Archives August 2023

Earlier this week, celebrity couple Abby Viduya and Jomari Yllana made headlines after confirming their official engagement.

Read: Why did Jomari Yllana propose to Abby Viduya in Hong Kong even after wedding plans, pamamanhikan?

In an exclusive interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) on August 20, 2023, the actress happily obliged when asked to share more details.

Jomari’s proposal took place at The Peak—which has a splendid view of the world-famous Victoria Harbour—in Hong Kong.

Abby further said, “Ang funny lang kasi nauna yung pag-asikaso ng wedding and pamamanhikan.”

The trip doubled as a celebration for Jomari’s belated 47th birthday, which fell on August 16.

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Asked to give more details about her ring, Abby opted to send a close-up photo of her engagement ring to PEP.ph’s head of correspondents, Arniel Serato.

A jeweler said the size is at least 3 carats.

The cost?

According to Janis Fine Jewelry, the price of 3-carat round-cut diamond rings in the Philippines ranges from PHP1.2 million to PHP2.5 million, especially those that are certified by Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

PHOTO: Courtesy of Abby Viduya

In a previous interview, Abby revealed that the civil wedding will most likely happen in November 2023.

The couple plans to exchange their vows in Las Vegas, Nevada, surrounded by their closest family members.

Abby told PEP.ph, “We’re going to Vegas. We’re gonna pull-off a JLo and Ben Affleck wedding. Kasi, gusto namin na kami lang dalawa at first.”

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Nobody ever knows for sure how much royals such as Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Prince Harry spent on their wives’ engagement rings.

However, we’ve turned to the expertise of Jewellers Est 1897 and other engagement ring specialists to find out the possible prices of the Princess of Wales’ inherited sapphire, Princess Anne’s two rocks, and Queen Camilla’s heirloom.

So which royal bride has the most expensive rock? Find out…

Princess Anne

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Back in May 1973, the Queen’s daughter was given a sapphire and diamond ring by Captain Mark Phillips. The couple got married in November 1973 before getting divorced in 1992.

Anne later married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence in 1992 after he popped the question with a vintage ring featuring an oval cabochon sapphire that is flanked by diamonds.

Engagement ring specialist Max Stone at Seven Stone estimated her first jewel was worth around £10,000, while her second is valued at £25,000.

Sarah Ferguson

© Getty

Prince Andrew proposed to Sarah Ferguson in 1986 with a rare Burmese ruby surrounded by ten glittering diamonds, which was reportedly inspired by Sarah’s fiery hair. The stones form a flower pattern, much like her daughter Princess Eugenie’s ring.

At the time, Sarah’s beloved ring cost around £25,000, but inflation and the sentimental backstory mean it could be valued in the region of £70,000.

Princess Beatrice

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When Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi popped the question to Princess Beatrice, he presented the royal with a stunning 3.5-carat gem with a reported cost of £78,000. Edoardo worked with Shaun Leane to design Princess Beatrice’s dream ring,

Before Dotun Olubeko proposed to Charity Lawson on The Bachelorette’s Aug. 21 season finale, he consulted with Bachelor Nation’s go-to jeweler, Neil Lane, to pick out the charity-lawsons-engagement-ring-details-exclusive-7724687″perfect engagement ring. Admitting to People that he “didn’t know much about rings” beforehand, when Lane pulled out a certain oval-cut sparkler in Fiji, he “just knew” he’d found the one. His final choice: a 3-carat diamond ring with a platinum band set with 50 round-cut diamonds.

As Dotun further explained to the magazine, Lane told him the sparkler is “beautiful on the outside” but its “biggest crystals” lie inside, where a stunning diamond halo wraps around the center stone. “I was like, ‘Did you make this for Charity? Is this a test?’” he joked. “And before [Lane] even finished going through the other ones, I was like, ‘I know that’s the one. That’s the one 100-percent because that’s who Charity is . . . Elegant and classy and beautiful on the outside as ever, but so much of the worth is on the inside.”

Charity’s reaction? “When he opened it, I was just like, ‘Oh my God.’ . . . I was honestly in shock,” she told People, adding that her now-fiancé did a “10 out of 10” job picking out her engagement ring. “It’s so beautiful. I honestly think it’s perfect for me, who I am as a woman.”

However, she and Dotun still have time to decide on their wedding bands. ABC’s Season 20 lead revealed that they “don’t have a date or anything truly picked out,” though they definitely don’t want a “17-year-length engagement” and are eyeing 2025 or 2026 for a possible wedding date. “We obviously came here to find love, and we successfully have done that,” she added. “So [we

MEGHAN Markle has been spotted without her engagement ring, leading many to wonder where it had gone.

But a source has revealed there’s a very good reason the Duchess of Sussex hasn’t been wearing her redesigned diamond band.

