g Jewelry — Amulets, Talismans and Charms

Written by Peter McGrey on April 1st, 2012 in Celebrity News.
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Throughout the ages, men and women have used gemstones and crystals in personal ornaments and body decorations as bewitching jewelry. Wearing them as charms, talismans or amulets, they were believed to possess the power to ward off evil spirits (or attract benevolent ones), keep one safe from harm, or to find love. To this day, many people of all ages and from all walks of life believe in the magical power of certain gems and make bewitching jewelry part of their everyday attire.

Take pearls, for instance. In the olden days, if a maiden wanted a man to fall in love with her, she would put pearls ground into a fine powder into a glass of wine and somehow get him to drink it. A pretty costly way to catch a man, that method. Nowadays, wearing pearls is believed to enhance one’s inner character and bring about peace and serenity. Gold is another example of bewitching jewelry. Since time immemorial, it has captured the fascination of all people, and is one of the cornerstones of the science of alchemy. Gold is used to enhance the power of other gemstones, hence its popular use as a setting. It is also believed to attract wealth and influence, because the wearer is perceived to be strong and powerful.

Bewitching jewelry is not confined to fashionable purposes. The Indian warriors of old used to have swords that were adorned with garnets, secure in the belief that this would bring them luck in battle. Today, garnet jewelry presented as a gift signifies the giver’s feelings of eternal love and commitment. It can also be worn as a charm to increase sensuality and sexuality. Similarly, diamonds are said to aid in the release of sexual tension and to help the wearer enjoy a fantastic sex life. I wonder what that says about girls who treat diamonds as their best friend?

Sapphires are benevolent examples of bewitching jewelry. Aside from preserving friendships and promoting loyalty, they are also believed to protect the wearer from capture. Turquoise is likewise popular as a talisman because of its alleged property of changing colors when the wearer is in peril. Plus, it is used in amulets in many cultures because it is believed to be a bringer of luck.

There are many, many other beliefs regarding the use of gemstones as bewitching jewelry. They may be worn as talismans, charms, amulets or simply as fashion accessories. But for many people today, as in the ancient times, jewels are chosen not only for their beauty, but for the perceived benefits that they will bring to the wearer as well.

Basic Information About Diamonds

Written by Peter McGrey on March 21st, 2012 in Diamond Jewelry.
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Diamonds have an allure about them that make them probably the most sought after gemstones in the world. They say that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”, and more than likely that sentiment is due to their brilliance, their sparkle, and the way they make a person feel when wearing one. But, what we know as these perfectly clear and beautiful gemstones start their lives as basically rocks. They have to be mined and honed and crafted into what we know as diamonds.

A diamond is a form of carbon, and its extreme hardness and light diffusion qualities make it a highly useful stone for industrial purposes, in addition to its pleasing aesthetic qualities. Diamonds make excellent abrasives because they can only be scratched by other diamonds. Therefore, they are extremely durable and retain their brilliant gleam wonderfully.

The earliest known reference to the diamond comes from a Sanskrit text dating back to approximately 296 BCE (before the Christian Era), which described the diamond’s qualities. It is generally accepted that diamonds were first mined in India, where they quickly became symbols of spirituality and holiness, decorating religious idols. Early on in their history, diamonds were traded in all direction of India for their different industrial uses, including engraving and drilling, as well as for their aesthetic purposes such as for ceremony, decoration, and adornment.

There was a strict prohibition against cutting diamonds. This taboo was started with the early traditional uses in India, and ended in the Middle Ages. By 1375, a guild of diamond cutters and polishers was established, as the technology of reshaping diamonds began to develop. The different shapes that were developed through the years only worked to exemplify the diamond’s beauty and brilliance, increasing their allure. Today, diamonds are most familiarly used for the purposes of adornments, such as for jewelry.

There are 4 characteristics that are used as basic description devices of diamonds, and which are used in order to determine the ultimate value of a particular diamond. These are known as the “4 C’s”, or carat, clarity, color, and cut. The carat is the weight that measures the mass of the diamond. One carat equals approximately 0.007 ounce. The value of a diamond increases greatly relative to its carat weight, because large diamonds are exceptional and in high demand for jewelry.

