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Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Men were the first to wear jewelry as a status symbol and as good luck amulets to aid them in battle.

Men's jewellery. Dogtag.

Nature's gems

Prehnite crystal

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Tuesday, May 30, 2017

In the Middle Ages, opal was considered a stone that could provide great luck because it was believed to possess all the virtues of each gemstone whose color was represented in the color spectrum of the opal.

"Virgin Rainbow"
World's most expensive opal
Photo: Richard Lyons courtesy South Australian Museum
 

Jewellery masterpieces

Imperial Cameo Gemma Claudia, 49 AD,onyx, in a gold band Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien

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Monday, May 29, 2017

Jade is a sought after stone, especially by the Chinese byers. Since not only good and natural jade is offered for sale, but often fake or poor-quality products or stones which have been coloured or otherwise treated, it is advisable to buy good jade only from reputable dealers and jewellers, whether the purchase is being made for a collection or as an individual piece of jewellery.

How to Tell if Jade Is Fake

Monday motivation


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Sunday, May 28, 2017

For every one colored diamond, there are 10,000 colorless ones that have been discovered.

Rough blue diamond

Nature's gems

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Saturday, May 27, 2017

It is estimated that less than one percent of women will ever wear a diamond of one carat or more.

Craft day

What I knitted while taking a break from blogging...


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Friday, May 26, 2017

The Victorians frequently used marcasites as substitutes for diamonds. Marcasite, also known as pyrite, was used for this purpose as early as the 1700s.

Large Marcasite and Amethyst Silver Runway Brooch

Jewellry masterpieces

Belle Epoque diamond and sapphire brooch

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Thursday, May 25, 2017

Still, the curse of the Hope Diamond goes way back to Tavernier. It was long believed that after Tavernier plucked the gem from the Hindu statue, he was torn apart by wild dogs - a karma-inspired event for his sacrilegious theft. However, LiveScience noted that other stories indicate Tavernier died peacefully in Russia years after he sold the gem to King Louis XIV.

Yet there are many other tales of tragedy related to the Hope Diamond. [source]

The Hope Diamond

Jewellery photography

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Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Until the 14th Century only Kings could wear diamonds, because they stood for strength, courage and invincibility.

1.35ctw Diamond 14th Century Cross Enhancer

Nature's gems

Clear quartz over a pyrite cube on the bottom encrusted with either amethyst or tiny purple fluorite octahedrons then sprinkled with pyrite.

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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, every ring set with a precious stone was not considered as much a piece of jewelry, but more as an amulet that bestowed magical powers upon its wearer.

Antique Italian Renaissance Sapphire, Pearl and Gold Necklace 19century

An 18kt gold with natural sapphires and natural pearls, centered with a gold cameo plaque on which the beautiful form of a woman is engraved. Her cape is flowing as she walks, as is her lengthly hair. She is courtly and aristocratic. On the reverse the words in Italian "today and always, oggi e sempre". Golden curved shells and flowers surround her boundaries as do sapphire gems and natural pearls. Garlands form double strands around the central medallion. Sapphires are linked in long suspension from these strands. To fasten this around the neck, a mesh neckband, flexible and light. This appears to be a unique jewel made for a person of high position. Was it given to a woman by her lover, as a wedding gift, a promise? It is exceptional. Condition is superlative. Lore: Sapphire, one of the most precious world gems, is considered the gem of gems. It was always connected to royalty. In medieval days, Sapphire was considered the height of hope and faith. Buddhists believe it brings devotion. Today is is the stone of royal wisdom.

Jewellery masterpieces

Orchid ring set with sapphire, amethyst, green garnet and white diamond on 18K yellow gold by Andre Marcha

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Monday, May 22, 2017

The son of the Turkish Sultan Bajazet (1447-1513) was said to have murdered his father pouring a large quantity of powdered diamond in his father's food. In l532, Pope Clement VII’s doctors dosed him with fourteen spoonfuls of pulverized gems, including diamond, which resulted in death for the patient. In the same century, Catherine de Medici was famous for dealing out death by diamond powder, and Benvenuto Cellini, the famous Italian goldsmith, described an attempt on his life by an enemy who ordered diamond powder to be mixed in his salad.

