Engagement Ring Bands

Gold Engagement Rings

Engagement Ring Bands: White Gold or Yellow Gold?

No two metals are more classic than white gold and yellow gold for an engagement ring band. Each one provides a distinct beauty for the center stone, and jewelers adapt their trends to match these setting choices. When you are deciding on the perfect metal for your unique engagement ring, it’s important to know whether white gold or yellow gold works best.

We will compare the two metals in depth, so that you can be more informed while you seek out – or customarily design – your engagement ring.

Engagement Ring Bands a Case for White Gold

White Gold Looks More Attractive

Jewelers recommend a white gold setting to their customers because it is an impressive metal that never goes out of style. Not only will the milky color enhance the appearance of your engagement ring, but it will also accentuate every shade in your closet.

White Gold Is Less Expensive than Platinum

You might desire a lighter tone for your engagement ring, but the price of platinum gives you sticker shock. That’s why so many people choose white gold settings instead. White gold is more prevalent than platinum when it comes to the mining process, so it doesn’t cost as much. Choosing a white gold setting will save you some money, while ensuring a great purchase.

It’s Easy to Find a Selection of White Gold Rings

Jewelers have picked up on the secret that white gold is more affordable than platinum, so they offer a wider range of options for these settings. With this fact in mind, you will never have trouble looking for a white gold ring – but you might not be able to choose your favorite, either!

White Gold Works Better with Colored Gemstones

Most people mistake white gold settings for silver, because the rhodium plating creates a pearly sheen on the ring. Perhaps this is the reason why white gold pairs better with colored gemstones, especially the cool-toned ones like emeralds and blue sapphires. Jewelers also find that white gold makes diamonds look purer.

The Drawbacks of White Gold

White Gold Is More Fragile

Jewelers advise that white gold does not endure as long as other metals, because it’s naturally softer. These settings gradually shed their coating over time, causing visible scratches to appear on the band. With everyday wear, the ring will therefore develop a yellow shade instead of the white tint which first caught your eye.

White Gold Rings Require More Maintenance

Sustaining the manufactured color of white gold takes some work to accomplish, and the upkeep will eventually cost you a small fortune. Make two yearly appointments with your local jeweler to put a new rhodium plating on the ring, one for the first six months and another for the next six months. You will also need to polish the ring regularly, since it will easily lose its luster.

White Gold Might Cause Allergic Reactions

Rather than being made from pure gold, white gold is actually a combination of many lighter-colored alloys. This mixture often includes silver, palladium, nickel, and zinc, which might irritate sensitive skin for wearers who have allergies to any of those metals. No engagement ring will look beautiful on an itchy and red finger!

The Case for Yellow Gold

Yellow Gold Creates a More Iconic Look

Jewelers will promote yellow gold engagement ring bands for their stately appearance and their reputation as the quintessential precious metal. After all, 18-karat gold is the purest form available. Plus, yellow gold settings can be used to give engagement rings a vintage touch.

Yellow Gold Complements All Skin Tones

Prospective brides who have darker skin tones, especially olive and brown, might be more attracted to yellow gold engagement rings. The golden hues emphasize the warm color of the skin, while simultaneously making the ring stand out on her finger. Those with cooler tones benefit from yellow gold settings, as well, since they have found that it casts a small glow and actually brightens their skin.

Yellow Gold Is Easier to Manage

If you purchase an engagement ring that’s set in yellow gold, it will save multiple visits to the jewelry store for maintenance appointments. Yellow gold is a natural metal, so it holds onto its color without the hassle of replating every six months. In addition, you will find that it can effortlessly be upgraded and modified – should you find the occasion to make any changes over the years.

The Drawbacks of Yellow Gold

Yellow Gold Overwhelms the Diamond

Jewelers have found that, when paired with a yellow gold setting, diamonds develop an amber tint in certain types of light. This might reflect the way that the diamond has been shaped, because it most often happens with shallow-cut stones. Light escapes through the bottom of these diamonds, causing it to pick up other colors. If you want the perfect sparkle and clarity for your ring, choose a different setting than yellow gold.

Yellow Gold Demands Frequent Repair

Although yellow gold does not need to be replated like white gold, greater care is vital to this metal’s stamina. By nature, gold is a softer metal than others used for engagement ring settings like platinum. This makes it more prone to being scratched and dented, so you must polish the engagement ring regularly.

