Super Jeweler

Last week, we talked a little bit about colored diamonds, their history, and how they are created (both naturally and with a little bit of human intervention). If you are looking to add a little color to your jewelry box, however, colored diamonds are just one option. Today we are going to talk about precious gemstones, particularly why they are considered precious and how most of them aren’t really stones at all.

Let’s hit the button on the wayback machine and go back to antiquity. Precious stones were seen as precious for a couple of reasons: 1) they were pretty rare and 2) they were almost exclusively reserved for royalty. At that time, and progressing to the present, four stones emerged as being recognized as the precious stones: diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Beyond that, other stones, such as amethysts and garnets, were known as semi-precious stones.

At SuperJeweler, we tend to disagree with this distinction, believing that all gemstones are precious. To that end, we carry a large assortment of fine gemstone jewelry, from the 12 modern birthstones to other gemstones such as tanzanite and pink topaz.

As was just mentioned, we believe all gemstones to be precious; this is for a few reasons. First, in modern times, we have the ability to create gemstones in labs. And this is not like cubic zirconium is to a diamond. We are talking about actually replicating the exact same chemical properties that make a gemstone as it appears in nature. This helps to drive down costs and creates a scenerio where you could actually pay more for a piece of tanzanite jewelry than you would pay for a similar piece of ruby jewelry. In this context, there is less distinction than ever between what is precious and what is semi-precious.

Now that we’ve cleared the air (or muddied the water) on the “precious” part of precious gemstones, let’s take a closer look at that “gemstones” part. There is a tendency to lump all jewelry-related stones into the “gemstone” category. That’s probably because it sounds sexier than “precious minerals,” but that’s exactly what most gemstones are – minerals that have been cut and polished to create a beautiful luster and shine. There are, indeed, many rocks that are called gemstones, such as Lapis Lazuli. Some still are organic material, such as amber or jet.

One of the most common requests for gemstones comes from those seeking birthstone jewelry or mother’s rings. Each month is associated with a particular gemstone. These associations have changed over time from a traditional list to a modern list. For example, the March birthstone used to be a bloodstone, but is now aquamarine. There are even gemstones assigned to days of the week!

Of course, there are no rules about who can wear what gemstones. We think you should wear what you like. To get some good ideas, we humbly suggest you check out SuperJeweler’s collection of fine gemstone jewelry.

Come back next next time when we will talk about created gemstones.

When we think of diamonds, we normally think of those clear and shiny gems that adorn our favorite jewelry. In fact, diamonds naturally come in most colors of the spectrum. This is because millions of years ago, certain impurities adhered to the carbon molecules that formed the diamond. In time, the constant pressure that forms a diamond from carbon also pressed the impurities, giving the diamond a different color.

Natural colored diamonds are extremely rare and, as such, usually cost a small fortune. Perhaps you have heard of The Hope Diamond, which, at 45.52ct, is one of the most famous diamonds in the world, and certainly the most famous blue diamond in the world.

In the early 1900’s, Sir William Crookes began experimenting with the effects of radiation on diamonds. To his surprise, his experiments created color enhanced diamonds; that is, normal diamonds changed colors when treated with different degrees of radiation. The only downside, and it was a biggie, was that, while these colored diamonds were beautiful, the levels of radiation they possessed made them unwearable.

Still, where one door closes, another one opens.

Crookes’ research led to the understanding that diamonds could, in fact, have their color altered, making colored diamonds accessible to the general public. In fact, in the past few years, a process known as High Pressure High Temperature Treatment (HPHT) has led to the creation of color enhanced diamonds that are both exquisitely beautiful and very affordable.

SuperJeweler carries color enhanced black, blue and brown diamonds, putting the beauty and character of colored diamonds in your jewelry box. In fact, these black diamond earrings are one of our absolute bestsellers! Check them out today.

In our last post, we talked about white gold, specifically answering the question: Where Does White Gold Come From? Another question worth asking before making any jewelry purchase is whether the diamonds are real or fake. (As an interesting aside, a created diamond is not necessarily a fake diamond, but that is a topic for another post.)

In short, there are a number of ways to tell if a diamond is real. Professional jewelers have a variety of options at hand, and each one requires a certain degree of technical expertise and equipment. Because diamonds and cubic zirconium (CZ) reflect light in different ways, an ultraviolet light test is one option.

To tell if a diamond is real, a professional will likely use a tool called a loupe, which is just a small 10x magnifying glass, to take a closer look at the internal characteristics of the stone. Doing this, a professional can easily tell if a diamond is real or fake.

