Ippolita jewelry is known for its expressive and bold colors in unique and carefree designs. Ippolita Rostagano started her jewelry collection with casual luxury for the everyday woman in mind. The beauty and relaxed feel to her jewelry is apparent upon first glance, but each collection has its own individual spirit. Keep reading to learn about the four best Ippolita collections.

1. Glamazon

This collection from Ippolita may feature less of the vibrant colors we’ve come to expect from the jeweler, but that doesn’t make it any less glamorous. The Glamazon collection features sleek gold and silver shapes in sculptural designs. The metal in this collection is hammered or smooth for an organic and natural feel. Oversized hoops come in the form of necklaces and earrings and gemstones are sparkled throughout. This collection is so versatile — casual, formal, diamond-covered or simple, it’s what you make it. Check out pieces from the Glamazon collection here.

2. Lollipop

The Lollipop collection is a colorful and carefree collection perfect for the summer. The color and cut of the stones mimic the sweetness of the candy the collection is named for. This year, Ippolita has released watery blue shades of topaz and turquoise to compliment the sunny shade of their signature 18K yellow gold mix called Waterfall. Amethyst, citrine, pink tourmaline and more come together to add vibrant shades perfect for the summer season. Check out pieces from the Lollipop collection here.

3. Rock Candy

The Rock Candy collection is one of the most identifiable Ippolita collections of all time. The stunning and vibrant stones are cut with unique facets in round or angular shapes and then arranged together or apart to accentuate the natural beauty of each stone. The collection exudes a carefree and tasteful attitude appropriate for everyday wear or as a statement piece to finish your look. The bangles of this collection are one of the most popular items from Ippolita and are made to stack. Check out pieces from the Rock Candy collection here.

4. Wonderland

The Wonderland collection is part of the Rock Candy collection and you will recognize the signature vibrancy and facets of the bold stones used in each piece. This collection uses sterling silver to further accentuate the stones and allow a friendlier price point. The collection is also influenced by the Glamazon collection with use of the hammered metal for a complete Ippolita look. Check out pieces from the Wonderland collection here.

Photo Credit: ippolita.com

You probably don’t plan on gifting Mom a 22-carat diamond bracelet this year, but maybe next year. If you could, we know you would thank mom by gifting her something completely over-the-top. In honor of Mother’s Day, we combed through our most extravagant jewelry and timepieces to create the ultimate wish list. For Mother’s Day gifting inspiration, check out our Mother’s Day Shops here.

1. Van Cleef & Arpels Pink Opal Necklace

Pink opal is different than most other variations of the semi-precious stone — it lacks that play of color we associate with other colors of opal. However, this pink opal is only found in Peru and has its own beautiful look. This Van Cleef & Arpels necklace features 22 round opals with a stunning 3.3-carat diamond clasp. This necklace is worth $72,000 — find it here.

2.Cartier Diamond Watch

This Cartier watch is impressively over-the-top. With 30-carats of round brilliant-cut diamonds covering every surface of this 1990s timepiece, any wearer would surely turn heads. This Cartier-designed timepiece also features a unique Vacheron Constantin movement. This timepiece is worth $75,000 — find it here.

3. Cartier Himalia Pearl Necklace

This Cartier stunner is a long and luxurious design from the French jeweler. This piece, from Cartier’s Himalia collection, features 8.0 carats of diamonds and 31 pearls ranging from black to white in color with a rose gold chainlink necklace. This necklace is worth $89,000 — find it here.

4. Harry Winston Diamond Watch

Harry Winston is known for its opulent diamonds and stunning jewelry designs, and this has translated to the jeweler’s watch collection. This extravagant and detailed diamond watch, the Premier Excenter Lotus, features 271 pave diamonds for 3.3 carats total, set in 18K white gold. The leather bracelet also features a white golf and diamond clasp. This dazzling timepiece is worth $32,850 — find it here.

5. Bulgari Serpenti Necklace

This necklace is the ultimate Bulgari stunner from the jewelers iconic Serpenti collection. There’s no doubt that this pave diamond necklace will dazzle throughout its life. The piece features pave round-brillian cut diamonds set in 18K white gold. The piece is worth $67,500 — find it here.

