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Wedding Tips and Trick
Weddings are an evergreen business, yet are not recession proof, and brides are more conscientious on their spending to ensure they make the most impact for their special day. Nearly 2,220,000 weddings are estimated to take place in the U.S. in 2009, according the The Wedding Report, Inc., which ultimately translates to brides and wedding planners looking to spend for the big day. Despite the soft economy, the total estimated market value of the wedding industry was more than $62 billion last year alone. Get Married, a leading multi-platform entertainment and wedding resource, is at the forefront of wedding trends and understands that planning a stylish, memorable and personalized celebration can be done within a budget.
In any economy, and especially one that is down, brides want to know how to do the most without spending the most. For brides looking for the latest trends to make their weddings spectacular, without over-spending and under-wowing, Whiteflash.com provides them with inspiring ideas, quality connections and fantastic finds, including tips and trends from leading industry experts.
“Your wedding is an opportunity to make a statement of style, it’s a complete personal manifestation about who you are,” said Cowie, lifestyle expert, celebrity wedding designer. “The only rule is that taste and good style should prevail in everything you do.”
7 Tips for the Budget-Savvy Bride who seek smart solutions for planning an extraordinary wedding:
1. Dream big: Small ideas get small results, so put budget aside while envisioning your dream wedding, then figure out what you can afford.
2. Cut your coat according to the cloth: It’s better to do 5 things correctly than 10 things on the skinny.
3. Consider a destination wedding: Weddings can take place anywhere, so think beyond the exotic beach and think about a bed-and-breakfast or country inn.
4. Opt for a fantastic DJ: Instead of a big orchestra band, find a great DJ who can create great background music and just as easily keep the guests moving on the dance floor.
5. Invest in a trusted wedding planner: A professional is there to ease some of the pressure while bringing your vision to a reality.
6. Design a signature drink: Rather than serving an open bar, offer guests a specialty beverage that is as delicious as it is memorable.
7. Create monochromatic flower arrangements using one type of flower: When bundled en masse in short ceramic vases, whether roses or carnations, tulips or spider mums; these flowers are beautiful and impactful.
8. Educated yourself on Diamonds: Knowing the 4 C’s can make a huge impact on your wedding budget. Make sure to do research on diamond education and find a trusted vendor.
Luxury Treehouse
Living in a luxury treehouse certainly brings out the child in you again. For many children, a treehouse is just a normal treetop hideaway made of wood, but for a 10-year-old boy in Russia, it’s a luxury £50,000 (US $72,800) treetop hideaway. This luxury treetop hideaway is currently under construction in Northamptonshire and will be erected in a woodland grove, next to the home of the kid’s rich Russian family. The 40-foot construction includes a stained-glass window, staircase, rope bridge, zip line and pulley system that is able to lift a quarter of a ton. Six guys have been working on it and once they are done, the treehouse will be fully insulated and covered in timber with cedar shingles forming a roof canopy. Herbie McKenzie of “The Treehouse Company” cited that they’ve been doing this for about eight years and this is the biggest. Moreover, he said that he is going to recommend the owners certain furnishings like a potter’s wheel for the ground floor and a plasma screen television for the top floor.
The £50,000 treehouse is supposed to be both educational and recreational. Back in 2007, Victoria Beckham was reported to gift her boys a $50,000 treehouse on Christmas. Owning a treehouse is now a trend that the rich and the famous are following just like buying diamond rings. Visit the TreeHousecompany.com for more information.
Please save this for the next time you hear someone say:
They have to get rid of their pet when they have a child.
Have A
Great Day
Within the
heart of every stray
Lies the
singular desire to be loved .
Pets and Baby’s love are as precious as diamonds. Let yours sparkle today!
Diamonds By The Yard Bracelet
Delightfully delicate WF Diamonds by the Yard bracelet sparkles and shines with Whiteflash ACA diamonds. Bracelet contains 8 Whiteflash ACA Diamonds (0.50ctw F/G VS). Matching Necklace and Earrings would complete a stunning set.
