What You Need to Know Before Proposing Over the Holidays

proposal ring

Are you ready to make the holidays even more memorable by popping the big question? While you’re trimming the tree, singing some carols and shopping for a custom engagement ring in Los Angeles, there are a few helpful hints to keep in mind to ensure your proposal goes smoothly. Here’s what you need to know before getting down on one knee and producing the sparkling diamond engagement ring that will quickly become one of your partner’s most treasured possessions:

1.) Give them an excuse to look their best.

Tell a little white lie about getting some holiday pictures taken or going out to a fancy restaurant as an excuse for dressing up beforehand. While your loving partner would surely be just as happy to accept your ring with bedhead hair and Christmas PJs on, they’ll appreciate your forethought if anyone’s snapping pictures of the big moment.

2.) Keep your audience in mind.

It’s natural to want to make a big to-do about your big moment, but if there are recently divorced or separated family members in attendance, it could be pouring some festive holiday salt in a new wound. If she has a close friend or family member that could feel heartbroken, wait until you two are alone to ask and make a low-key announcement later. Your partner will love that you’re considering her friends and family’s feelings.

3.) Make it special.

Naturally, your big moment will be a memorable moment, but getting a custom jewelry in Los Angeles will make it even more special. Get a free custom engagement ring quote from Gold ‘N I to tell your love story in beautiful precious metals, sparkling diamonds, and a custom jewelry design that will make her heart skip a beat.

The Ultimate Holiday Gift Idea: Custom Jewelry for your Loved One

diamond ring

Your loved one means the world to you, so naturally you want to get them a very special holiday gift. One that’s meaningful, beautiful, and will always remind them of the bond you share. Tech toys and fads fade, but personalized jewelry is the one gift that will always be in style. From custom rings and necklaces to personalized bracelets, there are several ways you can transform an already-lovely piece of jewelry into a gift that represents your lucky recipient and speaks to their heart.

1.) Fully Custom Jewelry

Rather than using a base design that’s already been created, truly custom jewelry typically involves a conversation and rounds of updates and approvals to combine your vision and the jeweler’s skills. If you’d like to order some highly fashionable custom jewelry Los Angeles residents would be envious of, you should brainstorm, sketch, and research before ordering your piece, or ask the jeweler’s opinion. Variables like precious metal, gems, sizing and stone cuts are all options to bear in mind when creating your custom jewelry order.

2.) Engraved Custom Jewelry

Any piece of jewelry can be made even more special by adding the wearer’s initials, a special message of love, or even a special date like a wedding or the birth of a child. Typically engraved on the back or inside of a jewelry piece, consider adding decorative engraving on the outside for an even more personalized touch. Bear in mind that there may be character count restrictions on what you can engrave, and keep your message short and sweet.

3.) Selecting a Designer Piece Variation

Some beautiful designer jewelry offers the option of a personalized variation, such as the addition of a birthstone, or the use of a certain precious metal like rose gold, rather than traditional 14 karat gold or sterling silver. This option allows for partial customization to delight your loved one.
No matter which you choose, your personalized jewelry selection is sure to be the hit of the holidays. Your thoughtful shopping will all pay off when you see their smile light up the room, brighter than a Christmas tree. Start your journey towards the perfect gift by requesting a free quote for custom jewelry from Los Angeles jeweler Gold ‘N I today.

How Do I Buy a Diamond? An Easy Guide to Picking the Perfect Diamond

diamond

Breathtaking, sparkling, one of a kind – it might describe your personality or that of a soon-to-be fiancee, but it also describes your ideal diamond. Knowing how to buy a diamond before you start your search will help you save time, effort, and likely some cost as well. Here are a few questions you’ll need to keep in mind before seeking out diamond rings or custom made jewelry with diamonds:

What shape do you like?

When you close your eyes and picture your perfect diamond, is it a traditional round diamond? Does it look more like a square or oval shape? The shape of your ideal gem will dictate the cuts available to you, so starting here is a smart move.

What kind of cut would you like?

There are a wide variety of diamond cuts available, from the familiar “brilliant” cut typically seen in round engagement diamonds to more exotic cuts like rectangular baguettes or sparkling marquise cuts. If you are having trouble deciding, consider a favorite shape for a center stone, with your second-favorite shape as smaller, flanking stones in your design.

What would you like your diamond to look like?

