Julia Failey

Custom Engagement Ring: Little Sis Becoming A Mrs.

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

I met Matt at Davidson College - I was a senior and he my friend's 'little brother' in SAE. Little did I know that he would join a different brotherhood and become my brother in-law years later...

My sister gave me ideas for her engagement ring when I was in Boulder, CO for OpenArts Fest over the summer. The alternating circle & square shape eternity band is set with new and heirloom diamonds. The center stone is a radiant cut diamond.

Visit our website to design your Custom Engagement Ring !

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you all!

Wishing you a relaxing Christmas season filled with joy, compassion, thoughtfulness, and a whole lot of love among family and friends. See you next year.

Gift Cards: The Gift Of Choice

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

Gift Cards tend to have a reputation for being impersonal, but I would much rather get a Gift Card than something I can't use. Here are the top reasons to choose Julia Failey Gift Cards for people on your list.

· Gift Cards guarantee gifts people will love. They give recipients the freedom to choose what they want and relieve you of the stress of finding something perfect for everyone on your list.

· You don't have to leave your house to do your holiday shopping on our website. Last-minute shoppers can rest at ease knowing they can send e-gift cards at the eleventh hour on a holiday.

· If you are purchasing gifts for a lot of people, Gift Cards can save money by enabling you to budget a dollar amount for each card. This can also prevent arguments over which cousin got the better gift (because everyone gets the same amount of money) and saves you the time spent shopping for each person.

· If you know the person well, you will know exactly where they like to shop. It's always nice to know that you are giving loved ones something they will enjoy.

Save your sanity this holiday season ~ go for the Gift Card.

Time's On Your Side: Free Overnight Shipping

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

Fail-Safe Last Minute Jewelry Gifts

2011-12-20T02:16:00.000-08:00

The holidays are mere days away, adding a sense of urgency to remaining to-buy-for lists ~ gift the gals on your list with these fail-safe favorites.

Shop Last Minute Jewelry Gifts

Free Shipping Day!

2011-12-16T04:36:00.000-08:00

Julia Failey is participating in Free Shipping Day, offering customers free delivery and promising that orders will arrive by Christmas Eve. Last-minute purchases are as much a part of the holiday season as eggnog and poinsettias. Fear not, procrastinators - place your order now and we guarantee it will arrive before Santa's sleigh.

Pearls of Wisdom

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Timeless pearls of wisdom Epictetus, a Greek philosopher.

Forget about what you think you know.

“It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows.”

You choose to be insulted.

“It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.”

Listen.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

Appreciate what you have.

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Notice what is reflected.

“When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.”

Suffering is optional. And so is happiness.

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”

Holiday Gift Ideas For Your Mom

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Finding the perfect present can be a daunting task ~ here are some clever & creative ideas for what to get all the ladies on your gift list.

Holiday Gift Ideas For Your Sister

2011-12-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

Finding the perfect present can be a daunting task ~ here are some clever & creative ideas for what to get all the ladies on your gift list.

Sisters with chic style will love our Vine Fringe Earrings; or give her a pair of Wildflower Stud Earrings. for an everyday look.

Personalized jewelry, like our Personalized Monogram Bangles, is the perfect gift for a sentimental sister

If she's a yoga enthusiast, she'll love our Lotus Blossom Pendant Necklace

Give her our Gemstone Rings as an extra special gift to remind her how much you love her.

Present Perfect: Gifts Under $100

2011-12-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

Shop All Jewelry Gifts Under $100

Five Gold Rings

2011-12-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Shop 5 Golden Rings

Julia Failey Christmas {Wish} List

2011-12-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

Some girls have visions of sugar plums, others have different dreams...

Cellula Chandelier
I've been lusting over this chandelier for months. If only the price points at Design Within Reach felt more accessible...

Stunt Puppy Stunt Runner™
I love going for runs along Lake Michigan with my dog, Marley. This versatile, flexible leash will make the running together more comfortable for us both.

Steamline Luggage Stylist Series
Brightly colored, urban luggage collection

Mistletoe
Countless Kisses

Hermes La Charmante aux Animaux
Cashmere and silk shawl. Dreamy

Tecnica Women's Polar II Fur Boot
A girl can never have too many boots…especially in Chicago.

Mackage Coat
The Kendra Zipper Coat in Taupe is on my Wish List. Available at Perchance in Chicago.

Chanel Bag
Nothing says chic like Chanel

Holiday Shipping Deadlines & Dates

2011-12-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

NEW Rings: The More, The Merrier!

