Tell Your Love Story with a Ring Stack

Your engagement ring can be the beautiful centerpiece to a fabulous ring stack. Tell your love story and show your personality by stacking rings around your beautiful engagement ring.

Maybe you were gifted a promise ring or an anniversary ring that you would like to incorporate, these pieces are the pieces that tell your love story.  Stack them with your engagement ring and other beautiful rings that will help to customize the stack.

Consider rings with different diamond shapes, metals, and designs.  You can always switch your stack out for different occasions or seasons!

Come in to talk to any of our bridal specialists about creating your unique stack.

Below is a ring stack we created around our 18 k Rose Gold Engagement ring.

18 k Rose Gold Engagement Ring

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Understanding the Difference Between Automatic and Hand-Winding Mechanical Watches

Often we get questions from customers about mechanical watches. Generally, they’d like to understand the difference between mechanical self-winding watches and hand-winding watches. Here, we explain the difference in simple terms…

A mechanical watch is made of hundreds of tiny parts that work together without using batteries (as in quartz watches) or without use of solar power. The mechanical components power the watch and track the time (and often a lot more than just the time).

Hand-Winding Mechanicals

Essentially, a hand-wound — also sometimes referred to as a manual-wind watch — is a timepiece that has an inner movement that must be wound by the wearer on a regular basis. The watch is generally wound via the crown in a singular direction to wind the inner spring and power the watch. As the crown is turned, it sets a small dance into motion thanks to a complicated system of gears that slowly transmit the energy from the crown to a main spring that is coiled inside a barrel. When the crown won’t turn any longer, the spring is fully wound. It then slowly starts to unwind, releasing power to the watch via another series of gears and wheels, including a main balance wheel that helps to regulate the release of energy for consistent timekeeping. If the wearer forgets to wind the watch, the energy runs out and the watch stops working until it is set and wound again.

Automatic/Self-Winding Mechanicals

In an automatic watch — also referred to as a self-winding watch — the movement is built differently than that of a hand-wound watch. It consists of a “rotor” or “oscillator” that is powered by the movement of the wearer’s wrist. As the wrist moves, it automatically moves the rotor, which, as it swings, winds the mainspring inside its barrel. The power lasts for a specified amount of time (referred to as power reserve) if the watch is not being worn, but as long as the watch is worn, it will continually wind itself. Stop in any time to check out our wonderful array of mechanical watches.

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Peridot: August’s Birthstone

Peridot, August’s birthstone.

The ancient Egyptians mined peridot on the Red Sea island of Zabargad, the source for many large fine peridots in the world’s museums. The Egyptians called it the “gem of the sun.” Today this gem is still prized for its restful yellowish green hues and long history.

Shop Peridot at Hamilton Jewelers:

Lisette Stud Earrings

Peridot Stud Earrings

18k Gold and Peridot Necklace (sale)

Lisette Necklace

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Ceramic: The Perfect Watch Material for Summer

As more and more watch brands delve into the realm of high-tech materials for watch cases and bracelets, we are witnessing a host of wonderful new ceramic watches emerge on the market. However, not all ceramics are the same. High-tech engineered ceramic is one of the hardest and most scratch-resistant materials for watches. The cases and bracelets — as long as the watch is water resistant — can get wet without any impact, as the material is durable. As such, this is a great material for summertime watches because they can weather the elements and go the distance.

Additionally, ceramic is a very lightweight material, so the watch doesn’t feel heavy on the wrist. It also is temperature resistant and won’t stick to the wrist in humid climates the way a leather strap would.

Properly engineered ceramic is typically a blend of oxides, carbides, nitrates and zirconium that are mixed, compressed and heated to offer a great polished look that disguises its rugged factors. Because of the luster of ceramic, it also looks great on the wrist so a sporty watch can take on a more urban chic elegant tone, as well.

The first engineered ceramic watches were introduced in the mid-1980s by Swiss watch brand Rado. It took some time before other brands made their foray into ceramic, but in the past years, it has become all the rage. Typically, ceramic for watches is white or black, but some brands are finally experimenting with adding color for gray, brown or even bold red.

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Why Does My Mechanical Watch Need to Be Serviced?

Just like your car needs regular maintenance, so, too, does your fine mechanical watch. Let’s face it, it is comprised of hundreds of tiny mechanical parts, as well as lubricants that — if they get old, dry or sticky — can affect the way your watch performs.

How often a watch should be serviced is the real question… and the answer varies depending on the age of the watch, the brand and the movement inside. Today’s mechanical watches do not necessarily need servicing as often as older watches because today’s haute horology watches often have silicon parts inside, or ceramic ball bearings or other components that reduce friction and wear and tear. Generally, we suggest that new watches be serviced at least every five to seven years.

Similarly, if you have a watch you bought more than a decade ago, it should also be serviced every five years at minimum to keep it running smoothly. Other vintage watches (generally watches made before 1985) need more frequent servicing. Our suggestion is once every three or four years.

