Sndgems jewelry guides are easy to use, interesting and helpful guide to buying jewelry onle. Our jewelry guides are indispensable guide to judging jewelry characterstics, distinguishing genuine from imitation, making wise choices, useful to all type of consumers, from professional jewelry to online searchers. Our diamond guides help everyone in viewing diamonds as gemologists, diamond experts, diamond dealers, experienced lapidaries, diamond buyers and online customers. Our diamond guides dissects each aspect of diamond value in detail with a wealth of diamond grading information. Our gemstone guides help everyone in viewing colored gemstones as gemologists, gem dealers, experienced lapidaries, gem buyers and online customers. Our gemstone guides dissects each aspect of ruby, sapphire, emerald value in detail with a wealth of gemstone grading information. Our guides offers step-by-step instructions for how to examine and judge the quality and craftsmanship and materials even if you dont know anything about jewelry. If you're thinking of buying jewelry online this guide is a best place to start. Our guides will help you to know about jewelry details such as finishes, settings, flaws and fakes. Our guides cover diamonds, gemstones, jewelry craftsmanship, treatments, diamond and gems sources, appraisals. There is something for everyone.

Buying a emerald ring may be the one of the most important jewelry related decisions one has to ever make. Our jewelry guides is designed to help you get the best buy possible. Our diamond guides are highly informative - useful for first-tine diamond buyer, the gemologist, and the jewelry retailer. Its a must read for everone who is planning to buy jewelry online. Our guides offer a wealth of information keeping explanations streamlined enough so even the first-time emerald buyer can confidently buy emerald jewelry online. Our guides shows you step-by-step how to evaluate sapphire and settings in different designs and metals. Its helped thousands of emerald jewelry buyers make smart decisions - and it can help you to.

Read about thousands of satisfied customers who have used these guides and bought jewelry from our online jewelry store.

Emerald Jewelry Guides, Free Emerald Expert Advice, Free Emerald Education

Become an Well Informed Educated Smart Savvy Buyer - Tips on Smart Jewelry Buying

Buying Emerald Jewelry is easy at the same time daunting with so many online jewelers offering jewelry. It is important that consumers get all the advice, education and knowledge to become a savvy online shopper. There are some basic steps to follow:

1. Do your research on the the jeweler and the jewelry store

Buy only from trusted reputable retail jewelry syores or online jewelry stores. How do you find out a reliable trustworthy jeweler and jewelry store? Here are some simple easy steps to follow:

. Check Jewelry Stores Physical Address using Google Maps

. Check Jewelry Stores Telephone Numbers

. Check Jewelry Stores References

. Check How Long They have been in Business

. Check Customer Reviews Online

. Compare Jewelry Stores Prices as well as Quality, Selection

. Return Policies

. Product Guarantees

. Third Party Appraisals

. After Sales Service

With the internet and social media evolution finding all of the above about a jewelry store is easy. Use the powerful tools internet and social media has to offer to do price comparison, customer reveiws, business location, business history, and more can be found fast. Also check similar designs at other online as well as local jewelry stores. After receiving jewelry from online jewelry store take it to local jeweler to get it appraised again. Post videos of you jewelry and write description to get opinions from your friends, family and others. Be an informed educated savvy buyer.

2. Get to know Emerald Jewelry Basics:

Be an educated diamond jewelry buyer. Get to know emerald 4C's so that when you buy jewelry from a jewelry store the jeweler can't take advantage of your ignorance and end up charging higher prices. This will help you asking the right questions and get the emerald quality you're paying for. Emerald pricing is not regulated and the best way to know the right price is by first learning about emerald 4C's and then doing price comparispon online. Get to know all about emerald grading organization like GIA, EGL, AGS. A prior knowledge of gemstones (ruby, emerald and sapphire) will help you understand and retain what a jeweler tells you. This gemstone guide will help you in evaluating the quality of ruby, emerald and sapphire, an aid in avoiding fraud with information on immitation (synthetic and treatment), as a handy reference on colored gemstones, provide a collection of practical tips on choosing and caring for gems and a challenge to view colored gemstones through the eyes of gemologists and gem dealers. When gemologists speak of shape, they usually mean its face up outline. The most common gemstone shapes include round, oval, square, pears, marquise and octogon.

Getting educated and informed about emerald will almost guarantee you to get the best deals on emerald jewelry at jewelry stores.

3. Don't be Trapped by Inflated Price & Discount Glimmicks:

There is no such thing like free. What you pay is what you should get. Use internets vast resources like price comparsion tools and local jewelry stores to become familiar with emerald prices. This will allow you to understand real prices and allow you stay away from unreal discounts like 50 - 75% off.

4. Take Advantage of Vast Resources Internet & Social Media Sites have to offer: Even if you don't buy from an online jewelry store you should use internet to do price comparison, check jewelry stores reputation, customer feedback and reviews, watch you tube videos, look up jewelry stores trade report, facebook and twitter likes and following, read its history and more. Several decades back consumers did not have internet and social media to see company products and offerings, do price comparison and had to buy from a local jewelry store at whatever prices they asked.

Internet and social media has dramatically changed jewelry buying process in favor of consumers proiding them unlimited options and choices as compared to buying from a local jewelry store.

5. Narrow your Selection and Do Price Shopping:

After getting informed on jewelry stores reputation and emerald 4C's the next step is narrow down your choices and don't rush to make a purchase. Take your time and check out out prices for similar designs, diamond and gemstone quality, gold and platinum quality.

Know the Emerald 4Cs Click to Contact Us Certified Emerald Anniversary Rings

Is Emerald Jewelry & Precious Metals a Good Investment?

Just like the precios metals like gold, sterling silver and platinum prices have doubled and tripled in last five years emerald prices have also have risen around 25% in last five years and that is why buying sapphire and metals is a good investment. When thinking about emeralds most people turn to the image of exquisite and stunning emerald jewelry with emeralds sparkling, glittering, shimmering but emeralds can be also considered as the investment, especially in times of economic woes like this is the case today.

The emeralds of good and excellent quality will always hold their value so you don't need to worry about losing money on them. This is because emeralds have their unique status and extreme appeal, and these two factors help retain emerald's value.

Emeralds are global merchandise and are therefore not affected with an economic situation in certain region or in certain country. This also means that emeralds can be sold in any country, anywhere in the world, without losing their value.

Another big advantage when investing in emeralds is the fact that there are no costs to maintain. People often prefer investing into the real estate forgetting that real estate has big maintenance costs and is also being taxed. When you look at it from pure economic reasons it makes much more sense to invest in emeralds than real estates. The only actual upkeep with emeralds refer to insurance costs.

Famous Emerald Mines

Emerald Mines - Colombian Mines, Brazilian Mines, Zambian Mines

Emeralds like Sapphires, Rubies and Diamonds have been highly prized since centuries and were used extensively to design precious jewelry due to it beauty and unique characteristics. Natural Emerald gemstones are very rare making them highly in demand. Emeralds have been used in jewelry designing even in 2000 B. C.The earliest stones were mined from the legendary Cleopatra's Mines in the Sikait-Zabara region of Egypt. Until the Europeans discovered the New World it was the only source of emeralds. Emeralds were Cleopatra`s favourite gemstone. She often wore lavish emerald jewelry and bestowed visiting dignitaries with large emeralds when they departed. Mention of Emeralds has also been made in the Bible. Top designers of today use emeralds to give their jewelry the extra elegance and color. Today demand of emeralds is so high that the industry has come up with synthetic emeralds and various methods of enhancing poor quality emeralds. Therefore before buying a piece of Emerald jewelry it becomes essential to know more about the emeralds that are used to design your jewelry, be it an emerald engagement ring, an emerald bracelet, pendant or emerald earrings. To help you understand your emeralds better we have compiled a comprehensive guide of where emeralds are mined across the world along with their quality as emeralds can highly differ in quality in different places.

Emeralds are formed in metamorphic rocks or in pegmatite deposits in metamorphic rocks deep inside the earth. They are made from the mineral beryl. Beryl includes trace elements of beryllium. Besides, beryl, emeralds contain trace elements vanadium and chromium. Depending on the amount of these elements, the emerald can appear light green to a very deep, dark green.

Properties of Emeralds
1	Emerald Chemical Composition	Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆ . Emeralds have oxygen, silicon, aluminum, and beryllium in it.
2	Crystal system	Hexagonal; 6/m2/m2/m
3	Crystal Habit	Small elongate first order prisms, often with vertical striations and irregular pinacoidal terminations
4	Class	Cyclosilicates
5	Color	Can be found in many shades of green like, deep green or slightly yellowish or bluish tones
6	Specific gravity	2.67 - 2.78. It is an average weight stone. If you hold it, it would seem about the right weight for the size of the stone.
7	Cleavage	Poor. If you break this stone, it doesn’t split very evenly.
8	Refraction Index	1.566 - 1.602
9	Fracture	Conchoidal producing smooth brilliant surfaces i.e if you shatter the stone, the edges are smooth.
10	Birefringence	0.005 - 0.008
11	Hardness	7.5 - 8.0 . It is a very hard stone. It can scratch glass.
12	Luster	Vitreous . Emeralds shine like glass.
13	Streak	White i.e If you crushed this stone, the dust would be white.
14	Transparency	Translucent to Opaque, Emeralds are very rarely transparent . You can see through some stones, but others are blurry or can’t be seen through at all. The most valuable ones can be seen through.
15	Magnetism	None. It is not attracted to and will not attract a magnet.

Emerald Mining and its Brief History – Learn about the Natural Emerald sources in the World

Emeralds deposits have been identified on every continent except Antarctica. Historical records state that Egyptians mined Gorgeous Green Emeralds centuries back. Ancient Egyptians dug mines of Sikeit during the reign of Tutankhamun (1336 to 1327 BC). The Cleopatra Mines or Mons Smaragdus (Emerald Mountains), were dug as early as 2000 B.C. Queen Cleopatra had so much love for emeralds that these mines were named after her name. Mining in the Egyptians Emerald mines was carried out for a long time until the Spaniards discovered emeralds in Colombia in 1545. While the Egypt may have been the first known miners of emeralds, Colombia, Brazil, and Zambia were the areas with the geological forces for perfecting the gem’s color and transparency. And emerald deposits in countries like Canada and Afghanistan were discovered as recently as the last decade.

The finest-quality emerald has the color of fresh young green grass an almost pure spectral green, possibly with a very faint tint of blue, as in the “drop of oil” emerald from Colombia, which is considered to be the world’s finest. Emerald mining today is a billion dollar industry with major sources of emeralds coming from Afghanistan, Brazil, China, Colombia, Pakistan, Russia, Zambia & Zimbabwe. Half of the emeralds come from Columbia, Zambia accounts for 20 percent of the market and Brazil 15 percent. The next largest producers are Zimbabwe and Pakistan, with smaller amounts from Russia, Afghanistan, Australia, Madagascar, and Tanzania. Until very recently each country played a fairly static role in terms of market preference. Colombia dominated the high end market, Zambia occupied its middle and Brazil was left with the bottom. Today however Zambian and Brazilian goods have won enough trade admiration to seriously challenge the status quo.

Emeralds in Columbia

Known for their vivid green color, Colombian emeralds are usually of exceptional quality. Colombia is the finest modern source for emeralds.The three historically significant areas of emerald mining in Colombia are Muzo, Coscuez and Chivor. Each of these areas comprises of many individual mines

Muzo mine
The famed Muzo mines of Columbia are located 100 miles north of Bogotá. These deposits were first mined by Native Americans but was eventually abandoned and then rediscovered in the 17th century. Emerald crystals from Muzo tend to have more saturated color than either Coscuez or Chivor. They are considered some of the finest emerald mines in the world with a gorgeous deep green color. Trapiche emeralds are an extremely rare and highly valued form of emerald only found in the Muzo mining district of Colombia. Star-shaped rays that emanate from its center in a hexagonal pattern characterize these emeralds. These rays appear much like asterism, but unlike asterism, they are not caused by light reflection from tiny parallel inclusions, but by black carbon impurities that happen to form in the same pattern.
Coscuez mine
The emerald crystals of Coscuez tend to exhibit a very wide range of colors but unfortunately also tend to be more included than those from Muzo.
Chivor mine
Another important deposit is the Chivor Mine, northeast of Bogota. Chivor emeralds are best known for their bluish cast and generally have fewer inclusions and a lighter color than either Coscuez or Muzo emeralds. The Chivor mining area is the smallest of the three and is separate from Muzo and Coscuez, which lay adjacent to each other.

Recently new deposits have been discovered which look promising for the future. The La Pita mine is one of the more recently discovered emerald deposits. This mine is thought to contain one of the largest emerald deposits in Colombia accounting for 60 to 70 percent of the annual Colombian emerald production. In recent years production has been intentionally slowed at La Pita to stabilize emerald price trends. The La Pita mine is mined by Santa Rosa LTDA and Prominas Dal Zulia LTDA. Over half of the Columbian emerald exports go to the USA, 24% go directly to Hong Kong and Bangkok. Many of the emeralds exported to the USA continue to Asia, especially Hong Kong.

Still, only a third of the emeralds mined in Colombia are worth cutting. Chromium and vanadium are the two coloring agents responsible, for giving emerald its beautiful green color. Colombian emeralds have a lot of chromium in them. Chromium is good for color but not so good for clarity. Chromium does not fit comfortably into the crystal lattice. This creates a garden of noticeable inclusions. While this jardin lowers the clarity of fine quality emeralds from the Columbia and other major emerald sources like Brazil, Zambia and Afghanistan. The transparency and their vivid color make them much better quality emeralds than those that are found in Egypt.

Emeralds in Brazil

Emeralds were first discovered in Brazil about 500 years ago after the arrival of the Portuguese. However, it was only in 1963 when the first samples with commercial value were found in Bahia, in northern Brazil that brazil came to be recognized worldwide for its emerald resources. Brazil has been known to produce large rough emeralds up to 200 carats in size. In brazil emerald deposits are found concentrated mainly in Bahia, Goias and Minas Gerais.

The Goias is located in the Central Western Brazil with mines at Santa Terezinha District, Campo Verdes and Emerald Locality, Pirenopolis. The Bahia is located in the North Eastern Brazil with mines like Carnaiba mine, Salininha mine, Serra das Eguas, Socoto Emerald Deposit, Anage Township. The north eastern region has more emerald mining areas like The Ceara and the Rio Grande do Norte. The Minas Gerais is located in the South Eastern Brazil and has famous mines Capoeirana Mine, Itabira; Piteiras Mine, Itabira and Itatiaia Mine, Itatiaia, Nova era near Itabera is also famous emerald mining desination in Brazil. In the Northen Brazil lies the Monte Santo Tocantins in the Tocantins district. Brazil's gemstone mine Nova Era produces very good quality emeralds having a deep green color. Brazil also supplies rare emerald cat's eyes and these are extremely rare emeralds with a six-spoked star. The mines at Nova Era are operated by a large number of independent miners with little technology unlike the mines at Belmont and Piteiras.

The color of the Brazilian emeralds is lighter than the Colombian emerald, they tend to a yellow-green. But the Brazilian emerald is often relatively free of inclusions. New deposits have been found since 1980 and Brazil is now one of the most important suppliers of emeralds in the world. While Colombian emeralds are known for their vivid green color, Brazilian emeralds are known for their variety of color, ranging from light green to medium dark blue green.

Brazil is one of the most significant gem-producing nations in the world, with numerous varieties of gems mined in almost every state, many in significant quantities.

New Emerald deposits in Brazil continue being discovered and developed. The quality of Brazilian emeralds also continues to improve with the depths of the mines, with more and more dealers comparing the best material to that of Colombia. Currently, overall gem production in Brazil is down, due in part to strict environmental protection regulations and a recent, universally applied minimum wage.

Emeralds in Africa ( Zambia,Tanzania and Zimbabwe)
In the last several decades, increasing quantities of emeralds have been found in a series of small deposits in East Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania. The East African emeralds are quite strong in color, sometimes with the desirable blue-green hue. The most famous of these emeralds are the ones from Sandawana in the south of Zimbabwe. The Sandawana crystals tend to be small but are very high quality.also are mined in South Africa, in the northern Trasvaal. Modern mechanized mining is carried out at the Cobra and Somerset mines, but only about 5% of the product is of good quality. Most stones are light in color or heavily included and only suitable for cabochons. Zambian emeralds are of very high quality. Although Zambia has the world’s second largest emerald deposit, it is

substantially underdeveloped and primarily restricted to artisanal mines near Kagem, Kitwe, Miku and Mufulira in remote northern Zambia. As basic hand tools are mainly used to mine Zambian emerald, this limits supply, increasing its rarity and value. Zambian emerald is extracted from talc-magnetite schists Zambian miners call paidas (when it’s unaltered) and chikundula (when it’s weathered). They call small emerald crystals that may be indicative of bigger crystals ubulunga. Zambian emeralds from the Kagem emerald mine has consistently produced some of the finest Zambian emeralds since 1984. Zambian emeralds can be quite nice, typically a strong green to slightly bluish-green, and frequently less included than Colombian or Brazilian emeralds, therefore requiring less or no enhancement.

Emeralds in Russia - Ural Mountains
Russian emerald is long prized for its breathtaking crystal clarity, green fire and forest green hues. According to history, Russian emerald was discovered by a Russian peasant, Maxim Stefanovitch Koshevnikov, in 1830 in the roots of a tree that had been felled in a storm on the Tokovaya River near Ekaterinburg in Russia’s Ural Mountains. Despite this, rumors persist that Russia actually supplied emeralds long before the Spaniards discovered the famous Colombian emerald in the late 16^th century. These legends even go as far as to suggest that the Scythian emeralds mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his Historia Naturalis came from the Urals. Rising to fame in the 19th century, the largest and best known source of Russian emerald is the Mariinsky (St. Mary’s) Mine. This mine was discovered in 1833 near the village of Malysheva. The deposits were nationalized after World War I and emerald mining soon ceased when Malysheva became a military security zone. Russian emeralds almost entirely disappeared; thankfully, Russian emerald is now back. Russian emerald is mined from a large beryllium deposit and is one of the deepest colored gem mines in the world. Less than half a percent of the rough crystals mined are suitable for faceting. As a result, Russian emeralds are a “must have” for any true emerald connoisseur.

Emeralds in Pakistan

While an extremely harsh climate prevents the mining of emerald deposits at higher altitudes, at lower elevations in the Swat Valley of Pakistan lay the Gujar Kili mine, and the ancient and historically significant Mingora mine (e.g., ancient Roman earrings featuring Mingora emeralds have been discovered). Severe weather conditions restrict operations during winter, making the hand-dug output very limited. The Pakistani government tightly controls the mining of emeralds from relatively new deposits discovered in 1960 in the Himalayan mountains.

Emeralds in Afghanistan
The Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan is a very valuable source of good quality emeralds- very beautiful and very transparent . They can be well compared to the emeralds in Columbia and Zambia. It is believed that Afghanistan will be the next emerald mining center of the world once the industry there is properly legitimized. At present almost all of the stones are smuggled out of the country uncut to Pakistan and India, yielding virtually nothing in terms of tax revenue or extra jobs if they were cut and marketed in Afghanistan before export.

Other Sources Of Emeralds

Emeralds are also mined parts of China, South America, India, Australia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, North Carolina in USA, Austria and Norway in Europe

Guide to The Emerald Mines and their Emerald Quality for buying Emerald Jewelry

Know About World Famous Emeralds

They have graced Crown Jewels and embellished the thrones of some of the oldest dynasties in history. As a symbol of wealth and power they are unsurpassed. With their sparkling green lustre they are considered to be more precious than diamonds. And, carat for carat, they are the most expensive gems in the world. They are emeralds, the most precious of all gems.

If you were fortunate enough to possess an emerald that would fit into the palm of your hand, it could, depending on it's quality, be worth over one million dollars. Why such a high price? A large part of the reason is that emeralds are rare gems. Emeralds are a type of beryl crystal. They are formed from a combination of the common elements aluminium and silicon with the rare element beryllium. Small amounts of trace elements, either chromium or vanadium, give the emerald its distinctive green tint.

The world's source of emerald supplies has traditionally been Egypt. For thousands of years the famous Cleopatra mines, to be found some 440 miles southeast of Cairo, were worked by the Egyptians and then the Romans and the Turks. Working long hours under the blistering heat of the Sun, and the darkness, heat and dust of the underground mines must have been a real ordeal for those ancient laborers. Yet the mines were worked continually from about 330 B.C.E right through until 1237 C.E.

In ancient times emeralds held a real fascination for the people. In addition to their exquisite beauty, they were coveted for their supposed magical and healing powers. Emeralds were, in fact, considered to be a cure for many diseases. They were also believed to be able to heighten fertility and sexual desire in females. As a result of such claims, Emeralds were greatly sought after and a profitable trade was established between Egypt and nations as far away as India.

The Egyptian monopoly on the world supply of Emeralds lasted right up until the Sixteenth Century, C.E. It was then that the Spanish Conquistadores arrived in South America. In 1558 the Spaniards located a mine at Muzo, near Columbia. There they discovered emeralds of breathtaking size and beauty. The Spaniards wasted no time in capitalizing on this find. They promptly seized the mine and enslaved the local population. These slaves were then forced to do the back breaking work of extracting the gems from the mine. Soon a vast supply of large, fine emeralds were being shipped to Europe. These jewels soon found their way into the hands of many of the ruling Empires around Europe and the Middle East. The Ottoman Turks, the Persian Shahs and even the royalty of India were featuring delicately sculpted emeralds as the showpieces of their jewel collections.

One of the ironies of the modern jewel trade is that the people who labor so hard to mine the gems are barely able to afford the food to keep themselves alive, yet alone to be able to buy an emerald. Not surprisingly, then, there is an overwhelming temptation for emerald workers to hide and smuggle gems out of the mines. This has led to an unprecedented level of security wherein security guards armed with machine guns monitor every move that the workers make. Despite this, however, there is a roaring trade in black market emerald smuggling. In fact, according to an article in National Geographic magazine, " Most emeralds move off the record, untaxed, unseen, buried in aw world market that the trade calls black. Almost every high quality emerald is smuggled at some time in it's history."

Emeralds have many surface imperfections, which are known as inclusions. This is due to the way they are grown. Such cracks on the surface of the stone can mar it's beauty and will, inevitably affect it's sale price. Dealers will, however, attempt to mask these flaws by soaking the cleaned and polished gems in a hot bath of oil. The heating forces the air out of cracks in the stone and lets oil seep in. This obscures the imperfections in the gem. After a year or two, however, the oil will have evaporated and the cracks will reappear. In addition there is a large trade in imitation emeralds. For these reasons, the prospective buyer is well advised to seek out a reputable gemologist to guarantee an emerald's authenticity. When it comes to buying emeralds, never forget that wise Latin warning Caveat Emptor - Let the buyer beware!

Queen Victoria was well known for her love of jewellery, one signature piece of hers was the famous 'Queen Victoria's Emerald and Diamond' tiara. This stunning tiara was one of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery the queen owned and her favourite piece. Lovingly designed by her husband Albert, the tiara is of gothic design and features diamonds and emeralds mounted on spikes either side of the tiara. This is the perfect example of the gothic revival style within the 19th century and this article will look at the history of this famous head piece, owned by Queen Victoria.

The Queen Victoria Emerald Tiara was designed by Prince Albert, the Prince Consort of Queen Victoria who had the tiara created by the court jewellers under his full supervision in 1845. The exquisite design of the tiara was indeed a testimony to the creative abilities of Prince Albert, a prince of various interests. Jewellery and diamonds clearly had always held an interest to Prince Albert as it is well recorded that he had an interest in the re-cutting of the Koh-I-Noor diamond within 1852.

It would appear that Prince Albert did not only design the one tiara for his beloved wife but designed most of her other tiaras. In 2002, the Victoria and Albert museum did a display presenting two hundred of the tiaras from royals within Europe, four of which had been designed by Prince Albert.

The present whereabouts of Queen Victoria's tiara is currently unknown, but is believed that it is probably within the possession of one of the direct descendents of Queen Victoria. It appears that the 'Queen Victoria's Emerald and Diamond Tiara' never entered the British crown jewels. Being that is was the Queen's personal property it would have been left to her nine children and their descendents. The present owners of the Queen's Sapphire Tiara are the Earl and Countess of Harewood, but the Diamond and Emerald owners are unknown.

It is thought that the tiara did make an appearance in an exhibition of tiaras in 1997, which was held by the Royal Jewellers. In 2001 Geoffrey Munn a managing director of Wartski's jewellery firm published a book about tiaras, which contained beautiful picture pages with Queen Victoria's infamous tiara; Munn claims that the tiara was made by Kitching in 1845 at a cost of 1,150. He goes on to claim that it now belongs to a descendent of Queen Victoria who was kind enough to loan it for the 1997 exhibition. But after this brief appearance unsubstantiated reports have hinted that the 'Queen Victoria's Emerald and Diamond Tiara' has sadly been dismantled by its new owners.

The world's infatuation with the emerald began with Cleopatra during her reign as Queen of Egypt between 69 BC and 30 BC. She was often adorned in emeralds which made it clear to all around her that this was her most treasured jewel.

This legendary queen started a fashion trend surrounding this wonderful gemstone which has attracted an impressive array of the rich and famous throughout history who have keenly sought them.

Highly prized ever since, the emerald has never been out of favour, a fact that is supported in more recent times by emerald devotees including the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich and even Napoleon Bonaparte who chose them for his empress, Josephine. But it is Cleopatra who can rightfully claim to be history's most famous celebrity and champion of the emerald.

No emeralds belonging to Cleopatra have survived but she is known to have been completely captivated by them and historical accounts exist of her being draped in emerald encrusted mantles on occasions. The famous Emerald mines of Egypt, located in the hills inland from the Red Sea in Egypt's eastern desert region, were owned by Cleopatra.

Ancient miners braved extreme heat, scorpions and snakes to search for the "green fire." Cleopatra frequently indulged visiting dignitaries and diplomats from neighbouring countries by gifting these wonderful gems to them during their visits.

Emeralds belong to the gemstone family of beryl. Other well known members of this family are aquamarine, morganite and heliodor. Pure beryl is colorless in the emerald and the green color occurs only when chromium or vanadium are present.

So what is it that makes the emerald such a romantic stone?

To begin with, in ancient history it was associated with the goddess Venus - the goddess of beauty and love which gave it a headstart in the popularity stakes apart from anything else. Emeralds are much rarer than diamonds and only suitors of enormous wealth could bestow so priceless a gift on a lady.

Emerald is the birthstone for the month of May and the anniversary gemstone for the 20th and 35th year of marriage. This explains why a gift of emerald on these occasions is considered symbolic of love and devotion.

The intense brilliant green of the emerald symbolizes the renewing cycle of life and of springtime and even today this color retains a special status in many of the world's cultures and religions. Christianity for example regards it as the most significant of the liturgical colors being a symbol of faith, hope and resurrection.

