Valentine’s Day has origin back in the third century A.D. with a Roman Bishop known as St. Valentine, who sacrificed his life for love.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, the Roman Empire was in its decline, with barbarian forces attacking it from several nearby territories. Lacking a strong army, Claudius felt it necessary to forbid the marriage of Roman soldiers, as he believed marriage to be too much of a distraction.

Bishop Valentine viewed this order to be an infringement on the power of love and a denial of an important sacrament. So despite the risks, he took it upon himself to break the law and secretly marry Roman soldiers to this their loved ones.

The secret marriages continued until the word finally reached Claudius, who had Valentine arrested and imprisoned. While awaiting his sentence, Valentine was visited by Claudius, who lectured Valentine on the Roman gods. Valentine, a devout Christian, not only dismissed the notion of Roman gods but tried to convert Claudius to Christ, which angered the emperor and sentenced Valentine to his death.  On February 14, 270 A.D. Valentine was executed and eventually declared a saint.

Thereafter, little was recorded of St. Valentine and his life’s significance until several hundred years later in the Middle Ages, when Chaucer, in one of his poems, associated imagery of mating birds with the coming together of lovers on February 14^th – the day of St. Valentine’s death. By the 1700’s, the custom of lovers exchanging handmade cards became popular on what became known as Valentine’s Day, and this custom reached the US by the mid-1800’s. Today, on Februry 14^th, Valentine’s Day is recognized worldwide in the celebration of love.

During this magical time of year, we have the opportunity to reflect upon all that is meaningful and good in our lives and all of the gifts which we have been given. In a moment of peace and silence, we might offer our deepest gratitude for our experience of life, exactly as it has unfolded for us, and try to see the beauty and richness of meaning in all of it, with all of its ups and downs. Through gratitude, we participate in the fullness of life and open the door for all that is possible in the year to come.

From the ancient Golconda Mines of India, renowned for diamonds of the highest quality in the world, a 76 carat diamond, known as the Archduke Joseph diamond, has once again captured public attention.

This magnificent gem, originally owned by Archduke Joseph of Austria, who represented the Hungarian line of the Hapsburgs, was stored it in a safe in 1933. A few years later it was sold to a European banker who kept in a safe in France, where it survived World War II. The diamond then surfaced in an auction in 1960 and again at a Christie’s auction in 1993, where it sold for $6.5 million.

Molina Fine Jewelers of Phoenix were the high bidders at the 1993 auction. During Molina’s ownership the gem adorned the neck of Actress Laura Harring at the Oscars and Singer Celine Dion during a television special, both in April of 2002.

Three weeks ago, Christie’s again auctioned the Archduke Joseph diamond in Geneva to an anonymous buyer for a whopping $21.5 million – reportedly the world’s record per carat for this type of diamond.

The seller, Alfredo J. Molina, chairman of California-based jeweler Black, Starr & Frost, said the winning bidder is going to donate the diamond for display at a museum. “It’s a great price for a stone of this quality,” Molina told The Associated Press. “It’s one of a kind, so it’s like saying `Are you pleased when you sell the Mona Lisa?’ Or `Are you pleased when you sell the Hope Diamond?’ It’s all what the market will bear, and the stone sold for a very serious price.” (Joseph Heilprin, Huffington Post, Nov. 13, 2012).

A perfect ring of eight hearts when viewed from the bottom. A perfectly formed symmetrical fireburst of light when seen from the top. That’s the perfection of a Hearts On Fire diamond. It’s perfection you can see.

It was this passion for perfection that led to the creation of Hearts On Fire. With the same ambitious goals of creating the World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond® and demystifying the diamond-buying process, Glenn and Susan Rothman created the Hearts On Fire Company in 1996.

Since then, Hearts On Fire has defined a new industry standard for perfection. Today, Hearts On Fire is one of the fastest growing luxury companies and is recognized as the most trusted diamond brand in the world.

Hearts on Fire DIamond

The Hearts On Fire Company is headquartered  in the US and is rapidly expanding internationally, with a presence in 32 countries throughout North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

We at Gold & Gems Fine Jewelry are pleased to announce that we now carry this iconic brand of diamond jewelry. Visit our collection of Hearts On Fire jewelry here.

Many of these treasures are uniquely hand made at Gold & Gems by Ron Hansen and his team of designers. Crafting jewelry for over 30 years, Ron and his team have created fine custom pieces for over 1,000 customers, many of whom have returned several times to Gold & Gems for their jewelry needs, which is a testimony to the team’s artistry. Many consider Gold & Gems’ designs to be the best kept secret in the West! In addition, the new Gold & Gems designer gallery features a special collection of hand made jewelry from world renown designers.

