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If you have not been able to come to our location and visit our store we would like to give you a preview of what you’ve been missing out on! Take a look at the photos below and make sure you plan a day to look around. For all other questions please call: 480-423-5000
Cornelis Hollander Design
4151 N. Marshall Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
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Founded in 1984, Cornelis Hollander Designs, Inc., is a full service jewelry design company located in Scottsdale, Arizona. As a well-established jewelry design company, Cornelis’ jewelry has been distributed all over the US and internationally. All jewelry designs are manufactured on the premises, our studio in Scottsdale. Highly-skilled craftsmen work with Cornelis to produce finest quality jewelry. Cornelis also provides custom designs. Often customers bring their own special gemstones or diamonds or old jewelry to upgrade to modern designer look. Cornelius is happy to consult with these clients to discuss to create their dream piece of jewelry. Not only serving locally (Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Ahwatukee, Peoria, Sun City, Tucson and Sedona), custom designs are available for those who live out of state. Please contact us at sales@cornelishollander.com
Cornelis Hollander
4151 North Marshall Way
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
480-423-5000
As most people know, the engagement ring symbolizes the promise between two people to love one another for the rest of their lives. What most people don’t know, however, is how the engagement ring came to be such a popular tradition.
Engagement rings date back as early as the 15th Century. The first recorded engagement ring was a diamond ring given to Mary of Burgundy from the Archduke Maximilian of Austria in 1477. They were married within 24 hours, sparking a tradition that has lasted for centuries. While this tradition caught on quickly for royalty and people of wealth, it was almost impossible for the average person to be able to afford a diamond ring. That changed, however, in 1870 with the discovery of diamond mines in South Africa. After this discovery, diamonds became much more affordable and accessible to the public.
Why the left hand?
The tradition of placing the engagement and the wedding band on the left ring finger sprouted from the Greeks. They believed that a vein called the Vena Amoris is located in that finger, and it runs directly to the heart.
People often inscribed messages or love poems into the rings, which later became known as “Posy rings”. While this tradition was mostly popular in the Middle Ages until Victorian times, it is still a common occurrence today.
The smallest engagement ring on record to date was given to the daughter of Henry VIII, two year old Princess Mary. It was given to her on the day of her betrothal to the Dauphin of France, son of King Francis I, who was also an infant, in 1518.
At the start of the 20th Century, platinum was the number one choice for engagement rings because of its durability and strength around the diamond. However, at the start of World War II, platinum was declared a strategic metal and its use was restricted to military purposes. This lead to a rise in sales of yellow and white gold jewelery, but during the last ten years, platinum has made a dramatic comeback to the world of engagement and wedding rings.
Do not confuse diamond “cut” with “shape.” Shape refers to the general outward appearance of the diamond, (such as round, emerald, or pear). When a diamond jeweler refers to the “cut,” that’s a reference to the diamond’s reflective qualities, not the shape. Diamond cut is perhaps the most important of the four Cs, so it is important to understand how this quality affects the properties and values of a diamond. A good cut gives a diamond its brilliance, which is that brightness that seems to come from the very heart of a diamond. The angles and finish of any diamond are what determine its ability to handle light, which leads to brilliance.
When a diamond is well-cut, light enters through the table and travels to the pavilion where it reflects from one side to the other before reflecting back out of the diamond through the table and to the observer’s eye. However, in a poorly cut diamond, the light that enters through the table reaches the facets and then ‘leaks’ out from the sides or bottom of the diamond rather than reflecting back to the eye. Less light reflected back to the eye means less brilliance.
As seen on: http://www.thediamondbuyingguide.com/diamondcut.html
Within the depths of the emerald are tiny fractures or inclusions, which the French call “jardin,” or garden, because of their similarity to foliage. The Egyptians were also known to engrave Emeralds with the symbol for foliage to represent eternal youth, and to bury these jewels with their dead. The ancient Romans associated this gemstone with fertility and rebirth, and dedicated it to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.
The Ancient Egyptians mined Emeralds in the eastern desert region 2,000 years before Cleopatra’s birth, braving extreme heat, scorpions and snakes to search for the beautiful crystals. During Cleopatra’s reign, she claimed the Emerald mines as her own, as this was her favorite gem. She often wore lavish Emerald jewelry, and it is said that she bestowed visiting dignitaries with large Emeralds carved with her likeness when they departed Egypt.
In the sixteenth century, the Spanish Conquistadors were amazed to find the native people wearing Emeralds larger and more magnificent than any they had ever seen. Although the natives attempted to hide their Emerald mines, the Spaniards soon discovered and conquered them. However, it wasn’t until twenty years had passed before they found the abundant mining operation held by the Muzo Indians, and another thirty years to overtake this aggressive tribe. The Muzo mine is in the area known today as Colombia, and it remains the source of the most prized Emerald specimens. Other sources of Emeralds are Brazil, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Russia.
The Emerald is a member of the beryl family of minerals. The green crystals grow slowly within metamorphic rocks and are restricted in size by the rock, making large Emeralds rare and costly. Although this gemstone is relatively hard and durable, it must be protected from blows because the inclusions found within make it susceptible to breaking.
The emerald is regarded as the traditional birthstone for May, as well as the traditional gemstone for the astrological signs of Cancer and Taurus. According to legend, the emerald has the power to protect the chastity of the wearer and to ward off evil spirits. It was also believed to cure epilepsy and dysentery,as well as aiding weak eyesight.
