Gem Lover

Earrings

2007-06-03T11:10:00.000+07:00

The conventionally perfect face shape is a perfectly proportioned oval. Few women have that perfect face shape, but through the careful choice of earrings, a woman can give the illusion of a slimmer or wider face, depending on the effect she wants.

For example, a woman with a round face might want to use accessories and makeup to make her face looks slimmer, unless she is a model. Models thrive on their unique looks, so she might want to highlight the roundness of her face.

A woman with a square face might want to soften the lines of her jaw, but if she views her face shape as an asset, she might want to emphasize the sharp angles of her face to stand out from the crowd.

Creating the illusion of a slimmer face, or a wider one, of sharper features or softer features is easier than you might think. All you need are the right earrings. The earrings have to be large enough to frame the face in order to have the necessary result. Tiny ear studs wouldn't cut it. Larger earrings that are clearly visible when people look directly at you are necessary to help create these illusions. If you have an oval face, you can wear literally any kind of earrings and look great. If not, you can use earrings to make your face appear oval.

Let's start with a thin, narrow face. What you need is something along the horizontal lines to give the illusion of width. Try a pair of round button earrings. From 70's style plastic earrings to sophisticated diamond earrings in a large circular design to wooden ear clips would do fine. If you like hoops, wear huggies that are close to the ear and which are wide, to give the illusion of width.
To soften too sharp features, go for earring designs with curves or which are rounded. Hoop earrings work very well as would earrings with round beads or with circles in the design, or even waves.
To sharpen flat features, wear angular earrings. Triangles, stars and shapes that are pointed or with sharp lines would work very well.

For a round face or square face, you'd want the illusion of length. A dangling pendant or a cascade of beads that draw the attention along vertical lines would visually slim and lengthen your face. Shoulder dusters are your best friend, as are drop earrings and chandelier earrings.

Information From : http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janice_Wee

Gold

2007-06-03T10:50:00.000+07:00

It is a highly sought-after precious metal which, for many centuries, has been used as money, a store of value and in jewelery. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, underground "veins" and in alluvial deposits. It is one of the coinage metals. It is a dense, soft, shiny, yellow metal, and is the most malleable and ductile of the known metals.

Gold is the most malleable and ductile metal; a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of one square meter, or an ounce into 300 square feet. Gold readily forms alloys with many other metals. These alloys can be produced to increase the hardness or to create exotic colors. Adding copper yields a redder metal, iron blue, aluminium purple, platinum white, and natural bismuth and silver alloys produce black. Native gold contains usually eight to ten percent silver, but often much more — alloys with a silver content over 20% are called electrum. As the amount of silver increases, the color becomes whiter and the specific gravity becomes lower.

Gold is a good conductor of heat and electricity, and is not affected by air and most reagents. Heat, moisture, oxygen, and most corrosive agents have very little chemical effect on gold, making it well-suited for use in coins and jewelry; conversely, halogens will chemically alter gold, and aqua regia dissolves it by virtue of the elemental chlorine generated by this acid mixture.

Like other precious metals, gold is measured by troy weight and by grams. When it is alloyed with other metals the term carat or karat is used to indicate the amount of gold present, with 24 karats being pure gold and lower ratings proportionally less. The purity of a gold bar can also be expressed as a decimal figure ranging from 0 to 1, known as the millesimal fineness, such as 0.995 being very pure.

Information From : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold

Engagement Ring

2007-06-02T19:56:00.000+07:00

But before you propose, you'll have to make some decisions. Follow our guide to make sure you've got all your bases covered.

What does she like?
Finding out what she likes shouldn't be too hard. If she hasn't already spoken to you about it, she's surely to have mentioned it to her closest friends. Otherwise, you can always ask her mother - you're sure to score some points by letting your future mother-in-law in on the big surprise first. If all else fails, just take a look at the rest of her jewelry and you should at least be able to tell if she prefers yellow gold or white gold and start from there.

Choose a quality jeweler
In making such an important purchase, it's important that you choose the right jeweler who will help you find exactly what you want and deliver it on time.

Set your budget
When setting your budget, keep in mind that you are purchasing both a setting and a center stone. The familiar standard of spending two months' salary on an engagement ring is a good starting point. Before you settle on a specific amount to spend, take some time to learn what qualities you're looking for in both a diamond and a setting. Regardless of what style engagement ring you choose, it should be of the best possible quality available in your price range.

Choosing the right diamond
Like any important purchase, you should understand what you're buying before choosing a diamond. Start by choosing a diamond shape that best fits her style. Learning about the Four Cs (cut , color , clarity and carat weight) and certification will help you determine which qualities are most important to you and her. Last but not least, you'll have to settle on a size for your diamond. Bigger is not always better, especially when it comes to diamonds. Only once you know what qualities are important to you will you be able to narrow down your search for that perfect diamond.

