Articles on Gemstones and Crystals | Blog primarily intended for articles on gems (gemstones), crystals and other precious stones by various writers, but many blog entries also submitted on stones for use as decoration, landscaping and other practical applications.

Emeralds – A Short Guide

Emeralds originate from a mineral called beryl, and are green as a result of traces of the element chromium. Some beryl with vanadium is also green, and in the US can be called emerald. This is not the case in Europe and the UK, where this mineral is not permitted to have the name emerald.

Geologists have a hardness scale for minerals, and it is called the Mohs scale of hardness. On this scale, emeralds are 7.5-8, the scale going up to a maximum of 10.

Most emeralds have inclusions, or imperfections within the gemstone itself, which means that they are weaker than those without inclusions and are not very resistant to breakage.

Emeralds without some form of inclusion are particularly rare, and because of this are very valuable. Tiny liquid-filled inclusions within the gemstone are known as ‘jardins’, and have the appearance of a garden.

The value of an emerald is determined, as with other gemstones, by the 4 ‘C’s. They are Color, Cut, Clarity and Crystal.

The majority of emeralds are treated with oils to improve their clarity. Cedar oil or synthetic oils may be used for this purpose. In the USA, emeralds which have been treated in this way must be disclosed as such at the time of sale.

Many countries have emerald mines, however the best-known is probably Colombia. It is in this country that a particularly rare type of emerald, the trapiche, is found. The trapiche emerald has carbon impurities which give it a six-pointed radial pattern inside the gemstone.

Pakistan, Austria and Egypt are also noted for their emerald mines, however many other places around the world have these mines.

Synthetic emeralds have been made by various processes, many of them consist of growing a layer of synthetic emerald over a small crystal of beryl.

Emerald is the traditional birthstone for the month of May, and also the traditional stone for the astrology signs of Taurus and Cancer. In some places, emeralds are traditionally given for the 55th wedding anniversary, and sometimes for the 20th and 35th wedding anniversary.

Major emeralds which have been discovered include the Gachala emerald from Colombia, which weighed 172g, and the 37.82 carat Chalk Emerald also from Colombia.

It is possible to cut an emerald into any one of a number of shapes, but the most popular is the ‘emerald cut’, as it shows off the gemstone so well. Other cuts can be oval, marquise, pear or round.

Read more facts about emeralds and emerald rings at Sarah Carter’s site Emerald Rings Guide. You can also get facts on antique emerald rings. This article, Emeralds – A Short Guide is available for free reprint.

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Color Sealing Dirty Tile Grout Offers A Better Solution Than Staining.

There are three common ways to help clean and maintain your grout: Steam cleaning, color staining, and color sealing grout. After researching the three methods I found one is far superior to the others.

Grout is made of a mixture of sand and cement so it is a very absorbent material. Steam cleaning and just cleaning the grout will help remove some stains, but can actually damage the grout. Steam cleaning will break down the mixture and cause the grout to become more porous. This causes the stains to sink deeper into the grout making it tougher to clean.

Another choice to repair dirty grout is to color stain the grout. This process is a quick fix to the overall problem. Color staining grout will make the grout look new again, but does not seal the grout lines. Therefore, the grout continues to be very porous when using the method of color staining. Staining the grout alone can allow for bacteria and other liquids to penetrate the grout; causing the grout to discolor, crack and sometimes cause a bad odor.

The most effective solution to cleaning your dirty grout is to color seal the grout. By color sealing the grout you get a beautiful match to your tile and are free from stains and bacteria. Color sealing guarantees that your grout will never crack, chip, or peel. Once the color sealant is down cleaning is simple. Any household cleaner will do the job. Just wet-mop the floor and towel dry for a perfect looking grout.

In conclusion, I found that color sealing your grout gives you the best solution for dirty grout. Color sealant can be color matched to any shade, seals out unwanted stains and bacteria, and last forever. Steaming cleaning and color staining will definitely help your grout look better but not for very long. A quality grout sealant is by far the best way protect and to make your grout lines new again.

Learn more about how to clean your dirty grout. Stop by Jeff Peters’s site where you can find out all about color sealant and what it can do for you.

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The Art And Science Of Gemstone Energy Medicine

Gemstone energy medicine is the art and science of bringing health and harmony to all aspects of your body and being. It employs therapeutic-quality gemstones or oral remedies imparted with the energies of these gemstones. By using these gemstones or gemstone remedies in certain ways, you can help prevent, treat, and diagnosis health conditions. These benefits are gained by working with the gemstones in the body’s energy field. This energy field includes the aura that surrounds the body, plus the energetic counterparts of physically manifested tissue.

