Birthstones

Birthstones are something the whole world is aware of. When a child reaches the age when he able to tell things and make friends the second thing he would inquire from a new acquaintance is about his zodiac sign and his birthstone. It seems to come out even if you don't intend to. We seem to find some satisfaction and joys knowing we humans have anything to do with gem stones and that they have some influence on our lives and our personality. These gem stones originated a very long time back when Jews came into existence. The breastplate of Aaron had 12 stones on it. God answered the commanders of the 12 Jewish tribes through these stones. When time passed by these 12 stones where considered as a means of great power and divinity for people. Then gradually these 12 stones became the origin of the 12 months of a year and the 12 stones known as birthstones of the 12 months of a year. These birthstones even have some association with the planets and their movements influence the social and personal lives of people.These birthstones are different for all the months. It has some association with the beliefs of astrologists and historians who have been providing their own definitions and phenomenon about the planet movements, these zodiac signs and birthstones. These gems and their attributes change lives of individuals. Humans have never seized to believe in supernatural powers and different elements of nature.The sequence of birthstones has been fixed by specialists after much observations and thorough study. They have finalized which stone belongs to which month and what attributes does each of these stones carry with itself.For January the birthstone is Garnet, for February we have the stone called Amethyst. These 2 stones have both different olden times belief that they purify things and they prevent bloodshed.The month of March presents Aquamarine blessing the wearer with love and affection. For May; we have Emerald. The possessor of this gem is protected by God. June and July the hot months present Alexandrite and Ruby respectively. These birthstones can give the possessor varied abilities and good luck.The later months of the year have birthstones called Peridot, Sapphire, and Tourmaline for August, September and October. November and lastly December have to offer the birthstones known as Imperial Topaz and Turquoise.These are however merely stones and it is a fact that if a person starts to depend on such elements for courage, strength and abilities he can not become strong, instead he will end up more weak. So it's just better to keep these precious stones as an adornment and beauty only.

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About the Author:Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Gemstones, Shopping, and Arts
Tags: arts-and-entertainment, gemstones, jewels

Precious Gems & Gemstones

Precious gems are comprised of the traditional four precious stones which are diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. There is not a system to order the four precious gems because their beauty is a matter of taste. Tastes change with time and what is considered a favorite today may be different a few years or decades from now. The beauty of gems is enhanced by cutting, shaping and polishing. Generally, beauty is considered to be of first importance, followed by durability and rarity. A gem may be rare and durable, but without beauty it would not be as valued. The beauty of a diamond is its brilliance and the absence of color. In contrast the beauty of an emerald or a ruby is their intense color. Wearing gemstone jewelry has been associated with wealth and status. If the gemstone is available in large quantity it is not perceived to be as valuable as a rare gem. The source of color of the gem is it's reflection of light. A fine colored gem should not be so dark that it appears black, and not pale. It should have a good depth of color. A gem's luster is the reflection of light from the gem's surface. It is improved when the gems are polished. Brilliance is the reflection of light from the inside of the faceted gems. Gems are derived from gemstones which are the raw material. Gemstones are primarily minerals. Some are rocks and others are the organic products of formerly living plants or animals. For example, ruby is a mineral, jade is a rock, and amber and pearls are organic. Minerals are often valued as gemstones because they can be made into sparkling gems due to their transparency. They can have interesting optical properties and they can form large gemstones that are transparent. Some are symmetrical with repeating faces, and other minerals have no symmetry at all. When minerals are magnified for identification it is the crystal symmetry which is most helpful. There are seven systems of crystal symmetry. For example diamonds and garnets both have cubic symmetry and tourmaline has trigonal symmetry. Well formed minerals which are perfectly symmetrical are rare. This is due to the fact that they need perfect growing conditions and sufficient space to grow without being constrained. The durability of a gemstone is derived by its toughness, stability and hardness. A gem's toughness is it's resistance to chipping, cracking and breaking. Stability refers to a gem's resistance to structural or chemical changes as a result of exposure to external elements. For example, pearls can be damaged by perfume or alcohol. A pearl necklace should always be worn after applying hairspray or perfume. Some amethyst may fade when exposed to sunlight. However, most gems made into jewelry can withstand normal wear with minimal attention. Hardness is the gem's resistance to scratching. The Mohs scale of hardness ranks 10 minerals in order based upon their ability to scratch one another. The scale is from 1 to 10 with a 1 being the softest mineral. Diamonds are rated a 10 on the Mohs scale, topaz is rated 8 and talc is rated 1. The standard unit of mass for gems is a carat. The abbreviation for carat is ct. One carat (1 ct.) equals 0.2 grams, 5 carats (5 cts.) equals 1.0 grams. Although they sound similar the words carat and karat have different meanings. Karats refers to the unit of measurement of gold purity. Understandably, many people often confuse the two terms.