Yellow Gold Is Not Cheap

We already mentioned that yellow gold is one of the purest precious metals, because it contains no mixed alloys. This ensures that, in every jewelry product with a yellow gold setting, there is a timeless and beautiful work of art. However, it also means that the ring will cost more than those engagement rings set in other metals. If you consider money to be an object, you might opt for white gold instead.

Whether you prefer an engagement ring set in white gold or yellow gold, Anne Dale Jewelers will surely have the ideal piece of jewelry for you. Now located at 829 Asbury Drive in Mandeville, we have recently expanded our engagement ring gallery to feature a larger selection of bands and styles. Meet with a GIA-certified gemologist and master goldsmith to find – or design – the ring of your dreams.

Keep Your Engagement Ring Clean

Clean Ring

Top 8 Tricks to Keep Your Engagement Ring Clean

Ever since you answered the proposal with a resounding yes, you likely haven’t wanted to take off your engagement ring. Of course not – it is a status symbol and it affirms the love of your fiance. After wearing it every day, however, you may notice that the ring no longer bears the same sparkle.

You shouldn’t worry, since you can easily restore the gleam to that rock on your finger. Here are some tips from a GIA-certified gemologist to help your engagement ring clean and stay beautiful.

 

Tip #1: Remove Your Ring When Working with Your Hands

You probably don’t realize how much you use your hands until you are wearing a dearly loved piece of jewelry on a daily basis. We recommend taking off your engagement ring whenever you are working the garden, using tools, exercising at the gym, moving heavy objects, swimming, or anything else that involves dirty work to keep ring clean.

 

Tip #2: Avoid Letting Lotions Touch Your Ring Clean

You will want to leave your engagement ring out of your skincare routine, as lotions can make the stone and the setting appear filmy over time. It would be best to take off your engagement ring while applying makeup, too, because you take the chance of gathering powder and dust on your jewelry.

 

Tip #3: Stay Away from Harsh Chemicals

It is always important to remove your engagement ring when you are doing housework or otherwise dealing with any harsh chemicals. Cleaning supplies like dish soap and bleach contain caustic substances that can damage the metals used for your ring’s finish – not to mention, ruin any colored gemstones.

Tip #4: Schedule Regular Cleanings with Your Jeweler

To make sure that your engagement ring always looks tidy, we recommend visiting your jeweler for a thorough cleaning every six months. Just like a dentist does for your teeth, these professionals use special cleaners and industrial tools on the diamond to restore its sparkle. Even if they can’t provide the service, they can suggest a good solution to purchase.

Tip #5: Never Cook While Wearing Your Ring

This might seem like a strange idea, but it’s a highly practical one. Cooking utensils are typically made from metal, so you run the risk of scratching the stone or hurting the ring itself. Cooking oils and pan juices might also prove destructive for the diamond’s beauty. Plus, food particles can collect in the prongs on your engagement ring – and you do not want to spend time picking them out. That being said, you should take off your jewelry before making daily meals.

Tip #6: Do Not Touch the Center Stone

You may not have considered this piece of advice, since the stone in your engagement ring looks so gorgeous. However, it is important to refrain from touching the diamond at all times. Diamonds naturally attract dust, dirt, and body oils, which can make your ring appear dingy. To take off and put on the ring, we suggest grasping the sides of the band instead.

 

Tip #7: Polish Your Ring Every Week

You wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to give yourself some tender loving care every week, so your engagement ring should not be any different. You may consider using Anne Dale’s professional jewelry cleaner and take a few minutes on a particular day to soak your ring, scrub gently with a toothbrush then rinse in warm water. Afterwards, run the ring under warm water for a few seconds.

 

Tip #8: Never Sleep in Your Ring

We understand that you want to make everyone jealous with your engagement ring, but no one will see it while you’re sleeping. With that in mind, you would be advised to take off your ring before you slide back the covers at night. Your skin can shed all kinds of oils and dirt during sleep, wreaking havoc on the stone in your engagement ring. So it would be best to place your ring in a dish on your nightstand.

