The wearing of jewellery has been with us across the ages with both men and women seeking to adorn their persons with these ornamental devices. The word jewellery is anglicised from an old French word “joule” (jewel), but the origin can be further traced back to the Latin word “jocale” which means plaything.

Although we typically think of jewellery as being made from precious metals and gemstones, over the centuries it has been made from a variety of materials such as cloth, wood, shells, rocks and stone. In fact man has been very ingenious and artistic in creating jewellery from just about anything and in many different styles from the plain and simple to the highly elaborate.

Items of jewellery have also been adopted as potent symbols and even worn to ward off evil spirits or to help overcome enemies in battle.

Examples of jewellery being worn other than for adornment, are necklaces such as the cross or crucifixes worn by Christians as potent religious symbols. Other religious types of necklaces are pendants known as amulets, which are figures or symbols of varying shapes and sizes, which are hung on a chain round the neck.

Lockets, which are usually heart shaped are worn as a symbol of love and open up to reveal a picture or lock of hair from a cherished one.

Necklaces and pendants are both worn around the neck but a pendant usually means a hanging object although it can be hanging from a neck chain or an earring. A choker is also a form of necklace but is worn high around the neck and can also have a pendant hanging from it.

Perhaps the most bizarre form of necklaces are those worn by the Pa Dong Long Neck people who are part of the Karen tribal group that live along the border between Thailand and Burma. From the age of 6 years old, brass rings are snapped around the necks of young girls, a few every year, up to a limit of 20 rings although there is a woman on record as having 28 around her neck. As they progress from childhood to womanhood, their necks appear to elongate although apparently what really happens is that the weight of the rings crushes the women’s collarbones giving the illusion of a very long neck.

It is said that these women only remove the brass rings on their wedding night with a long drawn out process involved, which involves much neck washing. As brass often tends to discolour the skin one can imagine that there may be a rather nasty green mess under those rings. After the wedding night, the rings are replaced and must remain in place for life, as the women’s neck muscles are now no longer strong enough to support the length of the neck and the weight of the head on their own.

This wearing of neck rings was also a practice adopted by women in South Africa and in particular those from the Ndebele tribe and these women have often been referred to as giraffe women because of their long necks. The Ndebele women traditionally wore copper and brass rings around their necks arms and legs as a symbol of their status in society and after marriage as a symbol of her bond and faithfulness to her husband. Husbands would provide their wives with these rings and the richer her spouse the more rings she would wear and they would only be removed after his death as they were believed to have strong ritual powers.

Thankfully, in both the Pa Dong and the Ndebele tribes, this traditional practice is no longer popular and is now dying out in favour of the more usual types of necklaces.

Most of us in the trades learned the trade from a family member. Most of the time it was our fathers who brought us into the trade. Yes, it's true that those who came before us gave us a lot of wisdom, however, some of this wisdom is for a bygone age. Like many of you, I remember the days when my father would buy .25 ct VS white goods diamonds for $75, and sell them for over $400. During the 1960s this was commonplace, and during that time it was also commonplace to give away repairs to a good customer. You could afford it. I admit that it's nice to be nostalgic about triple key mark-ups, but the triple key mark-up and the free or low cost repairs do not appear in today's world. In the 1960s we also had "fair trade" prices and market exclusivity. Jewelers were just about the only place you could find diamonds, watches & gold jewelry.

Don't emulate failed models.

In the 1960s it seem that everyone wanted to model the chain store concept. That is, most retail jewelers wanted to emulate the success that stores like Zale's and Gordon's were experiencing with their "NO SERVICE, -ONLY SALES" model. But now we live in a different age. Writers like Faith Popcorn, John Nesbitt and others point to the fact that the buyer for the new century is a discriminating buyer, looking to spend his or her monies on indulgences and especially quality services. By this I mean the old model does not work anymore. The reason buyers shop at stores like Sam's Club and the Internet for diamonds & watches and such is mostly because we are trying to emulate them, and doing a bad job of it.

Choose in which of your father's footsteps you will tread!

