Bridal Wedding sets

I was watching the TV show, Say Yes to The Dress the other night. If you've missed it let me fill you in, it's about a bridal gown shop in New York city whose very enthusiastic customer's are young brides looking for that perfect gown, for their perfect day. The prices of these gowns are as you can imagine tremendous. It's almost laughable when a young lady comes in to the bridal boutique with a budget of less than $2000.00, after all these gowns are made for that one special day.

It's fun to watch the process of the bride getting that very desirable and iconic wedding dress. At some point in watching the show I start to have these feelings of concern that we as a culture put so much emphasis on the wedding day and not the marriage. I can remember the fun and excitement that surrounds the days leading up to the blessed nuptials; it is a very exciting time in a couple’s life. But it always strikes a chord in my heart when I hear of the huge budgets for the big event and one of the largest costs goes to the dress. To be worn for a few hours of that perfect day.

After all is said and done and we move from wedding day to the marriage it makes me ponder what we have left from the day? The memories, of course, the pictures and the dress we have to put in a proper box or plastic bag to be stored away and, AND the rings, Oh yeah, the rings, the symbol of your love for each other. That is the one tangible thing that is with you every single day to symbolize the love you have for one another.

So while the dress does deserve it's proper due, I would be amiss if I didn't direct a person to think of their rings with a more long term importance and lasting sentimentality.

The wedding dress worn for a few hours can demand a bigger budget than the ring which is going to last you the rest of your life.

So remember to purchase rings that fit your life style, your budget and are something that will make you happy long after the dress has been put away.

Spring is in the air

I don't know about you, but I've had a little spring fever as of late.

I'm thrilled it's staying lighter longer so that when I get off of work I can go play in the backyard.

Seriously on the scale of 1 to 5 in the gardening world I might clear a solid 2.. but that doesn't stop me.

So I thought I would share some garden photos. I know it's a little off topic from my normal Jewelry thoughts.


But if you think about it,
it's all connected, stones come from nature and are a lasting reminder of the colors of spring.

Colorful spring time blooms are a short lived but wonderful gift that
get our creative juices flowing.

Just look at our latest arrivals.

Dendritic quartz, they have these, manganese oxide fissures in the

stones that look like
wonderful plant life, or coral growth. We couldn't resist and we have wonderful plans to make these beauties into wonderful pendants Can't you see them taking center stage with some great accenting stones?


We also have pictured a Tahitian chocolate, color enhanced pearl. The color is so rich and it's luster really speaks to you.


Check out the Peruvian Opal to our left, it looks like a small landscape piece of art. And last but not least our pear shaped Chrysacolor (a combo stone) Azurite and Malachite together to make this incredible beauty.

Nature with it's organic and inorganic processes can bear art in many forms and it's the right time of year to enjoy it all.

So stop by and see them in person.

Back away from the cruise ship jewelry counter and no one gets hurt.

I can’t begin to tell you how much jewelry (I use the term loosely here) that we’ve had to repair from such cruise ships.

The number of my customer’s that say things like, “The cruise ship recommended we go to this jewelry store.” Or “We purchased it on the cruise ship for a great price.”

I’m beginning to think that cruise ships are nothing but floating jewelry stores. The quality of jewelry is always substandard. That is why I see so much of it. We don’t carry this type of substandard jewelry I want to be able to look you in the face after you make a jewelry purchase, and I don’t have the ability to sail off into the sunset.

It’s funny while we are out in the middle of the ocean our common sense goes on vacation as well, only to be put back into commission when we arrive home. My customer’s quickly run to see me to let me know they've dropped anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars at the counter of the cruise ship. It’s a cautionary tale my friends. My customers are always surprised that their floating bargain isn’t such a bargain. If it seems too good to be true IT IS!!

Here are a few photos of actual cruise ship jewelry:

This is a tennis bracelet that is extremely rough. My customer wants me to fix it. There is nothing to fix it's just poorly made too light weight and industrial quality stones.