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About the Author:HamptonsJewelry.com is an online retailer of high quality 14k gold, diamond and gemstone jewelry since 2005. Visit them today at www.hamptonsjewelry.com/gemstone-necklaces.html to view their large selection of gold and gemstone jewelry.www.hamptonsjewelry.com/

Platinum - The best choice for engagement and wedding rings

Anyone would think from the current fashion craze for platinum that this was a recently discovered metal. In fact, this is far from the truth. The Spaniards discovered Platinum in 1590, but disdained it because it looked like silver, rather than the yellow metal that they treasured. What the Spanish explorers failed to appreciate was that platinum is 34 times rarer than gold. Platinum only comes from meteorites. That's one reason for its scarcity.Platinum is increasingly used in jewelry because it is more ductile than gold. It can be drawn into fine wire, enabling the craftsman to create more intricate designs than is possible with gold. The silvery color of platinum also sets off diamonds more attractively than gold.Platinum is totally unreactive chemically, so it can never react with oxygen or hydrogen sulfide and tarnish. It will always stay shiny. If you have an allergy to certain jewelry, consider switching to platinum, as if. Platinum jewelery contains no nickel, the metal that is mixed with gold that causes an allergic reaction. Being totally unreactive, platinum can never cause a rash or other allergic reaction. Platinum is used to make pacemakers because it is so well tolerated by the body.Platinum has a multitude of far more important uses than jewelery. It is a catalyst. This means that platinum allows other chemicals, like gases, to react easily on its surface without affecting the platinum itself in any way. The platinum is not affected by the reaction at all. It is still there after the reaction to carry on working. Very useful.The most well known example of platinum use in this way is in automobile exhaust catalysts. It is also used in making nitric oxide, which is essential to making nitric acid, one of the essential chemicals that our modern chemical industry depends on for making everything from drugs to explosives.

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About the Author:Platinum has a multitude of uses, including batteries, catalysts and as an investment vehicle. Find out more about platinum rings at this site that looks, exclusively, at platinum. If you are interested in buying platinum jewelry, you will find more resources at this specialist site.

Gold Jewelry – The Finest Jewelry

Gold jewelry adds beauty and elegance to God’s beautiful creation called woman. Gold jewelry always forms as the best of ornaments. An Indian marriage is considered incomplete without gold jewelry for the bride, the bridegroom and the other family members. Gold earrings jewelry or gold pendants jewelry are also given as gifts at the time of wedding. Gold is also regarded as a great investment, which is very useful at the hour of need.Indian gold jewelry is also famous for its beautiful designs all over the world. In the traditional times also, gold jewelry added royalty to the wearer. Even today gold jewelry is very much in demand. Gold jewelry is precious so it has to be unique in its design. The beauty added to a gold jewel is through the fine craftsmanship and the quality of gold used in it.Finest gold jewelry is not easy to find. However, a little search will lead you to the best gold jewelry stores where the fine designs speak for themselves. The intricate designs for all kind of gold jewelry are the result of the best craftsmanship. Indian gold jewelry is always a matter of pride. You can have the beautiful golden rays in the form of this jewelry. A wide variety of designs are available in gold necklace jewelry, gold pendants jewelry, gold earrings jewelry, gold rings jewelry and gold bracelets replica.Gold bracelets replica are also very much in fashion these days. It is good to invest in replicas, as it saves your money and you can flaunt it as your style statement also. The market is flooded with gold bracelet replica adopted by the style of some of the famous personalities. You can also have gold replicas of antique jewelery that add the traditional beauty to you. You can also go for wholesale gold jewelry. From the manufacturers, you can get wholesale gold jewelry.The unique designs and the pure gold from which it is made have to be up to the mark. From traditional to modern, there are all kinds of designs to suit you. The Indian gold jewelry will add charm to your collection. Design and quality are the two things for which you should never make a compromise.Jaipur Jewelers offer you the best of quality and design in gold jewelry. Whether it’s gold necklaces, gold bangles, or gold earrings they have it all.

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About the Author:Ken is with Expert SEO Company and writes about Gold Jewelry which is the finest jewelry in this world.