Choose a setting and a band
There's more to the diamond when you're purchasing a diamond ring, of course. There's the setting (also called the mounting). This, like the shape of the stone itself is purely a matter of personal style. In addition to the style, the metal that the setting itself is crafted from is an important consideration.

Information by : http://www.diamond.com

Ruby

2007-06-02T18:49:00.000+07:00

For thousands of years, the ruby has been considered one of the most valuable gemstones on Earth. It has everything a precious stone should have: magnificent colour, excellent hardness and outstanding brilliance. In addition to that, it is an extremely rare gemstone, especially in its finer qualities.

Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum, one of the hardest minerals on Earth, of which the sapphire is also a variety. Pure corundum is colourless. Slight traces of elements such as chrome, iron, titanium or vanadium are responsible for the colour. These gemstones have excellent hardness. On the Mohs scale their score of 9 is second only to that of the diamond. Only red corundum is entitled to be called ruby, all other colours being classified as sapphires.

Colour is a ruby's most important feature. Its transparency is only of secondary importance. So inclusions do not impair the quality of a ruby unless they decrease the transparency of the stone or are located right in the centre of its table. On the contrary: inclusions within a ruby could be said to be its 'fingerprint', a statement of its individuality and, at the same time, proof of its genuineness and natural origin. The cut is essential: only a perfect cut will underline the beauty of this valuable and precious stone in a way befitting the 'king of the gemstones'. However, a really perfect ruby is as rare as perfect love. If you do come across it, it will cost a small fortune. But when you have found 'your' ruby, don't hesitate: hang on to it!

Information by : http://www.gemstone.org

Diamonds

2007-06-02T18:34:00.000+07:00

Diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to mankind. That, along with their brilliance and fire, have made diamonds the quintessential symbol of timeless, enduring love.

The simplest of all the gemstones, diamond consists of 99.95% pure crystallized carbon. A diamond begins to crystallize far beneath the earth's surface among a mixture of liquids, gases, and crystals. Diamonds can, in fact, be from 1 to 3 billion years old--more than two-thirds the age of the earth itself.

Shape
The first step in choosing a diamond is deciding what shape you want. While the round shape is the most popular, there's plenty of other beautiful shapes to choose from which deliver brilliance and fire. Round brilliant-cut diamonds show the most brilliance and sparkle of all the shapes. When it comes to hiding imperfections, the round brilliant cut is the king. Its design allows it to hide flaws and yellow tints better than diamonds of other shapes.

Color
The most important thing to know about diamond color is, in general, the less color a diamond has, the more valuable it is, all other factors being equal. The diamond color grading system uses the letters of the alphabet from D through Z, with 'D' being the most colorless and therefore the rarest and most valuable, and 'Z' having the most color within the normal range, and being the least valuable, all other factors being equal.

Carat
A diamond's weight is measured in what is known as a 'carat', which is a small unit of measurement equal to 200 milligrams.

Care
Diamonds must be kept clean and be stored carefully when they are not being worn, or are being packed for travel. Because most people wear their engagement ring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it's essential that you're always mindful of its care.

Cleaning
Diamonds, like anything else, get smudged, soiled and dusty. Lotions, powders, soaps--even the natural oils from your skin--will create a film on diamonds, which will reduce their brilliance. In addition, chemicals in the air will oxidize or discolor the mountings. Keeping your jewelry clean will maximize its brilliance. Four ways suggests you clean your diamonds:

Detergent Bath: Prepare a small bowl of warm suds using any mild household liquid detergent (be sure not to use any cleaners containing chlorine). Brush the jewelry with a soft brush until you have created a lather around it. With the jewelry on a plastic or metal strainer, rinse off with warm water (be sure not to clean your jewelry over the drain!) Pat your jewelry dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Cold Water Soak: Make a solution of 4 parts cold-water and 1 part very mild dishwashing detergent. Soak the pieces for several minutes. Lift out and tap gently around all sides of the mounting with a soft brush. Rinse the pieces in the solution once more and drain on tissue paper.

Quick-Dip Method: Buy one of the brand name liquid jewelry cleaners, choosing the one that is best for the kind of stones and metals in your jewelry. Read the label carefully and follow the instructions. Do not touch your clean diamonds with your fingers, as the oils from your hands will leave a film on the stone.

The Ultrasonic Cleaner: There are many types of these small machines available to the public today. They will clean any piece of jewelry that can be soaked in a liquid within a matter of minutes. These machines often have a metal cup, which is filled with water and detergent. When the machine is turned on, a high-frequency turbulence is created. Avoid putting emeralds in ultrasonic cleaners.

Information by : http://www.diamond.com/