Allow us to introduce you to these alternative jewelry metals: ceramic, tungsten carbide, cobalt, titanium, and stainless steel. Collectively, these alternative metals have become a big hit in men’s jewelry, especially men’s wedding bands, as well as other types of jewelry. (more…)
Known to Egyptians as the “gem of the sun,” the yellowish green peridot has been treasured since the earliest times, and is the birthstone for August. It’s thought that this gemstone is 4.5 billion years old, as it’s found in meteorite remnants dating to the solar system’s birth.
If you’re shopping for August’s birthstone, our Peridot Buying Guide offers tips and advice on what to look for, particularly as it relates to cut, one of the most important factors in a peridot’s appearance. (more…)
In the past century, pearls have gone from some of the most expensive and rarest objects to jewelry that many of us can afford.
How this happened and what the future holds is a fascinating story. In part one of our series on cultured pearls we discussed how three Japanese men created techniques to produce the first akoya cultured pearls, which gave birth to the modern cultured pearl industry. Today, we dive into South Sea cultured pearls, Tahitian cultured pearls, and the rise of China as a leading cultured pearl producer.
Ready to set sail and learn about these treasures? (more…)
Packing for your dream vacation and wondering if you should bring your favorite pieces of jewelry? Wonder no more as we provide you with tips for traveling with jewelry. (more…)
Buried deep in the Himalayan foothills of Afghanistan lies a bountiful supply of rich, deep green emerald, and the promise of seeing these beautiful rough gems lured Andy Lucas, GIA manager of Field Gemology in Carlsbad, to this scenic but beleaguered land.
Lucas travels around the world gathering details of the mine to market story for GIA education courses and its scientific publication, Gems & Gemology. And this time, his destination was the remote emerald mines of Panjshir Valley. The valley’s name means “five lions,” a tribute to five spiritual brothers who once lived there. When he arrived, he found a rugged land with spectacular vistas. (more…)
What could impressionist painter Claude Monet and GIA colored diamond graders possibly have in common? For both the artist and the gemologist, the study of how light alters the appearance of an object was, and remains, an important part of their process. (more…)
Serious diamond connoisseurs consider a diamond’s 4Cs as essential information. Some buyers might also want to know about the diamond type. But what exactly does diamond type mean? (more…)
Blue diamonds are extremely rare, exquisitely beautiful, and rich in lore. This special combination has made them coveted by diamond lovers and jewelry connoisseurs.
How rare are blue diamonds? To find that glittering needle in the haystack, tons of ore have to be unearthed. And when a blue diamond is found, you can imagine the excitement it causes. (more…)
The color of love, anger, passion, fury, vibrant red ruby is July’s birthstone. It makes an ideal romantic gift, not only for those who celebrate July birthdays, but for all women. However, ruby can command the highest per-carat price of any colored gemstone. These stunning red gems are consistently breaking auction records, as demand for ruby continues to rise. (more…)
Before the development of cultured pearls, only natural pearls were available – and their value was astronomical.
“I’m going to have the most expensive dinner in history,” Cleopatra supposedly boasted to Marc Anthony. She then dissolved a large natural pearl in a goblet of wine and drank it. Then there was the Roman general, Vitellius (15 A.D.-69 A.D.), who sold a natural pearl from one of his mother’s earrings to cover the expenses of a military campaign. (more…)
If you love yellow diamonds, you’re not alone. Diamond connoisseurs spend millions on these stunning gemstones. (more…)
A strand of pearls is one of the most glamorous pieces of jewelry a woman can wear, yet these lustrous beauties have humble origins.
Pearls are produced by mollusks – soft-bodied saltwater or freshwater animals possessing one (univalve) or two (bivalve) shells. Mollusks are invertebrates meaning they lack a spine or vertebrae. Scientists estimate there are over 100,000 different species of mollusks in the world’s waters. However, only a few dozen of these species produce pearls and only about half of them are used to produce cultured pearls. (more…)
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