If you have a unique idea for jewelry, Ron will work with you to develop the idea, the final design and ultimately an exquisite piece to be treasured for a life time. Or, if you’re in the Ashland, Oregon area, you might stop by and observe his craftsmanship on display in the designer gallery of the store, along with the magnificent pieces of other fine jewelers.  Either way, you’ll be quite impressed!

Black Ice Diamond necklaces consist of highly polished, artistically cut, 100% guaranteed genuine black diamonds (not dyed), specifically selected for color, size and reflection to assure of a brilliant, dazzling sparkle. Each strand is expertly crafted, meticulously strung, and beautifully clasped in 14K white gold.

Designed for the fashionable woman, a strand of Black Ice Diamonds gently tapers from front to back. The diamonds in the center are, on average, .3milimeters larger than the diamonds in the back of the strand. This allows for correct weight distribution, balance and subtle design elements that display the true class of the finest of black diamond necklaces.

Visit our Black Ice Diamonds collection and see for yourself the natural beauty of these exquisite necklaces!

In the UK, you will find Hot Diamonds in major department stores, such as Debenhams and John Lewis and in major street jewelers like H. Samuel and Ernest Jones. In the US, Hot Diamonds has selective distributors, and Gold & Gems is one of them.

And Hot Diamonds is not just about “hot diamonds.” They offer a diverse array of necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and charms. All of their jewelry is painstakingly undertaken, ensuring that craftsmanship and design integrity are top priorities. Hot Diamonds is a two-time winner of the UK Jewelry Brand of the Year – UK Jewelry Awards.

Visit our our collection of Hot Diamonds jewelry – unique and affordably priced!

From the beginning, sitting down and sketching out a new jewelry design was magical for Simon Ghanimian. And it still is today. From his passion for creating fine jewelry over the course of many years, an iconic brand has evolved, internationally known as Simon G.

A Simon G. design demonstrates meticulous attention to detail. It all starts with the first sketch, which is followed by dozens of others until a design is finally approved. From there, a CAD model is created to inspect the piece in 3D. In this phase, endless hours are spent reviewing every aspect, from the stones to the settings, until everyone agrees it is just right.

And that’s just the beginning. As the piece goes from drawing to reality, Simon G. maintains ten quality control stations, one after each phase of manufacturing. They even alloy their own metals, working in 18k platinum and palladium or platinum and iridium. This gives pieces greater durability and longevity, and it is ideal for complicated craftsmanship.

All micro-set diamonds are hand set and then inspected by an experienced artisan using a microscope. This ensures that they reflect light brilliantly, and that no one has to worry about losing a single stone. In addition, they have specialists who work on each and every aspect of the jewelry pieces, so each detail is clearly defined and every piece has its own unique look and feel.

Finally, after all this is done, a piece still makes one more trip through quality control and hand-machine polishing before it can be worn. This may seem a bit over the top, but as they see it, every product that bears the Simon G. name deserves it.

Visit our exquisite Simon G. collection now!

Tungsten Carbide can be found as the primary material in men’s wedding bands. When used as the primary material in a wedding band, the ring appears with a lustrous dark grey hue often buffed to a mirror finish. The finish is highly resistant to scratches and scuffs, holding its mirror-like shine for years. It’s possible to inlay other materials such as precious metals and woods.

Tungsten is a hard and dense metal known on the periodic table of elements as Wolfram. Tungsten Carbide is the combination of Tungsten with Carbon. It melts at an extraordinary 6,100 degrees Fahrenheit – the highest melting point of all metals. Tungsten is predominately used in high tech machinery, aerospace and high temperature applications. Once combined with carbon, the resulting material, tungsten carbide, is ten times harder than gold and has a hardness between 8.5 and 9.5 on the Mohs(1) hardness scale. In addition, TC850 is four times harder than titanium, twice as hard as steel, virtually scratch resistant and hypoallergenic.

Visit our Triton Tungsten Carbide collection of men’s wedding bands – strong, brilliant and enduring.

The Beau Sancy diamond is a lavish 35 carat gem that has a history greater than its carat weight, passing among royal families for centuries in France, England, Prussia and the Netherlands. Most notably it was adorned by Marie de Medici at her coronation as Queen Consort of Henry IV in France in 1610.

This magnificent diamond was auctioned by Sotheby’s  in Geneva, Switzerland, following a bidding war between five parties, until the winning bidder brought it home to the tune of $9.7 million.