White diamonds are graded on a lettered scale that ranges from the colorless D to the yellowish hue found in Z-grade diamonds. You’ll also need to know the clarity you’re looking for – a range which measures how many particles or “inclusions” can been seen with the naked eye in a chosen diamond ring or loose stone.

How big should your diamond be?

Your jeweler can give you an idea of what a carat, half carat, and so on really look like in person. Use these demonstrations to determine what you’d like your custom made jewelry to look like.

It doesn’t have to be big and flashy – the great thing about personalized, customized jewelry is that it always suits your style.

Before you start searching for personalized jewelry in Woodland Hills, just make sure you know what you’re looking for. You’ll feel more confident in browsing and buying diamonds, and that means that you’ll be able to create the perfect piece of diamond jewelry that much faster. Happy diamond hunting!

It’s Almost Engagement Season: The Ultimate Proposal Checklist

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So you’ve decided to pop the BIG question – congratulations! Before you drop to a knee, pull out a custom engagement ring, and make your soon-to-be fiance speechless with happiness, there are a few things you’ll need to do. You’ll need to follow these steps to ensure the path to getting hitched goes off without a hitch:So you’ve decided to pop the BIG question – congratulations! Before you drop to a knee, pull out a custom engagement ring, and make your soon-to-be fiance speechless with happiness, there are a few things you’ll need to do. You’ll need to follow these steps to ensure the path to getting hitched goes off without a hitch:

1.) Ring Size

This is a big one! Don’t guess at your intended’s ring size – it can lead to an awkward moment of trying to squeeze on a too-tight ring when they say yes. Instead, borrow a ring from their jewelry box or enlist the help of friends and family – the ones that can keep a secret, of course – to find their correct size. If they only have one ring they don’t take off, surprise them with a “spa day” collude with a manicurist or massage therapist to insist the ring come off during treatment. Then, you can quietly measure it with a printable ring sizing tool or even a piece of string out of their eyesight.

2.) Talk it Over with Family

If you or your partner has a traditional attitude about romance, you should make time to discuss your intentions with your future fiancee’s parents, or even ask for their permission first.

3.) Plan the Perfect Date

How will you pop the question? Having a plan gives you a sense of confidence, having a deadline helps you past last-minute nerves. You should know how, where, and when to propose, and have a few “Plan B” steps in mind in case a venue is closed, it starts raining, or another logistical hiccup occurs.

4.) Figure out a Budget

Knowing what you’d like to spend on your custom engagement ring is important when you’re doing your engagement ring shopping.

5.) Pick the Right Ring

Always keep your intended’s style in mind when picking an engagement ring – remember, they’ll have to wear it every day!

Part of picking the right ring means working with a trustworthy custom made jeweler in Woodland Hills. If you’re ready to ask the big question, we’re ready to help you make it happen. Click here to get a free custom jewelry quote for an engagement ring that will get you a brilliant, enthusiastic yes!

Jewelry Appraisal and Four Things You Need To Know About It

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Jewelry appraisal is an important service, enabling jewelry owners to properly insure their valuables, determine their worth as collateral for loans, and more. Not all appraisal experiences are equal, however, so it’s important to arm yourself with a few tips before you begin. Here are four things that you need to know about getting your jewelry appraised before you start looking for a jewelry appraiser:

1.) Not All Diamonds Are The Same

Size isn’t the only consideration when valuing a diamond or precious stone – the cut, clarity, and color also factor in to the overall worth of your piece. Generally, the less inclusions – specs or “dirt” imbedded in your stone – the better. For diamonds, the closer to true white your stone’s color appears, the more valuable it will be.

2.) The Purity of Your Setting Matters

The closer to 24 karat “pure” gold, the more valuable your setting, chain, or band will be. For gold purities less than 24 karats, the price will lower accordingly. If your piece is stamped GE (gold electroplate) or GP (gold plated) rather than 10k, 12k, 14k, 20k, or 24k, that means it is not solid gold of any purity, and likely won’t affect your appraisal price.

3.) Your Piece May Have Multiple Stones

Even smaller chips or tiny stones along the setting add value to your piece of jewelry, so make sure they’re counted. Unless a setting is particularly rare, unusual, or sought after by collectors, these stones will likely be removed and valued with the main stone in the event your jewelry is sold.