In some cultures, the emerald is the traditional gift for the 55th wedding anniversary. It is also used as a 20th and 35th wedding anniversary stone.
According to an article from Joden World Resources and LuShae Jewelry, throughout human history, culture jewelry has existed as an integral form of expression, social status and wealth. While the materials and techniques used to manufacture jewelry have in many ways evolved, there are also many similarities with the very first forms of jewelry worn some 90,000 years ago. For example, necklaces constructed from the same material are still available today and trends like beads on a string are much like charms worn today.
Jewelry functions have evolved and varied over time from a form of fashion accessory and form of artistic expression. Jewelry has even been utilized as a form of currency and continues to do so today. Jewelry has also played an important part of religion denoting membership and status with the religion as well as various social groups.
Egyptian Jewelry has been considered to be the dawning period for our modern form of jewelry. Egyptian craftsman began to utilize artistic skills and increased the variety of materials used. Gemstones and metal color was of greater importance, and gold was used extensively due to it being easy to work work and primarily available. Egyptian beliefs stipulated that every gemstone carried certain mystical powers which would be transferred to the owner when worn as jewelry.
Greek and Roman Jewelry relied heavily upon trade with neighboring cultures and is therefore quite varied in style and construction. Cultural symbolism once again played an important part of jewelry during this period. Metal working techniques evolved and jewlery pieces became more intricate and delicate. These techniques increased the popularity of earrings and other delicate construction methods. These forms of jewelry still remain popular today and has enjoyed a number of resurgences throughout history.
Jewelry during the Middle Ages became popular to symbolize the Christian faith. During the early part of the middle ages Christian monasteries were responsible for producing the better part of the worlds jewelry. The growing demands for jewelry and a booming population resulted in increasly sophisticated forgeries which the guild recognized a threat to their boom trade. Precious stones and metals were once again reserved for the wealthy and were even for lower classes during certain periods.
Jewelry during the Renaissance period was commonly referred to as the “Jewel Age” because jewelry began during the Renaissance to adopt a new found purpose. Increasingly jewelry served the role of body adornment, created solely for the purpose of protecting ones wealth. For the first time in history the use of the Diamond was popularized and a number of cutting methods and shapes were developed.
During the 17th century and onwards, the increasing wealth of the general popluation and relatively relaxed social attributes meant that the gold and silver pieces usually reserved for the rich and powerful could now be afforded by lower classes. The popularity of diamonds continued and so did the methods of cutting them.
The history of jewelry provides an interesting insight into the evolution of human culture.
Contact Cornelis Hollander for Arizona’s Finest Jewelry!
480.423.5000
According to an article on the history of rings, one of the most significant symbols from the past is the circle. A circle symbolizes unity, peace, perfections, holiness, endlessness because of its no beginning and no end. In Ancient Europe, people used hair knots as circle rings as a symbol of love, faith, and friendship. Iron, copper, silver and gold rings became popular in the Medieval period, and rings became jewelry in the 14th century.
Before Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1497, a few years before it is recorded that he popped the question with the very first engagement ring. In seems his success spawned a tradition that has now lasted over 500 years.
Diamonds were not the traditional engagement ring. A simple “Posy” ring was common with an attached message or love poem inscribed inside. During the 1700′s, the heart became the ring of choice for young men hoping to catch the girl of their dreams. The Claddagh ring, the tradionional Irish betrothal ring, features a heart and most likely came into being during this time.
Second half of the 19th Century brought great changes to the traditions of engagement rings after diamond mines were discovered in Africa. Here, diamonds became more affordable and accessible to a much greater percentage of the population. Here is where the tradition of giving diamond rings as “the engagement ring was born!”
LifeGem diamonds are diamonds that are created from carbon from cremation ashes, a lock of hair, or both according to an article from LifeGem Diamonds. LifeGem is a certified, high-quality diamond created from the carbon of your loved one as a memorial to their unique life, or as a symbol of your personal and precious bond with another. LifeGem diamonds are molecularly identical to natural diamonds found at any high-end jeweler. To qualify as diamonds, they must have the exact same brilliance, fire, and hardness (the hardest substance known) as diamonds from the earth, and of course, they do!
The LifeGem is…
Comfort and Support when and where you need it.
A way to embrace your loved one’s memory day by day.
The most beautiful and timeless memorial available for honoring their unique life.
The LifeGem is the most unique and timeless tribute available for creating a testimony to one’s unique life.
For more information on LifeGem Diamonds,
Contact Cornelis Hollander
at 480-423-5000
Every diamond out there is different, as each stone has a complex constellation of components that determines its rarity. These unique stones are graded using a system for judging its color, clarity, cut and carat weight- commonly known as the “four C’s”. Selecting the right diamond for you is a very emotional decision, but understanding the 4 C’s can help one make the best choice.
Color: A diamond’s color grade actually refers to the lack of color it has. White diamonds receive higher quality grades than those with visible color.
Clarity: Almost all diamonds have tiny imperfections, and the ones with very few receive the highest clarity grades.
Cut: The cut of a diamond determines its sparkle, depending on the way it is cut.
Carat Weight: The Carat is specifically a measure of a diamond’s weight, and it may not reflect a diamond’s size.
Award Winning Jewelry Designer, Cornelis Hollander provides information on diamonds, designed to answer any questions you might have about purchasing the right diamond for you! For more information contact Cornelis Hollander at 480-423-5000 or email at sales@cornelishollander.com
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