About Sterling Silver

Sterling silver is a material that can be used for a variety of purposes, fitting to use form almost any event, and comes in many different quality levels and prices range, some people like to use sterling silver beads to create their own unique jewelry.The sterling silver is commonly referred to as pure silver but in reality it is silver alloy. You see pure silver as the name denotes is 99.9 percent pure silver and because of this it is often very soft for any type of application or use. Sterling silver on the other hand has 92.5 percent silver and the excess 7.5 percent is usually of another metal and very often it is in the form of copper.There are various things that can be done with sterling silvers like for instance in producing fine tableware like utensils, knives, silver trays, forks, spoons, coffee sets and tea sets. But the most remarkable application of Sterling silver is in the creation of various jewelry pieces.The beaded silver necklace is one jewelry piece that is very popular around the world and a favorite choice of shoppers almost anywhere. The sterling silver beads enhance the beauty of the necklace so even from a distance you would be captivated by it.How to Take Care of Your Sterling SilverMany people find that making your own jewelry is a creative way to get things done and save money at the same time. Many popular clothing and jewelry fashion lines started by someone who set out to make his own clothing or jewelry and because of success continued to make it as a business. Naturally there is a lot of fun making your own jewelry items and sometimes great pride in using them. You can make your own necklaces and bracelets out of sterling silver bead.Sterling silver also tarnishes once it is exposed in the air. The metal part of the alloy is the one that cause the tarnishing since pure silver just like gold are resistant to oxidation. One way of testing whether a sterling silver is already tarnishing is to feel your thumb over it. If ever you see a dull stain then this implies a tarnishing sterling silver.Sterling silvers are beautiful if they are shiny. Make use of cotton cloth to polish your sterling silvers. To maintain their shine regularly polished them. For sterling silvers that has been stored for so long you would need a polishing paste to make them shiny again.Or you can try this simple tip. Get a tin foil and a dishpan. Cover the bottom of the dishpan with the tin foil. Pour hot water on the dishpan and add teaspoons of salt plus baking soda. Place your sterling silver pieces in the mixture that you make and be sure that your silver pieces are close to each other. Be sure also that they touching the foil. The tarnish is then transferred to the foil. Soak your sterling silver pieces for at least five minutes. Afterwards rinse and then dry.

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About the Author:Roy Dietelzieg had worked in the jewelry industry for years serving costumers from every background and writing his reflections on jewelry. Learn more about Sterling Silver Jewelry.

Diamond Certificates

By: Matt Garrett

Diamond certificates from independent organizations such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) provide a diamond grading report, that gives you valuable information about the 4 C's that were taken into consideration when the diamond was priced. It's important that you use an outside source for diamond certificates, instead of the jeweler who is selling the diamond you are interested in, because the jeweler wants to make money on the sale of the diamonds, the certificates may be slightly biased and you could be paying more than the market value of the diamond.Reasons to have Diamond CertificatesWhen you go to a jewelry store, or consider making a purchase from an online retailer, the jewelry that has diamond certificates tends to sell for several hundred dollars more than diamonds that are graded the same that are without certificates. This is because the jeweler recognizes that they typically grade their diamonds one level better than an independent grading organization, like the Gemological Institute of America. The GIA is more conservative when grading diamonds because they do not gain anything from diamond sales.Pay the Right Price for your DiamondDiamonds are valued according to their quality based on a grading system that makes use of the 4 C's. You should receive diamond certificates (also called grading reports) from independent companies rather than a jeweler, to insure that your getting an unbiased reporting of the value of the diamond. Otherwise, you could be paying much more for your diamond than what the diamond is actually worth.Protecting Your InvestmentDiamonds are not the same kind of investment as buying stocks and bonds, but having diamond certificates gives you a better investment than just having the diamond. Diamond certificates make it easier to sell a diamond in the future, because you have documentation of how much the diamond is worth and why it was valued that amount. In fact, if you attempt to sell diamonds without having diamond certificates, most dealers will not buy from you and you would end up having a certificate drawn up anyway, so you may as well have a certificate grading report created at the time of purchase, for your current protection as well as future possibilities for selling.Increased Security during Cleanings and RepairsMany people hesitate to bring their jewelry into the jeweler's when they're in need of repair services or cleaning. It makes people wonder how they'll know for sure that they've received the same diamond back that they brought in. It is an extremely rare occurrence for a jeweler to purposely switch diamonds, however it could happen unintentionally. Diamond certificates act as an additional security measure in this case. They are like fingerprints stored in police databases; they contain all the data needed to match the person to the fingerprints, and diamond certificates have enough information on the diamond to match the diamond with the certificate and the owner.

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About the Author:Burt Cotton www.about-diamonds.com