Diamonds By The Yard Necklace
Diamonds By The Yard Earrings
For the uber-rich who are still shopping at Cartier, buying diamond-studded phones and traveling in their private-jets, bling king Alexander Amosu unveils the world’s most expensive £70,000 ($101,860) suit to whet their urge to splurge. Designer Alexander Amosu said: “I firmly believe that in the wake of the recession, there is still a demand for uncompromising quality.” What makes it different from the other expensive brands is its rich make and the number of hours slogged in to give shape to this formal garment. The one-off creation has taken in excess of 80 hours to complete and is made from vicuña, a rare wild South American animal related to the camel which only produces enough wool for shearing every three years, qiviuk, the world’s most expensive wool, gathered from the Arctic muskox. When blended with pashmina from the high mountain plateaus of the Himalayas they create Vanquish II, one of the world’s most luxurious cloths. The suit features over 5,000 individual stitches equating to £14 (approx. $20) per stitch. And no price for guessing that the suit features diamonds to justify its six-figure price tag. The suit features nine 18-carat gold and pave set diamond buttons to make it worth every penny.
Liverpool football club fans can now flaunt their loyalties in a manner that’s sure to get noticed (at least with the club) by buying this 18-carat gold handset launched by the club to commemorate the club’s glorious history. Besides big bucks and love for the team – you must also have a bad taste to part with your money for this gilded-ugly looking phone. The’ Liverpool FC Legends Edition’ phone is designed by Galentia and the club with the aim of honoring their proud history and heroes past and present. The phone features a sapphire crystal screen on the bottom and engraved is Liverpool logo which further is studded with 18 loose diamonds marking the number of the club’s league title victories. The handsets are available in a limited edition o 250 and each phone comes encased in a North African black walnut box, lined with red velvet. Alongside the phone, within the presentation box, is a limited edition 22-carat gold-plated commemorative medallion, carefully crafted to include Anfield stadium on the face. Each medallion is numbered to match the limited edition phone it represents. The bespoke box inclusive of the phone and medallion sells for $21,075. DailyMail reports that that many of them have already been reserved, including a special design by Anfield legend Ian Rush.
Princess Cut Diamond
Dear Whiteflash Sales Team,
I proposed to Janella on Sunday night April 19th on the catwalk on the beach. We were sitting on the wall looking and listening to the waves crashing on the sure. There was a lighthouse in the distant and what seem to be a million stars in the sky. She screamed and went completely bonkerz when she saw the ring. Thank you so much for all of your help Traci. Everyone that seen it including the appraiser and the setter said it is one of the most beautiful diamonds that they have seen in a long time. I am going to try and send you a pic when I get a chance.
Jason
Princess Cut Diamond
Dear Whiteflash Sales Team,
Sorry I didn’t email you earlier. I gave the diamond engagement ring to my now fiancé on our way to Vegas a few weeks ago while we were passing through Redwood National Park on the California coast. She was blown away. She absolutely loves the diamond and has received dozens of comments on it. Everyone is amazed at how big it is! Thank you as I wouldn’t have been near as happy had I not decided to buy a diamond online. When I had found a diamond in stores I was never really that excited because there was always one aspect about it that was not perfect and I felt as though I was paying too much. There isn’t a single change I would make to the diamond you helped me pick out and I know I saved roughly 2K over getting a less than equivalent stone at Jared’s.
Definitely a satisfied customer!
Andrew
Diamond Engagement Ring
Dear Whiteflash Sales Team,
So, it all went down on Sunday. We had lunch under a tree and popped the question right afterward. She had no idea and was speechless. I want to thank you for all your help and most of all, your patience. It’s a good thing I went with an ideal cut. Thanks again.
Steve
Jewelry stores have had many years to develop sales pitches and exaggerations that twist the truth in an effort to get you to buy a diamond they have in their display case. The following traps and tricks have been reported to us by clients all over the country.
Remember, it is up to you, the diamond shopper, to be knowledgeable of what to ask and what to expect. Now you can be prepared for these tactics and not fall prey to them.
Make Them Show The Certification
If you are buying a diamond over a half carat for a ring, you should be buying a diamond certified by the GIA or AGS grading laboratories. When a jewelry store wants to sell you a diamond that is not certified, they really want the opportunity to exaggerate the color, clarity and cut grades. This is especially true if the diamond is already set in a ring. Unless you take the loose non-certified diamond to an independent appraiser, you have no way of knowing the true color, clarity and cut specifications.
