Beauty Tips Guides

Emeralds always have a balance between clarity and returned light, the sparkle that is. You do want a stone with at least a decent amount of returned light. What I mean by this is light that goes into the top of the stone and is reflected back out to the eye. Otherwise, the stone looks rather dead and even the color is not as apparent.

Some light coming back to the eye is needed to bring that color to life. There is a trade off often between color and brilliance, it seems, unless the stone is completely top gem quality and has both color and clarity at the same time, accompanied by well proportioned cutting of the gem.

“Dull Look On The Surface”. Why would one stone look like it needs to be “wiped off” and another look smooth and well polished? Generally, this is because the well polished stone is just that, a piece of emerald able to take a good polish and then polished well by the cutter.

The duller or more waxy looking stone is either less well polished in the first place or the emerald material simply cannot take a better polish. Why not a better polish? Defects in the stone are a general reason. Often, well, almost always, emeralds are treated to some extent and that is generally with oils which tend to hide inclusions.

The inclusions which reach the surface of the stone are pretty well hidden by oils but this can also prevent a perfect polish. Unfortunately, over zealous cleaning of an oil treated stone may remove the oil and suddenly you see cracks and furrows not visible before. That is the stone as it was before being subjected to oiling! You might want to ask the jeweler about oiling on the cushion stone you have seen. Do not be surprised to hear the answer is “most likely” or “yes”.

Since most emeralds are treated in this or similar manner (some really nasty ones are given a plastic sort of filler!), do not be dismayed. Only be certain the jeweler can stand behind the stone, especially considering the price of the one you like for your setting.

“Jardin”. The inclusions in emeralds are called a “garden” or “jardin”. This refers to the almost garden look to the flaws and swirls inside the stone. This is to be expected in most emeralds of any size, with more or less garden. Inclusions are expected. What to watch for are definite internal fractures, little breaks which appear healed with in the stone.

Such internal flaws near the areas where the setting applies pressure, as with prongs, may be dangerous in the setting process. Ask to see the stone under a scope and ask if any of the inclusions will lead to stone setting problems. At this point, all risk is in the hands of the jeweler doing the work but ask to be sure!

“Memo Goods”. A reputable jeweler with connections to the colored stone world can receive what is called “memo good” from stone vendors. The vendor will send a small selection of gems for the customer to view. You might be responsible for the postage but should not be considering the purchase prices overall. The jeweler can check regular stone vendors they work with or go on the net to specialized jewelry web sites where stones are requested and sold everyday. The jeweler might be able to find a cushion cut for the setting you prefer and find a better stone in the process.

If you have a little time, this might very well be worth requesting. Do not feel locked into what the jeweler has in stock. Other stones are out there and should be available to an established jeweler. The cushion you like might be just fine, of course I have not see it. By all means, if you have any doubts about the gem, look further. You do not want to spend the money and always have a little feeling that you should have gotten a better emerald.

That is why I tell everyone that if you look for one or more settings that you like you could always get the one that you want for the inter net, jewelry store close to home, or a jewelry store that is out of state. Don’t take what you get see what they get and then make ulp your mind on what you want.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.4EngagementRing.info/. 4EngagementRing.info is the best place to buy engagement rings, wedding rings, and diamond rings. Browse through our selection of wedding jewelry and engagement rings here: http://www.4EngagementRing.info/category/wedding-jewelry.html.

When diamonds are cut properly they will enhance any piece of jewelry. They are stunning to look at, and when the sun catches them, they flash like miniature suns. If you are planning to purchase a diamond then the old adage let the buyer beware has never been truer. Unless you are a trained jeweler you will not have the ability to determine if the quality of the diamond is matched to its purchase price. In fact, even a trained jeweler will not be able to tell if the stone in question is a natural stone or a man made stone without some very expensive equipment.

