Multi Colorful Gemstone Jewelry

Occasionally we receive in lovely jewelry pieces that feature a variety of gemstones in many colors.  Quite often these are vintage pieces from the 1950's and 1960's.  These 2 pair of clip earrings are clearly from that era.  The lovely colors of the multiple gemstones really appeal to today's ladies. 

This beautiful ring even has gold stamens just like a flower.  Imagine wearing a miniature Spring flower bouquet on your finger!

Or perhaps you would like a bouquet in a basket to pin to a lapel or hat.

Floral gemstone wreaths are nice also, any time of year.

And then we get the occasional handmade type piece of jewelry.  Very organic and definitely one of a kind.

More traditional rings sometimes just mix 2 or three gemstones together as this amethyst and citrine ring does.

And then sometimes the same gemstone in different colors is put together in the same ring, such as these yellow and blue sapphires.

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Please come visit us at our Ebay store by following the link in the sidebar.  And please leave a comment if you would like. 

It's Not Too Early For Valentine's Day

It really isn't too early to think about Valentine's Day if you are buying something which needs to be shipped.  While we strive to ship the same day or next day once we receive payment for an item, it is always good to plan ahead and order early. 

We present here just some of our 'Valentine' items like the Chopard 'Happy Diamonds' pendant on the left.  The diamonds inside the heart float around.  Or how about the heart pendant on the right with the word LOVE in cutout?

We also have many bracelets with heart designs, or cherubs like the one on the right.  The one in the middle is simple chunky letters that spell out I LOVE YOU.

Amethyst heart earrings and some more diamond studded hearts.  We have items in all price ranges from $35 and it goes up from there.  We always have free shipping in the US and each item comes gift boxed.

If your lady loves diamonds, here are just 3 of the many pendants we have in all kinds of styles.

From the simple to the sublime, solid gold to those set with diamonds, we even have heart shaped rings!

Musical notes, puffed hearts and love for Mom.

Small, medium and large!  The one on the right is a pin with loop on the back to run a chain through so it can double as a necklace.

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Visit our Ebay store or our newly designed website (see the links in the side column).  We update and add new items daily and we have a special Valentines category in our Ebay Store.

New Gorgeous Jewelry in Stock!

We have lots of new jewelry in stock and just listed in our Ebay store!  This gorgeous bracelet is set with natural rubies and diamonds, just stunning!

And then there's my personal favorite, this natural amethyst pendant.  It is rare to find a natural amethyst in this deep a color that is this large.  It just radiates richness.

Just in time for Valentine's Day is this lovely diamond wrapped heart pendant.

Or perhaps you might be interested in this petite diamond solitaire pendant.

Then came the emeralds, these hoop earrings are fabulous.

And this emerald teardrop pendant is much more beautiful in person, the baguette diamonds sparkle and glitter.

Then we have this emerald ring with its 2 heart shaped diamonds and its set in 18kt gold rather than the normal 14kt.

Last but not least for today is this 10kt gold amethyst bracelet, very affordable and very feminine.

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Stay tuned for more coming this week.

Amethyst is Always a Favorite

Beautiful purple amethyst, the birthstone for February, associated with power and wealth, thus associated with royalty and with the trappings of privilege such as an easy life. It is a gem of luxury said to bring peace, happiness and spiritual wisdom.  Rumor has it that amethyst was a personal favorite of Queen Catherine the Great of Russia.

In popular belief, the amethyst offers protection against drunkenness - for the Greek word 'amethystos' means 'not intoxicated' while the Hebrew word for amethyst is achlemah, meaning "that which gives pleasant dreams".

This beautiful crystal quartz gemstone also poses riddles for the scientists which still haven't been completely solved to this day. The amethyst has its hardness (7), its moderate refraction and its weight in common with the other quartzes, but the crystal structure is different and unconventional. The construction is stratified, as a result of which areas and lamellae of varying colour intensity often come about. This explains why there are relatively few large cut amethysts of an evenly distributed dark colour in spite of its having been found so abundantly in all parts of the world. It is only in the last few years that scientists have been fairly certain of having found the real cause of the colour. It is now attributed to certain iron constituents in connection with natural radioactive radiation.

Some amethysts pale almost to colourlessness in daylight. The reason for this has not yet been discovered, but it is possible to re-colour them by means of radium radiation. The fact that these stones can lose their colour makes it obvious that amethyst jewellery should not be worn while sunbathing, in a solarium or in a discotheque with black light. Sudden changes of temperature can also be harmful to the stone.