The jewelry customers of today are desperately looking for a place to spend their money where they can experience satisfaction and fill their needs for indulgences and unique services. This is the reason stores like Starbucks are experiencing such phenomenal growth. Every time you go into a Starbucks the clerk is trained to do their best to remember what you last ordered. And they never forget the add-on-sale: "Did you want a biscotti with that?" Which, when you come right down to it, is a dry, hard piece of pastry, that if it wasn't for the fact you were ordering coffee, you would choke trying to eat! And they sell tons of them. (However, they would sell very few of them if they did not ask.)

Here is a typical list of services that you, the retail jeweler, can offer that our fathers' generation offered and that we may have forgotten:

* Watch Repairs
* Jewelry Repairs
* Appraisals
* Pearl Re-Stringing
* Engraving
* Bridal Registry
* Insurance Replacement
* Special Orders
* Custom design services
* Buying Estates

Don't assume that your customers know what services you offer. Believe it or not most don't. Most retail jewelers avoid services and regrettably many jewelers have trained their staff not to ask. Left on their own, customers will assume that you do not offer the services they need.

Signs
Most mass merchandisers use signage. Have you noticed that every time you go into a fast food chain, even though most of the time you know what you want, you find yourself looking up at the sign above the counter? This is because over the last 30 years we have been taught to respond to these signs, and believe it or not, your customers will respond to this also. There is no need to be as garish as the fast food chains in your signage, however there are many ways to use signage in a tasteful way.

Watch Pressure Tester
This is one technique that can really make you money! Get a watch pressure tester and place on a shelf in your sales area. Above it place a sign that says "we restore water resistant watches to original factory specifications." Most students I have that use this technique sell 3 to 5 per week. Lets do the numbers: 5 X $75 =$375.00 per week. That's over $19,500.00 per year! Still think that spending $350 on a pressure tester is too much? Your customers will love it, and they will tell their friends!

I hear this asked all the time of people in the trade. Some reply $35 an hour, others $150 per hour. Most state their worth based on what they have heard others say without examining the whys.

“By the hour” pricing just doesn't work! How can we attach a REAL VALUE to a watch battery, or a .90 cent mineral crystal? The truth is that it cannot be done.

The REAL VALUE in what we do has more to do with what we bring to the raw materials, rather than the time it takes to do a thing or what the materials cost.

I have heard the following story many times and the name of the artist changes from time to time, but the moral of the story stays the same. Degas was a famous French impressionist painter 100 years ago. Like most artists of his time, he set up along the Champs Elyssees and painted and sold his paintings. He was known for being able to hold four paint brushes in one hand and in the other his palette. He would bang out landscapes in a matter of a few minutes. An American tourist was watching him work and walked up to Degas and offered to buy his latest creation. When asked how much the artwork was Degas told the American tourist that it was 50,000 francs. The tourist was in shock that it cost so much and complained that it only took Degas a few minutes to create, whereupon Degas explained that the tourist was not watching very closely, because it took him a few minutes PLUS a life-time of painting experience. There is a valuable truth in this story (urban legend or not). We in the watch repair trades have the same forces working for us as Degas. We, too, have a lifetime of mistakes, hard lessons, and hard work at low pay when we started in this trade that weigh into the equations when we price what we do.

One of the best places I think we as trades-persons can look for guidance is to the “factory service centers”. Why should they be the only ones who get to charge fair prices? From my own research I have found that most mid-price watch brands charge anywhere from $60 to $80 to replace a quartz movement. With that in mind, what is it worth to clean and service an 18 size Hamilton 924, replace the mainspring, balance staff, and roller jewel, polish the case, re-glue the crystal, etc.? I can't answer that, but I can tell you what I charged the trade, to do this work — over $275. But I can remember a time when I would do the same job for $50.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we (the independent watchmakers and jewelers as well) need to respect what we do. If we do not, we cannot expect anyone else to.

Everyone knows that many factory service centers have tradespersons who are minimally trained. But they have GREAT self-images, some might even say HAUGHTY! And I respect them for it. If they can have an exaggerated sense of self worth then what are we entitled to? I have the answer for you—all we can get!
But let me give you some math to explain:

If you do 100 overhauls at $30 each that comes to $3000.
But if you do 40 overhauls at $75 each that comes to $3000.

