History of Rubies

During ancient times, rubies were called ‘the king of gems’. It meant a lot of different things to a lot of different tribes, people, etc. Legend has it that warriors went as far as to implant rubies under their skin to bring an enhanced sense of bravery into their battles and for protection too. It was also believed that rubies had strong healing properties, which when ground and placed on the tongue, could cure anything from blood diseases, war, strife and even something as common as indigestion.

Rubies are known for their color. The mere mention of the stone brings to mind its blood red color that it is famous for. Rubies range from a deep fire-like orange to a rich, purplish-red color and are rare and one of the most expensive gems around.

The birthstone of those born in July, rubies are recorded in the Bible and in the time of the Sanskrit writings. Ruby comes from rubrum, which means red in Latin. This valuable stone belongs to the family of the corundum which is its most precious and expensive member.
Rubies have been famous right throughout time. Charles IV of Luxembourg’s crown, in the 14th century was home to a fairly large ruby of 250 carats. The Smithsonian has among its exhibits a cabochon star ruby which measures 137 carats. A 15.97 carat ruby is the most expensive ruby to have ever been sold at an auction; it was sold for $3.63 million in 1988.

If you are on the lookout for rubies to add to your jewelry collection, the best advice would be to opt for quality over size. Stones that take on a fiery red shade as opposed to those that lean closer to purple shades are recommended. This is because rubies are commonly subjected to heat treatment in order to augment their color.

Rubies are found mainly in Burma, but Thailand, Sri Lanka and Africa are also known to have deposits of the valuable, fiery red stone.

Different Gems and Their Colors

Black Onyx
Onyx is a variety of chalcedony – and comes in different colors ranging from brown, black, grey and white. This gem is quite like agate – with the only difference being that the onyx has straight bands of color while agates have curved lines. Onyx chips quite easily.

Blue Aquamarine
Colors of this stone range from dark blue to light blue and even a beautiful blue-green. Top range aquamarines are transparent. Aquamarines must always be kept out of the sun, as it will fade.

Brown Agate
Like onyx, agate is also a kind of chalcedony – and comes in quite a few colors. Agate does chip and crack fairly easily. Agate’s permeable quality has led to the gem being dyed to enhance its appearance.

Green Emerald
One of the more popular choices for jewelry, this stunning gemstone is often called an ‘energy healer’.

Orange Carnelian
A favorite of the Egyptians, Carnelians are fun and affordable. They change color in the sun.

Pink Rose Quartz
Rose quartz is an inexpensive stone worn mostly as pendants. It cracks and chips easily and fades in the sun.

Red Ruby
The ‘stone of love’ as rubies are popularly known are fairly durable gemstones.

Violet Amethyst
This pretty purple stone is increasingly becoming the choice of stone for engagement rings – symbolizing ever-lasting love.

White Diamond
This beautiful and rare stone is one of the most expensive gemstones. It is a fairly brittle stone and is known as the ‘king of gems’.

Yellow Amber
Made from fossilized resins of trees, amber is a very light stone and thus great for large pieces of jewelry. Gems with the rare insect contained within it are prized while other inclusions are pine needles and air bubbles. Amber is easily scratched.

Baby Bracelets

Baby bracelets are thoughtful gifts that can be passed down from generation to generation. As precious heirlooms, you can purchase these elegant bracelets when a baby is born or on the child’s first, second or third birthday. Baby bracelets are also ideal gifts for baptisms and other milestone events in the child’s life, as they will be cherished by the parents and the child for years to come.
If you’re searching for a special baby bracelet to give to a friend or family member, consider the Elite Series Baby Bracelet designed by Savannah’s Treasures. These elegant silver, crystal and pearl baby bracelets feature satin beads, freshwater pearls, Swarovski cube crystals and sterling silver accent crystals. Along with the classic design, you can customize the bracelet by including the name of the recipient. To view the Elite Series Baby Bracelet and other beautiful designs, visit http://www.savannahstreasures.com/.