The clarity of a diamond measures the amount of inclusions of a diamond, or its internal flaws. Foreign matter inside the diamond or cracks causing a cloudy appearance are considered inclusions, and tend to decrease the value of a diamond. There grading systems used to assess clarity, based on certain factors including number, size, color, and visibility of the inclusions (diamonds are usually graded from flawless to imperfect). The higher the clarity rating is, the more rare the diamond (and the more valuable) is.

The color of a structurally perfect diamond, and one that is free of chemicals is almost perfectly clear, and color-free to the naked eye. This doesn’t necessarily affect the value of a diamond, however. Some pink or blue diamonds (like the Hope Diamond, for example) are considered spectacular, and therefore highly valuable. A rating system of D to Z (D=colorless and Z=bright yellow) is in use to aid in color assessment of diamonds.

The cut of a diamond describes how the diamond has been shaped and polished from its original mined state. The “cut” describes the level of workmanship that has gone into the diamond, as well as the angles to which the diamond is cut. This is not the same as the shape of the diamond, which describes just that, its shape. Shapes such as pear, round, marquis, princess are all familiar terms for diamond jewelry. When shopping for diamond jewelry, fine jewelry stores will be aware of the 4 C’s of the diamond they carry, and will be able to provide information about which gems you are interested in. Diamonds are unique, and they are the ultimate souvenirs from the Earth, which adds even more allure to owning one.

How to Clean your Diamonds

Written by Peter McGrey on March 15th, 2012 in Tips.
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Through our day to day movements our
diamonds get smudged and soiled. Even
when we are not wearing them, they collect
dust. Lotions, soaps, our natural skin oils,
can cause film and grime on diamonds
and inhibit their brilliance.

Want to keep that Brilliance and Shine?
Diamonds require cleaning so that maximum
amounts of light can refract fiery brilliance.
Remember that all it takes is a few minutes
and a little care to keep that diamond as fiery
as the day you first saw it.

You can use an small soft brush such as an
eyebrow or lip stick brush and soap and
water to clean your jewelry. Simply make a
bowl of warm sudsy water with a mild
detergent and place your pieces in the
mixture. Then brush the diamonds with the
soft bristles of the brush while they are in
the suds. You will need to make certain that
you rinse them clear of the suds after
cleaning them. You can use a small kitchen
strainer such as a tea strainer to contain
them while rinsing under warm water. Use
a lint free cloth, or a jewelry polish cloth to
pat them dry.

If your diamonds are in need of a stronger
cleansing, you may want to soak them for 30
minutes in a solution of half and half water and
ammonia. Once they have soaked for 30
minutes, remove them and gently brush the
mountings with a small brush. Then replace
the pieces to the solution and swish them
around in the mixture before removing them
to rinse and pat dry.

If you find your self too busy to be mixing
soaps and ammonias, many department
stores sell liquid jewelry cleaners. Most are
kits, with everything you need included. You
need to read the labels to determine the one
that is right for your diamonds and other
jewelry. Read the complete directions and
follow all the precautions.

And if you find yourself more the
“high-tech type”, even in your diamond
cleaning routine, there are multiple ultrasonic
cleansers on the market. These machines
use high-frequency to create a cleaning motion.
All machines are not the same, so please read
the instructions before using.

Only you can choose the cleaning method
right for you. But, it is essential to keep
your jewelry clean to keep it brilliant and
sparkling. Between cleaning, try not to touch
your clean diamonds with your fingers or
handle your jewelry by its edges. This will
help maintain its shine and brilliance for
longer periods.

Buy Jewelry Wholesale at Jewelry Shows and Expos

Written by Peter McGrey on March 8th, 2012 in Buying Diamonds.
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Jewelry shows and expos are great places to find
jewelry wholesale. These shows and expos are held
all over the world throughout the year, and no matter
where you live, a show will eventually be held near
you – probably within a days drive. In fact, if you live
near a major city or a convention center, there will
probably be several shows throughout the year that
you will be interested in when it comes to jewelry
wholesale.

One of the great things about these shows and
expos – aside from all of the gorgeous jewelry on
display and the fabulous prices – is the information
that is offered. These shows and expos often cover
entire weekends, and related seminars and
demonstrations are often included as well.

