Ultimate Proposal Contest + Special Diamond Discount!

It’s that time again! Wedding season will soon be kicking into high gear and to honor this fabulous time of year, we’re ready to reward our most romantic readers!

National Estate Jewelers is joining up with the Jewelry Information Center to bring to you the “Ultimate Proposal Contest!” Submit the story of your engagement – the more romantic, exciting, amazing, the better – and you’ll be eligible to win a 7 day Caribbean cruise, beautiful Mae Vona wedding bands, and pearl necklaces from Imperial!

Not too shabby for a few minutes of reminiscing!

How does it work?

All you have to do is go to the JIC’s Ultimate Proposal Website. There you’ll find a simple submission form for you to write your engagement story. Contest dates are April 4, 2011 through May 23, 2011.

Feel free to submit engagement pictures, ring pictures, ring stats, even a short video.  The more content the better, considering the grand prize winner will be chosen by the other contestants! And don’t forget to select “National Estate Jewelers” from the source drop-down box. Submission deadline is May 23, 2011 and the top 10 finalists will be announced on May 31, 2011. The top 10 finalists will receive a graduated Freshwater cultured pearl necklace from Imperial valued at $350.

You’ll be able to vote for your favorite story from May 31st to June 20th.

Maybe you need some more motivation – check out the specs on this cruise!

A 7-night Caribbean cruise for two on the prestigious Norwegian Cruise Line.

• Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 44-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising, which has revolutionized the industry by allowing guests more freedom and flexibility. Today, Norwegian has 11 Freestyle Cruising ships, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea.
• Cruise itinerary may be Eastern or Western Caribbean, departing from Port of Miami, FL. The cruise is valued at $1,750. Valid for one year of travel and is fully transferrable.
• Includes all port fees, taxes, high season dates and inside cabin accommodations. Transportation to the port is not included.
• Onboard meals and entertainment are included. Alcoholic beverages, gratuities and off-shore excursions are not included.
• Sponsored by CMC-Meridian

This could be you!!!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. The “Ultimate Proposal Contest” begins on 4/4/11 at 12pm EDT and ends on 5/23/11 at 12pm EDT. Contest is open to individuals who are legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., age 18 or older as of 4/4/11. Travel to Miami, Florida departure port not included. To enter and view the complete Official Rules which govern the Contest, visit www.JIC.org/proposalcontest. Sponsor: Jewelers of America, Inc. Void where prohibited.

What are you waiting for?

Feel free to spread the word to friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances, your barista, anyone! But remember, the deadline is May 23, 2011!

Don’t have an engagement story yet? Why don’t you come by and visit our Diamond Design Center. Linda, the “Senorita of Diamonds” will be more than happy to help you while you browse our amazing selection of unset diamonds and custom made mountings or Central Jersey’s largest collection of antique and estate engagement rings!

Here’s a little coupon to make it easier – 10% off all diamond jewelry! Only for a limited time, so come in today!

Looking for a 33.19ct Diamond?

While there are many things that will ensure Dame Elizabeth Taylor’s place in the annals of pop culture history – her fabulous Oscar-winning talent, her eight TMZ worthy marriages, her humanitarian fundraising efforts for AIDS research – I think we can all agree that her jewelry collection could top them all.

Now, while no official confirmation has been issued, rumor has it that famed auction house Christie’s is in the lead to auction off pieces from Elizabeth Taylor’s extensive collection.

Could it be true?

Well, maybe. Christie’s and Elizabeth Taylor have had a great relationship.

In September of 2002, Christie’s hosted the first-ever public exhibition of Taylor’s collection to commemorate the launch of her book “Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry.” Over 30 hand-picked pieces were available for public viewing, including the 33.19ct Krupp Diamond and La Peregrina, one of the world’s most famous pearls, whose history can be traced back to the 16th century.

In addition to exhibiting her pieces, Taylor arranged a charity auction for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF). Taylor generously donated an emerald and diamond cluster ring to the auction. ETAF also received generous donations from Bulgari, Van Cleef and Arpels, Cartier, Harry Winston, and several more of the world’s top design houses. 100% of the proceeds went to ETAF.

The Krupp Diamond. Taylor claims to have "won" this ring after beating then-husband Richard Burton in ping pong.

Taylor Wearing La Peregrina in a custom setting designed by Cartier

In 2007, Christie’s sold several pieces of the House of Taylor’s Elizabeth Collection as part of their April 25th Magnificent Jewels auction. The House of Taylor designs received creative input from Dame Elizabeth herself. The pieces included a diamond necklace with 12 golden pearls in 18K white gold, matching earrings, and a double-strand ruby and diamond necklace, with a total estimated value of $386,000 to $558,000.

House of Taylor Collection

Time Will Tell.
So, is it likely? Sounds like it. But it was Sotheby’s that originally sold the Krupp diamond to Richard Burton, so maybe they’re in the running too!

