FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ALSO SOME INTERESTING FACTS
What does carat mean when used in jewellery?
There are two different meanings to the word carat in connection with jewellery.
* it can indicate the purity of gold. * it can also describe the weight in relation to precious stones.
(please see below)
It is generally accepted that pure gold is too soft for everyday use and so when gold is used to make jewellery it has other metals added to it (known as alloys). The lower the carat the lower the gold content.
9ct 37.5% pure gold 14ct 58.5% pure gold 18ct 75% pure gold 22ct 91.6% pure gold
If pure Gold is Yellow what is White Gold?
Different alloys can be used to create white gold. 18ct white gold is required to be 75% pure gold and 25% made up of other metals. These alloys commonly include a metal called Palladium, which creates a strong white coloured alloy when mixed with gold. However, these other metals can also include Nickel, but this is used less now as it can cause Dermatitis in some people with sensitive skin. Most white gold has its surface plated with rhodium which gives it a bright white colour.
Is Platinum the same as white gold?
No, Platinum and white gold are not the same thing, platinum is a different metal altogether. It is extremely durable and does not wear away. It is 95% pure which will have a Hallmark stamp of 950. There is also platinum which is 90% pure and that would have a hallmark of 900. This is generally used abroad. The rest is made up of alloys including titanium, copper and palladium. This metal is perfect for setting stones, especially diamonds. The metal does not lose its colour either. It is approximately 10% heavier than pure gold and more expensive.
What is Titanium? This is a light metal composed of 60% iron, 4.5 g/Cm3. It is strong and highly resistant to corrosion. Titanium is bio-compatible because it is hyper-allergenic. It is highly resistant to heat, non-toxic and very easy to clean. A lot of titanium produced is used for aerospace parts. Titanium used for jewellery is a titanium alloy containing such metals as aluminium and vanadium which add strength to titanium.
What is Palladium? This metal is part of the Platinum family. It is a whiter colour than platinum and lighter, but actually approximately 12% harder. It is naturally white in colour, therefore never has to be Rhodium plated.
What is Silver? Pure silver is far too soft for jewellery so this is mixed up with other metals, to become more durable. Sterling Silver is an alloy of Silver which has 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, normally copper. This metal has been around for a very long time, but even today it’s very fashionable. The familiar Hallmark stamp will be 925.
Why Do we have Hallmarks? A hallmark is a guarantee of the quality of precious metal you are buying. The Assay Office is a government body in the United Kingdom and they test and stamp hallmarks onto a piece of jewellery. It is required by law if the article weighs more than 1gm. The punch marks will show the maker, the quality, the assay office at which it was tested and the year in which it was stamped.
What holds a precious stone in a piece of jewellery? Several methods can be used to hold a precious stone in a piece of jewellery. The two most common ways are rub-over setting where the stone is held in place with a continuous line of metal all the way round the stone, and the other is claw setting where the stone is held in a series of pegs each having a small notch to hold the stone.
What does carat mean in relation to Diamonds? The word carat is actually meaning the weight of the diamonds.
A diamond is an extremely hard, highly refractive crystalline form of carbon. . The most common shapes are the traditional Round Brilliant Cut, Square Princess Cut and Emerald Cut, although many others are now available. Diamonds are the hardest substance known to man. They are individually graded depending on their Carat weight, Clarity, Colour and Cut. Please see below how the four C’s are used to determine a diamond value;
CARAT - Carat refers to the weight of a diamond (not the size of the diamond). One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. One carat can also be divided into 100 "points". A .75 carat diamond is the same as a 75-points or 3/4 carat diamond. The cut and the mounting in a stone setting can make a diamond appear larger (or smaller) than its actual weight.
CLARITY - Clarity refers to the presence of flaws or inclusions in the diamond. Inclusions are the diamond's fingerprint so to speak and may look like tiny crystals, clouds or feathers. Diamonds are graded for inclusions using a 10x magnification. If under 10x magnification no internal flaws can be seen then the diamond is deemed to be flawless. You will pay a higher price for a diamond with fewer inclusions.
FL - IF Flawless/internally flawless
VVS1-VVS2 Very, very small inclusions, very hard to locate under a 10x, unable to see with the unaided eye VS1-VS2 Very slightly included under 10x magnification difficult to see
SI1-SI2 Slightly included under 10x magnification easily seen
I 1 Inclusions immediately recognizable under 10x magnification
I 2 Inclusions recognizable by the naked eye
I 3 Large or numerous flaws easily visible with the naked eye
COLOUR - Diamonds are graded for colour by letter the finest white being D and then going down the alphabet as the colour changes to yellow.