Essentially, full servicing of a watch entails removing the case back, disassembling the movement, cleaning of the components and then a reassembling of the movement with all new lubricants. All new gaskets are also added to the watch and a final testing is done to ensure it is fully water resistant and in prefect running order.  Because full servicing can be time consuming, we do ask our customers to be patient, but we will keep you apprised every step of the way. If you are unsure if your watch needs to be serviced or not, stop in any time to discuss it with us.

 

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Grads and Dads: Finding the Perfect Watch for the Men in Your Life

College graduations are in full swing and Father’s Day is around the corner, so it’s time to give thought to the perfect gift for your brilliant son, top-notch father or wonderful husband. We have the answer: a gift of time in the form of a watch on the wrist.

Today, time is omnipresent on our cell phones, dashboards, computers and more, but that is precisely what makes a watch so special.  Every time he glances at his wrist he will be reminded of the fact that you cared enough to give him a statement that offers time and distinction. The cell phone just can’t make the individual and personal statement that a watch can make. A timeless gift, a watch also shows that you took the time to consider his likes, hobbies and interests. Not sure what type of watch to get? Here, we bring you four important factors to consider when buying a watch.

Consider Your Budget. It is important to note that there is a watch to fit every wallet size. From affordable to over the top, there is great variety on the market. Before you even consider which watch, though, have a budget in mind. It’s OK to deviate from that budget a little, but starting with a budget puts you at ease with the process of selection. Have an opening price in mind, and a cap off price, and don’t be afraid to tell the sales associate helping you in the store where your budget lies.

Buy from a reputable, authorized retailer. This will bring you peace of mind that the watch is covered under warranty or guarantee, and that if the recipient wants to exchange it, that won’t be a problem.

Think about the person you are buying for. What are his hobbies or interests? Is he a sports enthusiast who may like a chronograph, a car lover who may like a watch with auto-inspired detailing. Does he dive, or swim, or sail? There is a watch genre for every type of sport, even camping, hiking and running. Also, think about the person’s age or career path.  If you’re buying for a graduate, a nice clean stylish watch with a sporty, chic appeal that can go from work to weekend is a great choice. Buying for the father of your children? He may want something more sophisticated or complex, especially if he already owns some watches.

Think about where the person lives. Some watches may be better suited to certain climates than others, thanks to the strap or bracelet. For instance, warmer climates are great for bracelets so the strap doesn’t get clammy or sticky on the wrist. Cooler climates are great for leather straps, where metal could feel cold. Water lovers may want a rubber strap that can easily get wet time and again.

Still not sure? No problem. Stop in any time and let our knowledgeable staff help you work out the answers and find the perfect gift of time for the grad or dad in your life.

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Luxury Watches for Active Lifestyles

Many of us lead adventurous, active lifestyles alongside our work lives. That’s why we know that sometimes, you need a sleek, dependable watch that can hold up outside the boardroom. Luxury doesn’t have to mean fragile. Here, we’ll go over the best durable, luxury watch options for those with active lifestyles. From the marathon-running executive to the deep sea-diving consultant, we’ve got you covered.

Tough watches for altitude aficionados

For those of you who like to take to the skies, an altitude-friendly watch is a must. No matter if you’re a pilot, a skydiver or a paraglider, it’s crucial to have a watch that functions at its optimal level even at optimal heights.

For those practicing air sports, it’s also important to choose a watch with all-around durability. Pilot’s watches are often considered to be the epitome of style, but before becoming style icons, their origins were in durability. Watches for altitude seekers need to be strong enough to resist quick changes in altitude.

Style and durability can indeed go hand in hand: that’s why we recommend our IWC Big Pilot watch. It’s perfect for both high altitude and high society.

Durable luxury watches for water enthusiasts

While not all water sports are alike, they all involve one important element when it comes to choosing a watch: water resistance. Luxurious, water-tough watches are perfect for sailors, scuba divers, snorkelers and swimmers.

For those of you whose adventures take us to shallower waters – i.e., swimming or scuba diving – we suggest that you opt for a watch with 50 to 100 meters of resistance. However, if you’re looking for a watch that can swim with you to the depths of the sea, water resistance is more important. You’ll want to choose a watch with more than 200 meters of resistance.

If you’re looking to learn more about deep-sea strength watches, we also have a more in-depth blog post about understanding the key functions of a divers watch. For your watch options, we carry the Victorinox Swiss Army I.N.O.X. Professional Diver Model, which is an excellent option for divers who want to explore in style.

Sport-strong luxury watches

While some adventures take you to high heights or to the deep ocean, we know that many of you need a watch that can stick with you through expeditions right here on land. For those of you who are mountaineers, climbers, runners or skiers, you’ll want to choose a watch that scores high in all-around durability. This means that the watch should be water-resistant, lightweight and will continue to thrive in extremely low temperatures. It should also be shock-proof and, ideally, look sleek enough to transition from the mountain to haute couture.

For all-around athletes, we recommend our G-Shock MTG-S1000V-1A watch. It’s durable, water resistant to 200 meters, and is guaranteed to keep you looking stylish.

If you’re looking to adventure in style, Hamilton Jewelers has your back. We invite you to browse our selection of durable, luxury watches – either via our website, in-store or in one of our locations.

 

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