It can be a stressful and difficult task to find the perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Make this Mother’s Day easy and find her the ultimate accessory by her favorite designer. If you know her favorite brands, then finding the right gift just got easier. Check out our list of top accessories from favorite brands. For more gifting inspiration, check out our Mother’s Day Shops here.

1. Chanel

Chanel is a beloved fashion brand with one of the most coveted costume jewelry collections of all time. Vintage and new pieces are sought after by trendy women and those with classic style. It goes without question that Coco Chanel changed women’s fashion and jewelry for the better. Favorites from Chanel include earrings and pendants with the iconic CC logo. Oversized, vintage button earrings are also a longtime Chanel favorite. Finally, in addition to costume jewelry, Chanel offers a beautiful and unique fine jewelry options. Shop Chanel jewelry here.

2. Hermes

Hermes may be known for its luxury leather goods, but the French designer also has an extensive jewelry collection. Most pieces are made of leather and enameled base metals, but there are many fine jewelry options. The most popular pieces from Hermes include the enamel bracelets. The bracelets come in a endless patterns and colors, making it easy to find something for any style. The H bracelets, also known as the Clic Clac bracelets, are one of the fastest-selling Hermes pieces, selling out within days of being listed. Check out more Hermes jewelry here.

3. Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co. has created the most irresistible little blue box in history. There’s no doubt that Mom will be excited just seeing the box, before even knowing what it contains. Tiffany & Co. is one of the most world famous jewelers, and every piece can create a special moment. The Tiffany brand favorites and best sellers also make the perfect Mother’s Day gift. The Paloma Picasso Loving Heart, Elsa Peretti Open Heart and Return to Tiffany heart tag are all brand icons and perfect symbols of love for Mother’s Day. Shop more Tiffany & Co. jewelry here.

4. Cartier
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Cartier has been on trend for decades — you can never choose the wrong piece from this iconic jeweler. The brand has released some of the most iconic jewelry icons in history, including the Panthere, Love collection and numerous watch designs. The Cartier Love bracelet and rings are our best-selling items of all time. In the past few years, the Love collection has surged in popularity and became a fashion icon. The Trinity collection is another Cartier favorite that’s also packed with meaning. Cartier timepieces are the best selling women’s watches thanks in part to the Tank and Ballon Bleu. Shop more Cartier jewelry and watches to find the perfect piece.

5. Chopard

Chopard likely has the most spirited jewelry collection of all time. The beautiful pieces are always created with happiness and love in mind. It’s not hard to find heart designs and diamond encrusted “love” pieces. One of Chopard’s most popular collections is even called Happy Diamonds. The collection is comprised of loose diamonds in easy-going designs, all in the name of expression. Chopard has taken the Happy Diamonds concept and applied it to all kinds of jewelry pieces and diamonds, making it easy to find the right pieces for any individual. The concept has also carried over to Chopard’s watch collection with the Happy Sport watch, one of Chopard’s best selling watch designs. You can check out more Chopard jewelry and watches to find the perfect piece for Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and May 8th is sooner than you might think. If you plan on getting her a special gift, you’ll need to act fast! We put together a gift guide for any budget with special gifts Mom will be sure to love! Check out the gift guide for inspiration — if you see something you love, then click on the image to see more. For more inspiration, check out our Mother’s Day Shops here.

1. Charm Her

Charm bracelets are always a thoughtful gift. Packed with meaning, these small trinkets can be as personal as they are beautiful. You will always be able to find something special and expressive. Some charm bracelets are completely customizable and you can gift charms throughout the year for a completely unique and meaningful accessory.

2. From the Heart

The heart is the universal symbol of love. Jewelers love to recreate the symbol in so many unique and beautiful ways, that you will surely find a piece that fits your mom’s style. Perhaps one of the most iconic motifs of the Tiffany brand, there’s tons of options to choose. From the heart tag charm bracelet to the Elsa Peretti Open Heart pendant necklace, there’s something for every mom.