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Each style & color is designed to layer together in a multitude of creative ways: the raison d'etre for our fabulous new collection.

Visit our website to shop our latest collection of stacking rings

Join Us At Holly Day Market

2011-11-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

Holly Day Market

Join us at Holly Day Market, the must-attend event of the holiday season for Central Kentuckians! The Holly Day Market brings vendors from across the United States to Lexington for one weekend in November to give shoppers the opportunity to buy holiday gifts in one spectacular location.

Thursday, November 10 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Holly Go Shopping Preview Party

Friday, November 11 from 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 12 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 13 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

Join Us At Beneath The Wreath

2011-11-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Beneath the Wreath

Join us for Beneath the Wreath at DeVos Place in Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Thursday, November 3 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Friday, November 4 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 5 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

View Larger Map

Join Us At The Christamore House Guild Bazar

2011-09-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Christamore House Guild Bazar

Join us for Christamore House Guild Bazar at

Meridian Hills Country Club

Tuesday, October 4

11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Autumnal Equinox Accessories

2011-09-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

As we are all sad to see summer go we can't hide the fact that Autumn sights, smells, tastes, and color palates are one of the most exciting. As the seasons are still in transition this is the perfect time to be creative and mix some of your summer favorites with new fall additions.

A great trend we see evolving from summer includes a lot of interesting retro styles and prints. This is a perfect time to add something to your look that stands out a bit. The Vine Cobalt Cascade Earrings have an amazing combination of earthy dynamic, accented by an array of beautiful fall colors. This cobalt blue adds a pop of color that can easily transition from day to night and will be a perfect match with the rich colors of fall.

Autumn is also a great time to start bringing out your knit sweaters and start layering. These little Owl Stud earrings would be an adorable accessory with a bulky sweater. They are subtle but very detailed and will look great peaking out of a chunky cowl neck or scarf.

Guys Guide To The 4 C's: Carat

2011-09-22T04:35:00.000-07:00

Selecting a diamond engagement ring is a momentous, and sometimes daunting, experience. Our Guys Guide To The 4 C's series will help you carefully evaluate cut, color, clarity, and carat & purchase the perfect diamond with confidence.

The carat, the standard unit of weight measurement used for diamonds and gemstones, takes its name from the carob seed. Because these small seeds had a fairly uniform weight, early gem traders used them as counterweights in their balance scales. The modern metric carat, equal to 0.2 grams, was adopted by the United States in 1913 and other countries soon after.

Today, a carat weighs exactly the same in every corner of the world. Because even a fraction of a carat can make a considerable difference in cost, precision is crucial. In the diamond industry, weight is often measured to the hundred thousandths of a carat, and rounded to a hundredth of a carat. Since larger diamonds are more rare than smaller diamonds, diamond value rises exponentially with carat weight. For example, a 1.00 ct. diamond of a given quality is always valued higher than two 0.50 ct. diamonds of the same quality. A general rule of thumb is that a diamond of double the weight costs around four times more. Once cut, color, and clarity grade have been determined, the carat weight of a diamond can be easily established to fit within a budget.

Total carat weight (t.c.w.) represents the total weight of all diamonds or other gemstones in a piece of jewelry. Diamond solitaire earrings, for example, are usually quoted in t.c.w., indicating the combined weight of the diamonds in both earrings.

Julia Failey graduated in the top of her class at the Gemological Institute of America, an independent, international institution that is the benchmark institution for diamond certification. A GIA certificate guarantees the quality of a diamond; it defines the rating of the diamond according to the 4Cs.

Friday Mixtape: Fav Fall Covers

2011-09-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

Friday Mixtape by juliafailey

Guys Guide To The 4 C's: Color

2011-09-15T04:30:00.000-07:00

Selecting a diamond engagement ring is a momentous, and sometimes daunting, experience. Our Guys Guide To The 4 C's series will help you carefully evaluate cut, color, clarity, and carat & purchase the perfect diamond with confidence.

Color refers to the natural body color of a diamond and not to the reflection of spectral colors that flash when a diamond moves. Most diamonds naturally exhibit slight hints of yellow, brown, or gray. This color is caused by natural trace elements of nitrogen that were present when the diamond formed under the Earth’s crust. Diamonds with less color allow more light to pass, releasing more brilliance and fire. A diamond acts as a prism by dividing light into a spectrum of colors and reflecting this light as colorful flashes called dispersion or fire. Similar to looking through colored glass, color in a diamond will diminish the spectrum of color, or fire, emitted by acting as a filter.

