Corbo Jewelers

The Artistry of Vanna K Heir to a tradition of artistry and excellence in fine jewelry, hallmarks of Kitsinian Jewelers, Vanna K designs with an aura of energy that interacts with the mind and body and resonates with her admirer. Though jewelry design has been the family business for three generations, Papa never meant for his little girl to follow in his footsteps. “For you…great things” he often said as young Vanna would peer over his shoulder at the platinum wonders unfolding under his pencil. Papa got his way – or so he thought. While Vanna dutifully fulfilled his ambitions by excelling as a multi-lingual scholastic star, for Vanna, none of it extinguished her fierce, unremitting passion to sketch, imagine, and bring to life sculpted precious metal in ways never before seen or worn. Today, the next generation of bridal and fashion design has arrived. Led by a member of the very age group her product will serve, someone entirely in sync with their sensibilities, taste, and sh...

The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'. On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York S...

Pearl is the official birthstone for the month of June as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also the birthstone for the Sun Signs of Gemini and Cancer.  Fresh water pearls are given on the 1st wedding anniversary. Pearls are also given on the 3rd, 12th and 30th anniversaries. Pearls are formed inside mollusks such as oysters and mussels. They are formed when an irritant such as a tiny stone or bit of sand gets inside the mollusk's shell. A lustrous substance, called nacre, is secreted around the object to protect the soft internal surface of the mollusk. Layers of nacre coat the irritant, and a  pearl is formed. Light that is reflected from these overlapping layers produces a characteristic iridescent luster. This process can take up to seven or eight years. The most valuable pearls are perfectly symmetrical, relatively large and naturally produced. They have a shimmering iridescence which is called orient luster. The principal oyster b...

On June 19, 1910, a Father's Day observance was celebrated through the efforts of  Sonora Smart Dodd  of  Spokane, Washington . After listening to a church sermon at Spokane's Central Methodist Episcopal Church in 1909 about the newly recognized Mother's Day, Dodd felt strongly that fatherhood needed recognition, as well. She wanted a celebration that honored fathers like her own father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran who was left to raise his family alone when his wife died giving birth to their sixth child when Sonora was 16 years old. The following year with the assistance of Reverend Dr. Conrad Bluhm, her pastor at Old Centenary Presbyterian Church (now Knox Presbyterian Church), Sonora took the idea to the Spokane YMCA. The Spokane YMCA, along with the Ministerial Alliance, endorsed Dodd’s idea and helped it spread by celebrating the first Father’s Day in 1910. Sonora suggested her father’s birthday, June 5, be established as the day to honor all Fathers. H...

Since its commercial launch at 2010 JCK show in Las Vegas, the Raquelle Bianco brand has developed into one of the fastest rising brands in the jewelry world. In just few months over 250 US retail stores have bought into the vivacious colors, excellent price points and versatile collections of Raquelle Bianco. Raquelle was the great grandmother of designer Eddie Weiss who together with his father Alex has specialized over the years in designing and selling jewelry. Raquelle Bianco is their first entry into the 'brand jewelry' world. "Raquelle is an ancestral inspiration for both of us" says Eddie Weiss "She was a designer in 1910 when there were not many women designers. We were also inspired by what we thought was a lack of fascinating colors and styles at affordable prices in the market". Raquelle Bianco jewelry is made for the modern and dynamic woman who loves to accessorize on a daily basis. The designer’s research is based on new materials. The first ...

Emeralds are a member of the beryllium family of minerals with a hardness on the Mohs scale of 7 to 8. Pure beryl has no color and it is due to traces of chromium and vanadium that the green effect so prized in emeralds comes about. Emeralds are actually considered to be more precious than diamonds. They are more rare because the mineral, beryllium, used to form emeralds is quite rare. Virtually all emeralds will have inclusions, bubbles or cracks, carbon fleck and possibly foreign crystals inside. They are not considered faults but more an indication of the emeralds genuineness. A completely flawless emerald has never yet been found! The oldest emeralds come from Zimbabwe and have been around for at least 2,600 million years. Emeralds from Pakistan however are only around 9 million years old. Emeralds are found all around the world in South American, South Africa Russia and other countries. Some of the finest emeralds are found in Colombia although fine emeralds are also found in, A...

About ek designs Wonders of nature, strength of spirit and the charm of daily life permeate every piece of Elizabeth Kissick jewelry. Lovingly designed and crafted in an inviting home studio, this tasteful and timeless collection reflects life's moments that are joyous, stirring and fun. What started out in 1992 as a fun hobby that fulfilled an artistic need, ek designs has morphed into a premier jewelry design firm. With little more than a good word of mouth chain, ek designs has grown into a company with revenues that continually double each year. Our lines of jewelry can be seen in over 100 retail locations throughout the United States. Every woman will find the ideal jewelry accessories in the assortment developed by owner and designer, Elizabeth Kissick. The entire collection is created with the finest of precious metals, Swarovski crystals, exclusive hand blown beads, and our custom designed silver bead frames ,beads and toggles that befits these distinguished designs. In its...

