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My Wedding Ring Transformation by Gramercy Gifts

Let me preface this post by telling you that I never intended this to be a post. But when I fall in love with companies, it is hard for me not to blog about them because I want to share it with my fellow OC moms!  So please let me tell you about my my recent wedding ring transformation (squeee!) Bruce Lambert of Gramercy Gifts in Newport Beach did for us.

I hope this post might be helpful for anyone that someday might want a new piece of jewelry made but don’t have a jeweler to go to.

So my husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary in November. Over the last year we (um, if I am being honest, I) started talking about how it would be fun to get my diamond put into a new setting for this milestone anniversary. Lucky for me, hubby was on board.

But we didn’t have a family jeweler and I actually had NO idea where to go. I see jewelers all over the place, but I didn’t want to go to a random jeweler without a personal recommendation.

Then I remembered my fellow blogger friend Shanna from My Favorite Everything telling me she had a jewelry connection so I reached out to her to see if she could give me a rave referral which is how I got Bruce’s info.

Bruce owns Gramercy Gifts and has been designing jewelry for almost 35 years in Orange County.

I gave him and call and we chatted about what we were looking to do and what I came to learn is Bruce can basically create anything you want!

I sort of envisioned having to go into a place and pick out a ring setting from a case. But with Bruce, you can tell him exactly what you want, and he will MAKE IT!

Given this fact, I started doing a bunch of (FUN) research online looking at different ring settings. It felt like the days before I was engaged when I would peruse bridal magazines and dog-ear pages of rings to leave open on the coffee table.

I started my online research with Google searches of  ”halo setting diamond rings” because I have loved the halo setting for a long time.

From my research, I gathered a few photos of settings I liked, along with notes on what I liked about each one before our meeting with Bruce.

Then it was time to meet Bruce in person. My husband and I made an appointment and met with him in his cozy office / showroom.

I liked the fact that we were meeting with him in a setting like this and not a big store. It made the experience very personal. I also loved the fact that he runs by appointment, so there was no standing around waiting for someone to help you.  We had his 100% attention.

And here is the thing about Bruce: HE IS NOT PUSHY. My husband particularly appreciated this!  He never insinuated we “should” spend more money on any aspect of our ring.  In fact, just the opposite, I felt like he presented a lot of options to save money.

We started talking about doing the matching wedding band at the same time, and he suggested saving it for another special occasion or anniversary. His opinion was that having a brand new ring would be fun and special in itself. Why not save the money now and do the matching band down the road?

I thought my husband might hug him.

I sooo don’t want this post to come off as obnoxious, like “look at my new ring!!!” That is not the point.  But I thought some people might like to see what you can do with the same diamond, new setting.

You know, something old, something new…!

I myself enjoy looking at before and after pictures so I will show you my ring transformation here.

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Hot Mama Jewelry Giveaway + 25% off Coupon Code!

For anyone looking for a special gift this holiday season (or all the year round), I want to share with you Hot Mama Designs, a personalized jewelry company.  With a passion for metalsmithing, Hot Mama Designs creates inspired pieces to tell stories and celebrate life.

I am excited to share a Hot Mama Jewelry giveaway with you today plus a special coupon code “tinyorangesholiday” good for 25% off everything in their shop or their sister company site Sugar Soul Studio. Code valid today through Sunday, 11/12/11 only. So order now and save big before the holidays!

I wanted to highlight a few of their unique pieces that you or a loved one is sure to treasure!

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Tina Steinberg Personalized Fingerprint Jewelry [+ Giveaway!]

When I saw that image above on www.tinasteinberg.com I almost exclaimed “Be still my beating heart!”  Did you look closely?  Those are actual fingerprints on the charms!

Tina Steinberg’s personalized fingerprint jewelry can be found in the Love Touch Collection on her website - beautiful sterling silver charms and pendants with your loved one’s fingerprint and a little inscription on the back.  Swoon. Can you think of a better holiday gift for the moms in your life? I think not.

