Jewelry with a Capital J, Understanding Basic Jewellery Terms, Processes, and Techniques

From princess cut ring. It is easy to feel intimidated and out-of-place when you’re visiting a high-class Jewelry shop for the first time. To avoid making unwanted and uniformed purchases, improve your knowledge about Jewelry starting with the tips below. If you speak the same language people in the Jewellery industry speak then you’ll surely go home with the Jewelry piece you want, need, and definitely can afford.

The Meaning of Diamond
A Diamond may be a rock, mineral, or even a petrified material that’s cut and polished to be used for making Jewelry pieces. It may be even harvested like pearls or organic like amber, just as long as it has aesthetic appeal. In the old days, precious Gemstones only referred to the Big Three: emeralds, sapphires, and rubies. Everything else was labeled as semi-precious Gems. 

Categories today, however, have been thankfully changed and widened to avoid further confusion.

The Ins and Outs of Lapidary
Lapidary refers to the process of cutting and polishing Diamonds. Rough materials are left uncut and unpolished. Cobbed materials are referred to as fractured. Materials like silicon carbide and Diamond, due to their hardness, are used for cutting Gemstones in a progressive abrasion process. Compounds like aluminum and chromium oxide are, on the other hand, used for polishing Gemstones. 

Common cutting techniques include tumbling, drilling, polishing, lapping, sanding, grinding, and sawing. Cut Gems are then polished into several forms such as sculptures, intaglios, cameos, mosaics, intarsias, inlays, spheres, beads, cabochons, and faceted stones.

Sawing  The main tool used in sawing is a copper or steel blade with Gemstone grit on the edges. Water or oil is used to eliminate cutting debris and prevent the blade and stone from overheating.

Grinding  Diamond-impregnated grinding wheels made of silicon carbide are used to grind Diamonds and shape them into a pre-form. Liquid substance is also used to prevent both the stone and tool from overheating. 

Sanding  This process is similar to grinding but utilizes finer abrasives instead. It is often performed as a follow-up after grinding for removing scratches caused by the previous cutting technique. For round Diamonds, a belt sander may be used in accompaniment to ensure smoother and rounder curves. 

Lapping  A lap, which is a flat disk that’s either vibrating or rotating, is used to create flat surfaces rather than round ones. The process however is similar to sanding and grinding. 

Drilling  This technique is used if the lapidarist wishes to create a hole through or in a Gem. Drilling tools may be rotating or ultrasonic. 

Tumbling  A Gem that’s placed in a rotating barrel filled with water and abrasives is tumbled for polishing. These Gemstones are usually roughly shaped and the polishing process is gradual and performed with interval washings. Sometimes, vibratory machines are used in lieu of rotating barrels. This time, the barrels vibrate rather than rotate. Tumbling techniques are also used to polish metal Jewellery pieces.

Cabochons  Cabbing or cabochon cutting is achieved by gluing or dopping the Diamond into a metal or wooden dopstick or simply holding it in place. The cabbing machine then twirls and creates a round smooth surface top and a flat or slightly rounded bottom for the Diamond. This is usually an alternative to faceting for Diamonds that possess too many inclusions.

Faceted Stones  Gemstones that have faceted forms reflect brilliant color and clarity from all sides and at all light levels. This technique is most suitable for transparent stones. Today, new techniques like grooves and concave facets are used to create new looks for faceted Gems.

The Importance of Cut and Polish in Gemstones
Cut is one of the all-important 4C’s and which is used not only to appraise Gems but Gemstones in general as well. Gemstones are often cut with regard to their size alone. But beautifully cut Gemstones take their color into consideration as well.

If you are shopping for faceted Gemstones, one way of determining the excellence of its cut is to check if its able to reflect light on a consistent level throughout its surface. Look for symmetrical rather than asymmetrical cuts as well. Lastly, be reminded that cut is different from shape.

Polish is simply like adding the final touches to a Diamond. A well-polished Gemstone is one with evenly smooth gloss and with no visible scratches on its surface.

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How to take good care of your Gem Jewelry

From unique diamond solitaire rings. Your Jewellery cost a lot, so it should be well-taken care of to extend its life and beauty. Here are some guidelines to take care of your Gemstone Jewelry.