How much more work is 60 overhauls, how much more time that could be spent with family and friends? And jewelers should understand that when the watchmaker charges professional prices, they also reap the benefits.

A few years ago I decided to change my pricing structure, no matter what the consequences. I was determined to charge professional prices and provide professional service. Well, part of me was ready to get a sales job and the other part of me was yearning to really enjoy the trade. What I first did was double my prices — yes you read that right, I doubled my prices! At that time I was handling around 100 jobs a week, crystals, stem and crowns, movement replacements, mechanical overhauls etc. I figured that if I lost 50% of my business I would be no worse off, and have a little free time. Well I lost virtually no work whatsoever, and I doubled my income. At that time I was charging $30 to overhaul a ladies' wind-up watch. Well, where the story ends for me is that my average price for a watch repair is $150 and I still have more work than I can do.

The last I heard there was a critical shortage of watch repair persons everywhere, and most jobs are going wanting! I get calls every week from jewelers and repair centers who are desperately looking for qualified bench repairpersons. Exert yourself! You can be well rewarded. All you need to do is decide! Decide that you are worth the big bucks! Decide that the time you spend with your families has value! Decide to help someone else in the trade, by helping others to know their worth. If we do this as a group and “pay it forward”, maybe — just maybe — we can make this trade of ours something we all can benefit from!

And, Mr. Retail Jeweler, if you are reading this and thinking how terrible it would be to have to pay your watchmaker more money, remember this . . . If you are at least keystoning your cost (as you should be), then the more your watchmaker charges, the more you should be charging and thus the more profit you will be making! You, too deserve to be paid for your valuable service to your customer!

In a previous article we discussed creating your own watch line. Very seldom do I speak to jewelers who have committed to a watch line — High-End or otherwise -- that can justify the expense.

Let's say you carry a mid-price-point Swiss watch line. Certainly, there will be models in that line that are hot sellers. Unfortunately, much of what you are forced to carry as a part of the watch line commitment will be “dead dogs”. It's not unusual for these “dead dogs” to take years (literally) to sell -- if at all.

Add to this the apparent lack of loyalty of some watch companies as evidenced by the fact of many traditionally “jeweler only” watch lines now turning up at discounters, buyers clubs, the ever popular 75% off sales, and not least of all, the Internet.

So when we add it all up, most retail jewelers have little reason to carry a watch line, other than to have bragging rights and having something to put in the watchcase. But for those of you who have customers who “buy branding”, there is another solution.

What savvy jewelers use is “outsourcing”. Outsourcing is achieved by finding watch dealers who re-sell watches to jewelers without asking for the commitment of carrying an entire line.

Let's say that Tag-Heuer is a popular watch in your market area, and worse yet you cannot purchase the line because they have a direct-market retailer in your area. Finding a re-seller is a great way for you to compete without the full-blown expense of carrying the line. Imagine being able to order just ONE watch when YOU need it, and not being forced by a watch company to place orders you don't need and can't sell. Sounds good doesn't it? I know jewelers who use this method to their full advantage.

Here's how I have seen it done successfully. Have just one case in your store for watches. In that case, place a mix of one ladies' and gent's each of the following watch brands.

Tag Heuer
Omega
Rolex
Cartier
Seiko Kinetic
Citizen EcoDrive
Breitling

If there is a particular watch brand that is not mentioned above that is in demand in your area, include that brand in the watch case, too. Also in that case, place a small easel sign that says, “We have resources for all major watch brands. If you don't see what you are looking for, please ask.” This will serve as a market test for your store that will not cost you the expense and time of having an entire watch line.

Your turnover on inventory will be great! And you will find that many times your customers will tell you exactly what they are looking for, and give you time to get it.

Don't forget-- customers aren't always buying price. More times than not, they are buying availability. Someone who wants a James Bond Omega, wants a James Bond Omega, and the jewelers who carry the Omega line probably ran out of them long ago, if they were lucky enough to have gotten any to begin with. So there is no reason to discount on these highly desired watches. You just need a resource to get them.

