Blue topaz ring

Topaz is an ancient stone, and while it is being used in new and modern ways to make gorgeous topaz jewelry, it is also really interesting to find out what it meant to people hundreds and thousands of years ago.

Topaz, the birthstone for November, is one of the traditional birthstones, and there are a couple of sources that these are supposed to have been derived from. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately!) birthstones were determined in the times before democracy reigned supreme. Where nowadays a birthstone would need to be elected, to put forth its virtues and run the popularity race against its peer gemstones, in olden times birthstones were determined quite arbitrarily! The Exodus chapter of the Bible refers to the breastplate of Aaron, in which were mounted four rows of precious stones. The topaz appeared in the first row – although which row a stone appeared in does not necessarily relate to which month it belongs to nowadays. So, strangely, the reason for topaz being November’s birthstone is simply that it was on the breastplate of a warrior thousands of years ago!

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Citizen Aqualand Divers Watch

As any spider knows, the number of feet you have is no measure of your toughness … In a huge leap of logic, but not truth, the same is true of the number of feet that your watch is marked as water-resistant to.

In order to avoid upsets later, check out the guidelines below for what you can do wearing a watch that is marked as ‘Water Resistant to x meters’ … it actually doesn’t mean that you can cavort around under the sea at that depth for indefinite periods. When manufacturers test watches, they are subjected to water at lower pressure for a longer period of time, and then water at a higher pressure for a shorter period of time, with the times and pressures varying to give different ‘feet’ equivalents. Always remember that different manufacturers will have different ideas of stringency in testing, and it is better to go with a more well-known, or larger brand, if you are looking for a watch specifically designed to go underwater.

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Citizen Eco-Drive Watches

The Eco-Drive feature of Citizen watches is one of their biggest catchcries, one of their major selling points, and one of their unique selling points compared to other watch companies.

So why is Eco-Drive so hot? To me, it sounded more like something that would help you save a bit of money on your gas costs, like a standby mode for your car. Perhaps it was a tree-hugging chauffer? Anything seemed possible!

When you actually find out what Eco-Drive is, it does make perfect sense – it basically means that the watch is powered primarily by solar power, which is supported by a lithium ion battery. The reason the battery is a lithium one, is to prevent the usual inconvenience of the battery having a charge time and a discharge (or ‘being used’) time.

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Citizen Quartz Watch

Many of the watches in our range are quartz watches … and since they are obviously not made of a pretty, swirly pink stone, who cares?! What does it matter?

Well, quartz watches are the most accurate, common form of manufacturing timekeeping pieces. Quartz can be used to keep time in both analog and digital watches – the quartz piece is really the backbone of the timekeeping function, and the way the information is displayed is just window dressing (however important it may be to the wearer!).

It is fascinating how it works – when you apply an electric field to a piece of quartz, the stone actually bends … this electric field comes from a battery, and in some specialized watches can even indirectly come from the wearer’s thermo-kinetic energy (body heat!) and be transferred inside the mechanism. Then when the electric field is removed, the quartz creates its own electric energy in returning back to its original shape. Handy, eh? It’s a give and take relationship with the old quartz.

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Basically, the international standards organization took them all away, to keep for themselves! Let’s get them, guys!

Only kidding … actually, the ISO decided that the ‘waterproof’ label was misleading to consumers, and decided that the best way to protect you from making a decision based on false information was to simply take the label away. The reasoning behind this is that if a watch was ‘waterproof’, you should be able to leave it sitting in your toilet cistern while you go on holidays (to protect against thieves, of course!), and when you come back, it would be in perfect working order. Strangely enough, watch manufacturers don’t employ this quality control test as standard practice! Basically, they subject a watch to underwater conditions at increasing pressures, but only for a limited amount of time. Then, when water begins to creep into the mechanisms, that is the limit of its water resistance – hence the ‘water-resistant to 30ft / 50 ft / 75 ft’ label on watches.

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Platinum engagement ring

The earliest known use of platinum dates back to 7^th Century BC, when it was used to craft caskets in Egypt. Its use for this purpose shows that even the earliest civilizations valued platinum as an important and precious metal. Today, platinum is one of the most demanded metals in the bridal market. It’s popularity is beginning to surpass white and yellow gold in engagement rings, and is growing increasingly favoured as the metal for both men’s and lady’s wedding bands.

But what is it about platinum that makes it so popular, and also so expensive?

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Titanium ring

Titanium is becoming an increasingly popular metal for men’s jewelry pieces. Titanium is admired for its unique properties including its lightweight nature, strength, its resistance to corrosion and its innovative addition to the jewelry industry.

Gillett’s Jewellers offers a wide variety of titanium jewelry including wedding rings, fashion rings and bracelets.

Most men and women will choose titanium because of the style, durability and the fact that titanium is a hypoallergenic metal. Meaning titanium does not react with any skin types.
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Diamond ring

Diamonds are the hardest known natural material in the world.

The scale used to measure the hardness of natural materials is called the Mohs scale. Diamonds are measured as a hardness level of 10 on Mohs scale of mineral hardness. That’s the hardest there is and the top of the Mohs scale!

Diamonds are very precious, not only for their beauty, but also because of their practicality.

Diamonds are popular for jewelry pieces worn daily such as engagement rings, wedding rings, earrings and pendants.

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White gold is becoming more and more popular as a metal for jewelry, especially for engagement and wedding bands, and for jewelry with diamonds in it. But what is white gold, how does it differ from other golds, and what makes it white?

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Also known as the dress ring, the right hand ring is so much more than just a ring to be worn on the right hand. This increasingly popular jewelry item offers the potential for creativity in design and style often limited by the more traditional nature of the engagement and wedding band.

Unlike the traditional engagement ring that typically focuses on a solitaire center stone, right hand rings often feature designs that incorporate multiple stones, of a variety of cut and color. As right hand rings are usually worn as the only item of jewelry on a particular finger, they are usually much thicker and more elaborate than engagement or wedding bands that are usually paired.

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