Ci-Xi, the second to last empress of China. She was renowned for her perfect complexion, and attributed it to powdered pearl medicine. Pearls have long been valued for […]
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Born with a Silver Spoon
Silver was once valued in the ancient world for its medicinal properties. The Phoenicians observed that food items stored in silver vessels stay fresh for […]
The Science of Sparkle
Because of its highly uniform and tightly latticed carbon structure, diamonds dramatically slow down light passing through it. Light travels in a vacuum at about […]
Killer Green Diamonds
Diamonds can be irradiated to achieve a green hue. While this process is completely safe now, when it was first developed many diamonds were accidentally […]
Commodity as Currency
The Athenian Obol, Athen’s first standardized silver coin, depicts Athena on one side, and her symbol, the owl, on the other. -photo Wikipedia The use […]
Are Crystals Alive?
In 1943, Erwin Schrodinger, one of the founding figures in quantum mechanics, delivered a series of public lectures at Trinity College in Dublin, on a […]
The origin of Carat
The term Carat comes from the Carob seed, which was used to measure weight because all the seeds were uniform in mass. When slight differences […]
A Rock by any Other Name…
In popular culture, you hear diamonds referred to as “rocks,” but is this a scientifically sound description? Gemstones like diamond by definition (excluding organics like […]
Tektite – glass formed by meteor impact.
Natural glass such as obsidian is formed by heat and pressure in volcanic sites, however there are other naturally occurring glasses that are […]
How does Opal Form?
Opal is one of the most popular gemstones worldwide, however, unlike most stones, it is not a true mineral, and is classified as a mineraloid. […]
The Origin Of White Gold
White Gold is an alloy of Gold, Nickel, and Zinc (or Palladium), and is a relatively new alloy, compared to yellow, rose, and red colors, […]
Imperial State Crown of England
One of the more famous cases of a gemological slip-up, the Imperial State Crown of England features many beautiful and rare stones, including the 317 […]
Custom Designing Jewelry in Gold
For the most part, jewelry construction is done using traditional techniques of hand fabrication and lost wax casting, which dates back to the ancient Egyptians […]