You know you are in trouble if you ask a jewelry store sales person what color and clarity the diamonds are in a display case and they say everything is G/H color and “premium” clarity. Our experience is that most of those diamonds are J/K or at best I color and the clarity SI2 or lower. Without a certification, do not expect to find out what the depth percentage, table percentage or fluorescence level is and these can greatly affect the value of the diamond and the beauty.
We hear stories almost daily about clients who shop in jewelry stores and are told the diamond is GIA certified. Yet they are never shown a copy of the certification even when they purchase the diamond. All too often the diamond turns out not to be GIA certified, but instead has some kind of appraisal document from the store with a signature of someone who took a class at the GIA. If they say the diamond is certified, ask not only to see at least a copy of the certification, but also get a copy for you to keep and review. If they will not do that, they must have something to hide and this should be your cue to exit the store as quick as you can.
Beware of Life-Time Guarantee
Beware of jewelers who stress their “life-time guarantee” for your ring. Ask to see the fine print of the contract so you can document what is and is not covered by their guarantee. Usually, they require you to get the diamond inspected by them every six months and are only responsible for loss of a diamond due to their negligence. We have yet to see their guarantee cover theft, loss or damage not related to the negligence with the setting. In other words, their guarantee probable only covers 5% or less of the things that might happen to your diamond ring. Since you have to have insurance for the 95% of other factors anyway, the guarantee does you little good other than to get you back in the store every six months. The sad thing is that the store never points this out and many of their customers fail to get insurance thinking they are protected for life. When their ring is stolen or lost, they learn the hard lesson about needing to read the fine print.
Do The Math for Trade In
Do not fall for the sales pitch that you can always trade your diamond in for an upgrade. Simply do the math and you will see that if you pay more for a diamond now and more for an upgrade later, trading in your diamond for what you paid for it is not a good deal. You are always better off to buy your first diamond at the best price possible and then buy your upgrade diamond at the best price too.
Here is an example of how the math really works. Suppose you bought a diamond in a jewelry store for $5,000 ten years ago and now want to upgrade to a diamond the store is selling for $20,000. They credit you for $5,000 and you pay $15,000. However, the diamond you bought ten years ago was priced $1000 too high then and the new diamond is priced $3,000 too high now. You are much better off paying $17,000 for the new diamond, selling your old diamond for $6000 since it has appreciated in value these last ten years. The net cost is only $11,000 to you, not $15,000. Many times our clients tell us about “trade in” deals offered by their local jeweler that cost them more than if they simply kept their old diamond and bought the new one from us.
You Deserve the Best
A classic sales tactic in a jewelry store is to show you three diamonds with characteristics similar to what you are looking for. Then they try to get you to buy the best of the three. What are the odds that this particular store has the three best diamonds on the market? Often you are simply picking an average cut diamond over two poorly cut stones. What you really want is to be picking the best diamond on the nationwide market. You deserve the best of the best, not the better one of three mediocre stones.
Ask yourself this question. What is the likelihood that this particular jewelry store happens to have the three best diamonds in the country that meet your shopping requirements? You deserve the best and the only way to do that is to search the entire wholesale market for the best diamond meeting your requirements. A good way to get quality diamonds is to shop online and do your homework. A really great online diamond vendor is Whiteflash.com.
You See Size, Not Weight
When shopping for a diamond, focus on millimeter size rather than carat weight. This is especially true for diamonds that are not certified or where the millimeter measurements are not displayed to you. Jewelry stores tend to buy the cheapest diamonds they can for their inventory with the hopes of “selling” them to a shopper. One way to buy cheaper diamonds is to get those that are cut too deep and thus small in size for the carat weight.
Often the diamonds weighing one carat in a store’s display case will measure 6.2 to 6.3 millimeters which is closer what a 0.85 to 0.9 carat round should measure. Somehow, the sales clerk forgets to mention that the one carat diamond really looks like a 0.85 carat size. If you are paying for a one carat, you want it to look like a one carat, otherwise buy a 0.85 carat and save $1000.
Sale Price Might Not Mean Good Value
Which diamond is the better value, one that priced at $5,000 marked down from $10,000 or one that is priced at $6,000 marked down from $12,000? The answer is that you have no idea. The high list prices and big discount markdowns are a game to make you think the diamond is somehow worth more than its price. The only factors important to value are the price you can purchase relative to the quality and size of the diamond. We think this game is an insult to customers. Who are the fools buying at those high prices and if no one ever buys at those prices, why have them listed.
