Jewelry purchases online

Jewelry purchases are increasing in leaps and bounds with Americans spending over $50 billion each year on such items as jewelry and watches. Instead of spending hours going through malls and scouting out the perfect earrings and necklaces, consumers can shop for jewelry in the comfort of their own homes.

When shopping for jewelry, it's important to have an understanding of the fundamental materials and stones. The following information should be of help with your purchase:

Materials: Yellow Gold - Pure gold (24 kt. gold) is too soft to use in jewelry, so it is combined with silver to form a metal mixture consisting of 14 kt. gold.

White Gold - White gold is has no color and won't tarnish, and is usually a mixture of gold and nickel.

Sterling Silver - Silver is too soft for use in jewelry, so silver is combined with 7.5% of other metals (usually copper) to produce sterling silver.

Platinum - A gorgeous silver-white color, platinum occurs as an alloy in nature. It's tarnish-resistant qualities and durability make it a favorite material for fine jewelry.

Gemstones: There are a wide variety of gemstones in jewelry. There are everything from diamonds to garnets and emeralds to sapphires. Gemstones add glitter to all kinds of jewelry from earrings to rings. Numerous jewelers use simulated gemstones which offer the sparkle of the "real thing" at a far lesser price.

Give Them Diamonds

Everyone Loves Diamonds…
When they said that diamonds are a girl's best friend, they weren't joking. Women love diamonds for their brilliance and for what they represent, and men like diamonds for the elegance and class associated with the gems. No matter whom you're shopping for, especially if it's yourself, you can't go wrong with diamonds. A diamond watch is a gift that anyone would love to own.

How to Decide Where to Buy and How Much to Spend
If you need to keep the time anyway, why not do it in style? But shopping for diamond watch is never easy. Every jewelry store is competing with all the others, and you hear so many horror stories about this jewelry store and that. You hardly know which store to go to when they all make each other out to be crooks. When every jewelry store advertises that the competition doesn't know what they're doing, who are you supposed to trust? And diamond watches are so expensive, many of the prices found in the jewelry stores are just too much to pay.

A little Internet shopping might be the first thing you'll want to check out, because even if you don't buy you can get some different prices to comparison shop with. In most locations, the Sunday edition of the newspaper is filled with ads for jewelry stores. It is always easier to buy something when it's on sale, and the Sunday sales ads offer great bargains. The colorful displays will give the casual shopper a good idea of what's being offered, also.

The Right Diamonds for You
Diamond lovers talk of clarity, carat, and cut, but in truth the best diamond to buy is the one that you absolutely love. If it sings to you, and you can afford it, then you should take the plunge. What's the point of having something attractive if you don't completely adore it? A quality diamond is the one that looks the best to you. After all, a beautiful diamond watch is an item that can be passed down through generations, and will always be treasured. The right diamond watch to pick is the one that you love, because either way you're going to be stuck with it for a long while yet.

The setting, the stones, the watch itself all must combine in just the right way. When all these different pieces come together to form the perfect whole, you will know it right away. The watch that strikes you the most is the one you'll want to buy. Worrying about the cut and shape of the stones, the perfection and size, is less important than the general appeal and effect of the whole piece.

If you're buying diamonds for someone else, try to put yourself in their shoes. Think about their taste and style in other jewelry that they're worn or purchased, and mimic this as much as possible. In any case, a diamond watch is a gift that anyone will cherish for a lifetime. A beautiful diamond watch will be cherished all the more, and buying someone a gift that they would have picked out for themselves, if they could have, is a gesture that will never be forgotten.

The Gift They'll Always Remember
Large or small, diamonds are always fashionable. A diamond watch is a great gift to give to yourself or someone close to you, and it should last you a lifetime. After all, doesn't everyone love diamonds? Some can afford to buy the very best, and that's always to be encouraged. Others must live on a budget, but that doesn't mean everyone doesn't want to buy elegant things or give precious gifts. Doing a little shopping around will help you determine what kind of watch you can afford to purchase, and at least you'll have done your homework before you venture inside your local jewelry store. Giving someone a beautiful piece that will last them a lifetime is a gesture that won't soon be forgotten, and if you're shopping for yourself then you'll have something you can always cherish. The best purchase you can make is an educated one, so be sure to do plenty of shopping around before you commit. In any case, diamonds are going to be an expensive purchase, but they are considered to be something of an investment. You'll want to spend your money wisely, and come away with something that best suits you. st

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

In most traditional relationships, women expect their man to give them gifts of jewelry, and the men do so. Today, more women are paying special attention to giving jewelry to their men than ever before.

Giving jewelry to your spouse or romantic partner has always been a popular gift. Often holidays like Christmas, anniversaries and Valentine's Day prompt men to run to the jewelry store for something shiny and expensive. Imagine how much more valued this gift would be if given without a major holiday attached to it. Why not give your partner jewelry for no particular reason, other than love?

Diamonds are always popular when it comes to choosing jewelry, other gemstones or simply silver and gold can be just as popular. You probably know that each month has a gemstone that represents it, and those gemstones each have a symbolic meaning. If you really want to blow your partner away, select your jewelry for it's significance to a particular month (birthday or anniversary for example) or for another more personal meaning.