D E Blue White F G Fine White H White I J Slightly tinted White K L Tinted White M N Slightly Tinted Yellow O P Weakly Tinted Yellow Q R Tinted Yellow S - Z Yellow
CUT - The cut refers to the angles and proportions of a diamond, this can make a large difference to the brilliance of a stone. A well cut diamond will internally reflect light from one mirror-like facet to another and disperse and reflect it through the top of the stone. If cut too shallow light will escape through the lower part of the stone, thus it's brilliance will be lessened. Likewise, if the diamond is cut too deep too much light will be absorbed and the brilliance depleted again.
Aquarius 20 Jan-18 Feb Amethyst Air (The Water Bearer)
Pisces 19 Feb-20 March Aquamarine Water (The Fishes)
Aries 21 March-19 April Diamond Fire (The Ram)
Taurus 20 April-20 May Emerald Earth (The Bull)
Gemini 21 May-21 June Agate Air (The Twins)
Cancer 22 June-22 July Pearl Water (The Crab)
Leo 23 July-22 August Ruby Fire (The Lion)
Virgo 23 Aug-22 Sept Sapphire Earth (The Virgin)
Libra 23 Sept-22 Oct Opal Air (The Scales)
Scorpio 23 Oct-21 Nov Topaz Water (The Scorpion)
Sagittarius 22 Nov-21 Dec Turquoise Fire (The Archer)
Capricorn 22 Dec-19 Jan Garnet Earth (The Goat)
Useful Ring Size Conversion List;
UKEuropeUSA
H 47 3 3/4 I 48 4 1/4 J 49 4 5/8 K 50 5 1/8 L 51 1/2 5 1/2 M 53 6 N 54 6 1/2 O 55 7 P 56 1/2 7 1/2 Q 58 8 R 59 8 5/8 S 60 9 T 61 9 5/8 U 62 10 1/4 V 64 10 5/8 W 65 11 1/8 X 66 11 5/8 Y 67 12 Z 69 12 1/2
Coloured Gem Stone Information
Alexandrite Alexandrite is a very rare stone. The colour is very unusual in that it changes from a green to purple depending on the light. Genuine Alexandrite is one of the most expensive gemstones available. This is especially apparent when there are strong colour changes. It is a very tough stone, therefore works well in jewellery pieces.
Amber
Amber is fossil tree resin. It ranges in colour from a yellow to brown and green. This is used for both jewellery and ornaments. Because it used to be soft, it can sometimes have insects inside it.
Amethyst Amethyst is a variety of quartz which comes in various different purple shades. It is found in many parts of the world including Brazil, Mexico and Africa. It complements both Silver and Gold jewellery. Amethyst is the Birthstone for February.
Aquamarine Aquamarine is a type of Beryl and normally has a mid to light blue colour, reminding a lot of people of the sky. The darker the blue colour, the better the quality of the stone. Aquamarine is the Birthstone for March.
Cameo Cameo is a method of carving which has a raised image. The main materials used for cameo carving are Agate, Shell and Glass. They are worn as jewellery pieces still today. Sometimes the colours are treated to enhance them.
Cubic Zirconia Cubic Zirconia is a synthetic stone and man made, although is very hard and normally colourless. However, this can be made in different colours such as pink and blue. It’s a very inexpensive stone, and has a similar resemblance to diamond.
Emerald Emeralds are considered to be one of the four “precious” stones, along with Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond. They can even be more valuable than Diamonds at times. Emerald is the Birthstone for May.
Garnet Garnets come in different colours ranging from red, orange and yellow to the more unusual green, purple, black. The most rare colour is blue. It is quite a hard wearing stone and very popular in yellow gold jewellery. Garnet is the Birthstone for January.
Haematite Haematite is a mineral. The colours range from black to silver to brown and red. It is opaque in appearance and can be used in to etch carvings onto, and can be used in jewellery.
Iolite The usual colour that Iolite comes in is blue/purple. It can often be worn as inexpensive replacement for sapphire, although it is much softer stone. This stone can be found in Sri Lanka and India.
Jade Jade can be cut and used as decorative ornaments. The colour varies from a deep vibrant green to a more mild lighter green. It is admired by many when set as jewellery pieces.
Jasper The name means "spotted or speckled stone". Jasper is normally dull as opposed to transparent. The popular colours are usually brown, yellow or red. Not only is used for jewellery but also as ornaments.