There is an entry fee for these shows and expos, in
most cases, but it is typically quite affordable. A
good way to find shows in your area is to visit
http://aksshow.com/home.jsp Another way to find
shows is to visit a search engine and type ‘jewelry
shows your home town’ into the search box, where
your home town is the town you live in, or a major
city near you.

“Knot With My Thread” – Stringing Choices For Beading & Jewelry Making.

Written by Peter McGrey on March 6th, 2012 in Guide.
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One very important lesson I learned is that there is no one, all-purpose (Universal) stringing material.

Here are the major stringing materials along with how and when to use each of them.

SILK THREAD: Silk has a wondrous “hand” (a soft, flexible feel). This thread comes in many sizes and colors. It comes packaged on spools, and “carded” with an attached needle. This is a classic stringing material and forms beautiful knots between pearls and beads. But, silk tends to be relatively fragile. It can stretch, be cut by abrasive beads, rot when wet, and pearls strung on silk should be re strung every few years. It is best to use silk when stringing pearls and lightweight, smooth-holed beads, only. A needle is necessary.

NYLON THREAD: (Nymo): This thread also comes in many sizes and colors. It comes packaged on spools, on bobbins, and “carded” with a needle attached. Nylon can be used where-ever silk can and is not as fragile. This material knots beautifully and can be used for pearl stringing, in some strung jewelry, seed beadwork, loom weaving, for Peyote and other specialty stitches, and heishi. Nylon stretches much less than silk, and it won’t rot when wet. Like silk, you shouldn’t use beads with sharp edged holes or that are heavy. When you use nylon thread, I would recommend you coat your thread with bee’s wax or “Thread HeavenTM “ before use to prevent it from fraying. A needle is necessary.

BONDED NYLON: This is a much stronger form of nylon thread. The strands are physically bonded together for extra strength and abrasion protection. Although it knots well, it doesn’t have the “hand” of silk. Bonded nylon comes in a variety of colors and smaller spools. Because of its abrasion resistance, you can use it with “hard”, more abrasive gem beads; in fact this comes close to being a “Universal Thread”. Brand names include: “Stringth” or “Silkon”. A needle is necessary, although you can put “Super Glue” on the end to form a “Self-needle”. This is a favorite beading material of mine.

FISHING LINE: This material is a hard, semi-rigid, single strand of plastic. It doesn’t knot well, and in time sunlight or ultraviolet light can cause it to weaken and fall apart. Fishing line is purchased on small spools and is sold in sporting goods stores. Personally, I use fishing line for two purposes. I use it to do my preliminary stringing while I am designing a necklace (I transfer the beads to a better material for the final product), and to string together “raw” strands of beads. There is no needle necessary. I would never use this material for a final beaded piece.

How to Care for Your Diamond

Written by Peter McGrey on February 29th, 2012 in Tips.
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Caring for a diamond takes more than
occasional cleanings. Diamonds are forever,
but they can be damaged if you are not
careful. By learning how to properly care for
your diamond, you will ensure that your
diamond is indeed forever.

First, you should take your diamond jewelry
to a jeweler once a year. Have him check the
mountings and prongs that hold your
diamond in place. Have him make any
needed repairs. This will prevent your
diamond from falling out of its setting and
becoming lost.

Diamond jewelry that is not being worn, or
diamonds that are loose should be stored in
a fabric lined jewel case, or in a jewelry box
where it can be kept separate from other
jewelry. Each piece should have its own
compartment. This will keep diamonds from
becoming scratched, and it will also keep
your diamond from scratching other jewelry
as well.

Remove your diamond jewelry when doing
physical work. Diamonds can be chipped
and scratched easily. Also avoid allowing
your diamond to come into contact with
bleach or other household cleansers – this
can damage or change the color of the
settings and mountings, and it may even
irreversibly change the color of the
diamond!

How Diamond Prices Are Determined

Written by Peter McGrey on February 20th, 2012 in Facts.
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Pricing most products is quite easy.
Determine how much it costs to make the
item, how much it costs to market that item,
and then mark it up by 15 – 30% or more.
Simple, right? Well, pricing diamonds isn’t
quite that simple. There are many factors
that are considered when diamonds are
priced.