So it’s your lucky day as Tina is giving away a gift certificate for $100 to one lucky winner.  She is also offering free shipping for the next week, through 11/2/11 with coupon code “tinyoranges!”

I am sure you are thinking, like I did, how does the fingerprinting process work?

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Give Hope This Holiday with 31 Bits Jewelry

I am going to let you in on a little pet peeve of mine – I don’t like buying gifts just for the sake of buying something.  It bugs me when I don’t have the perfect gift in mind for someone, because what that means is I end up buying some random lotion or candle or something impersonal.  But now that I have been introduced to 31 Bits, a small local company with a big impact, it makes my heart smile, because anytime I am in that position, I know I have a go-to gift that has meaning. A gift idea for a gift that GIVES back.

31 Bits is a company started by Kallie Dovel, who traveled to Uganda in 2007 and left with a vision.  There she found women, creative women, in poverty.   She started the company to provide these women hope for a better life.  By creating a worldwide platform to sell their jewelry at a fair price, she has  provided them with income and opportunities. She has given them a chance.

People like Kallie make me want to be a better person.

Her company has grown from representing and buying jewelry from six women to currently 63.  And each of those 63 women has a personal story. You can read about each of the designers HERE.

Their jewelry is gorgeous.  Combining textures and colors to make designs that are totally unique – and reasonably priced.

This one is one of my favorites, the Rya, and is only $32 and comes in different colors…

But there is so much more.  Click HERE to shop and see their Winter Line, and if you place your order by 12/20, it will be here before Christmas.

So consider giving the gift of hope this holiday season by making a purchase that impacts a life of a woman.

{You can stay connected with 31 Bits on Facebook, follow @31Bits on Twitter and stay tuned for the 31 Bits display at the OC Mart Mix COMING soon!}

Hot Mama Family Heirloom Jewelry Giveaway!

Love posts like these! First off, I get to introduce you to a BEAUTIFUL new line of family heirloom jewelry by Hot Mama Designs called the “nest necklace,” then I get to tell you I have two $50 gift cards to give away to Hot Mama Designs and lastly I have a special Hot Mama Coupon Code to offer you for 20% off your enter order using code TINY2011!  Doesn’t get much better than that!  Enter to win below!

First off, I am in LOVE with these darling little new nest necklaces. I love the concept behind them.  But then I loved it even more when I read what the designer said about her inspiration behind the design. Here is what she wrote on their blog:

“…it is this level of attention to detail that I love in nests. The urge in nature that is so similar to our own. The weaving of a small layer of fuzz along with twigs that creates a protective layer.
The intricacy of it.
The sheer drive that it takes to build them.
And how long it can last once you’ve put the hard work in.
There are so many amazing analogies for families and relationships in the design of a nest…”

Such beautiful symbolism.

Remember these when you are looking for a fabulous gift to give the hot mamas in your lives this holiday!

The Hot Mama Discount Code of 20% off using code TINY2011 is good not only for a limited time. It is a standing code that Tiny Oranges readers can use anytime throughout 2010-2011 for anything in the entire Hot Mama Jewelry line. Remember to use this discount code when your best girlfriend has a baby, your hard to buy for mother-in-law needs a gift, or you want to honor your sweet husband with an heirloom memento.

Hooray! It’s a Tiny Giveaway!

Two lucky winners will each receive one gift card of $50 to spend towards an heirloom piece on Hot Mama Designs! Please leave a separate comment for each entry & leave your email address (won’t be published) so I can contact you if you are the winner! Contest runs through Wednesday, 11/3/10 at 5pm PST.

Entry options!

1. Comment and tell me: Click here and tell me which piece is your favorite?  - 1 ENTRY

2. Join the Hot Mama Jewelry email list – 1 ENTRY

3. Follow @hotmamajewelry on Twitter – 1 ENTRY

4. Like Tiny Oranges on Facebook – 1 ENTRY

5. Follow @TinyOrangesOC on Twitter – 1 ENTRY

GOOD LUCK!
Have a great weekend & fun & safe Halloween!

{Disclosure: Hot Mama Designs is a Tiny Oranges Sponsor}