Lapis Lazuli Lapis lazuli is semi-precious. It has a very powerful blue colour which has gold coloured inclusions. This stone can be polished up very well in order to be used in jewellery and also carvings and vases.
Malachite Malachite is a green coloured mineral. It ranges from a bright green to a blackish green. It is opaque in appearance and has streaks running through it. This stone is used widely in silver jewellery.
Moonstone Moonstone is normally opaque and is cabochon as opposed to faceted. It comes in numerous different colours like white, pink, brown. The most rare and expensive colour is a deep blue.
Opal Natural – These come in so many colours ranging from a milky white colour which is the most inexpensive of opals through to the most vibrant of colours like reds, blue, greens and oranges. They are very suited in jewellery and are normally a cabochon cut. Opal is the Birthstone for October.
Opal Doublets – This comprises of a layer of opal and a layer of opal’s mother-rock Sandstone. This is a much more sought after opal and can be expensive because the colours can be very striking with deep blues, greens and reds. It is the perfect stone to be set for jewellery.
Opal Triplets – This simply means that the opal has 3 layers altogether. A very slim layer of opal, a clear piece of quartz or plastic and then on the back a dark coloured material. These are always a lower quality and definitely have a simulated look to them. Therefore they are not classed as precious opal.
Fire Opal This opal has a superb deep orange appearance. It is ideal for setting into a piece of jewellery. They are transparent. The most famous source of fire opals is the state of Queretaro in Mexico.
Onyx Onyx is usually black in colour and is usually cut as a cabochon. It is very common for setting in signet rings.
Pearl Natural- A natural pearl is a hard, round object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusc. It is formed without any human intervention and is quite rare. The perfect shape of a pearl is round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls can also occur. The finest quality natural pearls are valued highly as gemstones. They are not only admired with traditional jewellery but also very contemporary designs. Pearl is the Birthstone for June. Cultured – These pearls now make up the majority of those that are currently sold. Pearls from the sea are valued more highly than freshwater pearls. Pearls have been cultivated, predominantly for use in jewellery. A cultured pearl is one that has been formed on a pearl farm and they are always perfectly round in shape. Beads are inserted into the oysters. This then secretes layers around the outside. It is removed after a minimum of six months. The longer the bead is in there the bigger the pearl is. Freshwater/Saltwater – These occasionally look alike but they actually come from very different sources. Freshwater pearls form in lakes and rivers, both hot and cold climates, whereas Saltwater pearls form within oysters in oceans.
Peridot Peridot actually only occurs in one colour which is olive green. Although this mainly is based on how much iron is contained in the crystal. So stones can still vary from yellow-green right through to brownish green. The most valuable is a dark olive green. Peridot is the Birthstone for August.
Quartz Pure quartz is always colorless or white in appearance. The stones can be used as part of a jewellery piece or carved into beautiful objects, although Rose Quartz is nearly always used as an ornmanet as opposed to being used in jewellery. The most well known coloured varieties are Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz therefore comes under different names. Citrine is also a quartz crystal that is either orange or yellow in appearance. Tiger’s Eye is also a part of the Quartz family group. They are always nearly cut as a cabochon to maximise the quality and smoothness.
Ruby It is considered to be one of the four “precious” stones, along with Emerald, Sapphire and Diamond. The best quality colour for ruby is known as “pigeon’s blood” red and therefore will be much more expensive than other colour variations. Along with this, the clearness of this stone is also of importance. This is also a very hard stone. Ruby is the Birthstone for July.
Sapphire It is considered to be one of the four “precious” stones, along with Ruby, Emerald and Diamond. Sapphires are also a very hard stone. Sapphire is the Birthstone for September.
Tanzanite Tanzanite is a stunning blue violet colour. It is quite a hard gemstone and looks beautiful when set as a piece of jewellery, particularly when used with white gold or platinum. It is from Tanzania.
Tiger’s Eye Tiger’s Eye is a member of the quartz group. It has a smooth, shiny finish and is normally cabochon cut. The colours vary from a light yellow to a dark brown.
Topaz The Topaz comes in many colours such as blue, yellow, green and pink. If it doesn’t have any impurities it stays a clear colour. Topaz is the Birthstone for November. There is also a stone called Mystic topaz which is originally colourless. This is artificially treated with a coating giving it colours such as green, brown, purple.
Turquoise Turquoise is the Birthstone for December. It is a bluey green mineral that is opaque in appearance. It looks beautiful when set in Sterling Silver and is very fashionable.
