Tahitian Pearl Trophy 2007-2008 national winners announced

The Tahitian Pearl Trophy 5th edition national winners for 2007 have been announced and Fameo won 2nd and 3rd place in the pearl ring category and 2nd place in pearl bracelet category for pearl jewellery pieces featuring black Tahitian pearls that are captured inside gold cages.
Each golden enclosure of the jewellery embraces the pearls, no other stone or metal has captivated people more than the pearl, a gem that is beautiful and elegant, a true gift of nature. The finest quality pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and the pearl has become a representative for something rare, fine, and admirable.





Fameo also experimented with an invisible pearl ring concept which pivots and the opening shell reveals a single white black Tahitian pearl one would never expect. Made out 18K gold and encrusted with forty-nine sparkling white diamonds, this ring is truly a gem with a magical secret. The design is based on the fascination of life, where all things are not what they seem on the outside, to always look deeper within to find the truth. This ring is both compelling and powerful and manufactured to a high level of craftsmanship, which has both commercial appeal and individuality.

The fifth bi-annual Tahitian Pearl Trophy Awards took place on October 19th 2007 at Home House, Portman Square, when UK’s brightest jewellery designers were recognised for their design talents. The judging panel was comprised of three expert judges including Jessica Andrews from Tatler, fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic and Retail Jeweller Editor, Sarah Carpin. The Tahitian Pearl Trophy competition is the initiative of Perles De Tahiti GIE, the official promotion body for Cultured Pearls in French Polynesia. This international competition is synonymous with an unequalled international artistic rivalry and for the UK 2007 Trophy, Perles de Tahiti set the theme of "Song of the Stars".

Ideas About Bridal Jewellery

"My soul will always be near, and will always and everywhere follow you and protect you from every evil with prayers." - Royal Martyr Tsarina Alexandra the Empress of Russia

Tsarina is the term used for a Tsar’s wife and the last Empress of Russia was Tsarina Alexandra. She was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, and the sister of Grand Duchess Elizabeth, who also became a Holy Martyr in Russia, the wife of His Imperial Majesty Tsar Nicholas II.T

This very special Empress was the Mother of all of Russia. A mother who cared not only for her family, but also for the country, in which she frequently spoke in terms of love and devotion.

In the year 1917, the Royal family were placed under arrest and confined, first by the Provisional (Kerenski) Government and then by the Bolsheviks. Everything the Russian people had given to the Tsar, Tsarina and their children was taken away from them. The entire Royal Family was mercilessly slain by the Communists on the 17 July in 1918.

Orchira Pearl brooch

Design concept of "Tsatina" bridal jewellery collection , where the pearl represents Tsarina and the golden cage represents her life in confinement and the diamonds represent her family and what they meant to her. Each golden enclosure of the jewellery should embraces pinkish pearls, no other stone or metal has captivated people more than the pearl, a gem that is beautiful and elegant, a true gift of nature.

Fine quality pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and pearl jewellery objects of beauty for many centuries, and the pearl has become a representative for something rare, fine, and admirable.

Blue Sapphire Frog Pendant

Gold frogs made with sapphire cabochons to achieve realistic and yet artistic expression of natural beauty. Here is the first Frog Pendant from new animal jewellery line. Perhaps blue sapphires should changed to green.

Where To Test And Appraise Alexandrite?

The most well known gemological laboratories are listed below and all of them are equipped to test alexandrite. Most gemological laboratories only identify gemstones, they do not appraise them

Gem Studies Lab
European Gemological Laboratory
Hong Kong Gems Laboratory
Zenhokyo
The Russian MSU Gemological Center
AIGS Gemological Laboratory
The Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand
GemResearch Swisslab
Gubelin Gemological Laboratories
SSEF
AGTA Gemological Testing Center
American Gemological Laboratories
Gemological Institute of America
Gemological Association of Great Britain

A good appraisal takes time, expertise and a lot of experience especially with alexandrite. Jewelry stores who offer some sort of verbal appraisal aren´t doing their job properly and when appraiser´s first claim is that "you paid to much for that gemstone", then you are not getting an appraisal, but you are a victim of a practice known as low-balling. Your best choice is a professional appraiser from a major appraisal organizations, with standards of education and codes of ethics. To protect the client they use methodologies that provide some assurance of accuracy.

