Alexandrite

Alexandrite is an exquisite color-changing gemstone. As most alexandrites are man made in a lab, it can be challenging to locate natural alexandrite. Alexandrite bracelets and rings are wonderful. When Alexandrite is used in these type of jewelry, the wearer can enjoy seeing the delightful color change in incadescent light.
Alexandrite Gemstone Information
Alexandrite the traditional birthstone for June is a beautiful, but very rare stone. It is also associated with the astrological birth sign of Scorpio. The word Alexandrite is named after the Russian Czar Alexander II because it was discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia on the Czar Alexander II birthday in 1831.
The most sensational feature about this stone, however, is its surprising ability to change its colour. Green or bluish-green in daylight, alexandrite turns a soft shade of red, purplish-red or raspberry red in incandescent light. This characteristic makes it one of the most expensive gemstone, especially for a stone of a large size. Stones of one carat or larger can range in price from fifteen thousand dollars to one million dollars.
The chemical name of Alexandrite is BeAl2O4 .Its hardness measures 8.5 on the Mohs scale. The specific gravity of alexandrite measures from 3.68 to 3.75
Along with Russia it is found in Brazil, Australia, the United States, portions of Africa and India. The Brazilian alexandrite shows both a distinctive colour change and good clarity and colour.
The popular belief that a diamond is forever and it fetches up to 75% of the resale value and colored stones have no resale value is absolutely wrong. However, if one invests wisely, gemstones buying can be very profitable and remunerative too.
Alexandrite Buying Tips
There are various factors to be considered before buying Alexandrite:

• One must always make sure that he/she is buying a natural alexandrite and not synthetic alexandrite. The certificate should mention the word "natural".
• Always buy with a certificate, from a reputed gemological laboratory and not just from the dealer who is selling it, mentioning its authenticity.
• Always go for quality rather than quantity. A good piece, though a small one, is any day better than a big gem with lower clarity and color.
• As far as possible go in for a proper cut gemstone.

Alexandrite Folklore Russians believe Alexandrite was a good omen. Alexandrite is said to open the heart to romantic possibilities, provide inner peace and even ward off certain physical maladies.

Agate

Agate is a type of Chalcedony. Many people don't think of agate for jewelry - but it is very pretty. If you want "something different", consider trying agate jewelry. Agate comes in many varieties. Common types are: fire agate, blue lace agate, tree agate, moss agate and petrified wood. Agate is usually used in cabochons or bead form. Why not try a beautiful agate necklace, peandant, earrings or bolo tie for a eye catching piece of jewelry.

Agate Information
Agate belongs to the chalcedony family of coloured quartz stones. They are found in colors like blue, green, yellow, brown, purple, and pink.
Agate is an Ayurvedic birthstone for the month of May; the name has been derived from the Greek name of a stone found in the river Achates in Sicily .Agateeq.. It ages back to Stone Age, where it was considered very valuable.
The hardness rating for this stone is 7, even though it can chip or crack easily, so it should be protected from sharp blows, scratches, and household chemicals like bleach.
Agate is an inexpensive stone, with an exception of few varieties with unusual banded or scenic markings.
Agate Folklore
Agate has been used in maintaining good health and prosperous life. Some of its believed benefits are:-

• Due to cooling effect, it has proved in reducing fever and it is beneficial in stomach area.
• It maintains the heart pulse rate.
• Agate is believed to cure insomnia and to insure pleasant dreams.
• Those who wear or carry Agate will be always guarded against bad affects, will be more cautious, get a more clarity on themselves and able to view the world with a broad angle.
• Some feel Agate has mystical powers.

Botswana Agate (also known as Eye Agate) a variety of agate from Botswana, Africa. This is the gemstone for people who are sensitive and lonely or easily hurt. It will help you have more self-satisfaction and protect you from hurt. It can be used to one.s quest toward enlightenment. Many feel that Botswana Agate has an anti-depressant quality. Botswana Agate can help those who have repressed emotional issues that need to be addressed so that they can let go and heal. It can be helpful for those who are struggling to be genuine in their lifestyle, as it promotes an understanding of the need for deeper meaning. Works with us to release emotions no longer needed. It is great for energizing the aura.
Physically, Botswana agate helps rid the body of toxins and can be used to support treatment of disorders of the nervous system. It is said to counteract physical, emotional, and intellectual poisons.