Dan Gendron has been in the forefront of showing jewelers how to find amazing new profits for many years, and hundreds upon hundreds of jewelers are thrilled that he has.

The retail jewelry business is changing. Aside from the fact that consumers can buy diamonds on the Internet, sometimes for less than you can, the “Mart” stores are encroaching on what was once exclusive territory.

Today we have the “Mart” stores selling items that once belonged to the independent jewelry retailer alone, carrying moderately priced wedding bands, engagement rings, and even school rings -- Goldman and Keepsake wedding bands, Speidel and more, all at prices that you cannot possibly compete with. I recently heard an ugly rumor that one of the “Mart” stores is going to be selling certed diamonds soon.

The days of retail jewelers being able to fill their showcases and stand back as customers buy it up are passing before our eyes.

It's important for today's jewelers to stand out from their competition. The way to become "competition-proof" is to offer services that are available ONLY through professional retail jewelers and develop ways to innovate that the “Mart” stores cannot compete with.

There are four pillars that will hold up your store through these changing times and beyond, even when the economy is such that sales drop even further. These pillars will set you apart from the stores that can only offer price, not service. They are:

1. Jewelry Repairs
2. Custom Jewelry Design
3. Watch Repairs
4. Appraisals

Jewelry Repairs
If you don't have or aren't using David Geller's price book (www.jewelerprofit.com), you absolutely, positively must. The average amount of profit lost by retail jewelers due to improperly pricing repairs is in the range of $25,000 to $50,000 per store, per year.

I have seen many jewelers who have no idea whatsoever what their true cost is to perform any number of specific jewelry repairs. David's price book is much like what car dealers use to determine car repair prices.

To quote David, “Repairs are not price sensitive.” Pricing should be based on what your actual costs are, plus a profit margin that puts a true value on your work, education and experience.

Jewelry store customers arrive at your store in a visual mind-set. By this I mean they expect and need to see things. Most jewelers, rather than satisfy this need, talk about what they will do and what the charge will be. This creates a sensory mismatch. It would be like trying to satisfy someone with potato chips when they were thirsty.

You can use David's book to show them your prices for specific repairs, thus allowing their mind to agree to the price. The additional profits from jewelry repairs will cost you NO ADDED OVERHEAD.

Custom Design
Computer Aided Jewelry Design is fast becoming the standard for creating fine custom jewelry pieces.

If you are afraid of custom jewelry design, you have no need to be anymore. Today we have JewelSpace, the industry's most advanced and easy to use jewelry design software. No longer do you need to be a pencil and paper artist to create breathtaking jewelry renderings for your customer's approval. No longer do you have to be a wax carving artist and no longer to you have to smell up your store with a burnout furnace.

JewelSpace is so simple to use and yet so powerful that you can show your customers the creative design process right in front of their eyes. Change the stone? Click a button. Go from yellow gold to platinum? Click another button. And there you have a photo-realistic rendering of the finished piece – right on your computer screen.

JewelSpace is easy to learn. All it really takes is a willingness to take the time to do the extensive tutorials which are included with the program (about half-hour per day for about 3-4 weeks) at your own time, wherever you are comfortable doing them. No additional training is needed for you to begin reaping the profits available to you as a user of JewelSpace. Plus, their technical support is exceptional.

JewelSpace comes with an abundance of libraries containing components that you can “drag and drop” onto the work surface to create pieces, or create your own design from the ground up. In addition to shanks, heads, bails, etc., libraries include Celtic band maker, Greek, Hebrew and other languages for fraternity pieces and wedding bands, and a logo jewelry maker.

The makers of JewelSpace are so confident that you will love using JewelSpace, that they are the ONLY jewelry design software to offer you a complete satisfaction, 100% money back guarantee.

JewelSpace also offers an easy payment plan that can work with your budget. To order your copy of this invaluable software today, call 888-750-3330.

Watch Repair
Do you allow big profits to walk out your door every day? Do you consider watch repairs a "favor" you do for only certain customers? Are watch repairs a hassle for you, with big shipping charges to and from your watchmaker? Are you paying out all your watch repair income to have watches fixed outside of your store?

