The demand for moissanite, a manmade gemstone that resembles diamond, is sweeping the nation. According to manufacturers Charles & Colvard, North American sales have skyrocketed to a 113 percent increase in the first-quarter of 2005. Moissanite is sold at several department store chains and appeals to people who want to buy inexpensive alternatives to diamond jewelry.
King’s Jewelry, one of the largest jewelry chains in the U.S., has marketed moissanite as a gemstone rather than as a diamond substitute, and this message has been successfully received by self-purchasing women. These consumers do not want to buy diamonds for themselves, but do want to wear diamond-like gemstones that have a higher quality than cubic zirconia.
Although moissanite is a beautiful and affordable gemstone, its diamond-like qualities might confuse you and your jeweler into thinking that the gemstone is actually a diamond. Scams have occurred throughout the United States, including in O’Fallon, MO where a man purchased moissanite stones from con artists, thinking they were diamonds. The buyer later brought the moissanite to a local jeweler who even mistakenly deemed the stones to be diamonds.
After carefully observing the dual trends of moissanite sales and diamond fraud, St. Louis-based Neustaedter’s Fine Jewelry offers tips about both jewels to dispel their common myths.
What is Moissanite?
Originally discovered by Dr. Henri Moissan at Meteor Crater in Arizona during the late 19th century, moissanite is a mineral composed of silicon carbide. A century after its discovery, laboratories began producing crystals from moissanite, and in 1998 Charles & Colvard began selling the gemstone.
Moissanite & Diamonds have Very Different Origins
Although the original moissanite fragments studied by Dr. Moissan originated from a meteorite that struck earth, moissanite gemstones are manufactured in labs. Since moissanite is difficult to grow, the gemstone is much more expensive than diamond substitutes like cubic zirconia.
In contrast, diamonds are created by natural processes. According to South African Diamonds, a Web site devoted to diamonds originating from South Africa, the jewels were formed millions of years ago in the earth’s mantle when carbon crystallized due to high temperature and pressure. When volcanoes erupted, magma carried diamonds just below or on the earth’s surface. Later the magma cooled and turned into rock which trapped diamonds for thousands of centuries. This rock is what people mine in places such as South Africa.
Their Similar Appearances have Some Distinguishing Traits
A glistening moissanite gemstone often looks like a diamond at first glance, but magnified moissanite has several characteristics that a qualified jeweler can identify.
Your jeweler should examine a suspected moissanite stone under a 10-power loupe to get a good look at the stone and its characteristics. Magnified moissanite stones often feature subtle greenish tints whereas quality diamonds are often colorless. Under 10-power magnification, moissanite’s facets seem to multiply, which is called “double refraction,” but diamonds only reflect their facets once. Moissanite also bears white ribbon-looking imperfections which are not present in diamonds. In order for you to observe everything first-hand, Neustaedter’s has a very large screen in its shop to magnify your gemstone.
Recent technological developments have improved testing methods for moissanite. Some jewelers use special moissanite testers to detect the gemstones. When the tester’s probe tip touches moissanite, you can see the Moissanite light flashing and hear a beeping noise. But since this test is not 100 percent accurate, your jeweler must use his or her knowledge and a trained eye to perform other tests.
A less hi-tech approach that some jewelers use is a flotation test, performed in a dense liquid. If performed properly, moissanite will float whereas a diamond will sink. It is recommended, though, that your jeweler uses multiple tests to determine the true identity of your stone.
What Should You do When Purchasing Moissanite or Diamonds?
You should only purchase the jewels when you are issued a guarantee that states the authenticity of your diamond or moissanite. Neustaedter’s recommends that you go to a jewelry store certified by the American Gem Society (AGS) because they will possess the knowledge and tools necessary to identify moissanite and diamonds.
Moissanite and diamonds both have their own advantages, but you and your jeweler must to understand the differences and characteristics of each stone to make a wise purchase.
