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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1984)
A SUPPLEMENT TO THE DAILY NEBRASKAN TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1934 Pago 14 " 1 i ii m m- -m V I Roses, roses, roses! Local florists keep beautiful weddings blooming y.i Liave 1 rou-iauamy iieorsskan The rose long a symbol of love is always a favorite of brides. Roses courtesy Com munity Floral. By MILLIE KINO "Hello, House of Flowers. May I help you? ... a wedding? . . . Yes . . . roses? . . . yes . . . when? ...45 minutes? . . . Sure, well bring them right over!" Most florist shops in Lincoln prefer at least one week's notice for wedding flower arrangements. Some as long as two months or more. But not at the House of Flowers, 226 S. 11th St., which is within walking distance of the County-City Building. "We receive calls at least once a month requesting flowers for a wedding ceremony being performed in 45 minutes at the court house," said Sandy Semer ena, manager of the House of Flowers. Two other Lincoln florists contacted said they prefer a little more notice. "Spring is the busiest season for weddings," said Theresa Hager, owner, manager and bridal consul tant at Paradise Floral, 4050 Cornhusker Highway. "Especially the month of May." All weddings are custom designed, Hager said. Paradise Floral offers no set packages. A bride-to-be must schedule an appointment with the bridal consultant to discuss what the bride wants, she said. "I try to help guide the customer and give sugges tions," Hager said, "but it's mostly up to the customer." Paradise Floral, which has been operating for two years, usually requests two months' notice, she said. But the shop has done weddings in just one week. A very basic bridal bouquet starts at about $25, depending on the flowers, she said. Lilies and orchids are the most expensive, carnations the most reasonable. "Ninety percent of the girls choose roses, orchids or stephanotis," she said. "And the hottest color this year is dusty rose." "We also decorate wedding cakes with fresh flow ers, upon request," Hager said. Lynette Fast, co-manager at Williams Flowers, Gold popular , but diamonds still are a girl !s best friend r ByVICKIRUIIGA The tradition of giving diamonds began Aug. 17, 1477, when Emperor Maximilian of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy with a gold ring, decorated with his and her diamond M's. They were married less than one day later, according to Bride magazine. Although Prince Charles slightly altered the tradition by giving Lady Diana a sapphire and diamond ring, most Lincoln couples still prefer only diamonds, said several Lincoln jewelers. John Tavlin, owner of Nebraska Dia mond, 856 NBC Center, 13th and O streets, said about 10 percent of his customers ask to design their own rings. However, most use traditional diamonds in a manufacturer's design. Only about one of 100 customers uses colored stones, like rubies or sap phires, in the ring, Tavlin said. Tom Wright, of Wright's Jewelers, 144 N. 13th St., said a round (brilliant) cut is the most popular. The round cut has been used since the 1890s. From a mathematical standpoint, Wright said, the round cut gives a diamond the greatest degree of sparkle, which sets it apart from other cuts. However, Wright said, people also are buying oval, marquise (an oval pointed at both ends), and pear, eme rald and heart-shaped diamonds just to have rings with a different look. Single diamond best seller Bob Fixter of Sartor Ham aim Jewelry, 1150 O St., said his best seller is the single diamond mounted on a plain band. Fixter said the diamond is preferred because of its durability. Lincoln jewelers estimate the typical couple spends about $600 to $1 ,000 for a woman's engagement set, and about " $100 to $200 for a man's plain gold band or $300 to $500 for a man's dia mond band. Fixter said in the past, nearly all men's bands were plain gold. Since DcBeers, a company in New York that sells diamonds to jewelers, began promoting men's diamond bands in its advertisements, about one-third of all men are buying diamond bands, he said. Although DeBeers recommends cou ples plan to spend the equivalent of two months' salary on an engagement ring, Fixter said that estimate was slightly above average. Wright said some couples may spend only $100 to $200 for a diamond, but most spend about $400 to $600. "Our customers are almost exclu sively college seniors or graduates," Wright said. "Both have careers, and their choice of a" ring isn't as dictated by financial ability." Financial investment Although many people consider dia monds a solid financial investment, Wright said, they are not a good money maker. In the jewelry business, people are selling only, not buying, he said. However, Wright said diamonds are a good investment because they can be used for 35, 45, 55 or more years -because they are durable and often increase in value. Jewelers say four criteria are used to select a diamond. color The perfect diamond is clear and colorless or faintly blue. As the gem's color increases, the value of the diamond decreases. clarity The diamond should be free from inclusions or imperfections. Although inclusions are not visible to the naked eye, they will bring down the value of a ring. cut The design and cut give each diamond a unique sparkle. The round cut gives the greatest amount of spar kle, followed by the oval, marquis, emerald, single, pear and heart-shaped. carat The size of the diamond also determines the value. One carat is equal to 1 00 points. The most common diamond size for engagement rings is a one-quarter carat. 1742 N. 48th St., said, "June h bride month." "When planning a wedding, we ask first that brides make an appointment to speak with one of the two bridal consultants," she said. "We listen to what the brides want and cater to them. It's their wedding." "We prefer two months notice for a large wedding and one week for a small wedding," Fast said. "If a bride plans her wedding on Mother's Day or Valentine's Day, we need a three to six month notice, to guarantee the order," Fast said. "Prices almost double." Floral prices range from tZO for a very small wed ding to $600 for a larp wed din;"!, she said. An expensive wedding includes aisle carpets, kneeling benches, canddabras, fans andor para sols for the bridesmaids, the ring bearer's pillow, flower basket, bride's bouquet and all the corsages and boutonnieres, she said. A large wedding also may include flowers for the reception such as bouquets, table arrangements and cake decorations, she said. Additional consul tation for receptions costs $5 to $25. "August and May were our busiest months last year," said Jackie Smith of Community Floral, 1328 South St. "We work around what the bride wants," she said. "It really depends on the individual. Some have a budget, others aren't limited. "Community Floral offers services at the wedding. In addition to work we do in the shop, for $20, a girl will attend the wedding and handle everything per taining to flowers," she said. "We also will decorate the church, reception hall and wedding cakes," she said. "Once we had seven weddings in one day," Smith said. "We prepared the bows and ribbons in advance, and all the fresh flower work was done a few days prior to the weddings. When the day arrived, we went to work at 4 a.m. and didn't finish 'til late that night." 3 at 3LMMl CCJ cach aanond a gpeckl h-cills. Dl . M vft.jwM9 v C TW m Cn'2 f.nint.:rJD&llf N'ebrasksn mend cour- Bands usually white or yellow gold The metal used for ring bands usu ally is white or yellow gold in 14 K or 18K. Pure gold, or 24K, is too soft for rings. The strongest ring metal available is platinum, a white metal. However be cause it is most expensive, it is used mainly for the prongs that secure the diamond in place. Because there is no standard scale for diamond grading, Wright said, po tential diamond buyers should deal with a jeweler they trust. "In the jewelry industry, there is no top price," he said. "Consequently, it's easy to offer a discount. Ours is a non comparable product because when you're looking at diamonds, you're not looking at the same thing." Wright said there are no rules in sell ing diamonds, and that the market is still "buyer beware." "If you don't believe and trust who you're dealing with, don't give them the money," Wright said. Diamond buyers should not hesitate to ask jewelers for a 1 0-p6wtr loop or a gem scope, he said. These can be used tO m ?f?nifir flfkwe Vi of rif tricihlp f.O the naked eye.