Quartz

Quartz is derived from the German word ‘quarz’, which incidentally has Slavic origins. Czech miners called quartz ‘k?emen’. After feldspar, quartz is one of the most abundant minerals found in the continental crust of the Earth. Quartz comes in a number of varieties – with most of them being semi-precious gemstones.

In the Middle East and Europe, quartz has been used quite commonly, even in ancient times for jewelry making and hard stone carvings. One of the many theories regarding quartz comes from Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist who believed quite firmly that quartz was water ice which had been frozen permanently.

Varieties of quartz according to color

Pure quartz is also called rock crystal and clear quartz is translucent.

Citrine is the type of colored quartz in which its color ranges from pale yellow to brown. It is almost impossible to differentiate a cut citrine from yellow topaz. Finding citrines naturally is quite rare. Commercial citrines are most often amethysts which have been artificially heated or smoky quartz. The leading producer of citrine is Brazil.

Rose quartz ranges from a pale pink to a rosy red shade. The color of a rose quartz is determined by the amount of traces of titanium, iron or manganese found in the stone itself. X-ray diffraction studies indicate that the color of a rose quartz comes from very thin microscopic fibers of dumortierite contained in the quartz.
Amethyst is the most popular variant of the quartz family. Its color ranges from a bright purple to dark or dull shade.

Smoky quartz is an almost translucent, but gray stone. Its clarity ranges from fully transparent to an opaque. Some smoky quartzes are black.
Milky quartz is the most common of the quartzes and is milky white in color.

Andalusite

Andalusites are named after the province in Spain, Andalusia, where they were first found. They are pleochroic, which means that they show different colors when turned in different directions. Other such stones with this property are iolite and tanzanite. Cutting pleochroic gemstones is tough and it is important that pleochroism is minimized while ensuring that the best color is always brought out. However, with a stone like an andalusite, this rule does not apply. It is important that andalusites are cut maximizing on its pleochroic quality – and the more the colors, the better it is!

If cut correctly, Andalusites are a niche above other gemstones. The colors and their patterns are all fantastic to look at. Rectangular shapes and round cuts are best for andalusites. This stone is mined mainly in Brazil, but deposits are found in Sri Lanka, the United States of America and Russia as well.

Initially, andalusites were referred to as the ‘poor man’s alexandrite’. But really, andalusites do not even resemble alexandrites. While andalusites have a fantastic color play, alexandrites change from a green to red in varied lights. Alexandrites are not even color-changing stones.

If you like earthy tones and the idea of color play, then andalusites are for you. They can be bought at a fairly low price and are quite durable. They are used mostly in men’s jewelry. It is important that andalusites are cut properly. Otherwise, they end up looking quite insipid and dull.

Native American Jewelry

American Indian tribes had varied styles of jewelry. However, because the materials used to fashion the jewelry were major trade items even before the arrival of the Europeans, the distinction between each tribes’ style of jewelry was less defined. Shells, copper, beads, silver, amber, ivory and turquoise were some of the items used to make jewelry.

With the entrance of the Europeans, Native American jewelry continued to be a strong tradition, and integrated new materials and methods of jewelry making rather than a simple replacement of the old with the new. Glass beads were one of the most commonly integrated items into Native American jewelry with the advent of colonialism, as was advanced metal working methods.
Thus, Native American jewelry can be categorized as metalwork and beadwork. Initially, metalwork incorporated in jewelry making was very simple – with jewelry makers mainly hammering and engraving copper into pieces of jewelry as well as making beads out of silver and copper.

Silver-smithing was quickly taken up by Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo artists who learnt all they needed to know, thanks to the Spanish in the 17th century. This new learning and embracing of new techniques led to a flourish in metal jewelry arts in the Southwest and even well known native jewelry such as the squash blossom necklace, Hopi silver overlay bracelets and Navajo turquoise inlay rings – all made with a fabulous fusion of traditional designs fused in with newly learned jewelry making techniques.

Native beadwork by this time, had reached fairly advanced levels. These skills included fine grinding of coral, turquoise and shell beads, heishi necklaces, dainty, intricate carvings of individual bone and wooden beads, soaking and piercing of porcupine quills and the elaborate sewing of thousands, and perhaps, innumerous beads together.

