Not-so-known Interesting Emerald Facts

One of the most precious and expensive gemstones, Emerald has a class of its own. It is one of the most sought-after gemstones. With its beautiful green hue, it has definitely won hearts of millions.

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Here are some of the not-so-known facts about this alluring gemstone which will inspire you to wear a piece of handmade jewellery studded with Emerald. Emeralds are susceptible to chipping and cracking, therefore, emerald's are more expensive to set into jewellery due to the risk involved.

HISTORY:

The word Emerald comes from the Latin word smaragdus which means green.

The oldest emerald is about 2.97 billion years old and the very first known emerald was mined in Egypt around 1500 BC.

The precious green colored gemstone was discovered in South America in the 16th century by the Spanish. The Spanish traded emeralds across Europe and Asia for precious metals. This opened up the emerald trade to the rest of the world.

Synthetic or lab-created emeralds were created in 1935. An American chemist “Carroll Chatham” successfully grew his first Chatham emerald (1-carat). This stone is now on displayed at the Smithsonian Institute.

COLOR AND SHAPES:

Emeralds come in a plethora of hues ranging from deep darkish green to soft green, fine grass green and light green. The value of the stone is directly proportional to the intensity of its green color.

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The most valuable emeralds have a pure vivid green hue and it does not include traces of other colors such as brown or yellow.

Most emeralds have inclusions (imperfections). It is extremely rare to find a natural emerald without flaws. A top-quality natural emerald is more valuable than a top-quality diamond of the same weight. Though a 1-carat emerald appears larger than a 1-carat diamond because emeralds have a lower density.

SYMBOLISM:

Emerald is believed to give insights i.e, seeing yourself as who you truly (here we go again!) are.

Emerald opens up the heart chakra, thereby enabling you to experience unconditional love for all that surrounds you. It also attracts love, harmony and abundance.

It provides tranquillity and inner wisdom. Emerald was used to figuring out that whether the lover's vows were true or false. Therefore, it is called the stone of truth.

The soft green color of the emerald was used by early lapidaries to rest their eyes after an extended period of concentration.

According to ancient folklore, putting an emerald under your tongue would help one see into the future.

It’s known to be connected with resilience. It also enhances your well-being and love for aesthetics.

Emeralds are believed to be associated with magic and mystery. The color of Emerald is said to promote a calm and peaceful spirit.

SOURCES:

Emeralds have been found in the areas of Colombia, Russia and Brazil, which is the world's largest supplier of emeralds. Most of the emeralds for sale originate in Madagascar, Colombia and Zambia.

Jaipur, the Pink city is one of the largest Emerald cutting centres in the world.

Emerald is a beautiful gemstone and all these facts give us a major reason to delve into online jewellery shopping and buy this amazing gemstone.

Amazing facts about Jewellery

Check out this amazing list of not-so-known facts about precious, semi-precious and artificial jewellery.

100,000 year old beads made from Nassarius shells is the oldest known jewellery

The word jewellery comes from the old French word jouel, and it means “plaything”

In America, it is called jewelry while in other countries, it is called jewellery.

In earlier times, Egyptian people used to wear handmade jewellery made from the live insects like beetles. Mexican people have used Cockroach in their jewellery.

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Jewellery made with the Platinum alloy ranges from 900 (90% pure) to 950 (95% pure).

Did you know that the Diamonds were first mined in India?

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The origin of Engagement rings dates back to 1477. It was first popularised by the marriage of Maximilian the 1st to Mary of Burgundy.

Amber can be as old as 120 million years. Amber, an organic gemstone, is made of tree resin. It must be at least a million years old in order to qualify as an amber gemstone. But today there are plenty of composite resin alternatives around which are not as authentic as the real one.

Amethyst gemstone is just a version of quartz. It has a beautiful purple colour which makes it a popular semi-precious gem for handmade jewellery.

Emeralds were mined by the Egyptians as early as 3500 BC. Emeralds were used as a protection against memory loss. It was believed that putting an emerald under your tongue could help one see into the future.

