Digging for Diamonds is Back!

This weekend only, come by either our Burlington or Kirkland locations on Friday November 6th from 10am-7pm or Saturday November 7th from 10am-6pm.  Everyone who digs in the sand will win a free diamond or gemstone!

Last year we gave away 2 Diamonds and hundreds of loose gemstones including, Topaz, Amethyst, Sapphire, Rubies, Opals and more! This weekend we want to give you even more! Each store will have 3 diamonds buried in the sand along with tons of loose gemstones!

Want to set your newly won diamond or gemstone? or maybe make a pair of earrings? All of our mountings and gemstones will have extra special discounts!

Stop by your local Warren Jewelers this weekend for this awesome event!

Need directions? visit www.warrenjewelers.net for more information!

Birthstone Profile: Opal

Throughout history Opals have been cited as possessing magical qualities such as helping the wearer find true love, or serving as a remedy for depression. they are believed to bring out positive characteristics when worn by those with a Zodiac sign of Cancer.

Aborigines tell legends of the creator coming to Earth on a rainbow bringing with him a message of peace to all humanity. It is said that when his foot touched ground the Earth became alive and the stones began to sparkle in all colors of the rainbow.

The finest opals in the world are found in Australia where some black opals are known to cost more per carat than Diamonds! Almost 95% of all Opals come from Australia. The other 5% are found in Brazil, Mexico, parts of Africa, and even here in the US in the states of Idaho and Nevada.
In order for their flashes of light, also known as “play of color,” to remain bright opals should be kept in a moist environment. The best way to do this is simply to wear them as often as possible!

October hasn’t ended yet! Head down to your local Warren Jewelers and check out our selection of loose and mounted opals, including a selection of rare opal cameos.

Don’t like Opal? Tourmaline is the alternate birthstone for this month!

Birthstone Profile: Sapphire

September is a month of many changes. It is when the seasons change from summer to fall, children and college students alike head back to school, and the birthstones change from the Peridot of August to Sapphire.

Sapphire is such a versatile stone! It can be found all over the world in a myriad colors representing everything from the blue skies and green trees of summer, to the early twilight and colorful leaves of fall. It is no wonder people once believed a giant sapphire cradled the Earth and its reflections colored the heavens, as this amazing gemstone’s colors represent the sky in all of its hues!

It is said that giving someone a Sapphire symbolizes trust and loyalty, it makes an excellent choice for engagement rings. This gemstone is also known to protect the wearer from the jealousy of others and physical harm. During medieval times, clergy wore Sapphires as a symbol of heaven and peasants believed them to bring the blessings of God. Because Sapphire represents good things to so many people, it makes an excellent gift for birthdays, anniversaries, or even just because. Stop in to your local Warren Jewelers today to see our new styles of sapphire jewelry and take a peek at our huge selection of loose Sapphires in all colors.

Did You Inherit Grandma’s Jewelry, But Not Her Taste?

People come through our doors all the time with jewelry boxes from Grandma. While this jewelry can be really cool, most people have no idea what to do with it. All the time our customers tell us, “My Grandma loved this piece. It’s really beautiful, but it’s just not my style. I know I’ll never wear it, but it seems wrong to have it just sit there.”

One of the best options you have for this jewelry is not to sell it. Instead you can recycle that gold and use it to make something else. You can even use any diamonds or colored stones she has in your design! This is a really great option that many people don’t even think about because they don’t know it’s available. When you reuse your gold, you still keep the value of the jewelry you inherited, both in sentiment and overall cost. What’s more, if her jewelry is yellow gold and you prefer white, it can easily be changed into what you wear most. We have to refine it back to 24 karat and then remix the alloys in order to reuse it. This means you can turn any color gold into white, yellow, pink, and even green gold and there is no extra cost. You can even change the karat of the gold.

At Warren Jewelers we are really excited to be able to offer so many choices. By reusing your gold you get to come up with a one-or-a-kind piece that nobody else has. Our custom designs have won many design competitions over the years so you know you’ll be getting a quality item that you will love. Grandma didn’t give you her jewelry so that it could sit in your jewelry box. Change it around and wear it with pride knowing that you have jewelry that is uniquely you, without losing the sentiment.

What Makes a Diamond So Special? (Part. 1)

Here at Warren Jewelers, we carry the largest in-store selection of diamonds over 1-carat in the Northwest and because all of our staff have special training in diamonds (many with certification from the Gemological Institute of America) our customers always come to us with questions about diamonds and what it is that makes them so special. Because there is really so much cool stuff to know about diamonds, we’ll split our favorite facts up over the next couple of months, so stay tuned and before long you’ll be a diamond expert too!

Part 1. Finding Diamonds
The first diamond mines were located in India over 3,000 years ago. For the first 2,900 of those years, every diamond that came out of the earth was mined by hand. When you think about the fact that it takes 250 tons of dirt moved to find a single 1-carat diamond, that’s a lot of digging.

For centuries diamond miners have searched through dangerous territories where only explorers have dared to travel to find diamonds, and many have never returned. Countries have gone to war over diamond mines and mining companies have invested in technologies to dive to the deepest parts of oceans in order to vacuum diamonds off of the ocean floor.

Next time you go shopping for diamonds, consider that only 20% of all diamonds mined are of gem quality, with the other eighty percent being what we refer to as “industrial quality.” When someone shows you a beautiful diamond remember that it takes 1million gem quality diamonds to find a single 1-carat diamond, 5 million to find a 2-carat, and that it is unknown how many diamonds you would have to go through to find even a single 3-carat or larger diamond.

We’re Here For You

We all know that Seattle has had it’s share of economic hardships. “Will the last person leaving Seattle-Turn out the lights,” was the message on a billboard near the Seattle Tacoma International Airport in 1971. At the time this sign went up Seattle, and the nation, were one year into an economic crisis.

In 1973 Warren Jewelers ushered in springtime by opening it’s doors. During the economic downturn we made it our goal to help everyone who walked through our doors by offering the products and services they needed the most. It became our job and our mission to provide outstanding service to anyone. 36 years later this is still our goal, and thanks to all our customers we are still going strong.

That is why this Mother’s day we are offering FREE SILVER TULIP JEWELRY to anyone with proof of job loss May 4th through the 9th. If you have lost your job come down to either our Kirkland or Burlington locations to get your free Mother’s Day gift. If you know anyone else who has been effected by job loss as well, bring them down with you or send them in! Our doors are always open Monday through Friday 10am to 7pm and Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

Warren Jewelers knows that times are tough, but our customers are tougher, and you can count on us to be here for you no matter what the economic forecast is. Thank you for being here for us too, and have a wonderful Mother’s Day!