What You Always Wanted To Know About Diamond Vs Moissanite

This article was written to answer many of the most frequently asked questions on this topic. I hope you find this information helpful. Whether to choose a diamond or a moissanite is actually a matter of choice. Moissanite is gorgeous, eye-catching jewelry and is budget-friendly. It does, however, represent a far less valuable financial investment, meaning the market and resale value is lower. It really depends on what the purchase is for. To the untrained eye, it is almost impossible to tell the two apart. Moissanite and diamonds cannot be told apart without the patented Model 590 Charles & Colvard, Ltd. tester.

Viewed at a certain distance from the naked eye under the illumination of a penlight, you will know a moissanite double refraction of light. This will show up in a rainbow pattern that is not present in diamonds. If there is the presence of miniscule pipe-like inclusions under magnification, that would indicate that the stone under examination is a moissanite. The most significant difference between diamonds and moissanite is that of industrial applications. A diamond has a legendary value as 'anvil material' that moissanite does not have owing to its inherent elasticity under extreme heat conditions. Moissanite is unstable at temperatures exceeding 400 degrees and is quite unreliable at temperatures reaching 1000 degrees. Moissanite also has so-called ""shear stress"" properties. After further development in the manufacturing process, it is possible that moissanite will match diamond's industrial value. Currently, diamond is still the best for industrial-grade hardness. Have you heard about "The Four Cs of Diamonds?"— cut, clarity, color, and carat determine diamond grade. A diamond certificate is provided for each diamond and includes grades for each of the four Cs as documented by a gemologist. Cut refers to the physical cut, not the shape of the diamond; it affects the brilliance of the diamond. If the cut is too shallow or too deep, the refraction of the light detracts from the brilliance. Grades for cut include Ideal, premium, very good, good, fair and poor. Noe that only the round diamonds have the ideal grade. Clarity measures the purity of the diamond. Most diamonds include some flaws, called inclusions. All but the rare flawless diamonds contain inclusions of varying numbers and sizes. The purity of the diamond is measured. Clarity grades the appearance under 10X magnification. Top grades include F (flawless— you'll never see this), IF (internally flawless, you'll never afford it), VVS1-VVS2 (very, very slightly flawed—This is a ittle more realistic), VS1-VS2 (very slightly flawed), and SI1-SI2 (slightly flawed). All but the VS1-VS2 and SI1-SI2 diamonds contain flaws that are invisible or barely visible under 10X magnification. Lesser grades include I1- -I3 (flawed and obvious without magnification). If price is a consideration, then invisible to the naked eye is the way to go. Color suggests the absence of color in diamonds. The finest diamonds are colorless, which allows them to absorb and reflect more light, allowing more brilliance. White diamonds range from ice white to light yellow. Color is graded on a scale from D-Z, with D-grade diamonds being colorless and Z-grade diamonds containing the most color. Grades G-J are near colorless to the human eye, and offer the best value for the money. Carat refers to weight. Large diamonds are rare so the price rises exponentially rather than arithmetically according to carat weight.

What You Want To Know About Diamonds

Diamonds have been the focus of attention for artists, writers, religions, and people in general for almost all cultures for years because they represent status, beauty, perfection and wealth. There have been people who commited murder or will endure a great deal of trouble to steal diamonds. And there are people who will spend a great deal of money to get that perfect piece of diamond jewelry. Diamonds are especially significant for many women especially as they represent status, beauty, and class for the wearer. Owners of the larger diamonds are held in high regard by admirers, as these people are perceived as special and high status. In addition, various religions have recognized the symbolic beauty of the diamond and its extraordinary physical properties. But diamonds have a religious-mystical quality in various religions, such as the Diamond Sutra in Tibetan Buddhism is one of the most beloved texts. The devotional statues of Hindu gods had diamond eyes, as diamonds were thought to be treasured gifts from the gods. The ancient Greeks also associated diamonds with the tears of their gods. In fact, the name "diamond" comes from the ancient Greek word, adamas which means invincible, because diamonds have indestructable qualities. Diamonds also can be used as tough, abrasive tools as well as set in a stunning piece of diamond jewelry by craftspersons and jewelry designers. The reason why diamonds are so unique as they are one of the two main forms of carbon (along with graphite) they can only be scratched by other diamonds, they are a dynamic conductor of heat, and they are excellent cutting tools that are used in various industries.The solid durability and the ability of diamonds to to reflect light are qualities which make them useful for industry and for a beautiful piece of jewelry. It takes over two tons of mined ore to find a quality diamond that can be used for a good piece of jewelry, so diamonds are certainly unique and special. A mined diamond is taken to a diamond cutter in order to be cut and shaped into a round shape to be prepared to be sold for jewelry. The cutter attempts to cut the diamond to show the reflecting light from the various facets of the cut stone. The reflecting light, or the fire, is the most important attraction of a beautifully cut diamond. Diamond cutters treat diamond cutting as an art, because the light relecting from the diamond must be cut in such a way that is attractive as possible. The job is finished when it is polished. Over the years, there have been many well-known diamonds that have been found and named after the owners, people, or places. These diamonds are usually quite large and have a great deal of value attached to them. In addition, they have no "name brand" as an authentic diamond is a product of nature not anything manufactured. The value of the diamond is not based on where the diamond was mined: it could be in India, Russia, Africa, Canada, Australia, and other countries. Diamonds can be formed from the magma from volcanic eruptions, plates of the earth crashing together, and even more rarely from glaciers. People often wonder how a particular piece of diamond jewelry is assigned a price tag. The use of different types of gold or platinum for the setting, the quality of the diamond, and many more factors come into play. To determine the price, a company may be called in to appraise the diamond's properties: its weight, clarity, cut and color. When the results are finalized with the assessment of the diamond, it is then bought by a diamond dealer who will try to sell it to a professional jeweler who will in turn to sell it retail to the consumer. If a consumer would like to get an assessment or certification for a diamond, the GIA, which is the Gemological Institute of America would be a good place to get the work done. It is considered more accurate than a jeweler. After the results, the consumer can try to read a diamond cutter's guide to try to interpret the results. It is not advisable to try the Diamond Calculators on the Internet, as they are not considered accurate. Remember that the Diamond Grading Report is considered the main resource for the serious shopper. In sum, we can see that diamonds probably will never lose their attraction and significance in all cultures. Today, they signify true love, hope, and promise for those seeking engagement or wedding rings. It is often a romantic and intimate occasion for couples to go shopping for rings. Luckily, there are a broad array of diamond rings suitable for many budgets. And it is a very personal choice in the selection of the diamond ring; after all, diamonds last a very long time!

What To Look For When Buying Gold Jewelry

Gold jewelry is a look that has never gone out of style and is as popular as ever. Purer gold jewelry does not cause staining or tarnishing like inferior alloy blends. Usually if someone has a problem with staining on their skin it is due to their body and not the gold. Gold is very malleable and as such can be made into just about any shape including tiny hair like strands and thin sheets. One of the main things most people look for when purchasing gold jewelry is the purity.

The jewelry industry has a universal system for identifying this factor. Chances are the ring on your finger is marked 18K, 14K, or 10K, with the K standing for karat, the system used to describe the percentage of pure gold an item contains. The higher the karat number, the higher the percentage of gold in your gold jewelry. • 24K gold is pure gold. • 18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold. • 14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold. • 12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 50% gold. • 10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.7% gold. 10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called "gold" in the United States. European gold jewelry is marked with numbers that indicate their percentage of gold, such as: • 18K gold is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold • 14K gold is marked 585 for 58.5% • 12K gold is marked 417 for 41.7% The karat marking on your gold jewelry should be accompanied by a hallmark or trademark that identifies its maker. The item's country of origin might also be included. You'll find examples of pure gold jewelry, but pure gold is soft and isn't practical for daily wear. Other metals are mixed with it to make it more durable (and to lower its cost). Solid gold is durable, so it is a better choice for jewelry you'll wear regularly. If you have allergies to nickel or other metals, choose items that have high gold content, such as 18K or 22K gold jewelry.

