The amazing find is said to be similar in size and quality to the famed Catherine the Great Emerald that was sold at auction in April for more than 1.6 million dollars and though some of the value of the Catherine the Great Emerald may have come from it’s history, this amazing gem will surely bring it’s finders a sizable sum of money for their efforts.

Natural gems can be found in a number of areas in the U.S., but it certainly isn’t everyday that a 65 carat natural gem of any variety is unearthed at a U.S. farm.  Just because you can’t go out onto your property with a shovel and sifting pan to unearth incredible gems, that doesn’t mean that you can’t look the part of an empress.

Landing a natural gem that is as large as the Catherine the Great emerald or the “Carolina Emperor,” is incredibly rare, but lab created gems can be produced in virtually any shape or size and offer consumers a very affordable alternative to expensive natural gems.  Cubic zirconia is a high quality alternative to a natural diamond and it can be produced in a wide variety of colors to mimic the look of just about any type of natural gem.  Cz is durable, optically flawless and works well in any setting to produce the look of the finest and most expensive jewels at prices that someone on just about any budget could afford.

The bejeweled pup also took more than seven hundred black diamonds and just over four hundred rubies to complete for a total of more than 200 carats of fine gems and a whole heck of a lot of sparkle.  While most will probably agree that it’s good to go all out for truly special occasions, this amazing homage, which took more than eight months to put together, may be a bit much for even such an iconic character.

The estimated value of the Snoopy, “Ever Shining Star” statue is nearly $375,000 but you can have a bling filled birthday or anniversary celebration for quite a bit less than that.  If you want to celebrate in style, how about a simple and classic pair of diamond studs or a high quality diamond pendant?  – And for those of us that want the look of natural diamonds and rubies for even less, amazing creations crafted from loose cz and lab gems provide the very same sparkle for a fraction of the cost.

AAAAA cubic zirconia can rival the beauty of the best diamonds, even those hand selected to be a part the finest jewelry or those used to assemble Snoopy’s 60th anniversary statue.  With high quality cz you’ll have no problem looking like you’ve spent thousands of dollars, but you’ll actually be able to achieve that look on a budget.

Jewelry Television has a Gemstone Adventure Series collection of DVDs and Tanzanite is the latest gem to be highlighted.  The forty-five minute documentary style film will take viewers  on a journey to Eastern Africa, the lone place in the world that Tanzanite is naturally mined and then follows the process through to India where stones are cut, faceted and polished in preparation for sale.

This documentary will no doubt be very entertaining for fans of not only the incredibly rare gem, but for jewelry lovers, designers and retailers as well – and once the documentary has been available for view for a little while it will certainly spark even more interest in Tanzanite.

Due to the fact that there is only one place in the world that Tanzanite is naturally mined and that the natural supply is very limited, the buying price for naturally mined Tanzanite can be pretty high, but there are alternatives for jewelry lovers who are on a budget.

Cubic zirconia Tanzanite is every bit as stunning as it’s naturally mined counterpart and like all cz gems, cubic zirconia Tanzanite has a hardness of 8.5 on the Mohs scale so it is very durable.  In fact, the only noticeable difference you’ll be able to see between naturally mined Tanzanite and cubic zirconia Tanzanite will be in the price.

Cubic zirconia can be produced to closely mimic a wide variety of natural gems allowing jewelry lovers of virtually any individual taste procure the jewelry of their dreams for far less than it would cost to buy a piece containing natural gems.

The numbers don’t reflect “necessary” jewelry like watches  and research has shown that the majority of the purchases have not been made as gifts – so why, during a time when so many people are struggling to make ends meet are some men feeling the need to splurge on fashion accessories?

Perhaps more and more men are realizing that fine jewelry can really work to improve their overall appearance and that looking better can do wonders in terms of making you feel better.  With so many problems and so much negativity going on, some people can really benefit from the extra push that looking better will give – and one of the easiest ways to improve your outward appearance is by putting on a gorgeous accessory.

