Edinburgh Palladium

Here are some more information for Edinburgh Palladium:

Kate Middleton's engagement ring is set to influence the creation of future designer jewellery, according to an expert.

Retail Jeweller editor Laura McCreddie told BBC News that the blue sapphire and diamond ring, which Prince Charles first gave to Diana in 1981, would inspire numerous imitations.

The Garrard ring cost £28,500 when it was bought for Charles and Diana's wedding and is made from 18 carat white gold and is set with a central oval Ceylon sapphire which is surrounded by a cluster of 14 diamonds.

Demand for blue gemstones such as sapphire is predicted to dramatically increase and this may have an impact on the retail market in time for the Christmas shopping period.

Copycat rings have already started to flood the retail market and television shopping channel QVC has reported that sales of a similar-looking band soared by 800 per cent on the night the engagement was announced.

The ring was valued at 250,000 before Diana's death in 1997 but now people can purchase various affordable versions for a fraction of the price in an attempt to mimic royal glamour.

QVC's Sue Leeson told the Metro newspaper: "The huge demand for Kate's replica ring shows that she is blossoming into a real trend setter.

"As the media intensity increases in the run up to the wedding, it will be interesting to see what impact she has on British style."

Prince William said that he chose the sapphire and diamond ring because it would be a way of emotionally including his mother in the whole engagement and wedding process.

He told the BBC: "I thought it was quite nice as she obviously won't be around to share in the excitement of it all, this is my way of keeping her close to it all."

The prince popped the question while the pair was holidaying in Kenya last month and admitted to carrying the ring in his rucksack for a number of weeks as they visited the African country.

Although no official date has been set, the couple are set to marry next year and Westminster Abbey has emerged as the bookie's favourite location for the ceremony.

Kate Middleton will almost certainly become a style icon and any designer jewellery she wears in the future is likely to be scrutinised by the fashion media and imitated by the female public.

The couple met while studying at Edinburgh University and told the BBC that they were looking forward to having children together.

Love Jewellery sell beautiful designer jewellery and childrens jewellery. Click the links to view the jewellery on offer and place your order now!

Palladium Wedding Rings - The New Platinum?

Palladium is a naturally occurring silvery white metal which is now enjoying a renewed interest in the jewellery industry, given the price of platinum and the current economic climate. Palladium looks like platinum, feels like platinum, is part of the platinum family and is a great alternative to platinum when it comes to wedding rings. Like platinum, palladium can be fashioned into jewellery on its own or alloyed with other metals. Palladium is 30 times rarer than gold and doesn't need rhodium plating or bleaching to achieve its naturally coloured white finish. White gold jewellery can cause allergic reactions due to the fact that the majority of it is manufactured using alloys containing nickel as the bleaching agent. A percentage of the population is allergic to nickel, but due to palladium's purity, allergic reactions are avoided. Palladium is resistant to corrosion, oxidation and tarnishing and is very durable. Because it is low maintenance, lighter than platinum, 12% harder than platinum and nearly half the weight, palladium can be an especially good choice. Not only is it lighter, but Palladium is also an extremely strong metal, making it scratch resistant and an ideal ring for any man or woman that has a hands on job or active lifestyle. Bridal jewellery in particular has seen a growth in demand for palladium, with the metal enjoying a surge in sales of both mens and women's wedding rings, offering a stylish but more affordable alternative for many brides and grooms.

Palladium was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803 and has been used as a precious metal in jewellery since 1939. As recently as 2001, palladium was more expensive than platinum and rarely used in jewellery due to the issue of casting - the technology to efficiently cast palladium as jewellery did not exist then. Palladium is extremely difficult to cast well because it is a veritable oxygen sponge when molten; it therefore requires a very controlled melting environment. However, the casting problem has been solved and its use in jewellery has increased because of a large increase in the price of platinum and a drop in the price of palladium. Palladium has had a legally recognised UK hallmark since July 2009 and from January 2010 it is now a compulsory legal requirement for all articles of the precious metal weighing more than 1 gram to carry a hallmark. Hallmarking has protected the UK consumer and ensured that our jewellery industry operates high standards for over 700 years. Fine Palladium jewellery is already available in stores, with renowned stockists such as The Wedding Ring Specialist seeking only the purest, most natural and whitest palladium for their wedding rings. According to reports, around 5,000 articles were hallmarked by the four UK offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield in the first nine days after a change in the law created the palladium hallmark. This is in sharp contrast to the introduction of hallmarking of platinum in 1975 where for the first nine years less than 100 units were handled each year.

Palladium not only feels and looks amazing, but its versatility makes it a jeweller's dream. Stephen Wilkinson, jewellery designer for The Wedding Ring Specialist believes that palladium is going to explode onto the fine jewellery market. "With high gold and platinum prices, palladium is now being considered as a viable alternative for wedding rings. It doesn't require rhodium plating like white gold and weighs much less than platinum, making it a good alternative for mens wide heavy wedding rings."Palladium jewellery continues to gain in popularity, with it's brightness and lustre is transforming it into the metal of choice for both mens's and women's wedding rings.

About the Author

Additional information on palladium can be found at www.theweddingringspecialist.co.uk, an online shop selling palladium wedding rings

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