Amethyst is a variety of quartz and varies in color from pale lavender to a deep, rich purple. The presence of manganese produces Amethyst, while varying amounts of iron content vary the purple intensity. Amethyst is found all over the globe and in every country, but the deeper colored amethyst are found in Uruguay, Siberia, Africa and Colorado.

Amethyst is a stone of "Spirituality and Contentment". It balances the energies of the intellectual, emotional and physical bodies and bestows stability, strength, invigoration and perfect peace.  It brings one serenity and composure in decision making. Amethyst is also a 'Stone of Meditation'.

Moses described amethyst as a symbol of the Spirit of God in the official robes of the High Priest.

As you can see from the photos, amethyst is used in all kinds of jewelry and is also one of the most economically priced gemstones.  That and the many tints and shades of amethyst please a variety of people.  Visit our Ebay store or visit us in person at our Humble, TX store to choose your favorite!

Designer Jewelry

There are many jewelry designers out there whose names are well known.  Others are lesser known, but they all have their own style and their own followings. 

I am presenting here some designer jewelry we happen to have in our Ebay store.

The names Cartier and Tiffany are world famous for quality fine jewelry and this signed Cartier diamond ring is no exception.

This Dolce & Gabana stainless steel bracelet would be popular with the younger crowd and its diamond encrusted letters add that bling that is so popular now.

This is a wonderfully classic Scott Kay bracelet with matching earrings, sold as a set.

This beautiful James Avery necklace we just acquired, handcrafted of 14kt gold with its original wooden gift box.  The James Avery studio is based in the hill country of Texas, he is most well known for his christian jewelry.

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We also have designer luxury watches like Rolex, Icelink, Gucci, Movado, TechnoCom by KC, Renato, Invicta, Rado and more.  You just never know what we will have next.

'Stones of Destiny' - Sapphires

The sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September and the anniversary stone for the 5th and 45th aniversaries. The name sapphire is derived from the Latin word 'saphirus' and the Greek word 'sapheiros', both meaning blue.  It was also known as the 'Stone of Destiny'.

Ancient Persians believed Sapphires gave heaven its blue color, and some believed that the heavens formed a huge sapphire to act as a support for the earth, and its reflection colored the sky.

The sapphire has long been identified with chastity, piety, and repentance. It brings wisdom and truth, increases perception and the understanding of justice. It helps find peace of mind and serenity and promotes a life of sincerity, helping preserve one’s innocence while learning life’s truths. Sapphires also are associated with romantic love, representing fidelity and romantic devotion.

The sapphire is a corundum, an aluminum oxide with a trigonal crystal structure, in the same family as the ruby. The only difference between a ruby and a sapphire is simply the color. A red corundum is a ruby. Other colored corundums are called sapphires, which come in many colors, the most well known being blue. Sapphires also come in violet, dark gray, orange, yellow, pink, green and black. 

Blue sapphires come from Burma and Kashmir, where the blue tone is the most pure to the true spectral blue, and the stones tend to have a unique velvety luster. Sapphires from Sri Lanka are a less deep shade, almost a pastel blue. Many sapphires also come from Australia, which are dark blue but with a slightly green undertone, as those from Thailand.

 

The value of sapphires depends on their size, colour and transparency. With stones of exceeding fine quality  the origin of the gem also plays a major role. The most valuable are genuine Kashmir stones. Burmese sapphires are valued almost as highly, and then come the sapphires from Ceylon. The possibility of the gemstone's having undergone some treatment or other is also a factor in determining the price, since gemstones which can be guaranteed untreated are becoming more and more sought-after in this age of gemstone cosmetics.

Sapphire can be found naturally, or manufactured in large crystal boules. Because of its remarkable hardness, sapphire is used in many applications, including infrared optical components, watch crystals, high-durability windows, and wafers for the deposition of semiconductors.

Because of their hardness, Sapphires can be cleaned in almost any way. Warm, soapy water is best, though you might also try ultrasonic cleaners and steamers. You can also try using water with a touch of ammonia in it. If you have a fracture in your sapphire or own a star sapphire, do not use mechanical cleaning methods as a sapphire can shatter with one single blow, if hit sharply. This may be especially risky if the stone has inclusions, which weaken the crystal structure. As with most valuable stones, avoid doing heavy work or coming into contact with chemicals while wearing your stone, as they can damage your settings.

