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Fine Jewelry University (Show All FJU Articles)
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How to Tell If a Diamond Is Natural or Lab Grown
…there are some tools available to help us do this. One of the best indicators of whether a diamond is lab grown is whether or not it is a Type IIa diamond. Type IIa is actually a gemological variant of the diamond that relates to how pure the carbon is that makes up the diamond. In nature, less than 2% of all diamonds are Type IIa, however, most gem quality lab grown diamonds are Type IIa. So, if a diamond is Type IIa, that’s a pretty good indication that it is lab …
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Caring for and Cleaning Your Jewelry
… how easily things scratch. Some technical numbers show how a higher number scratches the same number and anything lower. Hardness is related to the Mohs hardness scale. Diamond is the hardest at 10. Talc is listed as 1 the softest. Pure gold (24 karat) is Mohs 2.5, 14 and 18 karat list at Mohs 3. Platinum list at Mohs 4.33. Sterling silver list at Mohs 2.5. This shows why jewelry metals get scratched by things like hard toothbrushes and dirt (most dirt ranges 4-8 on …
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How to Sell Your Jewelry
… or grams) . The purity is the karat of gold or percentage of noble metal (gold, platinum, silver). 24 karat is pure. 10 karat is 10/24 or .410 gold and the balance of weight is the alloys. 14 karat is 14/24 or .583 gold and 18 karat is …or .750 gold. Platinum most of the time is 90% pure and 10% alloy. Silver jewelry is usually sterling, which is .925 pure. The three units of weight used with precious metals are troy ounces, pennyweights, and grams. The troy ounce is …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Topaz
…in, “You’re both crazy, it’s like a beautiful peach.” Then, a passerby contributes, “You all are nuts, it’s like a rainbow with all the colors at once.” And of course, all of them are right. History and Lore Topaz in its pure form is naturally colorless, clear like a diamond. The famous “Braganza Diamond” was thought to be the largest diamond ever found (prior to the Cullinan Diamond) at 1,680 carats and was set in the Portuguese crown jewels as such. It wasn’t until …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Blue Zircon
… is known for its variety of colors. Blue zircon is the most popular color. But, zircon can be almost any color you can imagine including red, yellow, orange, brown, green, champagne, golden, saffron, and colorless. Zircon colors are pure and have that distinctive fire that sets it apart from other gems. The Gemology of Zircon Why does zircon have so much more fire then other colored gems? Zircon has a high refractive index (1.92-2.01). The refractive index (abbreviated…
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Platinum
…. These qualities of platinum are equivalent to the ideals of eternal true love. All over the world, engagement rings, wedding bands and anniversary rings made in platinum symbolize the everlasting endurance of love. Platinum is pure, an expression of integrity, a reflection of inner truth. Platinum’s purity endows it with a brilliant white luster. This helps to reflect the true radiance of diamonds. In the United States platinum is usually marked: PT or PLAT. In Europe…
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Gem in the Spotlight: Amethyst
…, and he created fierce tigers to carry out his wish. This person happened to be Amethyst, a beautiful young woman on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. In order to protect Amethyst, Diana turned her into a statue made of pure, crystalline quartz. Dionysus, upon seeing the stunning statue, wept tears of wine in remorse for his actions. These tears stained the quartz purple, resulting in the creation of the gemstone known as amethyst. Amethyst has a long …
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Alternative Metals for Men’s Jewelry
… platinum and also what led to its use in armor piercing tank ammunition. Tungsten wedding bands are not made out of pure tungsten. They are made out of tungsten carbide which is created by combining an equal number of tungsten and carbon… allow the setting of diamond or other gems. Ceramic is another permanently black option (it can even be made a more pure black than Zirconium), but it is too brittle to set gems in. Black Zirconium rings are shatterproof, but they can be…
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Gem in the Spotlight: Pearl
… the bodycolor), and orient (iridescent rainbow colors that shimmer on or just below a pearl’s surface). Pearls come in a range of colors, from white to black, with many shades in between. The most valuable pearls are those with a pure, even color, such as white, pink, or silver. Luster: Luster is the intensity of light reflected from a pearl’s surface. Pearls with excellent luster have sharp bright reflections on the surface. Pearls with high luster are more valuable …
