Article by: Joseph Denaburg

Once you have come to the life-altering conclusion that you’ve found the woman of your dreams, it’s a bit daunting to think about the proposal. You want it to be something you’ll both remember for the rest of your lives, and it’s natural to be nervous about it. So how do you keep your cool while you’re asking the most important question of your life? First, you need to forget all the botched proposals you’ve seen in the movies and on television. Those are fiction and bear no resemblance to what’s going on in real life. Throw away any preconceived notions of what a proposal of marriage means and concentrate on how you want it to be—how you want her to feel, the love and astonishment you’ll see in her eyes and the perfect moment you know it will be. Tell yourself that 99.9% of marriage proposals go just as planned and yours will be one of them.

One of the most common things that can make a man lose his cool is not knowing whether his true love will like the engagement ring. Although the media portrays it as traditional to present a ring, a growing number of men are proposing without a ring and letting her go and pick it out.

Keeping your cool is easy if you keep the proposal simple. Don’t rent a skywriter, a big screen at a sporting event or make your proposal in a public place. The very nature of these types of proposals almost ensures that something will go wrong! Plan a memorable evening then propose when you are both in a relaxed, receptive mood. Many proposals happen after a romantic dinner while the couple is sitting by a fountain, enjoying a carriage ride, or walking in a park. The simpler the setting, the more likely it is that your proposal will be perfect!

Don’t second guess yourself. Plan your proposal then carry it out as exactly as possible. Don’t panic as the afternoon or evening starts but remember how right your plan was when you made the arrangements. Most brides don’t remember the noisy traffic, the clatter of dishes from a kitchen, or the truly awful stage production they saw before they were proposed to. They remember the love in their man’s eyes, his sincerity, and the thrill that ran through them as they heard him declare his undying love. The little things will take care of themselves so don’t worry about them.

You can also keep your cool by keeping things as they are. Don’t get a new haircut, buy a new suit, or choose an unfamiliar restaurant for the proposal. If you stick with known quantities you will be confident and your proposal will be exactly as you wish it to be.

Finally, keep the words themselves simple. Don’t try to be funny and don’t try to memorize a beautiful poem to express your love. The point is to surprise her with a quick but sincere proposal. If you joke around she may not think you’re serious and not know what to say. If you’re too casual she may think that marriage means about as much to you as buying a new shirt. Have the ring ready, get down on one knee and tell her briefly why you love her so much. Then ask her to marry you as you open the ring box. It will be a wonderful moment that neither of you will ever forget!

Article by: Joseph Denaburg

Levy’s Fine Jewelry is very proud of our staff of award winning jewelers. In the past four years our jewelers have won coveted awards in the annual Alabama Jewelry Design Competition whose exacting standards require the highest skills and creativity in manufacturing one of a kind pieces.

Jewelers’ work is judged on the originality of design, how practical a piece is, superior craftsmanship and its wearability. In other words, a piece of jewelry cannot win an award simply because it is elaborate and unusual but must be able to be easily worn and enjoyed by whomever owns it.

To cite an example, Candace Wade won the People's Choice Award in the Alabama Jewelry Design Competition in 2011 for her exquisite design of an original pair of pearl and diamond earrings. In 2009 Candace brought home not one but four awards. Candace was awarded Best of Show, People's Choice, Category 1 and Category 3 winner. Categories are designated by price. Candace is skilled at making affordable, everyday pieces as well as those more elaborate special occasion pieces of jewelry.

Robert Whatley is another of our talented award-winning jewelers. In 2008 Robert created a necklace containing a 3.14 carat oval rubellite tourmaline mounted in an 18kt yellow gold hammered dome with columns on either side displayed on a black steel cable necklace. This stunning piece was rich in texture, color and creativity and may be worn proudly for any occasion.

The Category 1 winner of the Alabama Jewelry Design Competition of 2010 was Robert Levy. His winning bracelet design is an example of the originality and creativity demanded by these competitions. In Robert's spare time he teaches children with disabilities the art of jewelry design and volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America.

All of our jewelers, whether they’ve entered and won competitions or not, are part of our family establishment because they have the highest levels of creativity and the artistic spark needed to offer our public the very best jewelry of the highest quality. Whether you want a custom made item or something in our cases you can rest assured that you own jewelry that is the very best available.

Article by: Joseph Denaburg

Most of us never thought we’d be wearing brooches until we were older; we think of brooches as something our elders wore. But as with so many beautiful things from the past, brooches are making an impact on the fashion scene in new and different ways. You may have a brooch you’ve inherited, a beautiful piece that sits in your jewelry box because you have nothing to wear it with. The good news is that you can take that brooch out of storage and enjoy it with all the creative ways there are to wear it!