Green is the color of nature, fertility and life. A field of green grass is the most restful color to the eye in nature. Green is a universally recognised color symbol around the world to represent safety. It is used widely in the corporate world as a branding color. George Washington, the first President of the United States favoured it above all other colors.

In recent years don't let's forget it became the signature color of Kermit the Frog, and Barbra Streisand played her part with "Evergreen."

But maybe 17th century Spanish priest, writer, poet and dramatist, Pedro Calderon de la Barca put it more succinctly, "Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises."

However you relate to things 'green', the emerald when cut, polished and faceted has the most fabulous brilliance and depth which draws the human eye like bees to a honeypot.

But don't expect your emerald to come with a 'bargain-basement' sales tag. These beauties with the clearest surface and most vibrant colors, because of their rarity, are usually more valuable than a diamond of similar carat weight.

Becoming the purchaser or giver of such a rare treasure can set you back serious money unless like Cleopatra you have an interest in an emerald mine or two. But don't despair just yet since there is a way around that.

What if an emerald, like a few other precious jewels such as diamonds, rubies, saphires, topaz and others, could short-circuit the 'glitz' and the resulting price tag while still being certified and guaranteed was possible?

The good news is that it is not only possible but the key to finding out how is the subject of a new free report entitled 'Today's Diamonds' and all you need to find out about that is with one click of a well-trained mouse.

Cleopatra would have loved it.

Emeralds are example of some of the most beautiful and vibrant gemstones of all. They have an intense green tone and though the crystals often contain inclusions, theses are accepted. The word emerald comes from the old French and means “green gemstone.” The best emeralds still come from South America where they were popular with the Aztecs and Incas centuries ago. The ancients Egyptians, particularly Cleopatra were also fond of emeralds. The Vedas, ancient holy Indian scriptures tell how emeralds have healing properties and can bring

Largest Diamonds

10. The Millennium Star
Weight: 203.04 carats

Millennium Star Diamond

The Millennium Star is internally and externally flawless pear-shaped diamond (total of 54 facets). With the weight of 203.04 carats it is the 10th largest diamond in the world. Originally, the rough stone was 777 carats found in the Mbuji-Mayi district of Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1990. After 5 months of studying and planning the cutting of the stone, it was decided to cut the rough diamond into three pieces. The Millennium Star is the outcome of the largest piece. The value of the stone hasn't been revealed but the Millennium Star was insured for 100 million English pounds, this is believed to be a fraction of its true worth.

9. The Red Cross
Weight: 205.07 carats

Red Cross Diamond

The Red Cross is canary yellow cushion-shaped diamond with weight of 205.07 carats. The rough stone weighed 375 carats and was found in Kimberly mines (South Africa) in 1901. The diamond was presented as a gift to the art sale held in London by Christies in 1918, on behalf of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John. Another rare feature is that a Maltese Cross is distinctly visible in the top facet, hence the double appropriateness of its name, the Red Cross Diamond.

8. The De Beers
Weight: 234.65 carats

De Beers Diamond

The De Beers diamond was found in Kimberly mines in 1888, the rough stone weighed 428.50 carats and measured 47.6 mm through its longest axis and 38.1 mm square. Weighing 234.65 carats, the De Beers is the 8th largest faceted diamond in the world. After its display in Paris the Maharaja of Patiala bought the De Beers. In 1928 Cartier of Paris set it as the centerpiece of a ceremonial necklace that came to be known as the Patiala Necklace. The necklace originally contained about 2,930 diamonds weighing about 962.25 carats. Today's whereabouts of the De Beers diamond and the Patiala Nacklace is unknown.

Patiala Nacklace

7. The Jubilee
Weight: 245.35 carats

Jubilee Diamond

The Jubilee is a colorless cushion-shaped diamond with a weight of 245.35 carats. The original rough stone, an irregular octahedron without definite faces or shape weighed 650.80 carats and was found in the Jagersfontein Mine towards the end of 1895. When during the cutting it became evident that a superb diamond of exceptional purity and size was being produced, it was planned to present it to Queen Victoria. In the end this did not happen and the diamond remained with its owners. The following year marked the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria (the 75th anniversary of her coronation) so the gem was renamed the Jubilee to commemorate the occasion.

6. The Centenary
Weight: 273.85 carats

Centenary Diamond

The Centenary was found in Premier mine in 1986, in its rough form it weighed 599 carats. When cutting was completed the Centenary weighed 273.85 carats, measured 39.90 × 50.50 × 24.55 mm, and had 247 facets - 164 on the stone and 83 around its girdle. Never before had such a high number of facets been polished onto a diamond. The true value of the Centenary diamond is unknown, but the diamond was insured for around $100 million in 1991.

5. The Spirit of de Grisogono
Weight: 312.24

Spirit of de Grisogono Diamond

The Spirit of de Grisogono, at 312.24 carats, is the world's largest cut black diamond, and world's 5th largest diamond. In a white gold mounting, it is set with 702 white diamonds totaling 36.69 carats. This diamond originally had a rough weight of 587 carats and was mined several decades ago in west Central Africa before being imported into Switzerland.

4. The Cullinan II
Weight: 317.40 carats

Cullinan II Diamond

The Cullinan II is the massive 317.40 carat cushion shaped diamond in the center-front of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. Cullinan II was cut from the largest gem-quality diamond ever found, it weighed 3106 carats, or about 1 1/3 pounds. It was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, who opened the mine and was visiting on that eventful day. The nine larger stones of the Cullinan diamond remain either in the British Crown Jewels or in the personal possession of the Royal Family.

3. The Incomparable
Weight: 407.48 carats

Incomparable Diamond

The Incomparable, in its rough state weighing 890 carats, was found in the town of Mbuji Mayi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) in the 1980s. Four years were spent studying and then cutting the stone, the biggest piece of rough ultimately yielded a gem weighing 407.48 carats; it is the third largest diamond ever cut. Internally flawless clarity and fancy brownish-yellow in color, it measures 53.90 × 35.19 × 28.18 mm.

2. The Cullinan I - aka the Star of Africa
Weight: 530.20 carats

Star of Africa Diamond

The Cullinan I, a pear shaped diamond weighing 530.20 carats is also known as the Star of Africa. It measures 53mm x 44mm x 29mm, and has 76 facets. It's called the Cullinan I because it is the largest of 9 large stones cut from the 3106 carat Cullinan Diamond. Cullinan I was placed by King Edward in the Sovereign's Royal Sceptre as part of the Crown Jewels, and it is now on display in the tower of London. Estimated value of Cullinan I is over $400 million! Learn More

1. The Golden Jubilee
Weight: 545.67 carats

Golden Jubilee Diamond

The Golden Jubilee, with the weight of 545.67 carats, is the largest faceted diamond in the world. Rough stone weighed 755 carats and was discovered in Premier mine, South Africa in 1985. The Golden Jubilee was presented to the King of Thailand in 1997 for his Golden Jubilee - the 50th anniversary of his coronation. Prior to this event, the stone was simply known as the Unnamed Brown. Estimated value of the Golden Jubilee is $4-$12 million.

Know Everything About World Famous Diamonds

High quality diamonds are very rare to find. Eighty percent of all diamonds are gemstone quality. Diamond able to capture the world’s fascination have something exceptional is them along with a very enriching history. Whether fact or fable, intriguing stories have risen up over the ages concerning the kings and their gems. All around the world there are many diamonds that have been spoken about and even written about in various stories and official records. Famous diamonds are part of our world's history, and have been located in various parts of the world. From royalty to the gods, famous diamonds are often as famous as the people who they belonged.

The Bazu diamond is one of those historical Diamond of which little is known, and what is known is contradictory. Many experts agree on the physical description of this diamond and believe that this Diamond was weighing 32.62 carats Colorless hexagonal shape. Created by King Louis XV, it was the largest diamond set with the French Blue in an ornament called The Order of the Golden Fleece, considered to be the most lavish and expensive single piece of jewelry in all of Europe. It is said to have its origin in India or Brazil and was stolen in 1792 band never recovered. Many efforts have been made to make a replica of this Diamond Shape, weight and color.

The Beau Sancy

Beau Sancy is one of the world’s oldest and most famous and sought after diamonds. It weighs 34.98 carats and has a one of a kind pear cut. Its had its origin in India in the deccan region and currently it is in private ownership in Europe. It is expected to fetch up to £2.5million when auctioned at Sotheby’s auction house in Geneva on May14th 2012. In 1604, French King Henri IV purchased it from the Lord of Sancy, as a gift for his beautiful wife, Marie de Medici, one of Europe's wealthiest women. After the king's murder, she was forced to sell the jewel. One of the most striking features of the diamond isits 110 identical and symmetrical facets, including the two small table facets.

The Black Orlov

It is a 67.50 carat cushion-cut Black stone and is also known as The Eye of Brahma. It is said to have originated near Pondicherry , India , and to have weighed 195 carats in the rough. There are many stories about Black Orlav being cursed. 1969, the stone was sold for $300,000, then resold in 1990 at Sotheby's for $99,000 . Then on October 11th, 2006, the necklace containing the stone, in a Christie's Magnificient Jewels sale, it sold for $352,000. Its is estimated to have a value of $100,000 to $200,000.

The Darya-I-Nur

The magnificent Darya-I-Nur, the Taj-E-Mah and the Nur Ul-Ain are sister diamonds.These three “sister” diamonds were cut from the same original rough, the Great Table, are now believed to be in the crown jewels of Iran and are seldom seen by anyone. The Darya-i-Nur diamond is a pale pink, table-cut diamond (also known as Lasque), with a weight of around 186 carats, and having dimensions of 41.40 x 29.50 x 12.15 mm. The clarity of the stone is not known with its origin in the Deccan region of India. The Darya-i-Nur and the Nur-ul-Ain diamonds are still the first and second largest pink diamonds in the world. The Nur-ul-Ain weighs around 186 carats. These names were given by Nadir Shah, the Persian conqueror, who invaded India. During the reign of Nasser-ed-Din the stone was mounted in an elaborate frame, which is surmounted by the Lion and Sun (the emblem of the Imperial Government of Iran) and set with four hundred fifty-seven diamonds and four rubies. It is still mounted in that same frame today.

The Dresden Green

The legendary 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond is the largest and finest natural green diamond ever found. Today it lays at Albertinium Museum in Dresden, Germany .Its history dates back over three centuries to the early 1700s, when it was purchased by Friedrich Augustus I of Saxony. It is probably of Indian origin, but nothing seems to be known of its antecedents. It is estimated to value £30,000. The Dresden Green Diamond is established as an one of a kind quality stone that is a rare type IIa diamond. The GIA certified the clarity grade as VS1with superior polish and the precious stone posses a flawless interior. The dimension of the gem measures 29.75 x 19.88 x 10.29mm.

The Florentine Diamod

This magnificent stone is also called the Tuscan, the Tuscany Diamond, the grand Duke of Tuscany, the Austrian Diamond and the Austrian Yellow Diamond. It got is name Florentine for the famous city Florence. This exclusive stone is Yellow in color and weighs 140.91 carats with dimensions of 30.7 x 26.1 x 19.81 mm. This beauty was an irregular, 9-sided double rose-cut stone, with a shield shape and having 126 facets. A double rose-cut is a modified briolette with a girdle. Florentine Diamond is believed to have originated in the Deccan plateau region of India. The history of the Diamond is documented by Tavernier. According to him after the fall of the Medici, the diamond made its way to Vienna and was positioned in the Hapsburg Crown Jewels in Hofbrug. The value of the Florentine diamond then was $750,000. During the reign of Ferdinando I de Medici, the 3rd Grand Duke of Tuscany (1587-1609), the Medici Family acquired this stone. There are many different stories about how this stone became a part of the Medici treasury. The whereabouts of this stone are not known. There are a lot of tales about the curse of the hope diamond. But most of them are fictitious.

French Blue

Weighing 112 3/16-carats with dimensions of 31.00 x 24.81 x 12.78 mm this magnigicient diamond was mined in India in the 17th century. Between 1630-1668, the French gem merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier made six voyages to Persia and India and acquired this unique stone and sold the stone to King Louis XIV. King Louis XIV of France purchased the diamond in 1668, had it cut by court jewelers and wore it on a necklace for ceremonial occasions. It became known as the French Blue. The French Blue became lost during the French Revolution and resurfaced in London in the 19th century. Henry Philip Hope, an Englishman, owned the diamond in the 1830s; the French Blue became the Hope diamond in his honor. Eventually, Cartier acquired the Hope diamond. The famous jewelers set it in a pendant, surrounding the blue diamond with 16 white diamonds, as part of a diamond necklace for socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean. Harry Winston Inc. purchased this necklace as part of Mrs. McLean's jewelry collection in 1949 and donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. Trace amounts of boron give the diamond its dark grayish blue color.

Great Mogul

The Great Mogul is the largest diamond found in India. There is only one recorded instance of this stone, and it occurs in Tavernier’s book (1676). Weights around 275.65 carats and has Dimensions of 34.85 x 25.61 mm. It was discovered as a 787-carat rough stone in the Deccan region mines in India in 1650 and subsequently was cut by the Venetian lapidary Hortentio Borgis. The French jewel merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier described it as rose-cut stone with a flaw at the bottom and a small speck within. Presently, the existence of this rare Mogul diamond is a big question..Its present location is unknown, and some believe that either the Orlov diamond or the Koh-i-noor may have been cut from this stone after its loss following the assassination of its owner, Nader Shah, in 1747.

Table Diamond.

This magnificient Diamond was weighing 242.31 carats with an Oblong shape with dimensions of 59.42 x 33.51 x 13.25 mm and light pink color. It originated in Golconda, India and it is believed that it was recut to make the Darya-i-Nur and the Nur-ul-Ain in the Iranian Crown Jewels.Shah Jahan Table Cut strongly resembles the diamond in a turban ornament in a portrait of Shah Jahan, and the stone is similar to the description given by Tavernier, shown to him by Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan's son, in 1665. Like other Mogul treasures, the table cut appears to have departed India with the Persian invasion in the mid-eighteenth century, after which it may have found its way into the Russian Treasury. The Shah Jahan was offered at auction by Christies in Geneva in 1985 but was not sold.

Hope Diamond

The Hope diamond, 45.52-carat is the world’s second largest blue diamond. It is currently located in Smithsonian Institution and in its current setting—it is now surrounded by 16 white diamonds and hangs on a chain of 45 diamonds. King Louis XIV of France purchased the diamond in 1668, had it cut by court jewelers and wore it on a necklace for ceremonial occasions. It became known as the French Blue. The French Blue became lost during the French Revolution and resurfaced in London in the 19th century. Henry Philip Hope, an Englishman, owned the diamond in the 1830s; the French Blue became the Hope diamond in his honor. Eventually, Cartier acquired the Hope diamond. The famous jewelers set it in a pendant, surrounding the blue diamond with 16 white diamonds, as part of a diamond necklace for socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean. Harry Winston Inc. purchased this necklace as part of Mrs. McLean's jewelry collection in 1949 and donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958

Idol’s Eye

Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918) owned the Idol’s Eye. It is unclear where its name came from but it is believed to have originated in the deccan region of India and it is said that it was worn by an idol. After Abdul Hamid II was defeated and went for exile he entrusted his servant to keep it safe but he sold the jewels in Paris.on June 24, 1909 . Later, a Spanish nobleman bought the Idol’s Eye diamond but kept it in his bank for years.In 1946, the Idol’s Eye appeared and was purchased by a Dutch diamond dealer who sold it to Harry Winston in 1946. He then sold it to May Bonfils Stanton. She was known to have had a generous collection of jewelry. After her death in 1962, all her jewels including the Idol’s Eye were auctioned off by Parke-Bernet Galleries in New York and the proceeds were given to her special charities. Harry Levinson, a Chicago jeweler bought the Idol’s Eye for his wife for $375,000 who then sold it to Laurence Graff in 1979. Before the sale Levinson loaned the diamond to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The following January the Idol’s Eye was sold to an unknown buyer.

Koh-I-Noor

The Koh-I-Noor is one of the most unique stones. It is currently 105 carats (21.0g), though it was once known to be the largest diamond in the world, at a whopping 793 carats! It is considered to be of the finest white color, clarity and transparency. Though some brilliant blue, pink and green mined diamonds are considered to be among the rarest stones .A vast amount of diamonds are mined and discovered every year, but less than 20% of them are commonly considered worthy of jewelry, with the remaining 80% frequently used in industry. Koh-I-Noor too originated in India and it currently lies in the Tower of London; British Crown Jewels. Its current value is estimated at some £10.5 billion . Before it was sent to the UK, this diamond was in the safekeeping of Login, who later handed it over to the then Governor-General Lord Dalhousie. He personally carried it with him to London. In 1850, the young Maharaja Dalip Singh, presented the Koh-i-Noor as a gift to Queen Victoria. It was originally mounted in a brooch, but is now set into the Crown of Queen Elizabeth and on display at the Tower of London.

Mirror of Portugal

The Mirror of Portugal is one of the most facinating stones in diamond history. This magnificient Diamond was weighing 26.07 carats carats had of dimensions of 17.89 x 16.73 x 10.98 mm and was colorless. It was owned alternatively by the kings of Spain, England, and France.There is no concrete evidence of its shape but a few portraits and faint drawings indicate it was a table cut. It was pawned a few times, recut into the Mazarin 3 in the late 1600’s. In 1972 it was stolen in the robbery of the French Crown jewels in 1792 and since then it is permanently unknown.

Nassak

The Nassak diamond , another wonder stone was found in India in the 15th century. This astonishing Diamond was weighing approx. 90 carats and had dimensions of 23.35 x 21.73 x 11.51 mm and was colorless. From 1500 to 1817 the diamond was in this form part of the image of Shiva. This got the Nassak is second name: “Eye of the Idol”. During the third Anglo- Maratha War the British East Indian Company acquired the Nassak diamond and then sold it in 1818 to a British jeweller. It was then recut and was incorporated in the handle of the sword of the 1st Marques of Westminster. In 1927 the Nassak diamond was transferred to the United States. In 1940 the Nassak diamond was recut by Harry Winston to an Emerald shape of 43.38 ct. Nassak is probably under private ownership but it current location is unknown.

Pasha

The Pasha is the Finest Gem in the Egyptian Treasury weighing 40Carats and dimensions of 23.5 x 23.5 x 10.81 mm. It is valued at pound 28,000. It originated in Brazil or India.. It was purchased by Ibrahim Pasha.

Celebrity Emerald Rings

Jessica Simpsons Emerald Engagement Ring

It's not easy being green... or pregnant: Jessica Simpson steps out in emerald muumuu and holds fiancé's arm for support as she teeters in heels

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2119848/Jessica-Simpson-steps-emerald-muumuu-holds-fiances-arm-support-teeters-heels.html#ixzz1u09GmmhU

angelina jolie emerald ring

Angelina Jolie's engagement ring was designed by Brad Pitt along with jeweler Robert Procop. The ring has a center stone with an elongated tablet shape and is mounted with a galaxy of smaller stones, graduated in size and faceted to match.

victoria beckham emerald ring

Victoria Beckham is yet another celeb who is renowned for massive and extravagant cocktail rings. At the 2012 Vanity Fair get together lady Beckham was spotted wearing her favored cocktail emerald ring which is bordered with pave diamonds and is set in platinum. This is not the very first time she picked the ring for her Oscar appears but prior in 2007 and 2009 also the ring created a go to to the Oscar following events with the diva. And feel me it is worth a ring to wear infinite times.

Halle Berry’s Emerald Engagement Ring

Halle Berry’s emerald engagement ring helped her in qualifying our list of attractive emerald ring. Her ring has a 4 carat emerald from the old mines of Muzo which is set in between two diamonds in 18K yellow gold setting with a secret message hidden beneath the stone. The shine and spark of Halle’s ring is remarkable!

Jackie Kennedy’s Emerald and Diamond Engagement Ring

We are speaking about emerald rings so we can’t miss Jackie Kennedy’s emerald and diamond engagement ring which was a revolutionary option of her time.

Duchess of Windsor Emerald Ring

Similarly the 19.77 carats emerald ring of Duchess of Windsor which King Edward VIII gave her was also an adorable piece to talk about.

Get to Know What Ethically Sourced Emeralds Are?

Diamond mines in politically unstable parts of central and western African countries are controlled by few revolutionary groups and where innocent human lives are subjected to torture, terrorism, violence and human rights abuse and in many cases the ultimate prices - death. For years, diamonds have been mined, cut and polished at the cost of a human life, injury, pain, grave injustice, human rights abuses, child labor, violence, or environmental degradation in many parts of Africa.

As the journalist Douglas Farah writes, "Diamonds are valuable as currency in this conflict diamond trade for numerous reasons. They are easy to transport, easy to sell and retain their value over time. They do not rot and do not need to be held in special conditions".

''Stop Blood Diamonds'' is an organization pledged to stopping the exploitation of the diamond trade by human rights abusers. Blood diamonds, often called conflict diamonds, are mined in war torn African countries by rebels to fund their conflict. The rebels grossly abuse human rights, often murdering and enslaving the local populations to mine the diamonds. Read More

Diamonds and Rebellions

These rebel groups in Africa sell diamonds from these mines to fund their operations and these diamonds are called conflict or blood diamonds. The public concerns about the purchase of such diamonds leading to war and human rights abuses the diamond industry introduced the Kimberley Process in 2002. This process ensures that diamonds sold by such rebel groups are not sold along with other diamonds. The Kimberley process provides documentation and certification of diamond exports from diamond producing countries to ensure that the proceeds of sale are not being used to fund criminal or revolutionary activities.

Having such strict procedures also does not help curb the blood diamond trade to the fullest extent. Approximately 2% of diamonds traded today are possible conflict diamonds. This is due to the relative ease of smuggling diamonds across African borders and violent nature of diamond mining in nations which are not in a technical state of war and whose diamonds are therefore considered “clean".

Terrorism and Human Rights Abuses

Conflict diamonds are so called because these come from countries that suffer from terrorism and human rights abuses. Several groups which want to control diamond trade in these countries have killed many innocents. Therefore, conflict diamonds are also called blood diamonds. The money earned by selling these diamonds is also used to fund such terrorist activities of these groups in West African countries like Angola, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo (also known as Congo Brazzaville) and Liberia. Read More

The Tragedy of Sierra Leone

During the late 1990’s, blood diamonds caught the world’s attention during the extremely brutal conflict in Sierra Leone. It was estimated that 4% of the diamonds traded during that time were conflict diamonds.

There was an important study done to shed light on the Sierra Leone tragedy. It exposes how diamonds - small pieces of carbon with no great intrinsic value - have been the cause of widespread death, destruction and misery for almost a decade in the small West African country of Sierra Leone. Through the 1990s, Sierra Leone’s rebel war became a tragedy of major humanitarian, political and historic proportions, but the story goes back further - almost 60 years, to the discovery of the diamonds.

The diamonds are, to use the title of Graham Greene’s classic 1948 novel about diamond smuggling in Sierra Leone, The Heart of the Matter. In the 1960s and 1970s, a weak post-independence democracy was subverted by despotism and state-sponsored corruption. Economic decline and military rule followed. The rebellion that began in 1991 was characterized by banditry and horrific brutality, wreaked primarily on civilians. Between 1991 and 1999, the war claimed over 75,000 lives, caused half a million Sierra Leoneans to become refugees, and displaced half of the country’s 4.5 million people.

Get to Know Diamonds and De Beers - The Diamond Cartel

Until the 1980s, De Beers was directly involved in Sierra Leone, had concessions to mine diamonds offshore, and maintained an office in Freetown. Since then, however, the relationship has been indirect. De Beers maintains a diamond trading company in Liberia and a buying office in Conakry, Guinea.[1] Both countries produce very few diamonds themselves, and Liberia is widely understood to be a ‘transit’ country for smuggled diamonds. Many ‘Liberian’ diamonds are of Sierra Leonean origin, and others reportedly originate as far away as Russia and Angola. De Beers says that it does not purchase Sierra Leonean diamonds. Through its companies and buying offices in West Africa, however, and in its attempts to mop up supplies everywhere in the world, it is virtually inconceivable that the company is not - in one way or another - purchasing diamonds that have been smuggled out of Sierra Leone.

What about the Governments in Africa?Many of the world’s diamonds are harvested using practices that exploit and degrade children, communities, the labor force, and the local environment. Workers are subject to brutality, degrading working conditions, low pay and sometimes death. Consider the facts: over 1 million diamond diggers in Africa are paid less than $1 a day, living in poverty and working in dangerous conditions. Many of the diamond workers in Africa are children under the age of 16, accounting for between 30-50% of the workforce in countries like the Congo, Angola, and Sierra Leone. Local communities in Angola are being tortured by local diamond companies in an effort to force them off the diamond rich land, while the government turns a blind eye.

The Kimberly Process - An End to Conflict Diamonds?More than 99% of the world's diamonds are now from conflict free sources and are officially traded under the UN mandated Kimberley Process. We are glad to bring you diamonds that are conflict free and have been mined and traded with the strict guidelines of the Kimberly Process. Thanks to the international effort that started in May 2000 when Southern African diamond producing states met in Kimberley, South Africa, to come up with a way to stop the trade in conflict diamonds and to ensure consumers that the diamonds that they purchase have not contributed to violent conflict and human rights abuses in their countries of origin.

Today, more than 99% of the world's diamonds are free from conflict free sources and are officially traded under the UN mandated Kimberley Process. We are glad to bring you diamonds that are conflict free and have been mined and traded with the strict guidelines of the Kimberly Process.

Know Everything About Emeralds

Know All About Emeralds

Emerald History: Green beryls are called emerald, blue aquamarine. Green emerald expresses faithfullness and continuity. The coloring agent is chrome, sometimes vanadium. The color is very stable against light and heat. The color distribution is often irregular; a dark green is most desired. Only the fine specimens are transparent. Often the emerald is clouded by inclusions. These are not classified as faults, but as evidence to the genuineness of the emerald as compared with synthetices.

Physical Properties: Emerald Color: Emerald Green, green and yellowish green; Emeralds Moh's Hardness: 7.5-8; Emeralds Density: 2.67-2.78; Emerald Chemical Composition: Aluminium Berrylium Silicate; Emeralds Transparency: Transparent to Opaque; Emeralds Refractive Index: 1.565-1.602; Emeralds Dispersion: 0.014; Emeralds Pleochroism: Definite; green, blue, blue green to yellow green.

Emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl and one of the most highly prized all gems. Emerald is the birthstone for May and the zodiac stone for those born under Cancer's sign. Throughout history emerald has been one of the most desired and coveted of gems. Associated with Venus, the Roman goddess of love, the emerald was believed to bestow upon the wearer faithfulness and unchanging love. Emerald belongs to the gem family beryl. Colombia, Brazil, and Zambia are the major producers, but there is an increasing shortage of fine emerald, and producers are having trouble keeping up with world demands.