3. Floral Flair

There’s only one one kind of flower that won’t ever wilt and you won’t find it at the local florist. This Mother’s Day, gift mom flowers that will last forever with floral-inspired jewelry. The options are endless — from simple diamond flower-shaped earrings to big, bold and colorful sapphire rings, there’s always the perfect piece at the perfect price.

4. Time for Mom

If mom’s is more of a watch wearer than a jewelry lover, then a timepiece might be the perfect gift! If she has a classic and elegant taste, then a Cartier Tank is the perfect fit. If she’s all high-fashion all the time, then the Chanel J12 never disappoints. You’ll never go wrong with a Rolex Datejust. For the fashion watch collectors, Michele watches are trendy and budget friendly.

View our Mother’s Day Shops for more gifting inspiration!

We look at the watch industry’s most significant and history watches that revolutionized the world of watchmaking.

1. The Cartier Santos Mechanical Watch – The Watch That Popularized Men’s Wristwatches

There is great debate over who should be credited with designing the very first wristwatch. One account traces the origins of the wristwatch back to Queen Elizabeth I, who, in 1571, received a bejeweled and ornately-decorated “arm watch” from the Earl of Leicester as a new year gift. However, the watchmaker is unknown and the description of the since-lost “arm watch” does not paint a picture of the wristwatch we know today. From this time and through the early 20th century, the majority of wristwatches were designed for women and meant to be a piece of jewelry, a bracelet-watch hybrid. Ladies watches were often embellished with precious stones. Fashionable men, meanwhile, preferred to carry a “masculine” and weighty pocket watch. Beyond style, it was believed that the heftier pocket watch was more durable and a more accurate time-keeper than the daintier ladies’ counterparts.

However, during the 19th century, tastes and needs began to change. Military men in particular began wearing their pocket watches as a wrist-watch adaptation by slipping the pocket watch into a kind of pocket and opening on a leather strap.

The real watershed moment for men’s wristwatches was in 1904. The famed Brazilian aviator, Alberto Santos-Dumont, explained to his friend Louis Cartier that it was difficult to read and record flight times with his pocket watch. Cartier set about designing a flat wristwatch with a square bezel that would ultimately be named the Cartier Santos watch. The Santos was a commercial sensation and was the turning point in the industry that made wristwatches a popular and stylish accessory for men and women alike.

2. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual – The First Self-Winding Watch with a Perpetual Rotor

In 1923, British watchmaker John Harwood developed and patented the self-winding wristwatch. His revolutionary invention meant wristwatches would no longer need to be manually wound daily. Instead, Harwood’s automatic mechanical watch was wound by a small weight inside that would turn 180 degrees to wind the mainspring and supply the watch’s energy. There were, however, shortcomings to Harwood’s design: the wearer could feel the bump of the weight’s movement and the watch only remained powered for 12 hours.

In 1930, Rolex improved upon Harwood’s initial design and developed the Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Rolex updated Harwood’s semi-circular weight so it would rotate a full 360 degrees. This vastly increased the amount of energy stored in the mainspring to 35 hours. In 1931, Rolex patented the world’s first self-winding mechanism with a Perpetual rotor, a system that is effectively used in every modern automatic watch today.

3. The Bulova Accutron Watch – The First Electronic Watch

Although the Bulova Accutron did not have the completely crippling economic effect of the greater Quartz Crisis, the Accutron was the first to disrupt the tradition of mechanical watches. The watch brand Bulova spent eight years developing the Accutron and debuted their invention in 1960. Unlike the day’s ubiquitous mechanical watches that relied on a mainspring to power it, the Bulova Accutron used a 360 hertz tuning fork as the time keeping element. This new movement effectively made the Bulova Accutron the first electronic watch and, at the time of its release, the most accurate wristwatch available, accurate within 60 seconds a month.

The battery-powered Accutron watch did not use a quartz watch but was the inspiration for the later, superior quartz movements that would ultimately devastate the watch industry in the 1970s and 1980s.

