Search Results
Fine Jewelry University Articles matching: “blue diamond”
Showing only FJU Article results. Click here to show all results.
Fine Jewelry University (Show All FJU Articles)
-
Gold Purity and The Differences Between White and Yellow Gold
… for platinum. Nowadays, they are jewelry metals in their own right and currently very fashionable and desirable. White gold is available up to 21 karats. Most engagement rings are 14k or 18k. White gold is often used to enhance diamonds and other gemstones. White gold bridal jewelry is increasingly popular
-
Gem in the Spotlight: Amethyst
… or heat, as these can damage the gemstone. Prolonged UV/sun exposure can cause the color in amethyst to fade so keep that in mind when storing your amethyst jewelry. If you have an amethyst ring or other piece of jewelry with diamonds or other gemstones, you should be careful when cleaning it. You should use a soft brush to gently scrub the amethyst and avoid using ultrasonic cleaners, as these can damage the gemstone. Why Buy Amethyst There are many reasons why someone …
-
Is a Lab Grown Diamond Right for Me?
Picking a diamond for your engagement ring is a big decision. For most of us, buying a diamond is a significant financial undertaking… don’t have (anyone remember their refractive indexes from high school physics?). Even more unfortunately, the diamond industry suffers from a lot of misinformation and paranoia both from inside the trade and from outside observers. I have … conflict diamonds (both wild falsehoods). On the other hand, I have heard some in the industry refer to lab grown diamonds as fakes (also completely false). We’re here to help cut through some of the rhetoric, so you can make an informed …
-
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… source the stone will reflect more of the accent colors of light. Since fluorescent light has a stronger greenish-blue component, the stone appears greener. Under candlelight, which has a much stronger red/orange component, the stone …
-
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 … of all time. Spinel was first made in a lab over 100 years ago when scientists who were trying to synthesize blue sapphire wound up creating spinel by mistake. Since then many processes have been used and perfected to create spinel in …
-
How Are Lab Grown Diamonds Made?
The dream of making a beautiful and valuable diamond from simple carbon has long captivated the imagination of scientists and visionaries alike. Just like the alchemists…, many have tried to achieve this impressive feat. We have only recently been able to produce gem quality, lab grown diamonds that are large enough to be used in jewelry. But, how is it done? Early Efforts Throughout history, many people …. Henri Moissan was one of the early pioneers in the field. In 1893, he claimed to have successfully made a diamond by heating charcoal to 3,500 degrees Celsius inside a carbon crucible. Many attempts were made to reproduce his techniques …
-
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 … see through the surface of water or only capture the reflection. Modern 3D movies: Unlike old school red and blue 3D movies, modern 3D uses two images along with a pair of glasses that have polarizing filters for lenses. This tricks your…
-
Gem in the Spotlight: Jade
… like splitting hairs, but it actually has a big impact on how gems are worn and what they can handle. We all know diamonds are the hardest gem commonly available on earth. If you scraped them together, a diamond would scratch a piece of …mark on the diamond. However, if you decided to smack both gems with a hammer (please don’t try this at home), the diamond would have a greater chance of shattering than the tougher jade. Nephrite: A silicate rich in calcium, iron and …
-
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…, you will get different colors. Opals can display just about every color of the rainbow, but hues of green and blue are the most common. Typically the higher end opals have a darker body color, and a wide range of colors. Red carries …