Milimeter Chart - Great for beads, pearls, precious and semiprecious gemstones, diamonds, and more.  Shapes are actual size.

 

 

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Ring Sizer Charts:

Measure a ring that fits you (or your intended recipient):

Place a ring that fits you over the circle, making sure the inside of the ring lines up with the outside of the

circle. If you are between sizes, order the larger size.

 

Find a piece of non-stretchy string about 6" long, or a strip of paper about 6" long and 1/4" wide.

Wrap it snugly around the base of your finger.

Using a pen, mark the point on the string or paper where it overlaps, forming a complete circle.

Compare the length of the string or paper to the lines on the paper below to determine your ring size.

If you are between sizes, order the larger size.

 

 

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Birthstone Charts - An extensive list of  birthstones.

 

MONTH & ZODIAC SIGNS	Modern Birthstones	Traditional Birthstones	Mystical Birthstones	Ayurvedic Birthstones	Power Stones
January Capricorn 12-22 ~ 1-19	Garnet	Garnet	Emerald	Garnet	Beryl, Jet, Obsidian, Onyx, Rose Quartz
February Aquarius 1-20 ~ 2-18	Amethyst	Amethyst	Bloodstone	Amethyst	Aquamarine, Blue Sapphire, Lapis, Moonstone, Onyx
March Pisces 2-19 ~ 3-20	Aquamarine	Bloodstone	Jade	Bloodstone	Diamond, Rock Crystal, Tourmaline, Turquoise
April Aries 3-21 ~ 4-19	Diamond	Diamond	Opal	Diamond	Carnelian, Coral, Quartz, Red Jasper, Ruby, White Sapphire, Zircon
May Taurus 4-20 ~ 5-20	Emerald	Emerald	Sapphire	Agate	Azurite, Chrysoprase, Golden Topaz, Lapis Lazuli
June Gemini 5-21 ~ 6-20	Pearl, Moonstone	Alexandrite	Moonstone	Pearl	Aquamarine, Alexandrite, Beryl, Crystal, Opal
July Cancer 6-21 ~ 7-22	Ruby	Ruby	Ruby	Ruby	Carnelian, Moonstone, Pearl, Ruby, Green Turquoise
August Leo 7-23 ~ 8-22	Peridot	Sardonyx	Diamond	Sapphire	Amber, Jacinth, Jade, Ruby, Sardonyx
September Virgo 8-23 ~ 9-22	Sapphire	Sapphire	Agate	Moonstone	Azurite, Diamond, Lapis Lazuli , Pink Jasper, Rhodochrosite, Star Sapphire,
October Libra 9-23 ~ 10-22	Opal Tourmaline	Tourmaline	Jasper	Opal	Agate, Aquamarine, Fire Agate, Pink Tourmaline, Zircon
November Scorpio 10-23 ~ 11-21	Yellow Topaz Citrine	Citrine	Pearl	Topaz	Coral, Diamond, Garnet, Ruby, Topaz, Zircon
December Sagittarius 11-23 ~ 12-21	Blue Topaz Turquoise	Blue Zircon Turquoise Lapis Lazuli	Onyx	Ruby	Amethyst, Malachite, Pink Tourmaline

 

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All About Gold:

You may think of gold as just something to set diamonds and gemstones into, however, gold has a rich history of its own. Humans once compared the warm shine of gold to the sun. Gold was a symbol of nobility and of the gods, and civilizations rose and fell in the pursuit of gold. Gold has been the most popular and important noble metal throughout history. Gold occurs everywhere on earth; however, all the gold ever found only equals 100,000 tons. Gold is very reusable, which is great, because we cannot solely rely on newly mined gold.

Gold is considered a noble and precious metal. The term noble chemically refers to the ability of a metal to resist oxidation and corrosion. Oxidation is the coating of a metallic oxide through heat and oxygen, and corrosion is the breaking down of a metal by chemical action. The term precious means rare (gold accounts for only about 3.5 parts per billion of the earth's crust) and workable (gold is ductile and malleable).