4. The Seiko Spring Drive – The Most Accurate Mechanical Watch

The Seiko Spring Drive is a unique watch movement developed by an ambitious Seiko engineer, Yoshikazu Akahane, who aimed to create an electronic watch, wound by a mainspring, with an unparalleled one-second-a-day accuracy. Ultimately Akahane spent 28 years creating 600 prototypes before he perfected the patented design in 1982.

The Spring Drive movement is an engineering marvel that uses a mainspring, barrel automatic winder, and a mechanical watch’s stem winding to store the watch’s energy. Essentially, the Spring Drive movement uses a quartz oscillator but is powered by a mainspring like a mechanical watch. It also uses a device dubbed the Seiko “Tri-Synchro Regulator” that regulates the unwinding of the mainspring and makes the Seiko Spring Drive the most accurate mechanical watch ever made. The movement features a true continuously sweeping second hand, a friction-free regulator and is virtually soundless.

The Seiko Spring Drive watch was introduced in 1999. The Spring Drive was considered Seiko’s crowning achievement for its exceptional technology and was one of the biggest developments in watchmaking since the quartz watch.

5. Vacheron Constantin Ref. 57260 – The World’s Most Complicated Pocket Watch

In 2015, Vacheron Constantin released their Reference 57260 pocket watch which currently holds the title of the most complicated pocket watch in the world. (A watch complication refers to any feature a watch includes beyond its hour and minute time display.)

Vacheron Constantin unseated Patek Philippe who previously held the record with the Patek Philippe Calibre 89 that had 33 complications and was released in 1989 to celebrate the watchmaker’s 150th anniversary. Vacheron Constantin’s Ref. 57260 boasts a whopping 57 complications including a world time display, a perpetual calendar, a Hebrew perpetual calendar, an alarm with seven functions, a lunar calendar, and an astronomical calendar.

It took over eight years just to assemble the 2,800 individual parts that make up the massive pocket watch. The price for the Vacheron Constatin Ref. 57260 is undisclosed but experts estimate it is worth over $10 million USD.

Photo Credit: watch-insider.com / monochrome-watches.com / rolexblog.blogspot.com / horbiter.com / bloomberg.com

Patek Philippe is widely recognized today’s premier watchmaker—just as it was at the beginning of the 19th century. The Swiss brand built (and more importantly has maintained for 177 years) its reputation on designing sophisticated timepieces of incomparable quality.

We examine the history of Patek Philippe and how little has changed in their production process and why this makes a Patek Philippe watch so valuable today.

A Tradition of Perfection
Patek Philippe was founded in Geneva in 1851 but its co-founder, Antoni Patek, was making pocket watches way back in 1839. Moreover, before Patek Philippe was officially established, Patek and his business partner, the French inventor Adrien Philippe, first joined forces in 1845. The Swiss watchmaker boasts one of the longest histories in an industry rich with legacy brands. And since the brand’s inception, Patek Philippe has largely kept their design consistent across 200 different watch models, further perfecting their mechanics and technology. While other brands have pivoted (and sometimes even struggled) to remain relevant in the market, Patek Philippe has capitalized on its tradition and superior watchmaking. Instead of appealing to fickle market tastes and trends, Patek Philippe has not wavered in their product and centuries-long brand identity.

Exceptional Craftsmanship and Materials
Patek Philippe’s craftspeople still utilize the traditional watchmaking techniques that date back to the company beginnings 177 years ago. And, unlike other watchmakers who purchase components from outside manufacturers, Patek Philippe produces all their watch elements in-house. Patek Philippe also pride themselves on using only high-quality materials. For instance, their elegant watch cases are forged from pure gold or platinum and never combined with alloy metals.

The Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives
Patek Philippe has maintained and exhaustive archive since 1839, cataloging all the timepieces they have produced. Known as the “Extract from the Archives,” this document includes a comprehensive description of the timepiece (including the caliber, movement number, case number, dial type, bracelet style, and date of sale) the day it left the Patek Philippe workshops. Although the Extract from the Archives is not proof of authenticity or a warranty, it makes it possible to identify any Patek Philippe watch. The Extract from the Archives also notes any modifications or repairs made by Patek Philippe. The service also manages theft notifications in the event a lost or stolen watch surfaces on a grey market. If you own a Patek Philippe watch that is older than five years, you can order an Extract from the Archives for your timepiece.

