Jewelry Facts

Birthstone Pendant Necklace: A Guide to Custom Birthstone Gifts

rj-admin — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 18:51:01 +0000

It’s never too early to plan the perfect gift. A birthstone pendant necklace is a beautiful piece of fine jewelry that can be personalized simply by knowing someone’s birth month. Gifting jewelry made of their birthstone is a way of saying that you care about them and will always remember their birthday. A piece that suits their style says that you notice the little things that make them unique.

Birthstones can be attuned to the wearer, but they can also represent other people in a marriage, family, or group. Birthstone jewelry also makes wonderful gifts for mothers, grandmothers, siblings, and partners as a reminder of their bond with each stone in the piece.

If you are looking to customize a birthstone pendant necklace or other jewelry, this article will act as a helpful guide. Plus a few ideas to inspire your choice when building a gift or personal piece.

The Birthstones by Month

This is a quick guide for birthstones by month. There are also alternative birthstone lists if you want to get creative with your decision, while still representing each person in a meaningful way.

January: Garnet

Red to Dark Red

February: Amethyst

Pale Purple

March: Aquamarine

Pale Blue-Green

April: Diamond

White, Yellow, and Pink

May: Emerald

Bright to Dark Green

June: Alexandrite / Pearl

Dark Purple to Dark Green / White to Umber

July: Ruby

Bright Red

August: Peridot

Pale Green

September: Sapphire

Dark to Light Blue

October: Tourmaline / Opal

Pink / White to Black

November: Citrine

Yellow to Orange

December: Blue Topaz

Pale to Dark Blue

Personal Birthstone Jewelry

Favorite Birthstone

A personalized birthstone pendant necklace or other jewelry should include the stone of the wearer. This shows you remember their special day as you celebrate holiday gift exchanges, or serves as a very elegant birthday present.

For example, a sapphire pendant necklace is a wonderful gift for someone born in September. Alternatively, a green pendant necklace made with an emerald stone is thoughtful for someone born in May.

Pro Tip: Most people who know their birthstone also know if they prefer the color or not. For those who wear jewelry, a friend may know if they have a favorite shade or alternate regarding their birthstone. Knowing someone’s favorite alternative can be equally meaningful.

Favorite Styles and Symbols

Embedding a birthstone or small constellation of stones into a signature symbol is another way to personalize birthstone jewelry. If you know your giftee tends to wear teardrop shapes, circles, hearts, or something similar, you will find some beautiful birthstone pieces that reflect their favorites.

Motherhood Birthstone Jewelry

Motherhood birthstone jewelry features a colored stone for every child, or for every member of the family, depending on the design. Often, siblings will pool to get a motherhood necklace for their mother, each of the gifters represented by a stone.

Some motherhood necklaces feature a central stone, or a pair of stones, representing the mother or parents surrounded by the birthstones of their children. Others order the stones by age of each child.

Couple’s Birthstone Jewelry

Whether you are celebrating a new relationship or a landmark anniversary, romantic birthstone jewelry is a beautiful way to represent the bond between two unique people.

Friendship Birthstone Jewelry

Some groups of friends were meant to last forever. Close friends, siblings, and even teams who want to meet again every year may choose birthstone jewelry to remember each other by.

Visit Roper’s Jewelers in Auburn, CA.

Stop by one of our two fine jewelry stores in Auburn, CA or contact us today to find the perfect personalized gift for your loved one.

The post Birthstone Pendant Necklace: A Guide to Custom Birthstone Gifts first appeared on Roper's Jewelers - Jewelry in Auburn CA.

The Odyssey of Jewelry Repair

rj-admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 03:12:14 +0000

Repairing our clients’ treasures is an important part of our business. From chain repairs to sizing rings, building up the tips on prongs to replacing missing stones, we do it all. In 2019, between our three jewelers at both of our locations, we did an average of 689 repair tasks each month! Some jobs are very straightforward and move through the system easily. Some undertake a journey that’s more akin to the Odyssey. Like Odysseus, they go through hardships and encounter set backs on their way through the system, in the way of revised estimates, stones that fall out during cleaning, or even solder from a previous repair that melts out when we start the new repair. We often have clients ask what takes so long for what seems like a simple fix? We thought it would be helpful to layout the path that a jewelry repair takes, from the time it enters our store to the time it finds its way back out the door, on the happy hand of its owner.

Step 1:

The item comes in. A staff member inspects the piece, checks it into our computer system, generates an initial estimate, and puts the job in the incoming box.