Clean it!

Cleaning your Gemstone Jewelry doesn’t require any special accessories or appliances. A bowl of water with some drops of dish detergent will do the trick. Arm yourself with a soft toothbrush and brush away especially behind the stone. Don’t scrub too hard as it may scratch the stone. Scrub gently and rinse after it is done. Dry it with a soft cloth with soft pats. 

A home ultrasonic cleaner can also be used, but only for those who know how to use it and what gem to use it with. It could be used with ruby, sapphire, and amethyst, among others; however, it could damage Gemstones such as emerald, turquoise, and pearl. So use this appliance with extreme caution. 

Take note that organic gems should only be wiped with a soft cloth when cleaning them. Pearls, corals, and ambers are examples of organic Diamonds. These Gems are soft and porous. Long-term exposure to chemicals such as hairspray, cosmetics, and perfume may damage these organic Gemstones, especially pearls.  

Be very careful with it

Taking care of your Gemstone Jewellery will make it look brand-new for many years. Oftentimes, common sense should be used in taking care of your Gem Jewellery. Take your Jewelry off when doing strenuous activities that may cause damage to your Gemstone. Diamonds are still susceptible to breakage when they collide with something hard or heavy. Diamonds, rubies, or sapphires may be the toughest but they can break easily when given a solid blow. 

Store your Gem Jewelry separately to avoid scratches from by harder gems. If possible, get each piece a velvet box to be stored in. Don’t get lazy in storing your Gems as they are very valuable. 

Put your Jewellery on last when dressing. This is to avoid getting the Diamond tangled with your clothes. But remove the Gemstone Jewelry first at the end of the day. Its also a big no-no to wear your Jewellery when going swimming. The chlorine in the water might damage your Jewelry. 

Its essential to take care of your Gemstone Jewelry so it to last a long time. The value of these pieces of Gem Jewelry are really high and may get higher as time goes by. And who knows, after some decades, your Jewelry may be a good gift for your granddaughters! So take good care of your Gemstone Jewelry.

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The Popularity of Purple Gemstones

From pear diamond solitaire engagement rings. Purple Gemstones are among the most popular Diamonds. There are many other colors of Gems like gray, green, orange, pink, red, blue, aqua, black, white, yellow and brown but purple Diamonds are still among the most preferred worldwide. The elegance of purple-colored Gems can be one of the reasons why such items are valuable.

Good shapes and materials used for Gemstones are further accentuated by the purple color. Thus, it not only looks elegant but expensive. It also looks bright, vibrant and very much interesting. No wonder, purple Diamonds on the market are premium priced.

Aside from its elegant look, purple Diamonds are symbolic. For one, such colored items are symbolic of power. High-profile people and government authorities appropriately wear purple Diamonds at any occasion to make their authority and power seen and observed.

Purple is also symbolic of the spiritual goals of a person. Thus, religious people almost always prefer to buy and wear purple Diamonds. Such colors are also indicative and symbolic of respect, passion, leadership and most importantly, wealth. 

Aesthetically, purple Gemstones are pacifying in nature. The color when exhibited in Diamonds can be truly calming and refreshing. In the past, purple Diamonds were dominantly worn by military commanders and emperors. The Gems have also been symbolic of success, independence, psychic abilities and wisdom. In ancient continental Europe, purple Diamonds used to symbolize royalty.

There are also popular beliefs and superstitions that make buying and acquiring purple Gems rampant and popular. Societies all over the world have regarded Diamonds as items that help boost and strengthen the wearer’s generosity while at the same time helping bolster inner strength and creativity. The Diamonds are also said to be effective talismans in boosting and accelerating wisdom and creative talents.

Across the market, purple Gemstones are almost always expensive. Gemstones are generally premium priced, but purple ones are priced even higher. The strong demand for them may be among the reasons why prices of the products always remain high, aside of course from the basic general characteristics and overall value of the Gems.

If you are wanting to buy purple Gemstones, the time is now. Be prepared to allocate a significant amount of investment so that the purchase would be completed and done right away. Diamonds generally are breath-taking. Purple ones are truly fascinating and alluring.

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