Diamonds are beautiful, mysterious and rare. They survive an incredible journey to reach us, a journey that may have begun as long as 3.3 billion years ago. They are created when carbon is put under immense pressure and temperature deep within the earth—at distances of 250 miles or even greater.  Diamonds come from two types of deposits. Primary deposits generally consist of diamond-bearing "pipes" of a volcanic rock called "kimberlite." From deep in the earth these deposits were carried to the surface in molten rock, known as magma. Secondary deposits, also referred to as alluvial, were formed as a result of erosion of material from primary deposits and contain diamonds that have traveled some distance from their original source. Even though world diamond production has tripled since 1980, diamonds remain a scarce resource. More than 12,000 kimberlite deposits have been found worldwide in the last 25 years, yet fewer than 1% have contained enough diamonds to make t...

According to Coilin Owens, Irish literature expert and Professor Emeritus of English at George Mason University, Saint Patrick is traditionally thought to have lived "between 432-461 A.D., but more recent scholarship moves the dates up a bit." At the age of sixteen he was kidnapped from his native land of the Roman British Isles by a band pirates, and sold into slavery in Ireland. Saint Patrick worked as a shepherd and turned to religion for solace. After six years of slavery he escaped to the Irish coast and fled home to Britain. While back in his homeland, Patrick decided to become a priest and then decided to return to Ireland after dreaming that the voices of the Irish people were calling him to convert them to Christianity. After studying and preparing for several years, Patrick traveled back to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Although there were already some Christians living in Ireland, St. Patrick was able to bring upon a massive religious shift to Christianity by...

Historians trace the origin of Valentine's Day to ancient Roman Empire. It is said that in the Rome of ancient times people observed a holiday on February 14th to honor  Juno   - the Queen of Roman Gods and Goddesses. On the following day, February 15th began the fertility festival called   'Feast of Lupercalia.  On the eve of the festival names of young Roman girls were written on a slip of paper and placed into jars. Each young man drew out a girl's name from the jar and was paired with the girl for the duration of Lupercalia. Sometime pairing lasted for a year until next year's celebration. Quite often, the couple would fall in love with each other and later marry.  The pairing of young boys and girls did set the mood of the Valentine's Day Festival as we know today. But it was actually due to the efforts and daring of a priest St Valentine that the festival got its name and clearer meaning. There are a few versions of the story. One version goes that du...

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz and the most valued member of the quartz family. It must be purple to be amethyst, but it can display a range of shades including deep purple, light lilac, lavender and mauve. Top quality amethyst is a deep medium purple with rose-colored flashes. Its purple color made it a stone of royalty for many thousands of years.  Throughout history amethyst has been used to guard against drunkenness and in overcoming addiction. It has been used for hearing disorders, insomnia, headaches and other pain. It has been suggested that it is used to stabilize mental disorders. It is thought to make the wearer gentle and amiable. Amethyst "powers" include: dreams, healing, peace, love, spiritual fulfillment, courage,  psych ism, protection against thieves, and happiness.

Garnets as a group are relatively common in highly  metamorphosed  rocks and in some  igneous  formations. They form under the high temperatures and/or pressures that those types of rocks must endure. Garnets can be used by geologists as a gauge of how much temperature and pressure the rock has endured.  As a  gemstone ,  garnets possess high indices of refraction, are hard enough, have pretty colors, are wonderfully transparent, lack cleavage and are durable; thus making good candidates for gemstones. Garnets are greatly variable in colors and varieties,and many of these are both rare and beautiful, producing genuinely precious gemstones. Some garnets are truly unique in the mineral kingdom and have much to offer as both gemstones and mineral specimens. The gemstone Garnet is the official birthstone for January as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also the stone for the Zodiac sign Aquarius. Garnet may be giv...

Congratulations Kathy Cupo I have many Angels in my life, but the one's that I am writing about is my first Angel, my Son Nicholas.  Nicholas was born on 1/22/1989, he came into the world in the normal way and from there, my life changed.  He was my firstborn, and with him all my hopes and dreams came true.  As I waited for his first cry, his first breath, I knew something was wrong.  They whisked him to the special nursery without me getting to see or hold him.  He was diagnosed with a chromosome disorder called Trisomy 13.  Most babies diagnosed with this disorder, only live a few minutes when born.  We were fortunate to have him for 13 days.  I lived years in those 13 days.  I held him, talked to him,  sang to him and took him through an entire lifetime in those 13 days.  I will never forget the joy that he brought into my life, nor the pain and sorrow I felt when he died.  He would have been 21 this past January and the...