In the middle ages, people believed wearing a sapphire suppressed negative thoughts while ancient Persians ground it up to be used as an all purpose medicine. Ivan the Terrible of Russia stated that the sapphire strengthened the heart and muscles and endowed a person with courage. Others said it was an anecdote for poison- it killed snakes on site and if engraved with the figure of a man or a ram, would cure all illness and elevate the owner to a high position.

The 423 carats (85 g) Logan sapphire in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C. is one of the largest faceted gem-quality blue sapphires in the world.

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The jewelry pieces in the photos, along with many more are available in our Ebay Store, just click on the link in the right hand column.

Gems from the Emerald City

Emerald, this green gemstone is known as the birthstone for May.  There are as many shades of green for emeralds as there are for the old Emerald Isle of Erin. 

Scientifically speaking, color is divided into three components: hue, saturation and tone. Yellow and blue, the hues found adjacent to green on the spectral color wheel, are the normal secondary hues found in emerald. Emeralds occur in hues ranging from yellowish green to bluish green. The primary hue must, of course, be green. Only gems that are medium to dark in tone are considered emerald. Light toned gems are known by the species name, green beryl. In addition, the hue must be bright (vivid). Gray is the normal saturation modifier or mask found in emerald. A grayish green hue is a dull green hue.

The name 'emerald' is believed to have originated with the Greek word smaragdos meaning 'green',  possibly of Persian origin. The word went through various etymological changes eventually becoming the Middle English emeraude and eventually emerald.

The oldest known emerald finds were once made near the Red Sea in Egypt. Those gemstone mines, already exploited by Egyptian pharaohs between 3000 and 1500 B.C. and later referred to as 'Cleopatra's Mines', had already been exhausted by the time they were rediscovered in the early 19th century.

Most of today's emerald production is in South America with Africa second. Colombian emeralds are particularly well known. Provenance on the ring above right shows that it is from Columbia and is an exceptionally fine stone. Emeralds come from three main emerald mining areas in Colombia: Muzo, Coscuez, and Chivor.  Emeralds are also found in other countries,  Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Somaliland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In the US, emeralds have been found in Connecticut, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina and South Carolina.  In 1998 emeralds were discovered in the Yukon.

Emerald has been sought after since ancient times and it is said that Cleopatra had an emerald engraved with her portrait. Ancients associated Emerald with the Greek goddess Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, it and was said to protect lovers from unfaithfulness. If the heart was loyal, the gem would glow in a beautiful green color, but if the heart was went astray, it would turn a different, lifeless color. In addition, it was believed that wearing an Emerald would improve one’s memory and intelligence, enabling one to think clearly about the past, present, and future.

The Incas and Aztecs of South America, where the best emeralds are still found today, regarded the emerald as a holy gemstone.

A Roman legend tells of a king whose only fortune was a single magnificent emerald, which he threw into the sea as a sacrifice to gains the gods' favours. The next day, the emerald was found again in the stomach of a fish that had been served at the king's table. Later on the latter became Emperor Augustus and encased the miraculous stone at the foot of the altar dedicated to the goddess of Concord.

In the Christian tradition, a bowl shaped emerald fell from Lucifer's helmet during his battle with Archangel Michael. That bowl was later used by Christ at the last supper, and Joseph of Arimathea caught Christ’s blood dripping from the cross in that bowl, founding the order of the Holy Grail.

Since as far back as there is evidence of emeralds, there has been evidence of its healing powers. Some said emeralds would heal if simply worn, others said gaining help required gazing deeply into the green for a while. In every language, there are reports of the emerald helping eyesight. The Sumerians said that if an emerald was worn in a ring on the little finger of the left hand, it would cure inflammation of the eyes. During the time of Hippocrates, emeralds were crushed into a fine powder and made into an eye lotion.

Emerald tends to have numerous inclusions and surface breaking fissures.  Emerald is graded by eye. Thus, if an emerald has no visible inclusions to the eye it is considered flawless. Stones that lack surface breaking fissures are extremely rare and therefore almost all emeralds are treated, 'oiled', to enhance the clarity as part of the post lapidary process. Cedar oil, having a similar refractive index, is often used in this traditional practice. Other liquids, including synthetic oils and polymers with refractive indexes close to that of emerald such as Opticon are also used.  Because of the oiling process, it is not recommended to have your emerald jewelry steam cleaned.

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Please visit our Ebay store to view more photos of these beautiful jewelry items we have for sale.  The link is in the right hand column.  You can also become a fan and follow us on Facebook, again the link is on the right.