Gemstone energy medicine is based on the principle “as above, so below.” The energy field of the body exists “above” at a higher vibration than physical tissue. Another underlying premise is that the energetic condition of tissue and cells precedes its physical manifestation. Health concerns, diseases, weaknesses, pain, even injuries are caused first by disturbances in the energetic fabric. When you correct these disturbances, then health and harmony follows in the physical tissue.

Gemstone energy medicine also works at the emotional, karmic, and mental levels of your being. Here are found the energetic roots that cause energetic disharmony in the first place. Thus gemstone energy medicine is ideal not only for treatment of manifested health issues, but also for preventive therapy. If you use the gemstones or gemstone remedies that you are attracted to, disharmony at higher levels of your being will be corrected before it manifests physically.

Gemstone energy medicine practitioners respect the innate intelligence of the body, and recognize that intelligence exists at various levels and body centers. Levels of intelligence include the molecular, cellular, organ, organ system, and whole body, as well as the emotional, karmic, mental, and spiritual. Intelligence centers include the heart, head, stomach, and more specifically, each of the chakra centers.

Using gemstone therapy to clear and open these intelligence centers helps a person make better choices in all aspects of life, such as what foods to eat, what to do when challenged by relationship problems, how to succeed financially, what therapies will best treat a certain health condition, and even which gemstones to use for self-therapy.

Advanced gemstone therapy students learn how to diagnose the energetic causes of health conditions. When you apply therapeutic gemstones in the aura, the energies of the patient’s body moves them in certain archetypical ways. Because each of these movements describe what is going on a person’s energetic fabric, a gemstone therapist can determine the types of energetic anomalies and imbalances that underlie a physical health condition.

A gemstone therapist can also study the gemstones that a patient’s energy field is calling for and how strong this attraction is, as well as the purpose of these gemstones and their anatomical targets. Doing so paints a picture of the energetic nature of a disharmony and suggests how to neutralize it.

Gemstone energy medicine works energetically, and is therefore considered a complementary modality. It can be safely applied with allopathic medicine, naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, flower remedies, herbs, massage, cranial-sacral therapy, homeopathy, psychotherapy, and others. Gemstone energy medicine provides fundamental energetic support to enhance the benefits a patient receives from these other therapies.

Isabelle is the founder of Gem Stone Therapy Institute and an international expert on gemstone energy medicine. In the 1980′s, Isabelle pioneered gem stone sphere therapy and wrote her first book, “Gifts of the Gemstone Guardians,” published under the name Ginny Katz , co-authored by Michael Katz. She’s also an intuitive healer. Visit her Gem Stone Therapy website to sign up for a free home study class.

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Black Diamond Ring – Give Her A Unique Diamond That Will Last Forever

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend; black diamonds are a girl’s best friend forever. With an increasing number of celebrity personalities taking a liking to black diamonds, they have been becoming even more fashionable than ever.

Most people are unaware, but there are two types of black diamonds. The first kind contains graphite which gives it its black coloring. It is something that occurs naturally, making it extremely rare; this natural type of black diamond is also a bit more fragile than their white cousins. Then the other type is one that has been given a bit of an enhancement to make the diamond black. These are a bit more durable than the natural kind.

Diamonds, which have been mined for centuries, are very valuable, and their colored counterparts are even more valuable because of their rarity. It is advisable to buy a black solitaire style natural black diamond ring if you want to get a natural black kind of diamond. It will last longer than other forms of the diamond. If you get one of these on a ring with a matching band, it makes a wonderful gift for Christmas, birthdays, or anniversaries. In fact, some people think that investing in a precious stone means you think the relationship is of equal preciousness.

The colors vary between natural and enhanced diamonds of a black color. There are even variations between irradiated stones and natural stones. If you are choosing your stones examine them in various light settings to ensure that they are a pleasing combination before having them placed in a setting. You can also safely and easily accent any black diamond ring with clear ones as well! Pick a setting that complements the stones. A titanium or white gold setting will set off the black beauties. If you enjoy a traditional look try it with yellow gold.

Despite diamonds having the reputation of being indestructible, you will want to treat them gently regardless. When you store them wrap them in a sot cloth. They can scratch each other as well as additional jewelry they come in contact with. You might even want to get a separate box for your ring itself. When cleaning it, make sure you take care to do it right. If necessary, have the cleaning done by a professional, because if you accidentally use sonic cleaner, your black stone will turn into nothing but chips and pieces.

A black diamond ring is truly a thing of beauty and a lasting forever gift. With the proper care it will be an heirloom to pass on to future generations. It makes a lovely fashion statement and is a unique jewelry item to enjoy.

One of the most unique pieces of jewelry you can get is the black diamond necklace. No one is able to say no to the stunning allure of any sort of black diamond.

