One of a few gems that is organic and is created from fossilised resin of ancient trees.
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| Amber with a baby frog embedded!! |
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Article - Gemstones - Amber
Amber
One of a few gems that is organic and is created from fossilised resin of ancient trees.
Over a period of millions of years and exposure to high temperature and pressure, the compressed resin eventually becomes Amber. Because it floats on salt water, if you take a stroll along the beaches on the East Coast of the UK, there is a small chance that you may discover your own piece of the precious stone washed up on the shore!Interestingly enough, until the mid 19th century this was how most Amber was found, and back then it was appropriately named ...
One of a few gems that is organic and is created from fossilised resin of ancient trees.
Article - Gemstones - Almandine Garnet
Almandine Garnet
One of the oldest Garnets recorded by man, this beautiful gem was featured in writings by the Roman historian Pliny the Elder.
In appearance Almandine Garnet varies in colour from a red to reddish orange through to a delicious, purplish red and is typically dark in tone.For thousands of years, Almandine Garnet has been mined in several locations around the world and is often given a different name based on where it is found.
The name is said to have been derived from the writing of Pliny the Elder who wrote of a stone coming from an Asian town called Alabanda. Often you will read Almandine Garnet incorrectly spelt as Almandite.
In Sri Lanka where ...
One of the oldest Garnets recorded by man, this beautiful gem was featured in writings by the Roman historian Pliny the Elder.
| Faceted Almandine Garnet |
The name is said to have been derived from the writing of Pliny the Elder who wrote of a stone coming from an Asian town called Alabanda. Often you will read Almandine Garnet incorrectly spelt as Almandite.
In Sri Lanka where ...
Article - Gemstones - Agate
Agate
This gemstone has been prized since antiquity and is a variety of Chalcedony, which in turn is a member of the Quartz family.
It was given its name by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher who is believed to have discovered the gem on the banks of the river Achates in the 4th century BC. The gemstone was later mentioned in the Bible as one of the “stones of fire”.
Made from silicon dioxide, it has a glassy (vitreous) lustre, and registers 7 in hardness on the Mohs scale. Being such a hard stone, Agate is often used to make brooches and pins. Additionally, as it can also resist acids (unlike a lot of other gemstones) it has been used to make mortars and pestles to ...
This gemstone has been prized since antiquity and is a variety of Chalcedony, which in turn is a member of the Quartz family.
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| Agate Jewellery |
Made from silicon dioxide, it has a glassy (vitreous) lustre, and registers 7 in hardness on the Mohs scale. Being such a hard stone, Agate is often used to make brooches and pins. Additionally, as it can also resist acids (unlike a lot of other gemstones) it has been used to make mortars and pestles to ...
Article - Gemstones - Paua Shell (Abalone)
Paua Shell (Abalone)
A gemstone created in the sea, with a fusion of blues and greens. Just like the ocean’s waves with swirling and rolling in beautiful patterns.
Considered a delicacy by many throughout the world, the Abalone, or Ear Shell, is a Gastropod: a member of the Mollusc family of sea creatures. The creature has a univalve shell, similar to the Limpet and attaches itself to rocks or structures under the sea by suction.
The shell of the Abalone is used in jewellery, and the exceptional and mesmerising colours of the shell are a ...
| Abalone Shell - Polished |
Considered a delicacy by many throughout the world, the Abalone, or Ear Shell, is a Gastropod: a member of the Mollusc family of sea creatures. The creature has a univalve shell, similar to the Limpet and attaches itself to rocks or structures under the sea by suction.
The shell of the Abalone is used in jewellery, and the exceptional and mesmerising colours of the shell are a ...
Article - Gemstones - Abalone (Paua Shell)
Abalone (Paua Shell)
A gemstone created in the sea, with a fusion of blues and greens. Just like the ocean’s waves with swirling and rolling in beautiful patterns.
Considered a delicacy by many throughout the world, the Abalone, or Ear Shell, is a Gastropod: a member of the Mollusc family of sea creatures. The creature has a univalve shell, similar to the Limpet and attaches itself to rocks or ...
| Abalone Shell - Polished |
Considered a delicacy by many throughout the world, the Abalone, or Ear Shell, is a Gastropod: a member of the Mollusc family of sea creatures. The creature has a univalve shell, similar to the Limpet and attaches itself to rocks or ...
Saturday, 28 April 2012
Article - Precious Metals - Gold
About Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from Latin: aurum "gold") and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element. It is one of the least reactive solid chemical elements. The metal therefore occurs often in free elemental (native) form, asnuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Less commonly, it occurs in minerals as gold compounds, usually with tellurium.
Gold resists attacks by individual acids, but it can be dissolved by the aqua regia (nitro-hydrochloric acid), so named because it ...
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from Latin: aurum "gold") and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element. It is one of the least reactive solid chemical elements. The metal therefore occurs often in free elemental (native) form, asnuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Less commonly, it occurs in minerals as gold compounds, usually with tellurium.
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| Gold Crystals |
Gold resists attacks by individual acids, but it can be dissolved by the aqua regia (nitro-hydrochloric acid), so named because it ...
Article - Precious Metals - Silver
About Silver
Silver is a beautiful pliable precious metal. Did you ever wonder what Sterling Silver means or the stamp 925 you may have seen on jewelry or seen quoted in a description of a silver piece.
Well basically, only Silver of a certain quality or more accurately, purity, can be referred to as Sterling Silver. Only metal which is at least 92.5% pure Silver can be called Sterling Silver. So you can probably guess what the numbers 925 means, and is synonymous with the term Sterling Silver.
So, Sterling Silver (925) is 92.5% pure silver, but what about the rest of the metal? Well, because Silver is a pretty soft metal, the remaining 7.5% of the metal alloy is made with other ...
Silver is a beautiful pliable precious metal. Did you ever wonder what Sterling Silver means or the stamp 925 you may have seen on jewelry or seen quoted in a description of a silver piece.
So, Sterling Silver (925) is 92.5% pure silver, but what about the rest of the metal? Well, because Silver is a pretty soft metal, the remaining 7.5% of the metal alloy is made with other ...
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