Gift Ideas from our Collection of Fine Jewelry

With Valentine’s Day coming up or an important wedding anniversary or birthday to celebrate, Padis Jewelry has lots of good gift ideas that are sure to please your loved one.  We know that giving the gift of a diamond is a time-honored tradition and we can certainly help you out in that respect with our large inventory of diamond jewelry and certified loose diamonds.  In addition we also have high-quality timepieces and a selection of fine jewelry for excellent gift-giving ideas.   

Our website has a link on our home page to some of our most popular gift ideas.  Here you will find a selection of fine jewelry including classic diamond pendants from luxury designer brands such as Tacori, known for their intricately handcrafted pieces by Californian artisans.   You will also find beautiful nature-inspired necklaces and earrings from Meira T., a Manhattan designer who creates pieces that utilize 14 and 18 karat gold, diamonds, and colored gemstones. 

If a bracelet sounds like the perfect gift, you will find we have an incredible selection.  You may want to consider a sterling silver and 14K yellow gold diamond petal bracelet from Four Keeps, which would make a beautiful gift for the special lady in your life.  Or perhaps a classic pair of gorgeous pearl earrings or a unique piece from the Simon G. Organic Allure Collection that is both classic and contemporary at the same time. 

Also Padis Jewelry makes it easy to find the right gift for the man in your life with our high-quality timepieces from some of the top watchmakers in the world.  Sought-after names like Tag Heuer, Breitling, and Bulova would be a very memorable gift.  We also have a collection of men’s rings, tie bars and cuff links.  Visit our website to see our full inventory or contact us to schedule a visit to our showrooms. 

Padis Jewelry, a family-owned business, has been a trusted source for buying exquisite certified loose diamonds, engagement rings and fine jewelry since 1974.  We are one of the only jewelers in the area that offers such an exclusive selection of top names in the industry as well as such a large inventory.  For an opportunity to view one of San Francisco and the Napa Valley’s most impressive collections, please contact us to schedule at visit.

Carat Weight of a Diamond

Buying a diamond, especially a diamond engagement ring or loose stones intended for an engagement ring is a very special moment in your life.  However as it is an investment, you want to be sure you know what you are buying.  Diamonds are sold by carat weight and the larger the carat weight, the rarer and more valuable the diamond is likely to be. 

The word carat is derived from the word carob and was the original unit of measure for diamond traders.  The Mediterranean carob seed was an extremely consistent weight of measurement. The abbreviation for carat is “ct.” and a metric “carat” is defined as 200 milligrams or 1/5 of a gram.  The metric carat weight was standardized in the 20^th century and the U.S. officially adopted the measurement in 1913.   

The GIA explains that “each carat can be subdivided into 100 points,” which means that every stone has a very precise measurement to the hundredth decimal place.  From a jeweler’s perspective, this means they may describe the weight of a diamond under one carat by the ‘points’ alone.  For example if a diamond weighs 0.25 carats, a jeweler may describe the stone as a ‘twenty-five pointer.’  The GIA notes that “diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals. A 1.08 carat stone would be described as ‘one point oh eight carats.” 

When shopping for a diamond, please remember that a diamond’s value is not just based on the carat weight.  This means that any two diamonds of equal carat weight will not necessarily cost the same.   Diamonds are also valued based on three other factors - Clarity, Color, and Cut. 

As highly reputable jewelry experts, Padis Jewelry wants you to be satisfied with your purchase.  This is why our jewelry consultants will help you to select the best ring in terms of cut, color, and clarity as well as carat weight that fits your budget.  Visit our website to browse our exquisite collection or contact us to arrange a visit to our San Francisco or St. Helena showrooms.       

Since 1974, Padis Jewelry has been a trusted source for buying exquisite certified loose diamonds, engagement rings and fine jewelry.  We are one of the only jewelers in the area that offers such an exclusive selection of top names in the industry as well as such a large inventory.  We invite you to visit our showrooms to see our beautiful collection of fine jewelry.

