Jewellery News and Reviews

Gem cutting – How it has changed over the years (50% of the original rough diamond is lost during the cutting of a round brilliant gem)

How does a mass of mineral or crystal become an attractive diamond, ruby or sapphire? It’s an amazing process called gem cutting or lapidary and makes all the difference in the final value of the stone. It was developed first in Venice in the early 1300’s and was seen in Paris and Bruges in the mid-1400s.Great cutting is a precise art that catches the light just and captures the beauty of the gem. Poor cutting destroys it.

Most gems start out actually being sawed with a special lapidary saw into a rough shape, such as square, round, pear or marquise. It’s then ground with a diamond-infused wheel to further refine the shape. The gem cutter uses a series of finer and finer abrasives to get closer to the clear heart of the gem. Cabochon gems are polished to a smooth overall surface, sometimes held by hand, but more often fixed or “dopped” with wax or adhesive to a dowel to hold it while the lapidarist polishes the stone.

Transparent stones are most often faceted, a process where flat planes of the stone are cut and polished over the surface in a precise, symmetrical pattern. It’s critical that the planes match up perfectly, or the beauty of how the light is captured by the facets will be lost.
If a stone is cut to flat, the brilliance of the gem will also be lost. When a stone is properly faceted, it captures the light so it bounces around inside the stone, giving it the sparkle we love and that helps determine the value of the gem. If the stone is cut too flat, or the facets don’t meet precisely, the light doesn’t bounce off the angles in the facets to maximum effect.

Jewellery Thailand is one of the most popular in the world as Thailand is famous for Fine Jewelry and precious gem stones. IFC Jewelry in Chiang Mai Thailand produces one of the finest jewelry in the world, its customers includes many celebrities which can be viewed from their website at www.ifcjewelry.com - Jewelry ChiangMai

Buying jewellery such as charm bracelets should be an exercise in sheer pleasure, right? We are talking about pure extravagance when it comes to jewellery, after all. You might feel as though you need a new piece of jewellery, but you never NEED jewellery, like you need food, clothing, water, or sleep. Choosing a charm can be quite a mission considering there are more styles of bracelets and charms than you can shake a stick at.

When picking out charms for bracelets or necklaces there are many things to consider, but rule No. 1 is to let your taste lead the way. Nothing else matters in the end.

When shopping for jewellery you should let your personal tastes and intuition decide, but there are other things to consider. It’s a good idea to establish a budget before stepping into a jewellery store or browsing online. Sure, it’s always fun to window shop and day dream a little, and with no shortage of high-end items on the market, you can spend a lifetime licking your chops. Sooner or later it will be time to get down to business and sift through the sea of bracelets, charms, links and pendants out there. Your heart is going to guide you to the charms that suit your style, while your budget will help narrow down the choices in terms of what material the jewellery is made from, and whether it’s from a known designer or unnamed.

Charms on a bracelet or necklace can really provide a window into a person’s soul, so wearing them is your chance to make a thoughtful statement about who you are. What do you want to put out there about yourself? The charms you choose might speak of your love for a hobby or pet, or even to express a passion for something personal or spiritual. It can be fun to build upon a theme in your jewellery when it comes to charms, using a favourite colour as a basis, or calling on symbols to express love, family, or friendship. The more focused you are on the style of charms you are after, the more likely you will be to find ones that you will be proud to put on display.

Once you have an idea of what you are looking for, it’s time to bring all of the elements together, by pairing your charms to bracelets. If you already have a favourite bracelet or necklace picked out, all the better. However, buying your bracelet and a selection of charms together means you can get them to compliment each other perfectly. The jewellery collection by Lovelinks includes the novel and fairly new slant on the charm bracelet with each stunning link unique in design. You can get Lovelinks bracelets in silver, gold and even leather.

Finally, like a new car, or new pair of jeans, a test drive is in order. When you put on your new charm bracelet and feel the confidence flowing, hear the compliments coming to you, and just have that wonderful positive sensation that only jewellery can bestow, you’ll know you have truly expressed your sense of taste and beauty.

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