Wedding Bands: The Perfect Fit

The wedding band is perhaps the most important piece of jewelry worn in life. Symbolic of the bride and groom’s commitment to each other, wedding bands are exchanged as part of the marriage ceremony witnessed by family and friends. Unlike other pieces of jewelry, wedding bands are worn every moment of every day. Therefore, it is essential that a wedding band is comfortable and compatible with a couple’s sense of style. The bride and groom-to-be should spend time viewing and researching band styles and materials prior to making a final decision. By browsing jewelry stores and Internet sites, couples can gain a sense of their likes and dislikes.

Wedding Band Materials Wedding bands are traditionally made of gold, white gold or platinum. If a couple chooses gold bands, they should select 14k or 18k gold for sufficient quality and durability. Another less expensive choice for men’s bands is titanium. Bands may be embellished with special finishes or engraved patterns to reflect individual tastes. Diamonds or other precious stones may also be incorporated into the design.

Matching Bands Many couples wish to have matching wedding bands to symbolize their union. Engaged pairs may purchase matching “his and hers” rings, or create a matching custom design for both bands. If a couple cannot agree on a shared band design, they may consider rings that are coordinated rather than matching. For example, bands might be made of the same material, share a similar style (e.g. vintage, classic, modern), engraved pattern, or include the same stones without being identical. If the bride and groom prefer different metals (gold vs. platinum), they may choose to create a ring that incorporates both colors.

Personalized Messages of Love Many couples choose to engrave a meaningful sentiment or their wedding date on the inside of their wedding bands. This option can “unite” the rings, even if the pair did not choose matching rings. Engraving is offered at most jewelry stores for a small fee. However, if the couple wishes to personalize their rings with an engraving they should allow sufficient time to ensure the rings are ready in advance of the ceremony.

When Selecting Jewelry

Frankly speaking, choosing jewelry needs careful time and consideration to think upon since you will be investing here a certain sum of money especially for the very precious and expensive ones. Whether you are buying one for yourself or are buying it for someone else as a present, it is essential that you search high and low until you think you have found the perfect piece. Do not just buy any jewelry item that comes along in order that you may be happy with your purchase if it is for personal use or your recipient would be delighted with the gift if you intend to give it.

I suppose the very first thing that you need to consider when buying any jewelry would be your budget. Just how much are you willing to shell out? It is quite important that you know how much your limit is so that when you are selecting and looking at jewelry you can rule out the other choices that are just way beyond what you can afford for now. Knowing how much you can spend would enable you to narrow down the jewelry shops and stores you would be visiting to avoid the shops whose prices are just not within your budget. In this manner you don’t waste precious time in hopping from one store to the next without being able to have possible choices in mind when doing some window shopping.

You should be aware of allergies you may have to certain jewelry materials. There are those who get a rash with silver or gold jewelry. This goes for the person you intend to give the jewelry too if you are buying it for someone else. Be aware of any allergic reactions he or she may have. It would be advisable to purchase hypoallergenic jewelry like platinum if you are unsure with regards to this matter.

If you have too many diamonds already, why not opt to buy this time colored gemstones like sapphires, rubies, etc. You could always use the variety to complement you various outfits and ensembles.

If you are buying for someone else, make sure you find one that is the right size for him or her. When buying a ring, you need to know her actual ring size. Buy a necklace that is just right and not too long or too tight for her on the neck. Take into consideration his or her tastes and likes in style as well as design.

I suppose the most important thing when selecting jewelry is that you will be happy with your choice. If it is for someone else, buy something that you are sure your recipient will be happy about it and will definitely use.

Yellow Diamonds Are First Choice for the Fashion Savvy

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Summary:

Life's most endearing moments - engagements, birthdays and anniversaries - are celebrated with diamonds. But most people believe that a diamond with color is an inferior jewel.

Keywords:

Yellow Diamonds Are First Choice for the Fashion Savvy

Article Body:

Treasured, rare and always adding sparkle into our lives, diamonds will never fall out of fashion.

Life's most endearing moments - engagements, birthdays and anniversaries - are celebrated with diamonds. But most people believe that a diamond with color is an inferior jewel.

Not so, according to Ross-

Simons Jewelers. On the contrary, colored diamonds are some of the most precious stones around.

Jennifer Lopez's 6-carat fancy pink engagement ring and Paris Hilton's 24-carat, $5 million fancy yellow engagement ring are credited with bringing colored diamonds back into the spotlight.

Like Hilton and Lopez, many women yearn to set themselves apart from everyone else. The rarity of fancy yellow diamonds - only 2 percent to 3 percent of diamonds mined in the world are considered "fancy yellow" - makes them popular among women who want to make a statement with their stones.

Mined mainly in Africa and South America, yellow diamonds are classified in order of price and rarity, beginning with fancy light and going up to fancy yellow, then fancy intense and finally, vivid - the rarest of them all.

But yellow diamonds can easily lose their luster with improper cutting and polishing. Whereas it would take a skilled diamond cutter two days to cut a 2-carat brilliant white diamond, it would take him or her two weeks to cut a fancy yellow diamond.

Knowing how to distinguish a quality yellow diamond is important when making a purchase. Here are some tips from Ross-Simons.

* Make sure the diamond is certified. The certificate should say "natural." Otherwise you may be buying a diamond that has been treated to look yellow.

* Look for an intensity of color. The certificate should also say "even." This guarantees an evenness of color throughout the stone and is evidence of a higher quality diamond.

* Stick to complementary settings; 18-karat yellow gold is best for enhancing the natural intensity of the yellow diamond.

Where Diamonds are Mined

Argye mine located in the Kimberley region
in the far north east of Western Australia.
Owned by Rio Tinto, this mine is the world’s
largest single producer of volume of

diamonds. However, due to low proportion
of gem quality diamonds it is not the value
leader. It does produce 90-95% of the
world’s supply of pink diamonds.
Diavik is also owned by Rio Tinto, located in
Canada it is a very large mine. It is located
north of Yellowknife and south of the Artic
Circle on an island. The island is connected
by an ice road. It is also an important part of
the regions economy employing more than
700 people and producing more than 8 million
carats annually.

Ekati diamond mine is owned by BHP
Billiton and located south of the artic circle
in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
The Ekati is Canada’s first operational
diamond mine. Diamonds mined here
are sold under the Aurias trade name
Authenticity is verified through Canada
Mark service. CanadaMark service is also
owned by BHP Billiton Diamonds, Inc.
Baken diamond mine is located along the
lower Orange River in South Africa. It is
owned and operated by Trans Hex. The
average size stone for 2004 was 1.29
carats. In 2004, this mine produced a
78.9 carat D color flawless diamond that
sold for more than 1.8 million dollars (US),
as well as a 27.67 pink diamond that was
sold for over 1 million US dollars.
Merlin is the second of only two diamond
mines in Australia. No longer operating it
was owned by Rio Tinto and sold to Striker
Resources, who has explored the
possibilities of reopening the mine.
Orapa is the world’s largest diamond mine.
It us located 240 Km west of
Francistown. The mine is owned by
“Debswana” which is a partnership
between DeBeers and the government of
Botswana. This mine operates 7 days a
week. It maintains pre primary and
primary schools for its employee’s children.
There is also a 100 bed hospital and game
park. This mine began production in 1971
and is the oldest mine owned by the
Debswana Company.
The Premier mine located in Cullinan, South
Africa produced the largest gem diamond
ever in 1905. The Cullinan Diamond
weighed 3,106.75 carats. This mine also
produced the Golden Jubilee diamond
which weighed 545.67 carats. This mine is
owned by the De Beers Company and was
renamed The Cullinan Diamond Mine in
2003 in celebration of its centennial.

What do you know about pearls?

A pearl is formed when a foreign object gets into the mantle of a mollusk. This irritation becomes covered with successive layers of nacre, which is the mother of pearl, and eventually forms a pearl. Cultured pearls are probably easier to match, but natural pearls are more valuable. For the cultured variety, pearl farmers keep the special oysters in confinement. Foreign objects are purposefully entered into the mantle and the process of encystation begins and eventually many layers of nacre form a pearl. This pearl can be harvested and a new irritant is placed in the mantle. This can be continued for the life of the mollusk.