Diamond prices are determined first by
adding the cost of the rough diamond, the
cost of cutting the diamond, and all other
costs necessary to turn the rough diamond
into a marketable diamond. Depending on
the importance of the diamond, an
independent company may be called in to
certify the grade of the diamond based on
color, cut, clarity, and weight.

At this point, the diamond becomes more
expensive each time it changes hands, until
it finally reaches a retailer, where the price is
raised a bit more. Before reaching the
retailer, however, the diamond must travel
from the mine, to the cutter and polisher, to
the independent grading company, and
then to the Primary market. Once it has
reached the primary market, it will be
purchased by diamond dealers and
wholesalers, and from there it will be sold
to retailers.

As you can see, the earlier you can purchase
a diamond in the process, the lower the cost
of the diamond will be – but not the value.
The value is based on what the diamond will
sell for in the market place – through a retailer.

If you own a diamond, and you have no idea
how much it is worth, you can have it
appraised, but the appraisal may not be
accurate. You will be better off obtaining a
certificate through GIA – Gemological Institute
of America. With the information on this
certificate, you can use a cutter’s guide to
accurately determine what your diamond is
worth.

There are also many diamond price
calculators available. These can be found
on the Internet, and many diamond dealers
use these as well. You must realize, however,
that before you can accurately price a
diamond, without a Diamond Grade Report,
you need to know quite a bit about diamonds,
such as different cuts, clarity, color, and weight
– and how each of those aspects adds to the
value of a diamond, or decreases the value of
the diamond as the case may be.

Again, you will be better off if you get a
Diamond Grading Report on the diamond,
and use that information to look up the price
in one of the guides that the diamond cutting
industry uses. This will give you the most
accurate value of the diamond in your
possession, or of the diamond you are
considering purchasing.

5 Sure-Fire Tips For Diamond Systems Mastery

Written by Peter McGrey on February 17th, 2012 in Tips.
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Let’s face it… Learning to use those “dots on the rails” can be daunting at times, and other times down right frightening.

In this short article, I’ll give the beginner to amateur level player a few tips to follow in their quest to become proficient in the pool and billiards diamond system.

Tip #1: Master the fundamentals of the game first

Like in any other skills it’s always easier to learn the correct way at the beginning than try to unlearn bad habits after they have been acquired. You may have heard the saying, “Bend the tree while it is still young”.

The point here is that if you develop bad techniques and mechanics when first learning pool this could adversely affect your effectiveness later in using diamond systems. Also there is little use in tackling ‘Pool 202’ when you haven’t mastered ‘Pool 101’.

Tip #2: Using diamond systems can enhance natural instinct

There are many pool players who will argue that all you need is a ‘feel’ for the ball and you can forget any math or physics as applied to the game. These players can apparently make their shots without reverting to any ‘diamond systems’ and calculation and so experience is more important than learning some ‘trick’.

The only problem with this approach is that when such players are having a bad day then they have nothing to resort to.

This is not to say that feel and intuition have no part in the game, but pool follows physical laws that the systems try to simplify for the pool player. Terms such as ‘hard’ and ‘soft’, ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ are of course imprecise and would mean different actual speeds (meters per second) for different players.

Tip #3: Take 5 minutes and learn the table in front of you

As mentioned before, because diamond systems by their very nature are more involved, you want to have a perfect and predictable table as possible. Unfortunately, each table will have their own particularities that you must compensate for in your shots.

This takes us back to the argument of intuition versus systems because if you’ve practiced all your game on one table you may have problems with your shots just being a little off on another table. Your ‘feel’ may be on spot but the table is not being kind to you.

You must then carry out some simple exercises to test the rubber, cushion, level of table, bad spots and whether the table is playing long or short. Simple things such as if the cue ball is dirty or new can significantly affect your game.

If there is any inconsistency in the table then small mistakes will become magnified and your shots will be off.

Tip #4: Learn the proper english to use with diamond systems

English is often defined in tips, such as in ‘one tip of running english’. The only problem here is that different cues have different sizes and curvature of tips; so one tip to the left of center for a 13mm cue tip will be very different for a 12mm tip.

The point here is that ‘tip’ is not a fair measurement against the cue ball because different cue sticks have different size tips.

Tip #5: Learn the right speed to use with diamond systems.