Most retail jewelers simply hate watch repairs of any kind. This is no secret. It really, really shows. In my travels I have many opportunities to surreptitiously visit jewelers under the guise of needing a watch repaired. It never ceases to amaze me how I am greeted by most jewelers when I walk in with a watch repair. Most look like they are being subjected to a proctologic exam!

As a matter of fact, when I do a speaking engagement for a group of jewelers, I always ask those in the group to raise their hand if they take in watch repairs for watches they have not sold. Fewer than 5% actually raise their hand!

This creates an enormous reservoir of untapped potential. With only 5% of jewelers offering watch repair, this means that the average customer will have to go to 19 jewelers before finding the one who will serve their watch repair needs.

Imagine yourself in the circumstance of looking for someone who could dry clean silk for you and having to go to 19 dry cleaners before finding one who would do it for you. Without any dispute, you would prize the dry cleaner that provided this service and, most of all, remember them the next time you needed any dry cleaning done.

The same is true in our business. It is easy to stand apart from all the mediocrity with watch repairs.

To quote David Geller...“Repairs are not price sensitive.” They are service sensitive. And they are HIGHLY PROFITABLE!!!

Take, for example, a round, flat, mineral glass crystal. This is the most popular type of crystal used today.
Average Cost: 65 cents.
Average Time required to install: 5 minutes.
Average retail: $35 to $45.
Net result: you are a hero, and you made $40 in 5 minutes.

Let's look at another example.

Tag-Heuer, Movado and Omega all use the ETA 955.114 quartz movement.
Average cost: $14.
Average Time to install: 10 to 15 minutes.
Average retail: $85 to 150.
And again, you are a hero.

There is an old axiom: build a better mousetrap and the people will beat a path to your door. This is certainly true with watch repairs. Once you begin to take advantage of this highly profitable and under-appreciated aspect of your business, your volume of watch repair will typically quadruple in less than 6 months.

This isn't hard to understand. The demand is overwhelming and only waits for you to take advantage of it. The “Mart” stores of the world cannot offer these services. Watch repair is a gold mine for you to exploit!

Needless to say, most “Mart” stores are a little more than gun shy about changing watch batteries and watchband adjustments. To put it mildly, very often they make really big mistakes. I have seen them pry off the back off a Piaget Polo (for those who don't know, this watch costs $16,000). In the process of trying to replace the battery, they broke the tops off 12 18kt gold screws and bent the back.

Tip: Most retail jewelers do not know that the “Mart” stores have a policy that they will pay whatever you charge to fix their screw-ups. We all have seen customers come into our stores with a watch in a plastic bag, torn apart, with a bewildered look on their face, saying they just came from a “Mart” store!

Most retail jewelers have pity on the poor mistreated “Mart” store customer. We close the case back or properly install the battery and either charge very little or we do it for free. Well it's not necessary to do this for free! Simply charge the customer a FAIR price. You should be charging these customers a minimum of $25.

Don't feel bad for the “Mart” store customer. Simply send them back to the “Mart” store and have them see the manager, your bill in hand. The manager will cough up the money, whatever it is. I know this. I have seen the ops manuals.

Before any of you jump to the conclusion that these customers will some day become “GOOD CUSTOMERS,” do an exercise with me. Write down on a legal pad 100 times, “Mart store customers will some day return and make a major purchase.” Before you get to write it more than 10 times, it will seem ridiculous - because it is.

Still think watch repairs are a pain?

In just two days, Dan Gendron, 6th generation watchmaker, can change all that. He's done it for hundreds and hundreds of jewelers. Yes, in just two days, Dan can teach you to repair quartz watches using the same method as the factory service centers.

In his famous, hands-on course, you'll learn to replace crystals and stems & crowns, you'll make watches water resistant, you'll learn to identify and order quartz movements, you'll learn to change a mechanical watch to a quartz movement, and, best of all, you'll learn to do all this...PROFITABLY!

Just one of the procedures Dan will teach you can make you, the average jeweler, an additional $30,000 or more THIS YEAR.