Pure (Fine) gold is 999.9%, which is also called 24k (gold is really never 100% pure). Gold is generally alloyed (mixed with other metals) to make it harder, change the color and reduce the cost. The different colors of gold that may be produced by mixing it with different alloys are white, rose, green and blue.

24k is very soft, therefore not easy to wear in jewelry every day, because it bends easily. There are no alloys added to 24k, so it is 24 parts (99.9%) pure gold. The foreign stamp for 24k is 999.

18k is less yellow in color than 24k and is not as soft, so it doesn't bend as easily, due to the other metals mixed with it. It is 18 parts (75%) pure gold and 6 parts other metals, to equal 24 parts altogether. The foreign stamp for 18k is 750.

14k is less yellow in color than 18k and is not as soft, so it doesn't bend as easily, due to the other metals mixed with it. It is 14 parts (58.3%) pure gold and 10 parts other metals, to equal 24 parts altogether. The foreign stamp for 14k is 585.

10k is less yellow in color than 14k, and is the lowest legal limit that may be sold in the U.S. It is 10 parts (41.6%) pure gold and 14 parts other metals, to equal 24 parts altogether. The foreign stamp for 10k is 416.

Although gold is a noble metal, it does not mean your gold jewelry is indestructible. There are certain chemicals, such as chlorine, that may break down the alloys in your gold jewelry over time. It is not a good idea to wear your gold jewelry while doing household work that involves chemicals, or while you are in a chlorinated pool.

 

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All About Pearls:

The term "pearl" is often used by the jewelry industry to mean many things. Technically speaking, a pearl is a stone-like creation that forms inside the shell of an oyster. When a piece of sand gets inside the oyster's shell, the animal secretes a mucus like substance (called "nacre") around the sand to prevent irritation. In sea water, this secretion will harden and form into a pearl. The longer it sits inside the oyster's shell the bigger it gets because the pearl itself becomes an irritation to the oyster and it continues to secrete the nacre. The process will continue as long as the oyster lives, with the pearl getting ever bigger and bigger. These pearls are called "natural pearls" or sometimes "South Sea pearls". About one in a hundred thousand natural pearls will come up black or grey. These are so rare that a matched eight millimeter sixteen inch necklace of them will sell in the range of one hundred thousand dollars!! And that is without the clasp!!

 

The demand for pearls as a fashion item is timeless and there are not enough oysters producing pearls in the wild, so today we have pearl farms where oysters are deliberately implanted with a piece of sand or shell to get the process moving along. Shell is often used as a nucleus because it's size can be regulated; if a larger nucleus such as a shell is used then the result will be a larger pearl more quickly. The pearls that come from these farms, mostly in China and Japan, are called "Cultured Pearls". They have a distinctive look about them and often the color is adjusted by adding chemicals to the sea water in which they live. Cultured pearls are usually round although ocassionally they may be dome shaped. A dome shaped pearl is called a "Mabe" (pronounced MA-BEE) pearl, these are more rare than the round ones and thus will command a higher price. Pearls can also form inside of certain species of clams that live in fresh water, these are appropriately called "Freshwater Pearls". The process is similar to cultured pearls except the producer is actually a clam, not an oyster, that is grown in fresh water (not sea water), the pearl itself is usually long and oval shaped and rarely has the same color configuration as a pearl formed in an oyster. Colors are also adjusted by adding chemicals to the water, although many freshwater pearls on the market today have been dyed after harvesting rather than colored during growth. Usually only the farmer knows which is which.

 

Simulated Pearls are pearls that are man-made. The process can vary but generally follows the same idea as the natural pearl only with Man controlling all the production. Simulated pearls are available in Shell, Glass, and Plastic based. The best ones are made with a Shell base, similar to the oyster process. A substance usually made of ground up fishscales and oils (called "hemage", pronounced HER-MA-GEE, hard "g") is applied to the base, allowed to dry, drilled, and then sold. The more hemage, the more expensive the simulated pearl. Majorca Pearls fall into the shell based category. Each layer, twenty nine in all, is applied by dipping the base into the hemage, allowing it to dry, polishing it by hand to remove bumps and blemishes, and repeating the process to build up the density and uniformity in color. The exact specific process and composition of the hemage is a closely guarded secret known only to the producers on the Isle of Majorca, Spain. Majorca Pearls are considered to be the finest simulated pearls made.