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Prince Harry got down on one knee to propose to Meghan, 42, back in November 2017 with three diamond stones from his mother, Princess Diana’s own collection, set on a yellow gold band.

However, the ring in question has been missing from Meghan’s finger recently.

According to an unnamed source, the band of the ring is currently being fixed.

The original ring roughly cost Harry, 38, a staggering £120,000 to create with the help of British jewellers Cleave and Company.

The central diamond was sourced from Botswana, where the pair had their second date.

While it is claimed the ring is off for repairs, it isn’t the first time Meghan has had her ring changed.

In 2019, the ring was redesigned, instead of a gold band, the ring most recently sported by the Duchess featured a micro pavé band filled with smaller diamonds. 

Zach Stone, managing director at Steven Stone Jewellers estimates the central cushion cut diamond sourced from Botswana to be around 3 to 4 carats.

He added that the two round diamonds supporting the centre stone,

A rare $1,000 bill is just one of the items that will be up for auction in Orlando this weekend.

▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced Thursday the Florida Unclaimed Property Auction will take place in Orlando Saturday.

A preview of the auction items will take place at 9 a.m. Friday with the actual auction scheduled to begin at the same time the next day.

READ: ‘Caught in the act’: Nude Florida man accused of trying to break into Kissimmee homes

It will be held live at the Holiday Inn & Suites across from Universal Orlando at 5916 Caravan Court. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and participate.

The most common types of unclaimed property are bank accounts that have been left dormant, unclaimed insurance proceeds, uncashed checks, deposits, and refunds. The contents of abandoned safe-deposit boxes can also end up on the unclaimed property list.

The assets are typically held for five years before they’re turned over to the Division of Unclaimed Property.

READ: ‘We make no excuses’: Flagler superintendent addresses assembly that singled out Black students

Some of the items slated for auction Saturday include a platinum ring with an emerald-cut diamond valued at nearly $2,000, and a rare 1934 $1,000 bill valued at $1,300.

“I’m excited to kick off our unclaimed property auction in Orlando this weekend with some outstanding items to bid on,” Patronis said in a statement announcing the auction. “The proceeds generated by this auction are used to help fund education in Florida.”

For more information, including a list of all the items up for auction, click here.

READ: UCF police report uptick in scams targeting students

Unclaimed property

The Duchess of Sussex was spotted without her three-stone diamond sparkler during a lunch date with friends last week.

On November 17, 2017, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made their first debut as an engaged couple after the Duke of Sussex popped the question with a three-stone diamond engagement ring. Ever since then, the Duchess of Sussex has almost always worn the sparkler—no matter the occasion. However, on August 15, 2023, Markle was spotted without the valuable piece of jewelry on her left ring finger, which sparked rumors about the royal couple’s current marital status. Markle was enjoying a lunch date with two of her friends, Cleo Wade and Kadi Lee, celebrating a belated birthday lunch, which was most likely for the duchess, who turned 42 on August 4, 2023. A photo taken of the group shows that Markle’s diamond rock was absent, replaced by a gold band. A few days after the luncheon, on August 18, 2023, an insider revealed the real reason why Markle ditched her engagement ring, and it has nothing to her marriage to Harry. The source tells markle-hasnt-been-wearing-her-engagement-ring-from-prince-harry/” data-ylk=”slk:Page Six;elm:context_link;itc:0″ class=”link “Page Six that the ring is simply “being fixed.”

Louella Anderson, cofounder of So Synced, told The Mirror that there could be other reasons why Meghan decided to ditch her engagement ring. “Meghan Markle has always had her own unique sense of style,” she says. “It’s possible that her decision to change or remove the engagement ring reflects her evolving taste or desire for something different. She’s not over the top about her jewelry and usually chooses to keep her look quite simple and classic. Taking off the ring could be her way of expressing this personal preference for a less flashy look. Meghan’s engagement ring was particularly large and

The market for lab-grown diamonds is exploding this wedding season, putting larger gems onto more hands than ever.

But some say that shine can wear off when the synthetic stones quickly lose their value.

Pandora, the largest jeweler in the world, is now very much in the diamond business.

Last year, the company that’s well-known for its accessible charm bracelets began selling lab-grown diamonds set in rings and other jewelry.

The diamonds are offered at prices Pandora says make sense for their slice of the jewelry market.

“What we are seeing a lot is people that always dreamed but never had a chance to buy a diamond. Now they can,” said Luciano Rodembusch, Pandora’s North American President.

At Pandora, a one carat diamond ring goes for less than $2,000, while a 2-carat piece sells for roughly $5,000, a fraction of what similar, mined stones would cost.

Pandora says its lab-created diamonds are manufactured in U.S. facility using 100% renewable energy.

“Ours are going to be one-fifth to one-seventh of the price,” Rodembusch said.

According to The Knot, the popularity of lab-grown diamonds has doubled since 2020.

