Fashion Watches!

Solid Investments: An Education

Smart shoppers should work with a local jeweler, not an internet company, to buy investment pieces so when you trade up you get exactly what you paid. For example, diamond earrings...no size is right or wrong, every size is trade-able to a size up. So work with a jeweler who will take your existing diamond studs, and trade them in for what you paid, towards a bigger pair and that way your diamond earrings are always an investment.

When you are just starting to invest in jewelry begin with earrings first, then necklaces. These are the pieces that are closest to your face and they have the ability to really transform your look. Choose pearls first, then diamonds (studs for both), or hoops. Hoops do a lot for any woman, at any age. If you have a smaller face or short hair, wear small hoops. If you have long or curly hair you can get away with big hoops, which are especially playful in Summer!

Beginner Investment List:
*Pearl studs (dangle, french wire)
*Hoops (yellow, white, or diamond)
*Nice Watch
*Fashion Watch (Jellies!!)
*Long chunky necklace (30"-36")
*Pearl strands
*big, colorful cocktail ring (like amethyst or blue topaz)
*Sapphire ring
*Nice gold link bracelet
*Wide Cuff

Fashion vs. Fine Jewelry

We all have fun pieces of jewelry we buy to spice up an outfit, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you are thinking about when you hit your milestone years it's nice to celebrate hitting 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, etc. by having a piece you'll keep forever. It will take you back to that day when you celebrated that big birthday or anniversary, or special moment.

There are several reasons we invest in fine pieces of jewelry. We invest because it's rare, we invest because it's beautiful. We invest in fine jewelry for the same reasons we invest in fine art. But investing in jewelry is more important because you live your life in it. They are pieces to help you remember moments you never want to forget: graduation, wedding, births, birthday, anniversaries.

When you think about the rarity and purity of natural gemstones, gold, silver, platinum, and even sterling silver; you feel good wearing it! To have something on that you know is mined out of the ground-God created-gemstones are like miracles of the earth. And if life is made up of tiny miracles, why not spend it wearing tiny miracles? Look beautiful, feel beautiful, own beautiful.

~The Diamond Gal

What are you wearing this weekend?

What are you wearing this weekend? The question you always ask friends so you know how to dress appropriately. Think of the outfits you always admire on other women…what is it about them that is always so impressive? 9 times out of 10, it is because they are perfectly accessorized!

How do you learn this artful talent? Buy magazines? Take a class? Or simply…subscribe to this blog, and learn everything you ever wanted to know about always looking perfect, even when you don’t feel perfect.

Speaking of not looking perfect…I have a pants around the ankles story for you! But we’ll get to that later, today’s topic is this weekend!

What jewelry do you take on vacation? Specifically, the beach. The beach is not the time to be wearing your flashy jewelry; it makes you look like you can't relax. The whole point of going on vacation is to come home looking carelessly, refreshed, and relaxed. Of course you want that look when you are ON vacation, and you don't want to come across as uptight.

Basics for the beach; have your casual sterling silver pieces, and white metal pieces, (if you wear yellow gold, you don't want them diamond encrusted unless it's your engagement ring) pieces that are hammered or satin, or handmade finishes. The beach is nature, so bring the pieces that are more natural looking. Beach colors: blue topaz, aquamarine, and quartz; (especially earrings), will go really well at the beach.

Don't wear your good jewelry! I have heard countless stories of women who have worn and lost. All it takes is one wave, and earrings GONE. If you do wear it, is it insured? Also, make sure your rings fit!

Accessorizing on vacation is all about fun! Wearing the pieces you might not wear at home, and letting the “once a year” feeling of those pieces radiate through your attitude. Jewelry will complete the outfit, how you feel completes the moment.

~ The Diamond Gal

New Videos Coming Soon!!

Katherine Heigl in Gurhan

GURHAN Kills on Katherine Heigl

Look for GURHAN on leading lady Katherine Heigl throughout Killers, the soon to be released hit out June 4th. She's wearing a stack of bangles in the poster and you can spot the iconic GURHAN Splash earrings on Katherine in the trailer in theatres now.

Crazy Shoe Contest

Attention Ladies & Gentlemen! We are having another contest:

The Crazy Shoe Contest!

Post a picture of your craziest pair of shoes on our FACEBOOK wall and you could win Diamond Hoop Earrings!!! (Winner announced on May 22nd) (Cell Phone pictures are
acceptable, and you do not have to be wearing them!) You do have to own or have owned the pair of shoes at some point.

Can you beat these?