 

Glass Based pearls follow the same idea as Majorca pearls however the base is a milky glass bead that is usually dipped or sprayed with the hemage one or two times, dried, drilled, and then sold. Plastic Pearls have a base of a plastic bead and the color is applied by spraying, although in the "old days" they did use the dipping process which, for the price commanded in today's market, is too expensive to use now. So plastic pearls made today are spray painted and usually have only one layer of coloring. Often the coloring itself is some sort of paint, it is not hemage, and tends to easily peel off.

 

How can I tell a real pearl from an artificial pearl?
Here�s a traditional test just rub the pearl gently across your teeth. A real pearl will feel gritty, but an artificial pearl will feel smooth and slippery. Remember, cultured pearls are real pearls, so they, too, will feel gritty.

 

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All About Diamonds:

Jewelry research and education about diamonds.  This includes carat, color, clarity, cut and cost in a diamond.  A must read before you purchase an engagement ring.

 

Here you will learn about the 5 C's of diamonds-Carat, Color, Clarity, Cut, and Cost. 

 

Carat Weight

The size of a diamond has the biggest impact on its price. The metric carat, which equals 0.20 gram, is the standard unit of weight for diamonds and most other gems. If other factors are equal, the more a stone weighs, the more valuable it will be.

Here are several ways to express 1 carat:

1 ct.
200 milligrams
1/5 gram
100 points
4 grainer (not often used in retail environment)

It is very important not to mistake carat weight as referring to the dimensions of a diamond. It refers to weight only. Why the distinction? Because weight can hide in different parts of the stone. You can have a) well-cut, b) deep, or c) shallow Diamonds. Some may appear larger than others due to its cut.

Prices of diamonds are expressed in the trade as a price per carat. So when we say that the Carat Weight has the biggest impact on the price of the stone, we refer to the unit price per carat, not just the overall price of the whole stone.

Example 1:
Diamond "A" = 0.25 carats and costs $1,000 per carat. $1,000 x 0.25 = $250/stone.
Diamond "B" = 0.50 carats and costs $1,250 per carat. $1,250 x 0.50 = $625/stone.

It is very common for people to disregard the other C's in favour of getting the biggest possible stone they have budgeted for. Here at diamondgrading.com, although SIZE DOES MATTER, it is just as important for the quality of the stone to be high.

Some people may feel it is more impressive to wear a 2 carat diamond than a 1 carat diamond. But that's not necessarily true. A Ferrari may not be as big a car as an Oldsmobile, but most would consider it more impressive.

How much does "carat weight" affect cost?

The effect of all the different properties of Diamond on Cost is discussed in more detail in the Cost section. For carat weight, let's take a typical Diamond for an example, and see what happens when we take it through different carat weights.

A Diamond of G color and SI1 Clarity will be in one Category of prices when it is between 0.50 - 0.69 carats. When you take that same quality Diamond and increase the size to the next price category, which is the 0.70 - 0.89 carat range, the price increase will be approximately $1,100 per carat. Increase to the 0.90 - 0.99 carat range, and the price increase will be approximately another $800 per carat. Increase to 1.00 - 1.49 carat range, and the increase will be approximately another $800 per carat. If you increase to the 1.50 - 1.99 carat range, the price increase will be approximately $1,200 per carat.

 

Color

The color of a diamond has the second biggest impact on its price, after carat weight. Did you know that diamonds come in every color of the rainbow?

Grading color in the normal range involves deciding how closely a stone's bodycolor approaches colorlessness. Most diamonds have at least a trace of yellow or brown bodycolor. With the exception of some natural fancycolors, such as blue, pink, purple, or red, the colorless grade is the most valuable.

