Blue Chandelier Earrings

I don’t know about you, but I have expensive taste in clothes. I love to buy wonderful fabrics and labels and really enjoy shopping. However, I am the opposite when it comes to jewelry. Don’t get me wrong, I have some beautiful pieces and love to wear my diamonds, but for me jewelry is a great accessory in order to dress up any outfit. And because of that, I want a great look for not that much money.

Blue Crystal Stretch Bracelet

West Coast Jewelry lets me do just that. WCJ has so many amazing pieces to offer in its lines that would style up any outfit. With the new 1928 vintage collection, you can wear a plain outfit and style it with the Black-plated Blue Crystal Chandelier earrings and look like a million bucks! I would pair the earrings with the Black-plated Light and dark blue crystal stretch bracelet!

I don’t feel the need to go spend 100’s on trendy pieces that I am only going to wear for one season. You can choose some amazing pieces that look expensive and make them your own. And for the same price that you buy that $300 item, you can get many great pieces from WCJ.

I had a good friend graduate from Grad. School the other day, and her parents got her a gorgeous Tiffany’s key necklace. It was in silver and looked absolutely beautiful, but they spend at least a couple of hundred dollars on it. So I went to the West Coast Jewelry, and found almost the exact same key for $42.00.

Key Pendent

There is just so much to choose from on the sight, whether you are looking for pearls, a tungsten ring for your husband, or something for that upcoming wedding or prom. A special favorite of mine are the Dangle Earrings. There are so many new bright fun colors that are great for summer.

It’s just good to know that in a down economy we can still look great and get a quality product that won’t break the bank. If you have any questions about what to get or need help putting together accessories for your big night out, send us an email.

- Tanya

Mari at Weenie Roast

Reflections Camera

Marisol is an integral part of West Coast Jewelry’s shipping team.  If you receive a package from WCJ odds are Mari was working to get it to you at some point during its preparation, from picking to shipping.  She is a hard worker, getting up at the crack of dawn every day to make her way through LA traffic and sleepy eyed zombies.

A shutterbug in “real life”, her most recent purchase was this beautiful sterling silver Reflections camera bead which she threaded with a polished box chain necklace.

Her heightened sense of style also lead her to  a beautiful onyx ring in a size 4.  It was a treat for her to finally find jewelry in ring sizes made for tiny fingers!

Marisole

Her smile and delightfully cheery attitude make the workday much more productive and enjoyable.  Her tireless efforts, work ethic and vibrant posture bring a smile to all her co-workers.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is WCJ’s S&H treasure: Marisol.

- Cheryl

Rush Street

Hot on the heels of the release of our newly designed Bottle Opener Ring I visited our friends at Rush Street in the heart of Culver City Ca. We delivered our Bottle Opener Rings to the staff of Rush Street for the some field testing. “What was the verdict?” you ask…

Even the security guard loved WCJ’s Bottle Ring!

After 8 hours of bottle popping our favorite servers had only one question “Where can we order more?” Stylish, functional and tough as nails, our Bottle Opener Ring is the perfect fusion of form and function for less than $20.

Who doesn’t like the pouch? No one, thats who!

Our blue satin pouch is ALWAYS the life of the party!

Kat & Jesse can't believe how gorgeous our pouch looks under the romantic bar light!

Visit us at WestCoastJewelry.com for new items and jewelry ideas and keep your eyes peeled because you never know where we might show up.

- John

In his article the author writes, “When did it become cool to wear a non-precious metal on your finger for a wedding band?”  In case he’s been asleep for the last few years from the lack of phones ringing in his office as his sales of gold and platinum rings dwindled, it’s been “cool” for quite some time now.  No, this is no trend you’re looking at, it’s a new reality for all jewelry buyers, not just young people, not just cool people and not just frugal people.

Alternative metals are now widely accepted as wedding rings by many people.  (I will write future blogs on two types of customers we see regularly shopping with us, the post recession consumer and Mr. Tough Guy.)

Gold Plated Steel Ring with CZ for $14.95

The author writes, “You mean I can now buy a 6 mm wedding band for $14.95 in a metal that is on the bottom of the periodic table…” and then goes on to comment, “it’s always a surprise to these young couples when they want to sell their alternative metal wedding band for scrap.”  Really?  You think the young people who paid $14.95 for a stainless steel band expect to get “precious metal” money for it when they trade it in?  If they know what they paid for it in the first place, they obviously know its value.  As in all jewelry, there is a ratio of precious elements whether its gold, platinum or diamonds, to labor.  With diamond engagement rings it’s typically 90% materials and 10% labor.  It’s pretty obvious to everyone involved that the $14.95 ring you speak of, 95% of it is labor, and 5% is shipping it here from China.

There is no delusion that alternative metals are just that, an alternative to the traditional metals of gold and platinum.  And why shouldn’t today’s customers be concerned with controlling spending and perhaps even saving a little bit when they can?  The point made above jokes that alternative metals wedding bands are “on the bottom of the periodic table of elements,” so does that mean I love my wife less or does she love me less because I wanted a Tungsten Carbide Wedding Band from West Coast Jewelry on my finger?  What does gold say about love anyways that tungsten can’t?

Perhaps a better title for their article would have been, “Poor Jewelers, Customers have plenty of Alternatives!”

-Ari

Fred

When Fred is not lightening the mood and keeping us in line around the office you can find him on the golf course… pretty much all the time.  Before you ladies out there get any ideas, you should know that he was just married this last December!  Congratulations Fred!