The perfect ring or necklace, a brilliant bracelet or even something as simple as the right cufflinks can immediately make a man feel more confident and better about himself and those feelings can translate into an elevated mood and better performance.

For those of us who want to reap all of the wonderful benefits of accessorizing with fine jewelry but who can’t quite afford a naturally mined diamond pinky ring, there are affordable alternatives.  A ring crafted from cubic zirconia or a stunning pair of cz cufflinks will accomplish the very same goal of enhanced appearance that natural diamond jewelry will, but cz jewelry will come at a much more reasonable price.  For men who want a splash of color in their “look better” accessories, cz can be crafted in a wide variety of colors to capture the look of just about any natural gem.  Cubic zirconia lets any man, even those on a restricted budget; quickly improve their outward appearance to both look and feel better and to be able to stand out from the crowd.

Peridot was always thought to have a powerful connection with nature and was even used ceremonially to help connect the Ancient Egyptians to Isis, the Goddess of Nature.  This brilliant gem, which seems to sparkle when it isn’t even close to a light source, has been referred to as the “evening emerald” and the “gem of the sun” for its seemingly eternal glow.

Whether you are enamored with Peridot’s rich history or you believe all of the lure or not, there is no doubt about Peridot’s power to completely dazzle and turn heads regardless of the setting.  This gem is an absolute knockout as the shimmering stone of an engagement ring, as a pair of dangling earrings or as the centerpiece of a gorgeous pendant.

Peridot is one of the most versatile and beautiful gems available but you don’t necessarily have to pay top dollar for a flawless naturally mined piece of Peridot to get the incredible effect.  Cubic zirconia Peridot can be used to replace natural Peridot in any setting to provide the same beauty and the same brilliance without the high price associated with naturally mined gems.

Cz Peridot is created in a controlled environment so you can be certain that each and every piece is completely clear and optically flawless – and cz is incredibly durable.  With an 8.5 rating on the MOHS scale, you can be confident that your cz or cz Peridot will be able to stand up to everyday wear without fear of damage.  Cz Peridot can be used to make top quality jewelry at affordable prices so that everyone can add this glowing green and brilliant jewel to their collection.

There are thirty five pieces in the 35th anniversary collection from Larry Jewelry, each one more breathtaking than the next – the award winning jeweler has certainly not lost a step in creativity or quality after so many years in the industry.

Of course, like many celebratory collections from fine jewelers, the price tags upon these miraculous pieces are just as stunning as the pieces themselves.  With prices ranging from just under ten thousand dollars to over ninety thousand dollars for a single piece, these are certainly not jewels that every diamond lover will be able to afford.

Thankfully, for those of us on a more limited budget, jewelry that is just as incredible can be created for quite a bit less if cubic zirconia is used to replace the naturally mined diamonds.  You may not be able to find and exact replica of “Waterfall” or “Hanging Wisteria” from the Larry Jewelry Collection, but there are lab created gem masterpieces out there that will turn heads just as well as these creations from the Singapore mainstay – and their price tags certainly won’t be in the tens of thousands.

Loose cz and lab gems come in a wide range of colors to mimic the look of a flawless, clear diamond or in brilliant blue to give the look of a natural sapphire.  Lab created gem jewelry can make you feel every bit as glamorous and sexy as naturally mined gem jewelry, but it can do so at a price that you’d be willing and able to pay rather than just being able to dream about.

Kranich’s, the Pennsylvania jeweler with a long standing history and a solid online presence will be offering Belle Etoile Jewelry at both the retail location and online.  The Belle Etoile line is bold a beautiful and represents the latest in European fashion.  They provide the wearer with fun, funky and high quality wears that fit both the latest styles as well as a number of budgets.  The wonderful creations from Belle Etoile prove that cz can not only add color to your style and life, but that cz belongs right alongside of natural diamonds in the cases of fine jewelry retailers. 