Diamonds have a mystique about them. Television ads portray them as the ultimate gift of love. Magazine ads want us to believe that a diamond is the only perfect gift to express love. If you plan on purchasing a diamond because you like how it looks or if gives you or your love one pleasure then by all means enjoy. If you plan on purchasing diamonds for investment purposes only you will need to do a lot of research to determine if this is a good idea.

De Beers was founded in South Africa in 1888 and today is the largest producer and seller of diamonds. Almost from the beginning the De Beers company has had a strangle hold on the diamond industry and a huge advertising budget. Diamonds are not as rare as the advertiser would have you to believe. De Beers keeps a huge stockpile of diamonds and tightly controls supply.

De Beers started the very successful advertising campaign A Diamond Is Forever in 1947. The Advertising Age magazine has voted this to be the most recognizable advertising line of the twentieth century. This advertising campaign was designed to discourage diamonds owners from putting their old diamonds back into the market.

The company has created many successful ad campaigns to keep the demand high for Natural Diamonds. The Eternity Ring, a symbol of continuing affection, The Trilogy Ring, symbolizes the past, present and future of a successful relationship, The Right Hand Ring, sold to women as a symbol of independence.

During the Depression era many people were too poor to buy diamonds. Engagement rings were made of fine crystal instead. Many of the depression era rings were quite beautiful and difficult to distinguish from the real thing. The ability to create cubic zirconium happened in the 1950 but it was not until 1979 that it became economically feasible to mass-produce and use them as a diamond substitute. Only a gemologist can tell the difference between a diamond created by nature and a cubic zirconium created in a laboratory

The man-made diamonds made today are of a better quality than the natural ones. A trained jeweler will be unable to determine a real one from a made-one unless he had some very expensive equipment. Insist on a certification before purchasing a diamond for investment purposes. It will tell you the stone’s carat weight, its color and clarity, and its flaws. If the seller is unwilling to supply a certification with the diamond then he may not be telling the truth and you should find someone who will. After all when you want to sell the diamond the new owner will want a certification from you.

David Cowley has created numerous articles on Diamonds. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to Diamonds. Visit Diamonds

Folks confuse “pave” with “bead set” all the time. There is a reason for that. Let me make one vital point right off the top of the answer. This part you may not have thought about. Manufacturers spend time in designs and working out the details for each and every piece of jewelry they produce. In almost all cases, the manufacturer holds a copyright on the design. The copyright is a legal protection against another company making “knock-offs” or duplicates of their work and selling the duplicates.

The confusion is in the words used.”Bead setting” is a particular form of setting stones into metal. Pave is more of a design of the set stones and bead setting is the technique for setting stones in a pave pattern.

The bead setting is the technique. Pave is the pattern. A single mans ring may have a bead set stone in the center. The stone is bead set but the work is not pave. Think of pave as you would a cobble stone street or brick after brick, literally paved with bricks. In pave the idea is to “pave” the surface with stones..that is pave. Bead setting is the method to hold the stones in place.

The ring may or may not be bead set. And this is not pave. Pave in the strict sense covers an expanded area and not just one row of stones. That does not matter. Really, the name does not matter if this ring is the look you want. I suspect the setting is cast with raised prong-like parts to make the setting easier than actual bead setting.

That is fine when done correctly and better than bead setting if the bead setting is done in less than the best manner. Bead setting can provide the same look but is more labor intensive to do correctly.

In bead setting, a sharp chisel-like tool called a graver is used to set the stones. First, a seat or hole for the stone is cut into the metal. Then the graver is pushed down into the metal just to the outside of the stone. The point of the graver makes metal move toward the stone. This process is repeated until all the stone is secure with enough metal over the “corners” to hold securely.

Then a tool with a rounded hollow end called a beading tool is pressed onto the metal pressed onto the stone. The beading tool makes the metal form into an attractive looking “bead” of metal. Now you can see where the term “bead set” originates.