You won’t always remember to take off your engagement ring before performing certain activities, but we still hope that these tips might give you some subtle reminders about protecting the beauty of the stone and the setting. No matter how much wear and tear it goes through, rest assured – your engagement ring can get back its sparkle with a little work. When you need an appointment to have your ring cleaned, either visit Anne Dale Jewelers at 829 Asbury Drive in Mandeville or call (985) 626-4266.

Before You Buy an Engagement Ring — Questions Worth Asking Your Jewele

Buying a Diamond Engagement Rings

Most men walk into a jewelry store underprepared. They have a vague budget, a general idea of what she might like, and a hope that someone knowledgeable will guide them through the rest. Sometimes that works out. Sometimes it doesn’t.

The difference usually comes down to the questions asked — and whether the person across the counter has the expertise to answer them honestly.

Here is what to ask before you buy, and what the answers should sound like from a jeweler worth trusting.

Before you walk in

How much should I actually spend?

Settle on a number before any conversation with a jeweler begins. Not a range — a number. A range invites pressure toward the top of it. A firm budget communicated at the start of a conversation shapes everything that follows and tells you immediately whether the jeweler respects it or works around it.

At Anne Dale we ask for your budget in the first five minutes. Everything we show you after that fits within it.

What does she actually like?

This requires more observation than most people realize. Look at the jewelry she already wears — yellow gold or white, simple or detailed, delicate or substantial. Notice whether she tends toward classic or contemporary. Look at her hands — certain shapes and settings suit certain hand proportions better than others.

Bring those observations to your appointment. A good gemologist will take what you’ve noticed and translate it into specific recommendations. You don’t need to arrive with answers — you need to arrive with details.

When you’re looking at stones

What are the 4Cs of this diamond — and which one matters most here?

Any jeweler should walk you through cut, color, clarity and carat weight for every stone they show you. If they can’t or won’t, that tells you something important.

Cut matters most. It is the one C that determines how the stone performs in light — whether it returns brilliance and fire or sits dim on her finger. We never recommend compromising on cut regardless of budget.

Color and clarity are where intelligent tradeoffs live. Ask the jeweler to explain specifically why they are showing you this stone at this grade, not just what the grade is.

Can I see the grading report?

Every diamond we source comes with a GIA grading report. Ask to see it and ask the jeweler to walk you through it — not just the grades but what they mean for this specific stone. The report tells you the grade. The gemologist tells you what the grade looks like in practice.

One thing the report does not tell you is where the inclusions are positioned relative to the setting. A stone graded SI1 with inclusions hidden under a prong looks cleaner than a VS2 stone with an inclusion centered under the table. Ask your jeweler to show you through the loupe.

What are my payment options?

Ask this plainly and early. There is no embarrassment in it. A jeweler who works with couples every day has heard every version of this question and should answer it directly — deposit required, payment plan available, timeline for completion.

After you’ve chosen

How do I maintain this ring?

A diamond engagement ring worn every day needs periodic attention — cleaning, prong inspection, checking for stone movement. Ask your jeweler how often they recommend bringing it in and what that service involves.

At Anne Dale we check prongs and clean rings for our customers at no charge. Simple maintenance catches small problems before they become lost stones.

Will you repair this ring if something happens?

This is one of the most important questions most people forget to ask. The answer reveals how the store operates. At Anne Dale every repair is performed on-site by our Master Goldsmith. Your ring never leaves the building. That is not the standard at most jewelry stores — at most, your ring goes into a shipping envelope bound for a facility you will never see.

Ask specifically: is repair done in-house or sent out? The answer matters more than any warranty language.

Can the ring be modified later?

Tastes change. Fingers change. Significant anniversaries sometimes call for something added. Ask your jeweler whether the setting you are choosing allows for future modification — adding stones, resizing, engraving — and what those modifications would involve.

A well-designed custom ring anticipates this. A mass-produced branded ring often doesn’t.

One last thing

The jeweler you choose for this purchase is the jeweler you will return to for every repair, every anniversary, every piece of jewelry that matters for the rest of your life together. That relationship is worth more than any single transaction.

Anne Dale Jewelers has been that jeweler for Northshore couples since 1983. One couple at a time. No commission. No pressure. Just the ring she deserves and the knowledge to find it.

Schedule your appointment →

Valentine’s Day

Stackable Diamond Rings

Valentine’s Day

Most people associate Valentine’s Day with images of heart-shaped candy, flowers, and other romantic symbols.