Several retailers have begun to stock beautiful jewelry crafted from cz and lab created gems for a number of reasons… 

The lower cost of loose cz allows manufacturers to keep down the cost to retailers which lowers overhead without having to empty shelf space or lay off employees.  Cz is optically flawless allowing for the most incredible look of design every single time – there is no worry at all about having anything less than a perfect cz diamond.  Cz is very durable, so despite the fact that the price is dramatically lower than that of a naturally mined diamond, the customers are getting a piece of jewelry that will stand the test of time.  Last, but certainly not least, cz is less attractive to potential thieves which makes the retail establishment a safer environment for both shopper and employees.

Now that Kranich’s has jumped aboard the cz bandwagon and is enjoying the success that the sales of lab created gems can bring, it shouldn’t be long before many other fine jewelry retailers follow suit.  Once cz is firmly in place at more of the nation’s fine jewelers, there will be more of an opportunity for jewelry shoppers on a budget to find all of the designs that they desire at prices that they can actually afford.

One of the most fantastic pink diamond creations was recently on display at a London fair, a miraculous tiara containing 178 of the incredibly rare and incredibly beautiful Argyle pink diamonds.  Though any princess (real or pretend) would love to be able to don this miraculous tiara, there probably aren’t very many out there that could put together the funds to do so.

For all of the princess hopefuls out there who are in love with the thought of having pink diamond jewelry, there is hope though.  You can still get the amazing look of and Argyle Mine pink diamond, without actually having to shell out the enormous amount of cash it would take to get an Argyle Mine pink diamond.

Cubic zirconia, the affordable and remarkable diamond alternative, can be created in a wide variety of colors – including pink.  Pink cz will be every bit as beautiful as a naturally mined pink diamond, but it will come with a price tag that is drastically lower.  Cubic zirconia can be purchased for a fraction of the price of a regular natural diamond, so as you could probably guess, the savings of buying a lab created gem version of a stone as rare as a naturally mined pink diamond would be even more impressive.

Lab created gems give anyone, on any budget the opportunity to wear the most beautiful and amazing jewelry imaginable, without having to worry about the price tag.

That’s right folks, the splashes of color that have been sweeping through celebrity engagement rings is going to continue on through the start of 2011 and take hold as a major focal point of rings, earrings and bracelets in the new year.

Of course, the amazing jewels that the celebrities are donning contain natural rubies, emeralds and diamonds which come with some outlandish price tags.  This means that much of what you see advertised as next year’s must have accessory will most likely have a price that is out of your comfort zone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t keep up with the trends while staying within your budget.

You can have the brightest, most sparkling and most brilliant jewelry imaginable at an affordable price if you find a retailer that stocks pieces crafted from lab created gems.  Colored cubic zirconia and other lab created gems are every bit as beautiful as their naturally mined counterparts and most are just as durable as well – in reality, if you aren’t a professional jeweler the only way you’ll be able to tell the difference between the natural gem and the lab created gem is by the price.

Loose cz and lab gems can be purchased in bulk, often at below wholesale costs, and turned into the hottest styles for the lowest possible cost.  This lets even those fashionistas with the tightest budgets stay current with the latest trends without having to worry about going into debt to do so.

So what sets the Crazy Carats watch apart from other jewel encrusted time pieces?  For starters, the wearer can customize the gems on the face to their liking, or easily change the pattern as the mood strikes them. There is a diamond set in place where the twelve would be in a more pedestrian time piece and in place of the other eleven numbers are a variety of beautiful and brightly colored stones that can be set in three different patterns by the user via a small dial on the side of the watch face.

When the Crazy Carats watch officially becomes available, bracelets will no longer be the only must have accessory for the wrist.  The wonder from Fendi will make watches fun and fashionable again – the only possible downside could be the price tag.  With an estimated cost anywhere between $2500 and $15000, this is an accessory that some people won’t have any choice but to do without.

Maybe once the celebrities have had their chance to show off new Crazy Carats watches on the red carpet and the internet searches begin to go through the roof, some aspiring retailer will get the brilliant idea to replicate this little fashion wonder with some more affordable lab created gems.  A beautiful, customizable timepiece containing cubic zirconia in place of diamonds and colored cz in place of other natural gems would be just as fun and stylish, but would be much more likely to fit into the budgets of the average accessory hunter.