Jewelry
Jewelry has been around since the beginning of humankind, and can appear in many forms. This site will provide background information about jewelry and provide suggestions on where to buy jewelry.
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Jewelry - Info
Jewelry, also referred to as ornaments, was sometimes made and set with gems. Since day one, jewelry has been used by people of high importance to show their wealth and status. It has also been used as a badges representing their religious, social or even political affiliation. These ornaments of precious metal, sometimes made or set with gems, held such important to people that the dead were often buried wearing their most previous pieces. Jewelry, in its complete sense, relates to objects made of organic and inorganic materials ranging from hair and feathers, to bones, metals and minerals.
Types
Today, there are many different types of jewelry. Jewelry has been made of almost every material we can think of to adorn any part of the body. Some well known pieces of jewelry include:
1) Hair Ornaments
2) Head Ornaments (body piercing, crowns, circlets, coronets, diadems, tiaras, earrings, ear cuffs, magnetic earrings, non-piercing body jewelry, nose-jewels)
3) Neck Ornaments (chokers and necklaces)
4) Arms Pieces (armlets-upper arm bracelets, bracelets, cuff links)
5) Hand Adornments (rings, championship rings, engagement rings, promise rings, wedding rings)
6) Body Jewelry (belly chains, breastplates, brooches, chatelaines)
7) Leg and Feet Pieces (anklets, thigh bands, toe rings)
8) Special Function Pieces (amulets, medical alert jewelry, mourning jewelry, prayer jewelry, japa malas, prayer beads, prayer ropes, rosary beads, puzzle jewelry, puzzle rings, celibacy vow rings, signet rings, thumb rings.
9) Compound Pieces (cameos, emblems, findings, lockets, medallions, pendants.
Creation
A variety of materials are used when creating jewelry. Some of these include gemstones, coins and many other precious metals. However, the most popular metals used in jewelry are gold, platinum, silver, copper and brass. Other common materials used include glass, or enamel, wood, shells, bone, ivory, clay and even plastic. Beads (themselves made of many different materials) are also frequently used in jewelry. Diamonds however are still considered the most valued of gemstones.
Before you Buy
When you are ready to buy jewelry for yourself or someone you love, shop around and compare everything from quality, price, and service. Ask people you know for referrals and recommendations on trusted jewelers in your area. Be aware of the following:
Store refund policiesAppropriate marking on all types of jewelryAsk whether jewelry has been treated, and if so, if it is permanentAsk about special instructions for caring for item once purchasedAsk about grading report on gems such as diamonds and other precious stones
When shopping for jewelry online, make sure you do business with trusted companies who have been in the industry for many years. Also take into account the company’s online refund policy as it may be different from a store vendor. Always make sure that you can actually speak to someone or have contact with a sales representative. Look for testimonials and satisfied client referrals.
Buying Gold Jewelry
Jewelry can be a fun and fulfilling experience. However, there are many things to watch out for since not all jewelry is as advertised. Use some of these tips to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to spending your hard earned money on the best quality jewelry on the market.
Gold
For durable gold jewelry, make sure to look for 18k gold. It is better looking and more colorful than 14k but stronger and more durable than pure 24k gold. Many 18k or 24k gold may include 14k accents, clasps or parts where strength is essential.
The karat quality tells you what proportion of pure gold is used in the jewelry piece. For example, a 14k gold band has 14 parts of gold, mixed with 10 parts of base metal. This is where the strength comes from.
Be very careful as not all pieces are solid gold. Some may be hollow, and others can be coated with gold. This means that as time goes by and wear increases, the gold can wear off.
Buying Silver and Platinum Jewelry
Silver and Platinum
Jewelry made of Platinum and Silver are very popular. Platinum is even more expensive than gold. When buying jewelry pieces made of platinum, make sure to ask if its “900 platinum,” or more. This is the highest quality platinum simply because it means that 900 of the 1000 parts per one thousand used are pure platinum. In layman terms it is 90% Platinum and 10% other metals. You can find less expensive platinum jewelry if you decrease the PT, or Platinum percentage. However, this will mean that other metals have been mixed in to create the platinum piece.
Silver follows a similar method. Most silver, or sterling silver, pieces contain 92.5% silver. They are sometimes marked 925, which means that 925 parts per thousand are pure silver. According to the law, quality marked silver must have the name or a U.S. registered company trademark to stand behind the silver piece. When buying pieces of silver, make sure to look for that trademark.
Buying Gemstones and Diamonds
Gemstones can be broken down into natural and laboratory created gems. Many gems are laboratory-grown or synthetic. They usually have the same chemical and physical properties of a fully natural gem; however they are less expensive because materials such as glass and/or plastic are used to enhance coloring and clarity. Effects used to enhance visual appearance may include:
HeatingIrradiationFracture FillingDiffusionDyeingBleaching
All laboratory-created imitation stones should clearly be identified as such. Be sure you know where your gemstones are from.
Diamonds#
Never forget that a diamond is based and priced on four criteria: Color, Cut, Clarity, Carat. The color and clarity are usually graded; however make sure to know that different companies scale diamonds differently. This means that scales are not uniform, and can change from once certificate to the next. When shopping for a diamond, make sure that you consider diamonds that are “flawless” because these usually have little to no visible or internal imperfections when viewed through 10x power magnification. Then again, these usually are the most expensive ones.
As with other gemstones, a diamond is weighed in carats. The carats can be described in decimal or fractional parts of a carat. It is important to know that if a diamond weight is listed as a fractional part of a carat, the retailer should disclose that: the weight is not exact and the reasonable range of weight for each fraction or the weight tolerance being used.
