Gems HQ

Gemstone jewelry has intrigued men and women all over the world for thousands of years. The first gemstones that were used for creating jewelry were amethyst, amber, rock crystal, jade, jasper, coral, garnet, lapis lazuli, emerald, pearl and turquoise. In ancient times, gems were used not only as status symbols but as talismans and healing stones. A lot of people believed in their magical powers. Nowadays gemstone jewelry is mostly worn for its beauty. But a lot of people still buy gemstone rings and amulets for their mystical properties.

We can distinguish two types of gemstones- naturally found and the human made stones. Human made stones are the synthetic ones and were made artificially. Though they have the same chemical and physical structure, look absolutely the same they are much cheaper then those of the natural origin. Some gemologists and researchers are sure that only natural stones possess the positive mystical (like healing) powers.

Gems in gemstone jewelry are measured by the size and weight and the main measuring unit for this is carat. Carat is equal to 0.2 gram and can be divided into one hundred points. Like a half-carat gemstone is 0.5 carats and 50 points. But this is only the weight of a gemstone. The size is measured as usual – in millimeters (for example 5×3 millimeters).

Searching for gemstone jewelry you may have noticed that gemstones vary in colors from pink sapphire to blue topaz. On thing that should be present in the gem anyway is even color throughout it. For gemstone jewelry pieces such as earrings and necklaces try to make sure that all the stones are well matched, harmonious and without scratches or cracks.

To improve color, durability and look of some gemstones they have been treated. There are a lot of treatment methods and all are quite different. You can try to improve some stones’ clarity by impregnating them with resin or wax. Irradiation treatment makes some gem stones jewelry more vivid. If you want to improve color of a pearl gem stone necklace the dyeing and bleaching treatment techniques will be ok for you. Heating improves clarity and can change gem’s color. Diffusion treatment adds color to the colorless gems, but it applies only to the surface, the center of the gem stone remains colorless.

If you have chosen what gemstone jewelry you will purchase or you’ve already got one you should know some tips of taking care of it. Keep all of your gemstone jewelry separately in a divided jewel box or soft pouch not to scratch it. Before washing hands or doing rough work take off your jewelry. All household chemicals including hairsprays and perfumes can cause your gems look dull. There for apply all your cosmetics before putting on jewelry. Do not overheat your gems at sun or other high temperatures. If you decided to clean or wash your gems wash them with a weak ammonia solution and rinse it with lukewarm water and dry it with extremely soft cloth after.