Check out this sapphire halo

Deco is in!

Like a spiritual experience

Graceful tri-stone gold ring

A fabulous yellow diamond ring

Elegance at it's best

Make your big dreams come true with us

Diamonds by the yard

You can own a ring this special from Timeless Designs

What's In A Shape?

The shape of a ring's center stone is, more often than not, the first thing someone notices when their eyes first take in a piece. It gives the ring personality and style, as simply changing the center stone can dramatically affect the look and feel of any given ring. Knowing a few details about each center cut can be essential to finding the right stone for you. Here's a little brush-up on one of the Jewelery 101 basics : Stone Cuts.

                                                      Round

R1228B

The most popular of the diamond shapes, the Round cut is designed to maximize the brilliance, fire and scintillation of a stone. In other words, its "sparkle". Not surprisingly, it is also known as a "Brilliant Cut'" from the amount of sparkle its gives off. The earliest recorded round diamond dates back to 1477, when the first diamond engagement ring was given to Mary of Burgundy as a promise of marriage.

R1364PC

Princess
This angular cut is the second most popular diamond cut, similar to that of an inverted pyramid with four beveled sides. First made in the 1960's, it is still a relatively new diamond cut. The Princess cut retains the high amount of brilliance that a Round cut exhibits but does it with a distinctive square shape. And when compared to a stone of the same carat weight of a Round cut, a Princess cut will appear 15% larger.

R1104OV

Oval
Like the Princess, the Oval cut is another modified Brilliant that came around in the 1960's. However, Oval diamonds have the advantage of an elongated shape, giving the illusion than it's larger than it actually is. How fat or narrow the Oval is is usually based on personal preference, with the classic cut falling in the middle around 1.35 - 1.50 millimeters. More slender cuts make the wearer's finger look slightly elongated while thicker cuts make the Oval look larger than what it's actual carat size may be.

Marquise

R1443-MQ

The Marquise diamond has one of the largest crown surface areas of any other shape, making it a good choice when trying to maximize how big a diamond looks. What is most important in a Marquise is its symmetry, with the best marquise being a complete mirror image of itself when you divide it in half. The name is derived from the Marquise of Pompadour, for whom King Louis XIV of France allegedly had a stone fashioned to resemble, what he considered, her perfectly shaped mouth.

                                                      Emerald

R1553

What the Emerald cut lacks in brilliance, it makes up in elegance. Instead of extreme sparkle, it produces a "hall of mirrors" effect, with interplay of light and dark in its step cuts. Its long inner cuts cause dramatic flashes of light and gives it more of an exquisite feel than that of the Brilliant. The shape of the cut was originally developed for the cutting of emeralds, and thus became its name.

Cushion

R1539

The Cushion cut, once referred to as the old mine cut, is a square cut with rounded corners, much like a pillow (hence the name). This classic cut has been around for almost 200 years and, for the first century of its existence, it was the most popular diamond shape to have like the Round is today. Until the early 20th century, the cushion cut diamond was the de facto diamond shape. Partially based on cut research in the 1920's, refinements to Cushion diamonds have led to a resurgence in popularity. Many buyers are attracted to the antique feel combined with its modern performance.

                                                      Pear

R1464

The Pear-shaped cut is another modified Brilliant cut and combines a round and a marquise shape with a tapered point on one end. The diamond is always worn with the narrow end pointing toward the hand of the wearer. Like Marquise and Oval cuts, the pear shaped diamond comes in a variety of slim to wide cuts and should posses good, if not perfect, symmetry.

Radiant 

R1429

First popular in the 1980's, the cropped corner square shape of the Radiant is a nice bridge between a Cushion and a Princess cut. There are diverse preferences when it comes to shape in radiant cut diamonds, from perfectly square to a more traditional rectangle. The rectangular radiant cut is an excellent option for buyers who like the Emerald cut shape, but want something with the brilliance of a Round cut.

                                                      
                                                      Asscher

R1130AS

The Asscher cut diamond was first produced in 1902 by the Asscher Brothers of Holland, famous at the time for cutting the world's largest rough stone, the Cullinan, weighing in at a whopping 3,106 carats. Around 2002, one hundred years after the first Asscher was created, the shape began to make a comeback, spurred on by cut modifications that gave the shape more brilliance than the traditional Asscher cut. The modern cut is similar to a square Emerald cut but often produces more brilliance.

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Heart
The unique and unmistakable symbol of love, Heart shaped diamonds are very popular in solitaire pendants as well as rings. Symmetry is a very important when choosing a Heart since it is critical that the two halves are identical. It is another modified Brilliant cut, full of brilliance and fire, appropriate for a stone embodying the universal shape for love. Popular since the 1400's, it has been used for many types of pieces of jewelry, from simply sentimental to romantic alike.

 No matter what the center, each stone cut is unique and brings something special to the ring it sits in. Whether sparkly or elegant, romantic or antique, a diamond's timelessness has remained steadfast over the centuries and will probably continue to do so for years to come. 

Especially for You

How Our Custom CADs Turn Fantasies Into Reality

 

What's the only thing better than having something that you absolutely love because it's everything you wanted? Why, being the only one on Earth who has it of course. And that's exactly what we make possible with our custom CAD designers.

It all starts with an idea. Maybe you saw an amazing ring somewhere but you'd tweak a few things about it. Or perhaps you have this mental picture of a ring you'd love to have but can't find anything like it anywhere you look. That's where we come in.