But the origins of this holiday are not as rosy as their modern interpretations would let on.

Instead, they are deeply shrouded in historical legends that involve curious rituals about  February 14 commemoration bears.

The ancient Roman calendar included a holiday to encourage the health and fertility of the city’s people. A date that men and women selected their potential mates’ names from a jar, around the fifth century, the current pope outlawed this ritual in favor of honoring Saint Valentine.

Some mystery surrounds the exact identity of the Saint who deserves the credit for bringing lovers together, though. Historians recorded three different narratives about a man named Valentine being martyred on the same day, February 14.

The most popular tale depicts Saint Valentine as a Roman priest who married young soldiers against the emperor’s wishes, and he was executed for his crimes. As a result,

Valentine became regarded as the patron saint of romantic love.

If you are searching for the perfect gift to impress your Valentine, look no further than Anne Dale Jewelers. The family-owned and operated jewelry store, now located at 829 Asbury Drive in Mandeville, features a wide selection of diamond jewelry including bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and of course, engagement rings. You can also find classic pearl designs and colored gemstone pieces, such as sapphire, ruby, emerald, and tanzanite creations. A local north shore community’s jewelry store since 1999, servicing the cities of Covington, Abita Springs and Madisonville.

Since 1983, Anne Dale and her husband Michael have offered a unique experience to their customers. Each client receives the opportunity to interact with the gemologist and the master craftsman right in the store, as they understand that only the highest quality of jewels went into their purchase.

The store is open Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 5:30pm, (also by appointment) on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.[/vc_column_text]

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Diamonds and Art of Love

Three loose diamonds

Linking Diamonds to the Art of Love

Since Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day near the middle of the month, it is no wonder why February has been long used to honor love and romance.

And there is perhaps no better way for a man to declare his love than a piece of diamond jewelry. By doing so he understand Diamonds and the Art of Love.

To find out how diamonds became associated with matters of the heart, let us consider some beliefs rooted in Greek mythology.

Greek tradition held that the god Eros, who ruled over passionate love and desire, shot diamond-tipped arrows to bring couples together. Even the word diamond can be traced to the Greek word adamas, which signified an insurmountable and enduring force. This certainly defines love, especially in marriage.

Other sources mention the fact that diamonds are naturally formed under the pressure of the earth, and many couples find their love has been strengthened by the hardships they face together. Diamonds also are not formed overnight – neither is love.

Located at 829 Asbury Drive in Mandeville, Anne Dale Jewelers offers a vast selection of engagement rings in the store’s newly expanded gallery. For the past 40 years, the family owned and operated jewelry store has helped Northshore couples find the perfect piece to represent their eternal commitment.

Anne, a registered GIA gemologist, and her husband Michael, a master craftsman, put their personal touch on every engagement ring in the showcase. This way, you’ll know that you are getting a special and unique design made from the finest materials.

The store is open Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 5:30pm – Saturdays between 10am and 2pm also by appointment. 

Local Jewelers vs Chain Jewelry Stores — What You Actually Get for Your Money

ANNE DALE JEWELERS — MANDEVILLE, LOUISIANA

Local Jewelers vs Chain Jewelry Stores

WHAT YOU ACTUALLY GET FOR YOUR MONEY

GIA CERTIFIED GEMOLOGIST | MASTER GOLDSMITH ON-SITE | SERVING THE NORTHSHORE SINCE 1983

THE HONEST COMPARISON

Walk into a chain jewelry store at any mall in America and the experience is largely the same.

Bright lighting. Glass cases full of branded inventory. A sales associate on commission who learned about diamonds in a two-week training program. A repair ticket that means your ring gets shipped to a facility in another state and returned two weeks later — if it comes back at all.

Walk into Anne Dale Jewelers in Mandeville and none of that is true.

That difference is not incidental. It is the entire point.

WHAT CHAIN STORES ARE ACTUALLY SELLING

The model that works for volume — and not for you.

Large jewelry chains operate on a retail model built around inventory turnover. Their diamonds are selected by corporate buyers, acquired through buying groups, and distributed identically across hundreds of locations. The ring in the case in Mandeville is the same ring in the case in Dallas, Denver and Detroit.

