Jewelry

Gold is a beautiful and imperishable metal.Pure (100%) gold is too soft, and it is usually mixed with other metals (gold alloys) to make it stronger and more usable for jewelry. The metals that are mixed with pure gold for strength can also modify the color of gold resulting in different shades of yellow, white, and pink.

KARATS - Indicate the amount of pure gold in the metal. Abbreviation: kt

24K gold is pure gold.
18K = 75% gold.
14K = 58.3% gold.
12K = 50% gold.
10K = 41.7% gold

USA :

9 kt = 37.5%
10 kt = 41.7%
14 kt = 58.5%
18 kt = 75%
24 kt = 100%

World Wide :

375 = 37.5%
417 = 41.7%
585 = 58.5%
750 = 75%
999 =100%

The platinum group metals (PGM), comprise six closely related metals: Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Ruthenium, Iridium and Osmium.

Platinum has a deep luster and a rich, white color. It is rarer, heavier and denser than all precious metals and considered to be more valuable than gold.

Platinum is often used to set the most valuable gems to produce the finest jewelry because it holds gemstones most securely and it neutral color enhances the brilliance and depth of diamonds and precious stones.

In the United States platinum is usually marked: PT or PLAT
In Europe, it is marked: 950 or PT950

Platinum Group Metals (PGM)
Palladium (Pd)

Sterling silver is often characterized as pure silver, when in fact it is a silver alloy. Pure silver, also called fine silver, is defined as 99.9% pure silver, but is too soft for most uses. Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver, with the remaining 7.5% being another metal, most often copper. The addition of the less costly metal - often called a base metal - serves to harden the resulting alloy so that the metal can be cast into shapes that it will retain with use.MARKS - percentage of pure silver

General -Sterling Silver

American - 925
European - 935
French - 800
Russian - 88 or 84

Shapes
Deciding on a shape is a very important step in the selection process of your diamond. Following are some examples of the classic shapes of diamonds

Round
The round brilliant diamond is the most popular diamond shape, the most brilliant of all the cuts, and is the most expensive.Round diamonds are most often found in engagement rings and are popular as stud earrings and in pendants.

Princess
Most people like the Princess because it is rectangular and yet has some of the sparkle of a Round brilliant cut.The princess cut may have either 50 facets (21 crown, 4 girdle, 25 pavilion) or 58 facets (21 crown, 4 girdle, 33 pavilion), depending on how the pavilion is cut. This cut is most frequently a square shape where the length to width ratio is 1.0 to 1.1.The princess cut tends to be the smallest of the shapes for the same carat weight since the cut is basically an upside-down pyramid with most of the carat weight in the pavilion. Princess cut requires great care when setting and needs to be protected to avoid chipping or cracking.

Oval
Ovals provide a bigger surface area than a round with the same carat weight and therefore are an excellent option for shoppers looking for a brilliance of the round but a bigger size for their dollar.Usually oval cut has the standard 58 facet pattern. Look for even, well rounded ends with a full body having an optimal length-to-width ratio of 1.33-1.66.

Emerald
The emerald cut is not a brilliant cut, but is called a step cut. Step cuts are comprised of larger facets which act like mirrors. Because of the angle, size and shape of the facets, the emerald cut shows less brilliance than the other brilliant cut diamonds.However, the emerald cut stone reveals a classic beauty and elegance not seen in other cuts. Because of the open and large facets, we recommend a higher color and clarity than you might consider for a brilliant cut stone because they are more likely to become visible at lower grades.

Pear
The Pear Shaped Brilliant is a combination of a Round brilliant and a Marquise cut.The pear shape usually has the 58 facet brilliant pattern, but can be cut with different numbers of pavilion mains of 8,7,6, or 4 facets. In a pear, look for a well-shaped point and an even shaped opposite end with a length-to-width ratio of 1.50-1.75. Pear-shaped diamonds work great for pendants and drop earrings.

Heart
The heart shape is a brilliant cut and bears some similarity to the pear shape, except that there is a cleft at the top. It is important to look for a perfectly symmetrical appearance where the lobes (top arches) are of even height and breadth, and the overall shape is pleasing to the eye.

Marquise
The name "Marquise" came from a legend of the Marquise of Pompadour that the Sun King wanted a Diamond to be polished into the shape of the mouth of the Marquise! The marquise is typicaly cut into 58 facet standard brilliant (33 crown, 25 pavilion), the same as the round brilliant. The crown cut is sometimes modified in the marquise to form what is called a "French Tip," where the bezel facet at the point of the stone is eliminated. Marquise diamonds frequently display a bow tie, so try to find a stone in which this is minimal or absent. The marquise has a very big surface area for the carat weight so it's an excellent option if you want a big, long look for less dollars.