In 2022, more than a third of engagement ring center stones were manufactured, not mined.

Regardless of the source, the diamonds are visually and chemically the same.

But, some argue that there is a key value difference.

Olivia Landau, co-founder and CEO of custom jewelry company The Clear Cut, sells only natural diamonds, which she says hold or even increase in monetary value.

“Lab grown diamonds hold zero value. They’re mass produced. You can create an endless supply of them,” Landau said. “They’re kind of the fast-fashion of diamonds, whereas natural diamonds do hold inherent value.”

The Clear Cut does use lab-grown diamonds but it actually gives them away for free,

From working out to sleeping, here’s how to protect your wedding jewelry on a daily basis.

Have you ever sat down to seriously think about your daily routine? If not, you might be unaware of the fact that you engage in several “risky” activities on a day-to-day basis. Before you start to get nervous, though, we’re not talking about anything harmful or detrimental to your health. We’re simply referring to the daily activities that put your engagement ring and wedding band at risk.

Let’s face it, it’s easy to forget about your wedding rings after being married for several months or years. That’s because once you’ve tied the knot, these pieces easily become a part of your daily routine, causing even the most mindful individuals to forget that they’re wearing a ring in the first place. But given that an engagement ring and wedding band;elm:context_link;itc:0″ class=”link “wedding band are precious pieces of jewelry, it’s extremely important to be diligent and aware of the daily projects you partake in, no matter how comfortable you are wearing each accessory.

Ahead, we consulted Grant Mobley, an in-house diamond expert at the Natural Diamond Council, for his expertise on the top five everyday activities that put engagement rings and wedding bands at risk. Read on to learn more.

Related: How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Rings

Working Out

Whether you regularly head to the gym or prefer the convenience of an at-home sweat session, working out is one of the top ways to quickly and easily damage your wedding rings. “When you work out, lift weights, or carry heavy objects, a majority of the weight falls onto the band and that pressure can bend and misshape the bands,” shares Mobley. “A bent band can also have the effect of

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am very much against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and I don’t want to support it by buying a diamond engagement ring, since the stone is likely to come from Russia.

I told my fiancee I would like to buy her a ruby, emerald or sapphire ring — her choice — but she says the only ring appropriate for an engagement is a diamond. What is your advice?

GENTLE READER: This is not the jewelry department, so Miss Manners cannot advise you on how to find a diamond with a clear provenance (or a lab-created one). But that is what you must do.

The reason is not because there is any etiquette rule about diamond rings. Frankly, we don’t even care if there is a ring, much less what type. Etiquette considers that all an engagement requires is an agreement between two people to be married. It is not we who invented that bended-knee routine.

But your fiancee craves this. And your marriage will go better if you acknowledge that while a spouse’s moral convictions should be respected, so should a spouse’s emotional longings.

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DEAR MISS MANNERS: If one is dining alone at a restaurant and must burp, what should one do afterwards? It seems coarse to say nothing, but it seems odd to try to engage nearby diners.

By saying “excuse me,” would one be asking the salt shaker for a pardon?

GENTLE READER: Even if dining alone, one should say “excuse me.” Especially if the people at the next table jumped.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Aurate launches ‘Laure by Aurate’ in partnership with Helzberg Diamonds, using a unique sister business model to propel brand growth

NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Aurate, the sustainable, high-quality, and luxury jewelry brand, announced today the launch of its new collection, ‘Laure by Aurate,’ made exclusively and in partnership with leading national jewelry retailer Helzberg Diamonds. The launch of ‘Laure by Aurate’ introduces the brand’s first time using a sister brand business model, created by Aurate specifically for Helzberg Diamonds’ audience and consumers. The ‘Laure By Aurate’ collection will be sold in 30 stores and available online exclusively at Helzberg Diamonds starting August 9th.

“With Aurate being the first jewelry brand to use a sister brand model, our partnership with Helzberg Diamonds, a brand that has over a century of experience and industry authority, is a huge next step as we scale our business and continue to democratize fine jewelry,” said Sophie Kahn, CEO and Co-Founder of Aurate. “The ‘Laure by Aurate’ collection was made exclusively for Helzberg Diamonds and will tap a new audience for Aurate, introducing the Midwest customer to our earth-friendly, luxury and quality jewelry pieces. Both Aurate and Helzberg deeply value sustainability in a too-often unsustainable industry, making this partnership that much more meaningful.”

The ‘Laure by Aurate’ collection at Helzberg Diamonds will include over 100 items ranging from $100 – $1,500 including a variety of elevated pieces consisting of rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Product materials include white, rose, and yellow gold, all of which are sustainably and ethically sourced recycled gold, meaning the material is developed from pre-existing gold material that is refined to remove any impurities and imperfections. Similarly, each diamond, jewel, and gemstone – ranging from emeralds to pearls, sapphires, and more