4.) Your Actual, Achieved Price Will Vary

If you were to sell your jewelry after it’s been appraised, you shouldn’t expect to get appraisal price for it. That number is used for applications like insurance, to determine replacement value if your piece is stolen or damaged. If you’re selling to a jewelry buying establishment or site, bear in mind that their profit margin will take a bite out of your final price. Jewelry buyers will, however, often offer a higher amount if the jewelry is being “traded in” as partial payment for a new piece of jewelry in their inventory.

3 Tips for Buying a Custom Engagement Ring

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If you’re ready to say, “I do” to a custom engagement ring before your big day, you might not know where to start. You might feel disappointed looking at tray after tray of the same traditional engagement ring styles, longing for a design that’s a little more “you.” Thankfully, with these three tips in mind, it won’t be long before you find a custom ring as perfect as your love for your partner.

• Pick Your Jeweler Carefully

You’ll want to work with a reputable provider that offers GIA-certified diamonds, which means they’ve been examined and graded by the Gemological Institute of America for attributes like the “4 C’s” – cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Ideally, your chosen jeweler should be able to give you a choice of stones, a custom design for your engagement ring, and your wedding band as well. It’s a potentially economical choice and it virtually guarantees that your engagement and wedding rings will look stunning together.

•Try a Few Designs On

Even if you have your heart set on a certain shape for your engagement ring setting, custom jewelry creations can bring almost any idea to life. Try out your setting of choice and mimic doing everyday actions while wearing it – will it catch on your clothing? Does it feel heavy or painful against the inside of your fingers? Is it the appropriate scale for your hand size? These are very important questions to answer – remember, you’ll be wearing this pretty new engagement ring for a very long time!

•Don’t Wait to Start Looking

Custom jewelry can take a while to manufacture, and that’s assuming you won’t want any revisions – typically, brides-to-be want a correction or two before their ring is perfect. Leave enough time to order, receive, and try on your custom engagement ring before the big day and you’ll be glad you did. After all, it’s one of the most important pieces of jewelry you’ll ever own, so be sure it’s a ring that will make you smile every time you glance at it.

What does your perfect engagement ring look like? With the right planning and some smart shopping, it will look just as stunning as you will on your big day.

Everything You Should Know About Jewelry Cleaning & Maintenance

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Jewelry is created, in most cases, to be both beautiful and durable. Personalized jewelry, like a custom necklace or a custom bracelet, may have some facets or corners that could gather dust from everyday wear, or have their shine dulled a little by natural body oils. That’s why it’s important to have a regular cleaning schedule for custom jewelry – committing to bringing your piece in for cleaning at regular intervals will help it stay gorgeous, year after year.

Did you know there are also a few things you can do to keep “mileage” off of your favorite custom jewelry in-between cleaning appointments, too? Here are a few rules to keep your favorite belongings looking picture-perfect:

• Don’t wash your dishes while wearing anything that will be immersed, such as custom rings.

• Remove hand and wrist jewelry prior to applying hand lotions, and allow lotion to “soak in” before putting them back on.

• Take your jewelry off prior to bathing. (Important tip: make a habit of doing this in the bedroom, not by your bathroom sink, to avoid the potential ring-down-the-drain headache.)

• Don’t let a broken fastener or bent link go unfixed: you might intend to do it later, but the jewelry could break and become lost before you do.

At Gold N’ I, we know how precious your jewelry is to you – memories, wishes, and love are often as much a part of your custom jewelry as precious metals or precious gems. Take care of your favorite pieces and they’ll take care of your style in return!

Custom Made Jewelry: A New Kind of Experience

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Jewelry says so much about your style all on its own, but through custom jewelry creations, it can say even more. Whether you’re taking an inherited piece in for jewelry repair or jewelry maintenance and want to change it up, or you’re intrigued about creating something new from scratch, customized jewelry is both exciting and rewarding. Imagine a new statement piece that frames and flatters a stone from an old piece that no longer suits you, or a bracelet crafted to incorporate your favorite precious gems and style.

Our skilled jewelry restoration experts are ready to dazzle you, producing brilliance that outshines our brightest diamonds.

What Is Custom Made Jewelry?

Custom jewelry is a blanket term for gorgeous specially-created jewelry pieces: custom bracelets, custom rings, and so on.  To create one of these works of art, a client shares their vision with a jewelry designer, who then uses his or her skills to bring it to vivid, glittering life. One of a kind, custom pieces of jewelry help the wearer share their style with the world, giving them a truly unique accessory that they’ll love to wear or share with a loved one.