Natural pearls are found in the pearl oysters, which are found in tropical seas, mostly in Asia. Quite a large number would have to be found to be able to make a matched string, which would explain their greater value. Freshwater pearls are just that. They are formed in the pearl mussels which are found in many rivers of Asia, Europe and the United States. They, too, can be cultivated in pearl farms, and can be matched or not. It might well be that the pollution in American rivers will have some effect on the occurrence of pearls, as might the depletion of water supplies in some states. In Florida, environmentalists say that a dispute about water with Georgia and Alabama, is about more than water needs for humans or the survival of some endangered species of mussels. The mussels are a vital indicator of the health of the Apalachicola River. It can be quite exciting to find a pearl in one’s fresh oysters at a restaurant, but usually these are not perfectly formed. The abalone of Japan, California and some other Pacific regions are a good source of mother of pearl. Natural mother of pearl can be tinted to almost any desired color. It has many uses in architecture and modern ceramic tiles. In the good old days, most shirt buttons were made of mother of pearl, but these are now mostly plastic. There are, however, a few fine quality clothing companies which still use mother of pearl shirt buttons.

On fine instruments, such as saxophones and guitars, mother of pearl can be used for decoration or for the key touches. A string of matched pearls has always been considered an appropriate adornment for a bride, but for those who can afford such a luxury, they can be everyday wear. I remember one elderly lady who wore hers everywhere, even while dressed casually at home! She informed me that the beauty of the pearls was maintained by the constant slightly oily polishing movement against her skin. Although there may be imitation materials available, which can be made to look like mother of pearl, there is no substitute for the beauty of that created by nature.

What Do Wedding Rings Speak About?

Wedding rings, also called wedding bands, are an eternal sign of love between two engaged partners. Most weddings require an exchange of rings taking place between the uniting groom and bride before they could be pronounced husband and wife. The ring itself is stated to be a symbol of an unending love, due to its circular shape. Similarly, the ring finger is traditionally believed to house a direct vein to heart, which describes the intense emotional bond that might develop between two engaged individuals. One could find many similar stories prevailing around the world while trying to learn more about wedding rings.

There is a rich history behind how wedding rings got introduced in the Christian way of life. It wasn't until the days of Pope Innocent III that couples were asked to wear two rings, one during engagements and the other while finally being married. Families offered rings just to seal engagements prior to this historical pronouncement by the Pope. He also asked the engaged couples to observe a waiting period before they could finally marry. These orthodox dictates slowly grew into colorful traditions, as Christianity traversed across the world over a period of many centuries.

Wedding rings are normally placed on left ring fingers of couples from the USA, France, Sweden and the UK. They are placed on right ring fingers however, in the case of Germany, Spain, India, and Chile. Interestingly, while Jews traditionally place wedding rings on their left hands, like the orthodox Christians, they prefer wearing it on the right ones after being married. There are also varying norms for the period when one of the partners has died. This universally gets deemed to be the end of any wedding concerned in most societies. However, much of this differentiation of norms might stem from the fact, which part of the world you were looking at.

A hardened alloy of Gold, Bismuth, Tin and Copper is often made use of in manufacturing wedding rings. Sometimes Platinum, Nickel and Titanium are also introduced to yield varying results. Platinum is mixed up with white gold for manufacturing a separate class of Platinum wedding rings. Similarly Titanium and Tungsten carbide are also used to produce durability, affordability, varying textures and shades of eye-catching ring designs.

However, less costly metals like Silver, Brass and Copper are scarcely used compared to the more expensive ones due to the former's corrosiveness. Aluminum and some other toxic metals are hardly ever made use of in the manufacture of either wedding rings or similar other ornaments. However, the widest and cheapest known alloy of the modern world, stainless steel, is surprisingly gaining ground as one of the options these days. Its durability, which is at par with that of Platinum and Titanium, could be attributed for this wondrous growth.

Retail shops may normally quote wedding rings at $600 and more, but could easily be procured at lower rates from various online resources. A brief look at some of the existing jewelry sites might suggest how they were selling most jewelry items at a reduced cost, including those from the latest wedding rings. These websites could easily meet with the demands of all market segments, starting from the casual jewelry buyer to the seeker of high-end ornaments.

What in the World Is Moissanite? The Worlds Newest Jewelry Stone

Moissanite is a naturally occurring crystal which occurs in such small amounts and sizes as to be uncommercial. It was discovered in 1893 by Henri Moissan in a meteorite which had fallen to earth some 50000 years ago and landed in the Arizona desert. Dr Moissan started studying small fragments from this meteorite and made an astonishing discovery. Imbedded in it were tiny amounts of what looked like a new unknown jewel. Although it occurs naturally on earth it is only in tiny quantities and commercially unviable. Scientists could see its potential as a brilliant new jewelry stone and so set out to manufacture it in a lab.
It's application as a jewel was immediately clear and so a new naturally occurring but also man made jewel was born. The process of making it is very new. It has only been commercially available in jewelry since 1998, so is only a few years old on the jewelry market. It is exceedingly hard to make and the process to do so is kept very secret. It can only currently be made in reasonably small quantities. There are a number of properties of jewels which are common amongst them and are therefore used for comparison purposes. These properties are beauty, colour, brilliance, fire and luster, durability and rarity. The brilliance of a jewel is created by the cut. A diamond in it's natural state for instance is pretty unimpressive. Give it a proper design and use the diamonds natural refraction of light and it is beautiful. It is the cut that does this, however it is the qualities of the jewel which produce the brilliance once it has been cut. Brilliance can be measured by the amount of light which enters a jewel compared with the amount which comes back when put under a light source.
Fire refers to the ability of the stone to refract light back out in colours. The light rays break up into their original spectrum colours and that is what gives the jewel its special character. Luster is the amount of light reflected back from the surface of the jewel. Durability is the toughness, the resistance to scratching, chipping, or splitting. This is detemined by its hardness, and it is also the hardness which determines the brilliance. Rarity is reasonably obvious. It is the availability of the jewel. Moissanite equals or outperforms diamonds just about all categories. In particular it has superior brilliance, fire and luster. The only category in which it doesn’t outperform diamonds is hardness. It is slightly softer than diamond, but only very slightly, and is harder than all other stones.

Jewellers can stuggle to tell the difference between diamonds and Moissanite. In fact there is now a specific instrument which has been developed to help jewellers to tell the difference between diamond and moissanite as it is so hard to see and so many cannot tell them apart.
It will not scratch or become cloudy with wear. In 1999 the US imported 23.4 million carats (karats) of diamond and only .07 million carats of Moissanite. It is very rare. There are other diamond substitutes available such as cubic zirconia or even glass. Moissanite outperforms all these admirably. Moissanite is not really a diamond substitute though. It is a new jewel in its own right. It is just so good that it is immediately compared to diamonds which are always thought of as the best jewel. If you are thinking of diamond jewelry then moissanite has to be considered. It is far cheaper than a comparable diamond. It is high quality. It is a great jewel. At the end of the day it is not diamond and so if you are determined to get a diamond then do so. But it is a very attractive alternative.
 It is more and more becoming the choice of the stars. Kim Cattrall's character, Samantha Jones, wore a brilliant white gold ring featuring Moissanite in an episode during the last season of the TV hit Sex and the City. Kiko Ellsworth, one of Hollywood's "Hot" young stars wore a brilliant pair of 2 ½ ct. Moissanite "Martini Stud" earrings to the premiere of Bad Boys II, on July 9th in Los Angeles. Many other stars have been seen wearing moissanite jewelry in the last few years. It is becoming the new fashion in jewelry. It is also becoming one of the most popular engagement ring stones. Moissanite is the newest and certainly one of the best jewelry stones available. Moissanite is here to stay.

What Else Can You Do With Diamonds?