Jade gemstone is sometimes called ‘the stone of heaven’.

A large, perfect ruby is worth more than a similar sized diamond.

Though Sapphire comes in a wide range of colors but the most popular form of sapphire is blue.

Turquoise is only found in only a few places, the major area being the south western USA.

Organic gemstones like pearls, coral and amber, are made by living organisms rather than created under the Earth’s crust.

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In ancient Rome, jewellery was seen as a sign of financial prosperity. Only high ranking people were allowed to wear rings. While In the west, men who wore earrings were seen as effeminate in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In traditional Islamic culture, the wearing of gold by men is a social taboo and women are only allowed to wear nothing but ear jewellery.

In some African cultures big earrings are a sign of masculinity, prowess, power and status.

Wedding rings for men were introduced in the 20th century. It was launched by the jewellery industry to increase sales by targeting a large number of audience. By the mid 1940s, 85% of north American weddings had rings for both partners.

The Christian bible is against the wearing of gold.

Snail shell beads found in Africa date back 75,000 years and were discovered in the ancient Blombos Cave.

Beads made from ostrich egg shell (more than 40,000 years old) have been found in Kenya’s Enkapune Ya Mutoate.

You can bring out the shine of your tarnished copper jewellery with a help of ketchup, vinegar and lemon juice.

DO you know more such facts? Drop comments and let us know more about such interesting not-so-known jewellery facts.

Born in June? Here’s everything about your Birthstone!

If you are a June baby then you’re lucky enough to have not one but three birthstones associated with your birth month. Yes! June has 3 birthstones: Pearl, Moonstone and Alexandrite.

Here’s everything you need to know about June birthstones.

Pearls:

Unlike most gemstones, Pearls are not found inside the Earth’s crust, instead are created by the living sea creatures, mainly clams and oysters. It is said that one of the first recordings of pearls was from 420 BC when a fragment of pearl was discovered in the tomb of a Persian Princess.

Pearls come in a wide range of natural hues but are generally known to have a lustrous creamy white hue. The color of a peal is determined by the type of oyster or mussel a pearl comes from. Pearls have an exceptionally delicate shiny lustre that makes them highly valued.

Pearls can either be cultured or natural. The cultured pearls can further be divided into two basic categories: Saltwater and Freshwater. The former is divided further into categories based on the origin. These categories include South Sea, Tahitian, and Akoya pearls.

Akoya: These pearls are found in both Japanese & Chinese saltwater seas in Akoya Oysters. They have rich white, cream, silver & silver pink colours. Akoya pearls are available in the market in sizes of between 3-10mm.

South Sea: South Sea pearls have a silky shine and are known to be one of the most luxurious types of pearls. They are either grown in a silver-lipped oyster or a gold-lipped oyster for 2-3 years. Pearls that are grown in silver-lipped oysters are white in color with hints of silver, pink and blue hues. The pearls grown in gold-lipped oysters are gold with hints of yellow and orange hues.

Tahitian: Tahitian Pearls are found in the black-lipped Pinctada Margaritifera Cumingii oyster. Tahitian pearls are silver, grey, or black in colour, with a hint of pink, green and blue hue.

You can shop beautiful pearl jewellery from the best online jewellery store.

ALEXANDRITE:

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Alexandrite is a color-changing gemstone. Under the dark light, it looks violet or reddish-violet whereas in daylight, the gemstone attains a beautiful green color, sometimes with a brownish or bluish tint. The unusual colors of Alexandrite are due to the presence of chromium in the gemstone. It is softer than sapphire but harder than garnet.

Being a rare gemstone, Alexandrite is very expensive, even more, valuable than diamonds and Rubies. Sri Lanka is the main source of Alexandrite but it has also been found in Myanmar, Tanzania, Brazil, Zimbabwe and Madagascar.

Synthetic alexandrite has been manufactured but has different properties as compared to the natural Alexandrite, especially its color changing property.

Alexandrite is believed to be associated with the concentration and learning. It strengthens intuition, aids creativity and inspires imagination. It also brings good omens to anyone who wears it.

