FAQ

What are precious and semi-precious stones?

Traditionally, gemstones (those used for jewelry) have been divided into precious and semi-precious categories. Gems were deemed "precious" largely based on a history of ecclesiastical, devotional or ceremonial use, as well as rarity. The four "cardinal" precious gems are diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald.
Semi-precious stones are pretty much everything else. There are more than 130 species of minerals that have been cut into gems, with 50 species in common use. Strictly speaking, such gems as pearls, coral, ivory, jet, amber and mother of pearl are not "stone" at all, but are considered semi-precious for purposes of jewelry making.

What is .925 sterling silver?

Sterling Silver is .925 fine silver, or stated another way, 92.5% Silver and 7.5% alloy. The small amount of alloy added Sterling Silver makes the Silver more durable. Sterling Silver is typically marked "Sterling" or .925 and abbreviated as S/S.

What is fine silver?

What is gold-filled?

Gold filled means that an item has a layer of gold bonded on the outside of another metal called the base metal. The process used, and the base metal, may vary. With the outside of the item beeing pure gold, only pure gold will touch your skin. The bond is permanent and will not wear off.

What is gold vermeil?

(Vehr-MAY) Vermeil is a gold-plating process which was developed in France in the mid-1700s. Vermeil refers to an overplating of gold onto silver using a safe electrolytic process.

What is a Shell Pearl?

Shell pearls are made from the lining of South Seas pearl's mollusks (mother of pearl) and luster and weight of the most prized south sea pearls! It is very hard to tell the difference between a south sea pearl and a south sea shell pearl. The give-a-way is the lack of a gritty texture. South Sea Shell Pearls are smoother than South Sea pearls. This is because they are created in a lab so the environment is cleaner than a lake or ocean.

What are the properties of different stones?