Get Organised – it’s Nearly Valentine’s Day!

There’s no better way of showing that special someone just how much you love them this Valentine’s day than with a beautiful piece of jewellery. But why buy something from a high street chain that has the potential of being spotted on every wife, husband or girlfriend the world over when you could buy a unique, individual piece from your local independent jeweller? Show someone just how special they are to you this Valentine’s day by taking a visit to your local jewellery shop and choosing a piece they’ll treasure forever! Here are a few gift ideas to get you thinking:

Watches
A classic present for all ages, watches make great choices for valentine’s day. If you’re looking for a top quality watch, your local independent jeweller will be able to offer a great range and lots of advice to go with it. There’s a huge amount of choice available too; select from gold, silver, stainless steel or plated metal pieces, or even diamond set watches! Your local jeweller will also be able to offer a range of straps to suit the taste of the recipient – and once they’ve helped you to make your choice, the strap can be fitted right there and then, in your local jewellery shop, while you wait! And don’t forget the man in your life: watches are perfect for male valentine’s gifts – ask your local independent jeweller about their range of men’s watches and treat your husband or boyfriend this valentine’s day!

A Custom Piece of Jewellery
For a truly unique and special gift this year, ask your local jeweller about a custom made piece of jewellery. What could be more special than giving your loved one an item of jewellery which no one else owns, is truly one of a kind and has been designed with thought and love in mind?! Similarly, if your special someone has a treasured piece of jewellery which has seen better days, how about getting it fixed by your local jewellery shop? For example, if your wife is no longer wearing her engagement ring because the stones need to be re-set, why not get it repaired for her? The thought that’s behind doing something like this for the person you love will earn you major brownie points – it’ll be like getting engaged all over again!

A special ring: the Ultimate Symbol of love!
If you really want to show someone how much they mean to you this Valentine’s day and are ready to pop the question, a local jewellery shop will be able to provide you with a truly exclusive selection of engagement rings – after all, you don’t want your fiancée to be wearing a ring that everyone else is wearing, do you?! And even if you’re already engaged or even married, your local jewellery shop is the perfect place to buy that special ring – beautifully unique wedding rings for romantic valentine’s day weddings and gorgeous eternity rings to show your wife just how much you love her!

It’s easy to see that your local jewellery shop is the place to go this Valentine’s day. You’ll find that your local jeweller can offer lots of choice, unique pieces and friendly advice, and all at very competitive prices. So what are you waiting for? Show that someone special in your life that you love them this Valentine’s day with a piece of jewellery from your local independent jeweller!

We Three Kings ... The Gift of Gold

Gold has always been precious, and this is exactly the reason that it was given as one of the gifts in the Nativity story by the Three Kings to the baby Jesus. Of gold, frankincense and myrrh, gold is the only one of the three that’s still given as a gift today, and that’s because it’s still recognised as something special. You too can enjoy the gift of gold this year, and there’s no better place to go to buy a gold jewellery piece than your local independent jeweller.

Throughout the world on January 6th, or Epiphany as it’s also known, the Three Kings celebration takes place, and gold often takes a starring role in the celebrations, even today. For example, Cansaulim in South Goa, India, is famous for its Three Kings festival whereby three boys are selected from the neighbouring villages to present the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh in a procession.

In Poland, people take small boxes containing a gold ring, incense and a piece of amber to the Church to be blessed, and in Spain, children (and even many adults!) polish their shoes and leave them ready for the Kings to leave presents underneath, reminiscent of the gifts bought by the Three Kings to the baby Jesus. If you’re celebrating the Three Kings festival this year, why not ask your local jewellery shop about a gold jewellery piece for your loved one?

After all, gold is extremely versatile, and your local jeweller will be able to help you to pick a piece that’s right for you and for the occasion. The gold traditionally associated with the Three Kings’ gift is yellow gold, and this still remains very popular today. However, white gold and rose gold are also increasing in popularity and the different colours can be combined within one piece to create something truly unique.

If you’re not sure what’s best for you, your local jeweller will be able to offer their advice and help you to choose. The colour difference is determined by different metal alloys mixed with the gold, and it’s worth bearing in mind that if you choose white gold, you will need to have the rhodium plating replaced over time. However, there’s no need to worry about this as your local independent jeweller is likely to offer this service on their premises, making your beautiful white gold jewellery take on the brilliant-silver colour again that it’s associated with!

As can be seen from the Three Kings’ story, gold will always be in fashion. The different carats available ensure that there are different price-ranges to suit all budgets, and the variety of colours on offer means that there will be a piece to suit all tastes. If you’re not sure what would be best for you, ask your local independent jeweller for advice. After all, if it’s good enough for the Three Kings, it’s good enough for anyone!

New Year, New Jewellery? Or Maybe Remodel the Old!

The New Year is a time for looking forward: new hopes, new dreams, New Year’s resolutions ... but let’s not forget that it’s also a time for reminiscing and reflecting on times gone by. The same can be said when it comes to updating your look, too. The New Year is a great time to reinvent your style, and while new jewellery is an excellent way to do that, it doesn’t have to be out with the old and in with the new in 2012. Read on to find out how, by remodelling an old piece of jewellery this New Year, your local independent jeweller can help you to update your look in 2012!

Reinvent an Heirloom

You may have a piece of jewellery which you once loved but has now gone out of fashion. Maybe it has sentimental value, or maybe it’s a family heirloom, but it just doesn’t work with your style any more or isn’t quite right for you. There’s no point in letting something so beautiful and once so loved languish in a dark drawer somewhere when it could be worn; take it along to your local jewellery shop and your local jeweller will be able to advise on having the piece remodelled. Soon you’ll be the proud owner of something fresh and new (and different to the pieces you’ll find in the shops) but it will still have all of its original sentimental value – perfect!

Perhaps you’re not quite ready to have your old jewellery made into something completely different by your local independent jeweller, but if you have jewellery which is in need of repair, don’t forget that your local jewellery shop will be able to help with that too. Maybe a treasured chain or watch just needs repairing to make it wearable again, or perhaps you own a ring which you’d love to wear but haven’t been able to as it needs resetting? Maybe you have some white gold jewellery which needs to be re-rhodium plated to bring it back to its beautiful silver-white colour?

Whatever the condition of your jewellery, ask your local jeweller about their repair service as they’ll be able to bring your old and broken jewellery back to life. Furthermore, by using the repair service offered by your local independent jeweller rather than a high street chain, you can be sure that your jewellery will be fully insured and repaired on the premises, so you’re not running the potential risk of your jewellery being lost in transit.

New Year really is a great time for looking to the future and spring cleaning your wardrobe. Remodelling and repairing old jewellery is an excellent way of doing this, and your local independent jeweller will be happy to offer their advice and expertise in these matters. So this New Year, let’s see out the old and see in the old-made-new!