Savvy Indulgence: A Jewelry Buying Guide

When shopping for fine jewelry online, what do you look for?
How do you choose the right style?
How do you know that you’re getting a quality product at a good value?

At Cascade Star, the answers to all of those questions and more are at your fingertips. By understanding how jewelry is manufactured, what trends are currently in vogue, and how to choose the perfect style for yourself or a gift, you can make an informed purchase. The Jewelry Buying Guide that follows, as well as our detailed description of the manufacturing process and our tips for jewelry care and cleaning will transform you into a jewelry connoisseur. Happy (smart) shopping!

Styles and Trends

Whether you’re looking for classic elegance, feminine vintage styles, or fashion-forward modern looks, we’ve got a design that indulges your style. The merchandising experts at Cascade Star carefully select jewelry designs that span a variety of tastes. As we work with our international design teams to cultivate an array of styles, we use several reliable sources for trend forecasting. We study trends in fashion apparel, attend international jewelry shows, and review expert forecasts in the jewelry and fashion industries.

Jewelry trends follow fashion and thus change with the seasons. To keep your fine jewelry wardrobe current, check our “Trend Tracker” frequently to read up on the hottest styles of the season.

In addition to offering fashion-forward jewelry designs inspired by seasonal trends, we rely on trend direction from the Diamond Promotion Service (DPS), a department of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency. DPS conducts extensive consumer research before introducing new jewelry concepts, and it focuses on only the most popular, trend-worthy styles. Three important diamond jewelry campaigns that are currently being promoted in consumer magazines, billboard campaigns, television commercials, and radio spots are Journey Diamond Jewelry, the Right Hand Ring, and Three-Stone Diamond Jewelry. The three categories are described in detail below beside photos of Cascade Star jewelry that exemplifies each trend:

18K White Gold Diamond Dangling Teardrop Earrings
(0.50 CT. TW.)

18K White Gold Diamond Tiara Fashion Ring
(1.25 CT. TW.)

18K White Gold Three Stone Diamond Semi-Mount Ring
(1.5 CT. TW.)

Journey Diamond Jewelry. The newest of DPS’s marketing campaigns, Journey Diamond Jewelry features four or more diamonds graduated in size, which represent how love grows over time. A popular style for pendants, Journey is an excellent gift choice for birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines’ Day, Mother’s Day, or as a Push Present (a gift given to a new mother upon the birth of her child). Destined to become as popular as the now-ubiquitous circle pendants, Journey jewelry is also an ideal self-purchase for the woman who loves to sparkle in diamonds.

Right Hand Ring. This category was created for trend-savvy women who love fashion diamond rings. Encompassing a wide variety of styles, including contemporary, Art Deco, vintage, and more, Right Hand Rings are a popular self-purchase. They also make a great gift for the fashionable women in your life. Browse Cascade Star’s many designs and choose a style that fits your personality or that of your loved one. Or, if you are reading this Buying Guide and hope to be on the receiving end of a Right Hand Ring, click here to add your favorite styles to your own Wish List.

Three-Stone Diamond Jewelry. Widely recognized as the perfect anniversary gift, Three-Stone Diamond Jewelry is marketed by DPS as “three stones to cherish your past, celebrate your present, and promise forever.” Most often executed as a ring, Three-Stone jewelry is also available as pendants, which are sometimes referred to as “past, present, and future” jewelry. While both styles lend themselves to commemorating an anniversary, the pendant style is also a thoughtful gift, such as for a bride-to-be on her wedding day or a new mother celebrating the birth of a child.

The important thing to remember with all of these diamond jewelry categories is that the messages of love that each conveys can be personalized to suit any occasion in your life. Don’t feel confined by the categories. Instead, use them as starting points from which to develop your own message of love conveyed through the gift of diamonds—the most precious gemstone on Earth. Click here to start your own diamond jewelry Wish List.

Diamonds

Cut is often referred to as the most important “C” because it can make or break a diamond’s visual brilliance. When shopping for a solitaire, you’ll know if the diamond was cut well if it has lots of fire and sparkle. When purchasing jewelry with multiple diamonds, matching cuts ensure that the jewelry has maximum brilliance. All Cascade Star diamond jewelry features diamonds with uniform cut.

Color, the second “C,” ranges from D (colorless and most valuable) to Z (very tinted and least valuable). The further you go through the alphabet, the less ideal the color. All Cascade Star jewelry is manufactured with white diamonds in the F to H color range; none of our diamonds fall below an I color.

