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Fine Jewelry University Articles matching: “Gold and diamond vault”
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The Magic of Polarized Light
…refractive gems are sapphire, tourmaline, and moissanite. These are contrasted with singly refractive (SR) gems like diamond that only bend light in one direction. Gemologists use the term birefringence to refer to how doubly refractive a … and our day-to-day lives. We hope you enjoyed this article, and remember that if you are in the market for a new diamond or gemstone our trained gemologists have the tools, understanding, and experience to help find the … when we put on our sunglasses, turn on our TV, or sit down at our computer. But, what is polarized light exactly, and why is my jeweler writing about it? It turns out that polarized light is actually a very useful tool in gemology, and …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Alexandrite
Emerald by day, ruby by night, more expensive than diamond and more illustrious than sapphire, emerald, or even ruby, alexandrite has been known around the world as one of the…-after gems for the better part of 200 years. But, what makes this stone so special? Gemology of Alexandrite Alexandrite is the extremely rare, color-change variety of a gem species called Chrysoberyl. It appears bluish-green in daylight… firelight, alexandrite appears purplish-red. This is because of how the trace element chromium interacts with alexandrite’s crystal structure. It absorbs most wavelengths of light very well, only transmitting green and red light. This …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Spinel
…, it should be treated and stored with care. Its Mohs hardness of 8 puts it on par with Topaz. It’s softer than diamond or sapphire but harder than quartz, tourmaline, and peridot. With proper care there’s no reason why a piece of spinel … an action movie, but it could also be the title of this article. For years spinel has been confused with other gems and even today is often used as a substitute for similar looking stones. In recent years, spinel has started to move out…
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Gem in the Spotlight: Pearl
… Taylor. During Taylor’s ownership, the pearl was set into a necklace designed by Cartier, which also included diamonds and rubies. The La Peregrina pearl is one of the largest and most perfectly symmetrical natural pearls in existence. It …the lighting and angle. One of the most interesting things about the Hope Pearl is its connection to the famous Hope Diamond. It is believed that the Hope Pearl was once part of a larger piece of jewelry that also included the Hope Diamond, …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Ruby
… oxide with a Moh’s hardness of 9. This makes ruby one of the hardest gems commonly used in jewelry second only to diamond (which has a Moh’s hardness of 10) and moissanite (which is in between). Rubies only occur in the color red which …ruby, and was originally mined in Myanmar. The Sunrise Ruby was eventually set by Cartier into a ring along with two diamonds weighing a total of 5 carats. In 2015, Sotheby’s put the ring up for auction where it sold for a record setting $30…
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Gem in the Spotlight: Opal
… commonly used in jewelry. For reference, here are the Mohs hardness values for some other gemstones you may know: Diamond 10, Sapphire 9, Amethyst 7, and Peridot 6. Turquoise is about as hard as opal, but you would need to consider Pearl or…Opal has been described as containing the wonders of the skies, sparkling rainbows, fireworks, and lightning. Its dazzling play of color is totally unique in the gem world, and the lore that surrounds it is almost … internal structure. This gemstone is composed of tiny silica spheres arranged in a pattern, which diffract light and create the spectacular play of colors known as opalescence . The colors seen in an opal depend on the size and …