Moonstone:

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Also known as the dream stone, moonstone was named after its similarity to the moons silvery light. It comes in a variety of colours ranging from colourless, to a white, grey, brown, yellow, orange, green, and peach colour.

The transparent moonstone with a blue shimmer comes from Sri Lanka. Dream stones are also found in India, Australia, Myanmar, Madagascar and the United States. Indian gemstones are brown, green or orange in color.

Moonstone is believed to protect travellers at night, therefore it is also known as the Traveller’s stone. It is also used to treat insomnia and sleepwalking and encourages sound sleep. Moonstone handmade jewellery can make a great gift for someone who has insomnia.

Everything you need to know about Lapiz Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is a blue colored gemstone with inclusion of white calcite and silvery pyrite and has been a long time treasured gemstone. Did you know that during the Renaissance, Lapis was processed to make the pigment ultramarine, which was used in oil painting? There’s so much more to this beautiful gemstone than it seems.

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Today, Lapis Lazuli is being used to make handmade jewellery and people are drooling over its beauty. You can get it crafted in either precious metals like Gold or artificial jewellery metals like brass.

Here’s everything you need to know about Lapiz Lazuli.

Meaning and Healing Benefits:

Lapis Lazuli is a dark blue micro-crystalline rock. Treasured by the ancient Egyptians for its powerful ability to bring spiritual transformation, the Lapis Lazuli crystal has practical healing applications. Being an excellent remedy for migraines and headaches, it is a natural alternative to aspirin.

This stone is also known to stimulate the third eye chakra. Here’s how to do it:

Place it on your forehead and inhale deeply while feeling its rays of light infuse into your body and fill it with its healing energy. On the exhale, imagine all the bad energy being released.

In earlier times, Lapis Lazuli was thought to be a strong medicine. The Romans believed Lapiz Lazuli to be a powerful aphrodisiac. In the Middle Ages, Lapiz Lazuli was used to keep the wearer healthy and free the soul from negative vibes, envy and fear. Buddhists believed that Lapiz Lazuli was associated with inner peace, brought wisdom and clear judgement.

Lapis Lazuli is a semi-precious gemstone and it helps to create awareness about the spiritual purpose in your life. It is also known to alleviate stress and bring relief.

Lapis Lazuli is a powerful crystal known for activating the higher mind and enhancing the intellectual ability of a person. It stimulates the desire for knowledge, truth and understanding. It also aids the process of learning and enhances memory. Lapis Lazuli also encourages self-awareness, allows self-expression and reveals an inner truth. It also provides encourages honesty, compassion and morality, stimulates objectivity, clarity and encourages creativity as well.

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Lapis Lazuli helps to confront and inspires confidence. It bonds relationships and aids in an expression of feelings and emotions.

Lapis Lazuli, the blue colored gemstone helps to improve the immune system, purifies the blood, and lowers the blood pressure. It also has cooling and anti-inflammatory properties. Lapiz Lazuli also alleviates insomnia and helps to overcome depression.

It can alleviate eye infections. A Lapis heated in sunlight, reduces bruising and is good for skin problems and alleviates insect bites as well.

Source:

Mines in northeast Afghanistan and Pakistan are the major source of lapis lazuli. Major amounts of Lapis Lazuli are also produced from mines west of Lake Baikal in Russia, and in the Andes mountains in Chile. Smaller quantities of Lapiz Lazuli are mined in Italy, Mongolia, the United States, and Canada. In the US Lapis Lazuli is mined in Colorado and California.

Do you know more about this beautiful gemstone? Drop comments and let us know!

Till then,

Happy Online Jewellery Shopping Fellas!

Amazing Facts about Diamonds we bet you didn’t know!

Did you know that to produce a single one-carat diamond, 250 tonnes of the earth requires mining? As precious as diamonds are, there is so much more to these gemstones than it seems.

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Here are some of the interesting diamond facts that we bet you didn’t know.

Let’s get started!