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Diamond Pendants – Beauty In A Wide Array Of Styles

No other piece of jewelry (aside from a ring) tells her you care like a diamond pendant. No girl or woman is ever disappointed with a beautiful pendant necklace, and you are sure to love the look on her face when she receives it.

Before you decide to head out and buy a pendant, you should keep a few things in mind. First, what type of chain would your special woman like? Is she a fan of silver or is she more partial to gold, white gold or even platinum? Once you decide what the base material will be when you are shopping it’s time to address the style.

There are dozens of gorgeous designs with variations available which can make choosing the perfect one difficult. Look through diamond pendant designs or browse around a few shops until you find a look that catches your eye. Journey and heart designs are always very popular, and almost any woman is bound to love them. Looking through all of your choices is a great way to go about deciding which is best for the woman you love.

Once you’ve chosen a style and a material for the setting it’s time to set out and do the actual shopping. Remember that this gift is meant to be a lasting symbol of your love, so take your time when choosing the perfect necklace from the dozens of styles you find. A lot of experts feel that the best thing to do when shopping for diamond jewelry is to take a look at the loose stones available in a shop. Even if you don’t plan to use a loose stone to create custom jewelry, it will give you a good idea of the quality of diamonds available at each jeweler.

After you have finally decided on the jeweler you will use, it is time to seriously look through their pieces. Take your time, make note of the ones you like and if time permits, make frequent visits during different times of day so you can see how the stone reacts to varying amounts of sunlight.

Jewelry are a long lasting sign of love, so make sure that you put a strong effort into finding the perfect one. Whatever type you choose — simple and elegant or extravagant and eye-popping — you can rest peacefully because your significant other is sure to adore it. Diamond pendants are an investment that will be passed through your family for ages to come, so take your time and revel in the love and joy that will surround your gift for an eternity.

Some jewelry is gorgeous no matter the style. Diamond pieces are never a bad gift choice for the woman that you love.

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Guides When Striving To Shop For Rough Diamonds Jewelries

Real diamonds are women’s best friends. The most crucial jewelry and accessories almost always have diamonds as gemstones. Diamonds are recognized as the hardest substance on earth. They can’t always be cut and damaged effortlessly. Diamonds are used to cut some other diamonds.

In addition to that property, diamonds are believed as one of the most essential beautiful substances on the planet. The material is not an element because it isn’t pure, yet it is known to be an item of the pressure applied to carbon. Diamond jewelries aren’t easily found in mines and it’s very rare that explorers and miners are lucky enough to find diamond mines.

Rough real diamonds are diamonds in their unaltered condition. Rough diamonds are literally rough simply because they are not yet cut and smoothed for jewelry reasons. Jewelers and manufacturers endeavor to secure and acquire diamonds in their rough condition. That is because they are going to cut the substance according to their pattern plan. They then pattern the rough diamond based on the pattern and match the stone to the precious jewelry they choose.

Jewelers aren’t the mainly individuals who usual get rough diamond jewelry. You could also make an effort to try to acquire such items. If you’re aiming to modify your diamond jewelry based on your own models and preferred shapes, then, it is high time you purchase rough diamond jewelry. Here are a few useful tips that may assist you when buying rough diamonds on the market.

First one, make sure to make transactions with authorized and popular traders. Rough diamonds will still be pricey even when they’re not yet cut and formed. Hence, expect to shoulder a large investment on the purchase transaction. You need to stay clear of dubious and unreliable sources since you may possibly result in purchasing artificial diamonds.

Next, secure experts’ advice. If you’re able to bring a specialist with you while doing the transaction, the better. Specialists may easily notify whether the product is reputable or whether the price tag is practical and appropriate.

Thirdly, make the lawful and crucial actions to ensure that your own rough diamond won’t be exchanged or altered when you take it to a jeweler for personalization.

Rough diamonds aren’t yet shaped and smoothed but they have the possibility to be pricey. Rough diamond jewelries are excellent purchases since they’re inexpensive and are more practical. You’re able to do whatever you like with these diamond jewelries.

Looking to find the best deal on diamond earrings, then visit www.1st-jewelrydesign.com to find the best advice on labret jewelry for you.

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Guidelines When Purchasing Gemstones

Individuals have always fallen in love with gemstones. This happens because these products are almost always breath taking and are absolutely exquisite. Gemstones are valuable because normally, their market appraisal is high. Hence, it’s expected that you need to allot a substantial investment if you try to buy any kind of gemstone.

When purchasing gemstones, it is necessary that you just first seek to be knowledgeable about the task. You can easily acquire such items on the market when you have a lot of money. But if your assets are limited and you are seeking to get the best deals, then, you have to familiarize yourself with several guidelines of what sort of purchase can be made worthwhile and practical. Below are great tips.