 

Diamonds are allotropes of carbon , whose hardness and high dispersion of light make it useful for industrial applications and jewelry. Diamond in Greek means "impossible to tame". Diamonds are found mainly in central and southern Africa ,although significant sources of the mineral have been discovered in Canada ,Russia ,Brazil ,and Australia. There are Synthetic Diamonds and Natural Diamonds. There is something so special about diamonds, and they are so valuable, that people have been trying to make them for a long time. Synthetic diamonds were first produced in 1953, in Stockholm ,Sweden by ASEA ,Sweden's major electrical manufacturing company. Pressure was maintained within a device at an estimated 83,000 atmospheres for an hour to produce these diamonds. It now seems that it is possible to make diamonds in a laboratory so perfect down to the same atomic structure that DeBeers, the world's largest diamond consortium, is running scared. And you know what, these diamonds can be made and sold at a profit.

Apparently there are in Russia alone 5 laboratories producing synthetic diamonds that have the same atomic structure as natural diamonds but with ONE difference, they are too perfect. They have the same characteristics as real diamonds, the same hardness, same conductivity, the same sparkle. Different types of Synthetic Diamonds 2 different processes are being used to produce Synthetic Diamonds: The oldest process uses pressure, lots of it, and carbon. Since diamonds are carbon, eventually people were able to make diamonds in this manner, but these diamonds were easily distinguishable from natural diamonds. Originally, the pressure process was developed by GE and, by major manufacturers, on a much larger scale. There is also a cubic press system. The newest process actually grows diamonds layer by layer as a chemical process and is called Chemical vapor deposition. This process allows many new uses for diamonds which in the past had previously been either too expensive to implement or too difficult to make.

The most important characteristic of CVD diamond growth is the ability to control the properties of the diamond produced. Diamonds are now being used to machine tools, especially for non-ferrous alloys. CVD diamond also has applications in electronics. Conductive diamond has been demonstrated as a useful electrode under many circumstances. Diamonds are also being used as radiation detection devices. Diamonds also have uses as semiconductors because the diamonds can be contaminated with impurities. Diamond is the ideal material. It can be used in computers to run them at speeds that would melt anything on the market today. Diamonds can also replace rubies to make lasers of extreme power. Diamonds can be used as memory storage devices which could be so small as to allow a cellphone to fit into a watch and an iPod to store 20,000 movies.

You Can Find Stunning Art Deco Jewelry

You can find a long history for Art Deco Jewelry. This style of jewelry can be dated back to the mid 1920s. This type of art was inspired by the “Exposition Internationales des Arts Decoratifs and Industriels Modernes”. This movement took place in Paris, France in the mid 1920s, with the term “Art Deco” not becoming the popular term until many years later in the 1960s. Jewelry in the Art Deco style has very few curves, but has abundant angular forms and straight lines. Starting out more delicate in its design, Art Deco jewelry moved toward the trend of blockier, bolder styled pieces termed “Art Moderne”. You can find Art Deco jewelry in many shapes. Some look like animals, including dogs, butterflies and insects, while some look like plants, leaves and floral designs. There are even some pieces of Art Deco Jewelry that are geometrical in shape. Many people who look at this type of art feel it is “abstract”, but owners of Art Deco jewelry buy it just for that reason. It is bold, daring and unique! You will find that a main characteristic of Art Deco Jewelry is the use of bright, brilliant colors. It doesn’t matter if the jewelry is made from glass or bead materials, rhinestones or precious gems! All pieces of Art Deco Jewelry have stones of different shapes, sizes and color patterns. The brilliant colors are meant to produce a dramatic effect in the jewelry created. The varying hues of the materials are meant to complement and enhance whatever fashions are popular at the time. You can find all types of jewelry that were caught up in the “Art Deco” movement. There are pins, long dangling earrings, beaded necklaces, wide, artistic bracelets and rings of all shapes, sizes and colors. You can find the stones on this jewelry in varying colors in almost any pattern you can think of. Art Deco jewelry was created to enhance and soften popular looks, like short hair styles. The artists that made this jewelry produced dazzling pieces of art that stand up to and surpass some jewelry designs found today. The price of Art Deco Jewelry is as unique as each piece that is created. You can find single pieces of Art Deco Jewelry made from silver and beads as low as $5.00, while some pieces with diamonds and other precious stones can be several thousands of dollars. Depending on your taste and budget, you can find just the right Art Deco Jewelry collection for you. If you are interested in Art Deco Jewelry, you are in luck. You can find this increasing popular style of art in many places. At your local department stores, jewelry retailers and even flea markets, you may find sellers with stunning pieces on sale. Easier yet, try online stores and internet auctions sites. With a computer, you have a great chance of finding a piece of Art Deco Jewelry that you love at a price you can live with.

Absolute

Absolute:"Is it absolutely clear now?! Can you see it?! How could you possibly determine whether the diamond you are buying is worth for the cost and truly genuine?!
Below are some qualities of diamond which may be helpful for you.

In buying something there are things which you should consider. Whatever those things are of course the first thing you will check is the quality of a product.

How clean a diamond is reflects with its clarity. Whether if it has no blemishes or any insertions whenever it will be observe by the eye or by a magnifier.

To select a good quality when buying a diamond you should be familiar of some terms.

The blemishes which I have mentioned earlier are flaws on the surface of a diamond. If there's any missing piece that is what we call 'CHIP' and any scrape is what we can consider a 'SCRATCH.'

Any crack found is considered as a 'FRACTURE'. Sometimes during polishing stage there are fine lines being left which is called 'POLISHING LINES.' While the 'NATURAL' is the unpolished part.

In polishing a diamond you may encounter an 'EXTRA FACETS' which shouldn't be present. These are excess polished surfaces which messes up the symmetry of a diamond.

'BEARDING' on the other hand are tiny fractures that can be found on the edge of a diamond.

'INCLUSIONS/INSERTIONS' are some imperfection which may be found inside it.

If you happen to find black spots inside the gem it is 'CARBON', while a white spot i s called 'CRYSTAL'. An internal cracking is called 'FEATHER.' Tiny spots called 'PINPOINT' happened to be smaller than a crystal and a group of it is identified to as 'CLOUD' that gives large inclusion.

The instrument used to estimate a diamond is 'LOUPE.' Such instrument must be 10X magnification. The housing surrounding the lens must be black to avoid distorting the color."

Celtic Tree of Life Art Symbol with Sun and Moon Sterling Silver Pendant with 18" Necklace

The Tree of Life is an important symbol in nearly every culture. With its branches reaching into the sky, and roots deep in the earth, it dwells in three worlds- a link between heaven, the earth, and the underworld, uniting above and below.

Pendant and 18" chain are crafted of sterling silver.

• Pendant is 11/16" in Diameter
• Weight is Approximately 6.7 Grams
• 18" Box Chain Included
• Marked .925

Price: 19.99

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Flawless Sterling Silver Floating Heart, 13/16" X 13/16"

Beautiful Floating heart. Solid Sterling Silver, Excellent mirror like finish. with very nice weight, this pendant has more silver content that the cheaper look alikes from discount stores. and it's a little larger, measures 13/16" X 13/16". The quality of this pendant is PERFECT. Comes with a thin, 18" snake chain
Price: 38.95

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Enchantmints Just in Case Musical Jewelry Box

B10+06 Figurine: Purple Shirt Fairy Perfect for baubles, heirloom, and little secrets, this fairy treasure box will delight the face of every little girl. Outside the box are endearing illustrations laminated in a gentle wash of patterns and colors. Inside is a safe home for all those happy memories and personal treasures. Its durable construction will last a long time bringing great moments wherever it goes. Features: -Treasure box comes with music and figurine -Music selection is ''Beautiful Dreamer'' -Solid hardwood construction -Inside material is made of flocked paper which feels like velvet -Promises durability for many years of enjoyment -This tall style is excellent for tiny treasures -Earrings, bracelets, charms, and sachets are all safe and comfortable inside -Four drawers: one in front, one on each side, and one secret drawer in the back -All graphics are printed on paper and laminated onto the wood -Figurines are painted with paint that is frequently tested -Overall Dimensions: 6'' H x 6'' W x 4'' D Manufacturer Warranty Enchantmints has a 1 year replacement warranty on all their products.



