Trends come and go, however high quality jewelry is hear for generations. Over the decades I have wasted money on trendy trinkets and where is that crap today? Some land fill somewhere, maybe, that is not very environment friendly. Oh my goodness such a waste of money. I wish there was someone around to teach me about the finer things in life. What is gold? What is silver? what is silver-like? What is crap and what is an investment piece? I will answer some of these questions on this page.

Gold is usually hardened by alloying with other metals; it also often occurs in nature as an alloy. The gold content of an alloy is stated in carats; by definition, pure gold is 24 carats, and thus a 75% gold alloy is 18 carats. Gold is found widely distributed, mostly in metallic form as dust, grains, flakes, or nuggets. It occurs in quartz veins or lodes, usually in association with silver or other metals, and in alluvial placer deposits. Chief producers are South Africa, Russia, Canada, and the U.S.

• 24 karat = 100% Gold
• 22 karat = 91.7% Gold
• 18 karat = 75.0% Gold
• 14 karat = 58.3% Gold
• 10 karat = 41.6% Gold

Where a quality mark such as "14K" for a gold alloy or ".925" for sterling silver has been applied to a precious metal article:

• the quality mark must truly and correctly indicate the quality of the precious metal article;
• the quality mark must be a mark prescribed by the regulations; and
• the article must also bear a trade-mark that has been applied for, or registered with the Registrar of Trade-marks in Canada.

The trade-mark is not required if the article has been quality marked in a foreign country and bears a government assay mark which is recognized by the Competition Bureau.

An article that has been stamped, branded, engraved or imprinted with a quality mark must bear a trade-mark that is applied in the same manner.

Before purchasing 925 silver there are a couple of very important facts to know. Generally when the piece of jewelry is shiny and brilliant there may be a couple of reasons for that.
a)It has been freshly polished and/or
b)It has been dipped in rhodium (a derivative of platinum).

What is Rhodium Plating? The standard for plating is only ten micro inches (.25 microns, a human hair follicle is 100 microns) in both Canada and the USA. It is very basic and after several wears it flakes. I am sure that this has happened to you or someone you know. The more the micro inches, obviously, the better. When the product has about 40 micro inches it becomes one micron.

Now we are talking about quality. It is much less likely to flake. But do keep in mind that it is still rhodium plating not platinum. Otherwise that sticker price would be much higher that the value of your car. It does need special care if you want to keep it for a long time. Apply all body lotions, perfumes and cleansers before wearing the jewelry because the ingredients in cosmetic products will corrode the plating. If the sales person can not tell you about the plating walk away. Personally, I will only buy 925 sterling silver with at least two microns. I also have to love the piece to death.

When a piece calls itself "silver like" it is generally not real silver. If I happen to see something I adore and claims to be silver and does not have a 925 stamp, I let it go without hesitation. Regardless how fabulous it looks for all I know it could be just nickel or worse, 'lead'. I do sometimes like 925 silver jewelry granted it has a sizable semi-precious stone. I love the look it gets over time as it ages (oxidizes) it gets that antique patina. It becomes a conversation piece. People sometimes think that it is an heirloom passed down to me.

Unlike gemstones produced deep inside the earth, pearls are created by living creatures called mollusks. Mollusks live in marine or freshwater environments, and even on land. They have soft, fleshy bodies protected by shells, and we know them by their common names—such as clams, oysters, scallops, mussels, and snails.

Any mollusk that produces a shell can produce a pearl. Nevertheless, while there are more than 100,000 kinds of mollusks, only a few types, usually those with two shells (called bivalves) commonly produce pearls. Pearls from snails and other single-shelled animals are quite rare, indeed.

Pearls are much softer than other hard gemstones (between 2.5 and 4.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness) and can be easily scratched and damaged by metals or chemicals. Because they contain organic material and water, pearls can also crack if exposed to excessive dryness.

• Store them in a soft cloth sack (an old cotton sock works well), separate from metallic necklaces, which could scratch them.
• Never clean your pearls in an ultrasonic cleaner. Vibrations can shatter them, especially if the nacre is thin or cracked
• Do not use chemical cleaners, especially those containing ammonia and bleach, which will destroy their lustre.
• Remove your pearls before washing dishes, doing housework, or applying perfume or hair spray. Chemicals like these can discolor or damage your pearls.
• Do not wear your pearls in swimming pools with chlorinated water.
• Avoid contact with foods containing acids.
• Expose your pearls regularly to humid conditions. If you store your pearls in a safe, place a glass of water in the compartment with them.

• Wipe your pearls with a soft cloth after wearing
• Sponge the surface of your pearls occasionally with mild soapy water; contrary to popular belief, the acidic oils and perspiration from human skin can damage the surface of a pearl.
• Have pearls restrung periodically (once every two years), especially if worn frequently. Most jeweler's use silk thread with knots tied between the pearls to prevent abrasion and ensure that all are not lost if the string breaks.

• Natural Pearls are made without human interference.
• Cultured Pearls are made when a foreign substance is intentionally inserted into a living oyster.
• Baroque Pearls have irregular shapes.
• Black Pearls are gray to black in colour.
• Freshwater Pearls which form in fresh water mollusks and resemble puffed rice.
• Mabe Pearls are cultivated blister pearls.

Pearls vary in color from white to those with a hint of color, often pink, to brown or black. Each coloration will depend on the type of mollusk and the water where the mollusk lived. Because the nacre is organic, pearls are very sensitive to extreme heat, acids, dryness, and humidity. Care should be taken when storing them.

Pearls are quite "soft" and range between 2.5 and 4.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. They should be protected from extreme wear.

Jewellery is an item of personal adornment, such as a necklace, ring, brooch or bracelet, that is worn by a person. It may be made from gemstones or precious metals, but may be from any other material, and may be appreciated because of geometric or other patterns, or meaningful symbols. Earrings and other body rings are also considered to be jewellery, while body art is not. Also, items affixed to a garment, such as buttons, are not considered to be jewellery, even if they are unusual and highly decorative. Also, items such as belts and handbags etc. are not considered to be jewellery, and are considered to be accessories.

The word jewellery is derived from the word jewel, which was anglicised from the Old French "jouel" circa the 13th century. Further tracing leads back to the Latin word "jocale", meaning plaything. Jewellery is one of the oldest forms of body adornment; recently found 100,000 year-old beads made from Nassarius shells are thought to be the oldest known jewellery.

Jewellery is sometimes seen as wealth storage or functionally as holding a garment or hair together. It has from very early times also been regarded as a form of personal adornment. The first pieces of jewellery were made from natural materials, such as bone, animal teeth, shell, wood and carved stone. More exotic jewellery was probably made for wealthy people or as indications of social status. In some cases people were buried with their jewellery.

Jewellery has been made to adorn nearly every body part, from hairpins to toe rings and many more types of jewellery. While high-quality jewellery is made with gemstones and precious metals, such as silver or gold, there is also a growing demand for art jewellery where design and creativity is prized above material value. In addition, there is the less costly costume jewellery, made from lower value materials and mass-produced. Other variations include wire sculpture (wrap) jewellery, using anything from base metal wire with rock tumbled stone to precious metals and precious gemstones.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.