BUYING A BIRTHDAY BIRTHSTONE?
The best time of the year to buy a birthstone (gemstone of that month) is to buy it during that birthday month, or the previous month. So if you want to buy a peridot (birthstone [Read More…]
Gemstones
ARE YOUR SAPPHIRES BLACK INSTEAD OF BLUE?
Many sapphires (one of the 3 precious gemstones) that you find in the jewelry stores today are very dark in tone. So dark in fact, that these sapphires (I’m talking about genuine stones, not the [Read More…]
PRECIOUS & SEMI-PRECIOUS GEMSTONES
Why do they call some gemstones “precious” and others they call “semi-precious“? Is there really a reason? Aren’t all gemstones precious? Only three gemstones have the title of “precious” attached to them. They are: Sapphire, [Read More…]
CAN DIAMONDS FLOAT IN WATER?
Floating diamonds, specific gravity, volumes of water? Huh? Yes, I’m going there… People are always interested in diamond’s ability to float. They are curious and ask “Can diamonds float on water?” The answer is “No”. [Read More…]
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE GOOD GEMSTONE CLARITY?
A lot of people understand the basics of diamond grading and the 4C’s. But what about gemstones? Where do they fit in? Is there a similar grading system that helps customers understand clarity in gemstones? [Read More…]
FIND THE GEM PUZZLE
Like puzzles? Good. Let’s have some fun. I’ve created a word search puzzle that holds one hidden GEM. That’s right, JUST ONE. One word; GEM, located only once in this entire crazy eye-boggling puzzle. Can [Read More…]
OCTOBER BIRTHSTONES FOR MEN SUCK
My birthday is in October. So I know first hand that birthstones for men in the month of October… SUCK! BOTH OF THEM! Now, don’t get me wrong, I love opals and tourmalines, but come [Read More…]
WHY ARE DIAMONDS CALLED DIAMOND?
A name is a name… Did you ever stop to wonder why things are named what they are named? Why is a lamp called a lamp? A horse a horse? (of course) Why is a [Read More…]
THE GEMSTONE QUIZ
I won’t lie, this is not an easy test. Gemstones are a complicated subject. I mean, there are thousands upon thousands of gemstones that range anywhere from mineral gemstones (like common birthstones) to organic gemstones [Read More…]
ENDLESS COLORS OF BIRTHSTONES & GEMSTONES
I see this beautiful ring with an interesting green stone in the vendor’s case (see picture). It’s an odd color. A color of green that I’ve never seen before. I get instantly curious. I rule [Read More…]
BUYING JEWELRY ON VACATION?
Let’s face it, we all love to buy jewelry while we’re on vacation. “Vacation jewelry – YES!” Whether it be Hawaii, Cancun, Paris, Rome or Australia, or even a quaint little Alaskan cruise or a [Read More…]