My advice is purchase jewelry from your local jeweler. You wouldn't accept substandard from us why would you accept substandard just because you're on vacation?

Stones are already coming out of this bracelet, purchased on board.

How nice the cruise ships don't have to deal with all the repair. This jewelry isn't a bargain it's just bad.

Rhonda Irizarry http://www.countrymansvillage.com

It's Spring let's Add color

It's spring, introduce some color into your wardrobe. We tend to be very cautious of color in general. I often hear my customer say that they, don't wear blue, or yellow.. or whatever the given color is.

Open your mind to new possibilities . For example take this beautiful turquoise necklace. It can be worn with more colors than you think.

This particular piece is from the Lorenzo line it's beautiful Sterling silver and 18-karat yellow gold.


The turquoise is called, Sleeping Beauty blue.. it's fabulous, my photo doesn't do it justice There is such depth to the stone.

We just happen to have great matching earrings. They dangle for just that wonderful bit of moment.

I had to try it on and give you an example of the colors you can pair it with.. I know, how hard.. but hey someone had to do it.. You have to admit it looks good against the green. It would look good with white, black, blue, imagine how great it would look with brown. So, invest in some color it's good for the soul. And it perks up your wardrobe with more versatility
than you might think.



Sincerely,
Rhonda Irizarry
http://wwwcountrymansvillage.com

Branded or Unbranded

Seems the thing to do is to brand yourself these days. Oh yeah, go with the big players, those with great name recognition. They have "proven" track records.. etc, etc.. Let's face it, we've heard all that. I'm not saying that isn't needed or wanted, but to a degree.

I personally want people to recognize the name, Countryman's Village Jewelers and have it mean a jewelery store with unique and wonderful jewelry with honest pricing and integrity. That is my goal.

But what about all this branding of jewelry lines? Which many of the big box stores find important.

Many of the companies we carry are smaller, innovative designers that are under the radar as far as name recognition, and I think that is a good thing for you. The quality, of the designs are stylish and the workmanship, innovative and current.


These smaller artisans are more accessible, often we know the designer. This creates a good relationship, and a designer that knows what is desired. For you this means you get all the style without having to pay for the big ego.










Also we at Countryman's design jewelery, it can be a very rewarding experience to purchase a piece that is locally made, often it's one of a kind, or made in limited editions. You're supporting a local artist and that helps the circle of keeping the money in our community.



So I say, keep an open mind looking for that perfect wedding set, don't be name driven but rather look for the design the quality, workmanship and the jewelry store that will actually meet your needs now and in the future.

(designed by Marie Countryman)

One of the neatest things about jewelry is it's ability to be "recycled". It's one of the best things we do here at Countryman's Jewelers, taking some outdated and in many cases worn out jewelry and turning it into something cherished.

Here is a great example of just that...




My customer had inherited her Aunt's rings.
She already had her own set. The thought of the rings just sitting there didn't make sense to her.

So she brought in the rings ...

We talked about her needs and what type of jewelry she would get the most use out of and decided a bracelet would work wonderfully.

We took something that was just sitting in the jewelry box and repurposed it. This bracelet is new and functional, bringing my customer great joy and she gets to think about her Aunt when wearing this piece. For a fraction of what a bracelet with diamonds would cost completed we were able to mount her diamonds. It's like going "green" with your jewelry, what can be better than that?

We Desire to become more interactive

Because of this desire we wanted to attach a blog to our web site. It's important to us to be accessible and to encourage questions that you may have wanted to ask.

Well this is your opportunity to sit at your computer and ask those questions in the comfort of your own home. We are here for you.

It's your interaction and your opinions that help us choose our inventory in the store to how we can better serve your needs. We are committed to doing just that.

Let me know what you think of the site, I'll be updating regularly. Also I'd love to know if this is a helpful format.

Thank you!

Rhonda