http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/buying-a-bonded-diamond.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/buying-a-bonded-diamond.html Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600
All bonded diamonds have the following guarantee.

Breakage policy. If the stone gets broken or chipped then the jeweler will replace it with another. This ensures that the diamond is not “treated” as treated stones have a tendency to break or crack and the jeweler is not going to chance that occurring.

There is a lifetime buy-back policy. At anytime you can sell the diamond back to the jeweler for all of your money back, this is 100 percent. It does not include any sales tax, other tax, mountings etc.

You can exchange the diamond at any time. There is also a lifetime exchange policy so if you feel the diamond cut is not in fashion anymore you can simply replace it.

There is a trade in policy for the life of the diamond also. This means that it has a fixed appreciation rate and will keep up with inflation. (A good quality diamond will actually appreciate in value about 5 percent a year)

All bonded diamonds have a market crash protection policy also. In the event (very unlikely since it is so strictly controlled) that there is a crash in the market and the diamond depreciates, the jeweler will refund the difference between what you paid for the diamond and the new value if it is less.

Importantly all bonded diamonds have a guarantee that they are natural diamonds and have not been treated in anyway.

Bonded diamonds tend to cost more of course, Nothing in life is free. But here you truly get what you pay for and having a bonded diamond is a firm guarantee in itself that you have one of the best protected diamonds in the world. Of course you will still need to insure it for the normal unforeseen events, theft, fire etc.

You can buy bonded diamonds from bonded jewelers but of all the jewelers, only about 5 percent are bonded and licensed to sell bonded diamonds, so you will need to seek them out.

Of course you can specifically ask a jeweler if he is a bonded jeweler. Some may skirt around and not give you a definite answer (which means no of course) but most will simply say no. Going to the more expensive area of the city or town may net you a bonded jeweler. Better to seek out the Gemological association and ask them.

If you are interested in having a diamond that is assured to be natural, of high quality and carried guarantees for a lifetime then buying a bonded diamond is the way to go.

Further information is available at http://priceofdiamonds.org.

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Permission to use this article is granted provided the link to Price of Diamonds is included also.Michael MoorePrice of Diamonds

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/emerald-appraised-jewelry-part-one.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/emerald-appraised-jewelry-part-one.html Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600
Emeralds are a variety of Beryl the mineral, which in this case is colored green due to the trace elements of chromium and occasionally iron.

A little known fact is that, by weight emeralds are the most valuable stone in the world and the best quality emeralds are more valuable than diamonds (who's value actually is more contrived than as a result of natural market forces).

Emeralds can reduce in value depending on the number of inclusions (flaws, fissures or bubbles within the stone) and the hardness naturally decreases also.

Emeralds are usually oiled with microscopically to fill any cracks and fissures within the stone. And this helps to retain the stones hardness level of around 7.5 on the Moh hardness scale.

Emeralds come in various shades of green to bluish green but brilliant green is by far the most popular. Also the clarity of a emerald will affect the value. An emerald with no inclusions and perfect clarity is extremely rare and would be worth its weight in much more than diamonds.

Emeralds are rare however and so synthetic stones are made. Without going into two technical and boring details one of the first methods was to grow emeralds on colorless beryl seeds which become coated on both sides. The growth is slow, about 1 millimeter per month and it takes seven months to produce a 7mm thick emerald.

Later more sophisticated methods involving high pressure and temperatures have been used although the exact processes tend to be kept secret. Synthetics emeralds are often referred to as 'created'.

The Emerald is considered the traditional birthstone for April and May , as well as the traditional gemstone for the astrological sign of Taurus and in some cultures, the emerald is the traditional gift for the 55th wedding anniversary. It is also used as a 20th and 35th wedding anniversary stone.

In part two of emerald appraised jewelry, available at http://allaboutemeralds.org, we look at how to buy emeralds and what to look for.



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Permission to use this article is granted provided the link is included.

Michael Moore

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/akoya-pearls-at-sale-price-part-one.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/akoya-pearls-at-sale-price-part-one.html Fri, 24 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
Akoya pearls are available at sale prices, especially online. One can see prices dropped from the many hundreds to perhaps a hundred or two. This looks very nice but you do need to be careful and ensure you are actually getting what you pay for.

Going to a jeweler or browsing pearls online is how many people check out pearls. Many sites online promote akoya pearls at massively reduced prices and many are genuine but how can you know? Especially online as you cannot touch or feel the pearls. So later in this two part article we look at how to find out the difference.

First let's look at what an akoya pearl is.