In simple optics, the angle that light strikes a plane (flat) mirror at is the same angle that it will reflect at. In pool a rebounding ball approaches this same principle (assuming no spin) except that whereas the light doesn’t physically affect the mirror the ball compresses the cushion adding another factor to take into consideration.

As a rule of thumb the faster the ball hits the cushion the [smaller] the angle that it leaves the cushion. To get a feel for how this changes with speed of the ball will require constant practice.

This behavior of the ball is a little counter-intuitive so it takes some ‘getting use to’ which is the whole purpose of trying different speeds of the ball off the cushion and experiencing for yourself the difference in the rebound track line.

Now that was some food for thought.

In my next article I’ll share with you an additional series of tips, that if studied further will guide you to a greater understanding of using diamond systems in pool and billiards.

Express Your Love With An Unbreakable Diamond Ring

Written by Peter McGrey on February 14th, 2012 in Engagement Ring.
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She is the most important person in your life. Maybe she picks you up when you’re down, or is the mother of your children, or just cares for you unconditionally. Or maybe it’s a combination of all three. Whatever your reasons are, the truth is simple and undeniable – you are crazy about her. So why not express your love with an unbreakable diamond ring? We all know that nothing melts a woman’s heart like diamonds, but the ring you select has to be a fit to her personality and style. In this article, we’ll give you some simple tips on making sure the diamond ring you give is one that takes her breath away.

The most important (and overlooked) aspect when it comes to selecting an unbreakable diamond ring is to keep your sweetheart’s tastes in mind. Many guys want to impress their woman by “picking it out themselves”. This often leads to a scenario where she “happily” accepts the ring. She may actually be thinking that she hates it, but will feel compelled to wear it because you picked it out with love. This is one situation you definitely want to avoid – and it is so easy to do

By keeping her in mind and paying attention to her preferences, you will express your love with an unbreakable diamond ring that she will adore. For example, watch her the next time a jewelry ad comes on TV or the next time you pass a jewelry store window. Pay close attention to her reactions to certain pieces, even those being worn by other people. Make a casual comment such as “Boy, that sure looks nice” and see what kind of response it gets. Women love to give “subtle” clues when it comes to diamond rings. Unfortunately, men don’t always pick up on them.

It is also important for you to take stock of the rings she currently wears. And we’re not talking her grandmother’s antique ring that she only wears on special occasions. You want to be taking note of the diamond rings she wears on a regular basis, as these pieces will be your guide to the diamond ring you select. She wouldn’t wear something all of the time if she didn’t like it, right? So, pay close attention to the style of diamond she prefers as well as the choice of metal (white gold, yellow gold, platinum, etc).

One last key piece of information and you’ll be ready to buy. It is helpful, but not necessary, if you can somehow find out her ring size. While she is at work or running errands, you could simply take one of her rings to the jeweler and voila! – you now have that mystery solved.

These tips will help you express your love with an unbreakable diamond ring that is sure to elicit a major reaction on her end. Remember, you don’t want to be the guy who just “picked it out themselves”. You want to be the guy that picked it out perfectly.

How to Spot A Fake Diamond

Written by Peter McGrey on February 13th, 2012 in Buying Diamonds.
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In this world of advanced technology it is
almost impossible to simply look at a
diamond and determine whether it is real or
not – especially if you don’t know much
about diamonds. There are some steps that
you can take to avoid buying a fake diamond,
however.

First, only deal with reputable jewelers, and
when you find a reputable jeweler, stick with
them. Avoid buying diamonds or other
jewelry from jewelers that you have never
dealt with before in the past. Ask to see the
certificate for the stone. If no certificate exists,
walk away.

Look at the setting that the stone is in. Fake
diamonds, such as zirconias, are usually set
in low quality metals. Take a close look at the
stone. Fake diamonds are not durable –
natural diamonds, on the other hand, are the
most durable stone on the planet. Look for
scratches or nicks.

After purchasing a diamond, take it to
another jeweler for appraisal. In fact, take it
to two or three other jewelers for an appraisal
to make sure that the appraisals are all fairly
close. If you find that you have purchased a
fake diamond, you may be accused of
making a switch when you return to the store
of your purchase; therefore, it is important to
have a certificate for the diamond. No two
stones are alike.

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