If a diamond does not have enough color to be called fancy, then it is graded in a scale of colors ranging from Colorless to Light Yellow, "D" through "Z". A diamond with a "D" color is considered to be colorless. If the color is more intense than "Z", it is considered fancy. A fancy yellow diamond fetches a higher price than a light yellow diamond.

The Laboratories only grade diamonds which are unmounted, or "loose", and they do so under special light. Once a loose diamond is mounted on a ring, even the trained professional cannot always tell the difference between, say a "D" color and an "E" or "F" color diamond!

How much does "color" affect cost?

The effect of all the different properties of Diamond on Cost is discussed in more detail in the Cost section. For color, let's take a typical Diamond for an example, and see what happens when we take it through different color grades.

Let's start with a 1.00 carat Diamond of K color and VS1 Clarity. If you move up to an H color, you will pay approximately an extra $1,700 per carat. Move up to F color, the increase will be approximately $1,100 per carat. Improve the color to D and the increase will be approximately $900 per carat.

 

Clarity

The clarity of a diamond refers to how clear, or "clean" the diamond is. The more "clean" the diamond, the higher the price. Most diamonds have "imperfections" in them. The clarity scale is a measure of the severity of those imperfections or "inclusions" as it is known in the trade.

For example, a deep break in a diamond which is not that visible when you look at the stone face-up, could sometimes have a greater impact on the clarity of a stone, than a small black crystal which you can see very clearly face-up.

The following is the GIA Diamond clarity-scale:

FL-Flawless

These stones have no imperfections inside or on the outside of the stone under the magnification of a loupe of 10 power.

IF-Internally Flawless

These stones have no inclusions under a loupe with a 10 power magnification.

VVS¹,VVS²-Very Very Slightly Imperfect

These stones have very small inclusions which are very  difficult to see under a loupe with a 10 power magnification.

VS¹,VS²-Very Slightly Imperfect

These stones have small inclusions which are slightly difficult to difficult to see under a loupe with a 10 power magnification.

SI¹,SI²-Slightly Imperfect

These stones have inclusions which are fairly easy to see under a loupe with a 10 power magnification, or visible to the naked eye.

I¹,I²,I³-Imperfect

These stones have inclusions which range from eye visible to very easily seen to the naked eye.

SI³

Outside of the GIA Diamond clarity scale is a grade you may have seen called SI3. The Rap Sheet, which is a Trade Publication, honors the SI3 grade which is given out by EGL, the European Gemological Laboratory. It is described as a split between the SI2 and I1 clarity grade.

How much does "clarity" affect cost?

The effect of all the different properties of Diamond on Cost is discussed in more detail in the Cost section. For clarity, let's take a typical Diamond for an example, and see what happens when we take it through different clarity grades.

Let's start with a 1.00 carat Diamond of G color and SI1 Clarity. If you move up to a VS1, you will pay approximately an extra $1000 per carat. Move up to VVS1, the increase will be approximately $700 per carat. Improve the clarity to IF and the increase will be approximately $700 per carat.

 

Cut

The cut of a Diamond is the only property which is totally dependent on man. Although often overlooked, cut is actually one of the most important aspects to consider when choosing your diamond. A Diamond cutter analyzes the rough diamond, and has to determine how to extract the most beauty and most profit out of the rough stone.

Cut refers to not only the shape of the diamonds, but its proportions and finish, factors which determine the sparkle of the diamond.

It is possible to take the same stone, and depending on which method the cutter decides to use, to either cut it into the most beautiful stone it can be despite heavy weight loss and perhaps lower monetary value. Or else, he can cut a stone to its maximum weight and monetary value, but lose some "brilliance" and "sparkle"!

You see, even if you have two equal polished diamonds, both the same carat size, both the same color, both the same clarity, they may look completely different. How? There are many different shapes, and facets in a diamond. The weight can be distributed in different parts of the stone.

The goal in terms of extracting the greatest beauty from a Diamond, is to have light enter a Diamond, disperse the light as it bounces inside the Diamond, thereby producing the different colors and sparkly effect, and finally returning as much light to the eye as possible.

How much does "cut" affect cost?