Now, here is a question to ponder. How can the ring be made for less cost to you than the ready made one? Considering the prices we must charge to make molds, do castings and set stones for one item only, the price would be at least if not more than the one offered by the maker originally. We do not make copies of copyright designs but do enough custom manufacturing to know our real costs of doing a single ring or other jewelry item.

The only way I see the ring being less costly if the jeweler makes it is to use lower quality stones, less stones perhaps or lower karat of gold. The ring made up may also be of a much less favorable manufactured quality than the original ring, a means to cut costs. If we tried to duplicate the ring you showed, using 14k instead of the 19k used, our price to the customer for equal or better technical quality would still be more than some of the other makers rings.

Labor for doing a single ring is the reason and stone setting costs incurred. Our jewelers do all the work and we do not have specialized persons doing only stone setting as do large manufacturers.

Suggestion: Look closely at the rings or jewelry made by the jeweler with whom you have conferred. How well done is the work? Is all neat and clean to the eye? Ask about stone quality, etc. Do you want a product as fine as the original or a step below, or better? These are thoughts to consider seriously. I tell it just like I see it; that is only fair to you.

I don’t want to scare you about copyrights. Maybe this will help. To directly copy another’s design is infringement of the copyright. To choose a “similar style” generally is not infringement. For instance, many makers of jewelry make rings with stones set side by side along a row in a ladies ring. A ring with stones set like this and with decorative sides made up by your jeweler but not a direct copy should not be a problem with copyright.

A ready made mounting for rows of stones may be available(unset with stones) which will be perfectly fine for you. This is an option I did not mention at first. If a ready made mounting can be found with the look you want, the job will likely be less costly than having a ring made from scratch.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.DiamondGems.info/. DiamondGems.info carries the best selection of loose diamonds, diamond rings, and diamond jewelry on the market. Browse through our selection of loose diamonds by size, cut, shape, type, and other features here: http://www.DiamondGems.info/subcategory/loose-diamond.html.

Because of the successful advertising campaigns in the United States, diamonds symbolize Eternal Love, A Diamond Is Forever, Continuing Affection, A Successful Relationship, Independence, and Wealth. Diamonds also stand for The Africa’s Killing Fields, Bloodshed, Anarchy, and Genocide.

Diamonds known as conflict diamonds originate from the war zones of Africa. On December 1, 2000 the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution defining the role of conflict diamonds with the intent of cutting off the sources of funding for rebel forces and to help shorten the wars and prevent their recurrence.

Conflict diamonds are diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council.

Among the countries most affected by the terror inflicted by traders in conflict diamonds are Liberia, Sierra Leone and also Angola. Prominent among the military groups involved in such trade are the UNITA in Angola, Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone and even the government of Liberia that funds rebel activities in Sierra Leone without paying any heed to the international condemnation such activities are eliciting.

It has been estimated that in 1990 as much as 15 percent of the total production of diamonds were conflict diamonds. In 2004 it was reported that this percentage had fallen to approximately 1 percent. The first step in stopping the trade in conflict diamonds was to stop purchasing raw diamonds from those countries that are involved in selling such diamonds and thus choking the funding channels for arms and ammunition.

To get around the United Nations General Assembly resolution, these diamonds were sold through contacts in neighboring countries and after the stones are polished, ascertaining their origins becomes next to impossible.

The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS).

In May of 2000, the diamond producing countries of South Africa first met in Kimberley to develop a plan that could halt the trade of conflict diamonds by establishing a way that diamond origin could be certified. During the next several years the World Diamond Congress, World Federation of Diamond Bourses, World Diamond Council and other originations became involved with trying to halt the flow of conflict diamonds. After 2 years of negotiation between Governments, Diamond Producers and Non-Government organizations the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was created.

The benefits to countries that put an end to trading in conflict diamonds is immense and it could mean better economic development and prosperity. With the institution of curbs in conflict diamonds such as the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, there has been a dramatic improvement noticeable in its trade.

