Stolen ring leads to nuptial nightmare for bride-to-be

A BRIDE-TO-BE has been left with a nuptial nightmare after being told a week before her wedding day that she will have to find another ring because the one she had chosen has been stolen .

Lisa Maguire, 32, and her fiance, from Wilmslow, who have been planning their dream wedding for more than a year, chose their rings from Wilmslow jewellers Modus several months in advance.
Lisa’s ring had to be custom made in America, and although it survived the long trip back to Wilmslow, it was stolen just minutes away from the jewellers shop in Grove Street after opportunistic thieves made off with a Royal Mail delivery van, as reported in last week’s Wilmslow Express.
Now the couple say they are "devastated" by the loss so soon before the wedding.
They are to be married at St Bartholomew’s Church on Saturday, November 25.
"It had taken me months to find a ring which I really loved, and I don’t want to exchange rings and have a ring blessed which I’m not entirely satisfied with," said a tearful Lisa.
"The ring I chose from the shop was from the Hearts of Gold collection, but it was two toned gold and white gold with diamonds and I wanted it all in white gold to match my engagement ring, so it had to be specially made in the US.
"Obviously I’m very upset and emotional.
"I already have a lot to cope with in the run up to the wedding and this is the worst thing that could have happened," added Lisa, who has since found a replacement elsewhere.

Peter Harrington, who owns Modus on Grove Street, ordered a replacement from America which was unacceptable to Lisa. He said: "I appreciate that it is a very emotional time for the customer.

"Once I was notified about the robbery I phoned her to let her know. I gave her my personal time and was on the phone to the US for about three hours trying to get a replacement ring, which I did.

"Unfortunately she decided that she didn’t want that particular ring anymore and that she had seen another that she liked.
"I have jumped through hoops to find her another ring but she obviously changed her mind about what she wanted.
"No one is at fault here, other than those who stole the Royal Mail van."

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Celebrities and Their Diamond Engagement Rings

What better way to show the world that you are in love than by the act of giving and receiving a diamond engagement ring? With many actresses and other famous women sporting bigger and sparklier diamond rings, celebrity engagements have become a delight for the jewelry lover. The size of the diamond is not necessarily the key as to what makes some of these rings so famous and recognizable, rather it seems to be a combination of the engagement ring itself and the famous lady it is associated with.

The history of diamond engagement ringsMaximillan I of Austria gave the first diamond engagement ring on record to Mary of Burgundy in 1477. He had the ring commissioned to unite their two houses and make their marriage a unifying symbol to the country.The smallest diamond engagement ring ever made was given to Princess Mary who was married by proxy to the Dauphin of France in the year 1518. Princess Mary was two years old at the time.Throughout history diamond engagement rings have become larger, more elaborate, and have included a wide variety of other jewels and metals. Diamond engagement rings settings can be made of silver, platinum, white or yellow gold or a mixture of these elements.Famous ladies and their engagement ringsCelebrities and other famous people influence the look and style of many aspects in fashion and also set trends. Diamond engagement rings are no exception to this rule.

The following is a partial list of the famous ladies and their equally famous engagement rings:Royalty:Queen Elizabeth II received an engagement ring from Prince Phillip that was made from diamonds from his mother's tiara.Grace Kelly was given a 12 carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring from Prince Rainier.Lady Diana was engaged with a ring made of an 18 carat blue oval sapphire that was circled by fourteen diamonds.Actresses:Elizabeth Taylor was engaged to her third husband, Michael Todd, with an emerald cut diamond that weighed almost 30 carats.

However, she is more known for her other pieces of jewelry, one more striking than the other: the 39 carat Krupp diamond, the 69.42 carat pear-shaped Taylor-Burton diamond and the 17th century heart-shaped Taj Mahal diamond.Priscilla was engaged to Elvis with a 3.5 carat diamond engagement ring that was circled by another 21 smaller diamonds and diamond chips.Sharon Stone was given a three diamond, 3 1/2 carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring by Phil Bronstien.Catherine Zeta-Jones' promise to Michael Douglas was finalized with a 10 carat antique marquise diamond estimated at amost $2 million.Joan Collins got a heart-shaped diamond ring in a nineteenth-century setting from husband Percy Gibson.