What are you waiting for? Classes are held throughout the country!
Call 888-750-3330 or visit www.watchrepairseminars.com!

Appraisals
Better than 90% of the jewelry that comes into your store for repair has not been appraised, and will therefore not be covered under the customer's insurance policy. This creates a sales opportunity for you to sell appraisals.

Unfortunately, many jewelers overlook this amazingly profitable sales vehicle. When we really consider it, an appraisal is just some of our time and expertise and a few cents worth of paper.

Doing appraisals gives your store credibility (“you're the expert”) as well as fantastic buying opportunities.

How simple is it to get appraisal business? What if, as a standard part of your jewelry and watch repair take-in procedure, you asked the simple question, “Is this item appraised?” How many appraisals could you sell that way? I know of a jeweler in a small town in Alabama who started doing this and had to put his wife to work full time just typing appraisals (this paid more than her paralegal position!)

With your digital camera, you can take pictures and place them on the appraisal, do stone plots, calculate set stones by formula for weight, and print it out in a very professional manner on virtually any bubble-jet type printer or laser printer.

Throughout time, man has sought to decorate the human body and this has manifested as body painting, tattoos, piercing and for those a little squeamish or less brave, decoration by the wearing of adornments generally know as jewelry.

In ancient times, jewelry may have been simple pieces made from natural materials such as shells plucked from the seashore or pebbles worn smooth and polished by years of being tumbled along the sea or riverbed. These would have been strung together perhaps as necklaces or wrist pieces as early examples of a charm bracelet. Nature gives up so many beautiful things that can be used to make items such as earrings, rings, bracelets, hairpieces and so the list goes on.

Skilled craftsmen would have labored for many hours intricately carving small pieces of bone, ivory or wood to fashion exquisite unique pieces of jewelry, no two of which would ever be the same.

To ancient man, jewelry was not just decorative but very symbolic and the wearer often held the belief that these trinkets were lucky, that they would ward off evil spirits or that they would even help them defeat their enemies in battle.

To the Romans and Ancient Egyptians the wearing of jewelry and the type of jewelry worn was a direct indication of a persons standing in the community. Large heavy ornate pieces forged from solid precious metals such as gold, encrusted with precious or semi precious gemstones were a sign to say – look how rich and important I am.

Styles and materials may have changed over time but the wearing of diamond jewelry has always been a practice adopted by both men and women.

Over the years, there has even been functional jewelry such as the medical alert items, which have saved many peoples lives. Identity type bracelets worn by a person who has a medical condition or requires vital medication have helped medical personnel decide on appropriate treatment when faced with a person who has been rendered incapable of communicating because of for instance an accident.

Over recent years, popular items have been the brightly colored rubber bracelets sold in aid of various charities, which demonstrate that the wearer supports that cause and has donated money to help raise funds for that cause. Some traditionalists may not regard these strictly as being jewelry although who said that the article had to be expensive or made from precious metals to qualify for the name.

In modern times, we have seen a huge increase in the type and variety of jewelry available and the discovery of new strong and lightweight metals such as titanium or other alloys has given rise to new many new possibilities. Man made materials such as acrylics and plastics also lend themselves very well to the manufacture of affordable, colorful jewelry and in the shops you can see many examples of wonderful, bright and modern fun items, to be worn on any occasion as the mood takes. Whilst most of us choose to spend a little extra on that special piece of jewelry such as our wedding rings, we now have an endless choice of less expensive everyday jewelry which we can change to suit our mood or match our outfit.

Who knows what the future holds with regard to the designs and materials we will have at our disposal to make attractive pieces of jewelry to be worn by both men and women. One thing is for certain and that is that there will be a never-ending supply with something to suit all tastes and all budgets from the most traditional to the most contemporary.

To some extent this is true, but we wear jewelry for any number of reasons that are not romantic... to look sophisticated, to look professional, to impress our friends and neighbors.

So what about the romance of jewelry?

In this case I'm talking about romance in a broader sense than simply relationships.

Something more like this definition from the dictionary:
“A quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life”

That wonderful fission, that bit of a chill that you get from something that is just, well, more than day to day life.