The real way to determine value is to compare prices for the same or similar diamonds from other sources. If the diamonds above can be purchased for $4,000 and $5,000 at other sources, they would not appear to be good values, just old marketing tricks.
Separate Fact from Fiction
Reading the information in our Education section will help protect you from false statements by jewelry store clerks. Here are some of the false claims our clients have reported they heard in jewelry stores.
How does clarity relate to color?
- Fiction: High clarity will compensate for lower color.
- Fact: The clarity has no impact on color. Obviously the store clerk had a low color, high clarity diamond in their inventory and they were willing to say anything they could to sell it.
Is “direct from the cutter” better?
- Fiction: We get our diamond direct from the cutter so our prices are lower.
- Fact: Their price has more to do with their overhead and the quality of the diamond, rather than where they bought the diamond. If they are selling to the public, they are retailers no matter what they might call themselves. You are looking for value which is a comparatively low price for the high quality and big size you want.
Whiteflash Diamond
Does big table mean size?
- Fiction: A big table makes the diamond look bigger.
- Fact: Those making this claim are just trying to sell poorly cut diamonds. It is the length and width of the diamond that you see that are the visible size. Smaller table percentages generally produce better cut diamonds. Bigger tables do not make a diamond look bigger. You want to find a big millimeter size for the carat weight but still have great cut proportions.
What is that dark shadow in the diamond?
- Fiction: The bow tie in fancy shape diamonds indicates good cut.
- Fact: The bow tie shadow in fancy shape diamonds is a sign that the facets were not cut as good as possible and the diamond is not uniformly bright from end to end. A diamond with minimal bow tie is one cut properly for maximum brilliance.
Know What Ideal Cut Is
Whiteflash A Cut Above Diamonds
When a jeweler says every diamond he has is ideal cut, you immediately know that retailer is trying to push poor or average cut diamonds on you and hopes you are not knowledgeable enough to know the difference. We had a local client tell us that one of the jewelry stores in our area told him a round diamond with a 64% table was ideal cut. Fortunately, our client had done some research and knew better.
Beware of Jewelers Appraising Your Diamond
If you want another opinion on your diamond, it is always best to find an independent appraiser to examine your diamond. By independent, we mean someone who is not selling diamonds. You want an honest, un-biased and professional opinion and that is difficult to do if the person sells diamonds and thinks that by saying something negative about the diamond you bring in they might have a chance of selling you something in their display case.
If you can not find an independent appraiser in your area and you want to take the diamond to a jewelry store, it is helpful to know what to look for and what to expect. First of all, remember most people working in jewelry stores are “tag readers” who have no formal training in diamond grading. Be sure you find someone that has at least taken the diamond grading courses at the GIA and has a microscope, a master set of color grading stones and a digital millimeter gauge. They should involve you in the examination and let you examine the diamond under the microscope.
Keep in mind, someone in a jewelry store desperately wants to sell you one of their diamonds. It is kind of like a shopper bringing a Dell computer to a Gateway computer store and asking them what they think of the computer. Do not expect them to point out the positive aspects, only the negative. You can also expect them to even stretch the truth if they think it might turn into a sale for them. It is just human nature to be biased when there is a conflict of interest.
Do not expect to say you got this diamond from an online diamond retailer and still get a fair assessment of the diamond. Jewelry stores historically had a “license to steal” since they had no competition for selling diamonds. In past years they often doubled and even tripled the price. However, the competition and information available online today has greatly reduced their profits and sales so now they are just plain mad. Mention the word internet to a jewelry store owner and they start boiling because online competition has turned their life up side down. They just want things back the way they use to be where the customers knew nothing about diamonds and paid the asking price because there was no competition.
Beware of the following tactics that have been reported to us by our clients who took diamonds to a jewelry store to get an opinion.
Promises but no follow through. We frequently hear about a store owner saying they can get a better diamond for less money. If they could why are all the diamonds in their store so much more expensive? We recently had a store tell our client that our D color, Internally Flawless, Ideal cut, Hearts & Arrows diamond was about double the price he could get it for. It is easy for them to say they can produce a better diamond, but they never do. Tell them they have two hours to get you a copy of a certification for a better diamond at a lower price and watch them backtrack.