Pop stars:Madonna received from Guy Ritchie an antique Edwardian three-stone diamond ring with a decorative platinum band. The Neil Lane ring was supposed to represent their family: mother, father and son Rocco.In the case of Toni Braxton, drummer Keri Lewis designed a stunning 4.5 three-stone diamond ring with an oval-shaped center stone and 2 heart-shaped diamonds on the sides.Paris Hilton, even though not a pop star but a diva anyway, received 2 diamond engagement rings from billionaire Paris Latsis, a $5 million 24 carat canary diamond ring and a $2.1 million 15 carat white diamond ring.Britney Spears has two engagement rings also: one that she bought for herself before the wedding, a $40,000 4 carat cushion-cut diamond ring with a platinum pave setting, and one that she received 9 month after the marriage from husband Kevin Federline.Christina Aguilera became engaged to Jordan Bratman after he presented a $54,000 20-carat diamond engagement ring designed by jeweler Stephen Webster.

Whitney Houston sports a stunning 4 carat oval-shaped center stone with trillions on the sides which she received from Bobby Brown.Replica diamond engagement ringsOf course there is the very famous pink diamond ring that Ben Affleck gave to Jennifer Lopez. This 6 carat radiant shaped pink diamond quickly caught the attention of the public and has become a highly sought after replica. It is completed with a platinum band as well as three baguette white diamonds on each side. The pink diamond engagement ring is reported to have been purchased for $1.2 million in 2002.

The ring, while easily identified is also very feminine and modern looking.Replicas of the famous pink diamond ring are now available for a moderate price. The cost of the replicas depends on the quality of the stones and the materials used in reproducing the pink diamond engagement ring.Some replicas are styled as more antique diamond engagement rings. These rings have an everlasting quality and symbolize tradition and heritage. The recent engagement of Camilla Parker Bowles in February of 2005 featured such an antique engagement ring.

The platinum ring has an emerald-cut center diamond with three diamond baguettes on each side. This ring originally belonged to the Queen Mother and is believed to be valued at over $1 million.Since few people can afford the original item, there will always be a market for replicas of these one of a kind diamond engagement rings. The quality of the replicas varies, as does the price. It is important to note that the styles of diamond engagement rings that are popular with celebrities will soon become the styles that are sought after by the not quite so rich and famous.


Tim Richardson is your guide in the world of diamond engagement rings at http://www.loveanddiamonds.com/ where you can find tips on choosing the diamond and the setting for the perfect ring. You'll learn about diamond shape, cut, clarity, weight, color, how to read a diamond certificate and how to avoid scams.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Richardson

Saying 'Thanks' in the spirit of Thanksgiving

Cindy Evans of Fremont said she lost her wedding and engagement ring set when she and her husband went to St. Vincent to visit her mother-in-law. Mrs. Evans had taken the rings off and placed them in her lap while she put on hand lotion, then forgot to put them back on. Unnoticed, the rings dropped to the ground in the parking lot as she got out of the car.
"I didn't realize they were missing until I was driving home that night," Mrs. Evans said. She was distraught; she called the hospital security office several times to see if they had been turned in, and went back to search the area where the car had been parked. She even called a pawn shop to see if someone had taken them there. And she thought of her mother's advice. "She always said when you lose something, you pray to St. Anthony," Mrs. Evans said.
"I was never too good about that," she admitted. "I would call her and say, 'You need to pray to St. Anthony for me." Her mother died in April.
"So I prayed to her. I said, 'Mom if you see St. Anthony where you are, would you ask him to find my rings?" Days later, she got a message from security personnel at the hospital, saying they thought they might have her rings. Mrs. Evans' description matched the set that had been turned in. "I was crying. I said, 'I can't believe it. Did they leave their name?" The answer was no.

We ask all our loyal readers if they have any thanksgiving, to add it to our blogs so the rest of us could learn from it.
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Platinum jewelry demand continues to fall

New York—Demand for platinum dropped in 2006 for the fourth consecutive year, according to Johnson Matthey's interim report, issued on Tuesday.Rising and volatile platinum jewelry prices will decrease global platinum jewelry demand by more than 10 percent this year to 1.74 million ounces. The price has caused manufacturers and retailers from all regions to cut back platinum inventories, while in China and Japan, recycling of old stock also continues to affect the amount of new metal purchased.But Johnson Matthey experts say they see no signs of sharp price decreases in the near future.

"Investment funds could support the platinum price at a $1,200 level, but if that interest were to decrease, we still see support from the jewelry sector and other industries supporting prices of more than $980," says Ellen Zadoff, market-research manager for Johnson Matthey.For the eighth year in a row, demand has exceeded supply, although the deficit this year totaled only 20,000 ounces.In related news, Johnson Matthey expects palladium demand to fall by 310,000 ounces to 1.12 million ounces for the year, and prices to trade in the $260 to $380 range.

We at www.diamondsonfifth.com are not seeing this big of a change, half of our costumers are still buying platinum. There are a number of reason, 1) people are allergic to gold 2) it last longer so you end up paying the same in the long run 3) it is stronger so the diamond is more secured in platinum then gold.