Playboy Bellybar - reduced from £30 to £15 at H Samuel, just click on the picture

Great news for all you Playboy Jewellery fans – we’ve found a veritable treasure trove of Playboy Jewellery online. We did this as so many of you have been looking at and searching for Playboy themed jewellery that we thought we’d help you out. There’s everything from Playboy watches to Playboy bellybars. H Samuel currently have big savings to offer on most Playboy jewellery pieces with many items discounts by £10. This crystal belly bar is half price! Any further Playboy pieces we might add in future will be dropped straight in there.

The release of the special edition follows the production of the Seamaster XVI, which was specially produced for the coincidence of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the 25th anniversary of OMEGA’s role as Official Timekeeper in 1957.

We have a range of Seamaster watches available , check it here !…

• January: Garnet

Look at garnet pieces here. Garnet is usually red but can be found in many colours -some garnet stones even have a colour changing quality. Garnet is also the gemstone for second wedding anniversaries.

• February: Amethyst

Look at amethyst pieces here. Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz believed by Greeks to prevent drunkenness. This stems from Greek legend where a young maiden named Amethystos was being chased by Dionysus. She prayed to Artemis to keep her chaste and so the Goddess transformed her into a white stone. A humbled Dionysus poured wine over the stone making it the famed purple colour. Today’s amethyst is normally found in Austria, Russia, India, Brazil and Uruguay.

• March: Aquamarine

Look at aquamarine pieces here. Aquamarine is usually a delicate blue but can be found in yellow pink and white. Is is found in Russia, Sri Lanka and Brazil -amongst other places. Aquamarine is also traditionally the stone used to commemorate 19th wedding anniversaries and protect sailors.

• April: Diamond

Look at diamond pieces here. Diamonds are formed deep in the Earth’s crust and so those that have made their way to the surface (or at least mining depth) can be up to 3.3 billion years old! Diamonds can also be made by meteorite impacts or brought from outer space – Carbonado diamonds formed in space and landed in South America and Africa with a large asteroid.

• May: Emerald

Look at emerald pieces here. Emerald is used as the stone for the 55th wedding anniversary. Some rare emerald contain a six-point star pattern and are called trapiche emeralds.

• June: Pearl

Look at pearl pieces by clicking here. Pearls form naturally in living shelled molluscs -water-living creatures that create protective layers around irritant objects in their soft tissue. One particular group -bivalves -produce the best mother-of-pearl. These are the pearl oysters and river mussels. Natural pearls are incredibly rare and seldom smooth or round -perfectly matched pearl necklaces can reach millions at auction.

• July: Ruby

Look at ruby pieces here. Rubies are also the traditional gem of 40th wedding anniversaries. Rubies are the stones of noblemen and good luck in India and China.

• August: Peridot

Find peridot pieces here. Gem quality peridot is rare and have been found in meteorites.

• September: Sapphire

Find sapphire pieces here. Blue sapphire is associated with Saturn and 45th wedding anniversaries.

• October: Opal

Find opal pieces by clicking here and searching for “opal”. Opal’s are Australia’s national gemstone and visits to opal mines are a popular tourist attraction there. Opals can form into fossils as well as the minerals used for jewellery. Opals have a variety of colours in each piece but the most rare are red and black next to one another.

• November: Golden Topaz or Citrine

Find citrine pieces by clicking here and searchung for “citrine”. Citrine is a variety of quartz and is traditionally used as protection against snake venom and evil thoughts.

• December: Turquoise

Find turquoise pieces here. Turquoise is predominantly mined in Iran and was first exported from Persia around 2,000 years ago. It can be found on the death mask of Tutankhamun. Apache tribes thought that turquoise would help archers to aim.

There are many variations on this list -not least because the original list comes from the book of Revelation when the foundations of the new Jerusalem were laid in the order of the Roman calendar. Most product descriptions on this site inform the customer of the birth stone used.

Straight bars or discs or quartz are perfect for keeping time because small bars can oscillate at a low frequency of 32KHz. The accuracy of the time-keeping depends on the precision with which the tiny bar or tuning fork of quartz is cut.