Mother's Day Contest Winner

In 300 words or less tell us why the MOTHER you are nominating deserves a pair of diamond earrings :)


When it comes to DIAMONDS, we, her three daughters, instantly think of our mother. She’s a PRECIOUS GEM herself. She GLEAMS in the brightest of lights. Her experience and edges, BRILLIANT. Her many points, SMOOTH. She ILLUMINATES COLOR like a rainbow. Her COMPLEX personality comes in many SHAPES and sizes, be it a colorful emerald, a devoted princess, a selfless square, and a loving heart. We three, amongst many, are honored to share and wear such a POLISHED, and FLAWLESS woman, diamond, known as our mother. Did we forget to mention priceless…

by Teke Long Abshire

Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure

Saturday, April 10th Frantz Diamonds & Jewelry proudly took part in the 1st Annual Susan G. Komen Run/Walk for the cure at Greenhill Park. The turnout was inspiring, and so was our team! We had 16 team members and 2 teammates took 1st; Stephanie Lambert overall, and Gretchen Vannoy in her age group!

The energy in the air was palpable, as the unity of joining a team for a greater cause fueled even the sleepiest person that morning. Not everyone on our team knew each other but it didn't matter because we were all on the same team. Which seemed to be the theme du jour.

Whether you were walking with strollers, running your fastest, jogging with friends, or supporting from the sidelines you had a cheerleader that day. Men, women, & children came out in great numbers to unite for a cause that in some way or another connected all of us to each other. The friend's, mom's, sister you knew who battled cancer and lost, or your co-worker's daughter who is currently going through chemo treatments. We all had our reason, our connections. Saturday, there were not winners or losers in this race...there were survivors and supporters.

It is a noble feeling to fight for a cause. Definitely, a productive way to spend a Saturday. My part of this journey began in February, when Frantz Diamonds decided to sponsor a team in the race. I began training by eating healthier, running, and walking up to 3 miles to build endurance. The journey ended for me when I left the park that day. For the survivors, volunteers, family, & friends who were also part of that day the journey is not over. They are dedicated to a cause worth fighting for, worth donating to, worth researching until a cure is found.

“Dedication is not what others expect of you, it is what you can give to others.” Their dedication is inspiring and this team member can't wait till next year!

Anita Fullmer

Are all diamonds the same?

Our guest at Frantz Diamonds was John Pollard from Dallas, Texas.  We had fun discussions and totally got into learning more about the science of cut.  This is a newer word to diamond lingo, as years past, when you went to purchase a diamond, the only thing they would mention about cut was, whether it was a certain shape.

John works for Infinity Diamonds, a boutique company based our of Brussels, Belgium in the diamond district.  More than 80% of the worlds diamonds pass through belgium at one time or another. Whether to be cut, sold from one sightholder to diamond dealers, to just to pass through different wholesalers.  So many of them specialize in different niches that its surprising to the average consumer.

We learned about "edge-to-edge" diamond light performance.  Basically you want the maximum amount of light return to the eye, correct?  Sparkle?  Brilliance? Fire?????

What the heck is "fire" anyway?  Ever noticed a womans diamond sparkle from across a room, perhaps in
a restaurant?  That is fire.  The white light that goes in a diamond and is polarized into the rainbow colors.
A well cut diamond not only will have white light returning to the eye, but also a good amount of pretty colors, like red, green, blue, etc.  The colors are what make a well cut diamond stand out.

In a best case scenario.... you have white light(brilliance) as well as fire(colors) returning to the eye, for

a diamond that makes you smile :)

I'll drink my drink with icecubes

O.K. ladies :)  Just had to post this picture!

This is an Ascher Cut diamond.

Probably around 15 carats.

Choosing a Diamond Ring, what to spend???

Shopping for a ring?  Where to begin.... it can be daunting.  Choose the diamond?  Or the setting?  Which goes first, the chicken or the egg.  Invarioubly the best thing someone can do is to set a budget. 

Often times, when I ask a customer their budget, I think maybe they are wondering what size the sale is.... for me.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  After 15 years of selling all shapes, sizes and price ranges of diamond rings,  my biggest pleasure is to see what is the best ring we can come up with, within that budget.  Whether its $2000. or $45,000.

Sometimes the budget is firm.... sometimes not.  Either way, a ballpark will only help us(or the jeweler you are dealing with), and more importantly, YOU.

Yes, our website is almost up!

After a year of working on our website....its finally up.  It's http://www.frantzdiamonds.com/.
For those of you on the internet that aren't familiar with the store, it was started by me,
Sherry Frantz in 1994, in Roanoke, Virginia.

O.K., so we live on the East Coast.... and I decided to put an ad on Craigslist to find
a web designer.  Honestly, because there weren't very many in the phone book where
we live!

So.... Ken from http://www.blaskodesign.com/ has been awesome to work with.  Thanks Ken!

O.K., so he's not done and neither are we. But its a start!