When you buy from a chain, a significant portion of what you pay covers real estate in high-traffic locations, national television advertising, franchise fees and the cost of maintaining that identical inventory across every store.

None of that has anything to do with the quality of what ends up on her finger.

WHAT A LOCAL JEWELER IS ACTUALLY SELLING

No franchise. No corporate buyer. No inventory to turn over.

WHAT CHAIN STORES HAVE

Corporate diamond buyers in another state
Identical inventory across hundreds of locations
Sales associates on commission
Repair shipped out of state in an envelope
High-traffic real estate costs built into prices
National advertising budgets in every price tag
Two-week diamond training programs
A quota to meet by end of day

WHAT ANNE DALE HAS

A GIA Certified Gemologist who selects every stone
Diamonds sourced specifically for your appointment
No commission — ever
Every repair performed on-site by a Master Goldsmith
No franchise fees in your price tag
Word of mouth as our only advertising for 40 years
Forty years of gemological education and practice
One couple. One conversation. All the time needed.

A private consultation at Anne Dale Jewelers · Mandeville, Louisiana · One couple at a time

THE REPAIR QUESTION NOBODY ASKS UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE

Most people don’t think about repair when buying a ring.

They think about it eighteen months later when a prong snaps or a stone works loose. At a chain store, your ring leaves. It goes into a shipping envelope, travels to a repair facility you have never seen, is handled by people you will never meet, and comes back when it comes back.

At Anne Dale, Michael is at the bench. Your ring does not leave the building. You can watch it being worked on if you want to. Simple repairs are often done while you wait.

That is not a marketing claim — it is a physical fact about how this shop is built and operated.

Michael Dale · Master Goldsmith · Every repair performed on-site in Mandeville

THE CUSTOM DIFFERENCE

Chain stores sell what they have. We start from scratch.

If you want something different at a chain store — a different setting, a different metal, a combination that doesn’t exist in their catalog — you’re told it can’t be done, or quoted a customization fee that approaches the cost of the ring itself.

At Anne Dale, custom is the default. Every engagement ring we make is designed around the couple sitting across from us. There is no catalog to deviate from because we don’t start with a catalog.

The Northshore doesn’t need to look elsewhere. Everything that exists on Canal Street exists here. Some of it exists here better.

COME SEE THE DIFFERENCE

One conversation will tell you everything.

Walk in during showroom hours or book an appointment. No commission. No pressure. Just honest expertise from people who have been doing this for forty years on the Northshore.

Serving Mandeville, Covington, Madisonville, Abita Springs and the greater Northshore since 1983.

Book the Engagement Ring Experience
Call or Text — (985) 626-4266

829 ASBURY DRIVE | MANDEVILLE, LOUISIANA 70471 | (985) 626-4266

The Engagement Ring Experience →

When Your Jewelry Needs More Than a Quick Fix — It Needs a Craftsman

ANNE DALE JEWELERS — MANDEVILLE, LOUISIANA

When Your Jewelry Needs More Than a Quick Fix

IT NEEDS A CRAFTSMAN

MASTER GOLDSMITH ON-SITE | FORTY YEARS AT THE BENCH | MANDEVILLE, LOUISIANA

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REPAIR AND CRAFTSMANSHIP

There is a difference between a store that accepts jewelry for repair and a shop where a craftsman actually fixes it.

Most people don’t discover that difference until something goes wrong. A prong snaps. A stone disappears. A chain comes back from a chain store’s repair service looking nothing like it did when it left. By then the lesson has already been paid for.

At Anne Dale Jewelers, Michael Dale has been at the bench for over forty years. He is not a repair coordinator. He is not a service counter. He is a Master Goldsmith — and every piece that comes into this shop is touched by his hands, evaluated with his eyes, and returned better than it arrived.

That is what craftsmanship looks like in practice.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW

The repair industry has a dirty secret.

01

Most stores don’t repair in-house.

The majority of jewelry stores — including many independents — send repair work to a third-party service center. Your ring travels in an envelope to a facility you’ve never seen, handled by people you’ll never meet.

02

Accountability disappears with it.

When something goes wrong — a stone returned loose, a finish that doesn’t match, a piece that comes back different than it left — the conversation about who is responsible becomes very complicated very quickly.

03

At Anne Dale it never leaves.