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Wholesale sterling silver jewelry guide: determine prices by quality

It takes many years of experience in trading sterling silver jewelry to tell whether a piece of jewelry is of high quality or not. Especially when you are buying wholesale silver jewelry, a minor difference in the quality might affect your business reputation in the long run. This article summarizes the basic metrics for anyone who is beginning to trade silver jewelry to gauge the quality of silver jewelry.

Finishing Most of the sterling silver jewelry has some sort of plating because silver itself turns yellow over time. There are several ways of finishing a piece of silver jewelry and they will affect the cost of the jewelry substantially. 1. High polished sterling silver jewelry has no plating on the jewelry at all and is particularly popular with engravable items or for people who are allergic to certain metals such as nickel. The jewelry is polished by machine without additional raw material cost. 2. Some silver jewelry has a black antique look to cater to certain consumers. These items are processed by putting the jewelry into chemical solution to oxide the silver before polishing and the pricing is similar to that of high polished ones. 3. Another common way of finishing sterling silver jewelry is nickel plating. Although nickel plating is illegal in some countries, most of the Italian silver jewelry sold in the market today is plated with nickel. However, since nickel is not considered as precious metal, the price is usually not affected by the cost of plating. 4. The most expensive way of finishing sterling silver jewelry is using Rhodium. Rhodium is a precious metal that is even more expensive than silver. Therefore, silver jewelry with Rhodium plating is usually at least five cent more expensive per gram. Since Rhodium has the property of being highly tarnish resistant and very expensive at the same time, some manufacturers would coat the sterling silver jewelry with a thin layer of copper before plating the Rhodium to reduce the cost. It might be a good idea to ask the vendors if the Rhodium is plated directly or not because some people have skin type that would turn the copper underneath green.

Stone cutting Sterling silver jewelry usually has natural or synthetic stones set on it. The cutting of the stones, even with the same size, might affect the cost. For instance, the synthetic diamond cubic zirconia stones would cost more if they are in princess cut as suppose to round brilliant cut. Furthermore, emerald cut and baguette cut stones are even more expensive than princess cut ones.

 Stone setting 1. The way that stones are set on a piece of jewelry also affects the cost. Many pendant and bracelet styles employ an economical setting method called wax setting. The stones are not really set one by one on the jewelry. Rather, they are fixed on the mold before the jewelry is cast out from the melted silver and come out of the mold together with the silver. This lowers the cost of the silver jewelry significantly. However, the quality of the setting is not consistent and the heat of the silver in liquid form might affect the quality of the stones. 2. Besides wax setting, there are several hand-setting methods that are widely adopted. The most common one is prong setting, where the stones are held in place by three to eight prongs, depending on the style. More advanced settings include channel setting, bezel setting, pave setting and invisible setting. Understanding the labor costs involved in different kinds of settings is one of the keys to getting merchandize with the best prices.

Stamping and Casting Another categorization for sterling silver jewelry is the way they manufacture the metal part. To save cost, some jewelry is made by stamping and cutting the needed shapes out from a large sheet of silver and than bend it into the desired shapes. On the other hand, a more traditional way of producing sterling silver jewelry is to cast the metal out of a mold, which is more labor intensive and hence more costly due to the polishing and filing required afterwards. The way the jewelry is made affects the durability a great deal and hence the success of your business.

Why should consider online San Diego jewelry buyer services?

 

There are very few people interested in making a profit from selling jewelries. Often times, jewelry items bear a special meaning and people have trouble parting with them. Apart from the above mentioned category, there are certain situations when people are forced to sell jewelry and most of them are puzzled where to find a San Diego jewelry buyer worthy of their trust.

While some decide to advertise in the newspaper and local magazines, others decide to go for online auctions and even more resort to specialized online buyers. One question remains: where is the best price to be found?

Given today’s advances in Internet technology and ecommerce, many buyers have opened online purchasing sites and they have become quite popular. The truth is that those who are trying to sell jewelry prefer to go directly to the website of a professional San Diego jewelry buyer, being certain that they will obtain a reasonable price. As there are many buyers out there, it can be quite hard to determine which one is more dependable. If you want to make sure that you are paid the right value for your jewelry, then you have to choose a reliable source first and foremost. The price quote is easy to obtain, being based on a thorough examination of the jewelry items you sent or delivered yourself.

If you have jewelry items that you no longer find a use for and you know that they are valuable, you could always consider a professional online San Diego jewelry buyer. When it’s time to sell jewelry, there is no better place than the Internet to obtain some fast money! As it was already mentioned, the price quote request is simple and effective, saving you from wasting precious time with online auctions and other similar selling methods. All customers are treated with equal respect, being provided the best service there is and the opportunity to have the jewelry items returned if they feel necessary.

The trouble with most people who want to sell jewelry is that they are always worried they won’t be getting the highest price possible. If that is your case as well, then you should be aware that a professional company with a specialized and trained San Diego diamond buyer will always give you the opportunity to sell at competitive prices. It does not matter if you are the owner of small jewelry items or large, imposing pieces; they provide high prices for all their customers alike.

Don’t wait too long and convert the jewelry you don’t want or need anymore into usable cash! Find a reliable online San Diego jewelry buyer and learn what it takes to sell jewelry with the aid of the Internet. Choose experience and quality over speed, making sure that you get the price you deserve and not a cent less. The purchase process is easy and completely safe, online buyers putting all of their experience in order to make you feel comfortable with using their services. A friendly service awaits you online and you will certainly be satisfied when it comes to selling jewelries or diamonds on the Internet. You don’t know how simple it is until you try, so what are you waiting for? You can receive great sums of money for your jewelry items and put the money to good use, so think about it.

Wholesale sterling silver jewelry Insider Secrets

Have you seen similar silver jewelry sold at price difference of two to three times from different retailers? Have you ever wondered how retailers mark up the jewelry after they get them from the venders? Here we will show you the wholesale trading secrets of sterling silver jewelry.

Price per gram The most important piece of information for determining the price of a piece of sterling silver jewelry is the price per gram of the silver. This is the fundamental raw material cost of a piece of sterling silver jewelry due to the fact that silver is considered a precious metal. For instance, the price for silver is $9.5 per ounce, the price per gram is determined by dividing the price per ounce by 31.5, which is 30 cents. Therefore, the cost for the raw material for a 5 gram wedding band ring is roughly $1.5. Some might wonder why people would pay $30 for a silver wedding ring when the silver only cost $1.5. The followings will explain the difference.

Labor cost To turn raw material into finished goods, it involves a great deal of processing cost. The metal itself has to be melted, molded and cast, polished and assembled. Most of the times, silver jewelry is accented with various stones, the costs for setting the stones are also a major part of the total cost for jewelry, especially for jewelry that requires high level of craftsmanship.

Other materials Also, the costs for any additional material are added to the jewelry. For instance, a pair silver pearl dangle earrings that has two cultural fresh water pearls with rhodium finish should cost double the price of the silver to make because of the cost of the pearl and rhodium. Note that rhodium is even more expensive than silver itself and it is high tarnish resistant.

Shipping cost Many styles of jewelry are imported from other countries because of difference in availability of raw materials such as stones and also the specialties in making some particular styles. Hence the shipping cost of transporting is also part of the cost. Usually, for imported sterling silver jewelry, the shipping cost can amount to 10% of what it costs to make the jewelry themselves.

Custom Duties For the same reasons, imported jewelry incurs duties at the custom. This is a cost that normal consumers are not aware of but it can also increase the price of sterling silver jewelry for 5% to 10%.

Price fluctuations Some sterling silver jewelry trader, especially wholesaler would associate the price of the jewelry with the current silver price. Therefore, the price of a piece of sterling silver jewelry might be different from month to month, and even day to day in the case of wholesale.

Business Overhead Just like any other business, the sales have to cover also the overhead of running the business. Normal overhead costs are employees’ salaries, rent, utilities and breakage.

Profit Of course, the price you pay includes the profit for the sellers. By knowing the above facts, you can make much more informed decisions when buying wholesale sterling silver jewelry and most importantly, avoid scams. There are occasions when people make fake silver jewelry and sell them at a very low price. If you know how to determine the cost of a piece of silver jewelry, you won’t buy into deals where they offer you a price that is lower than the normal cost of real sterling silver jewelry.

