Gaining gemstone jewelry knowledge
People have been wearing gemstone earrings, gemstone necklaces and gemstone pendants for millennia. There are naturally created gemstone jewelry pieces, or the newer manmade stones, which are made in a laboratory. The finest types of gemstone earrings, necklaces and pendants are, of course, the natural variety. Gemstone jewelry can be measured by weight, size or both. Jewelers weigh gemstone necklaces, earrings and pendants by carats, which are divided into 100 units called points. A half-carat gemstone pendant, for example, would weigh .5 carats or 50 points. When gemstone jewelry is measured by dimen'sions, the size is expressed in millimeters. These are terms to look for when shopping for naturally created gemstone jewelry. Sometimes gemstone jewelry is treated to enhance its appearance and durability, or change its color.
This is referred to as a gemstone treatment or enhancement, and many gemstone earrings, necklaces or pendants go through this before they are sold. The effects of some gemstone jewelry treatments may lessen or change over time, and some treated stones may require special care. Enhancements may also affect the value of gemstone pendants and other pieces when measured against a comparable untreated stone. An ethical jeweler will tell their customers in certain circumstances when the gemstone necklaces, earrings or pendants have been treated. These circumstances are when the treatment is not permanent, the treated gemstone jewelry requires special care, or the treatment significantly affects the value of the gemstone. Some common gemstone jewelry treatments that customers may be told about include:
· Heating
· Irradiation.
· Impregnating
· Fracture filling
· Diffusion treatment
· Dyeing.
· Bleaching.
Heating of gemstone jewelry can lighten, darken or change the color of some gemstone pendants, or improve their clarity. Irradiation can add more color to colored diamond gemstone rings, as well as certain other gemstones and pearls. Impregnating some gemstone earrings with colorless oils, wax or resins makes a variety of imperfections less visible, and it can improve the gemstone's clarity and appearance. Fracture filling hides cracks or fractures in gemstone necklaces by injecting colorless plastic or glass into the cracks, and it improves the gemstone's appearance and durability.
Diffusion Treatment adds color to the surface of colorless gemstone jewelry, though the center of the stone remains colorless. Dyeing will add color or improve the color uniformity in some gemstone pendants and pearls. Bleaching lightens and whitens dome gemstone jewelry, including jade and pearls.
Gemstones earrings, necklaces and pendants are known for their natural beauty, and are often worn as a fashion statement. Today's world of gemstone jewelry offers an almost endless array of choices. Many new sources of gemstone jewelry have been discovered and are widely available in reds, blues, greens and many other unusual shades.
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