Every repair is performed on-site by Michael Dale. Your piece does not leave this building. Accountability is not a policy — it is a physical fact about how this shop operates.

WHEN TO BRING IT TO A CRAFTSMAN

Some repairs require more than a technician.

THESE REPAIRS REQUIRE A CRAFTSMAN

Prong re-tipping on a vintage or heirloom ring
Stone replacement requiring color and quality matching
Shank repair on a heavily worn band
Resizing a ring with intricate channel or pavé setting
Soldering on a piece with heat-sensitive stones
Restoring an antique piece to working condition
Redesigning a piece that can no longer be worn as-is
Any repair where the history of the piece matters

WHAT A CRAFTSMAN BRINGS TO THE WORK

Forty years of experience reading metal and stone
Laser soldering precision for heat-sensitive repairs
The ability to source a matching stone on your behalf
An honest assessment of what the repair actually requires
Knowledge of when restoration is the better answer
The judgment to know when a piece cannot and should not be saved
A GIA Certified Gemologist in the same room
No subcontractors. No shipping. No strangers.

THE LASER SOLDERING DIFFERENCE

Precision that protects what matters.

Traditional torch soldering applies broad heat — effective for simple repairs but risky on pieces with pavé diamonds, fragile settings or heat-sensitive stones like emeralds, opals and pearls. One degree too many and the damage is irreversible.

Our laser soldering machine delivers a precise, concentrated pulse of energy exactly where the repair requires it — and nowhere else. It is the difference between a repair that preserves the integrity of the original piece and one that compromises it.

Not every repair shop has one. We do.

WHEN REPAIR BECOMES REDESIGN

Sometimes the piece deserves more than it has.

A grandmother’s diamond in a setting worn beyond repair. Stones from three different pieces that could become one significant thing. An engagement ring that no longer reflects who she is twenty years later.

These conversations happen here — between a Master Goldsmith who can execute any vision and a GIA Certified Gemologist who can evaluate every stone. Unhurried. Without pressure. With a genuine understanding of what the piece means and what it could become.

We honor the sentiment without being held hostage by it.

Showroom Hours & Appointments

SHOWROOM — WALK-INS WELCOME

Tuesday – Thursday     11am – 5pm

Friday     11am – 3pm

Saturday     10am – 2pm

Sunday & Monday — Closed

COMPLEX REPAIRS — BY APPOINTMENT

For heirloom restoration, redesign consultations and complex repair discussions — appointments available beyond showroom hours.

SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION →

BRING IT TO A CRAFTSMAN

Every repair starts with an honest look.

Walk in during showroom hours. No appointment needed. We will examine your piece, tell you exactly what we see, and give you a straight estimate before anything begins.

Not sure if your piece can be saved? Bring it in anyway. Sometimes the answer surprises people.

Schedule a Consultation
Call or Text — (985) 626-4266

829 ASBURY DRIVE | MANDEVILLE, LOUISIANA 70471 | (985) 626-4266

On-Site Jewelry Repair at Anne Dale →

Why Northshore Couples Don’t Cross the Bridge Anymore

There was a time when crossing the Causeway felt necessary.

If you wanted a serious engagement ring — a real diamond, a real conversation, someone who actually knew what they were talking about — the assumption was that you needed to go to New Orleans. The big stores on Canal Street. The names your parents recognized.

That assumption is outdated. For couples on the Northshore, it has been for a while.

What changed

The Northshore grew up. The expertise arrived. And the couples who have been on both sides of that bridge know something the first-timers do not yet — what you find in Mandeville is not a consolation prize for staying local. In several important ways it is better.

Anne Dale Jewelers has been at 829 Asbury Drive since 1983. Before most of the current Northshore population arrived. Before the subdivisions. Before the sprawl across the lake became what it is today.

Forty-three years of one-at-a-time appointments, one family at a time, earning the kind of reputation that does not come from advertising.

What the big stores cannot replicate

Walk into a chain jewelry store on a Saturday afternoon and count the couples at the counter. Four. Six. Eight. A sales associate — trained in weeks, not years — working through a checklist while someone waits behind you.

That is not a criticism. It is simply the math of a high-volume retail model.

It is not what happens here.

