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Citrine a form of Quartz Stone

How Citrine forms

In natural conditions, it is of yellow or orange in color & is of lighter shade in comparison to heat-treated stones which turn orange-brown or reddish-brown. Mostly the citrines sold to public are amethysts which have been heat treated. Sometimes the crystals in amethyst deposits by natural means of heating are change to citrine minerals of brown variety. Citrine is also produced by heat treatment of smoky quartz.

Chemical Composition

Chemical composition of Citrine is silicon dioxide & has a hexagonal structure, visible as clusters of pyramids based on a geode. The crystals can be translucent or transparent but the basal cleavage is indiscernible with specific gravity of 2.6-2.7.

History & Availability

Citrine is commonly found in Brazil, Ural Mountains in Russia, Minas Gerais, Dauphine & Madagascar but most of the Citrine is manufactured by heat treatment instead of natural means.

In ancient times it was used as an amulet for protecting the wearer from evil thoughts & snake?s venom. It is also one of the two birthstones for the month of November.

Naturally occurring Citrines

Naturally, citrines are usually pale yellow but specimens which are heated have reddish or orange shades. Normally Citrine starts out as amethyst then changes to Citrine because of heat emission by magnetic bodies. The Citrine can be changed back to a purple shade using the process of beta radiation.

Citrine is very popularly used in jewelry creation. Its vivid colors, lightness, transparency add to its popularity. They look best when hung free like drops in earrings rather than being set in-between. Go ahead pick those glistening citrine jewelry and add sparkle to your jewelry collection.

History & Facts about Topaz Jewelry

Natural color of Topaz actually ranges from a clear color as of a diamond to a red, pink, yellow & then to the blue that all know about.

Topaz jewelry is nowadays very popular because of several reasons. One of the most important reasons being is very strong strength. It is also very easy to take care of topaz jewelry; it can be cleaned using a simple gemstone cleaner.

The most popular topaz jewelry today is blue in color, which could also be because it is treated for producing the blue color. It is quite difficult to know if the topaz has been treated & changed from its natural color. Another fact about change of color is that it is quite legal & accepted for these topaz gems to be turned blue keeping in view the demand for the same.

Topaz gemstone has long been used in jewelry of ancient civilizations, beginning with the Greeks & Romans, jewelry with topaz gemstone were very valued. Rulers in medieval times used to have topaz fixed into their crowns being considering as a rare gem. By nineteenth century, large deposits of this gemstone were found in Brazil, making it affordable for others also. Nowadays the gem is mostly found in Australia, Burma, Brazil, Mexico & Nigeria.

Topaz for long has been considered a sacred stone in many religions & was believed to give a heightened sense of intelligence & increase life span of the person adorning it. Topaz jewelry was also believed to give wearer an attraction of wealth, creative powers & help ones concentration power.

Hence this beautiful gemstone is admired not only for its sheer beauty but also for its other associations.

How to choose that perfect pearl?

Basically there are 4 types of pearls; Tahitian, SouthSea, Freshwater & Akoya pearls. Except for freshwater pearls all other type of pearls originate in oceans and are considered more valuable compared to freshwater pearls because of their high luster & rarity.

As is common for any other gemstone, a pearl?s value is determined by its quality. Pearls are rated according to their quality as A, AA, AA+, AAA & AAA+ with AAA and AAA+ being the best in terms of quality & value.

The other factors which are taken into consideration while judging the value & quality of pearls are; it?s:

1. Nacre
2. Surface
3. Luster
4. Shape
5. Size & Matching
6. Color

Nacre:

Maximum attention while buying a pearl jewelry is put on pearl?s nacre thickness. Nacre is a coating which pearl oysters produce for covering pearl?s nucleus. Nacre is the key which decides how long the pearl will last. While purchasing you should look for a pearl that is having nacre thickness of minimum 0.4mm.

Luster & Surface:

Luster is the amount of light that gets reflected from the surface of the pearl. Pearls with mirror finish, high luster & clean surface are more valuable.

Size & Shape:

Price of pearls bigger than 7mm varies a lot on the actual size of the pearl. Most commonly used pearls are round in shape and are considered most desirable.

Matching:

In pearls bracelets & necklaces, matching means the ways in which all of the pearls in the necklace or bracelet are similar. As it is very hard to find enough similar or identical pearls for making a completely matched pearl necklace or bracelet, those which have such matching features command top price.

After deciding about the size, type, quality & color of the pear you are looking for, take your time to shop around and find that perfect pearl bracelet or necklace.

Diamond Certificates

Certification for diamonds is invaluable as they provide detailed information about the diamond?s credentials. Certificate is like unique fingerprint of any diamond, which is the source of important information for any jeweler, trained gemologist or costumer.

A certificate contains complete quality description for a diamond & also includes details about its weight, color grade, shape, proportions, fluorescence, measurements & finish grade. The certificate also confirms that the diamond is genuine.

However, a diamond certificate is useful only when it has been issued by any reputed & independent laboratory with no financial interest in the diamond.

As a costumer, if you have never heard of the laboratory that is providing the grading report, then don?t hesitate in asking about their credentials. Also, the grades from such unknown laboratories won?t be similar to ones provided by GIA or HRD.

So at the time of purchasing a diamond it is important to look at the certification & also the laboratory which has provided the certificate to be assured about its quality and grade.

Let us now look at some of the popular diamond certification providers:

1. Gemological Institute Of America (GIA)
2. American Gem Society (AGS)
3. International Gemological Institute (IGI)
4. European Gemological Laboratory (EGL)

Gemological Institute Of America (GIA):

Gemological Institute of America was the first to develop an internationally acceptable diamond grading system. The institute also introduced the first grading report & played a lead role in setting diamond quality documentation standards around the world. The Gem Trade Laboratory of Gemological Institute of America issues these reports for majority of high quality diamonds which are over 1 carat in size.

The GIA certificate states the diamond?s carat, color, cut, clarity, weight and also its shape, table & depth percentages, measurements and grades the symmetry & polish.

American Gem Society (AGS):

American Gem Society laboratories serve an international clientele of wholesale suppliers, retail jewelers, manufacturers and diamond cutters. The Diamond Quality Document of American Gem Society provides a cut grade for brilliant, round cut diamonds and provides additional information about all the four C?s related to diamond grading. The diamonds are rated on a scale of zero to ten.

International Gemological Institute (IGI):

IGI with more than 250 staff members issue annually over 400,000 gem reports. International Gemological Institute has 3 distinct products; Identification Report, Information Appraisal Report & the Diamond Report.

European Gemological Laboratory (EGL) :

European Gemological Laboratory has specified standard procedures and criterion for consistency & accuracy in their Diamond Consultation and Certification. The main clientele for EGL is dealers, manufacturers, craftsman and wholesalers; however, they do not sell gems or diamonds and are totally independent of any specific diamond selling group.

Some tips on how to clean your jewelry

1. At the time of cleaning or showering it is important to take the jewelry off as a film could form on it & gradually it will attract dust, dirt & other contaminants.
2. Using a snub free 100% cotton cloth is advisable for cleaning the jewelry.
3. Many commercial cleaners are nowadays available but you should properly read the instructions before using them.
4. Do not clean with bleach! Bleach is an oxidizing agent which reacts with the metal & causes it to become brittle.
5. Some chemicals such as denatured alcohol, ammonia, chlorine bleach, acetone & turpentine are very harmful. These can pit the surface or make the jewelry dull.
6. Do not use toothpaste; the abrasives in it can easily damage the metal surface. Toothpaste also abrades the surface on softer stones such turquoise, lapis and amber.

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