An Akoya Pearl is a Japanese cultivated pearl from the salt water akoya-gai oyster. These are a speciality of Japanese Pearl Farms.

Akoya Pearls were first cultivated in the 1920s and are considered a high quality pearl. They are used for necklaces, earrings, pendants and bracelets as well as in rings. Invariably the setting is of a high quality precious metal such as platinum or 18 karat or more white or yellow gold. This is, of course, one way of checking the authenticity of the pearl. A good quality pearl will not be placed in an inferior, gold plated setting for example.

Akoya pearls generally have fewer blemishes and flaws than other pearls and they have a beautiful deep luster.

As they are cultivated, akoya pearls will be more round and perfectly shaped than other types of pearls. This makes them ideal for necklaces and bracelets where the shape is very important. Having a number of pearls on one string, it is important that the size and shape match well to provide a good quality necklace or bracelet.

Sometimes you can also get akoya pearls at a sale price at an auction, so it is important to know what is genuine and what is not.

In part two at http://allaboutpearls.org we will look at how to ensure you are getting good quality genuine akoya pearls.

End of part one of a two part series on Akoya Pearls at Sale Price.


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Permission to use this article is granted provided the link to All About Pearls is included
Michael Moore

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/sapphire-wedding-band-part-one.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/sapphire-wedding-band-part-one.html Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
The word Sapphire, from the Hebrew word Sapir, is the single-crystal form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), a mineral known as corundum. It can be found naturally as gemstones or manufactured in large crystal boules for a variety of applications.

The corundum group consists of pure aluminum oxide. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron and chromium give sapphires their blue, red, yellow, pink, purple, orange or greenish color. Sapphire includes any gemstone quality varieties of the mineral corundum including the red variety, which is also known as ruby.

Blue sapphires come in a wide range of shades of blue and Titanium and iron inclusions within the aluminum oxide create the different shades of blue.
Most of all sapphires are heated to a temperature of up to around 1800°C for several hours and some stones are also heated in a nitrogen deficient atmosphere ovens for a week now. The purpose of this is to give the stone a better color.
You can find out if a stone has been heated by looking under magnification. If the needles are unbroken, then the stone was not heated. If the silk is not visible then the stone was heated adequately. If the silk is partially broken then a process known as low tube heat was used.

Low tube heat is the process where the rough stone is heated to 1300 °C for 20 to 30 minutes over charcoal. This takes out any gray or brown in the stone and improves color saturation.

You can also get fancy sapphires. These are any sapphire other than blue or red. Purple sapphires are lower in price than blue ones. These stones contain the trace element vanadium and come in a wide variety of shades. Yellow and green sapphires have traces of iron which gives them their color. Pink sapphires are have trace element of chromium and the deeper the color pink the higher the value as long as the color is going toward red of rubies. Color shift sapphires are blue in outdoor light and purple in indoor light.

Colour changes may also be pink in daylight to greenish in fluorescent light. Some stones shift color well and others only partially, in that some stones go from blue to blue purple. White sapphires usually come out of the ground as light gray or brown and are then heated to make them clear. However in very rare circumstances they will be found in a clear state.

The sapphire has long symbolized truth, sincerity, and faithfulness. Tradition holds that Moses was given the ten commandments on tablets of sapphire, making it the most sacred gemstone. Because sapphires represent divine favor, they were the gemstone of choice for kings and high priests. The British Crown Jewels are full of large blue sapphires, the symbol of pure and wise rulers.

Since sapphire symbolizes sincerity and faithfulness, it is an excellent choice for an engagement ring. When Prince Charles chose a sapphire engagement ring for Princess Diana, couples all over the world were inspired to revive this venerable tradition.

Sapphire is also the birthstone for September, the month when the most babies are born. Ancient lists also name sapphire as a birthstone for April and the gemstone for the sign of Taurus.

"Fine blue sapphires are tremendously undervalued," says David Federman, United States author of Consumer Guide to Colored Gemstones and other gem books. "Fine Kashmir and Burma sapphires are much rarer than Burma rubies and yet they are available for much less. Even fine Sri Lankan sapphires are rare to see these days. There is nothing more restful to the soul than a fine sapphire."

End of part one of Sapphire Wedding Band. Part two and three can be seen at http://allaboutsapphires.org.