Gems of the Rich and Famous

Her majesty Queen Elizabeth II: This monarch has jewelry. In fact she has so much jewelry that she has a special room to keep it in about the size of an ice rink, and situated 40 feet beneath Buckingham Palace. That does not even include the British Crown Jewels which are kept in the Tower of London. The Queen's personal jewelry is conservatively valued at $57 million and most of it was received as gifts. One of the highlights of the collection is the so-called Timur Ruby, which is actually a magnificent spinel weighing 352.50 carats. It is inscribed with the names of several of the previous owners, who were Mughal emperors. Other fabulous gems in her collection include the Cambridge and Delhi Dunbar Parure, a fantastic suite of emerald jewelry which includes an emerald diadem; the Prince Albert Brooch, a huge sapphire which was given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert the day before their wedding; Queen Mary's large ruby earrings, and a v-shaped ruby and diamond bandeau collar which the Queen models on the front cover of the publication "The Jewels of Queen Elizabeth", by Leslie Field, a whole book about her personal jewelry collection. The British Queen also owns several of the large diamonds cut from the Cullinan, the rough that produced the Stars of Africa, the Cullinan I and II (530 carats and 317 carats), which are part of the Crown Jewels. She reportedly refers to the Cullinan III and Cullinan IV, 94 and 63 carats respectively, as "Granny's Chips."

Elizabeth Taylor has a well known jewelry collection, including the 33.19 carat Krupp diamond and the 69.42-carat pear shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond which now hangs from a diamond necklace after Liz decided it was just a little too large for a ring. Richard Burton also gave her a heart-shaped yellow diamond which was originally a gift from Shah Jahan in 1621 to his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who also inspired the Taj Mahal. Although Liz is usually associated with huge diamonds, she also has a fabulous collection of other gemstones. As an engagement present, Richard Burton gave her the emerald and diamond brooch, which she wears with an emerald necklace he gave her as a wedding present. Earrings, a bracelet, and a ring followed. Some of the emeralds in the set were from the Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia. One of Taylor's husbands, Michael Wilding, gave her a cabochon sapphire engagement ring. Mike Todd gave her a spectacular ruby necklace and earring set. Another gift from Burton was La Peregrina, one of the largest and most historic pearls in existence, a pear shaped drop weighing 203.84 grains once owned by the Spanish royal family.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had as exquisite a taste in jewelry as in everything else. She favored large, colorful necklaces and bracelets from Van Cleef & Arpel. Her jewelry collection grew considerably when she married Aristotle Onassis: he gave his bride $5 million in jewelry and often slipped bracelets from Harry Winston in the biweekly bouquets of flowers he sent her. It is a well known fact that her engagement ring from Onassis sold for $2.6 million at the auction of the Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at Sotheby's on April 24, 1996. You may not have heard about some of the other jewelry that sold at the auction: a beautiful 47-carat kunzite ring that President Kennedy purchased as a gift for his wife but never had the chance to give her. This sold for more than $410,000; a beautiful amethyst necklace with graduated drops which sold for $55,000; lovely red tourmaline briolette earrings that dangled from amethysts, which sold for $35,000; a striking cabochon garnet flower brooch from the 19th century which sold for $145,000; a spectacular 17.68-carat ruby ring which sold for $290,000; some cabochon ruby dangling earrings which sold for $360,000; and a cabochon ruby necklace that was a bargain at $247,500. One surprise was an interesting little scarecrow pin in gold and gems that sold for $100,000!

Marlene Dietrich in many of her movies, wore her own suite of dramatic jewelry which was set with huge cabochon emeralds. (All those emeralds were particularly perfect for her role as the jewel thief in "Desire" in 1938.) In "Stage Fright", Dietrich tries to use her jewelry to blackmail Jane Wyman. She also wears her own ruby bracelet in that film: that bracelet recently sold at Sotheby's for $990,000. Once when baking a cake at Katherine Cornell's house, Marlene thought she had lost her 37.41-carat cabochon emerald ring which she had removed in the kitchen. The house was turned upside down but the ring couldn't be found. It was only during dessert that the ring was discovered by one of the dinner guests inside a piece of the cake!

