Jewelry

When the mineral spodumene has a pink to light purple hue, it is called kunzite. Kunzite is considered to be a semi-precious stone and is often used to make pendants and brooches rather than...

Jewelers determine a diamond's value by four qualities known as the "Four C's". They are cut, color, clarity and carat. This article will explain each of those qualities to you and...

Cutting rough emeralds is one of the most difficult and stressful tasks any gem-cutter will face. Emeralds fall between a 7.5 and 8.0 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, and they are quite...

Diamonds are the stone of choice for many different kinds of jewelry, and as a result there are a lot of fakes around. Fortunately there are several easy tests that anyone can perform to tell if a...

Topaz is a precious gemstone that's found in many colors; the name comes from the island of Topazos, where the Romans originally found the stone. Topaz makes a versatile birthstone because of its...

Diamonds can come in an array of colors: white, pink, yellow, blue and even green. But the rarest and most expensive diamond of them all is the black diamond. Black diamonds are formally known...

You may consider diamonds to be merely expensive ornamental additions to your wardrobe. However, diamonds generally appreciate in value with time and are as much an addition to your financial...

Aquamarine, the pale-blue stone of the sea, has dazzled jewelry designers and collectors for many years because of the stone's beautiful translucency. However, aquamarine is also a favored gem...

When you think of a diamond, the image that comes to mind is probably that of a clear, shining stone. Not all diamonds fit into this stereotype, however. Diamonds can be transparent, colored,...

Turquoise is an eye-catching gem that is highly regarded for its beauty and color. Whether it is a simple design or more ornate piece, jewelry made with this stone is always exquisite. Turquoise...

Marilyn Monroe sang that diamonds are a girl's best friend. The sparkly stone can light up a smile as well as a ring. When shopping for a diamond ring, you should become familiar with the four...

Sapphires, after diamonds, are the most treasured gem on earth. Most people think of sapphires as blue, but they come in every color of the rainbow. Rubies are simply red sapphires, but blue is...

Rose quartz is a pink-tinted quartz that is often used in jewelry. The pink color is a result of impurities in the chemical composition of the quartz. The stone can be found in many shapes and...

So, you're ready to propose. All that's left is picking out the ring, right? Seems easy enough, but keep in mind that there are several things to consider in choosing an engagement ring that will...

Raw gemstones are cut and polished to create the stunning looks found in jewelry stores. Stones may be cut to best reflect light and in shapes that are popular with consumers. Two such shapes are...

Tanzanite is a rare gemstone that is found in only one area of the world, the African state of Tanzania. The stone is a beautiful blue color with a hint of purple and can range in depth of color...

People don't really focus too much on the setting of a stone within a ring, but it can really make a ring look gorgeous or not. There are many types of ring settings, although some are more common...

Although it's referred to as a semi-precious gem, amber isn't really a stone. It's actually sap that was turned into a fossil approximately 45 million years ago. Some pieces of amber contain...

Despite some arguments, black diamonds are indeed real, genuine diamonds. Like many other smaller and less valuable stones, black diamonds have traditionally been available through Indian gem...

When going for sparkle in an economic downturn, cubic zirconia (CZ) might be chosen for a special gift--earrings, necklaces and rings--to a promise, engagement or wedding ring. But even with an...

One of the easiest ways to make extra money is to sell unused and unwanted gold jewelry. You can sell unwanted gold jewelry at jewelry parties, pawn shops and jewelers. But how do you know how...

Once favored by royalty around the world, amethyst was considered a precious stone on par with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies until increased availability changed its status to semi-precious. But...

Cushion-cut diamonds are also referred to as "pillow diamonds" because their shapes can resemble a pillow as well as "candlelight diamonds" because the cut originated in the time before electricity.

Making your own jewelry is a fun, inexpensive way to create one-of-a-kind pieces. Making a necklace out of a quartz crystal stone involves serious work with a drill, but it will leave you with a...

The blue diamond is a very rare stone when naturally occurring; however, in recent years it has been synthetically cultured so that it is possible to purchase one far more easily if you know how...

