear this?
Welcome to the world of colourful gems.....
It was indeed an eye-opener for us as we toured the various exhibits and read up on some of the more interesting stories behind significant artworks by Van Cleef and Arpels. The insightful gemological information of different gems on display also enhanced our appreciation of what nature has created for us, which transform remarkably after much hard work and exceptional craftsmanship put in by man.
It is time to bid goodbye as we leave with you one final masterpiece by Van Cleef and Arpels called the "Cords secret watch" created in 1949, which consists of the indestructible triple combination of gold, diamond and platinum.
See you next month!
We are all excited to share with you snippets of our visit to the Hong Kong Fair in September 2016.
Be mesmerised by the indestructible perfect combination of gold, diamond and platinum....
It is the time of the year again, left with a few more weeks to our nation's 51st birthday. As Singapore ramps up its pace in preparation for the upcoming national day celebration, be it the annual mega national day parade or the mini parties in our offices, so are the staff at TFL, who are all excited and busy hand-picking the finest jewellery from overseas just for you. This is done bearing in mind our motto of providing timeless, fine and low-priced jewellery, without burning a hole in the pocket to our supporters.
In this year's national day product launch, we have lined up a mixture of vintage rings and pendants specially chosen from Bird Cage Handcraft, a boutique in Sydney that sells handmade jewellery and other fine art products with an added flavour from the Middle East namely Turkey and Syria.
Pendants with dazzling gem stones!
Moved by the rustic-looking marquisette rose ring filled with a central piece of jade?
Be charmed by the onyx marquisette ring
For more information, do browse our vintage catalogue
We just thought a little background of the silver jewlery trade will increase your appreciation and spice up your love for your silver collection. Do not forget to browse through our vintage series for our new range of Middle-eastern inspired vintage rings that will definitely add style to your own fashion story!
(All images included in this post are part of our new vintage collection, for more details please refer to our vintage section)
Like the moon it’s been associated with for millennia, silver reflects the light that plays on its surface, treating the eye to shades of grays that range from smoldering and smokey to brilliant and brassy. Too soft to be used in fine jewelry such as rings and bracelets on its own, silver is typically alloyed with copper or other metals to give it the strength to shine.
The standard for sterling silver is 92.5 percent pure silver plus 7.5 percent alloy. In the United States, any piece of jewelry that is only 90 percent silver may be sold as silver, without any qualifier. The purity of silver is often described as its fineness, so sterling silver has a fineness of 925. In the U.S., some pieces of silver jewelry will be stamped with the number 900 to designate that it meets the minimum silver-content requirement. Sometimes these pieces are plated, or flashed, with almost pure silver to make their surfaces as reflective and bright as possible.
During the Victorian Era, English jewelers used silver to make everything from simple bands to ones with the words "Mizpah" rendered in relief on them. They were worn by couples and lovers separated by circumstances or travel. Other example of silver jewelry popular in 19th-century England included pins shaped like birds, which were often covered with seed pearls and turquoise.
At the beginning of the 20th century, in 1904, a Copenhagen silversmith named Georg Jensen produced jewelry pieces featuring flowers, bunches of grapes, birds, and other animals. Jensen’s silver was hammered to create a pebbled surface, then oxidized to give his designs depth and distinctive tints. Semi-precious, often locally quarried stones such as agate, amber, opals, and malachite were also used in his work, but sparingly.
For collectors, an important aspect of Jensen’s earliest jewelry is the fineness of the silver, which varied from 826 to 830 to 925 (sterling). It wasn’t until 1933 that sterling silver was used exclusively at Jensen, which gives fans of his early work a clear way to date a vintage piece.
In North America, the tradition of making jewelry out of shells and beads dates to prehistoric times, but it wasn't until the mid-19th century that Native American artisans began producing silver-and-turquoise rings, bracelets, and pins, mostly for religious purposes rather than adornment. When times got tough, people would take their most expendable personal pieces and pawn them. Thus, "old pawn" describes pre-1900 examples of Native American jewelry made of silver. Although there is a lot of jewelry on the market labeled "old pawn," only pieces from the 1800s deserve it.
By the turn of the century, Native American jewelers were producing goods for the tourist trade. One of the controversial aspects of Native American jewelry from this period is the extent to which non-Native traders influenced its production. These traders frequently coached Native American artisans to create designs of little or no cultural or historical relevance, provided them with tools and materials. Silver was the base metal for most of these pieces—squash-blossom necklaces were one of the first styles. Of course, the traders profited by selling the finished pieces to tourists who had ventured into the Southwest via the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.
