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Old antique engagement rings are those classic style rings that bring back the charm and history of an era gone by. Many couples enjoy the nostalgic feel of something their grandparents may have worn. Others simply like the idea of old-fashioned quality workmanship and styling. Whatever your reason for choosing vintage diamond engagement rings, finding the best rings at the best price is a concern.

Finding Antique Style Engagement Rings

Online auctions and the Internet in general have brought the world home. You can shop the tiniest Italian countryside village or Antwerp’s mega diamond dealers – all from your home computer.
If you like to shop closer to home where you can touch and feel the rings and try them on for size and style, then there are other great sources for vintage engagement rings. Flea markets or estate sales are two of the top sources for authentic vintage jewellery including diamond or sapphire jewelry in gold or silver.

Authenticating a Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring

Finding a vintage engagement ring is one thing, but making sure it is truly and antique is another. A reputable jewellery appraiser can help. There are telltale signs and markings on jewellery that will tell the trained appraiser when and where and by whom a specific piece of old jewellery was made. Each silversmith or artisan has a symbol that they will engrave in their work to mark it as one of their own. Counterfeiters will try to replicate the marks, but other design features will let the appraiser know if this is the case in a particular antique. The appraiser can then give you a guarantee or certificate of authenticity to go with your vintage diamond engagement ring.
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Tags: diamond, engaement, familiy, Jewelry, party, ring, wedding

If you have been thinking about buying or wishing for a fancy colored diamond read this article first! Colored diamonds are the next big trend in jewelry design. The spectrum of colors is as big as your imagination. Choosing what’s right for you can be overwhelming in today’s diamond market. This article will address a few important factors to consider when buying a fancy colored diamond for yourself or a loved one. Most important is knowing the differences between colored diamonds that are formed naturally and ones that are man-made.

Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds
Diamonds colored naturally are very rare and fetch very high prices. There are three ways in which colored diamonds are formed by nature. The first method is when a foreign element is introduced to the carbon material that a diamond is made from. For example, nitrogen can cause a diamond to have yellow or orange hues while boron can make it blue. The second method is when pressure compresses the carbon and creates a red, pink or purple hue. Lastly, natural radiation deep in the earth generates diamonds with colors of green or blue. Green, red and purple diamonds are considered very rare and command high prices. Indeed, there are only six naturally formed red diamonds currently in the market. One can only imagine the prices these stones will fetch. Natural fancy colored diamonds are so rare that there exist at least 10,000 colorless stones for each colored stone.

Synthetic or Treated Fancy Colored Diamonds
Fancy colored diamonds can also be man-made in labs. There are a variety of methods used to color diamonds. Some of these stones are purely synthetic, meaning they were totally created in a lab to simulate the properties of a real diamond. They are formed from carbon just like the real thing. However, these stones can be formed in a matter of weeks where as it takes thousands of years for natural diamonds to be formed. These type of synthetic diamonds are so similar to the real thing that only high tech equipment can detect subtle differences in the crystal formations within the stone to know they are fake.
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Tags: color, colored, diamond, diamonds, fancy, Jewelry

Why Should I Buy Gold?
The world has been in love with gold ever since it was discovered. It is called a precious metal because it has a high economic value and is relatively scarce in relation to the level of demand for it. Gold was the standard in which the values of many currencies around the world were based until recently; because of confidence in its ability to hold it’s value over the long haul. At times of trouble, people always default to valuable portable property such as gold, diamonds and other valuable gems.

Gold has been the preferred metal for wedding rings in the west for a long time. It is very rare that couples exchange rings other than gold rings when getting married. In fact, in some Asian cultures, wealth is transferred unto the newlyweds in the form of gold jewelry.

Gold is very malleable and so has been the preferred metal for jewelers over centuries. It also does not rust or decay. If it gets dull, just applying a quick polish restores it’s luster and shine.

Gold is virtually indestructible and everlasting.

Gold keeps it’s value over time and is easily marketable
Gold is easy to work with so you will get the most beautiful jewelry made out of gold
Everybody loves gold.

What kind of Gold Should I Buy?
Before buying gold jewelry the most important thing to ask yourself is the reason why you are buying. This is important because it will help you determine how much to budget for your purchase, what quality and type of jewelry to buy and from where to buy it.

If you are only interested in buying a gold ring for fun, then you might not care too much about the quality of the ring or the supplier as long as it looks good on your finger. If, however, you are buying an engagement ring, an anniversary ring or a wedding ring, you had better pay more attention to the quality of the ring and the service you can expect from the supplier. A wedding ring, we hope, will be appreciated for a long time and you will want your partner to know that you put some thought into the selection of their ring. You want the perfect ring so you need to make sure that your supplier has a good return or exchange policy and that they are easily contactable.