Our designers are adept at composition, jewelry knowledge and working with customers to make sure they get exactly what they want. Multiple kinds of stones in the ring? No problem! Different colors of metal to create a multi-tone look? Child's play! Intricate antique-style design all along the head and shank? We've got you covered there too!

We'll also give you some gentle advice if we think there is something that would make the ring extra spectacular or if the design needs some additions to make the mounting feasible. But, in the end, it's all about what will make YOU happy.

Once the design of the ring is sketched out, it's off to the CAD room where our designers make a 3D computer image of the ring. This rendering is then turned into a wax sample that the customer can try on and see if it's how they want it. Once we get the green light, the fun part starts! We mold it, cast it and then carefully set and engrave the ring by hand, ensuring it comes out perfectly. Every ring you see here has been specially made for a customer of ours based on their vision and desires.

The entire process of most custom jobs take a little over a month depending on the complexity of the ring. We can even put together a preliminary quote for you, just so you can see how much it would cost and how long production would take. The only limits to what we can create are those of your imagination.


So if you have an idea that you want to turn into something tangible or even if you're simply curious to see how easy it would be to make your dream ring, drop by your favorite Timeless Designs retailer and ask how you can get started on making your own gorgeous unique piece!

The Value of Green

A tsavorite chunk

How a sought-after stone can mean life or death

 

Have you ever thought about the struggle to secure a gemstone that is wanted by others for themselves? Well the story of Dr. Campbell R. Bridges clearly shows just how dangerous controlling the production of a hot new gemstone can be when he discovered a new color of garnet, the tsavorite, that exhibits a vivid intense green.

Dr. Campbell Bridges with his find

Dr. Bridges discovered the first clumps of these rocks in 1967 in northeast Tanzania, reports the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA). At first the stone was identified as green grossularite, a mineral part of the garnet family. However, the exceptional green color and transparency convinced Bridges that this was not grossularite. He attempted to bring the gemstones to the stone market, but the Tanzanian government would not give them the necessary mining permits.

Dr. Bridges' tree house

That did not stop Bridges though and he came up with a new strategy. He figured that the stone deposit stemmed from a larger formation that extended across the Tanzanian border. And he was correct. Bridges went to neighboring Kenya and rediscovered the bright green gem in 1971. The Kenyan government allowed the mining and selling of the gems, putting Bridges at the helm of the expedition.

Tiffany tsavorite earrings

A few years later in 1974, the legendary Tiffany and Co. set their sights on the new stone and launched a massive advertising campaign to promote it. It was Sir Henry Platt, president of Tiffany and Co. at the time, that named the mineral "tsavorite" after Tsavo National Park in Kenya.

Only also found in a small southern province of Madagascar, the tsavroite's rarity also increased its popularity. And with this new-found desire to acquire it came with its dangers.The Kenyan mining operation was constantly under threat from thieves and wild animals. Dr. Bridges lived in a tree house to protect himself from the predators of the jungle and even set a massive python to watch over the gemstones at night.

Even with all his precautions, one fateful day in 2009 a mob of 20 men armed with arrows, spears and machetes attacked the gemologist on his mining grounds. He died from his injuries upon arriving at the hospital. The attack was believed to be connected to a three-year dispute over control of the tsavorite mines as well as frequent death threats against Bridges. Kenya's Department of Mines and Geology took over the expedition soon after. The bloody struggle over this valuable gem gives new meaning to the saying "It's not easy being green."

A cut and polished tsavorite

Retailer Showcase

Spiegel & Son, the new standard for a quality jewelery experience.

 

Shyla brilliance - R1489

Welcome to 2013's first edition of Retailer Showcase! For this special article, we are featuring the pristine and well-trusted Spiegel & Son in Beachwood, OH! Led by Stuart Spiegel, this jewelry establishment aims to not only give customers superior jewelry but to also form a bond and loyalty with their customers by giving them an outstanding jewelery-buying experience. It's no surprise that they are showered with shining testimonials from so many of their customers!

Dazzling Wedding band - R1132/WB

Spiegel & Son Jewelers was started by Stuart's father, Martin, in 1947. Martin had come the the U.S. from Czechoslovakia as a refugee from the second World War. It was in downtown Cleveland that he set up his first shop in 1950.

Martin set the standard for how Spiegel & Son would handle business. From early on in his business as a goldsmith and diamond setter, his quality of work was known to be immaculate and timely, both while at a fair price for the work. Martin then branched out into the jewelry retail business selling engagement rings and wedding bands, as well as other pieces of fine diamond and colored gem jewelry. He also made sure that he treated his every customer as if it were his best one. Never pressuring anyone into a sale, Martin gave his customers honesty as well as superior service to build lasting relationships with them.

Stunning double halo - R1474

Then in 1993, Stuart joined his father in the family business and eventually took the helm while still maintaining the decades-old core values of Spiegel & Son and their commitment to giving each customer an outstanding jewelry experience. Weekly update calls about your ring, availability after-hours and on weekends and free services such as cleaning, polishing and prong checks are just a few of the things that make Spiegel & Son stand apart from the rest.

Shyla studs - E1372

So if you're ever in the Cleveland area, be sure to stop in and check them out! Not only do they have a great selection of some of our best Timeless Designs pieces, but they have a plethora of other gorgeous fine jewelery as well. You can find out more about this awesome retailer by visiting their website or dropping by in person!

Spiegel and Son
23611 Chagrin Blvd. #350
Beachwood, OH 44122
216-514-3355
info@spiegelandson.com