Emerald Color: The finest quality emerald has the color of fresh young green grass- an almost pure spectral green, possibly with a very faint tint of blue. The highest quality emeralds have medium tone and are bright green with good color saturation. Color distribution should be uniform.

Emerald Saturation (color purity) is the brightness or vividness (dullness or drabness) of the color. It refers to the degree to which the hue is hidden by brown or gray. Colors with minimum amount of brown or gray are described as vivid or strong. For color purity GIA uses saturation and AGL uses intensity. Saturation can be "highly pure" and "slightly brownish or grayish". Our emeralds are "slightly brownish or grayish.

Emerald Hue: refers to the basic colors of blue, gren, yellow, orange, red, purple and violet. All emeralds exhibit some other colors in addition to their basic green color. To determine the hue, look for the dominant color in the face-up view. When you move the stone in different directions you see the different colors.

Emerald Tone: Refers to the depth of color (light or dark). The lighest possible tone is colorless. The darkest is black. Tone is another word for the degree of lightness or darkness. Judging the tone of a stone is difficult because it doesnot display a single, uniform tone. To judge the tone of a stone, examine it face-up and look for areas of light and dark. Columbian emerald is a deep green with a very slight blue undertone and is considered the finest. African emerald is also a nice shade of green with a blue undertone with a slight darkening effect which makes it slightly less valuable than columbian. Emerald can have tones: "light-medium," "medium," "medium-dark," and "dark". We prefer emeralds with medium tones in rings & emerald jewelry.

Emerald Clarity: Clarity refers to the absence of internal flaws or inclusions. Type and placement of flaws are also very important. Flawless emeralds are so rare that inclusions are expected in genuine emerald. When there aren't any inclusions, one wonders if the stone is in fact an emerald. So placement of flaws are important when buying a emerald in rings.

Emerald Cut: A good cut will enhance stones natural beauty to the fullest. A poor cutter make may make the same stone less desirable, because a poor cut will significantly reduce the vividness and alter the depth of the color (saturation), usually producing a stone that is too dark. Flaws are very common in emeralds and that is why cut of an emerald is important in not allowing these flaws to penetrate deep into the gem.

Emerald Value: Emeralds which are well cut, pure deep green and are moderately clean (flaws placement is good) are most valuable in rings.

Emerald Size: The common unit of measurement for stones is weight, expressed in carats and decimal parts thereof. Also, remember again not to confuse weight with size. Some stones weight more than others bacause stones have different density. Size of stone which can be diameter, or length and width is expressed in millimeters. Our stones are not cut deep to gain weight but are well cut emeralds offering you maximum size.

Taking Care of Emerald Jewelry? When you store jewelry, protection from theft and damage should be a prime consideration. A jewelry box can protect pieces from damage if they are stored individually, but it is one of the first places burglars look. Emerald should never be cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner but with a soft cloth. Emeralds should be wrapped separately in soft material or placed individually in pouches. Wear jewelry after you are dressed up. Have a professional check your jewelry every couple of years to check the setting as well as the stones.

Important Considerations: Both intensity and tone of color can be significantly affected by the proportioning of the cut. In other words, a good gem cutter working with a fine stone will be able to bring out its inherent beauty to the fullest. A poor cutter make may make the same stone less desirable, beacause a poor cut will significantly reduce the vividness and alter the depth of the color (saturation), usually producing a stone that is too dark. In emeralds a shallow cut might bring more color saturation than a deeper cut.

Enhancements: Unpolished gemstones are typically very rough. Looking at gemstones straight from the mine, they might be mistaken for pebbles or gravel.

Nearly all gemstones available on the open market have been "enhanced" (i.e. something has been done to make them look better). Gemstones that have not been enhanced are very rare and command extravagant prices.

There are many methods of enhancing gemstones. Some of the most common enhancement treatments are described below. For more information on gemstone enhancements, visit the American Gem Trade Association website

The use of heat to enhance the color of some gemstones is a common practice around the globe and has been going on for centuries. It is part of the standard polishing and finishing process for many gemstone varieties, including aquamarine, citrine, amethyst, sapphire, ruby and tanzanite, and is accepted by the jewelry industry and the American Gem Trade Association.

The enhanced color of heat-treated gemstones is permanent and does not require special care. Aquamarine, citrine, amethyst, sapphire, ruby and tanzanite gemstones offered by Blue Nile have been heat treated.

Colorless oil, wax and resin are used to improve the clarity of some gemstones. The colorless oil, wax or resin is infused into surface-reaching fissures (called inclusions) to improve the stone's appearance. This process began centuries ago by gemstone merchants who found that immersing emeralds in clear oil or waxes made them look clearer to the unaided eye. Today, almost all emeralds are treated in this way. Gemstones with colorless oil, wax or resin enhancement, including emeralds, can be harmed if handled roughly. Recommended special care for such gemstones is avoidance of sudden temperature changes, steaming, chemicals and ultrasonic exposure.

Emeralds offered by Sndgems.com may have been treated with colorless oil, wax or resin.

Tips on Buying Emeralds

Natural gemstones occur in a broad range of qualities, and the price can vary accordingly. For example, a pale opaque ruby commands about one-tenth the price of a fine quality ruby that displays a vivid red color with brilliant depth and intensity.

1. Learn as much as you can by visiting accredited educational sites, like The Gemological Institute of America, this will enhance your learning on the history of Emeralds and know how to spot a fake.

2. Know where the finest emeralds come from: three Colombian mines: Muzo, Chivor, and Cosquez. Emeralds of varying (but generally inferior) color, clarity, and quality are also mined in Brazil, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Nigeria, Russia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Emeralds from the Muzo mine are a deep green with a trace of yellow or blue.Emeralds from the Quipama mine are a little bit on the yellowish side.Emeralds from the Coscuez mine have a hint of blue and are of a rich intense color.Chivor Emeralds are known for their bluish tones, they are still blue/green, but they have a lot of blue for an Emerald.

3. Look for distinct inclusions. Inclusions not only give each Emerald character it also can help determine exactly which mine the Emerald originated from. A two phase tubular inclusion is characteristic of Chivor stones. The parasitic crystal only appears in stones from the Muzo mine. Common to all Colombian Emeralds is the three phase inclusion, comprised of Solid, Liquid & Gas. Spiral inclusions are also indicative of Colombian Emeralds3. Look for distinct inclusions. Inclusions not only give each Emerald character it also can help determine exactly which mine the Emerald originated from. A two phase tubular inclusion is characteristic of Chivor stones. The parasitic crystal only appears in stones from the Muzo mine. Common to all Colombian Emeralds is the three phase inclusion, comprised of Solid, Liquid & Gas. Spiral inclusions are also indicative of Colombian Emeralds

4. Remember that all emeralds will have some type of inclusions, no matter how small. The very nature of the coloration of the beryl crystal with chromium or vanadium imparts inclusions in the crystal. This is also why you should never turn down an emerald of nice color simply because of some inclusions. Because of the relatively low specific gravity of emeralds (SGE = 2.72), emeralds are physically larger than similarly weighted diamonds or rubies.

5. Ask about the oiling process. Emeralds are like opals in that the stones are quite porous and will often have small fissures and gas bubbles exposed during the cutting process. As a result, just like opals, emeralds are coated with a clear resin-like oil that helps to seal the stone from detergents, hand lotions, etc. from seeping into the stone during everyday wear. As long as this oiling is done using a clear oil, the process is acceptable and virtually every emerald is treated in this manner. However, if a green colored oil is used to hide inclusions and enhance the color, this process must be disclosed to you at the time of sale.

6. Be wary of discounts. Emeralds are rare. Very rare. And no one needs to discount emerald jewelry because of this rarity. If you see emeralds being offered at big discounts you should be very cautious.

7. Don't be too strict on proportioning when shopping for emeralds. These stones are very rare and they are cut to save the most amount of the original crystal. Since color is the most important factor with emeralds, be prepared to see some unusual shapes.

8. Keep in mind that most U.S. jewelers do not work with enough emeralds to be able to appraise a fine Colombian emerald. Most cannot identify a chromium or vanadium coloring element in the stones which has a great effect on the price of the stone. Learn More

What are natural gemstones

A gemstone is defined as a mineral or petrified material that when cut and polished, can be used in jewelry. It is a mineral that is valuable, rare and often beautiful.Minerals were forged beneath the surface of the earth over millions of years through the forces of heat and pressure, resulting in a distinct crystal form with an orderly pattern of atoms. This internal arrangement determines a mineral’s chemical and physical properties, including its color. Crystals are not necessarily formed only in rocks or beneath the surface of the earth; they are also formed within plants and animals. Such gemstones are called Organic gemstones (coral, amber etc.). Every mineral originates as a small crystal and “grows” as more atoms are added. A particular gem or mineral can be a variety of different colors, depending on impurities, also known as inclusions, in its atomic structure. Quartz, for example, is normally colorless, but occurs in a range of colors from pink to brown to the deep purple of amethyst, depending on the amount and type of impurities in its structure. Gemstones are precious because the extreme climatic conditions and the nurturing inside earth’s womb for millions of years, are not just rare conditions but almost impossible to occur again. And this is the reason that the importance of gemstones is much beyond the obvious aesthetic appeal.Of almost 4,000 different types of minerals found on earth, fewer than 100 are considered beauteous or durable enough to be used as gemstones. Of those, only around 20 are commonly used in jewelry. The traditionally included category of most valuable gemstones is emerald, ruby, sapphire and pearl. Because of their aesthetic appeal and glorious history, these gemstones are more valuable than other colored gemstones. Finest quality emeralds and rubies can sometimes be more valuable than diamonds of comparable size.Gemstones are classified into different varieties, species and groups. For instance, ruby (gemstone) is the red variety of the species corundum (mineral) that belongs to the hematite (crystal) group. Varieties of the mineral beryl include emerald (green), aquamarine (blue), heliodor (yellow), bixbite (red), goshenite (colorless) and morganite (pink).Gemstone treatments or enhancements refer to the way some gems are treated to improve their aesthetic appeal or durability, or even change their color. Almost all gemstones are treated in some or the other way. Most of these treatments are permanent in nature and an accepted norm in the industry. Treatments do not affect a gemstone’s value. Learn More

Seeking quality

Akin diamonds, gemstones are judged by the "Four Cs" of color, clarity, cut and carat weight, with color being the most important consideration, by far. As a general rule for all gemstones, the better the color, the higher the value; better clarity and better cut are also valued more - and generally, the larger the stone, the more it will cost per carat. Even to an untrained novice eye, many of these types of differences can be seen when similar stones are examined side-by-side.Other factors that may influence the price of a gemstone include whether it is available readily or is rare in existence; whether it is a rare fancy shape or a calibrated size; and sometimes the origin of the gem. For instance, sapphires from Kashmir or rubies from Burma command a higher price than their equivalents from other origins.

Buying Emerald Rings Online

Why Emerald and Diamond engagement rings are becoming very popular due to their sophistication and beauty. During the reign of Pope Innocent III, emerald diamond engagement rings were worn by the wealthy class. Emeralds were considered a symbol of wealth and sophistication. The engagement of Mary of Burgundy in 1477 to Archduke Maximillian of Austria was reportedly the very first time and emerald cut engagement ring was ever used..

Emerald cut diamond rings are usually cut as a square or a rectangle. The corners are often cut to resemble a "box". Emerald Engagement rings can be greatly enhanced with beautifully cut emeralds. Sometimes the emeralds and diamonds can be arranged in three stone rings that will create an illusion of a larger ring.

Emerald diamond engagement rings are known to be simple, yet elegant and unique. Not all women are into sparkly and flashy diamond rings. Emeralds are an excellent choice for women who prefer simplicity and classiness over flashy brightness.

Familiarize yourself with the features of an emeralds. Thankfully, emerald can be magnified in order to see the overall appearance. This is a good way to look for any imperfections they may have. You can seek out an independent appraisal for the emerald and diamond from an expert. An independent jeweler will let you know how much exactly the emerald is worth.

If you are planning to purchase an emerald ring online, make sure you do so from a reputable company that deals diamond jewelry. Read the reviews and opinions of others who have purchased emerald and diamond rings from certain companies. Make sure you read the description of the ring before you purchase it, and make certain that you receive a warranty with it.

More About Emeralds

The Emerald Gemstone is a variety of the mineral Beryl and is a beautiful strong velvety green in colour, although more recently a bluish green seems to be the most desired.
Beryl is colourless in it's purest form, but the presence of chromium and vanadium is what gives this flawed but fabulous Gemstone it's rich colouring. Emerald is the birthstone for the month of May and is also the anniversary Gemstone used to celebrate the twentieth and thirty-fifth years of marriage. Best sources of Emerald are mined in Brazil, Colombia and Zambia but can also be found in Australia, India, Pakistan as well as Russia, South Africa and the United States.

The Emerald Gemstone is a very precious jewel indeed and by weight is the most valuable Gemstone in the world, it's rarity prompting the development of synthetic Emeralds.
This beautiful green Gemstone is one of the oldest known to mankind and has been used in Jewelry for hundreds of years. The ideal Emerald should be highly transparent with a good even colour, clarity is important but overall the colouring of the Gemstone is the key factor. Emerald Gemstones will usually be found with cracks and fissures and it is normal practice to treat these flaws with oil, most commonly cedar oil is used as it has a similar refractive index and helps to show off and disperse the stones rich vibrant colour.
Some Emeralds are filled using a heat and vacuum technology, this involves using epoxy resin, which becomes part of the stone and helps to hide the natural flaws the stone possesses. A lot of Emerald from Brazil and Colombia is treated this way but Gemstones from Zambia are not normally subjected to filling, almost all stones however are oiled.

This dazzling green stone was mined for thousands of years by the ancient pharaohs with the most famous being Cleopatra who had a vast collection of Emeralds, the Cleopatra mines in Egypt was probably the source of a large amount of historical Emerald but the mines have been depleted for many years now. At present probably the finest specimens come from Colombia as they are normally a nice pure green with a touch of blue, Brazilian stones are a little lighter in colour and can seem to appear cloudy but they usually do not have so many inclusions, Emeralds from Zambia are a deep lush green with very good clarity.
Because of the natural flaws of the Emerald it has been given it's own unique cut, usually rectangular with the corners beveled so as to prevent the flaws from splintering the jewel, although the stone is quite hard it prevents accidental damage by chipping the corner of the gem if you were to knock it. This cut also shows off the Emeralds beautiful colouring perfectly.

The Emerald Gemstone is said to make the wearer full of love, and that if a man and a woman present each other with an Emerald Ring their love will grow and become permanent.
Venus the goddess of love is said to have been totally captivated by the Emerald.
It is believed that if Emerald is tied around a lady's waist during childbirth, that the delivery will be normal and painless. Legend and lore states that the green gem destroys black magic and assists in predicting the future, wearing the stone is also said to aid health and immunity as well as increase the ability to concentrate and focus the mind.
Emerald is also believed to help in career opportunities and increase wealth and social staure. Placing a real Emerald on your eyes gives a cool feeling, if the gem was imitation it would warm quickly.

Although Emerald has a hardness of 7.5-8 on the Moh scale this can vary depending on the inclusions in the Gemstone, as the stone is quite brittle care should be taken with your Emerald Ring, try to select designs that border the stone fully and offer the Gemstone as much protection as possible, this is even more important with rings. A soft cloth and very mild soap and water are the best way to clean Emerald or better still, have it done professionally and do not ever use a ultra sonic cleaner as this de-greases the Gemstone and will dull the colour and have adverse effects on any treatments your Emerald has received.
When buying Emerald Jewelry of course it is important to be sensible and go by your budget but the larger the stone you can buy the better the gem will show off its fantastic colour.
The Emerald is one of the few Gemstones that look beautiful in both white and yellow gold emerald rings.

Emeralds For 20th, 35th and 45th Aniversaries

Emerald is a precious gemstone frequently incorporated into some of the most modern, beautiful handmade jewelry in the world. It is most often found in shades of opaque or translucent green, and is widely recognized as the May Birthstone and the gemstone for the 20th, 35th and 45th anniversaries. But beyond its modern-day uses and associations, emerald holds a decadent mythological, spiritual and etymological history that adds nostalgic value to its already strong aesthetic worth. Read on for more information that will help you fall in love with your emerald ring or inspire you to buy some today!

Emerald is the green variety of the species beryl and is one of the three most precious of colored stones, ranging from a light lemony-lime green to a dark, intense forest green, and bluish-green. The name Emerald is derived from the French word "esmeraude," which goes back to the Greek word "smaragdos" that means "green gemstone." Emerald has long been considered the finest of the green colored stones, as it is often compared to rich green landscapes--Ireland is called the "Emerald Isle."

The ancient Incas and Aztecs in South America worshipped the Emerald, proclaiming it was a holy stone, offering it to the Gods. They would rather suffer death than reveal their Emerald sources! The Greeks also dedicated this beautiful green gem to the goddess Venus.

Emerald gemstones look best as parts of formal evening jewelry when paired with Black Onyx, white pearls or black diamonds. More casual combinations include lighter contrasts of green emerald with quartz, carnelian or topaz. To see a selection of handmade artisan jewelry featuring emerald, click here. Emerald is typically considered a sophisticated gemstone that works well with any outfit. In earrings, it works especially well to enhance the luster of green or hazel eyes.

Emeralds are believed to promote physical and emotional healing, in addition to symbolize faith and immortality, aid eye-sight, and intelligence. They are said to have a powerful affect on both the subconscious and conscious mind, increasing memory and psychic awareness.

The Emerald was first mined in Egypt around 3500 BC. The Egyptian Pharaohs called these sources "Cleopatra Mines." Egypt was a major source until the 16th century, until the Spaniards discovered more in South America (Columbia). Today they are found in Zambia, Brazil, Africa, and Russia, just to name a few.

Mohs' Hardness score is based on a 10 point scale where 10 is the most resistant, like a diamond, and 1 is easily scratched, such as Talc. Emerald gets a score of 6.5-7, meaning that it is somewhat scratch resistant and therefore suitable as a component of jewelry. Emerald gemstones should be regularly cleaned by a professional or with a soft rag and mild soap and water. Avoid ultra-sonic cleaners, solvents and harsh chemicals when cleaning your handcrafted jewelry as exposure to these elements can damage semi-precious and precious gemstones and pearls.

Learn more about all semi-precious gemstones, including amethyst, apatite, black onyx, blue topaz, carnelian, chalcedony, citrine, coral, garnet, white topaz, crystal, diamond, emerald, iolite, jade, Labradorite, moonstone, pearl, peridot, prehnite, rose quarz, ruby, sapphire, smokey topaz, tanzanite, tourmaline and tourquoise when you check out this gemstone chart.

Emerald History

Emeralds are among the oldest gemstones in the world. Orignially from Zimbabwe they began to grow 2600 million years ago, whilst some specimens were found in Pakistan that were 9 million years in age.

The gems rich colour does not usually develop until traces of another element are added and in the case of the emerald it is mainly traces of chromium and vanadium that are responsible for that stunning tone of green. Its spiritual meaning of good luck and well being was made sacred by old scriptures of the Indians many centuries ago and they used these precious green stones for these healing properties.

Gorgeous jewelry can be produced from these beautiful stones and also come in many different forms to suit everyone. In comparison to other stones, the emerald is one of the rarest, although stones such as diamond jewelry will generally be more expensive due to higher demand e.g. diamonds in emerald diamond engagement rings are the no1 advertised gemstone. These beautiful stones represent the traditional birthstone for May and the gemstone regarded as Taurus, Cancer and sometimes Gemini from the zodiac sign chart also.

Emeralds are extremely difficult to cut and set into jewelry, due to their brittleness and crevices which riddle the stone. A skilled gem cutter would most probably find it one of the most difficult to work but also the most rewarding. The rectangular shape that it results in with slanted edges therefore enhances the emerald rings beauty. If the raw material seems to be too difficult for such a shape then it may also be cut into a rounded design such as emerald beads that are most popular in India.

The stones in which are difficult to spot any surface breaking fissures are extremely rare and therefore a majority of the gems are treated or oiled in order to enhance its apparent clarity. Cedar oil is the most common used in this process and is a generally accepted and traditional routine within the gem trade. Ones which are not acceptable in this trade are processes such as the use of green-tinted oil.

But if you are deciding to buy something containing this beautiful gemstone, be sure to first make sure of its quality. Synthetic emeralds are often referred to as "created", as their gemological and chemical composition is the same as their natural counterparts. There are also very strict regulations as to what can and what cannot be called "synthetic" stone.

Emerald Engagement Rings

Gemstones are popular choice of the couples when they go to shop for the rings. Varieties of colors and a dazzling impact on the onlookers are few of the reasons for the people opting for these stones. Emerald engagement rings are also one of the preferred choices of the couples as they want to add color and a touch of history as well to the ring. But they must consider some tips before shopping for the gemstone.

When varieties of emerald are displayed before your eyes in a jeweler shop, first of all you should pick up a color of your choice. Green is the usual color of emerald gemstone. However, there are several shades of green to choose from. For instance, you can settle for dark green or lighter green. One of the most popular shades of green in emerald is blue-green, which also makes the rings expensive. Other colors which are less favored amongst the customers are brown or yellow and are priced way lower.

While checking the gemstone for color quality, know that the color should be clear. The stone should be keeping its color in various lights for better quality of emerald engagement rings. The stone must also be transparent, meaning that its internal appearance should not be cloudy, though darker colors may not be having the transparency.

While purchasing the gemstone, make sure that you have checked the stone for inclusions, as are found in diamonds. You should particularly ensure that the stone has no fracture, which is known as feather. Such an inclusion lowers the price and should be preferred only when you intend to buy emerald engagement rings at very low costs. Otherwise make a stringent quality check on the stone.

As you give the gemstone to the jeweler to cut in shape of your preference, consider the cost also. Some cuts are expensive as they require time and skill form the specialist of the field. Such cuts are done to carve out the stone in pear, heart or even round shapes. If budget is the concern, then go for simpler cut to shape the stone in rectangular or square, which are popular for emerald engagement rings.

Another aspect that you must consider while purchasing the emerald is whether or not it has been put under treatment or not. Some gemstones develop cracks, which are filled with oils or epoxy resins. Ask the jeweler if the stone has gone such treatment or not. Cost of the stone will be lowered to the larger extent if some treatments are done on it and will make the rings less expensive as against high costs of the rings with flawless stones.

In the end, it is advisable to purchase the emerald only after making every enquiry to the jeweler. If the stone has been treated for filling the cracks, then know about the extent of the treatment as it will determine the prices. The jeweler must also be clearly telling you if the stone is natural or created in lab. Natural stones are expensive. So, ask the jeweler to give you in writing, if he says it is natural gemstone. Keep these tips in mind while shopping for emerald engagement rings.

The Richness and Sparkle of Emeralds Make it Suitable for Royalty

Generally princess and queens used emeralds to decorate themselves. Thus, it is a gem of high esteem and value.

Historically, emeralds got its color after the Venus, goddess of love. This lush green color gem is also known as the favorite gem of Cleopatra of Egypt between 3,000-1,500 B.C. Indians believes that emerald ring brings good omen and enhances the well-being. That's why; man who constructed Taj Mahal inscribed some texts in emerald and wore them. It is also gained the preference of Indian Maharajahs and Maharanis and constituted a large share of their gem collection. This all says the value and real worth of the gem.

Emerald is a green member of beryl minerals, sapphire is known as its substitute. It is considered as one of the hardest gems after diamond. But, their rarity and appearance make them far costlier than diamonds. Mined mostly in South America and Africa, this gem is now found mainly in Columbia. The Columbian emerald is known for their sparkling green color and make them world famous.

Columbia tops the chart in producing this rare gem called emerald while, it is also mined in other African countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Madagascar. Fine emeralds are also found in the mines of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Russia. The quality of emerald ranges from country to country. Columbian emerald is the most precious emeralds with its unmatched light and color. They are the most sought emeralds in the international market. Emeralds mined in the parts of Africa are generally darker than Columbian emeralds and has a tint of bluish shade in it. Thus, the value of emerald lies in its color.

Emeralds are considered a sophisticated gem and protect itself from any kind of scratches and marks. Because of its hardness, it becomes really difficult for a gem cutter to give an emerald a shape. Therefore, a unique shape called emerald shape is derived that gives emerald rings a classic touch.

The lush green color of emerald in emerald engagement rings makes it really special and exotic. Emerald has a deep association with nature and springtime as they are also green in their color. The color of emerald also makes it favorable to many religions in the world. In Islam green is an auspicious color and highly esteemed. Green is also the color of out life. It is soothing and gives a sense of freshness to the eyes of beholder.

Gemstone Colors

The colors of the gemstones are what make them look so dazzling and alluring. The most dazzling gemstones are the precious stones. Emeralds, rubies and sapphires are known primarily for their bright green, red and blue colors. While sapphire is also available in colors like pink, green and yellow. Nevertheless, all gemstones have beautiful colors, which increase their exquisiteness. For instance, pearls are white, pink, red, aquamarine is bluish green, amethyst is purple, garnets are green, red, purple, and topaz is yellow and orange in color. Gems also come in different shades of colors, like blue, green or red.You can choose your gemstone according to the color you like. The deepest or richest colors are the most valuable and expensive stones. Emeralds have different shades of green, but the most popular shade is the bluish green, which is the richest color. Sapphires too are found in pink, green, yellow and different shades of blue. However, the rich blue color is the most valuable and popular stone. Rubies are also found in different shades of red, while the color known, as "pigeon's blood" is the darkest and richest red available, which is very powerful. This deep red ruby is mined only in Myanmar.When precious stones are found in mines, they do not look as attractive as they should be. Stones are usually polished, carved and cut into different shapes and sizes for it to acquire its beauty. According to the polish of the stone, the value increases.It is a common notion that the deeper and richer the color of the stone, the more precious and valuable it is. For instance, bright white pearls, green garnets, royal purple amethysts, yellow topaz, deep red corals are the most precious and valuable gem stones existing. A lighter colored gemstone, like a light green garnet isn't as precious as a parrot green garnet.It is very difficult to obtain the richest color of a stone, as they are very rare. Thus most of the people settle with lighter colors, as they are easily available and very affordable. These days, people prefer a lighter garnet, or a lighter purple amethyst, as it is next to impossible to afford or find the "perfect" green or purple. As long as the gemstone is powerful and attractive people are content.

However, it is strange that diamond, which is the most expensive and exquisite gemstone, is valued by how colorless it is. Diamonds are rated according to their shine, and neutral color. If the diamond is white or pale pink, it is regarded as a low grade diamond. But if the diamond is known as a pink diamond, or a canary diamond then it is considered worthy. The most high priced diamonds are oddly, colorless.

Know Everything About Birthstone Origins:

In the Old Testament, the book of Exodus tells the story of the Breastplate of Aaron, used in religious ceremonies. (Aaron...just in case you were absent from Sunday school that day...was the Biblical figure who performed, at Moses' direction, the miracles that confounded Pharaoh and his magicians.)