Diamond powder

Monday motivation


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Sunday, May 21, 2017

Early Victorian jewelers fancied gems like topaz, amethyst, citrine and garnets. Diamonds were considered to be matronly while young women often preferred turquoise which was popular throughout the era.

Victorian 19th century turquoise and gold snake necklace. Fully articulated snake with hundreds of bezel set cabochon turquoise beads mounted in 18 karat gold. Finely detailed snake head completely encrusted with turquoise beads crowned with larger cabochon turquoise stone. Cabochon ruby eyes crown the head, which is accented with diamonds around the eyes and the mouth. From the original Fred Leighton

Nature's gems

Golden Selenite

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Saturday, May 20, 2017

Under the normal pressures and temperatures we experience on the Earth’s surface, diamonds are actually thermodynamically unstable, slowly transforming into graphite. Yes, you read that correctly, diamonds are indeed turning into graphite, but thankfully for all those diamond owners out there it’s a process that is far too slow for humans to notice.

Diamond graphite phase diagram

Craft day

WHat I knitted while taking a break from blogging...


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Friday, May 19, 2017

Pyrite enjoyed brief popularity in the 16th and 17th centuries as a source of ignition in early firearms.

The 16th century marked the first time a plan such as Balthazar’s had become technologically feasible. Until then, the only firearms were matchlocks – heavy, unwieldy affairs which could neither be concealed from view nor fired without a smoldering fuse, a fuse which burned at the mercy of the elements and which gave off a tell-tale whiff of smoke to any nearby sentient target. [source]

Jewellery masterpieces

Cf. Petit, Marc, Van Cleef & Arpels, Reflections of Eternity, Editions Cercle D'Art, 2006
Sold for US$ 161,000

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Thursday, May 18, 2017

Well-crafted obsidian blades, as with any glass knife, can have a cutting edge many times sharper than high-quality steel surgical scalpels, the cutting edge of the blade being only about 3 nanometers thick. Even the sharpest metal knife has a jagged, irregular blade when viewed under a strong enough microscope; when examined even under an electron microscope an obsidian blade is still smooth and even.

Left: Obsidian tip under and electron microscope. Right: Steel point under an electron microscope.

Jewellery photography

A post shared by Natalia Khon (@nataliakhon) on

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Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Each volcano and in some cases each volcanic eruption produces a distinguishable type of obsidian, making it possible for archaeologists to trace the origins of a particular artifact.

A zoomorphic vessel found at the Temple of the Feathered Serpent (Serpiente Emplumada) at the Teotihuacan complex in Mexico City 

Nature's gems

Acquamarina (varietà i Berillo) with muscovite Nagar, Hunza Valley, Gilgit District, Northern Pakistan. 320x180 mm

Video DIY on how to wood burn. Guest post by VZBRELO

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

This is a guest post by two ladies who chose woodworking as their profession. You can find a list of all their "behind the scene" and DIY posts here. They have quite a few of them in my blog! Today we have a chance to "peek over their shoulder" and to see how they actually work. Isn't it exciting? I was jumping on my chair waiting for the video to start! All I want now is to try the wood burning myself. See if it can inspire you in the same way!

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Hello to all visitors of the blog! Today we are happy to share a detailed video DIY that shows how to wood burn an ornament on a wooden vase. BTW, it looks like this ornament is hard to make, but it is easier than you think. Watch for yourself!



Enjoy!



Here how the vase looks like when finished:


We hope this video DIY is going to be useful to some of you!

Come and visit us in our blogs:

Maria and Tatiana of VZBRELO

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After polishing, the diamond is re-examined for possible flaws, either remaining or induced by the process. Those flaws are concealed through various diamond enhancement techniques, such as re-polishing, crack filling, or clever arrangement of the stone in the jewelry. Remaining non-diamond inclusions are removed through laser drilling and filling of the voids produced.