There are different qualities and colors of gold used in jewelry. The different types of gold jewelry are determined by the metals mixed in with the pure gold, and whether the piece of jewelry is formed as a solid piece, plated or maybe hollow.

Gold Quality:
Pure gold does not rust or tarnish, and people that are allergic to some metals are rarely allergic to pure gold. However, pure gold is very soft and easily bendable. It is also very expensive. So to make it practical for jewelry that can be worn everyday it is mixed with different metals.

Gold jewelry is generally marked 18K, 14K, or 10K. The higher the Karat (k) the higher the percentage of pure gold to other metals in the jewelry.
· 24K gold is pure gold.
· 18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold.
· 14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold.
· 12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 50% gold.
· 10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.7% gold.

10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called “gold” in the United States. A high proportion of gold Jewelry is made in 10K gold.
European Markings:
Jewelry from Europe may be marked is a different manner with numbers that indicate their percentage of gold like this:
· 18K gold is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold
· 14K gold is marked 585 for 58.5%
· 12K gold is marked 417 for 41.7%

Genuine gold jewelry should have, in addition to the karat marking, a hallmark or trademark that identifies its maker. Sometimes the item’s country of origin might also be included. The hallmark or country of origin may sometimes be left out in very small and delicate pieces of Jewelry.

Colors of Gold:
Pure gold is, of course, gold in color. However, gold can be made into jewelry of different and exciting colors by adding different metals to it. When other metals are added to pure gold the result is called an alloy. Any gold alloy from18K, down to 10K can still be called solid gold. Anything less that 10k is not solid gold.
White Gold: Created by adding Palladium or Nickel to pure gold.
Rose Tint Gold: Created by adding copper to pure gold.
Greenish Cast Gold: Created by adding silver to pure gold

Gold Coated Jewelry
Applying a coating of gold on lesser value metals has always been a way of producing jewelry that looks as valuable as gold but not as expensive to manufacture. This is OK as long as the buyer is aware that the piece of jewelry they are buying is not SOLID gold and as long as they are also aware of the quality of the plating.
Gold Filled Jewelry:
Gold filled jewelry is usually 14k gold heavy-layered over sterling silver. More recent gold-filled jewelry have markings that indicate how much and what type of gold was used for the layer. A marking that says 1/20 12K G.F. means that the jewelry is at least 1/20th 12K gold by weight. Gold filled jewelry generally retain their coating longer than gold plated jewelry.
Gold Plated Jewelry:
The gold layer in gold plated jewelry is usually thinner than the gold in gold-filled jewelry. This means that the goal plating usually wears away more quickly. However, all gold plating is not the same. Some will be thicker and more even than others and thus may provide you with long lasting true gold finish, sometimes comparable to gold-filled jewelry.
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Tags: bracelet, bracelets, diamond ring, diamondring, earring, earrings, gold ring, goldring, how to buy gold jewelry, Jewelry, Kensington Jewelers, kensingtonjewelers, ring, rings, silver ring, watches

The Great Wall of China is not working. Built in 200 BC to protect the land from Mongols hoards, the Great Wall is a symbol of the vast breadth and scope of the economic development of the Chinese nation. International corporations have taken the place of invading Mongols, as they have occupied the Chinese worker in factories across the country. With the approval of the Chinese government, businesses around the globe have made China their main industrial source for all things manufactured. The silver jewelry industry is one such example.

The latest in silver jewelry designs come primarily from Europe, mostly from Italy. Annually, Europeans hold highly anticipated fairs and conventions featuring the newest styles in jewelry. From clothing fashion to jewelry design, Europeans have always been at the forefront of inspired modern style. Yet due to the rise in cost of production as influenced by higher wages for workers and regulatory restrictions in the production process, Europe, as a whole, finds itself unable to compete with Asia from a manufacturing standpoint.

European countries tend to feature the rights of individual workers in terms of reasonable compensation for services rendered, as well as protection from discrimination and an expectation of fair treatment. There are also restrictions concerning environmental standards for production, waste and materials that may be generally harmful. Most countries in the west adhere to these seemingly righteous societal constructs. As a result, the hands of the factory owners in Europe are tied, rightfully so. China, however, has a different perspective.
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Tags: cubic zirconia, earrings, Fashion, Jewelry, pendant, ring, silver