It was a common belief among ancient Romans and Greeks that the diamonds were tears cried by the gods or splinters from falling stars. Romans also believed that Cupid’s arrows were tipped with diamonds.

The word diamond is derived from the Greek word “Adamas,” which means indestructible. Diamonds are billions of years old and in some cases, diamonds are more than three billion years old as well.

Diamonds are created in a variety of colors. It depends on the minerals that are present during the formation of the diamonds.

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Faceting was developed during the process of diamond making in the 16th Century. Faceting made the diamond more brilliant and its popularity grew in the use of jewellery making.

In the Dark Ages, diamonds were associated with the medicinal power and were used to heal wounds and cure ailments. During the Middle Ages, diamonds were thought to have healing properties that could cure ailments like fatigue and mental illness.

Diamonds are made of a single element—they’re nearly 100% carbon. Under the immense heat and pressure far below the earth’s surface, the carbon atoms bond in a unique way that results in diamonds’ beautiful and rare crystalline structure.

Did you know that the first diamond engagement ring was gifted more than 500 years ago? The tradition of gifting an engagement ring actually began 539 years ago when Archduke Maximillian of Austria commissioned a diamond ring for Mary of Burgundy.

Ancient Hindus placed diamonds in the eyes of devotional statues and also believed that a diamond could protect its wearer from danger and negative vibes.

Originally, India was the world’s original source of diamonds. It began in the 1400s when Indian diamonds were sold in Venice and other European countries. Then in the 1700s, Brazil became the world’s major source of diamonds. After that during the late 1800s, a huge diamond reserve was discovered in South Africa. Today, diamonds are mined in many parts of the world ranging from Canada, Botswana, Namibia to Russia.

Lab created or synthetic diamonds have the same chemical and physical properties as the natural diamonds. Lab created diamonds are less expensive than the real ones and they are not fake. So next time when you indulge in online jewellery shopping, don’t shy away from buying a synthetic one.

Though Diamonds are one of the hardest natural substances, it doesn’t mean that they cannot get scratched. When kept or stored together, two diamonds can damage each other.

Diamonds are made of a single element that is Carbon. These precious stones are formed under the immense heat and pressure far below the earth’s surface. The carbon atoms in a diamond bond in a unique and interesting way that results in a diamond’s beautiful crystalline structure.

The quality of a diamonds is rated by the four C’s, color, carat, cut, and clarity. This method was put in place in the 1950’s by the GIA. The difference in pricing of the different types of diamonds is due to these 4 C’s.

These were some of the interesting diamond facts. Do you know more? Drop comments and let us know about more such diamond facts.

How to take care of your Diamond Jewellery?

Though Diamonds are the hardest substance, they can get damaged easily. Since a diamond is one of the most prized possessions of our lives, it is important that we take good care of it in the best ways possible.

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How to do that?

Here’s a list of dos and donts to take care of your diamond jewellery.

Let’s get started!

Storing your Diamond Jewellery:

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• Diamond jewellery is one of the easily damaged gemstones due to the constant exposure to the environment. Therefore, storing your diamond jewellery safely is not only about security but also about keeping each piece safe from the damage and harm.
  
• Each precious or artificial jewellery and each gemstone should be stored individually in different pouches or bags. Gemstones can get scratched if they are in direct contact with each other. Remember that diamonds can also scratch each other and certainly cause damage to other gemstones as well. Finished jewellery should never be kept in a pile.
  
• It is recommended to invest in fabric-lined cases for storing jewellery. These will have individual compartments and will keep your jewellery safe and protected. Alternatively, wrap each item in a soft tissue paper or a soft cloth. Avoid wrapping up your diamond jewellery in a harsh cloth.

How to handle your Diamond Jewellery:

• Diamonds repel water but grease and oil stick fast to the diamonds. Therefore, keep your diamond jewellery away from oily products like skin lotions and moisturisers. Diamonds are likely to be discolored when exposed to such products, thereby losing their lustre and brilliance. In fact, did you know that our own natural oils can discolor diamonds? So next time when you sweat more, remove your diamond jewellery first.
  