Resourceful and unscrupulous groups still manage to elude the legal barriers and still find ways of infiltrating the diamond centers of the world. It may not be feasible to stop the trading in conflict diamonds by 100 percent but with marked drop reported in 2004, there is hope for the world that the strife and genocide taking place in Africa will soon come to an end.

Please do not support the war effort. Insist on a certification before purchasing a diamond. It will tell you the stone’s carat weight, its color and clarity, flaws, and its origins.

David Cowley has created numerous articles on Diamonds. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to Diamonds. Visit Diamonds

When people tell me that they have a nice four ct. aquamarine stone ring, they tell me that they just noticed that the stone was chipped and do jewelry shops actually repair stones? This is a good question and one that lots of people have to deal with. I want to say first that I am glad you have an aquamarine! This makes me smile in a sentimental and special way. Why? Well, with so much blue topaz on the market today, the wonderful aquamarine has almost faded in the public eyes.

Unfortunately, many do not even know about this much more valuable and beautiful gemstone. In years past, the aquamarine “was” the stone of choice for those special shades of blue nature makes. Aquamarine is a superior stone in all aspects to the irradiated blue topaz, a stone not naturally the rich blues in nature.

First of all, most jewelry shops do not have the capability to recut chipped gemstones. Some of this depends on the cut of the stone to start with, whether a cabochon, round top, like an opal or onyx might be cut, or faceted as with diamonds, rubies and other stones with little faces, the facets, on the surface. The person who cuts gemstones does the work called “lapidary” or stone cutting. This work requires the cutting and polishing equipment needed for gemstones. Almost all stones must be worked with tools the jeweler simply does not use for working metals.

Stones are much harder than metals and require special and sometimes very specialized machines to work the gem, whether in cutting a gem from a piece of rough material from the earth or in repairing a chip in a stone already cut. While many folks do cut and polish cabochons, rounded tops without facets, the number greatly lessens when looking for those who do facet cutting. The equipment is very different since each individual facet is cut one at a time, through different grades of cutting from rough abrasives to the final polish.

What Do Most Jewelers Do? When a chipped stone needs repair, the jeweler generally sends the stone to a lapidary craftsperson. This usually means sending the stone to a company where the work may be done. Sometimes, the jeweler might have a local connection to either a professional or amateur, some are the best going, for the repair work. The cabochon work is easy and more locals can do this work. For faceted gems, having a local cutter is not common and most stones are shipped to a factory offering the service.

The middle of the stone, between the top, crown, and the bottom, pavilion, is called the girdle of the gem. If the chip is here, repair is relatively simple for a small chip and will not affect the rest of the stone in a noticeable way. If the chip is higher on the stone, say on or between a couple of the facets on the crown, the repair is more difficult. Why? Look at the at your aquamarine, and you will see the faces line up and meet each other. To repair a chip on one of the higher facets will mean cutting and polishing the stone down deep enough to remove the chip.

This will change the face where the cutting is done and the facets will not line up as before. To do the job properly, often the entire top, crown, of the stone will need to be re-cut. This means all facets are re-cut and polished so all line up as before. This is done to prevent one large repaired face from messing up the arrangement and standing out easily to the eye.

How the repair is done depends on the location of the chip and whether the stone is faceted or a cabochon cut. Then, where and how well the work is done depends on the contacts the jeweler has. To find a jeweler with in-house lapidary service is a rare find, indeed.

Be sure to ask if the work is done in-house or sent to a cutter. Ask for an estimate before having the work done. Ask if the repair will change the over dimensions, width and length, of the stone since that will affect how it fits back into your jewelry mounting. Ask if the cutter can give you at least an idea of how much stone must be cut away to do the repair. I do know how it is done and what is needed to make a stone look right when repairing a chip. This is not easy work to do.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.FashionJewelryStore.info/. FashionJewelryStore.info carries the best selection of fashion jewelry, watches and fragrances on the market. Start looking for diamond jewelry here: http://www.FashionJewelryStore.info/stone/diamond.html.