First of all, observe and look at the gemstone of your choice at all possible and viewable sides. You need to get a thorough ocular assessment of the product to see any problems such as uneven color distribution, presence of color zones, cutting problems and obvious inclusions. Problems discovered can reduce the value of the gemstone. If you need to buy a product at significant discount, be observant enough and check for any kind of sign of defects.

Second, be fascinated however don’t let your excitement show. You are encouraged to maintain your composure no matter how breath taking a gemstone. This strategy would certainly help you keep a sound and realistic judgment over the precious jewelry.

Third, don’t be intimidated by the overall appearance and presence of the agent. When the gender, nationality and age of the broker distracts you, probabilities are greater that you would only nod to what the broker ought to say and forget to affirm your side or your own judgment. If that happens, you will lose your power to secure a bargain.

Lastly, be patient to present your own offer for the gemstone towards the end or near the final result of the discussion. You ought to appear and sound firm on your stand so that the trader would assume your standing offer is the ultimate concession you could possibly offer.

As you purchase the gemstone, attempt to maintain it as a priced possession. You must be sure to consistently update yourself regarding the valuation of your possession so that anytime, as the need may happen, you could always have the option to dispose it. Gemstones are gorgeous. They will never fail to mesmerize the eyes of the beholder, so keep it safe the way you take care of your life.

Learn more about ruby jewelry. Stop by Yongshi Kristy’s site where you can find out all about amethyst jewelry and what it can do for you.

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What You Need To Know About Pearls And Why They Are Liked Better Than Diamonds

A while back, red carpet caliber of women were the most likely to have pearl jewelry more than any other type of accessories. Today they have become the epitome of glamour for any woman.

It was discovered that having small but consistent quantities of fresh water pearl powder inside your system would make your body look younger over time. This is because it has a natural way of shielding the body from attacks like disease and wrinkle. As a result, it prevents the skin from ageing faster.

The origin of the fresh water pearls is what determines their color. It is not any man’s job to set the color. This is because they are derived from fresh water mussels that by nature will give out anything from baby blue, pale grey, white and many other colors, which can match clothes.

Fresh water pearls come in very many interesting shapes and orientations. There are countless and suitable for art, dcor and jewelry.

Fresh water pearls can be small and it is available in shapes other than circular ones. They could be abstract. This is why they are just right for use in jewelry because jewelry is about aesthetics, glamour and class. Variety is therefore an ingredient of identity.

Other than the plain and common colors, fresh water pearls can be found in chic colors such as gold and silver. These metallic colors are good to match with the rest of your attire. They add a touch of class that will enhance the rest of your wardrobe. They are quite trendy if you think about it.

Fashion is like a system. In it, there are people who know how the system works and then, there are a select few who know how to work the system. Fresh water pearls will give you an unfair advantage over others due to its versatility brought about by colors and styles.

If you are tired of the ordinary and want to go a level higher, let that be known by wearing pearl necklaces. Whether they are gift items or shopping additions, flaunt it all alongside the best that your wardrobe has to offer.

Read more of this author’s work regarding subjects such as remote extender and hidden camera videos.

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Making Your Own Drink Coasters

by David Artstone

Beer coasters protect your desk, coffee table or the arm of your chair from dripping liquids, warps due to heat and scratches from cups, mugs or bottles. They are an essential bar accessory for every home or office. In fact beer coasters are needed every where drinks are served.

You can buy coasters from convenience shops or you can make one yourself. Of course it is very exciting to make your own beer coaster. Aside from the fun derived from the activity, you will also learn how to use discarded or waste material to make useful things for your home.

Simple beverage coasters can be made from the common material slate. Slate is an environmentally friendly material made from fine grained rock. Some of the common materials made from slate include roofing sheets and snooker tables. So we are going to make beer coasters from this hard and durable material.

For this activity you will need a piece of slate about the size of your palm, felt, glue and chalk. Once you have them ready we move to the next stage.

Pick up your slate piece and then draw a circle to the size of how you want your coasters to be. Usually, you will want to have something about the size of the base of a bottle or glass. Next, place the slate on a hard surface and gradually cut out the circle from the rest of the slate. Do not cut right on the circle but a little farther. If you do not get a perfect circle, you can use sandpaper or smooth it out later.

After you get your desired shape for your drink coasters, you will apply a small amount of glue at the reverse side of the circular slate coaster and affix a piece of felt. Felt is s a rubber like piece of material that looks like rubber and waterproof. The idea of attaching felt is to protect your furniture from possible scratches and abrasions or from the glass or mug. As mentioned, slate is primarily rough in nature and can damage polished wood if dragged along it.

So that is another way to make your own coasters from inexpensive material.

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