• Inspect your jewellery regularly for any damage or discoloration. In case of any damage to the diamond, take it to an expert and get it fixed. Check the setting and mounting of the stone to ensure everything is secure and in place. Do not try to fix it at home because you may damage your jewellery beyond repair.

How to clean the diamond jewellery?:

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• For the regular cleaning of diamond jewellery, soak the jewellery and loose stones in a solution of ammonia-based detergent solution and water (overnight). Do this exercise weekly to keep your diamond jewellery clean.
  
• After the soaking process, take out the jewellery or the stones from the cleaning solution and use your fingers or a soft toothbrush to clean it.
  
• To finish, rinse the jewellery or the stones with water and wipe dry with a soft cloth or tissue. Do not store it immediately after the cleaning. Let it breathe some (for 10 minutes) and then store it separately in different pouches.
  
• Do not indulge in aggressive cleaning with any kind of brush. Diamonds are delicate and should be handled carefully. Also, harsh detergents should be avoided. You can use mild detergents or baby soap to clean your diamond jewellery or stones.

If your diamond has a filling or any other imperfections then you should require even milder detergents to clean it. An ammonia-based detergent can react with the filling in unexpected ways, although the diamond itself will not be affected by the ammonia based detergent.

These were some of the tips and tricks to take good care of your diamond jewellery. Do you know more? Drop comments and share your methods to keep your diamond, semi precious or artificial jewellery safe and protected.

Online Jewellery Shopping: Dos and Donts

Though people have always been comfortable in buying jewellery offline but contrary to the popular belief, online jewellery shopping is not a difficult job.

Here are some effective tips that will help you enjoy a better experience of online jewellery shopping:

Buy from a reputed online jewellery store:

This is the most important thing when it comes to online jewellery shopping. There are literally millions of online jewellery stores and it is important for you to scan them thoroughly before you decide to invest in any one of them.

How to do that? How to find the best online jewellery store? Here are certain aspects that you need to look out.

Secure Payments:

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If you’re shopping from the website from the first time then you need to be little extra careful. You don’t want to get stuck with a fraud website. For the first time buyers, you should always try to opt for COD. When you get the package, check the quality and then pay for the jewellery.

In case you’re making an online payment, try not to spend too much on your first buy. Also, make sure that you keep the customer service number handy in case you face any issue. Also

Return policies:

Before purchasing jewellery online, read the return and exchange policies that the website offers so that if you don’t like it, you can return it or get it exchanged it easily.

The shipping methods and time taken for delivery:

Read everything about the delivery time and the shipping methods that the store offers. Do not forget to check if your area falls in the shipping pin codes available at the store or not. In case of any query, immediately call the customer service.

The availability of customer support:

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This is one of the most important factors to be considered while buying jewellery online. If the store has a bad customer support then do not purchase anything from that store. Touch base with their customer support system and see if they are supportive or not.

Check the dimensions and specifications:

Make sure that you read the specifications carefully before making the payment. If you are buying any stone-studded jewellery, you should know about the type and size of stone used, the type of material used.

If you are buying casual or party wear earrings, fashion necklaces, bracelets or anklets, then the size will not be a concern. But, if you are going to buy rings or bangles, it’s important for you to buy the correct size. Find out the size of your finger or wrist, and then only check for different designs.

Check the warranty:

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Precious jewellery pieces, especially if they are expensive, come with a warranty. So, double check the warranty of the product before you buy it online. If the jewellery gets damaged during the warranty period, you can get it repaired easily.

Read the Reviews:

Always read the user reviews about the product before you indulge in online jewellery shopping. User reviews and Google ratings will help you decide on the quality of your jewellery that you want to purchase. So, read these reviews and check the ratings given by the users, and then invest in the jewellery.

You can read Google and Facebook reviews about the product or the company you want to buy from. If you’re purchasing something from marketplaces like Amazon and Myntra, you can refer to their reviews as well.

Now that you know dos and donts of online jewellery shopping, find out the best online jewellery store and happy shopping!