Your Look, Fit for a Queen

The look is unmistakable, the elegance unforgettable and the designs unique. While sporting royal jewels, the wearer is all of these and more. To own this style and carry the look with grace, you have the option of purchasing replicas of famous pieces or choosing pieces within the same family.

For trendy ladies, Kate Middleton’s jewelry has caught their everlasting attention. Her iconic engagement ring and classic earring styles have caused many merchants to match the look as the demand for anything Kate continues to blossom. A simple internet search will bring up exact replicas of her jewelry or many pieces like them, such as the sapphire ring, her classic teardrop earrings or her simple cross.

Staying with the royal style, many fashionable ladies also create a unique look with select choices. Rings with large stones, such asrubies or emeralds, encircled by smaller stones or pieces with pearl strandssay classically royal. For those with who like a more modern feel to their jewelry, they’re choosing to go with chandelier earrings or any piece that glistens with a number of small inlaid stones.

To keep the royal look personal, check out the many options that await you and mix and match to your taste. You can easily combine a simple necklace with dazzling earrings that highlight your face or a single piece that can carry the show on its own. With any of these choices, you can own a variety of pieces that make you feel like royalty.

A Partial History of the Royal Jewels

The royal jewels of England are a magnificent set of regalia that are worn by the leader of the United Kingdom for special occasions, most notably the coronation ceremony. They cover are wide range of objects from crowns and scepters to more mundane objects like spurs and robes. The earliest known use of the jewels was between 200 and 150 B.C.E. but they obviously did not match the splendor and glory of today's vestments.

Containing an astounding seven different crowns and at least four scepters, the modern day jewels are lavishly adorned. So lavishly adorned that, after they were famously stolen in 1303. Although most were recovered shortly after, it is unknown if they were recovered in their entirety. After that they were kept in the Tower of London, with the Tower only allowing people to see them if they paid a fee. This lasted until another attempt was made on the jewels, this time by the infamous Colonel Blood. Since that last attempt the Jewels have been relocated to the Jewel House, a special section of the Tower of London made specifically to house them, under constant armed guard.

Hoping for Famous Diamonds

When I think of famous diamonds, I can’t help but to think of the most powerful influences in the world - love and royalty. The history behind the largest diamonds typically is a love story or one of great power.

When other people think of famous diamonds, the one that comes to mind first is usually the Hope diamond. Although it is on the list of most famous diamonds, it comes in at number 10. The Hope Diamond is known by several different names, such as, the Blue of France and the Tavernier Blue.  It has been described as one of the mostfamous diamonds. Many believe this diamond is cursed. Legend has it that the infamous Hope diamond brings horrible tragedy to the owner. The most widely believed origin of the diamonds curse can be tracked to 1653. This is when French merchant, Jean Tavernier acquired the blue diamond in India. It is said the he plucked the diamond out of an eye from a Hindu statue. For his sacrilege, he was said to have been attacked and killed by dogs.

One of the most famous stories the curse is when it was purchased by the McLean’s in 1912. Shortly after obtaining ownership of the diamond, Evalyn McLean started living a life of constant sorrow. She lost her husband when he left here for another woman, her daughter committed suicide and her son was killed in a car crash. Needless to say, she ended up being committed in an insane asylum.

Many of owners of this diamond have had lead tragic lives. This famous diamond now resides in the Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.

Charm Bracelets: The Ultimate Personalized Jewelry

Out of all the different types of jewelry available on the market today, there is one that not only allows you to customize it when it is purchased, but continues to be customization for years to come after. No other form of jewelry can offer the inherent freedom that is possible with charm bracelets.

Once reserved for teenage girls, charm bracelets have found a home in many women's jewelry collections. The reason is that most of these women were given their bracelet for their birthdays, weddings or even for the birth of their first child. They were given by a close friend that spent the time to choose the perfect charms to adorn the bracelet. Many of the gifted charms are reminders of important past events and surely an inside joke or two between old friends. In many cases, tears are shed upon opening such a simple gift, yet it contains an incredible amount of emotional weight.

This type of bracelet makes for outstanding gifts for the obvious reasons, but also because new charms can be added to them as time goes on. There will always be new, important events between friends and plenty more inside jokes that are immortalized in the charms. Not to mention, new charms are always being designed, which almost guarantees that no two charm bracelets are alike.

Protect Your Kids with ID Bracelets and Tags

Every mom wants to protect and ensure the safety of her kids.  These precious little gems are your whole world and you would go above and beyond to safeguard and monitor their every step. Let’s not go leashing our kids along with the puppy, or scrawling phone numbers on little arms either. There are some pretty cool and affordable options to help mom breathe a little easier during the next school outing or family day trip to the zoo.

You can always go high-tech and drop a tracking device in your kids backpack. But we’re not into the Mission Impossible approach. There are some really great options for ID bracelets, necklaces, or tags. These choices can range from beautiful gold and silver cuffs, to the dog-tag variety. Remember the last concert you attended? Well, maybe not! I bet you remember those wristbands they required to let you consume alcoholic beverages. They have these available for children too.

So, instead of gearing your kid up for the apocalypse or strapping them down like Fido, make the better choice and go with an ID bracelet or even a stamped tag. Tags can be worn, or attached to backpacks or belt loops. There are an abundance of options available for you parents. So, ease your minds a bit and visit a local jeweler to help you out with your options. Or visit some website that features child safety gear.