Last Minute Romantic Gift Ideas

For all you out there who have been procrastinating on finding a gift for your loved one, we’ve got you covered. Valentine’s Day is swift upon us, so even if you are out of time for this holiday there are plenty of pretty pieces to keep in mind for her birthday, Christmas, anniversary, graduation, or other special upcoming events.

Apples of Gold offers free FedEx shipping for all purchases and ships many of our items in 24-48 hours, enabling you to rest easy after picking the perfect present – despite your procrastinating ways.

Romantic Red

Valentine’s Day isn’t the only occasion suitable for red gemstone jewelry. Women with January birthdays as well as feisty, take-on-the-world ladies born under fire signs (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) will love the rich red of garnets.

We love the emerald cut garnet and diamond white gold ring (picture at top) for romantic gifting. The three garnets are set prominently on the ring flanked by four small diamonds to give the ring a pretty sparkle. This ring is just beautiful and looks quite substantial, yet comes with a surprisingly bargain price tag.

Another great romantic red choice is the garnet heart clover pendant. Four heart-shaped garnets merge in the center of the 14k white gold setting. If you feel lucky in love with your honey, this necklace pendant can express exactly how you feel.

Wrapped Up In Love

The love knot is a stylish symbol of love that isn’t as obvious as the heart, but is just as meaningful. One of our favorite classic pieces is the 14k yellow gold love knot earrings. The design is beautiful and timeless, and the under-$100 price point is undeniably alluring for the gift giver.

Personalized Last-Minute Love

For the ultimate last-minute jewelry gift that looks lovingly planned in advance, give our personalized gold heart pendant. Though each pendant is personalized and individually finished, we ship it out within 48 hours – perfect for last-minute gift slackers. The gold pendant can be engraved with her name and personalized with one of twelve different gemstones. Choose a gemstone that corresponds with her birthday or her favorite color. You can even upgrade your gift by picking a diamond as the pendant’s stone. It’s a gift so pretty and personalized, she’ll never in a million years believe it was a last-minute pick.

Garnet Pendants: January Birthstones

A symbolic gemstone that reminds us of the future and of promises made is the Garnet. Not only is the Garnet the official birthstone of January but it has repeatedly represented the start of something new and the end of something old in history.

This thesis with the Garnet is not new. Noah used garnet as a lamp on the bow of his ship as he traveled across a flooded earth. An act that became symptomatic of the end of something old and a pledge of a fresh existence, a new terrain, and a new foundation. Another strong correlation to Noah is the fact that Garnet gemstones can come in just about any color and each color is tied to a different geological region. A definite reminder of the rainbow God presented as a promise to Noah to never wipe out the earth again. For instance, Green garnets can be found in Russia and Africa and oranges from Sri Lanka and Namibia.

However, the garnet first began its voyage into the world of jewelry in 3100 B.C. when Egyptian artists would use the gemstones and handcraft jewelry. As a result, garnet pendants have become superb pieces of jewelry to give as a birthday gift. A great example is the above is Oval Shaped Contemporary Garnet Pendant from Apples of Gold Jewelry. This striking pendant securely holds a 0.60 carat garnet snuggly in 10k yellow gold prongs. Additionally, the pendant almost resembles an upside down heart hanging delicately from an 18 inch Singapore chain.

Another option includes a Heart Shaped Garnet and Diamond Drop Pendant (right) which uses its elegant symmetry and lines to display three .06 carat garnet gems and six .08 carat diamonds spaced perfectly; all hanging from an 18 inch 10K white gold Singapore chain. The exclusivity of this piece of white gold jewelry lays in the amalgamation of garnet gemstones and diamonds which give it a subtle yet magnificently graceful design.

Gemstone pendants can make extraordinary gifts for anyone; especially garnets because they embody much to their admirers, which makes it a faultless gemstone to represent the New Year; as well as our New Year resolutions.

Featured Left: Garnet Heart Clover Pendant in 14k white gold.

Sources: AGTA, Gemstone.org, and Wikipedia

Great Holiday Gifts: Birthstone Jewelry

Buying holiday gifts can be a tough task. Most people will agree that the ideal gift is something thoughtful and personal that the recipient will cherish. The tough part is finding that special item to fulfill the above criteria. Jewelry is always a great pick for a holiday gift since it’s something that a woman can wear throughout her life and pass down to future generations.

But what jewelry? Individual tastes vary, but there is one way to guarantee that the jewelry you give her will have personal meaning: give a beautiful piece of birthstone jewelry.

4 Reasons Why She‘ll Love It:

1. There are a few important occasions that practically demand jewelry as a gift. Her birthday, big anniversaries, and Christmas or Hanukkah are among them.

2. Receiving beautiful jewelry during the holidays is extra sentimental, and she will always remember the warmth of the holiday you spent together when she looks at your gift.

3. Most people love their birthdays, and, consequently, they also love their birth month. People read astrology and identify with their signs for a reason: people love identifying with their birthdays and symbols of their birthday.

4. A birthstone ring, necklace or earrings is more than just another piece of jewelry. It’s much more personal and thoughtful, and lets her know that you care about details… and that you remember her birthday.

Choosing the Perfect Birthstone Gift

Now that you’ve decided to wow her with birthstone jewelry for the holidays, it’s time to choose the perfect piece to take her breath away. Here is a rundown of what gemstone pairs with each birth month, as well as beautiful pieces we’ve hand-picked for their exceptional style and value:

January Gemstone: Garnet
Perfect Pick: We suggest a pretty pendant like the Heart Clover necklace set in 14k white gold.

February Gemstone: Amethyst
Perfect Pick: Though amethyst is usually purple, it also comes in a gorgeous ethereal green. We love the green amethyst and diamond earrings set in 14k white gold.
March Gemstone: Aquamarine
Perfect Pick: A nearly 3 carat cushion-cut aquamarine pendant surrounded by diamonds will take her breath away.

April Gemstone: Diamond
Perfect Pick: Treat her to a lovely but simple circular white gold pendant encrusted with sparkling diamonds.

May Gemstone: Emerald
Perfect Pick: Bold green emerald and diamond stud earrings will enhance her eye color.

June Gemstone: Pearl
Perfect Pick: A beautiful dark Tahitian pearl necklace with diamond starfish accent is both fashion-forward and timeless.

July Gemstone: Ruby
Perfect Pick: A ring with a ruby center stone is a smart choice. Christian women will love the ruby and cross setting – it’s subtle yet meaningful.

August Gemstone: Peridot
Perfect Pick: A round peridot gemstone pops when surrounded by diamonds in this pretty white gold necklace.

September Gemstone: Sapphire
Perfect Pick: A sparkling three-stone sapphire ring says you will love her for the present, past and future.

October Gemstone: Tourmaline
Perfect Pick: Lucky tourmaline birthday girls will love showing off a pretty cocktail ring set with the pink stone.

November Gemstone: Citrine
Perfect Pick: Show her you love her with a citrine cocktail ring shaped like a heart.

December Gemstone: Topaz
Perfect Pick: A brilliant topaz ring accented with blue and white diamonds is simply stunning.