Of course, most people aren’t professionals, nor do they have a loupe lying around the house. For the average person, you can tell if a diamond is real by subjecting it to a very simple heat test.

A diamond, because of its very molecular makeup, does not hold heat. Therefore, if you breathe on a stone and the fog from your breath stays on the surface for a moment, you can be assured that this is most likely a real diamond. Remember, however, it is very important that the stone be absolutely clean before the breath test to ensure you are applying the heat from your breath directly to the stone.

If you want to be 100% sure, though, just buy from SuperJeweler. We use real diamonds in every piece of diamond jewelry we sell. We don’t even carry any kind of CZ jewelry. So all the diamond rings, diamond stud earrings, diamond bracelets and more that you see on our site are 100% the real deal.

At SuperJeweler, we know a few things about jewelry. For instance, we know that we sell white gold jewelry items at 10 times the rate we sell yellow jewelry. And that’s pretty standard among most jewelry retailers. We also know, however, that most people really have no idea just what white gold is or where it comes from. So that’s what we are going to talk about today.

We all know that gold, in its purest form, is yellow. So what exactly is white gold? A while back, we did a post titled What Are The Types of Gold? and we are going to revisit a couple of those points here.

Pure 100% gold is 24k gold. Because pure gold is a very soft and malleable metal, jewelers mix it with alloys to strengthen it. For instance, the popular 14k gold is 58.3% pure gold and 41.7% alloys. So 14k gold is actually less valuable than 24k gold, but is much stronger and will last longer under normal jewelry-wearing conditions.

One of the most common alloys used in white gold is Nickel,which will give yellow gold a whitish tint, but that’s not all. At the end of the manufacturing process, white gold receives a coating of Rhodium, which is another rare metal that gives the white gold a bright, platinum-like appearance.

Because the Rhodium is a coating, however, it may begin to wear off in time. This is completely normal and to be expected of white gold jewelry. In this case, the piece will need to go through a simple re-Rhodium process. (As an interesting aside, Rhodium coating may also be applied to some silver pieces to help reduce tarnishing.)

While we are talking about alloys, we would be remiss if we didn’t address the commonality of Nickel allergies. It is estimated that one-in-eight people have allergic reactions to nickel. If you are among this group, you can try a few things. The most obvious would be to simply avoid white gold jewelry. Some people with Nickel allergies, however, have been able to continue wearing the white gold jewelry they love by simply coating it with clear nail polish from time to time. Still, if you are unsure as to the severity of your Nickel allergy, it is always best to check with your doctor regarding the matter.

And remember, whether your prefer white gold, yellow gold, silver, platinum or even titanium jewelry, you can find it all at SuperJeweler.

Last month, with the passing of Elizabeth Taylor, the world lost a true, larger-than-life icon. While her roles as Cleopatra and her noted philanthropy are what come to mind when many of us think of her, for those of us who follow jewelry, there is another larger-than-life element associated with Elizabeth Taylor: the Taylor-Burton diamond.

While Taylor’s fifth husband, Richard Burton, lavished her with many jewels during their marriage, one, deservedly, gets the most attention. We know it as the Taylor-Burton diamond. Specifically, however, it was the 69.42ct pear-shape diamond. The stone itself was cut from a 240.80ct rough stone with a cleaving process that lasted six months.

The legacy of the diamond doesn’t rest solely with Taylor, however. In 1969, the diamond was put up for auction by a previous owner with the understanding that the winner of the auction would be able to name the diamond. Before the auction, Taylor arranged a viewing of it, so her name was certainly mentioned at that time of the auction. At the end of the auction, however, it wasn’t Taylor or Burton who made the winning bid. Instead it was Robert Kenmore, Chairman of the Board of the Kenmore Corporation, the owners of Cartier, Inc.

The winning bid? $1,050,000. To put that in perspective, the previous record paid for a gem was $305,000–a full $745,000 less. It was promptly named the Cartier diamond.

Still, as Burton was an underbidder at the auction, he was determined to get that diamond for Taylor. So, one evening in a hotel lobby in Southern England, Burton negotiated the purchase of the diamond with Kenmore’s agent… from a payphone. He eventually acquired the diamond under the condition that Cartier could still display the diamond, but under the name “The Taylor-Burton Diamond.” The diamond drew thousands of visitors every day at the New York Cartier location.

Following her divorce from Burton, Taylor announced she sell the diamond again. This time it was purchased in 1979 by New York jeweler, Henry Lambert for the hefty sum of $5,000,000. Taylor used part of the proceeds to build a hospital in Botswana.

The diamond’s current owner is jewelry legend, Robert Mouawad.