Aaron's breastplate was adorned with four rows of gemstones, three gemstones in each row, in the following pattern: Sardius, topaz, carbuncle; emerald, sapphire, diamond; ligure, agate, amethyst; beryl, onyx, jasper. These twelve gemstones represented the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve positions were later co-opted by astologers who linked them to the twelve months of the calendar year and the twelve signs of the zodiac.

The Traditional Birthstone List contains these older birthstones and represents birthstone traditions heralding back to the 15th century. The Modern Birthstone List was created by the National Association of Jewelers in 1912 in Kansas City, Missouri. Gemstone purists complained that the NAJ list was devised solely for commercial purposes (they probably didn't believe in Santa Claus either!). As a result, astrologers who prescribed gems often substituted alternate or secondary stones. The Mystical Birthstone list below originated in from Tibet over a thousand years ago. The Ayurvedic Birthstone list is derived from age-old Ayurvedic Indian Medicine, a practice of native people for more than a century.Month Modern Traditional Mystical AyurverdicJanuary Garnet Garnet Emerald GarnetFebruary Amethyst Amethyst Amethyst BloodstoneMarch Aquamarine Bloodstone Jade BloodstoneApril Diamond Diamond Opal QuartzMay Emerald Emerald Sapphire AgateJune Pearl Alexandrite Moonstone PearlJuly Ruby Ruby Ruby RubyAugust Peridot Sardonyx Diamond SapphireSept. Sapphire Sapphire Agate Lapis LazuliOctober Opal Tourmaline Tourmaline JasperNovember Yellow Topaz Citrine Citrine PearlDecember Turquoise Lapis Lazuli Onyx RubyAstrologically speaking, your place on the Zodiac is more meaningful than your birth month for tapping into your "power," which has led to the creation of the following list of "Star Stones" related to the star under which you were born, rather than the day.Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) - Ruby, Agate, GarnetAquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) - Garnet, Moss Agate, Opal,Amethyst,Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20) - Rock Crystal, Sapphire, Amethyst, BloodstoneAries (Mar. 21-Apr. 19) - Bloodstone, DiamondTaurus (Apr. 20-May 20) - Sapphire, Turquoise, Amber, Blood Coral, EmeraldGemini (May 21-Jun. 20) - Agate, Chrysoprase, PearlCancer (Jun. 21-Jul. 22) - Emerald, Moonstone, Pearl, RubyLeo (Jul. 23-Aug. 22) - Tourmaline, Sardonyx, OnyxVirgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) - Jasper, Carnelian, Jade, SapphireLibra (Sep. 23-Oct. 22) - Opal, Lapis Lazuli, PeridotScorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) - Aquamarine, TopazSagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) - Sapphire, Amethyst, Turquoise, Topaz

So whether you choose an emerald from the Breastplate of Aaron, a moonstone from Tibet's mystical birthstone list, an opal for its ayurvedic birthstone properties, or your very own "star sign" representative...may the force (of the birthstone) be with you.

Know Everything About A Guide To Popular Gemstones

Gemstones have been used as adornments in jewelry and other items since for centuries. In early times, only royalty could afford gems but today nearly everyone can have a bauble with a gemstone or two in it. Here's some information on seven gemstones favored by jewelry makers.

Amethyst

Amethyst is a type of quartz that comes in shades of purple. It is a highly accessible stone and used in all types of jewelry. This gemstone can vary greatly in quality and color and is the birthstone for the month of February. There are 14 different locations where Amethysts are abundantly found today.

Aquamarine

This light blue gemstone is the birthstone of March and is a favorite of jewelry designers today. It can range in shade from almost white to sky blue and can be rather expensive. This stone belongs to the beryl family of gemstones and is abundant in Brazil.

Bloodstone

The vivid red spots in this stone give it it's name, but the stone itself is really green jasper. The spots come from iron oxide deposits within the stone. This stone was used in ancient times for many carvings and was a favorite of Christian martyrs. A German Emperors seal carved in bloodstone is on display at the Louvre museum in Paris.

Emerald

One of the more expensive stones, this birthstone of May is the stone of love and life. One of the most popular gemstones of all time, it has been used in many crowns and scepters. Emeralds range in shades of green, but the deepest ones hold the most value and can even cost more than diamonds.

Opal

One of the most opulent gemstones, this stone is a combination of fiery colors like a rainbow of sparks. Opals are used in many different jewelry settings and are a favorite gemstone of jewelry wearers today. Originating from Australia, this stone has great history and lore.

Ruby

This red stone has long been associated with love, passion and power. One of the more precious stones, it is considered the King of gemstones and has been extensively used in crowns and jewelry of Kings, Queens and Emperors. Mined mainly in India, the finest rubies are quite rare and expensive.

Sapphire

When we think of sapphire, we mostly think of the deep blue stone, but in fact, this stone can come in many colors. This stone belonging to the corundum group of gemstones is hard to find and highly valued. Second only to diamonds on the hardness scale, sapphires can be more expensive than diamonds especially the most prized specimens.

Topaz

With it's rich golden glow, Topaz is often used as a symbol for the setting sun. Though typically a golden brown, Topaz can also be found in blue, green, pink and red. This birthstone for November is a hard stone but can crack with a hard blow so care should be taken when wearing.

These are just a few of the many stones that are used in modern jewelry designs today. Some designs use just one stone or incorporate many different stones for more color and interest. Perhaps you have picked a favorite from the list above, or if you are like me, you love them all!

Gemstones Buying Guides

Colorful gemstones are just anybody's dream to have. Their natural colors more than match your very fashionable dresses. Their sheer range could strike you spell bound. Gemstones are precious or semiprecious mineral stones which when cut and faceted can be used as jewels.

There is more to gemstones than just being jewelry items. They are regarded as lucky when worn specific to an individual's birth month. Before we deal with this aspect in detail lets see the classification of gemstones.

Classification and Characteristics of Gemstones

There is a tri-level classification of gemstones namely, groups, species and varieties. Simply put, rubies which are red in color belong to conundrum species which in turn belong to hematite group. Others like emerald, aquamarine, goshenite, heliodor and morganite, all of them belong to that variety known as beryl. There are over 150 different species available.

Gemstones display all characteristics of crystals like dispersion, refractive indices, hardness, and specific gravity etc. They also possess characters like inclusions, fractures and cleavage which play upon their quality and values. However gemologists include all gems into the precious list.

Hardness is another important characteristic of gemstones. Simply put, hardness means resistance to scratch which is measured in Mohs, a system developed by an Austrian mineralogist F. Mohs. The scale of hardness reads from 1-10 with higher number indicating the hardest. If talc is at the bottom with just 1Moh, diamond has 10Mohs. Other popular gemstones like feldspar, topaz and sapphire having Mohs of 6, 8 and 9 respectively.

Birth Stones

US Geological Survey lists gemstones classified as birth stones. It is believed by most people that wearing birthstones brings luck to their lives. It is not surprising that all societies have this kind of faith with regards to gemstones, albeit with differences here and there, looking at the romancing tryst every society had with these 'stones'. The list is in the order of calendar months with each month having at least one gemstone specific to that month. One can find a list of birth stones on official website of USGS.

Buying Gemstones

USGS cautions buyers against unscrupulous sellers as more and more of them are trying to push through synthetic gemstones as genuine pieces to unsuspecting, inexperienced buyers. Gemstones are measured by size and carats. (1carat=1/5th of a gram.)

When buying gemstones, watch out for:

1. Heating alters the color sometimes improving clarity

2. Irradiation darkens colors

3. Impregnation with wax, resins etc fills cracks, flaws

4. Fractures filled by injecting plastic

5. Differential colors in center and surface indicates diffusion treatment.

Know Everything Gemstone Jewelry Secrets Revealed

The mystery and magic of colored gemstones has been an integral aspect or the "Lore" of most cultures for many centuries. Here is what noted gemstone experts Antoinette L. Matlins and A.C. Bonanno have to say on the matter.

"The fascination with colored gemstones dates back to the very beginning of civilization. For our ancestors, the blue of sapphire produced visions of the heavens; the red of ruby was a reminder of the very essence of life. By Roman times, rings containing colored gems were prized symbols of power-and the most powerful wore rings on every joint of every finger!

Since ancient times, colored stones have been thought to possess innate magical powers and the ability to endow the wearer with certain attributes. According to legend, emeralds are good for the eyes; yellow stones cure jaundice; red stones stop the flow of blood. At one time it was believed that a ruby worn by a man indicated command, nobility, lordship, and vengeance; worn by a woman, however, it indicated pride, obstinacy, haughtiness. A blue sapphire worn by a man indicated wisdom, and high and magnanimous thoughts; on a woman, jealousy in love, politeness, and vigilance. The emerald signified for a man joyousness, transitory hope, and the decline of friendship; for woman, unfounded ambition, childish delight, and change.

Colored gems, because of the magical powers associated with them, achieved extensive use as talismans and amulets; as predictors of the future; as therapeutic aids; and as essential elements to many religious practices-pagan, Hebrew, and Christian."

Gemstones 101

Natural gemstones are found in nature. Laboratory-created stones, as the name implies, are made in the laboratory. These stones, which also are referred to as laboratory-grown, {name of manufacturer} - created, or synthetic, have essentially the same chemical, physical and visual properties as natural gemstones. Laboratory-created stones do not have the 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 the 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, the size is expressed in millimeters (for example, 7x5 millimeters).

Gemstone treatments or enhancements refer to the 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 the value of a stone, when measured against a comparable untreated stone.

Jewelers should tell you whether the gemstone you're considering has been treated when: the treatment is not permanent; the treated stone requires special care; or the treatment significantly affects the value of the gemstone.

Some common treatments that you may be told about and their effects include:

* Heating can lighten, darken or change the color of some gems, or improve a gemstone's clarity.

* Irradiation can add more color to colored diamonds, certain other gemstones and pearls.

* Impregnating some gems with colorless oils, wax or resins makes a variety of imperfections less visible and can improve the gemstones' clarity and appearance.

* Fracture filling hides cracks or fractures in gems by injecting colorless plastic or glass into the cracks and improves the gemstones' appearance and durability.

* Diffusion treatment adds color to the surface of colorless gems; the center of the stone remains colorless.

* Dyeing adds color and improves color uniformity in some gemstones and pearls.

* Bleaching lightens and whitens dome gems, Including jade and pearls.

In this day and age, gemstones are generally worn for their natural beauty or as a fashion statement, but there are many that "buy-in" to the mythical and mystical symbolisms of gems as well. Whatever a persons reason, the world of gems today offers an almost endless choice. Many new gems have been discovered and are widely available in reds, blues, greens and many unusual shades as well. Enjoy!

Know Everything About Benifits of Gold Recycling

Many of us have seen the commercials stating "cash for gold" yet are unsure as to what this entails. Basically, cash for gold or gold recycling as it is known, is when owners of gold pieces and/or gold jewelry take their items and sell them to companies which then take the gold items and turn them into something else, i.e. recycle the gold. Gold recycling allows you to get rid or your gold items and get money for doing so. The following are some of the benefits associated with gold recycling which will help you to see just how useful gold recycling really is. In the current climate Gold is at an all time high price, so if you have some trinkets around your home, you could easily trade them in for cash. Many people expect much less than what they are actually given when they sell their gold, it’s a great surprise for them.

Get Paid for Gold Jewelry and Items Which See Little or No Use

One of the big benefits to visiting a gold recycling centre is that you will be able to get paid for gold items which you rarely or never use. Rather than have these items sit in your drawers, why not sell them and get paid for something which you will not miss in the long run. Depending on the gold recycling company, most will offer fair amounts for the gold you sell to them which will make the gold owner extremely happy to say the least. If you have some gold items laying around in your drawers or jewelry box, consider selling them to companies which offer gold recycling programs, now would be the best time to do so.

Make More Room in Your Drawers and Jewelry Box for New Items

Another benefit to using a gold recycling program is that it will free up space in your drawers and jewelry box. Think about how much room could be granted simply by selling some old gold jewelry and other gold items which you have stored away. In addition, by gaining more space in your drawers and jewelry box through using a gold recycling program you can make room for new jewelry items which may have caught your eye while you were out at the shops.

Gold Recycling Is Easy to Do.

There are many Gold Recycling Centres around these days, and you will also find that when you use a gold recycling program, the entire process is extremely easy to accomplish. Many companies which offer the gold recycling service send you the postage prepaid envelope, storage envelope and short form to fill out. Once you send the gold items to the company they will come up with a figure dictating what the gold scrap jewelry is worth. Once the amount is determined the customer will receive their check in the mail shortly thereafter. Gold recycling is a fast, easy and efficient way to recycle your unwanted gold jewelry and make room for new and improved jewelry pieces.

Know Everything About Fair Trade Jewelry: The Challenges and Rewards of an Emerging Movement

Searching the web for "fair trade jewelry" will pull up a number of companies. Fair Trade Jewelry, as certified by the International Fair Trade Labeling Organization, (FLO) does not exist. Yet fair trade, as a concept to the general public, basically translates to a livable wage, fair working conditions and environmental safe guards for the production in cooperatives in the developing world. How much FLO owns the concept of fair trade, which they have certainly developed, is an open question.

In labeling their products as fair trade, jewelry producers are expanding or exploiting the concept to the public. Depending upon your perspective, you could view these companies as "fair washing" or as working within the spirit of the fair trade movement. The ambiguity of the current state of this movement will be addressed in a meeting sponsored by the Earthworks Action this upcoming October, 2007. Earthworks Action, which started the "No Dirty Gold Campaign," has laid the ground work for this meeting which will being key players together, through the Madison dialogues.

A few small companies are producing artisan or ethnic "fair trade" jewelry in village settings, which come closer to the fair trade concept. These companies who would be considered "fair trade" only discount the environmental effects of where they source their metal and gems. Organic certification is tied to the fair trade concept and jewelry involves practices which inherently are destructive to the environment.

These small niche companies actually represent a negligible share of the main stream jewelry sector, where the ethically sourced issue gained a little prominence partly as a result of the film, Blood Diamonds, released in December, 2006. Diamond business comprises over fifty percent of all jewelry business in the US.

The first certification from FLO international has focused on the artisan mining efforts of ARM. A contract between FLO and ARM was signed in July, 2007. TransFair USA, the American certifying agent for the fair trade label, is not in agreement with FLO International, though at the JCK Fair Trade Meeting, they expressed an interest in pursuing large scale mining as a potential area for certification. This whole process is going to take several years.

The current number of people in the jewelry industry involved in fair trade is quite small at this point. Eric Brauwart, founder and President of Columbia Gem House, has created a solid system for fair trade gemstones. Martin Rapaport, one of the key players in the diamond trade and Kimberly Certification, has been solidly behind fair trade, raising the profile of the movement as a whole.

Many other smaller players are attempting to produce ethically sourced jewelry, but they are limited because neither the market nor the supply chain for production is there. A small manufacturing company can have thousands of inventory pieces from all over the world. Very few precious and semi-precious stones are even claimed to be fair trade produced. Though not technically fair trade, one positive recent development is that Hoover and Strong is now offering recycled precious metal at competitive prices for jewelers who are interested in environmentally friendly sourcing.

Outside of sourcing, the manufacturing of jewelry is going to be extremely difficult to mold into the fair trade cooperative model. I am most familiar with work out of Bali. Their hand silver work is arguably the finest in the world, and it is steeped in tradition. To manufacture on a large scale, many companies operating out of Bali will take an item and distribute it to the local villages. Each artisan will purchase the silver in its raw form which they will refine in order to create their own sterling, which is .925 percent fine. The product that comes back is often inconsistent and often is not sterling silver, as hallmarked. This type of system does not work well when there are exacting quality control issues and a strict on time delivery.

Jewelry manufacturing on a large scale therefore, does not easily fit the small village model as textiles or some agricultural product might for other reasons as well. There is the initial investment of expensive equipment and the cost of silver and gold just to produce an order...

One of the most significant recent developments in fair trade manufacturing is an effort out of South Africa, (LINK) where villagers have been trained into the jewelry trade. African countries rich in raw materials for jewelry want to be more involved in jewelry production to increase their manufacturing base. Eventually, with supervision and much support, cooperatives are formed. This model is heavily subsidized by NGOs and private corporations, which means it will be difficult to duplicate in other countries that might not have that kind of resource base.

Despite the challenges, there is strong support among a small group of people in the jewelry trade to address these issues. Many in the forefront of this movement believe it is only a matter of time before those who purchase their jewelry strongly connect to the manufacturing process as well. Jewelry is usually purchased to mark an occasion or a commitment. For others, it is about having something beautiful. How would the customer feel knowing that the gem they purchased funded a civil war or that the ring they bought for their mother was made in toxic working conditions in a third world sweat shop? What man would ever knowingly purchase a conflict diamond to complete an engagement ring?

Yet that is exactly what has happened in the past, and the movement in fair trade shows that at least some segments of the jewelry industry are determined to change the way business is being done. The percentage of people who are concerned enough about corporate social responsibility is the same demographic that supports the organic movement-it is a strong and growing segment of the population. How fast the fair trade movement takes hold also depends to a large degree upon how much pressure the public exeprts.

Know Everything About Gemstone Treatments and Enhancements

Always buy from reputed sellers who produce certificates by Gemological Institute of America to prevent a lucky stone turn unlucky.Though stone treatment has gone on for centuries, new techniques and methods are now available and many of today’s gemstones are treated to improve their appearance and make them more marketable. While it is common knowledge within the gem trade that stones are enhanced through treatment, the buying public has known little about the treatments until recently.As long as the consumer realizes that the stone has been treated, and the value adjusted accordingly, this is not a deceptive or underhanded practice. Treatments can do such things as change or enhance color, make the stone more durable and enhance the character of the stone. Unless the stone is stated to be natural, we can almost always assume that the stone has been treated with the common treatments used on that type of gemstone. Natural precious stones with no treatment at all are a rarity and very expensive.Treatment maybe as simple as the old treatment of soaking chalcedony in honey then ageing it on the roof of the house so the honey caramelized and changed the color. When the stone turned black, it was called Black Onyx. Gemstones can be treated with heat, laser treatment, radiation, bleaching, stabilization, putting in acid, applying pressure, oiling, impregnation, dyeing, or combinations of any of these techniques. Here are just a few examples of common stone treatments:1. Chalcedony is treated with heat to become Carnelian, and when it is dyed black, we call it Black Onyx.2. Aquamarine is sometimes heated at a low temperature to bring out the blues and lessen the naturally occurring yellows, which make greens appear in the stone.3. Rubies are rarely available these days that have not been heat treated, but if you can find natural rubies, the value is at least 30% better than that of a treated stone.4. Diamonds in colors have become quite popular. Many of these are treated with radiation or a combination of pressure and heat. Naturally colored diamonds are far more valuable than their treated counterparts.5. Emeralds can be treated with oil or impregnated with polymers, even dyed polymers to enhance color.6. Tanzanite is naturally brown and when it is treated with heat the characteristic blue with violet undertones becomes apparent.7. Sapphires are sometimes heat treated at a high temperature to bring out the dark blues and enhance the clarity of the stones.8. The Padparadscha Sapphire is most often treated with heat to enhance the brilliance of the color.9. Pearls have been bleached, waxed, heated, dyed and irradiated to enhance their color and luster.10. Citrine is frequently heat-treated amethyst or smoky quarts. Natural citrine is usually a light yellow.11. Topaz is often irradiated or heated to bring out the brilliant blues. It is also sometimes sliced and layered by color to give an almost iridescent color. This topaz is usually called Mystic Topaz.12. Turquoise can be dyed, stabilized, have the matrix enhanced and even backed with plastic when it is mounted.If the price of any of these stones seems too good to be true, you are probably looking at a treated stone. If no deception is practiced and the buyer and seller are both happy with the transaction gemstone treatment is not an unethical or deceptive practice.

Know Everything About Colored Diamonds

The inherent beauty possessed by every diamond ring is rivalled only by the larger-than-life stories behind the discovery of diamonds. Various legends surround the discovery of diamonds, including one which involves a valley in central Asia full of diamonds but guarded by snakes and birds of prey. There are even tales about the poisonous nature of diamonds, but these are generally attributed to mine owners who spread the myths to discourage the workers from swallowing the diamonds straight from the mine.

While these myths are clearly untrue, there is no doubt that diamond rings and other diamond-laden jewelries possess beauty, and many believe that they also possess mystical power. The ancient Greeks used them as talismans and as cures for a variety of ailments.

A diamond ring may be expensive, but it has become popular because of its sturdiness, making it ideal even for daily wear. The scratch-resistant feature of a diamond ring is one of the reasons why it has become a popular wedding ring. In exchange for a diamond ring investment, you get a scratch-resistant stone with a grade of 10 in Mohs scale of hardness. Not all diamonds are equal though: only the purest and flawless diamonds get the highest hardness score, which makes them impossible to scratch, except by other diamonds.

In the 15^th century, diamond rings and other diamond jewelries were only worn by kings. The increase in the supply of diamonds in the 19^th century increased the demand for diamond rings. They became more popular with the discovery of more diamond mines, the growth of the economy worldwide, and the improvement in cutting and polishing techniques.

There are various types of diamonds but among the best diamonds you can use to create magnificent diamond rings include:

Pink Diamonds

White diamonds, which are sourced from Argyle, used to be considered most beautiful diamond in the world; then the pink diamond was discovered. Don’t expect to see pink diamond rings from your trusted local jeweler just yet. It is the most valuable and one of the rarest types of diamonds from the Argyle mine. Less than a 10^th of one percent of the diamonds sourced from the mine are pink. A 3.14-carat pink diamond ring from Argyle was once sold in an auction at Christie’s in New York for $1,510,000. The pink diamond rings from Argyle possess an intense pink color compared to the pale pink diamonds from Africa, Brazil and India. Argyle is known as the largest producer of diamonds in the world.

Blue diamonds

Only a few jewelers have been lucky enough to see authentic blue diamond rings because they are extremely rare. Authentic blue diamonds also come from the Argyle mine, albeit in a limited number. The closest you can get to the real thing is at Washington D.C.’s Smithsonian National History Museum, which houses the “Le blue de France” or the Hope Diamond, a deep blue 45.52-carat diamond. Be wary about this diamond though if you believe in myths because it is reportedly cursed. This has not, however, stopped people from checking out the blue diamond, making it one of the world’s most-visited works of art, next only to the Mona Lisa. There are however many fancy blue diamond rings in the market.

Black diamonds

Some people still think black diamonds are a myth because there are not a whole lot of them being sold on the market. Many times, a transaction involving a black diamond is done in a “hush-hush manner” so that no ordinary mortal can prove that this type of diamond really exists. Black diamonds exist as a result of volcanic eruptions. These diamonds, which were formed one million years ago, are still younger than the clear diamonds which were formed over 4.25 billion years ago. Rarely will you find black diamond rings because of the challenge involved in cutting the pitted diamond surface. Native-Americans believed that these diamonds were cursed. Italians, on the other hand, believe these diamonds can make a troubled marriage well again.

Nexus diamonds

With the price of diamond rings incessantly on the rise, scientists resolved to find a way to create diamonds in a laboratory. Laboratory-created diamonds are known as Nexus diamonds. These are diamond stimulants that match the features of real diamonds, right down to their hardness, ability to cut glass, brilliance, radiance and ability to refract. Those who cannot afford real diamonds opt for Nexus diamond rings for their engagement or wedding rings.

All diamond rings may sparkle and shine, but no two diamonds are the same because they undergo different cutting and polishing process. The sparkle of every diamond in fact depends on its facet, the surface on the diamond that traps light and causes it to sparkle. While experts are expected to know how to determine the best diamonds by heart, it wouldn’t hurt if you learn a thing or two about these precious stones as you may be wearing them on your fingers pretty soon.

Get to Know Diamond 4C's

When considering the purchase of a diamond, it is imperative to study diamond education. At Beyond the 4Cs we believe diamond education leads to satisfied customers. We strongly urge you to learn, more than just the basics, we recommend "beyond the 4cs" and you've come to the right place.

The 4 C’s of diamond grading are not four C’s at all but rather B followed by three C’s. The B stands for brilliance, the most important attribute of a gem grade diamond in that the beauty of a diamond is actually the beauty of the brilliance of light. Cut, the proportions and finish of a diamond, are what determine diamonds optical qualities and cut (brilliance) grading assesses the nature of those optical qualities that make up diamonds brilliance – the amount of light and the nature of and balance of light returned to the viewers eye. Brilliance (cut) is the most important consideration in the evaluation of gem grade diamonds, diamonds with color at J or above and clarity above SI-2. The brilliance (cut) of a diamond influences the diamonds value and price by as much as 25%. Yet is it the least documented or understood when purchasing a diamond.

For diamond education purposes, in describing the make of a diamond two words are used, shape and cut. Shapes, such as round brilliants, emerald shapes, radiants, princess, pears, ovals, marquis and hearts indicate the overall appearance and faceting style of any one individual diamond. Cut grading of a diamond classifies the quality of any individual diamond shape by its proportions and finish, with each diamond shape having unique proportional and finish characteristics.

Proportions, the empirical data of degrees of angle, measurements and percentage of measurements, record the specific characteristics of each shape of diamond. For round diamonds all measurements are expressed in relation to that diamonds average diameter whereby a table measurement of 55% or a total depth measurement of 60% are expressions of their percentage of the averaged diameter of the diamond. Measurements for elongated diamond shapes such as emerald cuts, radiant cuts, and ovals are expressed as a percentage of the width alone. Degrees are used to measure the angle of the crown (top, above the girdle) and pavilion (bottom, below the girdle) of the diamond in relationship to the plane of the girdle (diameter). Finish is an interpretive observation of the quality of both the polish of a diamonds exterior surfaces and its symmetry, the relationship of one cutting feature to another, the alignment of the diamond. Each diamond shape is graded by the cut characteristics of its proportions and finish. Both the empirical data of the proportions and the interpretive observation of the finish are considered in a judgment of the overall cut grade assigned to a diamond.

It was Gemological Institute of America that first developed a standardized grading system for round diamonds, classifying the empirical data and interpretive observations into four cut grades, those being Make Class One, Make Class Two, Make Class Three and Make Class Four.

The American Gem Society has further refined the GIA grading system with strict definitions of variance for both the proportions and finish of a diamond in a system that rates diamond brilliance (cut) by variances from zero (ideal) to ten (poor). Today, the best system of brilliance (cut) grading for fancy shape diamonds (standard shapes other than round) is that of the Accredited Gem Appraisers and Mr. David Atlas, a system that rates diamonds into three general brilliance (cut) quality categories that are described as fine, average and below average. Learn More.