We’ll keep you posted. Although if anyone feels like starting their own fabulous jewelry collection, come by our showroom! I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll love!

 

New York Pier Show & Fashion Alley WE HAVE FREE TICKETS!

Below are the details for The Pier Antiques Show at Pier 94 in New York City!
We’ll be in attendance!
Over 500 dealers will be displaying art, furniture, and jewelry, as well as a special section called “Fashion Alley” where dozens of vintage clothing stores bring in the best of the best fashions from the past.

For us, this show is very important. We haven’t displayed at this show in over 15 years!

However, we’re ready for our triumphant return to Pier 94 and hope you’ll be there to join us. Not only are we bringing our stellar collection of antique and estate jewelry, watches, and diamonds, we’re bringing a sample of our PRIVATE antiques and sterling silver inventory!

Normally we don’t bring our silver and antiques to shows, but since NYC is practically our own backyard, we’ll be bringing a selection of marble and bronze busts, ceramic objets d’art, and sterling silver hollowware that is usually only available for viewing in our retail showroom. Don’t miss the chance to see these objects on display – it might be the only time they leave the store!

The Pier Show is easily accessible, check it out (courtesy of Stella Show Management):

GETTING TO THE PIERS

Subway & Bus
7th or 8th Avenue Subway to Columbus Circle/W. 59th Street. Exit at W. 57th St. Take M57 or M31 bus west to 57th St & 11th Ave. M31 bus also stops at 54th St & 11th Ave. Walk one block to 12th Ave., cross at 55th St. for Pier 94, 52nd St. for Pier 92.

Subway and Bus Information : (718) 330-1234

Metered taxi fare is approximately:
Upper Manhattan -$6-$10, Midtown-$3-$6, Lower-$6-$10

Lincoln Tunnel (from 95)
take 40th St. to 10th Ave and a left on 55th St.

George Washington Bridge
- From NY Side take Rt. 9A, Henry Hudson Parkway south/downtown. Proceed south on Henry Hudson Pkwy to last exit, at 56th St, stay right for thru traffic. Passenger Ship Terminal is 1 block ahead on right. Paid parking on roof. Rt. 80 or Palisades Parkway- to George Washington Bridge to NY side and follow directions for Henry Hudson Parkway. Proceed south on Henry Hudson Pkwy to last exit, at 56th St, stay right. Passenger Ship Terminal is 1 block ahead on right.

Garden State Parkway
- to exit 153 or N.J. Turnpike to Exit 16E (better). Then Rt. 3 E to Lincoln Tunnel, follow signs for Lincoln Tunnel. Exit tunnel and make left turn, travel north on 10th Ave., and left onto 55th St. Cross 12th Ave. and follow signs to Passenger Ship Terminal. Drive up the Ramp. Paid parking is on the roof.

Holland Tunnel
- follow signs for “Uptown” right on Hudson, left on Canal. Proceed four blocks to West St. and turn right. West St. becomes 12th Ave. Follow “Thru Traffic” signs. Continue north on 12th Ave. and follow signs to Passenger Ship Terminal.(Left at 55th St.)

Queens Midtown Tunnel
- when exiting bear right to 34th St. Go west on 34th to 12th Ave. Make right turn, go north to 55th St., make a left at 55th St. and follow signs to Terminals

Triborough Bridge
- Follow signs to “Manhattan” and FDR Drive South. Take FDR S to 53rd St. Exit. Take 53rd St. crosstown to 11th Ave. Turn right, go two blocks (55th St.) turn left.

Just because we love when our customers come visit us at our shows, we’re giving away free tickets! That’s right – just stop by our store and pick up a complimentary pass (limit 2 per customer) and come visit us at booth 3531!

The show runs this weekend only (March 12 & 13) and the hours for both days are 10AM – 6PM.

See you there!

The Original Miami Beach Show!

Like pretty much everyone else in America, we’re SICK AND TIRED of these constant winter storms! The ice, the snow, the shoveling, the traffic jams…it’s times like this that we dream of getting away from it all, escaping single-digit temperature drops. So let’s escape to someplace warm where palm trees sway in 72 degree breezes, where scarves are a fashion accessory and not a necessity, where if you want to go for a swim, you don’t have to join your local Polar Bear Club. We’re talking about Miami Beach!

That’s right! From February 3-7, we’ll be in sunny South Beach in Miami, Florida at the Original Miami Beach Antique Show (as if you needed a better reason to get away for a few days!). Come visit us and see an amazing array of antique and estate jewelry!

This is the first of 2 yearly shows we attend in Miami Beach. It is the largest indoor antique show in the world, and this year it features over 800 dealers from 22 countries!

And it’s not just a jewelry show. The Original Miami Beach Antique Show features 17th – 20th century fine art, furniture, ceramics & pottery, textiles, bronzes, art glass, watches &clocks, and more!