Why spending a fortune on high quality watches?

 

Did you watch the last 007 flick, Casino Royale? If you did, you probably noticed that all throughout the movie, James Bond wears an spectacularly beautiful Omega watch... and he even brags about it! How would you like to be wearing that same exact model watch? The good news is that YOU can! Because now, you don't have to spend thousands of dollars to sport an Omega watch! When you visit Top-Replica-Watches.com, you will be able to browse through dozens of Omega replica watches, and pick the one of your dreams for just a couple of hundred dollars.

Although replica watches like Tag Heuer and Patek Philippe are nowadays more common than ever, most people who would want to buy one of these, have no idea where to obtain it. Purchasing a watch is a decision not to be made lightly, even if the timepiece in question is a replica. It is important to make sure that the watch you are buying meets the highest standards, is equipped with a powerful and reliable mechanism and bears all the markings of its genuine counterpart.

Best of all, you can benefit from a 15% discount on buying two watches from Top-Replica-Watches.com . Isn’t it just great? As the holiday season starts approaching us again, just think about impressing your spouse with such a realistic, high quality watch as the perfect gift ever!!

Wood jewelry boxes come in many shapes and forms you have a vast selection when it comes to these items and you are sure to find something for just about everyone. This includes kids as well. When considering presents you may want to look into wood jewelry boxes.

We all know someone who can’t get enough costume jewelry in her collection. She may gather up vintage jewels or modern arrangements. You know that she has draws filled with these items and she probably can’t keep everything organized. Some wood jewelry boxes are large and designed for just such a person.

I love the armoire style wood jewelry boxes that serve as a piece of furniture in them selves. Unfortunately, I have very little need for such an item but I can give vicariously to my sister who is a regular jewel horse. She collects tons of the stuff. I decided to purchase a wood jewelry box that is freestanding and large to accommodate her needs.

This little piece of furniture is amazing. I chose a cherry stain for the finish to match the rest of her bedroom furniture. The wood jewelry box has places to hang necklaces and slots for rings as well as earrings. My sister will be well organized and hopefully it will help her to get ready quicker than she normally does.

Other wood jewelry boxes are much smaller. I chose one that looks almost like a cigar humidor for my husband. This men’s jewelry holder is excellent for keeping his valuables organized and separate from mine. We used to share a space but that got old very quickly. This container is clean and masculine in design and it has interesting spaces for his watches. This was the major selling point as far as I was concerned.

My daughter is approaching the teenage years like a freight train and I thought that a wood jewelry box would be perfect for her. I chose a musical version that is painted entirely in white. This beautiful item has a Victorian feel and look with a lovely red felt lining. I can hear her playing the music each time she opens the box.

Three of my favorite people have each received wood jewelry boxes from me as gifts. I can attest that each of them loves their present and they wouldn’t trade them for the world. No matter who is on your shopping list you may want to consider wood jewelry boxes.

Why Jewelry Stores Dislike Knowledgeable Customers

 

For decades, jewelers have had enjoyed the position of being the “keepers” of the knowledge about diamonds and gemstones. They stood behind jewelry counters and shared little tidbits of information about jewels to shoppers. The jeweler seemed to be talking down to the shopper, making them feel as if they should be grateful to even be in the store or touch the precious gems in the display case. This monopoly of knowledge went hand in hand with the monopoly of supply. The only way you could purchase a diamond or precious gemstone was to buy in a jewelry store. The prices were artificially high with markups of 100% to 300% of wholesale costs. The factors that differentiated stores included the ornate decorations, the fancy display cases, and elaborate storefronts. Life was simple and very profitable for the jeweler. The shopper came in, the jeweler said this is what you should buy, and the shopper paid the price because they had no other options. Can you recall any poor jewelers before the millennium change in the year 2000? It was about this time that the most feared word in the jeweler’s vocabulary began to change the industry forever. That word was Internet. Suddenly there were competitors springing up who could supply diamonds and jewelry delivered to your door, often at prices lower than could support the high overhead of the jewelry store. However, the greatest fear was that the hidden knowledge of diamonds and precious gemstones was available to any shopper who wanted to spend a little time researching online. The jeweler of the past said here is what I have and which one do you want to buy? Then came the knowledgeable shopper armed with printouts of online diamond advice. Instead of simply asking for a one-carat diamond, the shopper now has a detailed list of requirements that all but guarantees that nothing in the store will meet their requirements, regardless of the price. It is common for a diamond shopper today to say, “Here is what I want and I expect the lowest price in the country.” Then they present their list of requirements for their round diamond: 1) Carat weight exactly 1.27 because our first date was January 27th 2) At least G color 3) VS2 clarity but I do not want to be able to see anything under the microscope 4) Must have a GIA grading report dated in 2006 with Excellent cut grade 5) No fluorescence 6) At least Very Good for polish and symmetry 7) Girdle has to be Medium (nothing more or less will do) and faceted 8) Laser inscribed with the GIA number 9) Must be able to take to an independent appraiser who agrees with all grading 10) I need it in two days Their parting remark is that they are shopping these same requirements with twenty other retailers and are going to buy from the one with the lowest price. This is the jeweler’s nightmare because this is not how their business works. Their jewelry store caters to the impulse buyer who will come in, see something beautiful and buy with only a few encouraging words from the sales clerk. Spending hours of work to find the specific diamond the shopper wants and then paying the shipping and insurance to get it shipped next day is just more work than they want to do for a sale. Instead, they complain and wish for the return of the good old days, when Ma Bell controlled the telephones, gas was 59 cents a gallon and the secrets of the diamond industry were safely behind the jewelry counter. Fortunately, for diamond and gemstone shoppers there are a new breed of diamond retailers available who not only encourage diamond education; they enjoy working with shoppers who know exactly what they want. These diamond brokers have access to the diamonds on the wholesale market and know how to find diamonds that meet the shopper’s requirement. Best of all, the diamond brokers have much lower overhead than a jewelry store so can find the exceptional diamonds at very low prices. The competitive marketplace always seems to produce sources for services and goods that consumers demand. The online diamond broker is well suited to serve today’s well-knowledgeable and demanding diamond shopper.

Why Not Try Making Money Selling Jewelry Which You Have Made?

 

Making money selling jewelry depends on a variety of factors. From a marketing standpoint, the question is, can you correctly anticipate the needs of your market, and then market the goods to the appropriate audience? From a financing standpoint, the question is, can you afford to make this jewelry and how soon do you need to recover your investment? The final question is, do you have the skills to make good enough quality jewelry so you can make money selling jewelry? By addressing these questions you will know if you will be making money selling jewelry as a home-based business.

Marketing Jewelry

There is so much jewelry out there it is important that your business develop a product that is differentiable and within your means and capabilities to manufacture and market. Unless you can say this with conviction, it is not likely that you will make any money selling jewelry.

As you decide on what kind of jewelry you are going to make, the first question you should ask yourself is who is my target market? For instance, is my goal to sell this to my friends, or am I going to be more commercial and look for stores to carry my lines. Or do I plan to market my goods on the internet? There are many products made that are looking for a market. In order to make money selling jewelry your jewelry must be targeted at a specific market.

Financing the Business

Making jewelry does not have to be capital intensive. For a relatively small up-front investment you can make a few pieces, make money selling the jewelry, and then build up your business. This is not a get rich quick opportunity as there are already a large number of players in this market.

However, the market continues to grow so that as time permits your designs can get better, the material you use can be more expensive and then you can increase your marketing. To make money selling jewelry, as a home-based business, the key is patience. Home-based businesses should not as a rule extend themselves much beyond the initial investment when using their own capital; the use of an investor’s money is a different matter.

Product Quality

Home-based jewelry making is typically a one person operation. Making jewelry is not that easy. It looks simple, but if you want to make money selling jewelry, then you have to produce quality products for your chosen market. You must have the skills and time to do this; it is not typically good enough to string a few beads together in a pretty pattern and sell them in garage sales for you to make real money selling jewelry. Indeed, you must typically produce a niche for your product that is unusual, cheaper or has an angle to it.