Diamonds are valued by how closely they approach colorlessness – the less color, the higher their value. The only exceptions are the fancy-color diamonds, often blue, brown, pink or yellow, that lie outside of this range. Fancy-color diamonds have a natural color that is deep, distinct, and opulent. Their color is more saturated than a Z color diamond and they are graded based on the hue, tone and saturation of their color -- the more intense the color, the higher the rarity factor.

GIA’s color-grading scale for diamonds is the industry standard. The scale begins with the letter D, representing colorless, and continues with increasing presence of color to the letter Z, or near-colorless. Why start with D? Before GIA developed the D-Z Color Grading Scale, a variety of other systems were loosely applied. These included letters of the alphabet (A, B and C, with multiple A’s for the best stones), Arabic (0, 1, 2, 3) and Roman (I, II, III) numerals, and descriptions such as “gem blue” or “blue white.” The result of all these grading systems was inconsistency and inaccuracy. Because the creators of the GIA Color Scale wanted to start fresh, without any association with earlier systems, they chose to start with the letter D—a letter grade normally not associated with top quality.
Julia Failey graduated in the top of her class at the Gemological Institute of America, an independent, international institution that is the benchmark institution for diamond certification. A GIA certificate guarantees the quality of a diamond; it defines the rating of the diamond according to the 4Cs.

Ask Her With Asscher: Custom Engagement Ring

2011-09-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

This client's girlfriend (now fiance) hinted that she wanted an engagement ring that was unique, "different than what she sees most girls have these days." The resulting Custom Asscher cut diamond engagement ring with blue sapphire accents was featured in Drop The Hint With Alt Engagement Rings article on Refinery 29.

Guys Guide To The 4 C's: Cut

2011-09-08T04:26:00.000-07:00

Cut is the factor that fuels a diamond’s fire, sparkle and brilliance. When a diamond has been correctly cut, its ability to reflect and refract light is greatly enhanced. A diamond’s cut grade is actually a combination of three different types of reflection: brilliance (the total light reflected from a diamond), fire (the dispersion of light into the colors of the spectrum), and scintillation (the flashes of light, or sparkle, when a diamond is moved).

The quality of cut is determined by how well the symmetry, polish, and proportions of the diamond produce the most attractive balance of the three different types of reflection. A round brilliant cut diamond has 57 or 58 facets, the 58th being a tiny flat facet at the bottom of the pavilion that’s known as the culet. The large, flat facet on the top is the table. The proportions of a diamond refer to the relationships between table size, crown angle and pavilion depth. When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light enters the stone and is reflected from one facet to another and then dispersed out through the top of the stone. If the cut of the diamond is too deep, some light escapes through the opposite side of the pavilion. If the cut is too shallow, light escapes through the pavilion before it can be reflected, thus reducing brilliancy.

In early 2005, GIA unveiled a diamond cut grading system for standard round brilliants in the D-to-Z color range. This system, the product of more than 15 years of intensive research and testing, assigns an overall diamond cut grade ranging from Excellent to Poor.

Julia Failey graduated in the top of her class at the Gemological Institute of America, an independent, international institution that is the benchmark institution for diamond certification. A GIA certificate guarantees the quality of a diamond; it defines the rating of the diamond according to the 4Cs.

Something Old Becomes Something New: Custom Wedding Band

2011-09-06T04:06:00.000-07:00

I loved seeing photos of Lizzie and Mark's wedding ~ they are such a fun & candid couple, and Jeremy Lawson really captured the spirit of their celebration. One of the best wedding albums I've seen. Seriously.

Among the photos were some great shots of the wedding rings. I created Mark's custom band with gold from a necklace that belonged to Lizzie's Mom, who passed away several years ago. Both rings have special significance for the couple ~ Lizzie's ring was one that was worn by her mother. It has a vintage look that I love.

Liz held this close to remind her of her mother throughout the day.

The rings were presented to the couple in a jar.

"I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story" Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

New Heirloom: A Custom Antique-Inspired Ring

2011-09-02T04:37:00.000-07:00

What was old is new again in this custom, antique-inspired ring. A client from Nantucket, MA, approached me with a ring she never wore & a request to use the diamonds in a new, wearable piece.

I meticulously measured the loose diamonds & sketched a possible arrangement for the new ring.

Next, I created a CAD model of the intricate design & cast in 18 karat white gold.

Her response upon seeing the new heirloom? "Julia, The ring arrived.....I held my breath and opened the box......it is so beautiful. Thank you so much!!" Success.