Congratulations Anne Carlucci! Hi!  The Angel in my life is my eighty one year old mother. She has weather quite a emotional storm in her life. My mother lost her husband of thirty five years at the age of sixty three. Just one year after retiring and moving to their dream life of a large condo overlooking the North Carolina coast. My mother stayed on alone and made the best of her situation with none of her kids living nearby. She always tried to comfort us after we lost our loving Father,with little thought to herself. She was the special needs brownie leader in our town. She always emphasized to us to help others for the good of bettering your self by just being a good person. She eventually moved back for financial and health reasons,to be near her children.Now back in Jersey she still felt the need to have her independence and lived a a senior single family home. My brother Kevin her second son was nearby to help with various projects and chores around the house.The ...

Congratulations  Kurt E. Reinheimer The angel in my life is my wife of 13 years.  After our first born child was diagnosed with autism she never complained or whined about the misfortune.  She simply has done everything in her powers over the past 11 years to help our little girl become the best and brightest she could ever hope to be.  When the house of our dreams suddenly burned down on 6/22/10 and she lost all of her possessions (except myself and the 2 children) due to my act of neglect, she never complained or whined about the misfortune.  She simply has done everything in her powers to get our life and family back on its feet.  When my wife's family disowned her due to her marriage to me 13 years ago, she never whined or complained.  She simply has made my life the best any man could ever hope for.  She is an angel, a saint and my best friend.  She tirelessly works for others with no care of her own desires.  It would mean the w...

Congratulations Lorraine Russo  ! It is not hard to describe my angel because of who she was.  Caring, helpful, selfless and loving. Alice Helble cared more about others then she did herself.  Many times in my life I witnessed her kindness to others.  At Thanksgiving she had an ecumenical table.  People of any race, creed or color were welcomed at her table and she never had a bad word to say about anyone.  More then anything else Alice taught me how to live my life as a true caring person through her kindness and love.  As she lay dying she still had her list out for Starfish to see if she could help others who needed a ride to a doctor or any appointment. I know now that Alice is still with me because of the example of her life.  It left an indelible mark on my life that will never be forgotten.  Her recent loss has left a physical void in my life and the life of all who knew her.  But her spirit, the true sign of an angel lives on ...

Congratulations  Sheila Grifo Fredericks! Her winning story: My angel is my ten year old daughter Juliette.  She is the most mature, responsible, sweet and beautiful little girl.  Last year my husband, her Daddy past away from a long battle with Brain Cancer.  She was Daddy's little girl.  Sandwiched between 2 wild boys she has a tough time getting any Mommy time.  She often helps do things for her little brother while I have things to accomplish.  She will read to him, make him scrambled eggs when he is hungry, work on his homework with him and spends time with him on the computer too.  She is a straight A student, that always gets up and gets herself to school on time. She is quite accomplished at gymnastics and is becoming a hard working athlete as well.  There are times when she really needs me for something and I have my hands full with other things.  She is quite patient and accepting of our circ...

This birthstone’s name comes from the French word for lemon, “citron”. It is the most abundant mineral, and signifies light-heartedness. One often wears citrine to have more happiness enter their lives. Some also call it the “jewel of the sun”. Citrine is a variety of quartz ranging in colors of yellow, yellow-brown, orange, dark orange-brown, reddish-brown. Citrine crystals can form together with amethyst or smoky quartz to form a bi-colored quartz called ametrine. Citrine is believed to help the heart, kidney, digestive tract, liver and muscles. It promotes creativity, helps personal clarity and eliminates self-destructive tendencies.

Opal Trivia Base color is either white or black, with a range of fiery opalescence. The more opalescence, the better the quality. Almost always seen as a cabachon. According to the ancient Greeks and Romans, it symbolized hope, innocence, and purity It is the suggested gemstone gift for the 14th wedding anniversary It is believed to aid inner beauty, faithfulness, and eyesight May help the wearer recall past lives The ancient Romans called the opal "cupid paederos" or "child as beautiful as love" and believed the wearer was safe from disease The ancient Arabs believed that opals fell from the heavens in flashes of lightening It is also rumored that Cleopatra wore opals to gain the attention of Mark Anthony

     Was it romantic?  Was it funny?  Were you surprised? Tell us about your engagement, and be entered to win a diamond pendant  valued at $500! Send Corbo your story from June 18th-July 11th 2010.  We'll select one story at random on July 12th, 2010 to win a beautiful .50ctw diamond pendant! Email your story along with your name, address, and email to corbocontest @ gmail .com *Must be 18yrs or older to enter.  Contest runs from June 18, 2010 through July 11, 2010.  There will be one winner.  Diamond pendant has a retail value of $500.  Contest is not open to employees of Corbo Jewelers or their families.  Entry must include name, address ,and email address to be valid.  By entering, you are giving Corbo Jewelers consent to print your story.  All entries become the property of Corbo Jewelers.  Odds of winning determined by the number of entries received.