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Permission to use this article is granted provided the link to All About Sapphires is also included.
Michael Moore

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/value-of-rubies-part-one.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/value-of-rubies-part-one.html Sat, 11 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
The ruby is a red gemstone that comes In a variety of red, red purples and red orange tones. It is a variety of the mineral corundum (or in other words aluminum oxide) and the red color actually comes from traces of chromium. The name is derived from 'ruber', the Latin for Red color. Rubies are a hard gemstone next only to diamonds the hardest in the world

In fact natural rubies are quite rare and most of the rubies you see today are synthetic. Natural rubies are expensive but synthetic ones can be manufactured for the mass market very cheaply. Nevertheless it is still considered one of the precious gems along side diamonds, emeralds and sapphires.

Natural rubies are mined in many countries of the world including Africa, Asia, Australia, and Greenland. They are most often found in Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Kenya, Madagascar, and Thailand, but they have also been found in the U.S. states of Montana, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Mogok Valley in Myanmar has produced some of the finest rubies but in recent years very few good rubies have been found there. In central Myanmar the area of Mong Hsu also produces rubies. The latest ruby deposit to be found in Myanmar is situated in Nam Ya. In 2002 rubies were found in the Waseges River area of Kenya. Rubies are being mined at Audilamena in northeastern Madagascar. Sometimes spinels are found along with rubies in the same rocks and are mistaken for rubies. However, fine red spinels may approach the average ruby in value

Of the hues of ruby, a medium toned red or red with slight purple is usually the most desired.

In grading or assessing the value of a ruby, the clarity of the stone and inclusions are taken into account as well as the weight and origin.. Burmese rubies have a deep red to slightly purplish red color. Thai rubies are of a brownish color, which is generally less attractive and therefore commands lower prices.

End of part one of Value of Rubies. part two is at http://allaboutrubies.org




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Permission to use this article is granted provided the link to All About Rubies is included.
Michael Moore

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/amethysts-gem-stones-part-one.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/amethysts-gem-stones-part-one.html Tue, 07 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
What is an amethyst gem stone? Amethyst is a violet or purpose variety of quartz. The name comes from the Greek and essentially means, "not drunk".

It was believed that the stone protected it's owner from the intoxicating effects of alcohol and Dionysius, who was the god of intoxication, was angered when he was insulted by a mortal and in a moment of pique vowed to enact revenge on the next mortal that crossed his path. He created tigers to carry out his wish and when a beautiful girl called Amethyst came among the path on her way to pay tribute to the Goddess Diana, Diana quickly changed the tigers into statutes of pure crystal quartz. Filled with remorse for his actions Dionysius wept tears which stained the quarts purple creating the amethysts we know today.

Amethysts can be found in many locations including various areas of the US such as Delaware county, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas and Yellowstone national Park for example.

Amethyst is also found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, as well as in Zambia, Namibia and other African countries.

Amethyst from South America tend to be available in larger sizes than the African amethyst but, on the other hand, amethyst from Africa have the reputation for having a better, more saturated color in smaller sizes. Very dark amethysts, mostly in small sizes, are also mined in Australia.

As purple has always been considered a royal color it comes as no surprise that the amethyst gem stone has been so much in demand by royalty throughout history. You can see amethysts featured in the British Crown Jewels. They were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. Amethyst, transparent purple quartz, is probably the most important quartz variety used in jewelry.

Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote that the amethyst was able to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence.

Because amethyst was thought to encourage celibacy and symbolize piety, amethyst was very important in the ornamentation of Catholic and other churches in the Middle Ages. It was, in particular, considered to be the stone of bishops and they still often wear amethyst rings.

And in Tibet, amethyst is considered to be sacred to Buddha with rosaries often fashioned from it.

End of part one of a three part series on Amethysts Gem Stones. part two may be read at http://allaboutamethysts.org


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Permission to use this article is granted provided the link to All About Amethysts is included.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/opal-jewelry-part-1.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/opal-jewelry-part-1.html Sat, 04 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
Australia is the largest producer of opals in the world, producing 95% of the worlds opals for opal jewelry and most of these in Australia are produced at a place called Coober Pedy. The balance come from places such as Mexico, the north of Brazil The US and Africa even.

In 1849 the first Opal blocks were accidentally found on an Australian cattle station called Tarravilla . the first Opal prospectors started in 1890 at White Cliff mining the Opal rocks. And even today the eyes of Opal lovers light up when somebody mentions places like White Cliffs, Lightning Ridge, Andamooka or Coober Pedy: for these are the legendary sites of the Australian Opal fields. The most famous one is probably Lightning Ridge, the place where mainly the coveted Black Opal is found. Andamooka, where Crystal Opal and Light Opal are brought to the light of day, cam boast to be the place where the probably largest Opal was found, with a weight of 6 ,843 kilograms, the “Andamooka Desert Flame”.