At Anne Dale Jewelers every appointment is private. You are the only couple in the room. Anne Dale — GIA Certified Gemologist, IRS Certified Federal Expert Witness in jewelry valuation — has personally evaluated every diamond she shows you. Michael Dale — Master Goldsmith, forty years at the bench — is in the shop on site. When a question requires a real answer you get one from someone qualified to give it.

No commission. No countdown. No manager appearing with a discount that expires at close of business.

Where the money goes

Large jewelry chains spend heavily on real estate, national television advertising and the cost of maintaining identical inventory across hundreds of locations. Those costs are embedded in every price tag. When you buy a ring at a mall store you are partially paying for the Superbowl commercial.

Anne Dale has no franchise fees. No corporate buyer selecting inventory for a region. What we spend on instead is sourcing — personally selecting diamonds for specific couples, traveling to see stones, bringing in gems for a particular appointment.

The difference in what you receive for the same investment is real and measurable. Come in and let us show you.

Your ring never leaves Mandeville

Every repair, every resize, every custom fabrication happens in our on-site shop. Your grandmother’s ring does not travel in a shipping envelope to a facility in another state. You know exactly where it is and who is working on it.

This matters more than most people realize until something goes wrong somewhere else.

The couples who already know

They drive from Covington, Madisonville, Abita Springs and across the Northshore. Some come from Baton Rouge. Some come because this is where their family has always come — where their parents bought rings, where their grandmother had her pearls restrung, where the relationship goes back decades.

Very few of them cross the bridge to shop for jewelry anymore.

They have been on both sides. They know what is there. And they know what is here.

Everything that exists on Canal Street exists on the Northshore. Some of it exists here better.

Come see for yourself. No bridge required.

One couple at a time. No pressure. No commission. Just the ring she deserves and forty years of expertise to help you find it.

Book the Engagement Ring Experience →

Anne Dale Jewelers — 829 Asbury Drive, Mandeville, Louisiana — serving the Northshore since 1983.

(985) 626-4266 — Call or Text

Before You Ask for Her Hand 

Kneeling Engagement Ring

Engagement Ring – Before You Ask for Her Hand

Why do brides dream of marrying a Knight in Shining Armor?

The answer to this question lies in the Middle Ages, specifically the Code of Chivalry.

A hobby for David Board was metal detecting. In 2019 while exploring the countryside in South West of England his machine pinged on what he thought was something of little or no value.  “It was once I got home and washed it off that we realized it was a lot better than we thought,” he explained to CNN. Examined by medieval historical experts is when the true importance of the discovery was made clear.

A ring featuring two entwined bands seemingly symbolizing marriage. The focal point was an inverted diamond set into the gold. The band was inscription in medieval French “ieo vos * tien * foi * tenes * le moy” meaning “As I hold your faith, hold mine.”

Medieval Ring

14th Century diamond gold ring. (Photo: Noonans)

 

An example of medieval love and chivalry, the ring possibly belonged to Joan Brook, wife of  Sir Thomas Brook(a knight). They married in 1388.

Early eleventh-century poets composed tales about the conception and birth of Arthur at Tintagel, Arthur’s marriage to Guinevere, the knights of King Arthur’s court and the Round Table, Excalibur, Camelot, Lancelot, and the Holy Grail.

Knights in the beginning were anything but shining. Then came the Code of Conduct for the Knights, which changed everything.

King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table were on a quest for holiness, hoping to be protectors of damsels in distress. They saw themselves as knights in pursuit of love, which they would often lose, then fight to get it back again.

Before You Ask for Her Hand

Code of Chivalry:

    • To worship God and uphold his Church
    • To respect the honor of women
    • To protect those who are weak and defenseless
    • To assist widows and orphans
    • To live honorably and for glory
    • To despise monetary reward
    • To fight for the benefit of all
    • To obey those in positions of authority
    • To guard the honor of fellow knights
    • To always speak truthfully
    • To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
    • To never refuse a challenge from an equal
    • To never turn one’s back upon an enemy

  • “Knighthood” and “chivalry” are not one and the same, but it is impossible to speak of one without addressing the other. It is within this code we find many of our traditions of chivalry, romance, marriage and the engagement.

    Kneeling as an act of humility and service
    A man removes his hat in the presence of a lady because knights removed their helmets
    Even words like “courting”, as Knights were the protectors of the Kings courts

Just a Few of Anne Dale's Shining Knights