The Rolex Air-King is one of the longest running models in the company’s history. The story of the watch begins during WWII, when Rolex produced its […]
Blog
Tension Settings, Pros and Cons
The Spannring, patented in 1979 by German Jewelry Manufacturer Niessing. Tension settings are a bold and modern way to showcase a diamond suspended in seemingly […]
The Project Files #3 – Hand Built Sapphire Ring
Wanted to showcase another beautiful project that just rolled out of the shop this week. This time, we had a client come in with two […]
History of the Waterproof Watch
An early “hermetic” design waterproof watch, with separate exterior case. Watches and other forms of personal timekeeping machines date all the way back to the […]
Project Files #2: Cushion Cut Tanzanite
A lot of what we do here at Oceanside Jewelers is custom jewelry design. Frequently, that includes incorporating materials or design elements from pre-existing jewelry […]
March Bracelet Event is Here!
March Bracelet Event is Here! PANDORA’s March Bracelet event is here! From March 19-20, purchase $100 from PANDORA’s full line of bracelets, charms, necklaces, and […]
Aluminium, more valuable than Gold?
The Washington monument was adorned with a 1000 oz tip of pure aluminum, the prized metal of the day. Precious metals are commonly defined […]
The Project Files #1 From Plastic to Diamond
I’d like to introduce a new series on our blog, The Project Files, which highlights some of Chad’s interesting custom projects and restorations and the […]
Origin of the Modern Brilliant Cut
Round cut diamonds are by far the most popular shape. In fact, a little over 75% of all diamonds sold are round cuts. The modern […]
The Birth of Birthstones
Ancient Hebrew Priest wearing the priestly breastplate adorned with the 12 stones of the zodiac/tribes of Isreal. The tradition of associating precious gemstones with particular […]
Precious Medicine
Ci-Xi, the second to last empress of China. She was renowned for her perfect complexion, and attributed it to powdered pearl medicine. Pearls have long been valued for […]
Born with a Silver Spoon
Silver was once valued in the ancient world for its medicinal properties. The Phoenicians observed that food items stored in silver vessels stay fresh for […]
The Science of Sparkle
Because of its highly uniform and tightly latticed carbon structure, diamonds dramatically slow down light passing through it. Light travels in a vacuum at about […]
Killer Green Diamonds
Diamonds can be irradiated to achieve a green hue. While this process is completely safe now, when it was first developed many diamonds were accidentally […]
Commodity as Currency
The Athenian Obol, Athen’s first standardized silver coin, depicts Athena on one side, and her symbol, the owl, on the other. -photo Wikipedia The use […]
Are Crystals Alive?
In 1943, Erwin Schrodinger, one of the founding figures in quantum mechanics, delivered a series of public lectures at Trinity College in Dublin, on a […]
The origin of Carat
The term Carat comes from the Carob seed, which was used to measure weight because all the seeds were uniform in mass. When slight differences […]
A Rock by any Other Name…
In popular culture, you hear diamonds referred to as “rocks,” but is this a scientifically sound description? Gemstones like diamond by definition (excluding organics like […]
Tektite – glass formed by meteor impact.
Natural glass such as obsidian is formed by heat and pressure in volcanic sites, however there are other naturally occurring glasses that are […]
How does Opal Form?
Opal is one of the most popular gemstones worldwide, however, unlike most stones, it is not a true mineral, and is classified as a mineraloid. […]
The Origin Of White Gold
White Gold is an alloy of Gold, Nickel, and Zinc (or Palladium), and is a relatively new alloy, compared to yellow, rose, and red colors, […]
Imperial State Crown of England
One of the more famous cases of a gemological slip-up, the Imperial State Crown of England features many beautiful and rare stones, including the 317 […]
Custom Designing Jewelry in Gold
For the most part, jewelry construction is done using traditional techniques of hand fabrication and lost wax casting, which dates back to the ancient Egyptians […]