Depending on your tastes, these jewelry creations can use any type of precious metal, incorporate a variety of themes, and include multiple precious gems throughout their structure.

The only limit to the beauty you can create is your own imagination: it’s time to dream in the hues of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and gold.

The Advantage of Custom Designing an Engagement Ring

engagement ring

Your engagement ring is a symbol of your commitment to each other, but it’s also a beautiful piece of jewelry, one you’ll wear for years to come. It should be more than just metal and precious stones—it should be a part of your love story, as unique as you are. Finding the right engagement ring isn’t always easy, which is why we always recommend you custom design one!

Why should you design your own engagement ring?

• It’s uniquely yours. When people see the unique style, shape, or design of your custom engagement ring, they’ll immediately want to know more. The ring can be a story starter that will open the door for you to share your unique love story, meet-cute, or “how we met” story.

• It will reflect your unique partnership. Your ring is designed with a specific theme or message in mind. It gives you a chance to explain to people why you chose the stones, metals, designs, etchings, and other features you did. Your interests and values can be reflected in your custom engagement ring.

• It will showcase who you are, not only as a couple, but as an individual. Whether you’re a pair of fantasy and science fiction lovers, high-powered executives, or pet owners, your custom engagement ring can be the perfect showcase to display “YOU” to the world. It will be created according to everything that makes you who you are, and it will show off your personalities and characters.

• It will guarantee high quality. When you buy stock engagement rings, you’re putting your trust in a jeweler sight unseen. But when you shop for custom engagement rings, you can select the jeweler to do the work for you. You’ll always be sure you made the right choice because you took the time to find the right jeweler.

• It will give you more control. Instead of walking into a store and choosing from a display, you have the option to sit down and design your own wedding ring. You’ll play a role in the entire process from start to finish. For those who want something special and specific, it’s the best way to go!

Considering the advantages of a custom engagement ring, you can see that it’s definitely worth the investment to tell YOUR love story in a unique, creative way!

Award Winning Jeweler, Gold ‘N I Launches New Website

goldni shop

Since 1984, Gold ‘N I has strived to live up to its mission: to provide the finest quality jewelry and offer customers world-class service. With everything from gold buying to jewelry repair to custom engagement rings, Gold ‘N I is proud to offer service to the San Fernando Valley and the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Gold ‘N I is a fully family-owned and operated business, with father and son working tirelessly to provide quality service at a quality price. But Harry and his father go beyond learning the latest in the jewelry industry and offering cutting edge technology; they offer a service that customers can trust.

From the moment visitors walk in until the moment they leave, the team of Gold ‘N I jewelers are committed to doing everything necessary to achieve 100% customer satisfaction. This has led Gold ‘N I to becoming one of the most trusted jewelers in the San Fernando Valley, earnings awards like Angie’s List Super Service Award in 2016 and Thumbtack Top Pro in 2015, 2016 & 2017. The Top Pro distinction is reserved for a very small fraction of Thumbtack’s most dedicated and highly-rated professionals—in fact, less than 4% of Thumbtack pros currently qualify.

Gold ‘N I specializes in custom jewelry design, giving customers a chance to create their own unique piece of beauty. Our jewelers and design experts work with clients to hand-craft exquisite, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, bringing them into the creation process and allowing them to take control over their jewelry.

However, we also offer a broad range of services, including:
• Jewelry repair
• Watch repair and restoration
• Cash for jewelry
• Cash for gold and silver
• Cash for coins
• Cash for luxury watches
• Jewelry, metal, and precious stone

Customers have posted overwhelmingly positive testimonials on the quality of service offered by the professional, attentive staff at Gold ‘N I:

• Absolutely amazing work and customer service! Harry worked round the clock to get my ring sized perfectly and shipped to me and was kind and caring through the whole process. – Lily S.

• Excellent customer service, and the final product was immaculate. I definitely recommend using Gold ‘N I, and I’ll definitely come back in the future. – Paul B.

• My mother needed to sell gold and we wanted to shine up one ring and resize/shine up another. The results were absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Harry helped us with so much kindness, knowledge, and amazing customer service. Gave new life to our rings and gained two more customers for life. – Jodi.

If you’re looking for custom jewelry, visit our new Gold ‘N I website (https://goldni.com/) and find out what we can do for you. Or, visit our showroom at 19956 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills and put our high quality customer service to the test!