Know Everthing About Spotting Fake Diamonds

Meaning and Identification

Diamond are available in the market with different cuts like, the emerald cut diamond, marquise cut diamond, pear cut diamond, heart cut diamond, assher cut diamond etc . But out of all these cuts of a Diamond, round diamond also called the Brilliant Cut Diamond has the most brilliance and sparkle. Reason being, it's perfectly symmetrical and has an even distribution of light emitting from it. The Brilliant Cut Diamond was designed by Tolkowsky. He came up with precise calculations for the 58 cuts that maximized both the brilliance and the fire in the Diamond. A Round Diamond with the correct proportions and angles makes a magnificent combination of dazzling light and sparkle. We need to have a proper understanding of the diamond anatomy and the facets of a diamond to appreciate the cut. Facets are the polished, flat surfaces on a diamond. It is the arrangement of the facets that gives a diamond its brilliance and sparkle. The beauty of a diamond depends on how well it is cut as this will determine what its fluorescence level is. So lets first try and understand diamond anatomy and facets.

The Crown- The crown comprises of the table, the star facets , the bezel facets and the upper gridle facets. The entire portion of the diamond that sits above the gridle is the Crown. The uppermost flat surface of the diamond is the table, The facets that sits adjacent to the table is the Star facets. The bezel facets are the kite shaped that sit between the table and the gridle and The lowest facets on the crown just above the gridle is called the Upper gridle facets. The star facets , the bezel facets and the upper gridle facets are responsible for directing light that enters the diamond down to the pavilion and lower gridle facets.

The Gridle – The outer edge or the widest part of the diamond forming a band around the stone is the diamond girdle. It may be faceted or smooth.

The Pavilion – The entire portion of the diamond that sits below the gridle is the Pavilion. The pavilion comprises of Lower Gridle facets, Pavilion Facets and Cutlet facets.The highest facets on the pavilion immediately below the gridle are called the Lower Gridle facets. The Pavilion facets are the facets that sit adjacent to the cutlet. The Lower Gridle facets and the Pavilion Facets are responsible for redirecting light that enters the diamond back out through the crown. The small area at the botton like a point is the cutlet. The cutlet may look like a point or a small facet.

Dimensions and Measurements

We also need to study the key measurement to understand whether the diamond is cut ideally or not or to what extent the diamond is cut ideally. The key measurements include the following

Length – It is the diameter measured from top to bottom when the diamond is viewed from above as if it is sitting on a ring. It is measured in millimeters

Depth – It is the distance from the table to the cutlet when the diamond is viewed from the side.

Width – It is the diameter measured from side to side

Depth Percentage – It is a measure of the cut of the diamond. It is calculated by dividing depth by width. The shallower the cut the higher the depth percentage

Length/Width Ratio – It is calculated by dividing length over width. The L/W ratio of a perfectly round or square diamond is 1.00.

Table Percentage – It is the width of the table divided by the width of the diamond

Gridle Width- It is the measure of thickness of the diamond`s gridle. The measure is taken only at the valleys and not the peaks.

Cutlet Size – The cutlet size is measured using the seven point scale. If the cutlet is too large it will appear as an inclusion from above

Pavilion Angle - The degree of slope between the girdle and the culet

Crown Angle- The degree of slope between the table and the girdle

Reflection - With reference to diamond, reflection, means the light reflecting off the surface of the diamond. Reflected light does not enter the Diamond. It simply hits it in such a way as to bounce off the surface. Diamond `s reflection of light depends on the cut type. Different cuts show different amount of reflection, refraction and dispersion. The refractive index measures the reflection of the Diamond

Fire or Dispersion - It is known as the amount of light that enters the Diamond, strikes the Pavilion and comes back out the top split into rays of colored light like a rainbow. Diamonds can disperse light into the seven colors of spectrum. The glitter of the diamond is because of its this ability. Greater the dispersion, greater is the distance between the dispersed colors, which can make the colors vivid and easy to distinguish. The refractive index of a material varies with the wavelength. It means short wavelengths (Violet and Blue colors) are bent more as compared to longer (Yellow and Red colors) ones. The coefficient of dispersion judges this variation in the angles for different wavelengths, the greater the coefficient, the greater is the angular spread of different colors of white light falling at a certain angle on the material. The dispersion of light decides the level of the diamond`s fire.

Brilliance or Refraction – Brilliance or refraction is the amount of white light that rebounds out of the top of the Diamond and makes the Diamond sparkle. The light entering a diamond gets bent at certain angles, depending on the cut, and slowed down due to material properties and comes out after getting reflected from different angles and facets. Both quality of the diamond cut and the type of cut determine the refraction. Light traveling through a stone intersects the stone-air surface. If it passes within the critical angle (measured relative to the normal to that surface), it will exit the stone. If it passes outside the critical angle, it will be internally reflected.

Todays jewelry marketers, in order to push their sale make claims that they have a superior cut stone with extra facets on the crown and this makes their diamond extra shiny and extra valuable. But the truth is a normal crown has 33 facets and adding more facets does not increase the amount of light flowing into the diamond so it does not increase the shine of the diamond. Moreover adding facets does not increase the clarity or color of the diamond .Its just that instead of seeing 33 large flashes of light you on the 33 facets you will see smaller flashes of light due to the increased number of facets. The light entering the diamond remains the same. In the long run these extra cuts only reduce the price of the diamond if you plan to resell it. It is wiser to spend on better color and clarity than spending on the extra cuts. The Diamond cut and Diamond shape requires different proportions for giving the diamond its perfect appearance. If you have decided on the shape you want, be sure to investigate the specific dimensions, called ideal proportions for that shape.

Reputable Gemstone Grading Organizations

Know Everything Gemstone Grading

When buying jewelry, everyone asks about the diamond grade but most people forget to consider the grade of the colored gemstones. Colored gemstones also have a grading system.

Determing the grade of a colored gemstone is actually more difficult than judging the grade of a diamond (definition). Mostly because it takes many different tools and the knowledge of how to use those tools as well as a good memory what the results of each test and how it applies to the three gemstone types. Finally, once you have determined the stones characteristics, judging how they affect the value is also more complex than with diamonds. Additionally, there is far more publicized pricing guides for diamonds than there is for colored gemstones. A great rule of thumb that I try to instill in our customers is to do your best to ask yourself, "does this stone have magic". If the answer is yes, then it is probably a decent stone.

The gemstone grading system is based on the Four C�s just like diamond grading system. Clarity, Color, Cut and Carat Weight . In my opinion, color being the most significant.

The following is a table of faceted Type I, II and III colored gemstones most often found in the marketplace:

Type I (often inclusion free)	Type II (Usually included)	Type III (Almost always included)
Aquamarine	Alexandrite	Emerald
Quartz (smokey)	Amethyst	Tourmaline (Red, Pink and Watermelon)
Tanzanite	Citrine
Topaz (Blue, Yellow, Orange, Pink and Red)	Corundum (All colors)
Tourmaline (Green)	Garnets (All species \ variations)
Zircon (blue)	Iolite
	Peridot
	Ruby
	Sapphire
	Tourmaline (Blue, Orange and Yellow)
	Zircon (Green,Orange,Red and Yellow)

Type I Clarity Grades

VVS - Very,Very Slightly Included: Characterized by MINUTE inclusions, which are difficult to see under 10x and invisible to the unaided eye. Even under 10x, a VVS stone may at first seem to have no inclusions, only blemishes (in exceptional stones this may in fact be true).

Typical inclusions: pinpoints, very fine needles, tiny hairline feathers, minor color zoning, very faint clouds, and percussion marks.
VS - Very Slightly Included: Characterized by MINOR inclusions, which are somewhat easy to see under 10x but usually invisible to the unaided eye.

Typical inclusions: small included crystals, liquid inclusions, numerous fine needles, small fingerprints, and small feathers.
SI1 -SI2 - Slightly Included: Characterized by NOTICEABLE inclusions, which are apparent under 10x. In SI1 they are usually visible, and in SI2 quite visible to the unaided eye.Inclusions normally have low relief.

Typical Inclusions: included crystals, large fingerprints, chips, feathers, considerable color zoning and dense clouds.
I1-I2-I3-Imperfect: Characterized by inclusions that have a negative effect on either appearance or durability, or both. In I1, there is a moderate effect on either factor; in I2, a severe effect on either factor; in I3, a severe effect on both factors. Inclusions are often large and prominent to the unaided eye, and there may be noticeable loss of transaparency.
Dcl-De'classe': Characterized by inclusions so numerous the entire stone is no longer transparent but translucent at best. Dcl stones lack the beauty and\or durability of faceted gemstones.

Type II Clarity Grades

VVS - Very,Very Slightly Included: Characterized by MINOR inclusions, which are somewhat easy to see under 10x but usually invisible to the unaided eye.

Typical inclusions: small included crystals, liquid inclusions, fine needles, fingerprints, tiny feathers and minor color zoning.
VS - Very Slightly Included: Characterized by NOTICEABLE inclusions of moderate size, which are easy to see under 10x and sometimes visible to the unaided eye. Thery are still non-damaging.

Typical inclusions: liquid inclusions, fingerprints, small chips, small feathers, moderate color zoning and clouds.
SI1 -SI2 - Slightly Included: Characterized by OBVIOUS inclusions, which are large and/ or numerous under 10x. In SI1 they are apparent, and in SI2 very apparent to the unaided eye.

Typical Inclusions:large included crystals, moderate feathers, large chips, considerable color zoning and dense clouds.
I1-I2-I3-Imperfect: Characterized by inclusions that may have a negative effect on either appearance or durability or both. In I1 there is moderate effect on either factor; In I2 a severe effect on either factor; In I3 a severe effect on both factors. Inclusions are often large and prominent to the unaided eye and there may be noticeable loss of transparency.
Dcl-De'classe': Characterized by inclusions so numerous the entire stone is no longer transparent but translucent at best. Dcl stones lack the beauty and\or durability of faceted gemstones.

Type III Clarity Grades

VVS - Very,Very Slightly Included: Characterized by NOTICEABLE inclusions, which are easy to see under 10x but usually invisible to the unaided eye.

Typical inclusions: small included crystals, liquid inclusions, fine needles and tiny feathers.
VS - Very Slightly Included: Characterized by OBVIOUS inclusions which are very easy to see under 10x and are often visible to the unaided eye.

Typical inclusions: liquid inclusions, fingerprints, chips and small feathers.
SI1 -SI2 - Slightly Included: Characterized by PROMINENT inclusions, which are large and numerous under 10x. In SI1 they are prominent and in SI2 very prominent to the unaided eye.

Typical Inclusions:easily visible but not extensive feathers and dense clouds.
I1-I2-I3-Imperfect: Characterized by inclusions that have a negative effect on appearance or durability, or both. In I1 there is a moderate effect on either factor; in I2 a severe effect on either factor; in I3 a severe effect on both factors. Inclusions are often large and prominent to the unaided eye and there may be noticeable loss of transparency.
Dcl-De'classe': Characterized by inclusions so numerous the entire stone is no longer transparent but translucent at best. Dcl stones lack the beauty and\or durability of faceted gemstones.

As you can see colored gemstone grading is slightly more difficult than Diamond grading.

Just try to avoid colored (or uncolored for that matter) gemstones with large black inclusions that detract from the stones beauty. For the most part, use your common sense. You know in your heart when you are looking at a nicely colored gemstone. If you have to ask yourself, then you probably are not!

How to Determine the Quality of a Colored GemstoneIn 1977, American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) became the first laboratory in the world to quantify colored stones in a linear, comparative manner. The organization and its President, C. R. Beesley, are internationally recognized for their expertise in colored stone research and analysis. They have enjoyed a position of leadership in gemstone documentation and have extensive experience in consumer protection programs.The grading system which they devised is comprehensive and requires some study to realize a workable understanding of the process. However, once you grasp the basic principles, you will wonder how anyone could buy a gemstone without using this kind of vocabulary. The following "walk through" of a 3.11 Burma sapphire grading report will help you understand the various components of an AGL laboratory report.Document NumberThe lab assigns individual, consecutive numbers for each grading report issued.ImageA color digital image of the stone is an important part of the grading report. This image assists in verifying the gemstone matches the grading report. Please note the image is for representational purposes and is not necessarily the actual size or color. IdentificationIn this sample, the AGL has determined the stone is a natural sapphire.Shape and CutThe stone is an oval cut in this sample.Carat WeightColored stones are weighed with an extremely accurate scale. In the sample, the sapphire weighs 3.119 carats.MeasurementsThe measurement of the gemstone in millimeters.Color Grade
Color Rating Scale (AGL)

1....2	3....4	5....6	7....8	9....10
Excellent	Very Good	Good	Fair	Poor

Since there are so many optical/physical principles involved in the reflection and re-reflection of light through a gemstone, any particular gem can exhibit a wide range of colors. The color grade is based upon the purity of primary color. For example, the greener the emerald, the redder the ruby, or the bluer the sapphire, the lower the numerical grade on an AGL scale. The reason the 3.11 sapphire is a 3.5 in this sample is the fact the stone has 70% blue as its primary color. It is that simple. The less primary color, the higher the numerical color grade. For example, a 65% primary color would probably be graded a 4.5 color.In establishing a base for international quality reference standards, AGL had to be sure that all stones from the best to the worst could be accommodated by the system. Therefore, the top of the line has become almost a theoretical standard of excellence. Please do not ask for 1.00 to 2.00 color grades. Because of the AGL's stringent grading practices, a 3.5 color is usually the best color grade any gem will receive. A 3.5 colored stone on an AGL Grading Report is nearly synonymous with a D-color diamond on a GIA Diamond Grading Report. On occasion, because of our international contacts, we may find exceptional examples that will receive even better color grades.Tone
Tone Scale (AGL)

0..5..15..20	25..30..35	40..45..50	55..60..65	70..75..80..85	90..95..100
Very Light	Light	Light-Medium	Medium	Medium-Dark	Dark-Very Dark

In the sample above the sapphire's tone is 75. Basically, tone describes the lightness or darkness of a gemstone. Color considered alone without taking into account the tone will lead to errors in interpretation. If a stone is too light in tone, the color will not be rich enough. Conversely, if a stone is too dark, it will sacrifice transparency and brilliancy.Clarity
Clarity Scale (AGL)

FI	LI1...LI2	MI1...MI2	HI1...HI2	E1...E2...E3
Free of Inclusions	Lightly Included	Moderately Included	Heavily Included	Excessively Included

Clarity is defined as the degree to which the stone is free of inclusions. In the sample the clarity is MI1. Here is a good rule of thumb to remember: You will probably not see inclusions in a Lightly Included (LI) gem, you may see some inclusions in a Moderately Included (MI) gem, and you will probably see inclusions in a Heavily Included (HI) gem. Excessively Included (E) gems have durability problems and should be avoided.DepthThe depth of the gemstone.Cutting/Finish
Cutting/Finish Scale (AGL)

1	2...3	4...5...6	7...8	9...10
Excellent	Very Good	Good	Fair	Poor

The cutting of a gemstone numerically describes the overall appearance of a gem. The finish grade refers to the polish of a gem. In the sample the cutting and finish are both 3 (Very Good). These are very difficult numbers to obtain for a colored gemstone. Unlike diamonds which are cut according to strict mathematical parameters, most colored gemstones are cut for weight retention.Average BrilliancyBrilliancy is the amount of flash the gem returns to your eyes. Most diamonds are 100% brilliant. Brilliancy in the sample is 80%. An average brilliancy of 50% means half of the stone returns flash.CommentsThe comment section is critical because it generally designates the country of origin of the gemstone as well as specifying what, if any, treatment(s) the gem has been subjected to. In the sample, the 3.11 is classified as Burma without heat enhancement.Some gems may receive an Estimated Commercial Acceptability (ECA) comment. (Not shown in sample.) This is usually used as a split grade. For example, a gemstone with a 4 color and an ECA of 3.5 is priced as a 3.75 color grade.Total Quality Integration RatingThis comment integrates the total visual impact of the gem into a verbal description and may or may not have an effect on the price of the gem. In the sample it is Excellent. Look at the Color Rating (AGL). Excellent translates into 1.5. The TQIR can increase or decrease the

GIA - Gemological Institute of America - The GIA was established in 1931 and has it headquarters in New York. It is a non-profit Diamond and Gemstone educational storehouse for the gem and jewellery industry. The Institute’s mission is to provide the diamond, gemstone, precious metals and jewelry industry and the general public with an opinion regarding the quality of a diamond. It acts as an unbiased arbitrator of standards in diamond grading . Every stone submitted for certification is very meticulously studied by certified gemologists to ensure maximum accuracy and grading consistency for consumer rights protection. GIA developed the first internationally accepted Diamond Grading System. It was also the first to develop a diamond report for diamond quality documentation around the world.Click here to know more and view a sample GIACertificate

AGS - American Gem Society - The AGS was founded by GIA founder Robert M. Shipley in 1934. It is a is a trade association of retail jewelers, independent appraisers, suppliers, and selective industry members. Members are held to a high code of ethics with emphasis on consumer protection and education. The Society is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with the affiliated American Gem Society Laboratories and the American Gem Society Advanced Instruments Division. The Society trains and certifies jewelers, gemmologists, and jewelery appraisers. Diamond grading is the specialty of the American Gem Society Laboratories and the Society has developed its own cut, colour, and clarity standards. Click here to know more and view a sample AGS Certificate.

IGI - International Gemological Institute - The IGI is one of the leading gemological institutions in the world .It was established in 1975 in Antwerp, with a sister laboratory in New York. It is one of the largest independent gem certification and appraisal institute renowned for its quality services. The IGI issues more than 400,000 reports per year. Thousands of jewellers, retail stores, insurance companies, internet sales organisations, catalogue companies, accounting and securities firms and consumers rely on the IGI reports. International Gemological Information, a division of IGI, was established in New York in 1981 as a source for unbiased appraisals of gems and jewellery. Like its parent company, IGI Information is totally independent body for providing information. Click here to know more and view a sample IGICertificate.

EGL- European Gemological Laboratory - The EGL is another renowned certifying organization with its headquartes in Belgium. It is committed to protecting the integrity of the jewellery trade and protecting public interest through applied science, education, innovation, and exceptional services. The EGL has an international presence with laboratories based in Antwerp, Johannesburg, London , Paris, Tel Aviv , Istanbul , Seoul , Mumbai and Cape TownThe organisation is also recognised for conducting advanced research with renowned physicists, geologists, and mineralogists. Click here to know more and view a sample EGLCertificate

The above mentioned gemological laboratories provide diamond certifications to the diamond and jewelry industry. Their reports generally cover the following parameters while reporting and grading the quality of a diamond.

The GIA is widely regarded as the most reputable and recognized grading laboratory in the world, with the highest and strictest standards. Even though these are the 4 leading international diamond certification organisations their grading criteria varies as their strictness on grading varies. The GIA certificate has microprint lines, holograms, and security screens to make counterfeits more readily identified. The certification after GIA to hold depth is the American Gem Society Laboratories.LMHC Colored Gem Testing Laboratories

Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
5345 Armada Drive
Carlsbad, California 92008
Tel: (800) 421 7250
www.gia.edu

American Gem Trade Association (AGTA)
18 East 48th Street, Suite 502
New York, New York 10017 USA
Tel: (212) 752 1717
www.agta.org

Centro Informazione e Servizi Gemmologici SpA (CISGEM)
via delle Orsole, 4
20123 Milano, Italy
Tel: (2) 8515 5250
www.cisgem.it

Gemmological Association of All Japan Co., Ltd. (GAAJ)
Daiwa-Ueno Bldg. 7F, 5-25-11
Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-0005, Japan
Tel: 81-3-2466-2531
www.gaaj-zenhokyo.co.jp

Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT)
140, 140/1-3, 140/5 ITF - Tower Building. 1st - 4th and 6th Floor,
Silom Road, Suriyawong, Bangrak,
Bangkok 10500,Thailand
Tel: (662) 634 4999, Fax: (662) 634 4970
www.git.or.th

Gübelin Gem Laboratory Ltd. (GGL)
Maihofstrasse 102
6006 Lucerne Switzerland
Tel: (+ 41) 41 / 429 17 17
www.gubelinlab.com

Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF)
Falknerstrasse 9
CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
Tel: (+ 41) 61 262 06 40
www.ssef.chNote: The seven labs above are LMHC (Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee) membersOther Gemological Testing Laboratories

American Gemological Laboratories (AGL)
580 Fifth Avenue
Suite 706
New York, New York 10038
Tel: (212) 704 0727

American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL)
8917 West Sahara Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada 89117
Tel: (702) 233 6120
www.agslab.com

European Gemological Laboratory USA (EGL)
6 West 48th Street
New York, New York 10036
Tel: (212) 730 7380
www.eglusa.com

International Gemological Institute (IGI)
589 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10017 USA (offices worldwide)
Tel: (212) 753 7100
www.igiworldwide.com

Österreichische Gemmologische Gesellschaft (SSEF)
Goldschlagstrasse 10
1150 Wien (Vienna), Austria
Tel: (+ 43) 01 231 22 38 od. 0676/310 40 66
www.oegemg.at

Laboratoire Français de Gemmologie (LFG)
2, place de la Bourse
75002 Paris, France
Tel: (+ 33) 1 40 26 25 45
www.diamants.ccip.fr

Gemmological Institute of India (GII)
29 Gurukul Chambers
187-189 Mumbadevi Road
Bombay 400 002, India
Tel: (+ 91) 22 2342 00 39
www.giionline.comGem Testing, Standards, & Trade Organizations

The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO)
(Confédération Internationale de la Bijouterie, Joaillerie et Orfèvrerie)
Piazzale Carlo Magno, 1
20149 Milano, Italy
Tel: (+ 39) 02 4997 7098
www.cibjo.orgGraduate Gemologist

Gemological Institute of AmericaEstablished in 1931, the Gemological Institute of America is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls. GIA exists to protect all purchasers of gemstones, by providing the education, laboratory services, research, and instruments needed to accurately and objectively determine gemstone quality.GIA is where students from all over the world build successful careers in the gem and jewelry field. The Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) diploma, which focuses on gem grading and identification, is the industry’s highest professional credential.For those interested in gemology, brief descriptions of the diploma programs are included below.

Graduate Gemologist (G.G)Graduate Gemologists are able to identify hundreds of common and unusual gemstones and detect the latest treatments and synthetics.They use time-honored identifying and grading techniques using a microscope, polariscope, spectroscope, and other professional gemological equipment.

Graduate DiamondsThe GIA Graduate Diamonds diploma program teaches to use the GIA International Diamond Grading System™ and the 4Cs directly from their creators.

Understand the 4Cs effect on diamond value
Grade diamonds in the D-Z color range
Detect synthetics, treatments, simulants and fracture-filled diamonds

Graduate Colored StonesThe GIA Graduate Colored Stones diploma program covers the origins of colored stones, how to identify them, and how to distinguish a synthetic stone from a natural. It also teaches how to detect treatments and apply GIA’s Colored Stone Grading System.

Relate quality, rarity, and color to value
Identify common and unusual gemstones
Determine external market factors’ effect on gem value

Understanding GIA’s Colored Stone Grading System

The following are the steps taken by trained gemologists to evaluate the tone, hue and saturation of gemstones.

The stone is then thoroughly cleaned in order to remove any dirt, dust and grime.
While holding the stone by its girdle against a neutrally colored background, the gemologist inspects the stone from a comfortable distance by looking at it face-up. The distance is usually about 18 inches.
A diffused and aylight-equivalent light source is required, which is usually place about 10 inches above the stone.
Then the gemologist rocks the gemstone back and forth (to an angle of about 30 degrees) while he makes the necessary judgments.

Measuring the tone

The illustration shows the various degrees or levels of gemstone tone. They range form very light (#2) to very dark (#8). The illustration shows that the sample gemstone has a tone that matches #5, which is a medium tone.

Measuring the hue

The adjoining illustration shows how the gemologist determines the hue of the gemstone. The gemstone in the illustration is predominantly green in color, but has a tinge of blue. The gemologist moves the gemstone around in the face-up position. The hue of the stone can be determined from the color seen in bright flashes. If one of the windows of the gemstone is so large that it occupies more than half of the face-up area, then the color exhibited in this window or facet is the dominating color, while the color visible in the brilliance flashes is an additional color.

Measuring the saturation level

As the final step, the gemologist determines the saturation level of the gemstone color. The gemstone is considered to have a vivid saturation if there is no incidence of a grayish or brownish appearance.

Certified Jewelry from Sparkle and Dazzle

At Sparkle and Dazzle every piece of diamond jewelry and Gemstone jewelry is manufactured with the best industry standards and each design is inspected by our experts. We adhere to the highest standards set by the renowned diamond and gem laboratories such as GIA (Gemological Institute of America), IGI - International Gemological Institute. The certificate provides an analysis with grading based on the 4Cs such as Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat weight and it will state also the estimated retail value.

We top the quality diamonds with our fine workmanship, loyal customer service, everyday low price and the 30-day return guarantee to bring you the best value in purchases you make for you and your loved ones. All diamond jewelry is not the same. When you shop for diamond jewelry, make sure you compare quality and final prices. We bring you great jewelry at lower prices without the discount gimmicks, surcharges or taxes. Browse our designs, compare our prices and buy with confidence. Click below to see our standard appraisal card that you will receive with every diamond jewelry purchase.

Want To Know Everything About Spotting Fake Jewelry

You are walking to your car in the parking lot of a casino and a nice, well dressed middle aged lady approaches you, removes a heavy gold chain from her neck and offers to sell it to you for a hundred bucks. She tells you that she just lost the money that her husband had given her to put in the bank and needs to try to win it back.You look at the chain and it is stamped 18K and is easily worth ten times the amount that this desperate compulsive gambler is asking. Should you buy it? If you do you will probably be the third mark she has suckered that night. Shes not a compulsive gambler and the 18K chain is not real either.Fake gold chains that are stamped 14K and 18K can be bought on the Internet now. They even come in great looking counterfeit jewelry boxes as well. How do you avoid being taken by this scam? Its simple. Don't buy gold jewelry from strangers off the street, because without exception in will be a fake.Even designer jewelry is counterfeited now with an authentic stamp on it and that goes for any type of designer jewelry. Another common item that is passed off as being the genuine article is fake Rolex watches. It too may come in a box and will also always come with some type of story of how the seller is in desperate need of quick cash.How can you tell a fake Rolex from the genuine article? Its simple, because the second hand on a fake Rolex will move with a "tick" while the second hand on a real Rolex "sweeps" smoothly. If the seller of any jewelry is unwilling to go to a jeweler to have the piece looked at before you buy it then you can bet it is a fake.

Get to Know About Gemstone Diamond Appraisal

Difference between Appraisals and Jewelry Lab Certificates

Jewelry lab certificates and appraisals for valuable jewelry are two documents and they are not one and the same, they serve different purposes and contain different sets of information that is helpful to customers and jewelry owners.

Appraisals and Jewelry lab certificates go hand in hand in the sense, a Jewelry lab certificate is a document that describes information about a diamond that has not been part of any jewelry and the appraisal provides information on the market value of a piece of jewelry, based on international trends and prices and whether it is already set in a ring, earrings, or necklace. Once a stone is mounted on jewelry it has a different value when compared to its loose form.