Cracks and fractures in a diamond reduce its clarity, but can be treated by filling. Fracture filling utilises a glass-like material, which has similar optical properties to that of diamond. It will improve the diamond’s appearance by almost two clarity grades but is not a permanent treatment. Most obvious evidence of fracturefilled diamonds can be found in the bright flashes of changing colour that can be seen under proper lighting. Other evidence is the presence of bubbles in the fracture of the filler, or ‘crackled appearance’ of the filler. All these can be picked up by 10x magnification. [source].



Jewellery masterpieces

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Monday, May 15, 2017

Most diamonds contain visible non-diamond inclusions and crystal flaws. The cutter has to decide which flaws are to be removed by the cutting and which could be kept.

This diamond has clearly visible inclusions; some of them are circled in red in the photo.

Monday motivation


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Sunday, May 14, 2017

The most time-consuming part of the cutting is the preliminary analysis of the rough stone. It needs to address a large number of issues, bears much responsibility, and therefore can last years in case of unique diamonds.

The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g), discovered at the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, modern-day South Africa, on 26 January 1905. It was named after the chairman of the mine, Thomas Cullinan.

Nature's gems

Rare red-orange Opal from Ethiopia

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Saturday, May 13, 2017

Outside the earth, diamonds are also common. A recent discovery shows that some stars collapse on themselves, creating giant diamond crystals. In the constellation Centaurus, there lies a white dwarf, that has crystallized into a diamond 2,500 miles in diameter and weighing 10 billion, trillion, trillion carats.

An artist's impression of the white dwarf star orbiting with the pulsar PSR J2222-0137. Credit: B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Craft day

What I knitted while taking a break from blogging...



Sold one-of-a-kind jewellery

Friday, May 12, 2017

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It was only in the last century that diamonds became readily available. Prior to that, rubies and sapphires were the most popular gems, especially for engagement rings.

15th Century [!?] engagement ring set with a natural diamond octahedron in a handmade carved gold and enamel setting. German.

Nature's gems

Apophyllite with Stilbite, India

Jewellery photography

Thursday, May 11, 2017

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Solid gold jewelry does tarnish. However, pure 24K gold is not susceptible to tarnishing. The other alloys like copper and silver used solid gold jewelry cause the tarnishing. The higher karat the gold is, the less noticeable the tarnish will appear over time. This explains why a lot of antique gold jewelry from the Victorian era has a dark rosey tone to it. The lower karat jewelry of this time period used a lot of copper which creates a beautiful patina that cannot be replicated. Cleaning of antique jewellery will reduce their value.. 

Jewellery masterpieces

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Wednesday, May 10, 2017

The visors of astronauts' space helmets receive a coating of gold so thin (0.00005 millimeters, or 0.000002 inches) that it is partially transparent. The astronauts can see through it, but even this thin layer reduces glare and heat from sunlight.

Nature's gems

Elbaite, Lepidolite ~ Cruzeiro mine, Brazil

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Tuesday, May 9, 2017

A posy (posie) is a short verse, often from a poem, inscribed on a ring. Posy rings were first commonly worn in the 15th century.

A posy ring

Jewellery masterpieces

Belle Epoque diamond necklace. Cartier. Paris.
Sold in Magnificent Jewelry sale Sotheby’s New York October 1990

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Monday, May 8, 2017

Benitoites of excellent gem quality and transparency rarely exceed two carats, and few that do have such good color saturation combined with the gemminess. Most stones tend to have one or the other. This is an impressive brilliant oval that is very bright and has good clarity as well. It is big and impressive. Rough-and-cut sets make fabulous displays and this would fit into such a set, or it is of a hardness that makes it also perfectly wearable for jewelry. A classic rarity that will be difficult to replace as the deposit is unique in the world, and is now more or less stripmined and depleted. From the collection of former mine owner Bill Forrest. There have been quotes on pieces of this quality and size at $10,000 per carat retail.

Benitoite

Monday motivation


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Sunday, May 7, 2017

The name Silver originates from the Old English Anglo-Saxon word 'seolfor' meaning silver. The Symbol Origin is from the Latin word 'argentum' meaning silver. Argentina was named for this precious metal.

History of silver production in Argentina since January 1, 1927

Nature's gems

Scorodite from Tsumeb Mine, Namibia

 
Jewelry Designer Blog. Jewelry by Natalia Khon. Design by Pocket