Jewelry and Gemstone Care & Cleaning TipsWritten by Sam Serio
Diamond earrings, emerald rings, ruby bracelets, sapphire pendants; no doubt about it everybody loves beautiful gem stone jewelry. Gemstones are quite literally hard as rock, buy they can be damaged from careless handling and negligence. Here are some tips for keeping your gems and jewelry looking fabulous for years to come. 1.Remember, even hardest gemstone variety can be vulnerable to breakage if it has inclusions that weaken crystal structure. Exercise common sense: if you have a ring set with a softer gem variety or an included stone, take it off before strenuous exercise. Even hardest gem of them all, diamond, can shatter in two with a single well-placed blow. Never remove rings by pulling on stone: that habit may result in a loose, then lost, gem. 2.Most importantly, store each piece of gemstone jewelry separately so that harder stones don’t scratch softer ones. Almost every gemstone is much harder than metal it is set in. Gems can scratch finish on your gold, silver or platinum if you throw your jewelry in a heap in a drawer or jewelry box. 3.Rings in particular tend to collect dust and soap behind gem, particularly if you wear them all time. You need to clean them regularly to let light in so your gems can shine. To clean transparent crystalline gemstones, simply soak them in water with a touch of gentle dish soap. Use a bowl of water rather than sink to eliminate risk of anything going down drain. If necessary, use a soft toothbrush to scrub behind stone. Rinse soap off and pat dry with a lint-free cloth (you want to make sure threads won’t catch on prongs) For diamond, ruby or sapphire, a touch of ammonia in rinse water won’t hurt a bit and can add extra sparkle (for platinum and gold only, not silver!). Think twice before putting gems in an ultrasonic cleaner. Diamonds and rubies and sapphires will be fine but many other gems many not be, in particular emerald, opal, pearls, peridot: when in doubt, leave it out.
| | Buying Gemstones Without Being Ripped-OffWritten by Sam Serio
Buying gemstone jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you’re considering a gift of gemstone jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn terms used in industry. Here’s some information to help you get best quality gemstone jewelry for your money, whether you’re shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.Gemstones Natural gemstones are found in nature. Laboratory-created stones, as name implies, are made in a laboratory. These stones, which also are referred to as laboratory-grown, {name of manufacturer} - created, or synthetic, have essentially same chemical, physical and visual properties as natural gemstones. Laboratory-created stones do not have rarity of naturally colored stones and they are less expensive than naturally mined stones. By contrast, imitation stones look like natural stones in appearance only, and may be glass, plastic, or less costly stones. Laboratory-created and imitation stones should be clearly identified as such. Gemstones may be measured by weight, size, or both. The basic unit for weighing gemstones is carat, which is equal to one-fifth 91/5th) of a gram. Carats are divided into 100 units, called points. For example, a half-carat gemstone would weigh .50 carats or 50 points. When gemstones are measured by dimensions, size is expressed in millimeters (for example, 7x5 millimeters). Gemstone treatments or enhancements refer to way some gems are treated to improve their appearance or durability, or even change their color. Many gemstones are treated in some way. The effects of some treatments may lessen or change over time and some treated stones may require special care. Some enhancements also affect value of a stone, when measured against a comparable untreated stone.
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