Here's a brief look at the gemstone for each month and their meanings.
January – garnet, represents faith and stability and is available in many colors, except blue
February – amethyst, represents sincerity and happiness and is royal purple in color
March – aquamarine, represents hope and bravery and is a blue-green or sea-green color
April – diamond, representing joy and innocence
May – emerald, represents peace and tranquility and is always green
June – pearl, standing for wisdom and pureness
July – ruby, represents passion and nobility and is always a beautiful red
August – period, stands for patience and has a yellowish-green color

September – sapphire, represents honesty and hope and is available in a variety of shades of blue
October – opal or tourmaline, represents confidence and sweet love
November – topaz or citrine, stands for friendship and faithfulness and both are brown through orange or yellow
December – turquoise, represents understanding and success. In 2002, the AGTA added Tanzanite as another December birthstone

As with any gift from the heart, presentation can count nearly as much as the gift. How would you feel if your beloved just tossed you the diamond ring and said "Gotcha something?" Now, what if they went to some amount of effort to present it to you? There movies and personal stories everywhere about how people have presented a special piece of jewelry to their spouse. Believe it or not, food is one of the most popular methods! People tend to place rings in champagne or other clear beverages or bake it into their special person's favorite pie or cake. What is often left out of these stories is the precautions you need to take. Make sure your loved one doesn't actually eat your gift, or worse, choke on it. Next, check with your jeweler about any physical precautions. Champagne will actually dissolve pearls and if you baked a ruby it may crack!

Giving the gift of a lifetime is a significant investment, and you shouldn't enter into it lightly. Do your research, make sure you know what you're buying, and how to make a good decision. You can visit the website for the Jewelry Information Center at www.jic.org for free advice on a variety of jewelry related topics.

Diamond Earrings: Superiority and Endurance

"A diamond is forever," as the old saying goes. The late actress Marilyn Monroe said it best: "a diamond is a girl's best friend." So much tribute has been paid to the everlasting glory of the diamond, which is among the most valuable (and expensive!) precious stones in existence. Is it any wonder then that diamond jewelry is so fashionable? Diamond earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets – many of these are regarded as works of art.

The diamond is the most unadulterated of all the gemstones composed of a single pure element. It is also the hardest transparent substance that exists. It is for this that the diamond stands as a symbol of strength, purity of spirit, and even physical chastity.

Diamond earrings first reached the height of fashion in Europe in the 18th century, just before the Renaissance era. To this day many people, even men, wear diamond earrings as a classy adornment. George Michael and Prince are only two of the many male celebrities who have been known to use diamonds as ear decorations. From time to time, David Beckham of soccer fame sports the odd diamond earring worth around $12,300.

Diamonds emphasize superiority and endurance. Unlike pearls they do not trap light, but reflect them -- projecting not just a glow, but a finely subtle ray of light upon the bearer's features. The light reflected by a diamond earring is often caught in the wearer's eye, hence you might notice a crafty sparkle in the eyes of women who wear finely-cut genuine diamond earrings.

Primarily, a diamond is graded by its 4 C's: the cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. These characteristics are taken into consideration in the crafting of the finest diamond earrings. Take these factors into consideration when picking out diamond jewelry.

Diamond earrings make the best gifts for loved ones who have an eye for quality, and deserve only the best in life. These accessories speak of the wearer's high-class taste and love for things of beauty.

A lover of Celtic jewelry

If you are a lover of Celtic jewelry, you possibility know about the different patterns and designs used in creating beautiful earrings, rings, pendants and bracelets that are a judicious blend of ancient history with a touch of modernity. Also known as the Claddagh jewelry, Celtic jewelries have different symbols and elaborate pattern that make them really out of this world. Celtic cross jewelry, Knot jewelry and claddagh jewelry are clinching the interests of jewelry fans with their exclusive designs and styles. That's why; men and women of all ages wear this jewelry with pleasure and delight.

Traditionally, Celtic crosses are made in abundance by jewelers that retain their importance till that. Historically, a Celtic cross brings greater understanding, wisdom and stamina for dealing trials and hardships of the life whereas; Celtic spiral denotes eternity and is quite popular among the believers. Thus, these are the most admired items of Celtic jewelry items

Representing true love and faith to each other, Celtic rings are the most sought wedding rings these days as they denote undying dedication and commitment to each other. Celtic bracelets are also a popular form of jewelry that carries great art called knots that symbolizes perpetuity. Friends also exchange such rings and bracelets to showcase their loyalty and common trust.

Diamond educations

Is it absolutely clear now?! Can you see it?! How could you possibly determine whether the diamond you are buying is worth for the cost and truly genuine?!
Below are some qualities of diamond which may be helpful for you.

In buying something there are things which you should consider. Whatever those things are of course the first thing you will check is the quality of a product.

How clean a diamond is reflects with its clarity. Whether if it has no blemishes or any insertions whenever it will be observe by the eye or by a magnifier.

To select a good quality when buying a diamond you should be familiar of some terms.

The blemishes which I have mentioned earlier are flaws on the surface of a diamond. If there's any missing piece that is what we call 'CHIP' and any scrape is what we can consider a 'SCRATCH.'

Any crack found is considered as a 'FRACTURE'. Sometimes during polishing stage there are fine lines being left which is called 'POLISHING LINES.' While the 'NATURAL' is the unpolished part.

In polishing a diamond you may encounter an 'EXTRA FACETS' which shouldn't be present. These are excess polished surfaces which messes up the symmetry of a diamond.

'BEARDING' on the other hand are tiny fractures that can be found on the edge of a diamond.

'INCLUSIONS/INSERTIONS' are some imperfection which may be found inside it.

If you happen to find black spots inside the gem it is 'CARBON', while a white spot i s called 'CRYSTAL'. An internal cracking is called 'FEATHER.' Tiny spots called 'PINPOINT' happened to be smaller than a crystal and a group of it is identified to as 'CLOUD' that gives large inclusion.

The instrument used to estimate a diamond is 'LOUPE.' Such instrument must be 10X magnification. The housing surrounding the lens must be black to avoid distorting the color.