As with all other gems, a diamond’s clarity and appearance can be enhanced many different ways.
Fracture filling: conceals cracks in diamonds by filling them with a foreign substance. (may not be permanent, ask jewelry expert)
Lasering: the use of a laser beam to enhance appearance of diamonds that have black spots or inclusions. (Permanent)
These methods of “improving” a diamond may make the gem look exactly like a “flawless” diamond. However, an “improved” diamond will not hold the high price tag of a flawless one. Jewelers should tell you if the diamond you are about to purchase has been laser-drilled.
Finally, be careful with imitation diamonds such as cubic zirconia. They do a great job of resembling diamonds but are much less expensive. Ask your jeweler if they have testing equipment to distinguish between diamonds and other lab-generated gemstones.
Taking Care of your Jewelry
Silver
If you want to make your silver pieces look great for generations to come follow these few steps.
1) Choosing common household products to clean your silver is big no-no. Products such as ammonia, bleach, alcohol, and acetone can damage the silver. Use mild cleaners, like baking soda, phosphate free detergents and commercial silver cleaning products, and dilute them with lots of water.
2) Stay away from hard bristle brushes. The best ones to use are baby tooth brushes, or a wet or dry sunshine cloth. Make sure that when cleaning your sterling silver pieces, always clean up/down, never in a circular motion.
3) When drying silver, use 100% cotton materials such as cotton balls, t-shirts, sweat shirts, or soft flannel materials (all unbleached). All these will prevent silver from being permanently scratched.
Diamonds
Solution A
1) Start off by using a mild mixture of dish detergent and warm water. Dip the item to be cleaned into the solution.
2) Gently use a soft bristle brush to clean the item. Then rinse in warm running water.
3) Use a soft, cotton cloth to dry the item.
(Be careful when brushing the item, as the diamond may be set in Gold or Silver, which could scratch easily.)
Solution B
1) Use a solution of 8 parts water, 1 part ammonia.
2) Use soft bristle brush and use on diamond only. Then rinse in warm water and pat dry with 100% cotton cloth.
Latest News in Jewelry
Russell Simmons, known as a hip hop fashion mogul with his hip line of Phat clothing and previously known as a rap star will soon be known as a diamond mogul and philanthropist .
Introducing The Simmons Jewelry Company, co-owned by Simmons an his wife/business partner Kimora Lee Simmons.
Benjamin Chavis, who accompanied hip hop mogul Russell Simmons to southern Africa, told a standing-room only press conference that the media's "disturbing portrayal" of diamonds and Africa distort reality.
Chavis, co-chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, along with Simmons and seven others arrived in New York from a nine-day fact finding mission in two of Africa's largest diamond producing nations.
"I saw the impact of diamonds -- and Africans working, learning computer skills, being trained on diamond polishing," Chavis said of his observations, and "the real story is not told" in the United States.
There was no denying that poverty is of great concern, but Chavis, Simmons, and Scott Rauch (president of the Simmons Jewelry Company owned by Simmons) discussed highlights of how the diamond economy, especially from Botswana, has benefited the local residents.
"Eight-five percent of diamond proceeds go back to that uncorrupt government," Simmons said of Botswana, where revenue from the diamond industry funds education and HIV prevention and anti-viral HIV drugs.
Simmons said --upon his arrival in New York only hours earlier-- that Nelson Mandela informed him the Blood Diamond movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly were on board with the message that diamonds play a critical role in building Africa.
"Diamonds are very important," Simmons said. "I'm not here today to defend history. The process today is transparent -- as it was to me...
"Everyone around us has an agenda," he said. "But my agenda is to boost my people -- lifting people up."
[...] Blackie Marole, managing director of Debswana, added that diamond revenue in Botswana enables the country to have an effective HIV/AIDS program for employees from the standpoint of prevention, testing, and long-term heathcare. "We are not comparable to anyone else and have shown (such a program) can be sustained."
"Every child in Botswana has free education to the age of 13," paid for with diamond revenue Marole said.
The fact-finding mission was Simmons' first trip to Africa. He observed extreme poverty in Cape Town, South Africa. "I want everyone to be like Botswana. I hope it becomes a reality," Simmons said and added that similar regulatory measures to the Kimberley Process should be placed upon oil, coltan, and gold -- all of which are natural resources in the region.
The Simmons Jewelry Company used the press event to launch its Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF,) which will raise money for the development and the empowerment of those in diamond-areas of Africa. Specifically, the DEF would support educational and skill development schools and colleges in Botswana and South Africa to start.
One way in which Simmons will raise funds is with a Green Initiative diamond jewelry line through Simmons Jewelry Company. Twenty-five percent of proceeds on Green initiative jewelry sold will fund DEF. Simmons said he was attracted to the green diamond found in Botswana, which will be the source used for the new jewelry line.
While the delegation was in southern Africa they met with Botswana's President Festus Mogae, and Mandela; they visited orphanages, HIV clinics, schools, and diamond mines.
The group observed sorting and cutting factories.
"I even saw skilled African workers in Botswana sorting, cutting, and polishing diamonds, a complete contradiction to what Americans believe about the diamond mining process," Simmons said.
"This is a shining example of how all extractive industries should operate in Africa," Simmons concluded.
Hmmm... I don't know. Does this sound too good to be true? Can one trip educate these "green" jewelry sellers on the politics of diamonds?
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