You’ve seen women wear beautiful scarves but now brooches bring a whole new look to the classic scarf. You’ll no longer have to worry about your scarf coming untied or slipping from its careful draping. A brooch will hold it in place on your shirt, jacket or blazer and add an elegant touch to any outfit. You can wear your scarf like a tie, pinning the brooch at the neck or halfway down. If you want to be more dramatic you can wear two or three brooches along the length of the scarf. This arrangement really dresses up a plain business suit or a solid color dress.

There are other ways that brooches can make any dress look fabulous. You can place a brooch at the bottom of a V-neck to draw attention away from the waist or hips. A brooch pinned below a scooped neck will enhance the lines of a classic A-line. If you prefer, you can wear a scarf around your waist and affix it with a brooch; this can also be done with dress pants or a skirt and blouse. If you really want to be different you can wear a belt with the buckle at the back and a brooch pinned to the front. A beautiful brooch at your waistline will make your outfit sparkle.

Your purse is also a great place for a brooch. How about that great purse in your closet that is just too plain to be fun? Pin a brooch to the strap or handle on onto the purse itself to give it a whole new look. This is a perfect place for a brooch that you don’t want to wear on your person but would really like to use.

There are still more fashionable ways to wear a brooch! Most of us have hats that we use in the summer and winter and probably one that is comfortable but that we’re really bored with. Dress up that hat with a brooch on the crown or the hatband and you’ll look as if you bought an entirely new hat. You can also use a brooch to “tie” the scarf on a pretty straw hat.

You can pin a brooch on a headband or a cloth covered barrette to dress up a casual hairdo. Wear one on the lapel of your jacket, on a winter sweater or group 3 or more small brooches for a riot of color and textures. Use a brooch to close a cardigan sweater or place on a one-strap dress to emphasize your shoulders.

If you prefer, you can slide a chain through the pin and turn it into a pendant. You can do this with practically any brooch, and you have a whole new necklace wardrobe.

Brooches are full of possibilities. It’s great to learn new and different ways you can wear beautiful jewelry that you thought was out of fashion!

Article by: Joseph Denaburg

Sterling Silver flatware and serving pieces are an economical way to make any table beautiful. Sterling silver has been a coveted commodity for centuries and now it’s more affordable than ever before.

Levy’s Fine Jewelry has the finest quality, pre owned sterling silver flatware, serving pieces and a huge selection of styles and patterns in all price ranges. The head of household has traditionally chosen complete place settings in order to have an implement for every possible occasion but when you first start out you may want to begin with a traditional 5 piece place setting.

The basic 5 piece place setting has a knife, fork, soup spoon, dessert fork, and teaspoon. The traditional way to set the place is with the knives and spoons on the right of the plate and the forks on the left. If you’re using a cocktail fork, however, it will be set at the furthest place to the right of the plate, as it will be the first utensil used. Forks, on the left side of the place, are set so that the fork used first is on the outside and then in descending order of need.

There are many, many patterns of sterling silver flatware to choose from that range from ornate and formal to casual elegance. You might not want an elaborate pattern if you enjoy informal dining; there are flatware patterns that have very simple designs or none at all. You can have a monogrammed service, too. You should always choose a pattern you truly like instead of one that matches your china. Over the years you’ll probably have many sets of dishes but your family silver will be a permanent asset.

The sterling silver flatware that you choose should fit your hand well with the proper weight and balance. Is the bowl of the spoon to your taste or is it too big to be comfortable? Are the fork’s tines too long or short? Are the knives too heavy, too light or just right? Does the flatware feel comfortable in your hand?

If you will be entertaining frequently you might want to expand your basic place setting to include fruit and butter knives as well as beverage spoons, fish knives, fish forks, cocktail forks, lobster and butter picks, salt spoons, demitasse spoons and ramekin forks. Of course you will not be using all these utensils at every meal but you will have every type of utensil you will need for any kind of service.

You can supplement your sterling silver flatware with fine sterling silver serving pieces for a beautiful, well appointed table. There are table servings spoons, gravy ladles, sugar servers, elegant mustard and mayonnaise servers as well as pierced tomato servers. You may want berry serving spoons, a salad serving set, a relish scoop, jelly server or a cracker scoop. You’ll also find asparagus and petit four servers, pasta and potato servers and lasagna servers. In fact, there are specially designed sterling silver servers for any dish that is on your table.

Choosing sterling silver flatware and serving pieces is an important part of setting up a home. You can buy place settings separately or get the whole set at once depending on your budget. Once you complete your set, whether it’s a service for four or two dozen, you’ll have a beautiful heirloom treasure to pass down generations that will hold its beauty and value.