The mechanisms of the watch make the crystal ring. The ringing crystal shakes (or oscillates) at a nice regular rhythm (like a pendulum but at thousands of times per second) and gives off a tiny electronic signals (because of the piezoelectric effect) which are then converted into the pulses needed for keeping time.

For instance, rubies have what is called “rutile inclusions” which indicate that a gem has not been treated (good) but which may impair clarity (bad). Sometimes, these inclusions form a star pattern which is desirable amongst buyers (good).

The basics of quality are as follows:

Carat

Stone weights are measured in carats. Carats (ct) are divided into a hundred points (pt). It is important to remember that a stone that is twice as heavy will not be twice as big. Use the following table as a guide:

• 1pt 1.35mm
• 2pt 1.72mm
• 3pt 2.00mm
• 10pt 3.00mm
• 15pt 3.40mm
• 25pt 4.10mm
• 50pt 5.20mm
• 75pt 5.90mm
• 1ct (100pt) 6.50mm

Colour

The Colour grading scale of diamonds goes from D-Z. The best diamonds are in the D-F range and the most yellow are Z. Diamonds can even be muddy brown -these would normally be used for industrial purposes.

Cut

Diamonds have a high refractive index which means that they bounce light within themselves better than most substances -resulting in a brilliant display of sparkling colours. A well-cut diamond will reflect a lot of light back out of the “crown” of its cut (the top of the stone).

Clarity

Most gemstones have tiny imperfections called inclusions. These are different minerals that may show up as marks or other colours in the diamond. Inclusions near the crown will spoil the look of the diamond and its ability to reflect light. However, those near the girdle (where they are unlikely to be seen be the naked eye) are less of a problem. The scale is as follows:

• FL-1F

  • Internally flawless

• WS1 -WS2

  • Very, very slight inclusions

• VS1-VS2

  • Very slight inclusions

• SL2, SL2

  • Slight inclusions

• I1, I2, I3

  • Imperfect

Carat is the measurement of purity in gold alloys and is shown in 24ths.

Gold Alloying

Pure gold isn’t used in jewellery because it is so soft that it will break or bend easily unless handled very carefully or made thicker for strength. This is why film and TV characters often bite items of gold to check for purity. Other metals are used to strengthen the jewellery in a process called alloying.

Most gold jewellery is made using yellow gold alloys -that is, gold mixed with copper and silver. Silver, zinc, or palladium are used to produce white alloys, or “White Gold”.

Alloys can make many different colours of gold jewellery – in the UK, white and rose coloured gold are becoming increasingly popular, though optimum colours depend on your skin tone and wardrobe. In the UK, 9ct and 18ct is most commonly sold, while in America, 14ct is more popular. In India, 22ct gold is preferred. 24ct gold tends to be used for exchange and investment.

Platinum and White Gold

Platinum is different to white gold. Platinum is more expensive than white gold alloys and itself has a carat rating system for purity. It has to be heated to higher temperatures than pure gold in order to make jewellery and is quite difficult to work although it makes very good settings for diamonds. Platinum is a silvery grey colour unlike white gold which needs rhodium plating to achieve the optimum colour.

Rhodium plating is vulnerable to tarnishing – though H Samuel will re-rhodium plate any white gold jewellery within 12 months of purchase for free. Many people choose rhodium plating over platinum because it has a highly reflective white surface.

Hallmarking

British hallmarking was introduced over 600 years ago and was probably the first example of consumer protection law.

When you’re buying gold jewellery, make sure it has a hallmark. This is a quality control mark placed on gold, silver and platinum and provides a safeguard to purchasers. The hallmark on an article shows that it has been tested (assayed) by an independent body (the Assay Office) and guarantees that the metal is of one the legal standards of fineness, or purity. You therefore know exactly what you are buying.

Hallmarking is carried out in the UK not only by the London Assay Office, at Goldsmiths Hall, but also by the Birmingham, Edinburgh and Sheffield Assay Offices. These institutions are hundreds of years old and will also test for nickel and mercury.

A hallmark allows your jeweller to quickly identify what carat your jewellery is if you have to take it for repair or alterations. It is illegal for most articles of precious metal above a certain minimum weight to be described, or sold, as gold, silver or platinum, unless they carry an approved hallmark.

