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Fine Jewelry University Articles matching: “around commerce area”
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Fine Jewelry University (Show All FJU Articles)
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Gem in the Spotlight: Blue Zircon
…. Zircon is also of interest to geologists because it is one of the oldest minerals on earth. Some zircon specimens from Australia date at 4.4 million years old. Considering that scientists currently estimate that the earth formed around 4.56 billion years ago, that makes Zircon one of the earliest known gems. The Care and Cleaning of Zircon Zircon care and cleaning is simple: avoid steamers or ultrasonic cleaners. This is particularly important with stones that may have …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Alexandrite
Emerald by day, ruby by night, more expensive than diamond and more illustrious than sapphire, emerald, or even ruby, alexandrite has been known around the world as one of the most sought-after gems for the better part of 200 years. But, what makes this stone so special? Gemology of Alexandrite Alexandrite is the extremely rare, color-change variety of a gem species called …
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Jewelry Repair FAQ
… the jewelry’s surface. Molecules are the key to understanding gold plating. The amount of gold used is on the molecular level. This means that only a very thin layer of gold covers the surface. Gold plating produces a layer of gold around 0.5 microns thick. A micron is roughly equal to 4/100,000 or 0.00004 inches. Gold plated jewelry is often indicated with a “GP” marking stamped somewhere on the piece. Heavy Gold Electroplating is gold plating with a minimum thickness …
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Gold Purity and The Differences Between White and Yellow Gold
…. Some plated jewelry has markings that look like real solid gold. For example, a plated piece can be stamped: 14k HGE or 18k GE. HGE means hydrostatic gold electroplating. Plated gold is measured in how many molecules of gold are around the ring. In other words, a plated piece of jewelry has very little gold. You can learn more about gold plating on our FAQ page. Sometimes engagement rings are stamped 14KP. The 14KP is a marking for plum gold which is a true mix of 14 …
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The Magic of Polarized Light
… turns out that polarized light is actually a very useful tool in gemology, and in this article we’ll show you why. What Is Polarized Light? Light from almost any light source travels in many different directions, and the vibrations around each ray of light are random. This is called unpolarized light. In the gemological world, this would be any light source that we use on a regular basis (e.g. overhead reflected light or a daylight equivalent fluorescent light source). …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Amethyst
… in business, protect soldiers, assure victory, help hunters, guard against contagious diseases, and control evil thoughts. Amethyst was once as valuable as emeralds and rubies until very large deposits were found in multiple places around the world. Heavily increased supply dropped prices consistently over the last 200 years which is why, despite its beauty, amethyst is such an affordable stone today. About 50% of amethysts on the world market are now believed to be …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Tsavorite Garnet
… giving it excellent sparkle and scintillation. Tsavorite is also a very rare gemstone. It is uncommon to find Tsavorite in sizes larger than five carats, and most faceted stones are below two carats. By some estimates, Tsavorite is around 200 times rarer than the much better known Emerald. Gemology Tsavorite’s rarity and beautiful green color reminds one of the other green garnet called Demantoid. Demantoid, however, is a completely different variety of garnet found …
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Art Deco vs. Art Nouveau Style Jewelry
… brought unique elements into jewelry design, reflecting broader cultural and artistic shifts while captivating wearers with their unmistakable aesthetics. While there is always overlap in art, these two particular movements formed around very distinctive ideas which led to very different expressions in jewelry. Once you learn about the fundamental styles of each, you will start to see their influence everywhere. They are also important guide posts that can aid in dating …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Opal
…. For more valuable stones, setting them in a pendant or earrings instead of a ring will help them last as long as possible. With proper care opals can last for generations. Opals have very high water content, typically hovering around the 5-10% mark. As opals dry out over time they can sometimes crack at the surface, which is called crazing. As of this writing there aren’t any surefire ways to prevent crazing, but there are ways that you can help and a few ways that you …
