Wonderful Gifts for The Young Lady in Your Life

Young ladies in their “tween” years can be difficult to buy gifts for:  they’re not children so dolls and other toys aren’t generally treasured, and they’re not teenagers so makeup and clothing doesn’t quite fit the bill either.  As they get older, they want more independence and to be treated more like young adults. Because of this, we think a beautiful jewelry box will show that “she’s growing up”!

The traditional jewelry box for a young girl is the wind up ballerina box.  The one shown below is typical in its design:  white, pink lining, and plays / twirls when the lid is opened.  This lovely girls jewelry box offers storage for the special things that girls love to collect. It accommodates rings, bracelets, and earrings. In this model, there is a pull out drawer as well to lay necklaces flat.  If you think that’s a little too young girl, we can recommend something a little more “young women” rather than “older girl”.

Ballerina Jewelry Box for the "Tween"

A womens jewelry box is something that she can get as a ‘tween and appreciate as a young adult gift.  The value of going with something less adolescent and more elegant is that she’ll keep it for the rest of her life, and will grow into the storage as she gets older and acquires more jewelry.  A locking womens jewelry box is also an option, but be sure she keeps the key secure!

Womens Jewelry Box

Finally, personalizing the jewelry box with her initials, monogram, or a message based on the occasion will guarantee that she’ll always have and remember it!

Click here to check out all of our girls jewelry boxes, as well as shop for womens jewelry boxes.  Whatever choice you make, she’ll love this unique and useful gift!

Noelle, ChasingTreasure.com

July's Birthstone - The Ruby

Ruby Gemstone

Every wonder what July’s birthstone is?  Well wonder no more:  it’s the ruby!  How did the ruby become July’s birthstone?  Well, like all birthstones they were derived from Aaron’s Breastplate and coincide with the 12 signs of the Zodiac.  Why Ruby’s were selected for July is unknown (let us know if you know why!), but Ruby’s are said to provide health, wisdom, wealth, and success in love, and this may be why the ruby was selected as July’s birthstone:  the vibrant nature of the summer season.

We are know that diamonds are judged by the 4 Cs:  color, carat, clarity, and cut, and  ruby’s are judged the same way, with Color being the most important aspect of a ruby’s value.   The most valuable rubies are blood red or “pigeon blood” red. (Are pigeon’s blood redder than other animals?  That’s a blog for another day!)  Next in terms of value are the carat (weight) and then the cut, with clarity rounding out the fourth “c”.

Rubies are almost as hard as diamonds:  they rank 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, with diamonds ranking 10.  Rubies are made of aluminum oxide with chromium replacing a small fraction of the aluminum ions.  The arrangement oxygen around the chromium is what makes those molecules absorb the yellow-green color spectrum and re-emit it as red….pretty neat!

Color imperfections, known as rutile needles, are found in every ruby, and this is what gemologists use to distinguish a real ruby from a synthetic one.  Rubies are generally heated before cutting, and almost all ruby jewelry pieces are heated, which slightly alters these needles.  Ruby’s that have excellent quality without ever having been heated are considered the highest quality.  Rubies are found in many counties, including the United States, but are mainly mined in Tanzania, Burma, India, and almost all countries in southeast Asia.  A final interesting fact about rubies:  the most expensive is called the Sunrise Ruby, which recently (May 2015) sold at auction for $30 million dollars.

So if you’re thinking about a gift for that July birthday, or just want to add to your collection, consider the beautiful ruby!  And to keep your ruby, and all of your jewelry, safe and secure, don’t forget the jewelry box!  Women’s jewelry boxes range from luxury jewelry boxes for the dresser top to large jewelry armoires for any size jewelry collection!

Noelle
www.chasingtreasure.com

Locking Jewelry Armoire