Archive for 'Shopping'
Couples diamond
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
The smart groom-to-be does his research before buying his fiancée a diamond ring! There are more styles and cuts to choose from than ever before. It’s not enough to be educated about the four Cs of diamonds – cut, color, clarity and carats. Now there are all types of diamond cuts and settings to choose [...]
Diamond cutting styles
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
Our love of diamonds and admiration of their fire and brilliance has given rise to many different cuts of diamonds. While we still see some of the earliest styles of diamond cuts – such as the round and emerald-cut, there are many more cuts today, some of them patented by their designers and costing hundreds [...]
Gem cutting
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
Gem cutting – how it has changed over the years (50% of the original rough diamond is lost during the cutting of a round brilliant gem)
How does a lump of mineral or crystal become a dazzling diamond, ruby or sapphire? It’s an amazing process called gem cutting or lapidary and makes all the difference in [...]
Colors of gems
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
Gems come in every color of the spectrum. While sapphires, rubies and emeralds are what come to mind first when one thinks of a colored gem, there are so many other beautiful colored gemstones to consider. Even among gems normally associated with one color, there are gradations and variations to them. A sapphire, for example, [...]
Other
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
The appeal of diamonds and other precious gems has endured for eons. They confer on the wearer a feeling of beauty, value, status. We are drawn to them and we all have our personal favorites. Sometimes it’s our birthstone. For others, a particular stone reflects a favorite color. There is almost a magical feeling when [...]
Why are most minerals not popular as gems?
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
There are millions of minerals that exist on the earth, but few of them are prized as gems and used for adornment. Many of them aren’t in colors that are usually highly prized for jewelry. Or they’re not able to be cut and polished to be made wearable as jewelry.
Often it’s a matter of changing [...]
Garnet
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
Garnets have been known and used in jewelry for thousands of years. Legend says that Noah used a garnet lantern to safely steer his Ark through the darkness of the night and the great flood. Garnets are found in jewelry from ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman eras. Many courageous discoverers and travelers wore garnets for [...]
Rose Quartz
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
Who doesn’t love rose quartz in all its varying hues of pink? Rose quartz takes its name from the flower because of its translucent and delicate pink color caused by traces of iron, manganese or titanium. Rose quartz is usually very large - meaning that it doesn’t form crystals. Rose quartz is found in Madagascar, [...]
Citrine
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
Citrine is any quartz crystal or cluster that is yellow or orange in color. Although, often cut as a gemstone, citrine is actually somewhat rare in nature. Citrine is one of the most affordable gemstones, thanks to the durability and availability of this golden quartz. Named from the French name for lemon,”citron,” many citrines have [...]
Amethyst
March 2nd, 2009. Published under Education, Shopping. No Comments.
Amethyst is a violet or purple variety of quartz often used as an ornament or jewelry. The name comes from the Greek A (not) and methuskein (”to intoxicate”), a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness; the ancient Greeks and Romans wore amethyst and made drinking vessels of it in [...]