The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers
The International Society of Appraisers
The American Society of Appraisers
National Association of Goldsmith

Greatest Jewellers Of All Times

Alphonse Fouquet
Alphonse created pieces decorated with delicate interlaced motifs and set with gems miniatures and cameos and recognised as one of the leading Paris jewellers.

Fortunato Pia Castellani
In 1862 he displayed at the International Exhibition in London. Alessandro made jewellery decorated with early Christian symbols or Byzantine style mosaics which were very popular with visitors to Rome.

Carlo Giuliano
He made a number of Revivalist jewels in the style of Castellani in his Frith street premises and these were offered for sale in notable West End shops.

Rene Lalique
1860 to 1945 was famous for his Art Nouveau jewellery, he caused a stir at the Exposition Universalle in Paris when he exhibited his winged jewels, bronze figures and flowing lines of the Art Nouveau movement.

Carl Faberge
He encouraged his workforce to pursue new ideas and techniques and the Russian aristocracy loved his jewellery.

Henry Vever
He designed classic settings and floral themes using nature for his inspiration. The house of Vever became famous for using new techniques and different enamels.

Jean Schlumberger
Schlumberger's designs at Tiffany & Co. were remarkable for their whimsical interpretations of natural forms. He was especially inspired by sea creatures and other animals. Diana Vreeland wrote that Schlumberger "appreciates the miracle of jewels. For him, they are the ways and means to the realization of his dreams.

Bridal and Fine Jewellery Shopping

David Wein Rings

Dreaming of the perfect fairy tale wedding? A magnificent dress adorned with elaborate embroidery, a long train and white veil floating past as you walk down the aisle. Stunning jewellery, which compliments the whole look. A memorable event, that will last a lifetime, as well as the fine jewellery pieces becoming an heirloom passed on from generation to generation.

Choosing the perfect jewellery for your wedding day is an important decision, and these days there are numerous options and designs to choose from. Most brides choose pearls or diamonds in the fine jewellery range, but as more people are getting adventurous with the colours of their dresses, more precious stones are being used to match the colour scheme of the day.

Fine jewellery bought for any special occasion should inspire excitement and confidence when worn and the new fashion of colourful and bold jewellery can capture any mood or moment you wish.

Jewellery in itself is a very personal issue and has been used over many years for various reasons such as status and wealth. Jewellery for weddings have in many cultures been used as dowries, part of the estate a woman brings to her husband in marriage. Other uses are for symbolism, protection or purely for arts sake and these days a definite fashion statement.

Shopping for the perfect piece of jewellery that captures the look you want can be challenging, the many retail jewellery stores all over the country and now the recent boom of online jewellery stores, which stock anything from designer pieces to fine jewellery to costume jewellery seems a daunting task.

Firstly you need to think of the reason why you want the piece – for investment purposes or a particular occasion. Then look at the colours you like and what the jewellery can be worn with. The traditional diamonds and gold can be worn with practically anything. More ornate pieces are usually worn with more simplistic clothing, while the simple items can be worn with more flamboyant clothing.

Ultimately it comes down to your own style and what you feel comfortable wearing, whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert. The most important thing is you feel fantastic wearing the fine jewellery pieces and it captures your imagination for years to come.

Royal Charms - First Design

Very first royal charm design idea. Look very Russian.... orthodox. Not sure if that will be popular in UK.

Highly Commended Orange Sapphire Jewellery

The Kayman Award winners for 2007 have been announced and Fameo was honoured in the Highly Commended category for the "Banquet 1930" Art Deco jewellery range - unique fine jewellery pieces, featuring cascading orange sapphire baguettes and diamonds which harks back to a time of grand formal dinners and cocktails at the Ritz.

