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  1. Birthstone of the Month: October is For Opal Opals come in many different colors, which symbolizes the somewhat uncertain nature of October as a month. The opal is the traditional birthstone for October. Opal’s shifting play of kaleidoscopic colors is unlike any other gem. Fine opal’s beauty is elusive and challenging to capture in words. It has been compared to fireworks, jellyfish, galaxies, lightning and volcanoes. Opals come in many different colors, which symbolizes the somewhat uncertain nature of October as a month. Some Octobers...
  2. How Does Opal Get Its Color? Individual opals are as unique as snowflakes. They can be light or dark, mostly blue or every color of the rainbow, vibrant with moving flashes of color or mostly static, transparent or translucent or opaque. What gives each opal its unique combination of these characteristics? The Internal Structure of an Opal Opals form when silica and water settle into cracks or voids in volcanic or sedimentary rocks. Over vast periods of time, the wet silica forms layers of silica spheres. Once the sphere...
  3. Top 5 Beautiful Alternative Gemstones For An Engagement Ring Diamonds might be the classic stone of choice for engagement rings, but why limit yourself? When dreaming about your engagement ring, it’s hard not to imagine a flawless white diamond as the focal point. From glittering round shapes to elegant ovals and striking cushion cuts in yellow, white, rose gold, or platinum, every style of engagement ring is synonymous with white diamonds.But alternative ring styles in colored gemstones are becoming more and more popular for modern brides—especially f...
  4. Is Cleaning Jewelry At Home a Good Idea? The good news is you can clean some of your jewelry pieces at home — and it's easier than you might think. From your everyday jewelry to unique pieces you only wear on special occasions, chances are, all of your jewelry could use a good polish. Lotion, soaps, and everyday dust and dirt are just a few things that can clog jewelry settings and make stones, chains and pearls appear dull and lifeless. And it’s usually not until you're getting ready for a night out on the town that you not...
  5. How to Choose Jewelry That Makes Your Eyes Pop Whether your eyes are a deep brown or light blue, there is a simple way to make your eye color truly pop: jewelry. According to the time-old saying, “Eyes are the windows to the soul.” Although that might be slightly overstated, there’s no doubt that a person’s eyes are one of his or her most noticeable features. In fact, it’s often the feature that is first noticed during introductions. Makeup and clothing are obvious complements as well, but there’s something about sparkling gemstones that ...
  6. Birthstone of the Month: June Is For Pearl, Alexandrite and Moonstone June gets the unique honor of having not one, not two, but THREE birthstones! June is one of those months that has three birthstones associated with it, giving the lucky people born in June a choice of gemstones between pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone. June’s birthstones range from creamy-colored opalescent pearl and moonstone to the rare color-changing alexandrite. Pearls are thought of as the primary birthstone for the month. On the other hand, moonstone and alexandrite are considered alt...
  7. How To Clean Gemstone Jewelry We try hard to keep our gemstones looking as flawlessly gorgeous as the day we bought them. However, dirt, dust, and other particulates can dull the shine of your jewelry as time goes on. So how do you properly clean gemstone jewelry and restore the luster to your favorite pieces? Read on to find out. Know Your Gemstones It's easy to believe that one gem's resistance to certain kinds of exposure goes for all gems in your collection. Hardness is the measure of a gem's ability to re...
  8. How To Remove Scratches From A Gemstone Ring looked at your jewelry and noticed scratches, you should not be terrified because the scratches can be removed. Keep reading to discover how you can get rid of the scratches. How do gemstones get scratched? As jewelry ages and comes into contact with items, small scratches can be noticed on the surface. Gemstones are usually made of different metals with varying hardness levels. Softer gemstones are likely to scratch easily when in contact with harder objects. For gemstones engraved on rin...
  9. The Birthstone Guide: Gems and Significance Each month has a corresponding gemstone or multiple gemstones that signifies something special about those who wear it. Even if you don't believe in any spiritual benefits from a stone, you can still enjoy reading about yours or picking out the birthstone of a loved one. If you're running short on gift ideas or just want to do something special for your significant other, look through this guide for their birthstone and see which gems to choose. January: Garnet The garnet is usually a...
  10. Everything to Know About Birthstones  Have you ever wondered how birthstones came to be? Full of history and folklore, birthstones are designated to mark birthdays in each month. It's common to give and receive birthstone gifts for birthdays, and many couples even include birthstones in their bridal set or anniversary jewelry. Birthstones, gemstones assigned to each month of the year, have been traced back to ancient times. The Breastplate of Aaron that was described in the book of Exodus in the Bible was a religious garment ...
  11. Birthstone Of The Month: January Is For Garnet Those born in January are lucky to have one of the brightest and most colorful birthstones attached to their birth month, depicting their vibrant personalities. This stone has already gained quite some significance from ancient times and it is still one that makes a statement when it is worn. It is fitting that a child born at the beginning of the year is adorned with garnets to bedazzle him with hope for the rest of the month to follow. Garnets are commonly red, but also come in an extraordi...
  12. One Carat, Two Carats... How Many is Enough for Different Occasions? As soon as you let the size of the diamond influence the budget, you'll either find yourself in a lot of debt, or you may be sacrificing the clarity of the diamond. Carat – not to be confused with karat or carrot – is defined as a unit of mass equal to 200 mg (1 carat = 0.2 grams) used for measuring the weight of diamonds. One carat equals a fifth of a gram (0.20 grams) – or about the weight of a small paper clip – so there are five carats to the gram. The gemstones are also sold per cara...