There is so much to see that you might need the whole 5 days the show runs (February 3rd – 7th) just to stop at every booth!

The show is also hosting a Free Appraisal for attendees on Saturday, February 5th from 12-6PM. Attendees are permitted 1 item to be evaluated by one of two expert appraisers (click here for more information).

Another neat event this year is the “What’s it Worth?” contest. All you have to do is guess the value of THIS ITEM and you can win a $500 American Express Gift Card! Now, you don’t actually have to attend the show to submit a guess – all you have to do is fill out an online form on the Original Miami Beach Antique Show’s site (here) and wait for the result!

However, if you DO attend the show (and we really really hope you do!) you can win a genuine freshwater pearl necklace! Visit the Pearl Promotion Booth, get your raffle ticket, and cross your fingers! A pearl necklace will be given away EVERY HOUR of the show. More information here.

As If You Need Another Reason…

Tickets are available for purchase at the door for only $15 which includes entry for all 5 days.

Here are some links to recommended hotels and information for attendees.

And while the Original Miami Beach Antique Show is a lot of fun, it certainly isn’t the only thing to do in Miami! Check out some of these suggestions from the official Miami tourism guide.

Either way, please come by and visit us at Booth #3022 and check out our incredible collection of antique, estate, and contemporary jewelry & watches. We’ll see you there!

 

Add a Little Color to Your Engagement!

lipping through the local paper last week, we found a great article about non-diamond engagement rings. Even with all the buzz around Prince William proposing with Princess Diana’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring, we were surprised to see that more and more couples are choosing colored stones for their engagement rings.

Now, fancy colored diamonds have always been popular, and pink and yellow diamonds are super trendy right now. But other colored stones are gaining popularity too. Let’s take a look!

Sapphires for the Princess in Your Life

Like we mentioned before, Princess Diana’s engagement ring was a beautiful 18 carat deep blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds. So why not surprise the princess in your life with a similar ring?

Our ring features a beautiful 3.26 carat sapphire surrounded by 1.00 carat of diamonds in a platinum setting. Less expensive than Princess Diana’s, but certainly stunning!

Besides being drop dead gorgeous, sapphires are also very durable. As part of the Corundum family of minerals, they measure an 8.0-9.0 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness (Diamonds are the hardest at 10.0).

They are also September’s birthstone, so if you play your cards right, you can knock out a birthday gift and an engagement ring in one shot!

Sapphires come in other colors besides blue, which is definitely the most popular. But did you know that a ruby is actually a red sapphire? We wonder if Jessica Simpson knew that when she got her engagement ring.

Ruby Slippers? She’ll Settle for a Ruby Ring…
From Dorothy’s toes to Jessica Simpson’s fingers, rubies have long been a luxurious addition to jewelry collections all over the world. They’re one of the four precious stones (Diamond, Rubies, Sapphires, and Emeralds) and have belonged to royalty for centuries (just ask Fergie, Duchess of York, who supposedly customized her engagement ring from Prince Andrew to include a ruby to match her hair!).

Rubies are also very durable, with hardness similar to sapphires measuring a 9.0 on the Mohs Scale. Historically, the finest rubies came from Burma (modern day Myanmar) but some have even been found in the state of Montana! Get some inspiration from the Far East with this Ruby ring set in 22k (typically used for Indian jewelry, it’s warm hue really enhances this ruby’s deep red color!)

The deepest, reddest ruby color is commonly known as “Pigeon Blood.” Don’t let the name get you down – it’s an absolutely beautiful color!

It’s July’s birthstone, and red is perfect for 4th of July!

Her Friends Will Be Green with Envy

Even though emeralds have been around for thousands of years, Queen Victoria of England may have been the first famous personage in recent memory to receive an emerald engagement ring. Designed by Prince Albert, it featured a gold snake set with emeralds (snakes were symbols of good luck in the Victorian Era) and since then, emeralds have been included in some dazzling  engagement rings.

More recently, John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier with an emerald and diamond engagement ring from Van Cleef & Arpels. As with anything Jackie Kennedy wore, emerald engagement rings became synonymous with quiet sophistication.

Why don’t you wow her with this beautiful Cabochon emerald set in yellow gold? Remember, natural emeralds often have inclusions called “jardin” from the French word for “garden.” These string-like imperfections are expected in natural emeralds. Actually, if there aren’t any of these inclusions present, it usually means that the stone has been heat treated or otherwise doctored.

We hope this little lesson will inspire you to take the road less traveled. Broaden your horizons and get a ring that is as unique as your one and only!

 

PS: A quick note – items that appear in our newsletters and blogs have a nasty habit of flying off the shelf! So don’t wait, come on in and take your pick home today!

New Showroom Revealed!

You like us, you REALLY like us!