The judges said: "Retro is definitely a strong look for 2007 and this sophisticated collection does it with verve and plenty of style. This glamorous suite exudes feminine allure and sophistication."



The Art Deco jewellery movement (1920-1930) introduced styles that often focused on bold colours and geometric shapes. Baguette cut gemstones and diamonds became fashionable and is as popular today as ever, but these days it is not as easy to find quality precious stones as it was 70 years ago. Modern Art Deco jewellery still features strong symmetry, streamlined shapes and geometric cuts such as baguette, emerald and triangle, but Fameo added an interesting twist of a cascading free fall effect achieving an extra sparkle and sophistication for jewellery pieces on the move.

The Kayman Award, is a national competition in memory of the UK jewellery manufacturer Gerald Kayman and is held to draw attention to the very best within the UK jewellery industry and to reward firms and individuals that can demonstrate their ability to design and produce to the highest standards. The competition is organised by the British Jewellers Association and sponsored by the Spring Fair Birmingham, with the backing of the British Jeweller, Giftware and Finishing Federation and Jewellery in Britain magazine.

Top 5 overrated gemstones

1. Diamond
2. Tanzanite
3. Yellow sapphire
4. South sea (Tahitian) black pearl
5. Blue topaz


Treatments, non-permanent, and worst of all undisclosed treatments and synthetics. Flooding the market with treated gemstones to make short term money reducing trust for the business and coloured gems.

Becoming a Jeweller - Where To Start?

You will need to learn the different techniques used in jewellery making and what makes jewellery good or not. You will be able to spot defects in manufacturing because you will know what techniques were used. You don't need to be a goldsmith or setter to know that but you need to learn their techniques and that comes with many years of experience.

You do not need to be a designer, but experience will teach you how to instruct a designer to translate your ideas on paper. You will be able to spot weaknesses in designs presented to you because you will know where the flaws are. This is a pretty tough path to take, requires lot of effort and above all you need to get the experience from real jeweller. You will also need to know about gemstones and diamonds and you need to see a lot of real qualityjewellery and a lot of gemstones and diamonds also.

Self teaching can be done but you need to have a very good artistic capability like drawing or painting, then you can pretty much catch up with jewellery design by reading a few books. Your best bet will be for you to enroll in a jewellery design course like the one offered by GIA. You will learn how to do basic design but in the end, don't expect to be Rene Lalique because if you don't have the gift of a designer, you will not be able to create anything artistic. However, taking a jewellery design course will help you understand a design if it is good or not when presented to you.

It is also very important to have a design that is as much as accurate and technically doable as possible. You cannot simply design anything and produce it in jewellery. First the design must be doable and for you to design something that can be produced, you need to understand jewellery making techniques. So the course you take in jewellery design has a basic course (you will learn the basics, course of 2-3 months) and advance (where you will learn jewellery making techniques, which can take up to 4 years).

My personal observations of the jewellery design process:

Step 1: Concept - few very rough drawings of the jewellery piece. Usually for some specific stone or gems parcel.

Step 2. Colouring - selected design detailed drawing including overall dimensions, colours and comments of the gems.

Step 3. 3D Rendering - final design drawing made in 3D in 2 versions. One is CNC file for rapid prototyping and another with full shadering, for the goldsmith's review.

Step 4. CNC file sent to the rapid prototyping machine for preparation of a plastic model. This model used to test jewellery design, and in most of the cases some modifications applied to the 3D design.

Step 5. Final CNC file sent to the milling machine for the wax model.

I would suggest taking a course in gemstones and diamonds, and even in basic jewellery design. Then your best bet would be to be a retailer that can resell jewellery and if you don't want to be just another retailer, then you will need to be very selective on the jewellery that you will sell.

Make a name for yourself, sell quality jewellery that you can produce by ordering as per your requirements and you might do well.