Jay Heiseler is the Operations Manager at Neustaedter’s Fine Jewelry, a South St. Louis County jewelry store. Owned by Richard and Jacqueline Neustaedter, the firm has over 42 years experience in the jewelry industry. The Neustaedter’s belong to the American Gem Society, a group dedicated to the highest industry standards which accepts less than 1% of the country’s jewelers.
http://www.wowdiamonds.com
Envisage how pleased your loved one will be on Xmas morning because they receive some gorgeous John Hardy jewelry. A fantastic array of styles has been created in sterling silver to suit just about any taste. And you can be quite confident that you won’t have to change any of your presents after Xmas is over! The men’s jewelry collections boast a broad array of styles in silver and gold. Whilst still maintaining the unique attention to detail associated with John Hardy, these pieces have a heavier feel and a more masculine style. So, with this multitude of alternatives available, picking out a suitable gift is sure to be so simple this Christmas. To make matters even easier, John Hardy jewelry is on offer for virtually any look a lady might wish to attain. Traditional collections are available and suit women who dress with timeless elegance. For the positively adventurous lady, you can pick from a range of avantgarde styles. But no matter the design, all the collections for ladies feature cuffs of varying breadths, earrings suitable for day and evening as well as long and short pendants to choose from. Well, then, what about the young ones? John Hardy offers a wonderful variety of children’s jewelry. Each item of jewelry has been designed to the distinguished standards John Hardy are renowned for, merely in sizes for youngsters. Bangles, small earrings and birthstone pendants are just some of the present ideas for kids.
Infants receive so many gifts after all, it might prove very tough to find something wonderful for them. The great spectrum of baby gifts on offer from this designer jeweler should make your life a good deal much.
John Hardy also has the wonderful Bamboo scheme for eco-shoppers. When an individual buys jewelry from this range, young bamboo plants are planted in areas such as Bali and Nsu Penida using a portion of the profits. Every item is engraved with the exact number of young bamboo plants planted before they are shipped. This jewelry collection has a wide range of sets for men and women, so buying green presents couldn’t be simpler.
Make your shopping simpler this Xmas by taking a look at this cutting-edge range of jewelry before setting out for the department store.
Most people see gemstones purely as decoration, such as Opal cabochons; that is, jewellery to adorn simply for aesthetic purposes. But stones are also believed to have several medicinal properties; e.g. (depending on the stone) the ability to encourage confidence, encourage positivity, improve concentration, relieve anxiety and headaches, and help calm the mind.
This article will focus on a small variety of stones and their supposed restorative powers. A disavowal before you read any further : The following is based on a collective belief, so there can be no scientific proof as to the efficaciousness of these gems and their supposed curing powers.
Amazonite
This stone improves self-confidence and imparts hope to the wearer.
Amethyst
Amethyst calms the mind and assists increased harmony and tranquility. It subdues self-destructive tendencies and boosts healing. Amethyst also confers honesty and wisdom on those who wear it.
Haematite
A strong stone which confers aids willpower and strength. Effective in harmonizing the body and spirit. A grounding gemstone which cuts down stress and is claimed to alleviate insomnia.
Malachite
A strong stone that can suck up negative energies and pollution. Useful for people suffering from emotional stress.
The above gems are merely a small selection of stones that are believed to possess remedial properties. The only pragmatic way to discover if these gems can work for you is to actually wear them if you suffer from a complaint that a gemstone is claimed to help remedy.
“Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.” is a best-known Japanese maker of clockworks and watches based in Tokyo (Japan). Citizen has been in the first place founded as Shokosha Watch Research Institute in the year 1918. The business organization was established in 1924 when the first product, a little pocket watch named Citizen, was positioned on the market. In 1930 the firm assumed the name Citizen Watch Company, too. The founding fathers once have been chosen the name Citizen because they tried to find a direct way to the peoples emotions. This is still nowadays the idea behind wrist watches made by Citizen.
First watch with Eco-Drive - Models reaching from dress to athletics
For instance the first Japanese wrist watch including a wake-up-function was launched by Citizen in 1958. In the 1970ties Citizen developed the first quartz watches with LCD display and later also the slightest LCD wristwatch ever. In the early 1990ties Citizen started the premier series production of watchcases consisting of titanium. In addition to that, they designed the leadoff voice recognition watch which was another big milestone in their history. More than that that the firm was an outrider in producing dive watches for professional use. A highlight was the included bathometer - no one else was able to offer a similar special function. Additional, Citizen is famous for its Eco-Drive collection of light powered watches. Fuelled just by light, it doesn’t require any batteries. Designs reaching from dress to athletics (e.g. professional dive watches), Citizen provides a collection for everybody and every occasion.
Citizen watches