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All That
Glitters... How to Buy Jewelry
Buying
jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a
gift of jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some
time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to
help you get the best quality jewelry for your money, whether you're
shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store,
by catalog or online.
Gold
- The word gold,
used by itself, means all gold
or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, it's usually mixed with
other metals to increase its hardness and durability...(read more)
Gold (part
2) - Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways.
Gold plate refers to items
that are mechanically plated, electroplated, or plated by any other means
with gold to a base metal...(read more)
Platinum, Silver and Other Metals
Platinum is a
precious metal that costs more than gold. It usually is mixed with other
similar metals, known as the platinum group metals...(read more)
Gemstones
- Natural gemstones
are found in nature.
Laboratory-created stones, as the name implies, are made in
a laboratory. These stones, which also are referred to as laboratory-grown,
[name of manufacturer]-created, or synthetic, have essentially the same
chemical, physical and visual properties as natural gemstones...(read more)
Gemstones (part 2) -
Jewellers should tell you whether the
gemstone you're considering has been treated when: the treatment is not
permanent; the treated stone requires special care; or the treatment
significantly affects the value of the gemstone...(read more)
Diamonds - A
diamonds value is based on four criteria: color, cut, clarity, and carat.
The clarity and color of a diamond usually are graded...(read
more)
Diamonds (part 2)
- Some diamonds may be treated to improve their appearance in similar ways
as other gemstones. Since these treatments improve the clarity of the
diamond, some jewellers refer to them as clarity enhancement...(read
more)
Pearls -
Natural
or
real pearls
are made by oysters and other molluscs.
Cultured pearls
also are grown by molluscs, but with human intervention; that is, an
irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow...(read
more)
A Jewelry Shopper’s
Checklist - When you're in the market for a piece of jewelry for
yourself or someone you love, shop around. Compare quality, price, and
service...(read more)
If you have an interesting article related to Jewelry, email
us at the address below and we'd be happy to publish it on our site. If the
article is not original, please let us know the source so we can give
credit.
Email us at
articles@thejewelcove.com
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