For instance, one angle might be to make jewelry out of wild turkey feathers and quills and market them as gifts for the spouses of hunters. Your target audience in this case would be the hunters themselves and not the spouses. The hunters, of course, would think this kind of jewelry to be cute. As you can see from this example, making money selling jewelry may take a little imagination, but it can be done.

Why Buy Diamonds

 

Diamonds are timeless representations of special events and unforgettable moments in our lives. We give and receive diamonds as gestures of love, trust and friendship. They are symbolic of strength, virtue, wealth, and eternal love throughout history. The diamond is used to commemorate a sixty-year anniversary, and is recognized as the birthstone for the month of April. Available in a variety of lustrous colors, they lend theme to many fictional stories as well as renowned historical events. The first documented diamond Engagement ring was presented to Mary of Burgundy in 1477 preceding her marriage to Maximilian, the Archduke of Austria. This custom lives on in Western societies and traditions today. While this is the most widely known association with diamonds, they can also be given for other reasons and in different forms of jewelry. The diamond anniversary ring is given to renew vows or restate ones unconditional love after a period of time. The more recent introduction of the “right had ring” is more commonly purchased as a gift to ourselves as something we’ve always wanted. A diamond ring can make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift, or upon the arrival of a new baby. Some people also present children with small diamond rings as a coming of age, bat mitzvah, sweet sixteen, or Quinceanera. If a diamond ring isn’t your style, these precious gems are also available in other jewelry. Diamond earrings are available in a wide array of styles, shapes and sizes. Earrings make great gifts for any occasion, and are beautiful accessories to dress up an outfit. They come in traditional single diamond studs, dangle, drop, hoop, leaver back, and even clip-on if needed. You can also find diamond earrings set in fun, fashionable shapes such as religious symbols, flowers, or animals. Another diamond jewelry accessory commonly seen is the essential diamond line bracelet, also known as the “tennis bracelet.” Tennis bracelets are slim, elegant accents, set in a symmetrical diamond pattern. This jewelry trend began when tennis star, Chris Evert lost one of her trademarked diamond line bracelets during the 1987 U.S. Open. The game was momentarily paused while she searched the court for it. This event is legendary for popularizing the diamond tennis bracelet. The diamond necklace has long been the heir of mystery and enchantment not restricted to tales of romance and fantasy. These jeweled collars have been worn throughout history by affluent figures and have been seen as a symbol of merit. Diamond necklaces are stunning illustrations of romance and adoration certain to make any wearer feel priceless. A close cousin to the diamond necklace is the understated elegance of a diamond pendant. This little treasure dangles lightly from a chain around a graceful neck with the delicate suggestion of a grand design. A diamond pendant is the perfect gift for anyone special and a symbol of timeless perfection. Diamonds aren’t just for women. Diamonds make great accessories for men as well. Casual rings, bracelets, and necklaces have become more popular for men and are made in a wide variety of fashion to choose from. Diamonds can be found more traditionally in cufflinks, tie tacks, and watches just as easily. It’s no longer difficult to find a handsome diamond gift for a special man. Diamonds are the perfect gesture to show someone how much they mean to you. Tell you closest friend she’s special with a new pair of diamond stud earrings. Show your niece you care with a sparkling diamond pendant. Make Dad smile with a diamond accented watch for Father’s Day. Whatever color, shape, or style, everyone loves diamonds. There’s no better way to make an impressive statement.

Twilight New Moon Bella's replica Jewelry in gift box Set of 3

Twilight Saga NEW MOON Merchandise Bella's Authentic Prop Replica Jewelry Box Set Collection. Inside is Bella's Turquoise Cuff, Bella's Moonstone Ring and Bella's St. Jude Bracelet. Not for young children. The Jewlery is meant to be a collectors item. NOT worn.
Price: $29.99

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Umbra Bijou Metal Jewelry Tree, Chrome

Style and design: these elements come together with the Bijou jewelry tree. Designed by Jason Nip, this curvy metal stand neatly organizes your favorite jewelry in style. Twelve curliqueues form hooks for necklaces, bracelets, watches and more while base doubles as dish for rings and other small items. Available in antique bronze and chrome finishes. 12"L x 6" in diameter. Design: Jason Nip exclusively for Umbra.
Price: $29.99

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10k Gold 3-stone Diamond Heart Pendant with 18" Chain (1/10 Cttw; I-J Color)

A romantic gift that will be cherished for years to come. This elegant pandant is crafted in 10K White Gold and features 3 diamonds totaling 0.10 Carat. An 18" chain is included.

SCER009 Lavender Blue And Clear Swarovski Crystal .925 Silver Lever back 1.5" Long Dangle Earrings

Light Blue, Lavender and Clear Swarovski crystal sterling silver lever back 1.5" dangle earrings.

These delicate earrings are a perfect accompaniment to our Swarovski crystal necklaces and bracelets. The cool hues of the crystals perfectly complement each other, causing beautiful reflection and sparkle. The dangle allows for movement and visual interest. A sure hit with that perfect outfit at work, school, or a special occasion.

Remember to check out our complementing Swarovski crystal items for a perfect ensemble!

* Measures approx. 1.5 inches in length from top of lever to bottom of dangle
* Sterling silver lever back finding

 Earrings will be shipped in FREE Gift Earrings boxes making it easy for you to surprise some one.

Thanks for Shopping at Gem Avenue.

Price: $38.99

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Women’s Guide to Getting Their Dream Diamond Engagement Ring

How can women get their dream diamond engagement ring when it is the boyfriend making the purchase and wanting it to be a surprise? To find the answer you need to understand your man’s thought process. After all, he is shopping for a diamond, the symbol of his love for you.

The man shopping for an engagement diamond has three primary shopping priorities:

 1) They want to make a good investment

2) They want to make you happy

3) They fear disappointing you or worse yet, rejection On all three points, men act out of fear of making a mistake.

Their pride and desire to surprise their girlfriend typically prohibit them from asking the woman’s advice. As men so often do, they try to apply logic to what is a very emotional decision. Most men attack diamond shopping the same as any other problem they face. They research the subject, gather all the facts (often in a spreadsheet), and then make a logical decision. They assume you will have the same priorities they have so they focus on what will be a good investment. They seek a high quality diamond fearing that anything less will as somehow imply some lower level of love. The man’s first stop is often the jewelry store in the closest shopping mall. They walk in the door and realize they just entered a world foreign to them. They look at rings in the display cases and see more zeros in the price tag than they have seen since they bought their car. Their heart starts pounding as they realize they have to spend thousands of dollars on a tiny little rock they know nothing about, then give it away to someone else or worse yet, face rejection.

Now their legs are shaking so they decide they need to do more research and do it in a friendlier environment. They head home, turn on the computer, and start searching online for clues on how to survive the diamond buying process. Their goal is to find a pretty ring their girlfriend will like and have a few dollars left in their pocket. They feel more comfortable with the discussions of the four C’s (color, clarity, carat weight and cut) where they can match up those letter grades with their budget to find some possible options. However, with a little knowledge comes the sinking feeling that there is a whole lot more for them to learn in order to protect themselves from making an expensive mistake. They become even more determined not to make a mistake so they spend the next weeks and months gathering ever fact and opinion they can find on diamond buying. It is almost like trying to get a drink from a fire hydrant. There is just too much to drink in. It is at this stage of the shopping process men sometimes forget the reason they started on this adventure in the first place. They can lose sight of the fact that their primary goal is to make their girlfriend happy. If you are a woman, by now you are probably getting the picture. However, you are asking yourself, what should I do to help ensure the diamond of my dreams and the proposal moment as romantic as I hope?
 Here are some suggestions that can help make your dreams come true:
 1) Do some shopping yourself so you can tell your boyfriend what shape of diamond you like best on your finger. Do not leave it up to him to guess wrong.
 2) If you sense this is going to be mostly a surprise gift, drop some subtle hints about what kind of mounting (solitaire, side stones, etc.) you want for your diamond. If you do not know, hint you want something very simple so he does not make an expensive mistake.
 3) If you have a strong preference for the type of metal in the ring (yellow gold, white gold, platinum), find a way to tell him.
4) If you have the type of relationship that supports it, get involved in the diamond buying process. There are more couples shopping together for the engagement ring now than ever before and the result is often higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress.