Source: 4cs.gia.edu/en-us/diamond-carat-weight/ 

Shop with Us for the Top Luxury Brands

Padis Jewelry is the name to remember when you are looking for the world’s top luxury brands in the jewelry industry.  We are honored to be San Francisco’s exclusive retailer for sought-after brand names such as: Forevermark, Ritani, Verragio, Jeff Cooper Designs, Tacori, Henri Daussi, Endless, Michael M., Sylvie, Demarco, Simon G., and Scott Kay.  Furthermore, our timepiece collection is comprised of high-performance, quality names like Breitling, Bulova AccuSwiss, Tag Heuer, Stuhrling Watch and Michele Watch among others.   

We are also proud to carry one of the area’s finest selections of exquisite engagement rings.  By having such a large collection, we are sure you will find a ring that speaks to your personality and style.  Our three showrooms in San Francisco and a store in Napa Valley are staffed with knowledgeable jewelry consultants as well as GIA Graduate Gemologists available at all times to answers questions and provide guidance.  Another benefit to shopping at our stores is the fact that our inventory is clearly displayed and each piece of jewelry is marked with its price.  After all, regardless of how small or large your budget may be, we all want to know the cost of a piece of jewelry we are interested in.   

If you are already love the look of a jewelry brand such as Tacori or Verragio that are known for delicate, vintage styles, the Michael M Collection that features modern and vintage styles, or the modern flair and classic elegance of Simon G., our jewelry consultants can show you rings from those designers.  Once you let us know your price range and the type of style you prefer, we can help you narrow down your choices even more.  Whether you want to look at our collection of solitaire, classic, three-stone or halo rings, we have lots of beautiful rings to choose from.  

In addition shopping from our online catalog is also easy.  You will find our huge collection of stunning engagement rings is sorted in a number of ways including brand, style, and cut to help you get started finding the perfect engagement ring.      

As a family-owned business, Padis Jewelry has been a trusted source for buying exquisite certified loose diamonds, engagement rings and fine jewelry since 1974.  We are one of the only jewelers in the area that offers such an exclusive selection of top names in the industry as well as such a large inventory.  We invite you to visit our showrooms to see our beautiful collection of fine jewelry.

Some of the World’s Largest Diamond Mines

Diamonds are now mined in many countries around the world.  According to the Kimberley Process statistics, there were 22 countries that produced rough diamonds in 2014.   Russia, Botswana, Canada, Angola, South Africa, and Namibia are among the world’s top producers of rough diamonds and make up 90% of production by value.   

Russia’s huge Mir mine in eastern Siberia is an enormous crater-sized pit that is 1,722-feet-deep and a diameter of nearly one mile across.   The mine’s open pit operations ended in 2004 and was replaced with underground tunnels.  The Mir mine produced over six million carats of rough diamonds in 2014 and has an estimated value of $16 billion including the diamonds that have already been mined and the amount of diamonds in reserve. 

The Jwaneng mine, owned by Debswana, is a joint operation between De Beers and the government of Botswana.  Located in south-central Botswana, it is the richest diamond mine in the world and the country’s most important asset.  Opened in 1982, the huge pit mine is more than a mile long at its widest point and is currently producing about 10.6 million carats a year.  

The world’s largest, new diamond mine is Gahcho Kué, which has the potential to become one of Canada's most high-grade and long-lived diamond mines.  Located in the Northwest Territories of Canada, the Gahcho Kué Mine is a joint venture between De Beers Canada Inc. (51%) and Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. (49%).  Discovered in 1995, the site has been under construction until it began producing diamonds in late September.  The mine is expected to produce an average of 4.5 million carats a year for an estimated twelve years.  The Gahcho Kué’s opening comes at a good time as two of Canada’s other large mines; the Ekati and Diavik are nearing the end of their production. 

Padis Jewelry, a family-owned business, has been a trusted source for buying exquisite certified loose diamonds, engagement rings and fine jewelry since 1974.  We are one of the only jewelers in the area that offers such an exclusive selection of top names in the industry as well as such a large inventory.  For the opportunity to view one of San Francisco and the Napa Valley’s most impressive collections, please contact us to schedule at visit.

Sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3741956/The-expensive-hole-world-Russian-diamond-valued-13-BILLION-vast-helicopters-banned-flying-case-SUCKED-it.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/03/africa/botswana-diamonds-jwaneng/

http://www.myyellowknifenow.com/15336/gahcho-kue-could-contribute-6-7-billion-to-economy-de-beers/

The Kimberly Process for Verification of Origin

When you buy a diamond from Padis Jewelry, you can be confident that it is a conflict free diamond.  Our carefully selected suppliers regulate strict labor and environmental standards and are able to demonstrate a complete chain of custody for their diamonds.  

As we mentioned in an additional post, conflict diamonds have been responsible for funding wars and hostile conflicts in countries throughout Africa.  To solve this problem, governments, organizations and the diamond industry met in 2000 to find a way “to stop the trade in conflict diamonds and ensure that diamond purchases were not financing violence by rebel movements and their allies seeking to undermine legitimate governments.” 

What evolved from these meetings was the formation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), which was first implemented in 2003.  The KPCS is a set of requirements designed to control rough diamond production and trade, and to eradicate conflict diamonds from the world’s diamond supply.   

While some problems remain with KPCS, the intent of the agreement is to impose rules that members must follow in order to certify shipments of rough diamonds as ‘conflict free’ and keep conflict diamonds from entering the marketplace.  Each member state must put in place national legislation and internal controls that regulates exports and imports.  In addition participants must commit to rules regarding transparency and the exchange of statistical data.  Another component to the agreement is that members may only legally trade with other members in good standing.  Most importantly all international shipments of “rough diamonds must be accompanied by a KP certificate guaranteeing that they are conflict-free.” 

The diamond industry states that today 99% of diamonds are KP certified and come from a conflict free source.   Visit the Padis Jewelry website to learn more about our beautiful and rare collection of certified diamonds that have all been responsibly sourced.

Padis Jewelry, a family-owned business, has been a trusted source for buying exquisite certified loose diamonds, engagement rings and fine jewelry since 1974.  We are one of the only jewelers in the area that offers such an exclusive selection of top names in the industry as well as such a large inventory.  For an opportunity to view one of San Francisco’s most impressive collections, please contact us to schedule at visit.

Source:  kimberleyprocess.com/en/about

Why it is Important to Buy Conflict Free Diamonds

The term “conflict diamonds” is used to describe diamonds that have been mined to fund devastating civil wars in Africa, and still contribute to extreme violence, worker exploitation, and environmental devastation. Despite steps taken to eliminate abuses, some diamonds are still mined under dreadful human rights abuses that exploit the men, woman and children in those communities.   

Wikipedia cites the organization Global Witness as the first to identify the link between diamonds and the conflicts that were going on throughout parts of Africa.  They published a report detailing those abuses entitled A Rough Trade in 1998.  Shortly thereafter, the United Nations also officially recognized that diamonds were being used to fund wars.  This led to the passing of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1173 in 1998 and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1295 in 2000. 

To address this problem, a coalition of governments, non-government organizations and the diamond industry worked together to find a way to halt the trade of conflict diamonds.  Out of this effort came the 2002 Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), that is a set of regulations to control the export and import of rough diamonds.

In addition to the KPCS, Global Witness states that companies must make sure their supply chains are trading responsibly or they risk the danger of funding serious abuses. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) offers a Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas that provides companies detailed information on how to “respect ‌human rights and avoid contributing to conflict through their mineral purchasing decisions and practices.”

At the family-owned Padis Jewelry, we are committed to buying and selling conflict-free diamonds.  All of our diamonds are socially and environmentally responsibly sourced.  We carefully select our suppliers and only buy from those who adhere to strict labor and environmental standards and are able to demonstrate a complete chain of custody for their gemstones.

Padis Jewelry, a family-owned business, has been a trusted source for buying exquisite certified loose diamonds, engagement rings and fine jewelry since 1974.  We are one of the only jewelers in the area that offers such an exclusive selection of top names in the industry as well as such a large inventory.  For an opportunity to view one of San Francisco’s most impressive collections, please contact us to schedule at visit.

Sources: globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/conflict-diamonds/

oecd.org/corporate/mne/mining.htm