When I asked Fred about his favorite item of jewelry his humble nature and understated fashion sense was undeniable.  A fancy blue 2 carat diamond.  Fred doesn’t ask for much, just a couple carats keeps this man happy for years!

His favorite West Coast Jewelry piece is even more impressive: A High Polish Tungsten Carbide Diamond Dog Tag on 22 Inch Curb Chain (WCJ-TU700-22).  “It’s just really sturdy and elegant, but not too dressy” says the man with good taste!

His passion for jewelry and the business thereof came through loud and clear with his answer to my last question: Why do you love WCJ?  “I LOVE West Coast Jewelry because it is the fastest growing company I have ever been with.  I know it sounds bias but I truly can say that all the people here are so young and energetic.  It’s easy for me to come to work everyday and interact with everyone here.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is our very own Fred Contreras!

- Cheryl

The Magic and Serenity of the Emerald

Throughout history emeralds have been honored as extremely powerful stones in many different ways.  The Chaldeans (from the area of modern Middle East) believed the stone to contain Ishtar, their goddess of love and war.  Ancient Egyptians believed the green color of emerald represented fertility and rebirth.  In early Russia, the emerald was the talisman of mothers and navigators, bringing wisdom and serenity to the owner.  Both the fashion and the perceived meaning of emeralds have always been a major draw for celebrities.  Angelina Jolie wore a pair of vibrant emerald earrings to the 2008 Academy Awards as a representation of her hope for world peace (similar earrings shown below).

Green Drop Earrings

Moonstone Ring

“I LOVE my new moonstone ring! It matches everything I own and I wear it every day, all the time.  My family and friends are all big fans of the Twilight series and they are super jealous that I was the first to to get Bella’s [inspired] ring.  Most of them will just have to wait until their birthday to get their own ring… in the mean time, I’m enjoying all the extra attention!”

The Mr. has always been a fan of elegant femininity, the allure of sophistication with that rare attention to detail; and nothing screams elegance and sophistication like pearls!

It could be the calming hues that are inherent to the pearled gem; the swirling shades of white or that occasional addition of gentle pastels.  Or perhaps it’s the awe you feel when you realize this gem was actually made by a living animal, taking years to develop the layers upon layers of nacre in the belly of an oyster.

For me, it’s slightly more personal:  For my 12^th birthday my parents bought me a ginormous telescope to while away my evening hours looking through the tiny eye-hole staring at the heavens and longing to touch that quixotic orb.  The pearl reminds of this childhood fascination with the mysterious; that courageous exploration of the unknown.  To this day they instill me with a certain confidence that is unparalleled.  From the simple studs in my ears, to the ornate strands draping over my collar bone, I hold my head up a little higher and feel more confident, more sophisticated, more… feminine!

QAU-QSX225

QAU-QSX226

QAU-QSX227

So, with the help of my future hubby I decided on some sterling silver cultured pearl heart earrings.  It turned out to be a most fortuitous circumstance that I let him assist with this excruciating decision… the earrings had a matching necklace and bracelet that I just couldn’t refuse!

Wear them in health & style,

- John

The Widespread Fame and Fascination of the Diamond

Throughout history diamonds have been revered, even worshiped for their sparkle, radiance and sometimes mystical allure.  Early Greco Romans believed that diamonds were tears from the Gods and fragments of falling stars.  The fire and brilliance of the diamond captured the imagination of early Hindus who placed the diamonds in the eyes of their statues.  It’s virtually indestructible nature lead early British knights to embed them into their armor, which they believed would make them invincible.  The deep blue hue of the Hope Diamond, arguably the most famous diamond in Earth’s history, is said to have once formed an eye of a statue of the Indian goddess Shiva, from where it was robbed in 1642 by a traveler called Tavernier.  Upon this act, the curse of death and destruction was cast on anyone owning, nearing or coming in contact with this legendary diamond.

Though the Hope Diamond may be the most famous diamond, the largest diamond known to man is in a galaxy far far away in the constellation Centaurus.  The long rotting corpse of this white dwarf star “BPM 37093” (or Lucy to her friends) is roughly 50 light-years away from Earth, weighs roughly 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds and totals approximately 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 carats!

A brief history on Birthstones

The history of birthstones and how they are worn stretches back over many centuries. The idea of a person wearing their birthstone became popular during the fifteenth or sixteenth century in Poland. The traditional belief was that everyone wears the specific birthstone assigned for each month since the powers of the gemstone were heightened during its month. To get the total effect, it was thought that individuals needed to own an entire set of twelve gemstones and rotate them monthly.

As world trade and relations grew throughout the 1800s, so did information regarding the circulating history of Earth’s cultures.  Our present day astrological association with the months of the year most likely comes from Tibetan origin. The Tibetans attributed mystical powers to each gemstone. For example, if you wore a diamond, the stone would strengthen all the energy centers of its wearer. Thousands of years ago in India, the Ayurvedcic Indian Medicine list was created. Stones were given mystical and medicinal powers. Some were ground up and actually consumed while others were worn.

In 1912, the Jewelers of America Association formalized a modern birthstone list that is not only accepted in the United States but worldwide.

Gemstones are worn today as fashion adornments and are often chosen for aesthetic reasons. It is still common to wear your own birthstone or one of someone significant to you giving the stones the added dimension of meaning and personal connection.  There are endless jewelry options available whether it is a necklace, bracelet, earrings, a ring or even worry stones.  New gemstones are always being discovered and fashion often dictates what gemstones are hot for each particular season.  No matter what stones you like or decide to wear, birthstones are always fashionable.