Some peole are a little confused about coloured diamonds; some think that the more colourless they are, the more valuable they are. On the other hand, some of the coloured diamonds are worth more then the cololess ones. You just need to understand about diamonds and how the colored ones are worth more then the colourless ones.

It is true that fine colorless diamonds are generally more valuable than colored diamonds. However there are exceptions. The pink, blue and canary yellow diamonds, they can be more valuable when they occur naturally in nature and are not artificially colored. As for determining the authenticity of your stone I would suggest that you take it to your nearest trusted jeweler for indentification.

There are some people out there that have a hard time to understand What a Window in a Gemstone looks like. Many of the photos I’ve seen of sapphires, tourmaline, amethethyst cut in a round shape appear to have deep color on the outside rim of the Crown but much paler color looking into the top center of the crown. The term window used in the context of colored stones and even diamonds refers to a flaw in the cut of the stone. All crystals of gem materials have a refractive index which is how the stone bends light for reflection and refraction.

If the stone is cut properly the light should be reflected back out of the top of the stone so all you see is sparkle and light reflected. If you look down the center of the stone and you can see right through it, read through, you can read a paper without distortion then you have a ‘window’ you can see through. Properly cut gems should not have a ‘window’ in the middle.

Diamonds are usually the best cut and most of the time you cannot see through a diamond from the back since all the light is reflected back out through the table. Colored stones rarely are cut as well diamonds and they have much lower refractives indices so have to be cut much differently. Most cutters of colored stones try to get the color in the bottom of the pavilion so it will reflect evenly throughout the stone.

The concntration of color on the girdle is because it is the thickest part of the stone usually. Paler color is usualy due to the color zoning in the crystal and sometimes the cut can help but not always. Anyways the window in colored stones has nothing to do with color but mainly with the cut.

Black diamonds are one of the few stones that alot of people would like to have. But i have heard that black diamonds are going to diminish, I am not really sure about the market for black diamonds. I rarely see any one use them. I have had this question asked many times when it comes to colored stones,” Do the colored stones come out of the ground already colored?”

The answer is yes, they are that color out of the ground. Mostly the white stones are more valuable. However some of the large rare colors if they are very clean can demand high prices. It depends on the size and clarity and how pretty the color is and how rare it is. Usually diamond producing areas are quite vast and a number of different variations of colorless to pale yellow and brown or gray colors of diamonds can be found in a certain mine.

There are exceptions. The diamond mineds in Australia have high concentrations of unusually fancy colored diamonds. You can always go on the internet and see what you can find out some mineds that produc only some kinds of colored stones that you are looking for or you can ask your local jeweler about were he gets his and see what he has to say.

I prefer colored gems because there is an infinite variety, and it really uses my skills as a gemologist/mineralogist to identify the stones. Some of the most fortunate people are the ones from Rio de Janeiro, because they live in one of the richest gem producing areas of the world! Brazil is not only on the forefront of mining and fashioning gems but also the sophisticated ways in which colored stones are treated to improve their color and transparency.

Gems can be treated with heat, radiation, oils and polymers to improve their appearance. It is necessary for a gemologist to be able to identify these treatments and pass that information along to the owners or future buyers of these stones.

Diamonds, on the other hand, are a very controlled market. For the most part, their pricing, production and distribution are controlled by one of the biggest monopolies in the world: DeBeer’s Consolidated Mines. Internet sources like Blue Nile have really changed the market in favor of the consumer. Internet diamond dealers have taken much of the mystery out of diamond pricing and grading, and they have forced many retailers to be more honest and transparent with their diamond transactions. This is excellent and good for the buying public.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.4EngagementRing.info/. 4EngagementRing.info is the best place to buy engagement rings, wedding rings, and diamond rings. Browse through our selection of wedding jewelry and engagement rings here: http://www.4EngagementRing.info/category/wedding-jewelry.html.