Happy Mother Day from Palace Gems

Celebrity Engagements: Which Star Couple Will Get Engaged Next? (VOTE

Spring is here, which means one thing — love is in the air, even in Hollywood.

While many celebrity couples keep a low profile when it comes to their relationships, we’re not shy about guessing who’s going to be the next to get engaged.

Click through the slideshow below to vote on which celebrity couple is most likely to put a ring on it next.

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/11/celebrity-engagements_n_1510920.html

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/11/celebrity-engagements_n_1510920.html

A Gift For That Special Woman

Get A Bachelor Ben Engagement Ring For Less

All judging aside about whether or not Courtney was the right choice (we’ll leave that job to Ellen), lets have a look at the Neil Lane-designed engagement ring that Ben Flajnik proposed with on Monday night’s finale of ‘The Bachelor’.

There’s no doubt that this is a stunning ring.According to People, the primary diamond is a cushion cut that weighs just over three carats. It is set in a platinum band inlayed with 96 round pave diamonds. The ring is not only beautifully and intricately designed, it is also the pinnacle of what’s in style these days in bridal jewelry.

Cushion cuts have exploded in popularity in the last few years and are now probably the second most popular shape after round brilliant diamonds. Just a few years ago, they probably weren’t even the fifth or sixth most popular shape. Likewise, this vintage pave style halo setting is also now all the rage. Buying a ring like this certainly won’t make you unique, but it’s definitely what is hot now in the industry.

People also reported, however, that this ring cost $50,000. That’s quite a load for any bachelor to bear — especially if he’s not backed by a major TV network!

Here are some tips Ben could have used to bring down the cost of his ring by thousands and thousands of dollars (not that he needed to, of course, but the lessons are applicable to anybody shopping for an engagement ring):

1. Pick the lowest color that still looks white – This is different for every shape. Forcushion cuts, I advise my readers to shoot for an H color. Anything lower, and it starts to look yellow. Anything higher and the added cost doesn’t justify the extremely slight boost in color.

 

1. Pick the lowest clarity that is clean to the naked eye – Brilliant cut diamond shapes like rounds and cushions hide impurities very well. A lower clarity diamond that is still clean to the naked eye (i.e., without magnification) will look identical to a flawless diamond, so spending extra money on higher clarity is a waste.

 

1. Try to avoid big name designers – You can almost always find a non-branded version of whatever ring you’re looking for. If not a perfect exact match, you’ll find something very close. The difference in price can be staggering. Just think about how much Neil Lane had to pay for all of his exposure on ‘The Bachelor’!

 

Following these tips, ‘Bachelor’ Ben could have scored a nearly identical ring for about $33,000. Here’s a great diamond choice following my tips above: 3.01ct H Color SI1 Clarity Cushion Cut from James Allen. This diamond costs “only” $31,090.

It could be matched with this Platinum Cushion Cut Halo Engagement Ring by Blue Nile for $2,268.

Altogether, that’s $33,358 — a far cry from $50,000 for a nearly identical ring. The only visible variation is a slightly different design on the setting — certainly not worth $17,000!

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ira-weissman/get-a-bachelor-ben-engage_1_b_1343820.html

5 Things To Know About Your Jewelry When Getting A Divorce

In the famous words of William Shakespeare, “All’s well that ends well.” When it comes to a marriage, however, this isn’t always the case.

Let’s start with a few U.S. stats:

– There are approximately 2.5 million marriages in the U.S. every year.
– An estimated 80 percent of brides-to-be receive a diamond engagement ring.
– The divorce rate is currently 48.6 percent.

With these numbers in mind, one can imagine how many engagement rings end up on the market for sale, repurposing or in a toilet bowl. For those interested in the more sensational, here are some of the most famous celebrity jewelry sales.

In an effort to help divorcees understand their jewelry (and what they can do with it in the time of a divorce), I put together the following list:

1. Know who is entitled to the jewelry
The rightful owner is determined by several factors including how it was given, local jurisdiction and reason for marital dissolution. A first good step is to consult a family attorney to determine ownership.

2. Be emotionally ready
Whether you decide to sell it, repurpose it or keep it, make sure you are emotionally ready to go through the process. It is not always a walk in the park. If you decide to sell it, it can be the most difficult (or most easy) step depending on the situation.

3. Keep it in a safe place
Keep it safe (in a safe). Whether you put it in your safe at home or at the bank, don’t be a victim of a sock-drawer disappearance.

4. Know what it’s worth
Most jewelry stores or buyers will be able to give you a rough estimate of what your jewelry is worth. Make sure to shop it around to get a realistic and worthwhile estimate.

5. Know how to get top dollar for it if you decide to sell it
Getting the maximum value for your jewelry requires understanding its worth and finding the best buyer for it. Chose a reputable buyer who has a good rating with the Better Business Bureau. This can be a very confidential endeavor so consider choosing a jewelry buyer in a private setting.

All in all, the good news is that the owner of a jewelry asset has the choice to do with it what he or she wishes. If one were to ask Shakespeare what to do, he might say, “To sell, or not to sell, that is the question.”

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-hami/5-things-to-know-about-yo_b_1340424.html

Top Ten Most Expensive Celebrity Engagement Rings

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/top-ten-most-expensive-celebrity-engagment-rings_n_1429174.html

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/top-ten-most-expensive-celebrity-engagment-rings_n_1429174.html

Princess Diana Wedding Dress: Scrapbook Up For Auction

Royal wedding fever is alive and well — but this time around, it has nothing to do with Will or Kate.

A scrapbook from Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s 1981 wedding, which went up for sale on Wednesday, is expected to cause a bidding frenzy among royal family enthusiasts. According to experts, the memento could fetch as much as $8,080 (£5,000) in an online auction.