Many couples now shop together so the boyfriend knows what shape of diamond the girlfriend likes, knows what style of mounting she likes and then he takes that knowledge to buy the ring on his own timetable and make the presentation a surprise. The bottom line is your man is trying, to the best of his ability, to do all the right things to make you happy. You just need to be patient and try to appreciate the effort he is making on your behalf. If you would like to see this diamond gift giving repeated, then by all means tell him how proud you are of his research show him how much you love that sparkling diamond on your finger.

Wrist Watch – The Portable Timepiece That Can Remind Us Of Our Spiritual Nature

I love words. They are tiny windows from which our Soul shines through. Even the most un-educated among us has choices in words. So how do we choose our words? It is my belief that our true identity, Soul, directs our mind and tongue to use one word and not the other, when both words would convey the same meaning. In these tiny preferences lie glimpses into our heart, our beliefs, our fears and our hopes. When we say, winding down instead of relaxing, or wound up instead of tense, our fascination with time shows and perhaps our fear of mortality. We choose these words as reminders to ourselves to be watchful. “What does all this have to do with wrist watches?” you ask. In my view, everything. Wrist watch is a portable timepiece designed to be worn. Its history goes back to shortly after 1500, when Peter Henlein, a locksmith in Nürnberg, Ger., introduced the mainspring as a replacement for weights in driving clocks. Looking back over the last forty years, I can see how things have sped up and I can imagine how laid back events were over 500 hundred years ago. There weren’t any soccer moms who had to rush from game to game in their SUVs. No 7 AM meetings across town through a hellish traffic that seems to get worse by the minute. No rushed five minute snack breaks to give us the energy boost we need to keep our zone diet. No Hollywood to show the latest Cartier watch or Baume Mercier watch on the shapely wrists of the most beautiful people in the world. Why then the need for a portable timepiece called watch? On the surface, we can say Peter Henlein introduced the mainspring as a replacement for weights in driving clocks. According to Britannica, “A mainspring consists of a flat spring steel band stressed in bending or coiling; when the watch, or other spring-driven mechanism, is wound, the curvature of the spring is increased, and energy is thus stored. In a watch, this energy is transmitted to the oscillating section of the watch (called the balance) by the wheel train and escapement, the motion of the balance itself controlling the release of the escapement and consequently the timing of the maintaining impulse. A friction drive to the hands is provided from a wheel that rotates at a convenient rate, generally one time per hour. The friction drive permits the hands to be set.” Fascinating enough to put me to sleep, I don’t know about you. The short version is that Peter Henlein found a way to move the clock handles so that they don’t take so much room. He was on the way to help us all watch time fly on our wrist, twenty four hours a day. This ability to know the exact time brings with it a curse and a blessing. A curse if we think about all the lost opportunities and all the missed goodbyes. A blessing if we consider that we live and we still hope and dream and with a little self discipline and a lot of help from the Divine, we can use our wrist watch to measure all the hellos we say, all the I love yous and all the contributions we make by just being who we are. I love the idea that we exist because God loves us. Not particularly because we do wonderful things with every minute of every day, but simply because we are who we are. Next time you check what time it is, I hope you look beyond the small handle and big handle and the wonderfully expensive watch makers and the rushed pace of life that carries us from one meeting to the next. I hope you can remind yourself that maybe it is time to say thank you to some one for just being there, smile at another because life is precious or pick up the phone and call your mate to just say, “I love you.” If I ever feel pride in wearing a wrist watch and use its chime, it is for these reasons. How about you? Why are you wearing your watch? * DISCLAIMER: Vishy Dadsetan, http://www.wristwatchsite.com/ or My Favorite Shop, Inc. do not endorse any purchase or sale of any products. Although Vishy Dadsetan has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this site, it assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, inaccuracies, or inconsistencies.

Wolf Jewelry: Dances With Vogue

When shopping for jewelry, one can see two extremes in any motif lineup: the delicate, feminine extreme, and the strong, masculine extreme. Among the "strong" extremes, wolf jewelry stands out as a common favorite -- it is, after all, the symbol of virility and independence, rebellion and complete self-possession.

When one wears the most common types of masculine wolf jewelry, one is virtually saying, "I'm tough; don't mess with me." But nowadays, a greater diversity of designs exists for jewelry themes, even wolf jewelry. For example: the popular fantasy comic Elfquest's artist Wendy Pini has popularized the use of delicate wolf motifs, which are smoothly curving, streamlined and sensual without compromising the impregnable visage of the real-life wolf. Pini's wolf designs symbolize neither male nor female, but nature as a whole. Kevin Costner made a smash hit with his appearance in the romantic period dramatic film "Dances With Wolves." In that movie he celebrated the qualities that are as essential to humans as they are to wolves: loyalty, honor, trust and freedom. Wolves remain a symbol of all these virtues. The moon is also associated very closely with the image of the wolf, as images of wolves howling at the full moon continue to be popular in today’s culture. Wolves are known to be solitary creatures, but as a matter of fact only a few are known to be certified "lone wolves" -- that is, wolves that have decided to leave the pack and hunt on their own. Lone wolves are rather rare, but their lives burn brightly; their achievements may not be acknowledged by members of their own species, but they are certainly remembered by the world around them. Many people who identify with wolves fancy that they are most attuned to the lone wolf: the seductive outcast who is making his or her own way into the world, regardless of what anyone else thinks. In a way this is so: the lone wolf is often what is depicted in wolf jewelry, with its grim demeanor, quick wit, grace accentuated by speed and stealth, and the courage to find its own path through life.

"Knot With My Thread" - Stringing Choices For Beading & Jewelry Making

One very important lesson I learned is that there is no one, all-purpose (Universal) stringing material. Here are the major stringing materials along with how and when to use each of them. SILK THREAD: Silk has a wondrous “hand” (a soft, flexible feel). This thread comes in many sizes and colors. It comes packaged on spools, and “carded” with an attached needle. This is a classic stringing material and forms beautiful knots between pearls and beads. But, silk tends to be relatively fragile. It can stretch, be cut by abrasive beads, rot when wet, and pearls strung on silk should be re strung every few years. It is best to use silk when stringing pearls and lightweight, smooth-holed beads, only. A needle is necessary. NYLON THREAD: (Nymo): This thread also comes in many sizes and colors. It comes packaged on spools, on bobbins, and “carded” with a needle attached. Nylon can be used where-ever silk can and is not as fragile. This material knots beautifully and can be used for pearl stringing, in some strung jewelry, seed beadwork, loom weaving, for Peyote and other specialty stitches, and heishi. Nylon stretches much less than silk, and it won’t rot when wet. Like silk, you shouldn’t use beads with sharp edged holes or that are heavy. When you use nylon thread, I would recommend you coat your thread with bee’s wax or “Thread HeavenTM “ before use to prevent it from fraying. A needle is necessary. BONDED NYLON: This is a much stronger form of nylon thread. The strands are physically bonded together for extra strength and abrasion protection. Although it knots well, it doesn’t have the “hand” of silk. Bonded nylon comes in a variety of colors and smaller spools. Because of its abrasion resistance, you can use it with “hard”, more abrasive gem beads; in fact this comes close to being a “Universal Thread”. Brand names include: “Stringth” or “Silkon”. A needle is necessary, although you can put “Super Glue” on the end to form a “Self-needle”. This is a favorite beading material of mine. FISHING LINE: This material is a hard, semi-rigid, single strand of plastic. It doesn’t knot well, and in time sunlight or ultraviolet light can cause it to weaken and fall apart. Fishing line is purchased on small spools and is sold in sporting goods stores. Personally, I use fishing line for two purposes. I use it to do my preliminary stringing while I am designing a necklace (I transfer the beads to a better material for the final product), and to string together “raw” strands of beads. There is no needle necessary. I would never use this material for a final beaded piece.