Coober Pedy, by the way, is a word from Aborigine language meaning „white man in a hole“. This clearly describes how Opal was in fact mined: many Opal prospectors made their home in deep holes or caves in the ground, to protect themselves from the burning heat of daytime and from the icy winds of night time. Usually they worked only with tolls such as pick and shovel. Buckets full of soil, hopefully containing Opal rocks, were pulled up out of the depths of 5 to 40 m deep shafts by hand, for this is the depth of the Opal containing crevices and cavities, which are also mined nowadays.

Being an Opal prospector is still not an easy job, although today of course there are some technical means available, such as trucks or conveyor belts. And still the hope to make the find of a lifetime which will let you live happily ever after attracts many men and women to come to the hot and dusty Australian outback.

The mineraloid opal is amorphous SiO2•nH2O; hydrated silicon dioxide, the water content sometimes being as high as 20% but is usually between three and ten percent. Opal ranges from colorless through white, milky blue, gray, red, yellow, green, brown and black. Common opal is truly amorphous, but precious opal does have a structural element. The word opal comes from the Sanskrit upala, the Greek opallios, and the Latin opalus, meaning "precious stone."
Opal is a mineraloid gel which is deposited at relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, and basalt.

Opal is one of the mineraloids that can form or replace fossils. The resulting fossils, though not of any extra scientific interest, appeal to collectors.


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For part 2 of Opal Jewelry visit http://allaboutopals.org

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/buy-genuine-diamonds-part-one.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/buy-genuine-diamonds-part-one.html Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0600
There are some diamond scams or cheats that occur sometimes and it is best to be aware of them.

There is no substitute for educating yourself about diamonds and understanding how they are graded and what the most common ways of tricking consumers into buying poor quality diamonds art a high price or even fake diamonds sold as real.

Here is a list of the areas to look out for.

Sometimes a jeweler will tell you that the diamond you are looking for is a, "This is a blue-white diamond." This might sound nice but it is an old term and not used much these days. The term blue-white refers to the fluorescence that results in natural light, which contains ultraviolet wavelengths. Blue fluorescence can actually makes a colorless diamond look a little oily or milky in sunlight and decreases its value. With stones that have a faint yellow color, a moderate amount of fluorescence will make it look whiter as it will cancel some of the yellow.

So ignore the term blue-white when used by a jeweler. It is said to impress and does not necessarily describe a good quality stone.

Jewelers often list total carat weight of a ring and not the center stone separately. This can be a problem as the center stone is generally of a higher quality than the surrounding smaller stones. If the carat weight of the center stone is proportionately less than the additional smaller stones which are often of a lower quality. This can mean the value of the center stone is less than implied and this can make a difference a thousand dollars or more.

In addition you cannot properly compare the carat price of a diamond in a ring with another diamond in another ring this was as you don't know the actual carat weight of the diamond. This can be crucial as a larger diamond of the same weight as the total weight of 6 smaller ones say is proportionately worth much more. The value of a one carat diamond is worth much more than the total weight of 6 smaller diamond of the same quality.

For instance, if you have one G/VS2 diamond weighing 1.00 carat, it might be worth about $5,500. But 10 smaller G/VS2 diamonds totaling 1.00 carats might only be worth about $1,800.

Smaller stones are also usually of poorer quality as it is the bigger stone people look at and rarely do people consider the smaller stones in a ring.

The way to over come this is to ask for the weight of the center stone in writing. If the jeweler will not give it, go elsewhere.

Discounts and sales.

In a nutshell if a jeweler can sell a diamond at half price then he has marked it up far too high in the first place. It usually means that the actual value of the diamonds for sale are much lower than even the sale price and therefore the quality is also.

Ask to see a certificate from an independent gemological laboratory and see what the jeweler says. If he says, "huh?" or "it is not needed for this particular diamond", go elsewhere.

You get what you pay for and if you pay for cheap diamonds you will get exactly that.

If you go to a store to buy a specific diamond you have seen advertised and are then told when you get there that, "That diamond has been sold but here is a great one." Don't buy. This is called the Bait-and-Switch and quite common in many stores. It is illegal but difficult to monitor and so many stores will get away with it.

Do you notice that all jewelery stores have heaps of white light? This is to show of the diamonds in the best possible manner. This is fair enough, every jeweler wants to show off his wares in the best possible light. But some go a little further. Some light bulbs have strong ultras violet wavelengths and these tend to make most diamond fluoresce blue. Of course this is artificial and the easy answer to this is to take the diamond outside in natural light and look at it there. Then you will see the true color of the diamond.