Training courses for gems & jewellery sector

LAHORE (PR) - Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company (PGJDC) has organized two training courses in Jewellery Pattern Making in Wax and Gemstone Identification and Grading at its Gems & Jewellery Training and Manufacturing Centre (GJTMC) in Lahore.
Both the courses started today would end on 20th March 2010. Twelve participants from the various fields of gems and jewellery sector of Pakistan have been enrolled for Jewellery Pattern Making in Wax training course while fifteen participants from the Gems & Jewellery industry of Pakistan will be trained in Gemstone Identification and Grading training course.
Jewellery Pattern Making in Wax is one of the most useful techniques of jewellery manufacturing. In this course the participants will be explained about making of jewellery in wax through various methods and techniques. Jewellery Pattern Making in Wax allows creation of jewellery prototypes which are either difficult or impossible to be manufactured directly from metal.
Gemstone Identification and Grading course help gemstone dealers in evaluating precious/semi-precious gemstones. The availability of Gemstone Identification Lab will help the participants to gain firsthand knowledge regarding the latest equipment. The participants will also be exposed to latest technology including modern equipments installed at the GJTMC in order to provide hands on experience to the participants.
Pakistan Gems and Jewelry Development Company (PGJDC) is the culmination of efforts put in by the Ministry of Industries, Production and Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan and the stake holders of Gems and Jewelry sector in Pakistan. PGJDC is a public-private partnership to develop the value chain of gems and jewelry sector from mine to market. The company aims to enhance exports through facilitation, technology up-gradation, skills development and marketing/branding.

Minerals and Gems from Earth

Gemstones

More than 4,000 naturally occurring minerals—inorganic solids that have a characteristic chemical composition and specific crystal structure—have been found on Earth. They are formed of simple molecules


Minerals are typically formed when molten rock, or magma, cools, or by separating out of mineral-rich water, such as that in underground caverns. In general, mineral particles are small, having formed within confined areas such as lava flows or between grains of sediments. Large crystals found in geodes and other rocks are relatively rare.

Rocks themselves are made of clusters or mixtures of minerals, and minerals and rocks affect landform development and form natural resources such as gold, tin, iron, marble, and granite.

Silicates—including quartz, mica, olivine, and precious minerals such as emeralds—are the most common class of minerals, as well as the major components of most rocks. Oxides, sulfides, sulfates, carbonates, and halides are other major mineral classes.

Gemstones
Many minerals form beautiful crystals, but the most prized of all are gemstones. Uncut gems are often fairly ordinary looking. It's only when they are cut and polished that they obtain the brilliance and luster that makes them so valued.

Historically gems have been divided into precious and semiprecious classes. There are a number of semiprecious gems, many quite beautiful, but diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds continue to qualify as "precious." (At one time, amethyst was also considered a precious gem, but large reserves were later found in Brazil, reducing its value.)

Diamonds, made of carbon atoms, are the hardest natural substance found on Earth. Formed under extremely high pressure hundreds of miles underground, they are found in very few locations around the world. Graphite is also made of carbon atoms, but with a different arrangement—explaining why diamond is the hardest mineral and graphite (used in pencil lead) is one of the softest.
or individual elements arranged in repeating chains, sheets, or three-dimensional arrays.

Diamond

Rubies are formed of a mineral called corundum, comprised of aluminum oxide. The red color is caused by traces of chromium. Corundum also forms sapphire in many colors, which generally come from trace mixtures of iron, titanium, and chromium.

Ruby

Emeralds are formed of a mineral called beryl whose chemical formula is a complex mix of beryllium, aluminum, silicon, and oxygen. The color comes from additional traces of chromium and vanadium. Different trace elements can produce other colors, allowing beryl to form semiprecious stones such as aquamarine.

Emerald

Minerals and gems are classified by their physical properties, including hardness, luster, color, density, and magnetism. They're also identified by the ways in which they break, or the type of mark, or streak, that they leave when rubbed on a laboratory tool called a streak plate.

Be Informed Before Buying Gemstones & Gemstone Jewelry

• Find out how to determine whether you’re getting a good deal
• Learn how to judge quality of gemstone jewelry by comparing pictures of different gemstones
• Discover which gemstone is best for you by reading about gemstone meanings and symbology
• Get unbiased information about the best places to purchase gemstones and gemstone jewelry.

You can read about gemstone meanings, gemstone symbology, learn how to determine quality of gemstones,  how to ensure you get value for your money and everything you’d need to know to be an informed buyer of gemstones.


This Blog do not sell gemstones or gemstone jewelry, nor are we affiliated with any seller, so you can be sure that the information is 100% unbiased. This Blog is here to empower people in the process of buying gemstones and gemstone jewelry.