A British hallmark is made up of at least three compulsory symbols:

• The Sponsor’s Mark – This indicates the manufacturer, or sponsor of the item. This consists of the initials of the person or firm who sent in the item for assaying.
• The Fineness Mark – This indicates what the metal is and its standard of purity in parts per thousand.
• The Assay Office Mark – This identifies the Assay Office at which the item was tested and marked.

There are also optional marks:

• The Common Control Mark – This contains the standard of purity. The shape of the shield indicates what the metal is.
• The Pictorial Quality Symbol – This indicates the metal by picture.
• The Date Letter – This indicates which year the item was submitted for hallmarking. Since 1986, this has been an unnecessary feature on small items of jewellery.

Once upon a time, sterling silver was represented by a lion, but is now replaced by the numbers 925. To find out more about hallmarks since 1544, read “Antique Marks” (just click here) – an excellent work on the subject.

Caring for Gold Jewellery

Gold is very durable, but it can be damaged if not cared for properly. By following a few simple rules, your gold jewellery will stay beautiful.

• Gold can be scratched or dented if it’s treated roughly. Don’t wear your gold jewellery while doing heavy work, and avoid contact with gritty substances.
• Chlorine can attack the surface of gold and lead to damage. Take off your gold jewellery before entering a swimming pool.
• Store each item of jewellery separately to avoid scratches – see a selection of jewellery boxes here.
• Jewellery can best be kept clean by using a special cleaning solution or cloth. A variety of these, for different types of jewellery, are available here.
• Check your jewellery regularly for damage or weakness, paying particular attention to prongs, joints and fastenings.
• H Samuel offers a comprehensive repair service for most items of jewellery. All repairs are carried out by highly skilled craftsmen, and are guaranteed for 12 months.
• H Samuel will re-rhodium plate any white gold jewellery that was bought from them free of charge within 12 months, as long as you have proof of purchase.

Watch Functions

A watch function other than telling the time is a known as a complication. A watch may be ‘simple’, ‘complicated’ or a ‘grand complication’ depending upon the number of functions it has.

The most basic complication is a calendar. More complicated calendars may be a perpetual calendar which takes into account the varying number of days in a month and leap years.

A popular complication is a chronograph – a watch that possesses a stop watch and comes in many forms to measure everything from miles per hour to pulse rate. Other coveted complications include tachymeter, tourbillion and minute repeater.

A complication or function that is increasing in popularity is moonphase. A moonphase watch provides a reminder of watchmaking’s ancient links to astronomy. It visually displays the phases of the moon, day, month and date. It’s the revival of moonphase watches that has rekindled the recent interest in mechanical watches.

Pilot and mountain trekkers may well make use of an altimeter – a function that responds to changes in barometric pressure to provide altitude. If diving’s your thing, you’ll be looking for a watch with at least 200 metres water resistancy. Compasses functions on watches can be used in conjunction with maps to provide navigational assistance. The Sea Pathfinder even includes tide graphs.

Watch Movements

A watch movement is the inner workings that make up its main timekeeping mechanism. It’s the engine of a watch and may comprise up to 600 parts. It is what determines your watch’s accuracy and reliability.

Mechanical

A mechanical watch is driven by a slow release of power from a mainspring via a set of small cog wheels. The spring is wound up manually. A recent return to ‘heritage’ styling has seen a huge rise in the popularity of watches with a mechanical movement. Today, mechanical watches are viewed as works of art and require incredible skill in their making.

Automatic

An automatic watch has a mechanical movement but it does not need to be regularly wound. Instead, it self-winds via a rotor with the movement of the wearer’s wrist. Most automatic watches have a power reserve of up to 36 hours. The winder is retained as a feature on automatic watches so that the time and date can be altered manually.

Quartz

A quartz watch is powered by a battery. The electric current supplied by the battery causes the quartz crystal to oscillate at a fixed frequency. The frequency is broken down through an integrated circuit where power is released through a small stepping motor which sets the watch hands in motion. A quartz watch is extremely accurate and less expensive than comparable mechanical watches.