Jewelry News Network is ‘Blog of the Month’

The U.K. has really taken to Jewelry News Network. My readership has been growing steadily across the pond and my new friends are active in their support of my web publication. The latest show of support is from Make Jewellery magazine, which named Jewelry News Network as its “Blog of the Month” in its April issue.

Make Jewellery magazine is led by editor Lorraine Luximon and has a circulation of approximately 40,000. It is billed as the UK's glossiest and most dedicated jewelry making magazine. Each issue contains step-by-step guides to create designer-style jewelry on a shoestring, and includes projects on everything from simple bead stringing and wirework to more advanced techniques such as polymer and precious metal clay and resin. It’s for folks who love to create handmade jewelry whether as a hobby or as a business.

The blog appears in the magazine’s “Bookmark this!” section, which spotlights places to visit on the Internet.

In addition to featuring me and my work, it showcases jewelry from Montblanc, Angelique de Paris and Leibish & Co., which have recently appeared on my blog.

Two Fancy Colored Diamonds Valued at $408,000 on Sale for Cyber Monday

2.04-carat pear-shaped orange pink colored diamond

Among the many items being offered on Cyber Monday, less than an hour away, are two natural fancy colored diamonds valued at $408,750. They are available at a discount for the sale day. They will likely be the two most expensive items on sale Monday.

The items are being sold by natural colored diamond specialist firm, Leibish & Co. on their website. They are as follows:

A 0.67-carat heart-shaped fancy deep blue diamond with a VS2 clarity (An Ocean Deep Blue diamond- similar to a Ceylon Sapphire) worth USD $266,200. On Monday, once 25 percent discount is applied, it will be offered for $255,552.00 when paid by wire.

A 2.04-carat pear-shaped orange pink colored diamond with a SI2 clarity worth $142,550 (top picture). After Cyber Monday discounts and be offered for $136,848 (in wire transfer). Natural pink diamonds are among the rarest in the world. More than 90 percent of pink diamonds come from one source, the Argyle Mine in Western Australia.

The sale of the diamonds will begin at 8 a.m. EST Monday and end 24 hours later.

Cyber Monday is a marketing term created in 2005 by Shop.org, an association of multichannel retailers. It occurs the Monday after Black Friday, when online retailers noticed an increase in sales. Shop.org said Sunday 122.9 million Americans plan to shop on Cyber Monday this year, up from the 106.9 million who shopped on Cyber Monday in 2010. ComScore, a firm that measures digital data, said 80 percent of retailers are having special online promotions that day. Last year sales exceeded $1 billion and it expects to see that figure shattered this year.