The Value of a Patek Philippe Watch
A new Patek Philippe watch boasts a jaw-dropping price tag of $20,000 for most entry-level watches with some models fetching up to $2 million USD. But why Patek Philippe warrants this incredible investment is the combination of the brand’s impressive history, unrivaled craftsmanship, high-quality materials and rarity.

It is believed that fewer than 1 million Patek Philippe watches have been produced since 1839. (To compare, it is estimated that Rolex produces nearly 1,000,000 watches last year alone.) Moreover it takes an average of nine months to produce a basic Patek Philippe watch and upwards of two years for a more complicated model. The incredible scarcity only heightens its desirability— and its final price tag.

Shop our collection of new and pre-loved Patek Philippe watches!

Modern timepieces fall into two key groups: a quartz or automatic movement. We break down the fundamental differences between these two types of watch movements and outline best care methods for each.

What is a quartz watch?
As its name stipulates, a quartz watch contains a small piece of quartz crystal integrated into the watch’s mechanics.

When an electric current passes through quartz, the crystal oscillates with near-perfect frequency and becomes the ideal constant to measure time against. The result is an incredibly accurate watch, with premier quartz watches accurate within seconds of a year.

Quartz watches are battery operated and the batteries can last upwards of five years before needing to be changed. Therefore, a quartz watch can be left untouched for long stretches of time and the time will remain exact.

This crucial crystal also minimizes the number of moving parts which keeps the cost of quartz watches comparatively low. The combined result is an affordable and durable watch.

How do I care for a quartz watch?
Quartz watches are fairly low maintenance. We suggest bringing it to a professional whenever you need to change the battery for a thorough cleaning and replacement battery.

What is a mechanical watch?
The introduction of quartz watches in 1960s could have technically rendered mechanical watches obsolete; by most practical standards, a quartz watch is the superior timepiece given its accuracy and inexpensive production. But there is an incredible and ongoing demand for mechanical watches that employ the same historical technology that watches have used for hundreds of years.

Complicated mechanical watches are admired for their incredible craftsmanship. Powered by a wound spring instead of a battery, mechanical watches are made of 50 to 300 delicate, moving and interconnected parts to keep time. Even though the result is a less accurate timepiece, mechanical watches are highly coveted engineering marvels and their complexity commands a higher price.

Mechanical watches are made of two sub-groups: automatic and manual.

What is an Automatic or Self-Winding Mechanical Watch?
Automatic watches are powered by a semicircular rotor that spins on the back of the watch’s movement. This turns a gear which winds the aforementioned spring that functions as the mechanical watch’s battery. So long as the automatic watch is worn regularly, the weight segment is pulled by the natural force of gravity and oscillates as you move throughout the day. This constant motion effectively keeps the watch consistently wound. However if the watch remains unworn, it needs to be wound like a manual mechanical watch to restore its power.

What is a Manual Mechanical Watch?
In 1842, Jean-Adrien Philippe, the co-founder of Patek Philippe, invented a mechanism that allowed watches to be wound by hand. Watches previously had to be wound with a special key. With Philippe’s breakthrough, the watch’s energy supply could be renewed by turning the crown multiple times and winding the mainspring. The spring then slowly uncoils to generate the required energy to move the watch’s gears and complications.

How do I care for a mechanical watch?
A mechanical watch will be off by a few seconds per day which, compared to a quartz watch that is only off by a few seconds per year, seems like a significant difference. But the reality is that a mechanical watch actually boasts an impressive 99.994% accuracy rate. To maintain that level of accuracy, it’s important to take care of your mechanical watch by having it serviced once every three years.

Also do not overwind your watch. When the mainspring is already fully wound up, putting any additional tension on the spring could break it or affect the balance wheel’s rotation causing the watch to run too fast.

If you have any additional questions about your watch, feel free to contact our customer service team who can help with further instructions on watch care.