Anklet Jewelry

Anklets are pieces of jewelry worn around the ankle. Women in the Middle East, especially in Egypt and Bedouin cultures have worn anklets through the ages, as have women in India. In the West, anklets are worn primarily as a form of adornment, which eventually became quite the fashion around the twentieth century. In India, anklets are part of the wedding jewelry a bride must wear on her wedding day.

A rare custom with anklets was practiced in the Middle East, where ankle chains were joined by a short chain in order to limit steps taken in order to create a more ‘feminine’ step. This is rarely practiced nowadays.

Anklets are made of gold, silver and even iron, while it is common to find anklets made of plastic, leather, nylon and a plethora of other interesting materials.
Interestingly, a survey carried out in the United Kingdom revealed that the right ankle was the ankle of choice for wearing anklets. The statistics were as follows: 87% wore anklets on their right ankle and 13% on their left ankle.

Metal anklets come in two variations – the flexible and the inflexible type. In India, the flexible anklets are referred to as ‘paayal’, ‘pajeb’ or ‘jhanjar’. In India, it is quite common to find anklets that have little bells attached to them, which make pleasant sounds while you walk.

Gold anklets cost around the same price as gold bracelets do – as they are around the same size. However, anklets are far stronger than bracelets, as they are kicked around a bit when walking. Therefore, if you are getting gemstones on your anklets, then you have to ensure that they are fit in quite snugly.

Anklets are best worn during spring and summer with a pair of shorts or a skirt that shows off your ankles. Wearing anklets with pants is of no use.

Selling Vintage Jewelry

Vintage jewelry commands a fair amount of demand in the market that could make it a lucrative business or even a well-paid hobby for you. Here are a few tips to keep in mind if you decide to venture into selling vintage jewelry:

When buying pieces of vintage jewelry, do not pay more than one-third of the price you expect your customers to pay. This way, you can also cover other overhead costs like advertising, taxes and your time and effort as well.

If you decide to invest in the business, then first settle on a jewelry niche. Ensure that this is largely what your customer base really wants to buy. You could focus on vintage jewelry from certain eras or custom jewelry – that is up to you to decide. Having little or no unsold stock is a great way to improve your reputation as a vintage jewelry specialist.

Ensure that the vintage jewelry you are selling is clean and are displayed in the best lighting possible. Use good background material that sets off its best qualities and try not to shift the focus away from the pieces of jewelry.

Engage a friend who takes good pictures and ensure that you only have good, high-resolution pictures of the vintage jewelry you are selling. This is very important, especially if you plan to sell them online. Get good macro shots of the jewelry and do not use a flash. Blurry, unclear photographs of the jewelry will not help you in any way.

Try selling vintage jewelry online and offline as well and determine which works best for you.

Networking with other sellers is also another way to learn how to up your selling skills and educate yourself about the latest selling trends.

Blue Sapphires

Blue sapphires are one of the most valuable and sought after gemstones. In ancient times, a blue sapphire was thought to be the sphere in which the Earth was contained in – and what better way could the beauty of a sapphire be described in?

Sapphires are part of the mineral corundum – which is an aluminum oxide. Apart from using it to adorn pieces of jewelry, sapphires are used in infrared optical components, high-durability windows, watch crystals and even wafers for the semiconductor deposition due of its incredible durability.

Blue sapphires come in many variations of shades and colours. Blue sapphires are sometimes referred to as a ‘cornflower blue sapphire’ for its vibrant, deep blue shade, which is found mostly in the Sri Lankan blue sapphires. Like any other gemstone, the price of a sapphire is determined by its clarity and of course, its color. Color of course is the most important in blue sapphires – and those with less than 15 % of purple are supposed to be of very high quality while any amount of greenness in the stone will only lessen its value.

Blue sapphires are found in Sri Lanka, Kashmir and Burma. The only factor to worry about when purchasing blue sapphires is heat treatment. This is commonly used to improve the color and clarity of the stone – which of course is a compromise on the quality and value of the stone. Therefore, ensure that you request for an appraisal and a third party certificate on the authenticity of the blue sapphire.