Precious Stones -The Big Five

Written by Sam Serio


Continued from page 1

Fine emeralds are generally cut cushion shape with step cutting, and inrepparttar East are often cut cabochon. Fine emeralds have advanced very rapidly duringrepparttar 145835 last few years, both on account ofrepparttar 145836 growing demand of fashion forrepparttar 145837 gems andrepparttar 145838 scarcity of really fine specimens.

Many curious legends of gigantic emeralds have been handed down to us, principally culled fromrepparttar 145839 narratives of early travelers, who thought every transparent green stone they saw to be an emerald.

The ancients valuedrepparttar 145840 emerald highly, not alone for its beauty, but for its supposed occult properties and its marvelous power of healing all diseases ofrepparttar 145841 eye—they also believed that ifrepparttar 145842 eyes of a serpent metrepparttar 145843 gleam ofrepparttar 145844 emerald, it immediately became blind. Moore alludes to this superstition inrepparttar 145845 lines:

Blinded like serpents when they gaze Uponrepparttar 145846 emerald’s virgin blaze.

The Emperor Nero, who was shortsighted, had an eye-glass formed of an emerald, through which he gazed and gloated overrepparttar 145847 cruel sports ofrepparttar 145848 arena.

Many interesting stories are told ofrepparttar 145849 first emeralds taken byrepparttar 145850 early conquerors of Peru to Spain, and a certain Joseph D’ Acosta is said to have returned to Spain in 1587 with two chests of emeralds, each of which weighed over one hundred pounds. The truth of this story may be questioned, but it is a fact thatrepparttar 145851 stones were highly prized and much used byrepparttar 145852 Incas and Aztecs inrepparttar 145853 extraordinary civilization which once existed in Peru. The emerald was highly prized byrepparttar 145854 ancients and by gem lovers ofrepparttar 145855 middle ages, and this accounts for many interesting legends and superstitions relating torepparttar 145856 gem.

As for today,repparttar 145857 emerald is still very highly valued as one ofrepparttar 145858 most precious stones. The emerald is May’s birthstone and is a favorite stone for fine jewelry craftsmen throughoutrepparttar 145859 world.

The Authors of the above Article, Sam and Tami Serio have been passionately involved with Jewelry and Gemstones for over fifteen-years. You are cordially invited to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com for a wealth of information about the fascinating world of Jewelry and Gemstones. Together they also shelter 20 abandoned and abused dogs & cats. A portion of their profits goes to the care and feeding of the animals.


Jewelry and Gemstone Care & Cleaning Tips

Written by Sam Serio


Continued from page 1
4.Organic gems like pearls, coral, and amber should only be wiped clean with moist cloth. Due to their organic nature, these gems are both soft and porous. Be careful about chemicals in hairspray, cosmetics, or perfume: they can, over time, damage pearls in particular. Opals also require special care. Never use an ultrasonic, never use ammonia, and avoid heat and strong light. 5.Opaque gemstones like lapis lazuli, turquoise, malachite, require special care because they are rocks, not crystals of a single mineral like transparent gems. There gem materials should just be wiped clean gently with a moist cloth. These gemstones can be porous and may absorb chemicals, even soap, and they may build up insiderepparttar stone and discolor it. Never use and ultrasonic cleaner and never use ammonia or any chemical solution.

A little care and common sense can add life, luster and longevity to your precious jewelry and gems. Protect your investment by followingrepparttar 145834 above guidelines.

The Authors of the above Article, Sam and Tami Serio have been passionately involved with Jewelry and Gemstones for over fifteen-years. You are cordially invited to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com for a wealth of information about the fascinating world of Jewelry and Gemstones. Together they also shelter 20 abandoned and abused dogs & cats. A portion of their profits goes to the care and feeding of the animals.


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