Polki

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jan 242010
 
Burgundy and white polki necklace and earrings

Burgundy and white polki necklace and earrings

The appearance of polki is like a rather flat faced diamond. Polki are in fact uncut diamonds. As they have not been faceted, they do not have the same brilliance as cut diamonds. They are not measured in the same way by the fours Cs (cut, clarity, colour and carats), but the size and clarity will affect their price. 

 They are considerably cheaper than cut diamonds (anything from 50-80% less, depending on size and clarity etc). In polki jewellery sets it tends to be the gold setting and other gems (rubies and emeralds are a favourite combination) that push the price up, rather than the cost of the polki itself.
 
Whereas cut diamonds are most often set in a claw setting, polki is most frequently set in a champleve setting (a hollow with no claws).
 
Polki is especially popular in India for bridal jewellery. Ashwariya Rai wore some amazing polki necklace sets in the recent recreation of Jodhaa Akbar, so further reviving interest in this type of setting.
 
In her role as a 16th century Rajput princess of the Mughul era, Ashwariya was lucky enough to be wearing real polki, gold and gems, in jewellery sets especially recreated for the film.
 
Nowadays, most women who wear costume jewellery with a “polki” setting are so used to seeing such a setting in all manner of jewellery from earrings to anklets as well as pendants and necklace sets, that they do not realise that real polki are diamonds which are mined, not a synthetically created stone.
Polki drop earrings

Green, red and white polki drop earrings

 
 Artificial polki is available in an extensive range of colours and shapes. As with so many things, these synthetic versions cater for a wide range of budgets and quality varies hugely, from cheaper plastic “stones” to glass cut to resemble polki.
 
Is real polki worth buying? I would say most definitely yes as it can look amazing. Is artificial polki worth buying? Again, a resounding yes, in this case with the qualification that you should buy the best quality you can afford, as the cheaper versions do have a tendancy to look, well, cheap!
Antique gold polki necklace and earrings

Antique gold and pearl bead polki necklace and earrings

Continue reading »

 Posted by Shabnam at 1:47 pm

American Diamonds

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jan 232010
 
Sounds like diamonds, looks like diamonds, but it isn’t quite the same girl’s best friend!         
American diamond silver necklace and earrings

American diamond silver necklace and earrings

American diamond (“AD”) is another name for cubic zirconia (also referred to as “CZ”), a synthetic stone. The name implies it is a US creation, but in fact is was developed in the former USSR as a cheaper alternative to real diamonds, and then the technique was perfected in the US.
As well as in appearance, AD is in several other respects similar to real diamonds :-
~ As with real real diamonds, an uncut stone is cut and polished to create the sparkling faceted AD. At east meets west a number of sets in our latest collection feature uncut AD, which is quite unusual. The effect is rather like polki, but heavier in weight and with more interest in the stone (ok, now I need to explain what polki is…that will follow!).         
Uncut american diamond necklace and drop earrings

Uncut american diamond necklace and drop earrings

~ Carat, clarity, cut and colour are also applied to AD. However, unlike real diamonds, the smaller the AD, the higher the price it commands. AD is not as hard as real diamond, it is heavier than diamond, and the colour does not change over time.         

In chandelier earring settings like this, small AD stones are used and are sometime confused with crystal :
American diamond silver chandelier earrings

American diamond silver chandelier earrings

All the more so because, as with crystal, AD is available in a range of colours. Often the larger claw set stone in drop earrings which are very fashionable right now will in fact be AD, whilst the smaller stones in the setting are crystal. Most people do not realise this, and in fact cannot distinguish between the two. Would you know the larger stone in this drop earring is american diamond and the smaller ones are crystal?

Pink crystal earrings with american diamond centre

Pink crystal earrings with american diamond centre

Ultimately though, it must be said that real diamonds are still a girl’s best friend, as AD does not hold a resale value. However, for costume jewellery, anyone other than an experienced jeweller would be hard pushed to pick out AD when it is in a high quality setting. It is usually a cheap setting that gives the game away, so choose carefully, and remember well set smaller stones are more likely to pass muster than large claw set stones if you want to achieve the appearance of real diamonds. 

           
 Posted by Shabnam at 6:28 pm

Kundan worth collecting

 Uncategorized  2 Responses »
Jan 212010
 

  

I’ve just been chatting with a customer about why this kundan set costs what it does (£189) as she was insisting she had seen a similar set priced at half that amount.  
Continue reading »
 Posted by Shabnam at 4:16 pm

Just moved in….

 Uncategorized  2 Responses »
Jan 202010
 
Ok, a quick round up of what’s what in the shop right now. To make me feel as if I am organising the furniture and straightening the cushions  to get my bearings in this, my new des res!  

The latest Victoriana earrings to arrive are simply stunning! If like me you like a modern take on classic pieces, you will love the way that the traditional chumke earrings are updated in this range by adding unexpected colours, or perhaps recreating as a smaller drop design what you would expect to see as a traditional large earring.   Continue reading »

 Posted by Shabnam at 10:49 pm

Cadburys ladoos

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jan 202010
 
Cadburys ladoos

A sweet mouthful

I feel as if I should be handing round ladoos, to celebrate the launch of this blog as well as the new jewellery website!  

Or at the very least cracking open a bar of fruit and nut so we might also mark with a sweet mouthful the passing of our best known purple wrapped confectionary into the hands of the amreekans (and don’t even get me started on the fact that RBS are funding the amreekans to make the purchase!!! Your and my taxes bail out RBS….and then they fund the sale of our best known chocolate bar!!! Free market and all that, but we own a stake and no-one asked me how I feel about Kraft….).  

Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes. New website for customers who can’t make it to the shop (www.eastmwest.com). New blog for…..well, for me really, to share what seems worth sharing. I’m still working out just what that will be, though I will try and limit my rants and contribute something sane to the huge amount of information in which we are awash these days.  

I guess it will evolve in time. It will be a bit like the shop : I choose all the stock, so if we share similar taste you may be tempted to come back, maybe even browse a while and share of your own day.  

Please be kind though. Colours and textures and design make sense to me, but there is something about computer-speak and html that is as foreign to me as a wedding without a family feud, so it may take a while to get all the techi things just right, both here and in the online shop!

 Posted by Shabnam at 6:36 pm
© 2011 east meets west Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha
WP Like Button Plugin by Free WordPress Templates