The scrapbook was created by Princess of Wales’ wedding dress designer, Elizabeth Emanuel, who fashioned the book out of lace and fabrics from Princess Diana’s wedding gown and her bridesmaid’s dresses.

The five-page scrapbook incorporates the specially commissioned Nottingham lace used on the bodice of Princess Diana’s bridal gown on the cover, and fragments of bridal tulle, ivory faille bow, pearl beads, lace used on the hem and two swatches of silk all taken from the late Princess of Wales’ bridal gown fabric, according to the auction website.

The memento also features an original watercolor sketch of the gown, press clippings from the wedding and an autograph from Emanuel herself.

Despite the fact that Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s nuptials were over three decades ago, the Princess of Wales’ famously pouffy wedding dress is still getting attention today. The gown, which features 10,000 mother-of-pearl sequins and pearls and a 25-foot train, recently debuted as part of the “Diana: A Celebration” exhibit at Minnesota’s Mall of America in February.

The traveling exhibit, which will run until June 10, also includes 28 of Diana’s designer dresses, family heirlooms and personal keepsakes.

Click through the slideshow below to see photos of the dress being unveiled at the Bloomington, Minn. mall.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/princess-diana-wedding-dress-scrapbook_n_1507061.html

End Of Cash: Six Things That Could Take The Place Of Paper Money

The weekend’s election results in France and Greece have added to the uncertainty surrounding the future of the European Union and its common currency, the Euro. Voters in both nations firmly turned thumbs-down to the strategy devised by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and outgoing French President Nicolas Sarkozy revolving around austerity as the solution to the continent’s economic woes. The results also raise a new question over the fate of the Euro: To the extent that the two countries say “no” to the new fiscal rules introduced recently, can the Euro be saved?

While not downplaying the gravity of Europe’s plight, it might be time to examine what really serves as a common currency these days – and what might, in a few years or decades, be in a position to replace bits of circular metal and pieces of paper as both a store of value and means of exchange. To the extent that the Euro and other such conventional currencies rely on complex political arrangements and thus the whims of voters, they may be untenable.

“Although predictions about the end of cash are as old as credit cards, a number of developments are ganging up on paper and metal money like never before,” author David Wolman writes in his recently released book “The End of Money” before going on to list the factors involved: “mistrust of national currencies, novel payment tools, anxiety about government debt, the triumph of mobile phones, the rise of virtual and alternative currencies, environmental concerns, and a wave of evidence showing that physical money is most harmful to the billions of people who have so little of it.”

So what could replace money as we know it? Of course, cashless electronic payments are the sexiest, most forward-looking option. But there clearly are other, more old-school items of value that could essentially fill the same role as today’s currencies, having value in the eyes of millions or billions of people worldwide regardless of where they live. Once, for instance, in the former Soviet Union, it was possible to swap blue jeans for tins of caviar; you didn’t even have to try that hard to make a contact, as people would approach tourists and offer to literally swap the clothes they were wearing for the fish eggs. Jeans in today’s Russia, however, don’t carry the same value and couldn’t serve as currency; vodka, however, is still likely to fill that role.

To work, they would have to be like commodities: The goods must not only have value but meet some kind of general standard. So, for instance, getting hold of George Clooney’s personal e-mail address clearly has tremendous value in the eyes of some people. But the potential value is limited not only by the fact the demand would largely be confined to women in North America, Europe and a handful of other countries familiar with the actor, by the fact that there is only one George Clooney, and by the fact that as soon as he realized his e-mail address had been used as a de-facto currency, he’d change it. On the other hand, a loaf of bread has a common utility value worldwide: Even if you don’t need it, you can exchange it with someone else for an item that you do need, the hallmark of a classic barter arrangement.

Here are some other suggestions for real global currencies that consumers could adopt without worrying about complex inter-governmental fiscal arrangements. They are arranged in a hierarchy, from low denominations – the nickel, say – to the equivalent of a very high denomination bill indeed.

There are all kinds of ways to get creative around alternatives to our current “common currencies,” Wolman points out. Today’s means of exchange don’t even need to be tangible goods that you have to store and guard in the same way that you would a wad of $100 bills. For instance, why not use energy – literally, kilowatt hours of electricity – to pay your bills? Keep your kilowatt hours on a stored value card and whip it out like an ATM card to pay for groceries or the taxi home from the airport. Your employer could top it up every other week, paying your ‘salary’ in more kilowatt hours. It’s hard to imagine our world without electricity – however it ends up being generated, using coal or wind power – so this ticks most boxes.

Of course, we’re a long way today from being able to replace any currency – much less the Euro – with any of the above, as this somewhat tongue-in-cheek overview should have made clear. After all, today’s currencies were created in a barter-driven economy in response to a need for some store of value that would be readily accepted wherever the holder went. But those early coins were accepted as having value because of some intrinsic value in the item itself – in many parts of the world, they were made of metals that, when melted down, still had value.

Today’s currencies are backed by the full faith and credit of the governments issuing them (although that hasn’t stopped people hunting for older, copper-rich pennies). We’re seeing some of the risks associated with that in Europe right now, where experiments in currencies have gone further than anywhere else. It’s worth at least pondering what value we place on these conventional currencies – and what kind of barter system might replace them in the 21st century – as we wait for Europe’s central bankers and politicians to devise a new round of measures to keep the Euro intact.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/end-of-cash-replacing-money_n_1500885.html?ref=money

‘Antiques Roadshow’: Woman’s Yellow Diamond Engagement Ring Is Worth A Fortune (VIDEO)

Video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/antiques-roadshow-yellow-diamond-ring-video_n_1498925.html

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/antiques-roadshow-yellow-diamond-ring-video_n_1498925.html