Dirty fingers. When examining a diamond with a microscope, it is important to keep it very clean. An old jewelry store trick is to touch your diamond with their fingers so the oil and dirt on it makes it look dull. Then they show you one of their diamonds and it looks shiny and clean.
Bad tools. We often hear back from a client that the jewelry store owner measured the diamond and it was not what the certification said so they doubt it is the right diamond. While digital millimeter gauges can vary a few hundreds of a millimeter, store owners often use cheap brass measuring devises that are very inaccurate. By measuring the wrong part of the diamond with a bad device, they hope to put enough doubt in your mind to not buy the diamond.
Color comparisons. Another old jewelry store trick is to control the color of the comparison stone. They pull a diamond out of some tissue paper and say it is a particular color. Then they show you how your diamond does not look as white and therefore must be the wrong color grade. What you don’t know is what the true color of that stone was, if it had fluorescence or if they were viewing the color correctly (from the side against a white background). If the comparison stone is not a color grading stone approved by the GIA, you don’t know what they are showing you.
Off center. We have recently had several jewelry stores say diamonds were off center. They simply tilted the diamond a little under the microscope so the center of the diamond appeared to be a little to one side. Fortunately our client knew that an AGS triple ideal cut diamond would not be “off center.”
Your Princess Cut Diamond is Not Square. A common scare tactic used by jewelers looking at someone else’s princess cut diamond is to point out that the diamond is not a perfect square with length not exactly equal to width. They imply that because the length does not equal the width, they will not be able to set the diamond properly. The reality is that the GIA defines a diamond to be “square” if the length to width ratio is 1.05 or less. Measurements on the GIA grading report are listed in hundreds of a millimeter so while the numbers for length and width might seems different, if the length to width ratio is less than 1.05, the diamond will look square to the eye. When setting a diamond in a mounting, the prongs are usually adjusted to fit the diamond so a few tenths of millimeter difference between length and width is not a problem. From a beauty aspect, even princess cut diamonds that are rectangular can have a gorgeous facet pattern if cut right so do not fall for this scare tactic.
Your Princess Cut Diamond is Too Shallow. Most jewelry stores buy very deep princess cut diamonds for their inventory because they are less expensive compared to princess cut diamonds with great cut providing beauty and big millimeter size for the carat weight. They often will use the scare tactic of saying your princess diamond is too shallow. The reality is probably that their princess cut diamonds are too deep. If the depth percentage of your princess cut diamond is in the 60% to 76% range you are in the right depth range to get the big, beautiful look for your princess diamond. Trust your eyes to tell you if the diamond has lots of brilliance and sparkle, not the generic comment of the jeweler saying it is too shallow compared to what they have in their display case.
Warped diamond. We have had several clients who had jewelers take a diamond in to be put in a setting and the jeweler told them it was a “warped” diamond. You can imagine their concern, especially when several of these diamonds were AGS triple ideal cut stones. Jewelers using the warped diamond trick tell the person bringing a diamond into their store that the crown, girdle and pavilion percentages do not add up right. They pull out their pencils and show that certain numbers do not add up to the total. Amazingly, only diamonds in their display case are not “warped” diamonds. While diamonds might be out of round or even lop sided, there are no “warped” diamonds so beware if you hear this term used.
Bonded Diamonds. Interestingly, the person who invented the “warped” diamond also came up with another sales pitch called the “bonded” diamond. That person published a book on how to buy diamonds and cleverly stated that diamond shoppers should only purchase a bonded diamond. Since he was the only retailer using that term, he was saying the only place you should buy a diamond is his store. Even the author points out that “bonded” diamonds will be 10-15% more expensive than a non-bonded diamond. Like most sales pitches, the claims for bonded diamonds are long on promises and short on real benefits. What value is a promise to exchange a broken diamond if your insurance company will do that too and give you the current value? What value is a promise to allow you to upgrade if you can broker the diamond with us and maybe get more than your original cost? What value is a promise to sell natural and untreated diamonds when that is what a GIA Diamond Grading Report ensures? In other words, you are paying a 10-15% premium for your “bonded” diamond with little, if any, real value for you as a consumer. Focus on the value of the diamond, not the sales hype and empty promises.
Conflict Free Diamonds – DreamsofAfrica.org
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Bride's Choice Awards 2011