South of the border, in Mexico, silversmithing had been practiced for centuries. In fact, Mexican silversmiths taught the Navajo of the Southwestern United States their trade. But it took an American named William Spratling to see the opportunity to build on this legacy. After spending summers in Mexico in the 1920s near the silver-mining center of Taxco, in 1931 he established a retail outlet for Mexican jewelry there.
The Taxco jewelry he designed and that local artisans produced included silver necklaces, pins, bracelets, rings, and other objects. Spratling’s designs borrowed liberally from pre-Columbian motifs found on Mexico’s pyramids and lifted from 14th-century symbols that fill the Codex Zouche-Nuttal. It was open-source material, if you will, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that as his shop succeeded, numerous imitators sprang up nearby.
Some of these competitors were actively encouraged. In fact, the Taxco School, as it is known today, was formed largely from former Spratling employees such as the Castillo brothers, Héctor Aguilar, Antonio Pineda, and Valentin Viadurreta, who brought a Mexican eye to Art Deco. Naturally, these artisans and their shops became incubators for still more generations of jewelers.
For those who could not make the trip to Taxco, U.S. stores imported these popular goods. At one point everyone from fashionable Gump’s in San Francisco to Montgomery Ward in Chicago carried silver jewelry (some decorated with obsidian or amethysts) by Taxco designers.
Modernist jewelers of the day took a completely different approach to their silver jewelry. Instead of looking into the past for inspiration, they had only to glance about and see the work of contemporary painters, sculptors, and other modern artists. Their jewelry was a part of this modern-art movement, and their ambitious goal was to create one-of-a-kind works of art that people could wear.
One of the early champions and practitioners of the form was Sam Kramer, who, like many of his contemporaries, lived, worked, and sold his silver creations in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Another unofficial leader of the modernist-jewelry movement was Kramer’s neighbor Art Smith. His jewelry ranged from simple silver neck rings to biomorphic pieces that drew from African motifs. While Smith made small pieces such as cufflinks and earrings, many of his best works were large enough to wrap the body, as if the human form was the mere backdrop for his creations.
Boomerangs, straight lines intersecting curves, and atomic-age shapes typified Ed Wiener’s Mid-century Modern work. Sometimes a pair of silver earrings resembling deformed hourglasses were adorned with a single pearl; other times, a cat’s-eye agate would be placed in the center of a silver piece. Another Greenwich Village modernist jeweler was Paul Lobel, who designed lovely silver pins and bracelets, as well as silver hollowware.
How often is it that you pick out your favourite silver accessories for that girls’ night out, only to realise that it has tarnished and has a tinge of yellow-brown?
After wearing your silver jewellery day-in and out where they are exposed to all kinds of grime, the once polished and glamorous ring on your finger just seemed to look a little off. Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Like any other precious metal, your silver jewellery is no exception and it would require the regular cleaning and tender loving care to allow it to serve you for a lifetime (hopefully).
Here are 6 items you can find around your home to help you rejuvenate your silver wear!
1. Vinegar: Get half cup of white vinegar and 2 tablespoon of baking soda into a pan and shrug the baking soda and vinegar four to five times with a spoon to mix the two ingredients will you see a bubbling reaction. Place your jewellery into the solution and allow it to be there for two to three hours. Remove the jewellery from the container and swill it under running water to remove the vinegar and baking soda residue. Dry the jewellery with a soft and clean cloth before storing in a clean pouch.
2. Beer: Get the shine back in your silver jewellery (without any gemstone) by pouring a bit of beer on to a soft cloth. Rub it gently over the piece and pat dry by using a clean cloth or towel.
3. Soda/ Carbonated drinks: Soak your stone studded and silver jewellery in soda to give them a bright sheen. Just place them in a glass full of soda and leave them for overnight. Take out in the morning, air dry and store in a plastic pouch for further dust and damages.
4. Vodka: A few drops of vodka can clean any kind of silver or stone-studded jewellery. Immerse a napkin into the vodka to wipe away the grime on your jewels or drench your ring or earrings for a few minutes to get them sparkling again.
5. Aluminium foil: Simply set a small bowl with aluminium foil and fill it with hot water. Mix in one tablespoon of bleach-free powdered laundry detergent and put the jewellery in the solution for one minute to soak it out. This procedure uses the chemical process known as ion exchange to clean up the surfaces of ornaments. Rinse well, air-dry and store in pouch for ready-to wear occasions.
6. Ammonia solution: Ammonia solution also cleanses the tarnish from silver. Make a solution by mixing altogether 1-2 tablespoons of ammonia, 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwasher and 1/4 cup of water. Dip a cotton swab or take a soft bristled toothbrush, and clean the surface of the jewellery gently. If the tarnish is too stubborn then dip the jewels in the solution to take it off easily.
Or if you will like to get some new pieces to update your collection, watch out for our new items coming in August!