Choosing Labs and Appraisals: We recommend that you while selecting appraisers and jewelry lab certificates on jewelry that you are considering to buy select an independent company that provides these services rather than relying on the documents created by the jeweler that you are planning to buy your jewelry from. In this case the potential for the lab or appraiser to be biased is more, since they indirectly benefit from the sale.

In cases where you already have appraisals and certificates on your existing jewelry but is unsure of their accuracy, it is worthwhile to have your jewelry appraised to find their current market value is.

Appraisals: Most people consider investing in precious jewelry as a safe investment of their savings and this is the main reason why people should obtain jewelry lab certificates and appraisals to document the market value of the diamond, whether it is for insurance purposes or personal investment purposes. This documentation will help you, if you ever decide to sell your jewelry at a future date, to show the actual worth and value of the stones and the jewelry. An appraisal report will help you tell the difference between real and fake jewelry, and the difference between synthetic jewelry and cultured or created stones and natural stones. An appraisal should give the exact details of anything that has been done to the stone and indicate if it is genuine, synthetic, or treated.

Jewelry Lab Certificates: Certificates are only issued for loose stones and not for the entire ring. Certificates sometimes referred to as "grading reports" since they give a grade to the stone based on its specific properties. Jewelry Lab Certificates include information on the diamond (or other gemstone), its cut and shape, stone's color and clarity grades based on the grading scale of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).This certificates also contain specifics on the carat weight as well as the dimensions of the diamond, the stone's angles.

Once you have the certificates and Appraisal report, it will not change unless the stone is physically altered or it is found at a later date that the stone was evaluated incorrectly. While jewelry lab certificates and appraisals are different things they can both give you valuable information about the quality and value of your gemstone and is a timeless testament to the gemstone as long as it retains its originality.

A certification is a diamond industry term for a diamond grading report, which documents the diamond’s credentials. The certification describes the physical characteristics of a diamond and is usually prepared by an independent grading laboratory. It is a valuable tool for wholesalers, retailers and consumers because it states the diamond’s shape, exact measurements and weight, cut parameters, color grade, clarity grade, level of fluorescence, and finish grades.

A diamond certification is only useful if it is reliable and accurate so needs to be issued by a reputable and independent grading laboratory. Not all grading laboratories are created equal so do not expect the grading reports from different laboratories to agree. Some grading laboratories are notorious for being generous in their grading so are very popular with jewelry stores because the reported quality of the diamonds is inflated.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society (AGS) are recognized in the diamond industry as the most accurate and consistent of the grading laboratories.

A diamond grading report (certification) is very different from an appraisal or other document prepared by someone other than a reputable, independent grading laboratory. For example, there is a big difference between a Diamond Grading Report issued by the GIA and an appraisal or some other documentation signed by a GIA Graduate Gemologist. A GIA Graduate Gemologist is simply someone who has passed a series of diamond and colored gemstone grading courses prepared by the GIA. A GIA Diamond Grading Report is prepared in an unbiased environment, with highly trained GIA Laboratory graders following exacting procedures and using state of the art equipment.

Some unscrupulous jewelers print their own documentation and use names and formats that make them appear similar to GIA documents. These documents can be exaggerated by as much as three color or clarity grades and you can be sure they are off in favor of the jeweler, not the consumer. There is only one reason why a jeweler would use one of these “copy cat” documents and that is make undeserved profits at the consumer’s expense. Inaccurate documentation could affect the value of the diamond by hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars so it is important to have a diamond grading report from one of the top grading laboratories when making a diamond purchase decision.

Authentic diamond grading reports never have a value stated. If the document has a dollar value or a range of color or clarity grades (i.e. G-H color, or VS1-VS2 clarity), it is an appraisal not a diamond grading report. It is simply the opinion of the person preparing the document.

Diamond shoppers seeking to purchase a significant diamond, should be sure they have a diamond grading report from one of the major grading laboratories. That is the only way they can be sure of the characteristics of the diamond they are purchasing. It also becomes a valuable document if they ever have to file an insurance claim or sell the diamond in the future. The certification documents the quality of their diamond and provides a way to identify their diamond.

Sapphire in Jewelry

Know About Debeers

Ring Sizing

Ring sizes on our website are expressed in american ring sizes. Please make sure you have correctly determined the size of your finger before ordering. For the most accurate sizing, we recommend you visit your local jeweler to get your finger correctly sized. We make rings in quarter size increments from ring sizes 3 and up. Rings sized 12 and over will require an additional charge, depending on the size.

Know Everything About Debeers

The De Beers group is an internationally based diamond mining and trading company that has controlled the flow of diamonds in the US market place for decades. Perhaps a more appropriate title would be cartel, as De Beers was formed as a group of producers whose goal it was to fix prices, control supply and limit competition, and this is exactly what De Beers has done historically with the trade of diamonds.

The name "De Beers" originated with two Afrikaner farmers, Diederik Arnoldus De Beers and Johannes Nicholas de Beers. The De Beers brothers discovered diamonds on their farm and unable to deal with the stress of protecting the farm from the influx of diamond seekers, they sold the land and the mines. The land was home to two large mines were involved in the transaction: Premier and Kimberly.

Huge battles raged through the next few years as two entities emerged on top of the competition to acquire the land. These entities were the Barnato Mining Company formed by Barney Barnato and prospective investors, Cecil Rhodes and Charles Rudd. While De Beers had already acquired Premier, they wanted Kimberly as well. The buying began, each company ferociously buying up stock in "Kimberly Central." Eventually Rhodes and Rudd won out and forced Barnato to agree to a merger with De Beers.

De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited was thus formed in 1888. As a group, they owned all of Premier, most of Kimberly, and several other mines. The company was granted an official listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in August 1893 (DeBeers.com).

Over a decade later, the De Beers cartel formed, made up of the newly named Barnato Brothers, Anglo American, and JCI. Anglo American and the Barnato Brothers owned most of the stock, about 90% combined. Through Anglo American, De beers began to acquire a large number of other mines, including the Consolidated Diamond Mines. Some of the largest during their time, acquiring the CDM was a huge coup for the De Beers Group.

In the 1930's, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, the chairman of De Beers Group and leader of Anglo American, came up with the idea of "single channel marketing" which he defined as "a producers' co-operative including the major outside, or non-De Beers producers in accordance with the belief that only by limiting the quantity of diamonds put on the market, in accordance with the demand, and by selling through one channel, can the stability of the diamond trade be maintained."

This new single channel marketing structure eventually came to be known as the Central Selling Organisation (CSO) (DeBeers.com) Basically, Oppenheimer formed a cartel on the premise that he was operating a legitimate enterprise. He stomped out all competition and kept a stranglehold on the supply of diamonds, upping their value and rarity through a limited supply that De Beers doled out carefully. It is safe to say that during this time De Beers Group owned and controlled about 90% of diamond production in the world; thus they could control the "rarity" and value and keep a hold on the lucrative industry. Many of their dealings were shady, and they were known for particular ruthlessness against their competitors.

De Beers Group operated out of London and sold diamonds in the United States through supplying numerous smaller businesses in the States with the coveted gems. Because of anti-trust laws forbidding, among other prohibitions, the formation of cartels, De Beers could not set up shop in the US.

The diamond market came crashing down with the advent of the depression in the 1930's, and De Beers shut major mines like the Kimberly, Premier, and Consolidated Diamond Mines. They kept up the production of non-De Beers companies' mines to keep a hold on the market and waited for events to even out. But conditions for De Beers continued to worsen with the advent of World War Two, when they were forced to shut down almost completely.

They were revived again in the forties with the help of Oppenheimer's son Harry, who took over the helm of De Beers from his father. He visited the US in 1939 with the hope of finding a marketing firm that would agree to direct a pilot marketing campaign. He met N.W. Ayer and engaged the agency to begin a marketing campaign. They came up with a campaign targeting the emotional value of a diamond. Frances Gerety, a young copywriter for N.W. Ayer, coined the famous slogan "A Diamond is Forever."

The goal behind the marketing campaign was to ensure that women kept their diamonds literally forever. The goal was to prevent a secondary market for diamonds by persuading women that diamonds should be untouched by another woman to really have any menaing. This allowed De Beers to maintain control of the diamond trade at wholesale level andretailers to sell diamonds at a high price without competition from secondary markets. They touted engagement and wedding rings, anniversary necklaces, and anything of value that a woman could want. It was this marketing campaign that made diamond wedding and engagement rings so popular, and pushed diamonds to become the number one coveted gem by women.

In fact his campaign was so successful, it worked on an international level and brought countries like Japan into De Beers' sphere. By the late 90's, Japan produced 33% of the worlds diamond commodities (www.wikipedia.com).

De Beers flourished and grew over the years, establishing itself as an international diamond cartel that was highly successful, ruthless against its competitors, and king in the world of diamonds. With a wealth of diamonds at its fingertips, the possibilities were endless.

In the early 1980's De Beers hit another snag as sales dropped and they were once again losing money. But by the late eighties and early nineties they were back on their feet and expanding into other parts of the world such as South America and Asia, into the oceans with the formation of an underwater mining company, Debeers Marine Limited, and throughout Europe.

Finally in the 2001 De Beers was allowed to formally partner with Louis Vuitton and sell through them after a lengthy investigation by the European Throughout its decades in operation, De Beers has been accused of human rights violations, dealing in "conflict diamonds," and price fixing, among others. They have repeatedly denied all accusations, but came clean in June of 2004 after they were slapped with a 10 million dollar lawsuit surrounding charges concerning fixed prices in the industrial diamond market. De Beers admitted to price fixing, promised not to do it again, and paid the fine, a slap on the wrist to a company that makes billions upon billions of dollars.

In 2001, De Beers launched a joint venture with French luxury goods company Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A (LVMH) in order to establish De Beers as a retail brand in the US and internationally. Before the venture was allowed to begin, the European Union competition commission launched an investigation into whether the venture would give De Beers too great a control over the rough diamond market. The commission eventually allowed the joint venture to go ahead in July 2001. In 2005, De Beers gained full access to the US market and set up shop in New York (Wikipedia.com).

Throughout its history, De Beers has been surrounded by contention from all sides. An obvious cartel, they monopolized the diamond industry for decades and remain a powerful player in the diamond industry. They encouraged the mythology surrounding diamonds, touting them as rare and highly valuable. In fact, at one point in 1998 De Beers had to introduce production quotas on its own mines as a result of an influx of diamonds from outside resources. With diamond values in the billions, the company still kept a stronghold on its diamonds and touted them as rarities.

Diamonds are not rare and the only reason they have been so is because of De Beers. Their strict regulation of diamonds has supported ridiculously high prices and an artificially inflated value that remains to this day. Currently they are expanding into further ventures in Canada and are no longer a publicly controlled company.

Get to Know About Diamond, Gems, Jewelry Diamond Anniversary Rings

Know About Jewelry History - Inspirations form The Historical Jewelry Eras

Jewelry History is a history of beautiful Antique jewelry more popularly known as Vintage jewelry and has inspired innumerable jewelers, celebrities and jewelry lovers all over the world in modern times . It is simply exquisite and is loved because of its distinctive designs, scarcity, purity, quality of materials and finely crafted meticulous work done by the jewelers on each exotic piece of jewelry. To appreciate and understand, jewelry history and the magnificient antique jewelry designs we need to have an understanding of the jewelry eras from which these unique pieces of jewelry were derived. The major jewelry eras are under

The Ancient Era Jewelry (4000B.C.- 476 B.C.)

The Medieval Era Jewelry (476 – 1450)

The Renaissance Era Jewelry (1450-1600)

The Elizabethan Era Jewelry (1558 – 1603)

The Baroque Era Jewelry (1600 – 1750)

The Georgian Era Jewelry (1760 – 1837)

The Regency Era Jewelry (1812 – 1830)

The Victorian Era Jewelry (1837 – 1901)

The Art Nouveau Era jewelry ( 1890 – 1915)

The Edwardian Era Jewelry (1901 – 1919)

The Art Deco Era Jewelry (1920 – 1935)

The Retro Era Jewelry or the Estate Jewelry Era ( 1935 – 1950)

The Elizabethan Jewelry Era (1558 – 1603)

The Baroque Jewelry Era (1600 – 1750)

The Georgian Jewelry Era

The Georgian period of jewelry was named after the kings who ruled during that period, i.e England’s Kings George I, II and III. During this time the aristocrats were famous for their love for jewels and jewelry. They wore a large number of jewels on their coat buttons, knee breeches and shoe buckles too had jewels. Women would wear a complete matching jewelry set that consisted of a matching necklace, ring, bracelets, earrings and a tiara. Crowned Heart Design was very common in rings for women. All jewelry of the Georgian era was lighter, more airy and was handmade, so was not perfect . Georgian jewelry is characterized by exquisite high Karat gold, berlin iron and pinchbeck metal work along with Old Mine cut, Rose Cut and Table Cut Stones. Mine Cut or Rose Cut diamonds were the norm. These showed fewer facets, with more variations than modern stones. Mine cuts have a flat top; Rose cuts have a pointed top.

Common motifs of this era are stars, ribbons, scrolls and flowers. Popular trends were, cameos, intaglios, mourning jewelry or "memento mori , Chatelaines , floral designs, neoclassical motifs, Berlin iron and painted miniatures. Jewelry that comes apart to form different pieces is highly prized from this era. For example : A piece that initially looks to be a necklace might be designed to come apart and form two bracelets - or a bracelet could become a brooch and earrings. Jewelry of this period has its inpiration from the styles and trends in arts, architecture and interior decoration popular in Greek, Roman, Gothic, Rococo and Pompeiian

At the beginning of the Georgian period diamonds were the main stone used for jewelry designing and diamond cutters discovered exciting gem cuts like the rose cut, cushion cut, and brilliant cuts. In the 1750's colored precious stones like emeralds, rubies, and sapphires were worn along with new stones like white-imperial-pink topazes, amethyst, chartreuse chrysoberyl, coral, ivory, pearls, and garnets. As an alternative to diamond the use of paste, rock crystal, marcasite, and cut steel was also very common. Many of the rare Georgian pieces of jewelry have been redesigned to reflect more contemporary designs and are highly prized collectibles.

The Regency Jewelry Era (1812 – 1830)

The Victorian Jewelry Era (1837 – 1901)

The early Victorian era`s romantic vintage jewelry is characterized by nature themes. In this era jewelry was made from gold. Popular jewelry items include brooches, lockets for day wear and diamonds and colored gemstones for the evenings. The Mid Victorian era jewelry designs have an undertone of “mourning” which is clearly reflected in the use of dark stones, such as onyx, jet, amethyst and garnet. Grave designs

configured. Shells, mosaics, and colorful gems were often incorporated into a piece. In the late Victorian era jewelry designs were lively and vibrating and there was frequent use of precious stones like diamonds, sapphires, peridot and spinel in the design of every piece of jewelry. Use of shapes like, stars, crescents etc with inspiration from outer space was the trend.

The Art Nouveau Jewelry Era ( 1890 – 1915)

The Art Nouveau style first developed in an effort to bring originality and unique beauty back to jewelry as jewelry in the Victorian period became more available due to mass production, as a result of the industrial revolution. In 1861, William Morris with the support and collaboration of other artists in England started the Arts and crafts Movement not supporting the 19^th century artistic designs. Though his movement did not gain too much momentem in England, his thoughts greatly inspired a Belgian architect Victor Horta, who began designing a building “la Maison Tassel”, in the art nouveau style. In Brussels too some artists were inspired by William Morris` movement and tried to develop new art forms. Finally, in 1895 the word art nouveau was coined in France. This was a name given to a showroom of new arts owned by a japanese art collector, Siegfried Bing.

The Art Nouveau jewelry featured designs that were curvy, mystical and fluid. The style, was most often characterized by beautiful young women with flowing hair that graced lockets, brooches and rings, sash pins and buckles. Another unique characteristic of The Art Nouveau jewelry is that it has fluid lines made of stylized vines, flowers and foliage. Typical images included nude female figures, heads, insects, crescents and common plants. Exotic art inspirations from Japan, which had then opened to the west in 1853, had a great influence on Art Nouveau Jewelry designs. Art Nouveau Jewelry designs are also influenced by Celtic, Gothic and Rococo art. During this period materials were not as important as design and craftsmanship. Apart from, gold , silver and diamonds many different materials like horns, copper, tortoise-shell, ivory, carved glass, shells, pearls, and gemstones cut in cabochon were used with a number of varied gemstones like amber, opals, blister pearls, moonstones, citrines and peridots to design Art Nouveau jewelry . A beautiful enameling technique called the Plique A'Jour was highly in demand during those days. Some famous designers of this age were Rene Lalique, Louis Tiffany, Karl Faberge, George Fouquet, William Kerr and Unger Brothers. By 1915 the Art Nouveau was no longer considered a style statement, it became old fashioned and faded away. Many of the rare Art Nouveau pieces of jewelry have been redesigned using precious gems like diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire and color diamond to reflect more modern designs and are highly prized collectibles.

The Edwardian Jewelry Era (1901 – 1919)

The Edwardian Period lasted from 1901 to 1919. King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria, led the English society to a new level of sophistication and style in fashions and jewelry which is till today highly in demand. Jewelers used platinum and diamonds to create intricate and delicate filigree patterns that resembled lace and the houses of Cartier and Tiffany dominated jewelry design. Light and airy designs became hallmarks of Edwardian jewelry. Edwardian lady wore lots of open, lacy jewelry imitating the Indian Maharajahs whose jewelry designs the queen loved. Pearls were quite fashionable, along with jewels for the hair, or "tiaras" combined with beautiful dangling earrings. King Edward enjoyed sports and encouraged the use of sporting motifs. He also helped make his good luck stone, the peridot, very popular. The elegance, beauty and superb craftsmanship of Edwardian jewelry has remained unparalleled through the ages. Motifs for Edwardian Jewelryincluded Stars, ribbons and bows.Colored gems like demantoid garnets from the Urals, pale blue sapphires from Montana, Black Opals from Australia, amethysts, peridots, unheated acquamarines etc were frequently combined with tiny pearls or diamonds. Setting baguette cut diamonds, marquise cut diamonds, trapeze cut diamonds and triangular cut diamonds with calibre-cut rubies, emeralds and sapphires is a signature edwardian style jewelry. With the advent of the first world war the luxurious edwardian style dissapeared.

The Art Deco Jewelry Era (1920 – 1935)

This decorative style originated between 1920 and 1935 in Paris, France after L’Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes of 1925. This was the era of Jazz and flappers.The Art Deco style emphasized African, Egyptian, Indian and Japanese themes, geometric design, abstract pattern, exotic motifs, well defined lines and bold colors, extensive use of bakelite, celluloid, and enamels. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires were the gems of choice, embellishing the long necklaces and dripping earrings of the time. Women wore long gold necklaces and multiple stands of pearls, bracelets were worn in duplicates, watches and cocktail rings too were very popular. Men's jewelry also came into vogue as men became more comfortable wearing jewelry . Beads were incorporated into chokers, while metals were polished and used to accessorize. Platinum and white gold was used extensively in fine jewelry. In costume jewelry, Rhodium plating was used instead of these expensive metals. The Invisible setting was developed by Van Cleef & Arpels which allowed gems to be mounted, through a system of grooves and rails, in such a way that no metal was visible. Gérard Sandoz, Paul Poiret, René Lalique, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Jean Després were some of the famous designers of the art deco period.The Art deco bracelets became very popular and were called the plaque, flexible link, box, strap, band or straight-line The straight-line bracelet often featured the new square cut diamonds developed in Paris, aptly termed "French-cut" diamonds. Art Deco bracelets were frequently accented with natural and synthetic rubies and sapphires.Modern streamlined designs, with geometric gemstone cuts and bold color combinations were the signature style of the art deco jewelry. Another style typical of the Art Deco era is jewelry with Pave set . stones

The Retro Jewelry Era or the Estate Jewelry Era ( 1935 – 1950)

Retro is a term used for jewelry from the 1930s through early 50s that are characterized by large, glamorous designs in yellow and rose gold. Synthetic and semi-precious stones were popular as precious stones were scarce. During the depression, World War II and the post-war years, metals and stones were harder to come by so jewelers creatively used small amounts of material to create chunky, machine-inspired pieces. Retro jewelry is still wearable and en vogue today.

Jewelry from the 1960s and later is referred to as estate. While not old enough to be true antiques, these pieces have unique style and flair. Like retro jewelry, these pieces are bold but tend to be more chunky and abstract than their predecessors. Free-form linear and floral designs full of flash and diamonds make these pieces distinctive.

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Learn More at Natural Pearl Information Center

Pearl Learning Center: Pearls have been a source of fascination for centuries. They have been considered the most magical and feminine of all gems and are the only one created by a living organism. Pearls emanate a certain warmth and glow not found in other gems, due to their unique beginnings. Pearls are found in pearl oysters. However, the origin of the pearl mystified humans for centuries. Many theories were put forward regarding the origin of pearls however, it wasn't until the turn of the twentieth century that the relationship between pearl oysters and parasites was discovered.

Due to the rarity and high price of natural pearls, cultured pearls feature predominantly in jewellery stores. Side by side, it is very difficult to tell the difference between a natural pearl and a high quality cultured pearl with the naked eye. Pearls are composed of between 82-86% mineral (calcium carbonate), 10-14% organic binder and 2-4% water. They are very soft and can be chipped quite easily.

The name 'pearl' has various origins. The Teutonic derivation comes from the noun beere, meaning berry. Latin derivations are pirium, a sphere, and pirula, a pear. The Romans used the Greek word margarita, describing something of unique value, a cherished possession or a favourite child. The pearl is the birthstone for June, and also the anniversary gem for the Third and Thirtieth Wedding Anniversaries. Recognised as the emblem of modesty, chastity and purity, pearls have also come to symbolise a happy marriage.

Anyone buying pearls should take time to learn to evaluate luster and, in particular, to recognize what is acceptable and what is not acceptable; in particular, when luster is too low. Luster is produced when rays of light are absorbed into and reflected back out through the nacre - the layers of calcium carbonate that make up the pearl. Luster is rated from very high to very low. In general, the thicker the nacre, the deeper the luster. Japanese pearls, in general, exhibit a higher luster than South Sea varieties that show a softer, more velvety appearance.

Know Everything Abour Rare Famous Colored Diamonds

Colored diamonds allows you to have a beautiful diamond engagement ring without sacrificing color. There are many gorgeous, colored diamonds to choose from, and if you do choose a colored stone, you don't have to give up quality and elegance to do so.

Diamonds are found in their natural colors when they are mined, others become colored by gemologists and jewelers. Companies have begun color-treating diamonds of lower grades like a less desirable yellow or brownish tinted diamond into a beautiful, brightly colored diamond and well affordable to the average consumer.

Irradiation process is a popular treatment process for colored diamonds, which uses a high heat system to alter the color of the diamond. Sometimes diamonds are treated by painting.

Fancy Colored Diamonds

Diamonds are valued around the world based on their clear colorless qualities, but there are people who prefer the fancy colored diamonds that come in vivid hues of yellows, browns, greens, reds, pinks.

Colored diamonds exists naturally as well like if a diamond has nitrogen in it, it often has a yellow tint to the stone. If the gemstone has been exposed to minor radiation, the gem may turn green.

Colored diamonds have been treated to obtain their colors artificially for people with lower budgets to buy the fancy colored diamonds. Jewelry Manufacturers and gemologists have found ways to alter the colors of diamonds to get any shade or hue desired.

The process of grading colored diamonds is different than that of the transparent diamond. A colored diamond is graded based on the primary hue that makes up the majority of the diamond's color like whether it's the blue or pink or red color. Second, grading based on the intensity of that color. More expensive diamonds have a very intense, naturally coloration and is more rare. Treated diamonds will cost less than a naturally colored diamond. still a "real diamond", they are created within a laboratory instead of by natural phenomenon.

Names of Colored Diamond

Fancy colored diamonds comes in so many different shades; it is often difficult to interpret the name of the diamonds color. Most commonly you'll find two colors labeling the shade of a diamond, like greenish blue. Each name for a colored diamond has a primary color description, and some have a secondary color description. If a diamond is called "blue diamond," it will be a blue shaded diamond.

If the diamond is called "greenish blue," Is the diamond blue, or is it green? The color that is described with the "ish" at the end is considered the secondary color and the other color is the primary color, in this case blue. A greenish blue diamond is mostly blue, with green shades seen throughout the stone. A diamond labeled "brown red" will have equal amounts of both colors seen through the stone

Get to Know About Read Gold

Gold was first discovered as shining, yellow nuggets. "Gold is where you find it," so the saying goes, and gold was first discovered in its natural state, in streams all over the world. No doubt it was the first metal known to early hominids.

Gold became a part of every human culture. Its brilliance, natural beauty, and luster, and its great malleability and resistance to tarnish made it enjoyable to work and play with.

Because gold is dispersed widely throughout the geologic world, its discovery occurred to many different groups in many different locales. And nearly everyone who found it was impressed with it, and so was the developing culture in which they lived.

Gold was the first metal widely known to our species. When thinking about the historical progress of technology, we consider the development of iron and copper-working as the greatest contributions to our species' economic and cultural progress - but gold came first.

Gold is the easiest of the metals to work. It occurs in a virtually pure and workable state, whereas most other metals tend to be found in ore-bodies that pose some difficulty in smelting. Gold's early uses were no doubt ornamental, and its brilliance and permanence (it neither corrodes nor tarnishes) linked it to deities and royalty in early civilizations .

Gold has always been powerful stuff. The earliest history of human interaction with gold is long lost to us, but its association with the gods, with immortality, and with wealth itself are common to many cultures throughout the world.

Early civilizations equated gold with gods and rulers, and gold was sought in their name and dedicated to their glorification. Humans almost intuitively place a high value on gold, equating it with power, beauty, and the cultural elite. And since gold is widely distributed all over the globe, we find this same thinking about gold throughout ancient and modern civilizations everywhere.

Gold, beauty, and power have always gone together. Gold in ancient times was made into shrines and idols ("the Golden Calf"), plates, cups, vases and vessels of all kinds, and of course, jewelry for personal adornment.

Gold's natural color is further enhanced by alloying it with small amounts of other metals. Jewelers create yellow, rose, green and white golds by using different alloys. More copper results in a soft rose color; additional silver creates green gold; and palladium produces white.

Properties: Gold is very durable and look no further than the nearest museum where gold jewelry, coins and artifacts from ancient civilizations attest to the metal's enduring beauty and permanence. Jewelers throughout the ages have preferred gold to all other metals for its beauty and ease of workmanship. Gold can be melted, or shaped, to create any design. It can be alloyed with a number of other metals to increase its strength and produce a variety of colors.

Colors of Gold: Gold comes in a variety of colors. Because gold is alloyed with other metals to increase its strength, it can also be made in a variety of colors. For example, yellow gold is created by alloying the metal with copper and silver; using copper only creates pink gold; white gold contains platinum or palladium, zinc and copper; green gold contains silver, copper and zinc.

24K Gold: Pure gold, or 24-karat, is generally considered too soft for use in jewelry, so it is alloyed with other metals to increase its strength.

