Aliciamiyares.org – The guide to all things of fashion

Gold jewellery has been prized for literally thousands of years for its beauty, being used both to show enormous wealth and as an expression of love and affection. You probably know that gold goes back to the time of the Pharaohs, who wore it all over their bodies, and were buried with it upon their death.

Today, gold jewellery is everywhere. It’s most commonly seen as rings on the fingers of married or engaged people, or as earrings, but many people also put jewellery in their nose, tongue or belly button, among other places. Hip hop culture has led to a resurgence in large pieces of gold jewellery being worn as a deliberate show of wealth, as ‘bling’, and this fashion has spread to many of the world’s young people.

When you buy gold jewellery, there are two important things to consider: the first is what the piece itself actually looks like (the quality of the jewellery itself), and the second is the purity of the gold, measured in carats. Although many people can be snobbish about low-carat gold, it is often what you do with it that counts, with a well-made piece from lower-quality gold actually being much more pleasing than a badly-made piece from expensive gold, and cheaper to boot.
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Tags: carat, gold, jewellery

They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, so diamond necklaces must be the best friend that lasts forever.

Diamond necklaces are one fashion accessory that can be worn with virtually any outfit. Depending on the size and the style of the necklace it can dress up a casual outfit of jeans or a sweater or it can be the finishing touch to an elegant gown.

Diamond necklaces come in many different designs and the most difficult part in choosing one can be deciding which one best suits your personality.

One of the first considerations when purchasing a diamond necklace is the size of the diamond. Diamonds are measured in carats with a larger number indicating a larger and more expensive stone.

Some diamond necklaces contain a single stone while others have a collection of smaller stones. In the case of the necklace with several smaller stones the diamonds weight are added together to give you a total carat weight for the necklace.

Although it’s important to consider the size when purchasing diamond necklaces it’s also advisable to take other characteristics of the diamond into account.

All diamonds are judged on their color. If you briefly glance at a diamond you might consider that they are all a brilliant clear color. This isn’t true.
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Tags: jewellery, Jewelry, necklace

There is something very mysterious about crystals. And, therefore, as soon as you don them, they lend a very enigmatic touch to your whole persona. Even if it is just one small little crystal, it can work wonders for you. No, this is no future prediction, though crystals have always been one of the favourite tools of soothsayers. But here, the point that is that even a small jewel encrusted with a tiny piece of crystal can make you look charming and, at times, mesmerising!

And it is due to this touch of glory that the crystal provides that it has enchanted the kings and queens since time immemorial. They have worn crystal on their fingers and as pendants in their lavaliere. However, crystal has most enjoyed its rightful place in many a royal crown. Towards the eastern and oriental part of the world, and in the middle east, crystal has beautified the turbans of the kings and princes.
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Tags: beads, crystal, ex-beading accessories, faceted, handicraft findings, jewellery, pearls, pendants, seed beads, swarovski

Platinum has become a popular choice for jewelry due to its strength, durability, and marketing efforts of the platinum industry in recent years. Platinum is three times more expensive than gold. Jewelers aggressively market it because they make three times the profit on every platinum item they sell compared to gold. Platinum is a naturally white, lustrous metal that is long lasting. Sometimes the claims of strength and scratch resistance are overstated. Like all precious metals, platinum will scratch. A platinum scratch is different from white gold because it simply “plows” the metal instead of removing it.

Traditionally, jewelry manufacturers used platinum alloyed with metals from the platinum group metals (iridium, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhodium, and ruthenium). With the proper mix of these platinum group alloys, platinum becomes one of the hardest metals making it a strong and durable jewelry metal. Platinum will not rust or corrode and the platinum family metals make it hypoallergenic and ideal for persons with sensitive skin.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines for platinum jewelry state that only items consisting of 950 part per thousand of pure platinum can be marked stamped “PLATINUM” or “PLAT” without more alloy information. From 750-950 Platinum, the platinum group metals must also be indicated. For example, PLAT900IRID for 10% Iridium alloy. Historically, the most common alloys in America were 95% Platinum with 5% Ruthenium or 5% Cobalt and 90% Platinum with 10% Iridium.

There is a misperception that the 950 platinum is better than the 900 platinum. However, pure platinum is very soft and the right alloy mix is what is important. Different alloys and different percentages produce better results for different jewelry purposes. Some alloy mixes work better for casting and some are better for handcrafting like bending the prongs over fragile diamond corners. Many artisans feel that PLAT900IRID is the best general-purpose alloy for diamond rings.

While platinum is best known for its use in jewelry, more than 60% of platinum is used for other industrial purposes such as catalytic converters in autos and pacemakers in the medical field. Because of its rarity and the rapidly increasing demand for this versatile metal, the price has soared in recent years.

The high price of platinum has caused some jewelry manufacturers to start using lower percentages of platinum and to use other alloy metals to lower the cost of the jewelry. Unfortunately, these new alloy mixes are reducing the very qualities that made platinum desirable. The new alloys produce more brittle platinum that is more susceptible to damage.
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Tags: appraiser, diamond, diamond rings, jewelers, jewellery, Jewelry, jewelry shopper, platinum, precious metals