Jewelry Knowledge
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What is a Gemstone? A natural gemstone is a mineral, stone, or organic matter that can be cut and polished or otherwise treated for use as jewelry. Gemstones are generally divided into two categories, precious and semiprecious. A precious gemstone has the following three qualities: 1. beauty 2. durability 3. rarity Meanwhile, semiprecious gemstones have only one or two of these qualities. A stone is considered a gem once it has been cut and polished. Sterling Silver Silver is one of the eight precious metals. Some jewelry is made from pure silver. The need for durability requires the use of an alloyed form of silver. The alloy most widely used in silver jewelry is sterling silver, which is 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. The addition of copper, makes these alloys prone to react with sulfurous gases in the atmosphere to form a surface film of tarnish. There are different ways to maintain and clean sterling silver. 1. Store sterling silver pieces in a plastic bag. 2. Place anti-tarnish strips in plastic bag with piece. 3. If already tarnished, clean with a polishing cloth. We have used polishing cloths and commercial brand silver tarnish removal liquids and have found the best results with polishing cloths. Our silver pieces tend to be delicate, and in our experience, liquid tarnish removers are too harsh and make the silver look ashy, stripping away the shine. I suspect they are best used with a heartier piece of sterling silver like a figaro chain. Types of Metals used for Jewelry? How Do I Clean Pearls? |