18K Gold: 18K Gold is 18/24ths, or three-quarters pure gold. Jewelry of this fineness is marked "18k" or "750," meaning 75 percent gold.

14K Gold: In the United States, 14-karat gold is used most commonly for jewelry. Fourteen-karat gold is 14/24ths, or slightly more than one-half pure gold. Jewelry of this fineness is marked "14k" or "585," the European designation meaning 58.5 percent gold.

10K Gold: Nothing less than 10-karat gold can be legally marked or sold as gold jewelry in the United States. These pieces are marked "10k" or "417," the European designation meaning 41.7 percent gold.

Stamping: Look for trademarks accompanying the quality mark. When a piece of jewelry is stamped with a quality mark, law requires that it be stamped with a hallmark or trademark as well. Sometimes the jewelry is also marked with its country of origin. These designations are designed to assure you that you are buying genuine gold jewelry of the karatage marked.

Gold Pricing: Gold Pricing is based on four factors: karatage, gram weight, design and craftsmanship. The karatage and gram weight tell you how much gold is in a piece, but other crucial factors determining price are the piece's construction and design. A price based solely on gram weight does not reflect the work that has gone into the piece. It's important to remember that each piece of gold jewelry is unique and, if cared for properly, can last a lifetime.

White Gold: White gold is an alloy of gold and some white metals such as nickel, silver and palladium. White gold can be 18k, 14k, 9k or any karat. For example, 18k yellow gold is made by mixing 75% gold with 25% other metals such as copper and zinc. 18k white gold is made by mixing 75% gold with 25% other metals such as nickel, silver and palladium. So the amount of gold is the same but the alloy is different.

While pure gold is yellow in color, colored gold can be developed into various colors.

Rose gold is a gold and copper alloy widely used for specialized jewelry. It is also known as pink gold and red gold. As it was popular in Russia at the beginning of the nineteenth century, it is also known as Russian gold, however, this term is now obsolete.

Although the names are often used interchangeably, the difference between red, rose, and pink gold is the copper content – the higher the copper content, the stronger the red coloration. A common alloy for rose gold is 75% gold and 25% copper by mass (18 karat). Since rose gold is an alloy, there is no such thing as "pure rose gold".

A common formulation for red gold is 50% gold and 50% copper.

Up to 15% zinc can be added to copper-rich alloys to change their color to reddish yellow or dark yellow.

During ancient times, due to impurities in the smelting process, gold frequently turned a reddish color. This is why many Greco-Roman texts, and even many texts from the Middle Ages, describe gold as "red".

Green gold alloys are made by leaving the copper out of the alloy mixture and just using gold and silver. It actually appears as a greenish yellow rather than green. Eighteen karat green gold would therefore contain a mix of gold 75% and silver 25% (or 73% gold and 27% silver). Fired enamels adhere better to these alloys.

Green gold was known to Lydians as long ago as 860 BC under the name electrum, a naturally occurring alloy of silver and gold.

Cadmium can be added to gold alloys in amount of up to 4% to achieve green color. The alloy of 75% gold, 23% copper, and 2% cadmium yields light green 18ct gold. The alloy of 75% gold, 15% silver, 6% copper, and 4% cadmium yields a dark green alloy. Cadmium is, however, toxic.

Grey gold alloys are made by adding silver, manganese and copper in specific ratios to the gold.

Black gold is a type of gold used in jewelry. Black colored gold can be produced by various methods:

Electroplating, using black rhodium or ruthenium. Solutions that contain ruthenium give a slightly harder black coating than those that contain rhodium.
Patinationby applying sulfur and oxygen containing compounds.
Plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition process involving amorphous carbon
Controlled oxidation of gold containing chromium or cobalt (e.g. 75% gold, 25% cobalt).

A range of colors from brown to black can be achieved on copper-rich alloys by treatment with potassium sulfide.

Purple gold (also called amethyst gold and violet gold) is an alloy of gold and aluminum rich in gold-aluminium intermetallic (AuAl₂). Gold content in AuAl₂ is around 79% and can therefore be referred to as 18 karat gold. Purple gold is more brittle than other gold alloys, as it is an intermetallic compound instead of a malleable alloy, and a sharp blow may cause it to shatter. It is therefore usually machined and faceted to be used as a "gem" in conventional jewelry rather than by itself. At lower content of gold, the material is composed of the intermetallic and an aluminium-rich solid solution phase. At higher content of gold, the gold-richer intermetallic AuAl forms; the purple color is preserved to about 15% of aluminium. At 88% of gold the material is composed of AuAl and changes color. (The actual composition of AuAl₂ is closer to Al₁₁Au₆ as the sublattice is incompletely occupied.)

Blue gold is an alloy of gold and indium. It contains 46% gold (about 12 ct) and 54% indium, forming an intermetallic compound AuIn₂. While several sources remark this intermetallic to have "a clear blue color," in fact the effect is slight: AuIn2 has CIE LAB color coordinates of 79, -3.7, -4.2^[9] which appears roughly as a greyish color. With gallium, gold forms an intermetallic AuGa₂ (58.5% Au, 14ct) which has slighter bluish hue. The melting point of AuIn₂ is 541 °C, for AuGa₂ it is 492 °C. AuIn₂ is less brittle than AuGa₂, which itself is less brittle than AuAl₂.

All the AuX₂ intermetallics have crystal structure of CaF₂ and therefore are brittle. Deviation from the stoichiometry results in loss of color. Slightly nonstoichiometric compositions are however used, to achieve a fine-grained two- or three-phase microstructure with reduced brittleness. A small amount of palladium, copper or silver can be added to achieve a less brittle microstructure.

The intermetallic compounds tend to have poor corrosion resistance. The less noble elements are leached to the environment, and a gold-rich surface layer is formed. Direct contact of blue and purple gold elements with skin should be avoided as exposition to sweat may result in metal leaching and discoloration of the metal surface.

A surface plating of blue gold on karat gold or sterling silver can be achieved by a gold plating of the surface, followed by indium plating, with layer thickness matching the 1:2 atomic ratio. A heat treatment then causes interdiffusion of the metals and formation of the required intermetallic compound.

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Platinum

Platinum Historical Use: Platinum was used by the South American Indians before the fifteenth century. They could not melt it, but developed a technique for sintering it with gold on charcoal, to produce artefacts. A pre-Columbian platinum ingot was found which contained 85% pure platinum. When the Spanish conquered South America, they discovered the Indians use of platinum, and called it "platina", a diminutive which means "little silver", a somewhat derogatory term. It was considered by the Spanish as a worthless nuisance and impurity.

Platinum Group Metals: Platinum is closely related to five other metals, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, and iridium. Together these six are known as the platinum group metals, often referred to as PGMs. They all have somewhat similar atomic structures, leading to some similarity in chemical and mechanical properties, although there are, of course, many important differences. Platinum Facts: Atomic Number: 78; Atomic Weight: 195.08; Density or Specific Gravity: 21.45; Melting Point: 1768.90 Celsius and Hardness (Moh) 4.3.

Platinum Processing: In about 1780, Janety was able to refine it using aqua regia, Smith & Tennant developed an arsenic refining method after 1800, the arsenic was used to aid in the melting. This was highly toxic and dangerous, and it is not used nowadays. Until about 1800, it was not realized that there were in fact six different metals. Palladium was not separated and identified until 1803. Platinum's melting point is very high, and consequently it is difficult to melt. It was first melted by Lavoisier shortly after 1800.

Platinum Stamping: What are the marks inside my platinum jewelry? You're familiar with the gold standard, where 24k = 100%. The platinum standard is based on parts per thousand, where 1000 parts = 100%. All platinum alloys are derived from this standard. The two most common platinum alloys found in the US. 95% Platinum: This alloy is 950 parts per 1000 and 50 parts other metals. Common quality marks are: Platinum, Plat, Pt, Pt950, 950Pt, 950Plat and Plat950. 90% Platinum: This alloy is 900 parts per 1000 and 100 parts other metals. Common quality marks are: 900Pt, Pt900, and 900Plat. Typically platinum is alloyed with copper, iridium, palladium, cobalt, ruthenium, tungsten, gallium or indium. It can also be alloyed with rhodium, osmium or titanium but these are rarely used.

Platinum Purity: Why is platinum's purity important to me? Two reasons. First, your skin. Platinum is hypoallergenic and resists tarnish, making it easy for sensitive people to wear. Second, platinum's purity makes it one of the strongest, most durable metals in the world. Platinum has often been described as the purest, or the most precious metal. Both these claims are slightly inaccurate. The price of pure platinum is generally higher than gold, but not always, therefore the claim that platinum is the most precious metal is also a typical marketing exaggeration, besides rhodium is frequently double the price of platinum. As noted previously, the Spanish conquerors of Latin America considered it a worthless nuisance.

Precious Platinum: Silver has its place in jewelry, particularly for larger and heavier pieces, where its low price means it can be used lavishly. Silver does tarnish very easily, and needs frequent cleaning, which is its major drawback for jewelry. Again its rapid tarnishing, means it is less than ideal; it is also quite soft, and not durable enough for diamond settings in general. Certainly now that platinum has earned its recognition as a precious metal, silver is by comparison a poor relation. For its combination of preciousness and purity, there is no doubt that platinum deserves pride of place, so when we query the claim about platinum being the purest and most precious metal, we are trying to give an accurate honest appraisal on a completely objective basis.

Platinum Deposits: Until large deposits were discovered by Merensky at Rustenberg in South Africa in 1924, 93% of the world's supply of platinum came from the USSR. the Rustenberg deposits are considered very rich in platinum. The ratio of platinum to palladium recovered is 2.5%.

Platinum Alloys: In jewelry, like other precious metals platinum is mixed with other metals to form alloys. Before 1975 there was no requirement for platinum to be assayed and hallmarked in Britain, therefore there was no recognized standard. Because of this, most early pieces marked "plat" or platinum, may be of very variable, and quite low fineness, and most would fail modern assay standards. Typically platinum is alloyed with copper, iridium, palladium, rhodium, osmium or titanium. All our platinum products are made with .950 fine platinum. Platinum is perfect for diamond settings. We also make rings in combinations such as: Platinum with 18 karat yellow gold and platinum with 24 karat yellow gold.

Platinum in Jewelry: Platinum started to be used in jewelry in Europe about the mid nineteenth century, but it was not until the 1924 find that it started to become commonly used. It became very fashionable during the art deco movement. It possesses very good mechanical properties for jewelry, being strong, and highly durable. It is ideal for stone settings as it has a low "spring-back" rate. In jewelry, like other precious metals it is mixed with other metals to form alloys. Before 1975 there was no requirement for platinum to be assayed and hallmarked in Britain, therefore there was no recognized standard. Because of this, most early pieces marked "plat" or platinum, may be of very variable, and quite low fineness, and most would fail modern assay standards. Our Platinum Jewelry includes Platinum Chains, Platinum Bracelets, Platinum Earrings, Platinum Pendants, Platinum Rings, Platinum Wedding Rings, Platinum Diamond Rings, Platinum Anniversary Rings & Engagement Rings.

Know Everything About Emerald Ring Settings

Guide to Choosing Your Emerald Settings

The beauty and craftsmanship of a emerald ring depends a lot on the emerald type and quality of the setting. So it is very important to pay attention to the setting type that is used while designing or purchasing a emerald ring. We need to know facts like whether the metal will hold the stone evenly with a smooth and fine finish. Will the stone be held firmly in the setting? etc An understanding of the setting types will help us know what will best suit on the ring to give it a perfect look.

There are two basic types of gemstone settings: Open Settings and Closed Settings.

Open settings are any type of setting that allows light to enter through the bottom of a faceted or transparent gemstone. For eg tension setting, prong setting, care setting, frustum settings. In a closed setting light can only enter the stone from the top. This type of setting is appropriate for opaque cabochon-cut stones and highly refractive faceted stones where light can enter through the crown and table of the stone and be reflected back to the observer from within. For example bezel setting, pave setting, channel settings.

Some of the most common sapphire setting types that you will find in a jewelry store are as under.

What platinum or 14k white or yellow gold emerald ring setting style is best for your stone? To answer this question, you will need to know what styles there are to choose from and what advantages each has to offer. Here, the choices are as varied as ring designers. Once you recognize these differences, you'll be prepared to analyze each ring at a glance and make a choice based on those elements that best please your taste.

The Prong Setting: This is the most common type of setting, especially for ladies' solitaire emerald rings. Prong setting is the one most often used to hold a solitaire. Prong setting puts the emphasis on the stones and not the metal. It involves fitting the diamond in a metal head or basket and securing it with a minimum of three prongs or metal claws. The purpose of any setting is to hold the emeralds securely in the mounting and at the same time allow light to enter the emeralds for maximum brilliance. The shape of the prongs can vary. They may be rounded, elongated or pointed. There are many decorative variations of this setting style.

The more metal used to hold the emeralds, the more secure they are; the less metal used, the greater the chance for the emerald to reflect light. For this reason, platinum is often the metal of choice for emerald solitaires.

Because platinum is both dense and strong, very thin wires of it are sufficient to hold the emerald securely in place. The emerald may be raised high up above the shank to give it a larger appearance. In such a setting, the prongs are attached to the central setting of a ring, known as the head or basket. Each prong extends upward and outward from the head, arching over the sapphire to form a secure grip.

The ideal prong tapers to a rounded point. It should be smoothly finished, diminishing any chance of the prong snagging the threads of your clothes. The prongs should also be placed at the key points of the stone, typically at four corners or at four, five or six points evenly spaced around the stone, to offer security without interfering with the stone's brillianc.

Prong Settings Advantages?: It allows more of the stone to be in view than most other styles. It's quicker and, therefore, less expensive to set than most other styles. It can hold large sapphires securely. Settings with six prongs are more secure than those with four prong. This setting allows emeralds to be more easily cleaned than the other styles. It can be used to set any type of gemstone, no matter how fragile it is.

Prong Settings Disadvantages: May not provide as smooth of a ring surface as some of the other styles. It doesnot protect emeralds as well as other styles since it leaves most of the girdle are exposed.

The Channel Setting: This style is often used for wedding bands, but it may also be used to accent center stones. The emeralds are suspended in a channel of vertical walls with nometal separating the stones.

Channel setting is also used when there is no center stone at all. The placement of baguettes around an entire band is a beautiful choice for a wedding band, one that goes well with a matching ring set with a diamond solitaire. Channel setting offers a sleek, elegant appearance, though the end result is a very different look.

Channel Settings Advantages: Channel setting protects the girdle are of emeralds as well as provide a smooth ring surface. None of the edges are exposed, and so they are not subject to hard knocks or general wear and tear.

Channel Settings Disadvantages: Usually more time consuming and costly than prong setting, when properly done. It should not be used for fragile gems.

The Pave Setting: In this type of setting, emeralds are fit into tapered holes and set almost level with the surface of the ring. Then some of the surrounding metal is raised to form beads which hold the sapphires in place. Sometimes the metal around the bead-set stones is raised or engraved to form decorative patterns. When there are three or more rows of emeralds in this way without partitions between the stones, it is calle pave, which, in French means paved like a cobblestone road. In order to give the impression of a continous emerald surface, it is customary to use white gold or platinum to support pave-set emeralds even if the rest of the ring is in yellow gold.

Pave Settings Advantages?: Usually protects emeralds better than a prong setting. Allows uniterrupted designs of varying width. Pave set rings appear larger eventhough the stones are smaller. Each tiny diamond, weighing just a few points, is fully cut with 58 facets. Though small in size, each stone contributes to the overall, shimmering look of the design. After it is positioned in its hole, tiny bits of metal from the surface of the shank are pushed over the edge of the emerald, forming tiny beads to hold the stone in place.

Pave Settings Disadvantages: Is a risky setting method in terms of possible stone damage. It does not provide as smooth of ring surface as bezel, channel and flush setting.

The Bar Setting: This is a form of channel setting, except the emeralds are set in channels acress a ring, and stones on each end of the channel are exposed at the edges of the mounting instead of being secured in metal.

The Invisible Setting: Invisible-set emeralds are placed tightly next to each other with the metal of the setting concealed underneath the emeralds, allowing them to form a continous surface.

Invisible Settings Advantages: It enhances brilliance because there's no metal on top of the stone to impede the entry of light.

Channel Settings Disadvantages: If not properly set, small square stones may fall out with hard wear. It is usually more time consuming and expensive than prong and bead setting. It is risky setting method, in terms of damage to the stones, so it should not be used for fragile gems.

The Flush Setting: is a popular style for people who use their hands a lot in their professions; it offers good protection for their emeralds. Emeralds are sunk into the mounting until they are nearly level or flush with the surface. Only the table of the diamond and a bit of the upper pavilion facets show. This technique seems to go against everything we know about diamonds in relation to light, but it's become quite a popular setting. It's a very subtle look, and one that appeals to the woman who likes the idea of tiny, glittering bits of light twinkling like stars in the sky.

Flush Settings Advantages: It protects the girdle area of the emeralds. Provides a smooth, tailored look. The flush setting is also used for larger stones, offering great protection and a modern look.

Flush Settings Disadvantages: It is usually more time consuming and expensive than prong and bead setting. It is risky setting method, in terms of damage to the stones, so it should not be used for fragile gems.

The Bezel Setting: A bezel is a band of metal that surrounds the emerald and holds it in place. They have become popular now as attractive settings for emeralds. The bezel may either fully or partially encircle the emerald. A bezel is a collar of precious metal that wraps around the emerald. The bezel is attached to the top of the ring and stands up above it, adding height and another dimension to the setting. Although solid bezels have a very traditional look, the bezel may be 'split' into two sections, arcing around just part of the emerald.

Bezel Settings Advantages: It provides good protection for girdle and pavilion areas of the sapphire. It can be used to set almost all gemstones without causing damage to them. It accentuates the circumference of the stone, making it appear larger than in prong setting. It provides a smooth ring surface

Bezel Settings Disadvantages: It is usually more time consuming and expensive than prong and bead setting.

Also Get to Know Emerald Ring Styles

Also Get to Know Emerald Ring Designs

Also Get to Know Emerald Ring Metals

Also Get to Know Emerald Ring Craftsmanship

Read About Emerald History, Emerald Facts

About the year 1717, having offered the gem to several sovereigns, the Regent of France was persuaded that his country should possess the most beautiful and perfect diamond known so the diamond was bought for £135,000 and from that time known as the Regent diamond. The diamond was stolen from the public treasury during the turbulent times of the French Revolution. Twelve years later it was recovered and hen set in the Imperial diadem of France.

More About Diamond Cartel

Why Buy From Sndgems.com Online Jewelry Store

1. Secured Online Store: Sndgems shopping process is fully certified by the Independent Internet Security Leader. As one of the

Internet security is a broad term that refers to the various steps individuals and companies take to protect computers or computer networks that are connected to the Internet. One of the basic truths behind Internet security is that the Internet itself is not a secure environment. The Internet was originally conceived as an open, loosely linked computer network that would facilitate the free exchange of ideas and information. Data sent over the Internet—from personal e-mail messages to online shopping orders—travel through an ever-changing series of computers and network links. As a result, unscrupulous hackers and scam artists have ample opportunities to intercept and change the information. It would be virtually impossible to secure every computer connected to the Internet around the world, so there will likely always be weak links in the chain of data exchange.

2. 100% Satisfaction Guantee

When purchasing a piece of jewelry, look carefully at the construction and quality of workmanship. The way the piece is designed, constructed and finished will have a major impact on how well the piece wears and holds up over time. We partner with jewelry manufacturers worldwide to get the finest quality jewelry at the most outstanding prices. To be certain that your jewelry has been evaluated by a trusted third party, get it appraised by a local jeweler and you'll find that our jewelry, designer clothing & designer handbags will be appraised 30 to 60% above retailers price. You can easily spot the fake handbag with the designers logo alone. Most designers usually place their product's signature on the same part of their every designer handbag so that buyers would know that it's the real handbag. All our designer clothes and designer hanbags come with original designer authenticy card and tag.

Sparkle N Dazzle guarantees that the diamond you purchased has been graded with the strictest standards using the Gemological Institute of America grading systems. The sapphires, emeralds, and rubies in the gemstone jewelry we offer will display rich blue, green, or red color. And each gemstone must be translucent — not opaque like the gemstones found in much of the gemstone jewelry available. You'll find we offer only the strongest, most durable jewelry grade platinum. Pearls in all our cultured pearl jewelry will have medium to high luster. Our designer clothes & designer handbags are 100% authentic and are at least 50% discounted. Everybody dreams of having fabulous designer handbags of the finest quality that one can only see in a celebrity's hand. However, such leather handbags are difficult to find and quite expensive.

3. Privacy Promise: Sndgems Online Jewelry Store respects your privacy and is fully committed to ensure your privacy is protected online. We want you to ensure that your privacy is protected. We want to ensure that your online shopping at Sndgems Online Jewelry Store is totally secure with respect to your personal information, your credit card information online and off-line. Sndgems uses latest up-to-date encryption/security and technological standards to make your jewelry purchase safe. It is our privacy promise.

4.. Trusted Jewelry Industry Affiliations: Sndgems is committed to providing the highest standards of quality and services to you adhering to stringest trusted jewelry industry established. We adhere to strictest industry norms of jewelry industry's leading and most respected organizations including Jewelers of America, Jewelers Board of Trade and Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers Association.

5. Jewelry Education, Expert Advice & Friendly Customer Service: Sndgems is committed to providing its customers complete, precise and easy but still useful information to educate its customers in making jewelry purchae easy, enjoyable and safe at our online jewelry store. An educated and informed customer is what we thrive for. Please visit our education center to learn more or e-mail us back.

6. Customer Reviews: Sndgems online jewelry store was launched in 1998 and has about 7500 fine designer jewelry products and thousands of satisfied customers who have bought jewelry from our online jewelry store. They have provided us valuable information in improving our online store. We've provided real customer feedback with real customers who have bought great jewelry products from us after doing reasearch using our education pages, price comparison tools and even on checking our jewelry at local jewelry stores to get reassurance.

7. Best Jewelry Site Awards/Jewelry Industry Awards/Jewelry Industry Award Winning Designs: Sndgems stands miles apart from thousands and thousands of online jewelry stores and main street/mall jewelry stores worldwide with regards to its education center, jewelry selection, jewelry quality and overall value and customer satisfaction. Sndgems is committed to and proud of being recognized as the best online jewelry store because of great jewelry offering largest selection+finest selection+best value+best customer service+best deals+best customer service+best after sales service+best customer reviews+best online shopping experience.

8. Our Prices: Sndgems has been recognized as an online leading jewelry store offering best deals+best buys+best value+lowest prices. We offer the finest selection of at reasonable prices and that shows in our customer feedback and reviews. We're not just the online leader but are much better alternative to mall and main street jewelry stores with inflated prices and illusionary discounts.

9. No Additional Taxes: Will you charge sales tax on my order? To be clear, the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA), which was signed into law on October 21, 1998, does not, as some have asserted, preclude sales & use taxes on any and all commerce conducted over the Internet. State governments are allowed to impose sales and use taxes on all such electronic sales. Currently, most e-commerce companies use the same taxation rules used by mail-order companies, which are based on constitutional guidelines for interstate commerce. Generally this means that states can only require companies to collect sales tax in states where they have business operations, and as a result, a company will not collect sales tax in states where they have no business operations. We charge 5.75% sales tax for Ohio State Residents.

10.Free Insured Shipping: When awaiting the delivery of your order, remember that the first day of business is the day after your order is processed, provided that the item you order is in stock. Sndgems makes every attempt to keep items in stock. Should the item be out of stock, you will be notified by e-mail during the ordering process with the approximate delivery time noted. Many orders may be able to ship more quickly, but each piece of jewelry is created by hand to your specifications after you place your order. All orders are subject to credit and address verification. For your protection, all FedEx shipments require a customer signature upon delivery. Shipping addresses are limited to one address per order. Sndgems.com primarily uses FedEx because it is a traceable and insured method of shipment. All shipments require a telephone number and an address specifying if it is a business or residential. All deliveries must be made to a physical address (no P.O. Boxes except APO/FPO addresses). All shipments require a signature, without a signature UPS/FedEx will not complete the delivery. Therefore, the shipping address must be one where someone will be available to sign for the package. We offer several shipping options: FedEx Ground; FedEx 2 Day (U.S. Addresses Only); FedEx Overnight (Standard Overnight Delivery); FedEx Saturday Delivery all for free now.

11. Jewelry Appraisal Certificate of Authencity, Price Verification, Genuine Gemstone Assurance, Diamond Quality: All our jewelry is authentic, natural, genuine and real. We donot sell costume jewelry or imitation jewelry. We use only genuine naural fine gemstones and diamonds. With every purchase at our online jewelry store, you will receive a free third party jewelry appraisal from reputable appraisal company assuring you of authenticity, gemstones genuineness and price verification.

12. Gift Certificate: Sndgems at its online jewelry store offers fine jewelry gift cartificates in many denominations like $1000, $2000, $5000, $10,000 and $50,0000 which can be redeemed at our online jewelry store and jewelry stores worldwide.

13. After Sales Service: Sndgems is qualified to perform virtually any jewelry revitalization you may require, and our experience in this area is considerable. We will gladly work with individuals to meet their specific needs...or with professional shops seeking reliable, high-quality repairs for their clients. You may rely upon Sndgems goldsmiths to accomplish the most delicate of restoration procedures, whether on jewelry or watches. Our reputation for expert execution is unsurpassed. We have certified gemologists and professional jewelers and it is their our duty to provide the finest workmanship around. Any precious metal jewelry can be redesigned or repaired. Everything from clock repairs to ring sizing to fine designer re-mounts. Most repair work generally requires one week and is unconditionally guaranteed. All at rock bottom prices! In addition to fine jewelry repair work... we are also qualified watch repair specialists. Check jewelry every 6 months as prongs can wear thin and let stones fall out. Chains and pearl strands weaken with wear. Ring shanks wear thin through time. Before disaster strikes, have your jewelry professionally inspected and repaired. No job is too large or too small, and estimates are provided. Active outdoors types, for example, might be better off avoiding the marquise or pears shape. The shank as well as the prongs of a ring worn daily by a very active person will show the effects of wear.

14. Jewelry Artists, Designers, Manufcturers Worldwide Showcase Your Jewelry Designs at Sndgems Online Jewelry Store: Jewelry Artists, Designers, Manufcturers Worldwide can showcase their handcrafted exclusive and beautiful jewelry designs on Sndgems Online Jewelry Store, Facebook Store Front, Sndgems New York Jewelry Store, Sndgems Japan Jewelry Store, Sndgems UK Jewelry Store, Sndgems Bangkok Jewelry Store, Sndgems Bridal Shows and more. We offer many other distribution channels like product catlogs, jewelry shows, jewelry party plans and many more. channels.

