Thank you to all of our entries. I just pulled out a name from the bag and found our winner. The 2012 MALKA Mother’s Day contest winner is Barbara Pobanz. Barbara was entered into the contest by her daughter, Kimberly McLennan. Kimberly says that her mother inspires her everyday. congratulations to you Barbara. We look forward to gifting you with the Posh Mommy engraved pendant. Happy Mother’s Day ! – David & Ronnie 
During Mother’s Day we tend to look at our jewelry, especially the pieces our mothers gave us and think about when we received them. Pearls are one of the most common handed down piece of jewelry we see at MALKA Diamonds. They are a classic piece in a strand or on their own in a pendant or earring set. Weather real or not we cherish them for the stories they hold and the beauty they poses. Now you may be wondering… How do you know if your pearls are real or not? Take a look at the video below and learn some tricks on telling if your pearls are real. We also invite you to come by MALKA Diamonds at 529 SW 3rd Ave in Portland OR to see our large variety of pearls.
WIth only two+ years under our belts we are honored and completely taken back from the recent nomination for Oregon Bride Magazine’s Best of 2012! MALKA Diamonds was rated top three for the Best Ring in Portland OR. We first heard about this last week when Oregon Bride called our store located at 529 SW 3rd Ave. They informed us of our recent nomination and wanted some more information about what makes MALKA Diamonds so special. We explained that every bride and groom is a friend. Whether a new friend or old it never matters. We always listen to what they envision and make it a reality. At MALKA Diamonds we are Crafting the Exceptional. Our brides & grooms want something that they can put their own special touch on. We work with them to either find the ultimate ring in the showroom or create a custom piece that will last forever. We are truly touched by those who nominated us and those who voted for us. We hope to continue to stay on the Best list for many more years to come. http://orbridemag.com/best-of 
Brad Pitt proposed to Angelina Jolie this past week with a $250,000 emerald cut diamond ring. Angelina debuted the ring at a private event at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Brad and jeweler Robert Procop created and designed the custom ring together which took over a year to complete. The emerald cut diamonds surrounding the center stone are all specially picked to circle Angelina’s finger. Custom making engagement rings is a MALKA Diamond speciality at 529 SW 3rd Ave. in downtown Portland. We love working with our grooms and brides to create their dream piece.
The Football team at University of Oregon are gearing up for their Spring Game and so is MALKA Diamonds of Downtown Portland. Take a close look at the locker room that the Ducks get to enjoy everyday. Pay close attention to the WinTheDay surrounding them. As they prepare physically and mentally to WTD, we at MALKA are packaging up the well anticipated launch of the UO WTD collection. On April 26th, MALKA Diamonds will be at the Campus Duck Store in Eugene showcasing the entire new collection. The collection includes; duck tags, earrings, belts, pendant, and lapel pins. All items will go live on April 26th at malkadiamonds.com and at all Duck stores. Go Ducks!
Our wonderful interior designer, Carrie Gates, recently spent the afternoon with us capturing some amazing photos of her fabulous work. Two years ago, Carrie Gates came down to MALKA Diamonds & Jewelry at 529 SW 3rd Ave in Portland Oregon to help us with our interior design concept for the new store. It was so fun to work with her. She helped create an urban boutique shop for us to showcase our engagement rings, wedding bands, vintage and antique pieces as well as our University of Oregon jewelry collection. Take a look at these pictures along with some of her other designs. She is fabulous!tag=malka-diamonds-jewelry
Once in a while a story comes to surface that you think would be a perfect movie. This is one of those stories. Enjoy it. I did. In the 1940s, Private David Kershaw received two rings as a token of appreciation from a Polish jeweler who had just been released from a concentration camp. “I gave him two silver dollars and he made a ring from each,” Kershaw said. The jewelry was designed as “pre-engagement rings,” inscribed with David’s name on one, and his girlfriend Jeanne’s name on the other. Kershaw met Jeanne Walker in New Jersey during the summer of 1943. A year later, he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II and served until 1946. “For a veteran, trying to get back into civilian life was difficult,” Kershaw says. “We came home and weren’t sure what the future would be.” After his discharge, Kershaw reunited with Walker; however, the two soon split amicably. “We went our separate ways,” Kershaw says. “She went to nursing school. I went to engineering school.” Yet Kershaw kept the rings in a safety deposit box. “I never showed them to anyone,” he says.
Kershaw and Walker went on to live separate lives and didn’t keep in touch. Kershaw earned his engineering degree in 1950, the same year he married Clara Wahl, his wife of 61 years. The two had a long, happy marriage and raised two sons. Jeanne became a registered nurse. She married twice and raised two sons (one of whom died).
When Clara, Kershaw’s wife, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2008, Kershaw didn’t want her to be forced into a nursing home. “I learned though mutual friends that Jeanne was specializing in home care,” Kershaw says. After not speaking for more than 60 years, he called up his old girlfriend and asked for her assistance. For three years, until Clara’s death in 2011, Walker cared for her. The two women even became close friends. About a month before Clara’s death, Kershaw revealed the rings he had kept a secret since the 1940s. “When I showed Jeanne the rings, she was shocked and started to cry,” Kershaw says. Walker, who had lost her husband a few year before helped Kershaw through the grieving of his wife. She and Kershaw went to movies and dinners—and, eventually, they each began wearing the rings.
Kershaw proposed to Walker on a Caribbean cruise three weeks ago. The two plan to move in together soon. “We will set a wedding date within a month or two. She’s 85 and I’m 86,” he says with a laugh. “We don’t have that much time.”
At MALKA Diamonds at 529 SW 3rd Ave, we have the pleasure of carrying an antique vintage case with some art deco bands that most likely were created at the same time that this wonderful story began.
About 1/3 of our engagement rings are custom-made at MALKA Diamonds in Downtown Portland. Seems to be one of our nitches. Our grooms-to-be look at the showroom and get ideas. Some find the perfect piece, some propose with just a simple solitaire & let the bride pick out her setting and 1/3 decide to create a one-of-a-kind custom ring. The latest proposal decided on a custom ring. Take a look at the wax to finish ring images. The ring is an 18 karat white gold with over 75 diamonds through out. The center stone was 1.25 carat. It looks amazing and as always I am surprised at the transformation. 
Many people ask us if the weak economy has made jewelry sales any less than the normal. Well, the truth is people are still falling in love and getting engaged and our grooms are doing all they can to get the highest quality and largest stone for their budget. The budget seems to hover above and below $8,000. At MALKA Diamonds that gives the guys a lot to work with. Seems our grooms are smart shoppers and are researching to find the ultimate piece for their loved ones.
Unlike our guys, celebrities have a tendency to spend a obsene amount of money on engagement rings. Take a look at this video to see how much the top 10 most expensive engagement rings cost.
expensive-celebrity-engagement-rings_n_1310540.html#es_share_ended
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/expensive-celebrity-engagement-rings_n_1310540.html
Fedex just dropped off the latest package from Emily-Jane. Now we are fully stocked with earrings, bracelets and necklaces. It is so wonderful to have these amazing items at MALKA Diamonds & Jewelry in downtown Portland. It gives our store an array of fine and fashion pieces. Thanks Jane for all of the goodies. Save the Date: Monday April 30th we will host an Emily-Jane Mother’s Day event at MALKA Diamonds. Hope you can make it.