Again, always ask for a certificate from an independent laboratory and if the jeweler will not supply one, then goodbye jeweler.

Another reason for getting a proper certificate is that some jewelers engage in the popular art of grade bumping. Here they will state that the diamond is of a higher grade than it actually is. This can make a difference of a thousand dollars or so to the price of a diamond.

In part two of Buy Genuine Diamonds at http://priceofdiamonds.org there are more points to watch for when you venture forth to buy that diamond you have always been wishing for.

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Permission to use this article is granted provided the link to Price of Diamonds is included.

Michael Moore

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/platinum-wedding-bands-part-1.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/platinum-wedding-bands-part-1.html Sat, 28 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0500
This is the first of a three part series on platinum wedding bands. Firstly lets get familiar with what platinum is.

Platinum is a metal that melts at double the temperature of gold so it is very hard and strong. It is also quite rare. In fact so rare that all the platinum in the world currently would likely fit in your living room and it takes about ten tones of ore to refine one ounce of platinum.

Platinum is associated with wealth due to its rarity and so now you get, platinum cards, platinum awards in music and the like.

Platinum jewelry should be at least 95% pure. Gold jewelery does not usually have that degree of purity. Only gold coins and gold bars have a purity of 9.99 percent hopefully. America, platinum jewelry contains either 90% or 95% pure platinum. By comparison, 18 carat gold is 75% pure and 14 carat is 58% pure gold.

Platinum is very distinctive and hard wearing. It does not tarnish or lose its rich white luster. It tends to be twice the cost of gold also.

Platinum jewelry made in America should contain either 90% or 95% pure platinum and platinum jewelry marked “IRIDPLAT” contains 90% platinum and 10% iridium. When marked “PLAT,” an item is at least 95% platinum, with 5% ruthenium. In Europe, platinum is identified by the following marks: 950 or PT950.

Platinum has been used throughout the centuries The ancient Egyptians used platinum. The American Incas also, and it has been used by royalty and famous jewellery houses such as Faberge, Cartier and Tiffanies for years so Platinum is an ideal precious metal for wedding bands.

In part two of Platinum Wedding Bands we find out how to select a platinum wedding band and what to watch out for.

This is Part 1 of a 3 part series about platinum wedding bands

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Part 2 of Platinum Wedding Bands is available on http://platinum-price.org

Permission to use this article is granted provided the link to Platinum Price is included.
Michael Moore

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/diamonds-how-to-clean.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/fashion/diamonds-how-to-clean.html Sat, 28 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Some important points to remember when cleaning diamonds are:

Do not be too aggressive, the diamond may be able to take it but the precious metal of gold or silver in which the diamond is set may be easily damaged.

This applies using pastes or powders and obviously metal scourers are right out of the question.

Here are two ways to clean diamonds in their setting.

Soapy water

Mix a small amount of dishwashing detergent with warm water until you have sub suds. Immerse the diamond jewelry into the solution and gently brush with an old toothbrush set aside for this purpose only.

Rinse in warm running water.

You can then pat dry or leave on a dry cloth surface to dry for a while.

The other method is by using an.

Ammonia Solution

In a small bowl mix one part ammonia to 6 parts water (Distilled water is best).

Immerse the item to be cleaned into the solution.

Using a soft toothbrush, gently brush the item.

Ensure you brush the entire object including the back of the stone and the parts where the setting meets the stone. These areas tend to collect body oils which can deteriorate the setting.

Rinse in warm running water.

You can then pat dry or leave on a dry cloth surface to dry for a while.

When using ammonia make sure the solution is very weak. You do not need to use a lot of ammonia. Be careful with some metals also, such as silver and gold. The piece must be rinsed off very thoughly so there is no residue solution left on it otherwise some of the metal may react with the ammonia and discolor.

Extra Tips:

It has been suggested that distilled water be used. Some tap waters contain impurities that may affect the setting and even dull the stone with impurities on the surface.

If using ammonia, ensure you do your cleansing in a well ventilated area and do not crouch down over the dish when cleaning. Also be sure to avoid inhaling the ammonia solution directly.

Using the above your diamonds should come up sparkling clean and your settings will remain clean, intact and unscratched.


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For more information about diamonds go to http://priceofdiamonds.org

Permission to use this article is granted provided the link to Price of Diamonds is included.

Michael Moore

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>