Clarity is defined by the absence or presence of imperfections, such as included crystals, clouds, feathers, and pinpoints, which are collectively called inclusions. It ranges from FL (no blemishes or inclusions) to I1, I2, and I3 (obvious inclusions seen with the naked eye). Cascade Star jewelry is crafted with exceptional quality diamonds of VS clarity, which feature only minor inclusions.

Carat weight is the diamond weight measured in carats or points. (There are 100 points per one carat.) When purchasing a solitaire engagement ring, the carat weight will be that of the single diamond. When purchasing jewelry set with multiple diamonds, the total carat weight will be the sum of the weight of the diamonds set in the jewelry item. When choosing Cascade Star jewelry, you can trust that you are receiving the advertised carat weight. We adhere to or exceed the fractional weight tolerances set by GIA (Gemological Institute of America), which are an industry standard.

At Cascade Star, we combine excellent cutting, high clarity and color, and carefully measured carat weight to provide you with brilliant fine diamond jewelry at extremely competitive prices. But as important as it is for us to use high-quality diamonds, it is just as critical to assure you that we do not use conflict diamonds in our fine jewelry. We work with diamond suppliers that operate under the diamond industry’s best business practices to ensure responsible mining and manufacturing. When you buy a Cascade Star diamond, you can rest assured that your diamond was ethically sourced.

If you are interested in learning more about diamonds, please visit www.diamondfacts.org

Quality and Craftsmanship

Our quality starts with the diamonds and metals that we use, and it extends throughout the manufacturing process—until every last detail passes inspection in our quality control department. (For a thorough description of the manufacturing process, click here to read “Style in the Making.”) When buying fine jewelry from Cascade Star, you should expect impeccable craftsmanship. Some key points to consider include the following:

• All of our rings have substantial shanks. This improves the ring’s wearability, making it more comfortable and durable.
• All of our bangle bracelets have closed backs. This not only adds comfort, but also makes for a more substantial bracelet that resists deformation.
• Many of our fine diamond bracelets have double safety clasps for added protection and peace of mind that the bracelet will remain on your wrist.
• All of our diamonds are set by expert diamond setters. Whether the piece has channel, pavé, or prong-set diamonds, they are secure in our precise, uniform settings. Not only does a quality setting ensure the safety of the diamonds, but also enhances their beauty. The result is an eye-catching jewelry piece with maximum brilliance.
• All of our fine jewelry is carefully hand polished to ensure a flawless finish on the gold and platinum.

With So Many Options, How Do I Make the Perfect Choice?

We’re glad you asked. First, and most important, it’s hard to go wrong with high-quality, fashion-forward diamond jewelry at extremely competitive prices. And that’s just what you’ll find at Cascade Star. But we know that it can get a bit more complicated than that. Choosing the right piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift is a matter of knowing your (or the lucky recipient’s) likes and dislikes. Here are a few tips that will help you make the right choice:

Let your fashion sense be your guide. Is your wardrobe vintage, bohemian, contemporary, or a mix? Look for jewelry styles that will complement your clothing. For example, if you like modern clothing with sleek lines and a more minimalist approach, a geometric shape pendant would be an ideal choice for your style preferences. Circles, squares, and ovals are popular shapes in contemporary jewelry designs.

Choose jewelry that suits your lifestyle. High-quality diamond jewelry is made to be worn—not to be tucked away in a dresser drawer. The key is choosing jewelry that suits your lifestyle. For example, if you enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, gardening, or cycling, perhaps a pavé or channel set ring would be a good choice. In these two types of settings, the diamonds sit flush in the mounting, and are therefore close to the finger and do not protrude from the band as in a prong setting. Or, when buying earrings, someone who does a lot of outdoor activities might opt for a post style rather than a long dangle.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a jewelry item to dress up with when you go out on the town, your options are endless. Many women love to have certain pendants or earrings that can be reserved for dinner dates or special occasions.

Accentuate the positive. Just as you do when purchasing clothing, look to accentuate your positive attributes by selecting jewelry styles that work with your body. For example, consider how you wear your hair, the shape of your face, the length of your fingers and neckline, and the size of your wrist. If you have long hair and love to wear it down, try some dangling earrings instead of small post styles that might hide behind your locks. Or, if you have larger hands, don’t choose a small ring that will get lost–go for a bigger, bolder design that will make a statement. Most important, select designs that make you feel confident and comfortable.

Get hip to fashion and follow the trends. The latest trends can help you choose jewelry that is not only fashionable, but also suits your personal taste. Read more about what’s hot for the season, as well as specific trends in diamond jewelry, in the “Styles and Trends” section above.