Step 2:

The shop facilitator re-inspects the piece, makes initial notes and starts the cleaning process. Cleaning is necessary for many reasons. We need to see all parts of the jewelry clearly to be sure additional work is not required. Also, sometimes it’s the dirt that is holding the stones in, or covering up breaks and cracks.

Step 3:

If nothing additional is required, the items moves to the jeweler’s work box. However, if cleaning and in depth inspection revealed more issues, then a revised estimate is generated and the customer is contacted for their approval.

Step 4:

If parts or stones need to be ordered, then the orders are placed and the job waits for their arrival.

Step 5:

Jeweler’s box. At this point the jobs are taken in the order in which they came in to the store (just like taking a number at the deli). This is another reason why it sometimes takes longer than you think it should, for a simple repair.

Step 6:

When the repair is completed it is polished and cleaned again.

Step 7: The shop facilitator does a final quality control check, and if it passes inspection, then it is moved to the call box out front.

Step 8: The owner of the jewelry is called, sent a text or emailed to indicate that their job is completed and ready for pick up.

As you can see, the repair business has many layers. Along with all of the technical aspects is the close held idea that we are responsible for people’s family heirlooms, the wedding ring they’ve worn for 50 years, and the necklace they wear to remember a loved one who has passed. We understand that the jewelry we work on is worth so much more than the sum of the metal and stones they’re made of. These pieces of jewelry are so special to their owners and we never forget the trust they put in us, to care for them.

The post The Odyssey of Jewelry Repair first appeared on Roper's Jewelers - Jewelry in Auburn CA.

Wedding Rings

rj-admin — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 05:13:54 +0000

Those two words conjure images in most of our minds. We think of our own rings, or perhaps those of our parents or grandparents. We know the stories of our own rings, but did you ever stop to think about the story of the wedding ring? We have…

Egyptian ring of Woven Grass / Reeds

As far back as 900BC the Egyptians exchanged rings woven of reeds or grasses. These materials wore out easily, and might be replaced with those made of leather or bone. (A handmade declaration of love).
In the 2nd Century BC, According to Pliny the Elder, the groom gives the bride first a gold ring to wear during the ceremony and at special events, then an iron ring to wear at home, signifying her binding legal agreement to his ownership of her. (A legally binding agreement is not as romantic as two months salary…)

During the 1st Century BC: Puzzle rings first appear in Asia, where sultans and sheiks use them to tag each of their wives. (Not so much proving their love as staking their claim…)
In 1477 saw one of the first recorded uses of a diamond engagement ring, Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposes to Mary of Burgundy with a ring that is set with thin, flat pieces of diamonds in the shape of an “M.” (Finally a little romance…)

Posey Ring – engraved with flowery sayings

In the 1700s silver “poesy rings” engraved with flowery sayings are in vogue in Europe. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Puritans give their betrotheds useful thimbles instead of rings, which are derided as frippery. Eventually, however, many thimbles get their tops sliced off and are worn as rings anyway. (Where there’s a will, there’s a way…to make jewelry…)

6 Prong Solitaire – Diamond Wedding Ring

In 1886 Tiffany & Co. introduces the “Tiffany setting,” a six-prong ring designed to maximize a diamond’s brilliance by raising it up from the band. (The iconic solitaire engagement ring was born…)
The 1890s saw affordable wedding rings and diamond engagement rings appear in mail-order catalogs, such as Sears & Roebuck. (Just goes to show that people bought rings sight-unseen long before the internet…)

In the 1930’s, DeBeers introduced a marketing campaign with the slogan, “A Diamond Is Forever” in an attempt to stimulate diamond sales during the Great Depression. (Some concepts just make sense…)

Until this time, it wasn’t common for men to wear wedding bands. However, with men going overseas during World War II, the 1940’s brought men’s wedding bands into the mainstream. (Remember fellas, you have a loving wife taking care of the home front…)

Not until the 1980’s was the concept of two month’s salary introduced as a guideline for engagement ring purchase. (Again, thanks DeBeers…)

Here in 2019 we see as many variations on engagement and wedding rings, as we see differences in couples: from the traditional plain, gold band and the solitaire diamond, to custom designed rings with birth stones and engraving with special meanings. Here at Roper’s we don’t push the idea of two month’s salary, instead, we look for a good match for your taste as well as your budget.

We want you to treasure your rings and enjoy your shopping experience.

Come see for yourself

The post Wedding Rings first appeared on Roper's Jewelers - Jewelry in Auburn CA.