Jewelry Basics

The following guide will assist in understanding the terminology, materials and varying prices of jewelry. Armed with this knowledge we hope you will be able to make better informed decisions when purchasing a piece of jewelry.

What is Sterling Silver?

Pure silver is softer than 24k gold and so it is unsuitable for use as an alloy in manufacturing in the majority types of jewelry. Sterling silver consists of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals. The other metals are added to improve lustre, help prevent tarnish and increase strength to the point that the resultant metal becomes suitable for manufacturing jewelry. Sterling silver has a rich history dating back to the early 1200’s. During the 1870’s Queen Victoria had such a strong fascination and interest for exotic sterling silver pieces she is credited for having changed the direction of sterling silver jewelry styling. Rare sterling silver pieces are prized by collectors and often fetch prices in excess of $750,000.

What are Cubic Zirconias?

A Cubic Zirconia is an extremely tough optically flawless mineral with virtually identical properties to rare D color grade diamonds. In fact it is virtually impossible for all but a select few expertly trained eyes to differentiate between the two which is why cubic zirconia jewelry has become so popular lately. Cubic Zirconia’s are usually flawless (contain no defects) unlike Diamonds which often contain a flaw or defect. Cubic Zirconias come in a number of colors and are crystallographically isometric.

Understanding Gold Jewelry

Gold like pure silver is an extremely an extremely soft highly prized precious metal. Gold is so malleable that a single ounce can be stretched to cover 250 square feet. The resulting gold sheet is so thin that it becomes translucent. The purity of gold is expressed in karats (K). 24K gold is 100% gold, very soft with a rich metallic yellow color. Gold used in Jewelry is usually 18K (75% gold) 14K or 10K. Other metals such as copper and nickel and zinc are added to improve strength and change its color (such as in rose and white gold). Oddly enough there are cocktails available in Germany which contain Gold Flakes, the cocktails cost in excess of $1000 a drink.

Pearls

Pearls are formed from Calcium Carbonate deposits within Clams and Bivalves. Many clams produce pearls but a pearl with great lustre, shape and color is extremely rare. Cultured pearls are those in which a human has helped to create, usually by inserting a material inside of a clam which assists the clams to begin creating a pearl.