Oct

31

Buying Fine Gemstone Jewelry Online

 

In addition to fine diamond jewelry, fine gemstone jewelry is as popular as ever for gift buying, special events, and the simple pleasure of adorning oneself. Gemstones also make for some amazing costume jewelry. The beauty, dazzling colors and patterns of gemstones, have intrigued people for centuries and continue to do so today.

Gemstones are also referred to as precious or semi-precious stones. They are beautiful and valuable pieces of mineral that are cut and polished for usage in fine gemstone jewelry and other such adornments.

Gemstones, used in designer jewelry, designer inspired jewelry, and other fine jewelry, are available in one of two forms, which are natural and laboratory-created (synthetic).

Hence their name, natural gemstones are found in nature, formed by the earth, without any assistance from humans. Natural gemstones such as rubies, emeralds, amethysts, and others are often used in designer gemstone bead jewelry, fine Italian jewelry, and more.

Laboratory-created or synthetic stones are developed in laboratories. Fine gemstone jewelry using synthetic stones have basically the same chemical, physical, and visual properties as natural gemstones. However, they do not have the rarity of naturally colored stones and are far less expensive than naturally mined stones. Imitation stones used in fine gemstone jewelry and designer jewelry resemble natural stones in appearance only. They may be made of glass, plastic, or less expensive stones. When purchasing fine gemstone jewelry, make sure that any laboratory-created and imitation stones are clearly identified as such.

Gemstones are commonly measured by weight, size, or both. The carat is the basic unit for weighing gemstones, and is equal to one-fifth of a gram. Carats are called points and are divided into 100 units. When fine gemstone jewelry items are measured by dimensions, the size is conveyed in millimeters.

Treatment of Gemstones

Jewelry designers often treat or enhance gemstones in order to improve both their appearance and durability, or even alter the color. Treated stones, such as in designer gemstone bead jewelry, may lessen in change over a period of time and may require special care. These enhancements also notably affect the value of a stone, as compared to an untreated or natural stone.

A reputable jewelry designer or fine jewelry store owner will inform a customer whether or not the fine gemstone jewelry they are considering has been treated, whether or not the treatment is permanent, if the stone requires special care, and how the treatment has affected the value of the gemstone.

Common treatments and their effects for gemstones include heating, which can lighten, darken, or change the color of some gems and/or improve its clarity; irradiation, which can add more color to colored diamonds, certain gemstones, and pearls; impregnating some gems with colorless oils, wax or resins that make any imperfections less visible and improves the appearance and durability; fracture filling, which hides cracks or fractures in gems by injecting colorless plastic or glass into the cracks, improving the appearance and durability; diffusion treatments, which add color to the surface of colorless gems; dyeing, which adds color and improves color uniformity; and bleaching, which lightens and whitens some gems, including fine jade jewelry and pearls.

Stephanie Martin is a veteran insider of both the Los Angeles entertainment scene and the New York City fashion industry. Stephanie’s unique background and her love of luxury jewelry have enabled her to identify and bring to Esteffe.com a collection of fine jewelry from many of the industry’s most talented designers including Kenneth Jay Lane, CC Skye, Ted Rossi, Vilaiwan, and R.J. Graziano.

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