Emerald Rings Reviews

Gorgeous! Perfect compliment to my emerald wedding band to celebrate our 5th anniversary, the birth of our son and my 30th birthday. Gina August 26, 2011.

perfect stunning emerald five stone ring. I would highly recommend Sndgems.com to anyone looking for quality and good prices. Jen

I love my ring! The emeralds are such a beautiful grass green, just like the shade you see in the online pictures. The diamonds are very sparkly. The focus is definitely upon the stones rather than the band, which I like. The ring fit perfectly and I have been wearing it constantly. I would highly recommend Sndgems.com to anyone looking for quality and best deals. Mark September 8, 2011.

She had a tear in her eye after getting the stacked 5.0 carats stunning emerald diamond eternity band. Jonathan September 15, 2011.

Excellent service and a quality item. Had to return for the wrong ring size. No issues at all and received the correct size with in a couple of days, Custome service was very pleasant and there were no issues. I would highly recommend Sndgems.com to anyone looking for finest quality and good prices. Rick September 22, 2011.

Loved the beautiful emerald diamond three sone ring. I would highly recommend Sndgems.com to anyone looking for quality and good prices. From Hongkok September 27, 2011.

The emerald and diamond ring is exactly what I had expected. The natural green color green is great, the side diamonds are clear and compliment the emerald. I would highly recommend Sndgems.com to anyone looking for quality and good prices.

Excellent Quality. They have the finest selection of emerald rings I have seenanywhere. Beth from Spain, October 5, 2011.

Online Shopping Tips

Know the online merchant. It is always best to know the reputation of the companies you choose to do business with. If you are not familiar with the online retailer, be sure to check the Web site for contact details, including a physical address and phone number. Also, look to see if the site is a member of a trust mark or trust seal program. This certifies the business meets certain business standards set in place by the program.

What is Online Security? The online economy is massive, with billions of dollars changing hands every single day. Online shopping has brought consumers lower prices, incredibly diverse choice and an ease of buying that simply can't be matched in the physical world. So, online buying presents challenges to keeping your money safe, but if you're smart, they're challenges that aren't too hard to overcome.

SSL Encryption

A better way to tell if a form really is secure is by looking at the address bar in your browser (see the picture below). When you're looking at the form where you're supposed to enter your credit card number, the address should begin with "https://www.sndgems.com/", not "http://www.sndgems.com/". That little letter "s" in there means that the information that you're sending the site through the form is encrypted, which means that even if someone intercepts the information, they won't be able to do anything with it. Any questions regarding our virtual secured web server could be directed to support@icom.com . Usually, shopping on the Web is much safer than shopping over the phone, or even through the mail. There's a much smaller chance that a telephone operator or a waiter will write down your credit card number and then sell it, or that a store will throw out a receipt and someone will dig through the store's garbage to find it. Especially if you keep the rules just mentioned in mind, you'll most likely have a very good experience shopping over the Internet.

Shop Only at Secure Websites

Ensure you are shopping at a secure Web site. A secure Web site uses encryption technology to scramble the information you send, such as your credit card number, in order to prevent identity thieves from gaining access to it as it travels through the Internet. Secure Web site addresses also include "https://" at the beginning of the address -- the "s" indicates the Web site is secure. Also, look for a closed padlock displayed in your browser's toolbar or on at the bottom of your screen. If the lock is open or not present, this may be a sign that the site is not secure. Even on a secure site, do not send any more financial information than is necessary to complete the transaction. Always keep a paper copy of the transaction for your records.

Beware of Phishing E-mails

Beware of "phishing" e-mails that appear to be from trusted merchants. Phishing is one of the fastest-growing forms of online fraud for identity thieves. Phishing e-mails appear legitimate, often addressing you by name, which makes them even more convincing. Thieves sending these e-mails usually ask you to click on a link in the email that takes you to a phony Web site -- if you are interested, it is best to go to the site yourself by typing the Web site name directly into your browser rather than clicking on the link provided in the e-mail. A skeptical attitude toward unsolicited e-mails is always the best policy, especially if you have never done business with a company before receiving an e-mail solicitation from it.

Review privacy and security policies

Check company policies you do business with online. All reputable companies post a privacy and security policy or statement on their Web site. This should tell you what information the company collects, how it is used and what is shared. If you are concerned about your information being shared with other companies, make sure there is an option to keep your information confidential.

Be proactive in protecting your security

Install commonly available security tools such as anti-virus software, anti-spyware software and a personal firewall. These programs and the computer's operating system must be maintained with the most recent patches or updates. Probably the most common -- and most easily remedied -- security problem in home computers is out-of-date software.

Do not use personal information for passwords

Using information such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, names, common words, e-mail addresses or telephone numbers as passwords can make you an easy target. Be sure your passwords contain at least eight characters and include numbers or symbols. To avoid misuse, do not write down passwords.

Monitor online activity regularly

If you conduct business online, review your account statements regularly and consider using a separate credit card for online purchases or payments to ensure all transactions are in order. By reviewing online statements, transactions and your credit report frequently, you could detect a theft and limit its damage. Identity thieves typically use stolen information for only a short period of time to avoid being caught. If you suspect a security breach, act quickly by contacting the companies you do business with immediately. The Federal Trade Commission's identity theft Web site is a great resource for information on identity theft, including advice and guidance if your identity is stolen.

Know about international security and privacy standards

Be aware that international security and privacy standards may be different. When you shop in the United States, you are protected by state and federal consumer laws. These laws may not apply if you place an order internationally. If it is not a reputable merchant and there is a problem, it may be difficult for you to resolve the issue. You should print out and date a copy of terms, conditions, warranties, item description, company information and even confirming e-mails, and save them with the records of your purchase. Also, look at your purchase as soon as you receive it and contact the seller as soon as possible if you discover a problem.

How to Pick a Perfect Engagement Ring

Being educated and informed about the basics of a ring will make it easier when shopping for a perfect engagement ring.

When you feel you're comfortable and are ready to buy an engagement ring check out online jewelry sores first. Online jewelry stores offer many advantages over local jewelry store with regards to selection, styles & designs, pricing, budget, speed, convinience, education, guidance, customer reviews, third party appraisals and return policies.

Get to Know Basics of a Ring

Getting educated about the basic components of a diamond ring will help you better evaluate quality of a diamond ring in terms of style, designs, metals and look of the diamond ring and will guantee you in getting a stunning certified diamond ring at a lower price from a reputed online jewelry store with free education, guidance and appraisals. Here are few terms that are used for a ring:

Appraisal: A third party evaluation of rings value, quality and authencity.

Certificate: Like a GIA certificate certifying diamonds cut, color, clarity, weight and value.

Cut: This refers both to the geometric proportions of a gemstone, and the final form into which a rough stone is shaped. The most prominent cuts in the industry are the round brilliant, oval, marquise, pear, heart, emerald, princess, trilliant, and radiant

Clarity: The measure by which a diamond is graded for purity, or whiteness. This is done by taking in the presence or absence of blemishes on the diamond's surface, or inclusions within the diamond. The professional grading scale is: flawless; internally flawless; very, very slightly included; very slightly included; slightly included; imperfect

Carat: The unit of weight by which a diamond or other gemstone is measured. It equals 200 milligrams. The word is derived from the carob bean, whose consistent weight was used in times past to measure gemstones

Setting: The way the diamonds are set in a ring and how they are held.

Design: The way the ring will finally look includes the setting and diamonds are held.

Band: The shank of the ring that goes around the ring finger.

Bridal Set: A bridal set includes the engagement ring and the matching band and could also include men's wedding band.

Head: This refers to that portion of the diamond where prongs secure the stone in its setting

Semi-mount: A setting complete but for the main stone, to be selected separately.

Now that you're educated about the ring there is no need to rush to buy the ring. You need to compare prices from different jewelry stores based on your knowledge of diamond 4C'sand also check company's return policy, guarantees, appraisals, customer reviews and get the best value possible anywhere.

Beware of Sales or Advertisments that seem too good to be true:

The advertised or on sale jewelry could be following:

inferior unacceptable quality

might have been stolen or misrepresented

prices might have been inflated and then discounted

poor workmanship

not genuine or real

diamonds could be of inferior quality

gemstones could be of lower quality

metals could be lower purity

false advertising

strings attached

Mall and local Jewelry Stores have huge overheads including prime location higher rents, showroom expenses, more staff and so on. There is no way they can sell you for lower than online jewelry stores.

Sndgems have low overheads and want to pass on those savings to our customers.

Get Proposal and Engagement Rings ideas from Celebrities

Celebrity Engagement Rings have a brilliant sparkle and a unique and mind blowing design. If you are planning for your engagement or wedding do not miss out on grabbing ideas from how celebrities made their proposals so special. We have complied a list of gorgeous celebrities and their one of a kind, stunning diamond and gemstone engagement rings. Our celebrities inspired engagement ring guide will help you steal the style of your favourite celebrity and guide you how to get their look.

Kim Kardashian Engagement Ring
Kris Humphries, a well paid basketball player proposed Kim Kardashian with an engagement ring designed by Lorraine Schwartz and featuring a 20.5 carat diamond engagement ring . The magnificient diamond ring consists of three pieces of white diamond sitting on a platinum band. The main diamond in the middle weighs about 16.5 carat and cut in emerald shape. The other two trapezoid-cut stones each weighs about 2 carat. The diamonds on the ring are graded VS (very slight), an indication of excellent quality diamonds.The estimates costs somewhere around $2 million. Kim Kardashian’s engagement ring is often compared to her sister Khloe Kardashian’s 2009 engagement ring. Khloe Kardashian received a stunning 12.5 carat diamon ring from hubbyLamar Odom, a basketball player who is far better compensated than Kris, but that was less than half the cost of Kim’s at $850,000.Kim Kardashian’s ring is even heavier than Kate Middleton’s 18 carat sapphire-diamond royal engagement band that once belonged to the late Princess Diana. Sure this is out of your price range, you’ll be happy to know that beautiful diamond engagement rings are available for much less. Sparkle and dazzle Online carries a magnificent collection of Diamond Engagement Rings at affordable prices.Browse through thousands of celebrity style genuine diamond rings. Sndgems.com also carries the latest collection of Designer Ruby Diamond Rings, Sapphire Diamond Rings and Emerald Diamond Rings.

Halle Berry`s Engagement Ring

Halle Berry engaged to French actor Oliver Martinez shows off her one of a kind emerald engagement ring which is a little bit of an antique art deco style and could be worth up to $100,000 or maybe more. The custom-designed etching on the ring is likely filigree — a popular request that makes an engagement ring truly one-of-a-kind .The ring is textured and contains codes and symbols which you cannot see .The symbols and codes represent the couple's story and only they can interpret it. Emeralds make beautiful engagement rings, even among non-celebs. If you are looking for an elegant, exotic and fancy emerald diamond ring for your fiancé, Sparkle and dazzles` must have genuine premier designer emerald diamond rings feature classic and delicate designs and are all time favorites. They offer great prices too. Save now on celebrity style engagement rings!

Erin Brady`s Engagement Ring.

The 63-year-old Tyler asked for Brady's hand with a 5-carat brilliant cut sparkler designed by celebrity jeweler Looree Rodkin. The glittering brilliant cut diamond sits on a micro pave diamond-and-platinum band. Tyler has been dating Brady for five years. His last marriage, to clothing designer Teresa Barrick, ended in 2006. Get Brady`s glam stunner for a fraction of the price! For more celeb designer rings, check out our collection of Sparkle and Dazzle Celebrity Inspired Engagement Rings! Make her feel like a star and take her breath away when she first sees her diamond engagement ring.

Zara Phillips Engagement Ring

Zara`s platinum-and-pave diamond engagement ring is simply magnificient! Zara phillips, the Queen's eldest granddaughter, the royal darling,13th in line to the throne and a cousin of Princes William and Harry, engaged with fiance Mike Tindall, an English rugby player .Tindall rather than opting for an antique or a family heirloom had a bespoke diamond and platinum engagement ring made by a jeweler. In the centre is a single, solitaire diamond sitting on tens of pavé set diamonds on a split shank or band made from platinum.

We've found some round-cut baubles that have a similar feel. Check out our favorite options under the jump. Browse more Zara Phillips style engagement Rings here. For deals on genuine diamond engagement rings delicately designed by designers visit www.sndgems.com and save now on incredibly unique engagement rings .You have another option of making her happy with a custom design engagement ring.

Britney Spears Engagement Ring

The beaming, pop diva Britney Spears celebrated their engagement and her hubby-to-be's 40th birthday in Las Vegas. Fiancé Jason Trawic chose her a sparkling 3 carat Neil Lane Diamond and pave band ring.The royal treatment of the ring continues all the way around the finger with platinum set diamonds throughout the entire ring. The estimated price tag for this magnificient creation is a whopping $90,000!. Looking for deals on genuine diamond engagement rings delicately designed by designers visit www.sndgems.com and save now on incredibly unique engagement rings .You have another option of making her happy with a custom design engagement ring.

Looking for a similar design, get a custom made ring, Britney Spears style in the sndgems collection of fine jewelry. You can also give Britney Sperars style a twist by alterning the stone to an emerald , ruby or a sapphire. Sndgems.com has an amazing collection of genuine Emerald Diamond rings, Sapphire Diamond rings and Ruby diamond rings inspired from celebrity style engagement rings. Each ring is very lovingly crafted to give it a unique and stylish look. Sparkle and Dazzles offers superior quality engagement rings at prices that suit your budget. Satisfaction is guaranteed! What do you think of Britney Spears’ ring . Post your comments here

Gisele Bundchen Engagement Ring

Gisele Bundchen got a very beautiful diamond engagement ring. Brazilian beauty Gisele Bundchen received this beautiful 4-carat engagement ring from American football star, Tom Brady. It is estimated to cost $150000. The ring is absolutely mindblowing, elegant and classy, a solitaire roung brilliant diamond, flanked by two triangualr stones on the sides in platinum settings. Gisele Bundchen is one of the most famous models in the world. The 28-year-old model tied the knot with New England Patriots quarterback Tom, 31, at St Monica's Church in the LA beachside suburb of Santa Monica.You cannot be Gisele Bundchen or Tom brady but you can definitely look for similar genuine diamond engagement ring designed by sparkle and dazzle exotic designers at a lesser price. Make your fiance feel like a queen with our affordable genuine diamond engagement rings.

Kristin Cavallari Engagement Ring

Kristin Cavallari`s the 24-year-old reality star, accepted NFL player Jay Cutler's proposal over the Easter weekend with an impressive engagement ring. Kristin’s diamond is an asscher cut, which is one of the most popular modern cuts.The ring boasts 10 round side diamonds, which are estimated to be nearly 1.5 carats. In total,it is estimated the ring would be worth a whopping $125,000!Absoutely gorgeous ring that anyone would love.What is so essential is to realize that such a stunning ring is not out of your reach. You can check our similar designs at reachable prices at sndgems fine jewelers. Sparkle and Dazzle offers the best affordable designer genuine diamond jewelry. Snag this clear jewelry design for yourself and once you slip it on, you will never want to take it off.
Katherine Heigl Engagement Ring

Hollywood star Katherine Heigl 3-carat, pear-cut diamond flanked by pave diamonds from musician hubby Josh Kelly is simply stunning with an effervescent sense of French style. Platinum solitaire setting accented with side stones is a popular style is hollywood. A unique piece of jewelry by Ryan Ryan design, this ring has sentimental value as half of the platinum band is from her mother`s own engagement band. Sndgems.com fine jewelers can help transform your halo diamond engagement ring dream into a sparkling reality . Check out their magnificient collection of diamond engagement rings and wedding bands and the get amazing looks without those high prices.

Jenna Dewan Engagement Ring

The beautiful actress/ model Jenna Dewan got a huge exotic vintage style diamond engagement ring from Channing Tatum. She loves her ring and it grabs as much attention as she does because of its beauty and size. While they were holidaying at the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, Neil Lane, helped Tatum and Jenna design their Oval cut diamond solitaire engagement ring in platinum settings with 1.62 carats. To steal her style, check out our engagement rings collection at affordable prices. sndgems.com offers a wide collection of antique style diamond engagement rings. Our spectacular collection can make you feel good and luxurous with a guilt free purchase.

Gwyneth Paltrow Engagement Ring

Chris Martin, Coldplay Singer proposed to American actress Gwyneth Paltrow with this asscher cut diamond with a double band in 2003.Gwyneth Paltrow garnered worldwide recognition through her performance in Shakespeare in Love (1998), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, for Outstanding Lead Actress and as a member of the Outstanding Cast. Gwyneth Paltrow halo engagement ring with micro pave halo setting is simply exotic and elegant, and is a perfect example of the celebrity engagement rings. It is an all time favourite of many. If you are inspired by this beautiful ring visit sparkle and dazzle and get a custom ring built for you that fits your budget.

Anne Hathaway

Beautiful and charming actress Anne Hathaway received a 6 carat rock from fiancé Adam Shulman. This illuminating and gorgeous diamond engagement ring, featuring a round stone, was designed by Adam Shulman in collaboration with Kwiat Heritage Jewels in a timeless platinum setting. It carries a price tag of approximately $150,000. Luckily you need not be a celebrity to gift a similar design to your love. Make your proposal memorable with a designer engagement ring from sparkle and dazzle. Your partner is sure to cherish it! Every engagement ring at sndgems is delicately made with the best diamonds, carefully selected, to make her feel like a queen.Check their collection. They have a sure hit collection of genuine diamond platinum enagement rings and designer wedding bands.

Do you love her ring and want to get a similar one for your enagagement. Please comment

Kate Middleton Engagement Ring

Prince William proposed to his girlfriend Kate Middleton using the treasured engagement ring that belonged to his mother.The 28-year-old Prince made the proposal using the dazzling oval blue 18-carat sapphire and diamond ring while they were on holiday in Kenya.The ring has 14 diamonds encircling the sapphire. It is estimated that the sapphire alone is worth about $300,000 retail and the whole ring would be about half-million dollars. Sapphires, also called the royal gem, is loved by the royals in Britain . Today we find a lot of Lady Diana`s/ Kate Middeltons Engagement Ring replicas. But if you really want your beloved to feel speacial do not fall for any replica instead look for a jeweler carrying authentic sapphire diamond engagement rings. Do not miss on the Sparkle and Dazzle collection of Sapphire Diamond Rings. They are the most impressive, classic, gorgeous and brilliant and most of all 100% authentic.Leave a unique impression on your to be fiance with a sapphire diamond engagement ring.Pick a good bling and she is sure to feel like a Queen.

Miley Cyrus was spotted wearing the diamond sparkler which is believed to be gifted to her by Hunger Games hunk Liam Hemsworth. Miley Cyrus tweets to the rumours that "Its a topaz".

Leave a unique impression on your to be fiance with a ring from the celebrity rings collection from sparkle and dazzle fine jewelry designers, committed to make her feel the most special woman.

What does Miley glittering engagement ring tell about her style. Please comment.

Erin Brady`s Engagement Ring.

The 63-year-old Tyler asked for Brady's hand with a 5-carat brilliant cut sparkler designed by celebrity jeweler Loree Rodkin. The glittering brilliant cut diamond sits on a micro pave diamond-and-platinum band. Tyler has been dating Brady for five years. His last marriage, to clothing designer Teresa Barrick, ended in 2006.

The 34-year-old art consultant Will Kopelman proposed Drew Barrymore with a magnificent, D-color radiant cut diamond. According to the jewelery company, the ring Kopelman chose is just under 4 carats,colorless diamond, which is situated on a diamond-covered band. The bling was designed by Graff Diamonds.

Tamera Mowry, actress and former star of the television show Sister got engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Fox News Correspondent, Adam Housley. Housley proposed while the couple was in Italy with a vintage inspired design by Verragio

Real Housewife of Atlanta Kim Zolciak Tweeted out a photo of her 10-carat diamond engagement ring for all to see two weeks after engaging with Atlanta Falcons player Kroy Biermann. The Stunning ring has a Cushion cut.The cut gives off a larger-than-life vibe fitting for Zolciak's personality.

Disney darling Brenda Song got engaged to The Social Network star and her beau, Trace Cyrus who proposed her with a stunning cushion-cut diamond engagement ring

Natalie Portman`s Engagement Ring

Portman announced her engagement to Benjamin Millepied in late December 2010. Natalie Portman`s eco-friendly Vintage inspired sparkler, carying an estimated value of $35,000, is a simply stunning engagement ring. Dancer-model fiancé Benjamin Millepied, thoughtfully designed it to include recycled platinum, an antique round diamond center stone and accenting pavé diamonds taken from a conflict-free mine. This gorgeous piece was designed by Jamie Wolf, a ballet dancer turned jewelry designer. If you love this amazing double halo engagement ring, check out its delightful look alikes at affordable prices. You will love them. Guaranteed!

What do U think of Portman’s "one-of-a-kind" engagement ring? Post your comments here.

Kate Moss Engagement Ring

Super Mode Kate Moss was proposed with a vintage style engagement ring by her boyfriend rocker Jamie Hince.The ring is estimated to value £14000. Moss’ vintage-style, with a large oval diamond set in a double-shank band, coordinates perfectly with her bohemian-meets-glam style. Looking to create a one-of-a-kind love token to reflect unique sensibilities Check our top selection of similar rings. Even though these look like quite expensive pieces, the prices are kept as affordable as possible.

Elizabeth Hurley Engagement Ring

Shane Warne proposed to actress and breast cancer activist Elizabeth Hurleywith a square-cut sapphire flanked by two trillion-cut white diamonds. The actress' sapphire and diamond ring is worth an estimated $100,000. Its a platinum setting with an approximate 9-carat center blue sapphire and a 2-carat Trillion cut diamond on each side. Did you like the ring? Isin`t it glamorous and exquisite. Post your comments here. For more, click through the gallery to see similar rings at affordable prices.

Penelope Cruz`s Engagement Ring

Javier Bardem proposed to Penelope Cruz with a vintage 3-carat sapphire ring worth roughly $30,000.

If that’s a bit out of your price range, you’ll be happy to know that beautiful sapphire engagement rings are available for much less. Sparkle and dazzle has a magnificent collection of Natural Sapphire Diamond Rings at affordable prices.

Industry Affiliations:

Sndgems.com is affiliated with the jewelry industry's most respected organizations and associations. We encourage you to visit these resources and review useful information they have included to provide valuable education and answers to most consumer questions. An informed customer is our best customer.

Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers ofAmericaMJSA is a national jewelry trade association working to provide long-term stability and prosperity for jewelry manufacturers and their suppliers.

Jewelers Vigilance Committee Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) is a not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to maintain the jewelry industry's highest ethical standards.

Jewelers Security Alliance Jewelers Security Alliance (JSA) does online crime reporting for jewelers around the country in the Unites States and promoting jewelers' security

Jewelers of America Jewelers of America (JA) is the national association for the retail jeweler. JA is both a center of knowledge for the jeweler and an advocate for professionalism and high social, ethical, and environmental standards in the jewelry trade. The JA mission is to assist all members in improving their business skills and profitability. JA will provide access to meaningful educational programs and services, leadership in public and industry affairs, and encourage members with common interests to act in their and the industry's best interests.

Jewelry Information Center Jewelry Information Cente (JIC) is the public relations arm of the fine jewelry and watch industries. Founded as a non-profit trade association in 1946 in New York City, JIC is funded by its members (nearly 1,000 manufacturers, designers, and retailers of fine jewelry and watches as well as other trade associations) and considered to be the objective authority....

Diamond Manufacturers And Importers Association Of America Promoter of legislation and regulations which advance the standards of the American diamond and jewelry industries.

International Colored Gemstone Association The latest gem news, market trends, and mining reports.

International Confederation of Jewelry, Silverware, Diamonds, Pearls and Stones (CIBJO) CIBJO is an international confederation of national jewelry trade organizations. CIBJO's purpose is to encourage harmonization, promote international cooperation...

Japan Pearl Exporters' Association Association promoting the use of Akoya cultured Pearls, harvested in Japan.

Retail Jewelers Organization (RJO) Information on buying and caring for fine jewelry.

World Gold Council Promoters of gold and gold jewelry. Founded in 1987, the World Gold Council is an organisation formed and funded by the world's leading gold mining companies with the aim of stimulating and maximising the demand for, and holding of Gold...

DiamondFloor.com A B2B ecommerce exchange floor for the professional certified diamond trade and jewelry industry.

Gemnet British based Gem and jewelry Network, membership is 300 UK Pounds per year. You will find a lot of jewelry elsewhere, but the Sndgems.com designs are like no other. Our designers are unique just as their designs and styles are. We take pride in our uniqueness. Our designs are individually handcrafted and brought to you directly from the source.

Jnet.comA comprehensive business-to-business Web site for the entire jewelry manufacturing industry.

A Diamond is Forever Adiamondisforever.com is an information source on diamonds and is sponsored by the Diamond Trading Company, the worlds leading diamond sales and marketing company.

Diamond Review The consumer guide to buying diamond jewelry. Offers extensive tutorials, loose diamond price database, message boards, regional jeweler search engine with reviews, more. Your search for a diamond starts at DiamondReview.com.

DiamondInfo.org Diamond Guide, Information and Buying Tips for Loose Diamonds and Engagement Rings.

DiamondTutorials.com Tutorials and tips on purchasing diamond jewelry.

Federal Trade Commission What to know before you buy jewelry. How to buy Jewelry - Information to help you get the best quality jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store by catalog or online.

Gemological Institute of America GIA is the world's largest and most respected nonprofit institute of gemological research and learning

International Colored Gemstone Association The International Colored Gemstone Association is a non-profit association to represent the international gemstone industry.

International Gemological Institute A wealth of information on the Gemological and Jewelry Industry.

Professional Jeweler Magazine Professional Jeweler's mission is to provide short, well-written, information-rich articles in an organized layout sequence.

American Gem Society Since 1934, the American Gem Society (AGS) has been protecting the consumer. For 65 years the AGS logo has been a symbol of excellence in the jewelry industry. As an association of fine jewelers, our members are committed to the highest standard...

The American Gem Trade Association The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) is an association of North American trade professionals dedicated to promoting the long term stability and integrity of the natural colored gemstone, Pearl, and cultured Pearl industry.

The Diamond Buying Guide Looking for the perfect diamond engagement ring, but you don't know enough about purchasing diamonds? The Diamond Buying Guide presents the information you need on "how to buy a diamond".

Canadian Jewellers Association Promoters of Canadian jewelry products.

Gem & Jewelry Export Promotion Council of India Association dedicated to promoting Indian gem and jewelry manufacturers.

Diamond Manufacturers And Importers Association Of America Promoter of legislation and regulations which advance the standards of the American diamond and jewelry industries.

Sndgems.com wants its customers to learn everything about jewelry trade association before they make an important purchase at the fine jewelry store of Sndgems.com.

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Jewelry Appraisal Education Center - What's Your Jewelry Worth? Jewelry Appraisal, Diamond and Gemstone Appraisals Guidance. Authentic Jewelry: Certified Diamond & Genuine Gemstone Jewelry. Read More.

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