A Discovery of Unique Gemstone Combinations

When you go into a jewelry store, some of the most common gemstone combinations you will see are diamonds set with pearls, rubies, emeralds and sapphires.

If you think outside the box, there is an incredible variety of gemstones that can be combined to create a unique masterpiece. You will be amazed to discover the unbelievable combinations.

Clear stones can be combined with opaque or translucent stones. Gemstones that have natural inclusions can be combined with clear stones.

Gemstones of similar colors can be set together to compliment or enhance each other's color, i.e. lime green peridot with emeralds, light blue aquamarine with sky blue topaz, pink tourmaline with rubies.

One of my favorite stones is moonstone. It can be combined with opals and sapphires for a truly magical combination. One of the intriguing features of moonstone is the stone's shimmer--the magical glow that glides across the surface of the stone (a.k.a adularescence) when combined with an opal with its brilliant flashes of color or the sparkle and blue of a sapphire--makes for a stunning and radiant piece of jewelry that will certainly command its fair share of compliments.

Be flamboyant, free-spirited and have fun in exploring all the dimensions of gemstones' colors.

I would love to hear from you and what some of your favorite combinations are.

The Four Important "C"s to Consider When Purchasing a Diamond

If you are planning to invest in a quality piece of diamond jewelry, are you aware that there are several things that need to be considered before your final purchase? The four key "C's to consider are: color, clarity, carat and cut.

Cut: How a diamond is cut is vital to its brilliance and reflective factor. Make sure that you are looking at a diamond either in natural sunlight or in an very well lit area. Observe how the light enters the stone and reflects back. When a diamond is cut proportionatley, light entering from the top will reflect from one facet to another and then will bounce outward. A good quality diamond will show a sparkling reflective surface and this is when you see that incredible fire, known as brilliance.

Color: While fancy diamonds (naturally occurring colorful diamonds) are rare, the average consumer purchases the transparent/colorless diamond. Fancy diamonds range in color from red, blue, yellow, pink and purple. These diamonds also command a very high price. Colorless diamonds allow more light through which = more sparkle and fire. The highest rating for such a diamond is D. The most valuable diamonds are rated D to F. The scale rates color down to Z.

Clarity: Is the stone clear or does it have flaws or cloudy areas? It is rare to find a diamond that has no flaws, since most of them do. Small minute crystals are called inclusions. Inclusions affect the beauty and value of a diamond. If there are many inclusions that can be seen with the naked eye, then it is a poor quality stone with less sparkle, while a stone with minute inclusions that can be noticed with a jeweler's loop has more sparkle and value. Diamonds that are perfect are graded as IF = internally flawless, VVS1-VVS2, very very small inclusions, VS1-VS2, very small inclusions, SI1-SI2 - small inclusions, I1,I2, I3-visible numerous inclusions.

Carat - This refers to the weight of the diamond. For example 100 pts = 1 carat, 75 pts = 3/4 carat, 50 pts = 1/2 carat, 25 pts= 1/4 carat.

If you have a set budget, rather invest in quality than size. Down the road, you can always upgrade to a larger diamond, or even add more diamonds if the design allows.

Several years ago one of our customers purchased a beautiful 1/2 carat diamond engagement ring--it was exquisite. On their 5th wedding anniversary, we remodelled the ring by adding smaller diamonds giving the ring a 1 carat total weight in diamonds. It went from 1/2 a carat to a full carat with VVS quality diamonds--not to mention its value on today's market.

Shop around, ask questions and you will make the right choice.

14kt Gold Vintage Oval Blood Red Ruby Stud Earrings

Gorgeous, gorgeous vibrant red ruby studs--are they ever going to light up your ear. Oval in shape, these earrings can be rotated in different positions on your ear.

The rubies are genuine and measure 4x6mm each. They have natural inclusions that resembles white veins.

Earrings have post/butterfly closure and are stamped 14kt. on the post. Weigh 0.70 grams.
Wear them on their own, or in multiples with other small earrings.

They can be worn casually with your favorite pair of jeans or with business attire.

http://www.rubylane.com/shops/eternalfinejewels/item/001001