We were positively flabbergasted at the outpouring of support we received for our grand opening. Our vendors and contractors worked around the clock to make sure that our showroom was in tip-top shape for all of our guests. There was still some wet paint behind the toilet paper holder, but nobody noticed!

Here are a few snapshots..

Why, Hello Mr. Mayor!

One of the first guests to arrive as the Mayor of East Brunswick. Mayor David Stahl, as well as several members of the East Brunswick Township Council, were on hand for our ribbon cutting ceremony. Here’s the President of National Estate Jewelers, Barry Blank (on the left) shaking hands with Mayor Stahl (on the right).

In a brief speech, Stahl expressed how proud he was of us for moving ahead with an expansion despite the recession. Stahl also emphasized how the successes like ours prove that East Brunswick is still a healthy environment for small businesses.

 

While we never doubted that we had so many friends, we were completely blown away by how many of them showed up! As you can see, guests were jam packed into our our (normally very spacious!) showroom, taking time to look at all the beautiful pieces on display.

Free Food Vs. Free Jewelry!

But the biggest point of interest (besides the buffet!) was in front of the raffle station, where we had our fabulous prizes lined up. Guests could choose from a set of Tiffany & Co sterling silver cuff links, a men’s Bulova watch, a 14k white gold filigree pendant, a pair of diamond stud earrings, or $100 worth of gift cards for our showroom! Here’s Barry, calling out the lucky winners.

And a Big “Thank You” From All of Us!

As you can see from our smiling happy faces in this group picture, we were absolutely ecstatic with how the grand opening went. Every detail was perfect and every guest was a pleasure!

Really, thank you all for your support. Where would we be without our customers?

Here’s hoping you all have a great holiday season and a very happy new year! You’ll be hearing from us soon!

GRAND OPENING of our New Retail Showroom!

As you already know, we’ve been a little quiet these past few months. You may have noticed our new name and a shiny new logo to match. Well, we’re back in action now that we’re just days away from opening our…

(drumroll please)

BRAND NEW RETAIL SHOWROOM!

That’s right – we’ve been working day and night to nearly double the size of our store! It’s a tough job, but at nearly 4,000 square feet, we can proudly call ourselves “Central Jersey’s Largest Estate Jeweler!”

Not your average remodeling job…

Brand New Sign!

Since you’ve been in our store (hopefully many many times!) I’m sure you can remember how it used to look. Well, brace yourself because you wouldn’t even recognize us now!

In the new space, we’ve created a tremendous retail showroom with nearly 20 showcases filled with antique, vintage and contemporary jewelry.

We are also pleased to introduce our new Diamond Design services which let customers design the engagement ring of their dreams from our huge selection of loose diamonds and mountings.

Our plans also include space for our incredible inventory of men’s and women’s vintage watches from Hamilton, Omega, Mathey-Tissot, LeCoultre, and our private inventory of Native American and Mexican sterling silver and turquoise jewelry. Good luck finding all those things in the mall!

What a long strange trip it’s been…

We’ve come a long way from our very first showroom. Remember how it used to be?

Our Old Storefront

Old Showroom

Now, after weeks of new construction, we’re putting the finishing touches on our beautiful new showroom! We’re keeping the final showroom a surprise until we officially open it on Saturday, December 11th, but take a look at what we’ve done so far…

Joining the two showrooms
Getting the showcases just right

Brand New Look, Same Great Service!

I know it seems like we’re changing everything about our business, but rest assured that we are still offering the same services that have made us your trusted jeweler for over 40 years.

Part of our renovation includes 3 brand new private evaluation offices where you can work with our professional evaluators when you come to sell or trade your jewelry, diamonds, watches, coins, and other valuables. Now with a total of 5 offices, we’ll be able to work with you quickly and efficiently and minimize wait times.

We’ve also created special workrooms for our jeweler and watchmaker, giving them more space to work on your repairs which means faster turnaround times.

Our new appraisal/consultation room has custom diamond grading lights to give us the most accurate color and clarity grades possible when viewing your items or designing the perfect engagement ring.

So come by our new showroom! We’ll have it all ready for you this Saturday, December 11th. Our inventory is specially priced to honor our grand opening AND to help get your Christmas shopping done (like you needed a reminder, right?)

Win a $25 Gift Card in our Funniest Caption Contest!

Write a caption to this picture featuring Barry & Arleen taking a break from demolition to have a few laughs. The funniest caption wins a $25 Gift Certificate good towards anything in our showroom!

Please send all entries to Contact@NationalEstateJewelers.com.
All entries must be submitted by January 1, 2011.
The winning caption will also be included a future  next blog post.

gift card is not valid for repairs or custom design services. cannot be replaced if lost or stolen. not transferable or redeemable for cash value. cannot be used as payment on account or toward the purchase of NEJ gift cards. not valid without seal. must be used in our physical store.