Elegant, exotic, and just a little edgy, black diamonds are quickly growing in popularity. These exquisite gems make a bold statement in engagement rings, pendants, men's rings, and other jewelry....

An ancient stone with deep roots among leaders in Medieval Europe, Carnelian shimmers with beauty and has a long track record in the literature. With its rich, dark red coloration, the gem is a...

Moissanite first came to earth in a meteor that crashed in Canyon Diablo, Arizona, thousands of years ago. In 1893, French scientist Dr. Ferdinand Frederick Henri Moissan was studying samples from...

Lapis, or lapis lazuli, is not really a gemstone, but a rock composed of several substances, primarily lazurite. Lapis may also include calcite and pyrite, which is also known as "Fool's Gold."...

People are familiar with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and pearls. Few are as familiar with marcasite. Marcasite is a light, brittle stone that is gaining popularity among jewelry buyers and...

The mystic fire topaz is a man-made creation. In 1998, a Minnesota company called Azotic Coating Technologies developed and patented a method to transform the appearance of colorless topaz by...

You've heard the term, but do you know what separates a regular sapphire from a star sapphire? A stonecutter. The process starts when sapphires are mined, cut, polished and readied for sale. From...

Deriving its name from Middle English "ambre," amber is a honey colored fossilized tree resin of ancient pine and now-extinct conifer trees. Used by ancient man for adornment, amber continues to...

Kundan jewelry is a style of jewelry made with techniques native to India. The word kundan means "refined gold." Kundan jewelry is made from gold and silver, although by U.S. jewelry standards,...

Diana, Princess of Wales, began setting fashion trends the day she became engaged when camera lenses caught sight of the sapphire engagement ring given to her by Prince Charles. The marriage...

Stones, gems and crystals are all types of minerals that have over time developed into colored or clear formations. The three are often referred to collectively as gemstones and may be identified...

The emerald is one of the most popular stones in the world. It is the birthstone for May, and also the stone traditionally given for a 20th wedding anniversary. Emeralds can be fragile, which is...

Identifying the gemstone in an old ring can be an exciting process. Gemstones differ in rarity and value, so identifying a gemstone can help establish the value of the ring. However, many stones...

The mystic topaz, also known as mystic fire or Caribbean, Alaska or Bermuda topaz, has only existed since 1998, when a method for coating white topaz was patented by Azotic Coating Technologies,...

As a professional goldsmiths' wife, I see many insurance claims that could have been avoided through a yearly maintenance check-up. A good jeweler will check and clean jewelry for free or a...

The sapphire is a precious gemstone found in mines throughout the world and worn as an adornment and accent to women's jewelry. Sapphires have a long history that dates back to biblical times. The...

Many wonder how to buy quality lapis lazuli jewelry. After all, buying lapis lazuli jewelry can be a confusing process if you don't know what you are doing. For the uninformed it is impossible to...

Cubic zirconias, also known as CZs, are synthetic crystals produced at a fraction of the cost of diamonds. When set in jewelry, CZs gleam more brilliantly than crystal or glass, and they rival...

Sapphires are revered for their deep blue color, but can also be found in such shades as cornflower blue, pink and even black. The stone is second only to the diamond in hardness, and is...

The name turquoise refers to a mineral deposit most often characterized by a blue-green color. Turquoise can be found in several countries across the world, including the United States, Mexico,...

Tanzanite is a rare stone, named for the place where it was first found: Tanzania. The blue/violet stone became popular immediately and continues to experience high demand. Tanzania has been...

Tanzanite is a rare blue-purple gemstone found in only one location in the world. Tanzanite, one type of the mineral zoisite, was discovered near the base of Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania...

Cubic zirconia (CZ) is a man made gem, that is often used as a diamond simulant, because it resembles a diamond (for the untrained eye),but is much cheeper.With a little training, it's easy to...

Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on the Earth's surface. It is silica-based and forms rhombohedral, prismatic crystals in a variety of types, sizes, and colors. Several major varieties...

Yellow topaz is semiprecious gemstone that forms in orthorhombic crystals. It is the birthstone for November. Its name comes from Sanskrit and means "fire." The Egyptians believed that topaz...