Romantic jewelry is that jewelry that makes you feel special, different, like a princess or a prince. That jewelry that takes you out of your normal hum drum life each time you put it on. The little something extra that comes of wearing something truly special.

Perhaps that is why gold is such a popular metal for jewelry. I love silver and platinum and there are other metals (titanium comes to mind) that make great jewelry, but there is nothing like the romance of gold. To wear gold is to wear the jewelry of kings and queens. In ancient Egypt only the pharaohs and those especially favored by the pharaohs were permitted to wear gold. This feeling of being special and above the fray has continued to the modern day. If you want to feel like royalty (or if you want to give a gift that says you think of your beloved as a king or queen), gold is the answer.

Other jewels that inspire feelings of romance are pearls, emeralds and rubies... and, of course, for many people, diamonds.

Somehow though diamonds don't seem to have the same warmth and romance as the other stones. Actually diamonds were not historically valued as highly was we do today. Much of the romance that has been generated around diamonds is do to de Beers in the early part of the 20th century instituting a brilliant and very effective advertising campaign... so I will leave diamonds for another day.

On the other hand pearls... Pearls feel wonderful against your skin. They are sensuous and mysterious. To look deeply into a fine pearl is to look into eternity. There is also something intriguing about a pearl, knowing that is came not from the cold hard ground, but from an industrious mollusk.

Pearls have been prized in all time periods and all cultures. Historically baroque pearls (large irregularly shaped pearls) were used to make wonderful and fantastic jewelry by embellishing them with gold and gems. Frequently these took the shape of Neptune or other greek gods, sirens, beautiful women and animals. The Canning Jewel in the Victoria and Albert museum is a famous and elaborate use of a baroque as the base for a handsome merman.

Black pearls, particularly Tahitian black pearls have become very popular in recent years. They come in a range of colors from spectacular purples and greens, through pinks to sophisticated browns. All are lovely and the range of colors gives them a great deal of flexibility in choosing just the right pearl for your outfit and mood. The most beautiful black pearl necklace I've seen was from Morrison's a small manufacturing jeweler in Berkeley. The pearls were arranged in a rainbow strung together so that each color melted into the one next to it -- stunning. And of course what could be more romantic than pearls from Tahiti?

(By the way, if you wear pearls, do wear them against your skin, it is good for them, but be sure that you do not wear any perfume, scent or lotion, at least not where it might contact your pearls.)

Emeralds and rubies are traditionally the emperor and empress of gems. Perhaps it is their vibrant colors that inspired our ancestors. Certainly that vivid blood red and cool serpent green are hard to ignore. Even today emeralds and rubies of equal size and quality are more expensive than equivalent diamonds.

In Victorian times colored gems were used to spell out love messages. Sometimes this made for interesting and not necessarily attractive settings; but it is very romantic. For instance a piece of jewelry might have these gems in order:

LOVE: Lapis, Opal, Vermeil and Emerald. REGARD: Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby and Diamond.

The shape of jewelry too can harbor a romantic message. Hearts and clasped hands, hands holding a heart (Claddagh) and cupids are self explanatory, but some shapes are a bit more subtle.

For many cultures, including the Romans and the Victorians, snakes were a symbol of enduring love. A snake biting it's own tail so as to make a circle is a particularly potent symbol of everlasting love. Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a snake engagement ring -- the beginning of a long and celebrated marriage.

Interestingly lizards and frogs were (and perhaps still are) also symbols of wedded happiness. Perhaps this explains the continuing popularity of jewelry depicting this wiggly creatures.

Jewelry in the shape of flowers may also be symbolic. To quote Ophelia “There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies. That’s for thoughts.”

Other flowers commonly found in jewelry are daisies for innocence, roses for the growth and continuation of love and bouquets expressing the commingling and compatibility of marriage. When you are considering the perfect gift from that next anniversary, rather than the common “anniversary ring” how about a more romantic bouquet pendant?

So the next time you are rooting through your jewel box before that special tryst or looking for the perfect gift for the perfect lover, consider the symbolic romance of jewelry and gems.