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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Gemstones

Diamonds
If you're fortunate enough to be able to use gemstones in your designs or you're interested in using them, buying them or you just want to know, below is a short list of the best-known gemstones and a little bit about them:

Diamonds- the hardest substances on Earth. It can only be cut with diamond or diamond powder. There are various types. A diamonds color can range from yellow, brown, green (rare), blue, reddish to orange black. It is very rare. And, produces an optical effect that emanates a strong luster. Some famous diamonds are the 'Hope' Diamond, the 'Tiffany' Diamond and the 'Star of Africa' Diamond.

Ruby- "ruber" Latin for red color. Pure red with a hint of blue called "pigeons blood" is the most desirable, but varying degrees of red are also available. It is the hardest gemstone after diamond and very expensive. Some famous rubies are the 'Edwardes' ruby and the 'Peace' ruby. Of the Corundum Species.

Rubies


Sapphire- "blue" in Greek. Corundum gemstones of all colors, except red (rubies) are called sapphire. Sapphires have the same hardness as a rubies. A few famous sapphires are the "Star of India" a star cut sapphire, the "Midnight Star" a black sapphire and the "Star of Asia" a star sapphire. Also, of the Corundum Species.

Sapphires


Emerald- Greek "smaragdos" or "green stone". The most precious of the beryl group. It's color is incomparable. Of the Beryl Species.


Emeralds

Aquamarine- Latin "water of the sea". Dark blue is the most desired, but can also be found in light blue, dark blue and blue-green. Of the Beryl Species.

Aquamarine


Spinel- a group of related minerals. Greek "spark" or Latin "thorn". May occur in all colors, the most desired being ruby-like red.
Spinel

Topaz- the most common color is yellow with a red hue, but the most valuable being pink to red-orange.

Blue Topaz


Garnet- Latin for "grain", because the rounded crystals look like red pomegranate seeds. All colors are common, but the most popular are red pyrope and almandite.

Garnets



Zircon- Aramaic "golden colored". It has a lustrous and brilliant sheen. Includes all colors. The green zircons and those with a cat's-eye effect are the most prized.
Zircon


Quartz- Slavic for "hard", includes: Rock Crystal, Smoky Quartz, Amethyst, Amethyst Quartz, Citrine, Rose Quartz, Aventurine, Blue Quartz, Cat's-Eye, Tiger's-Eye and Hawk's-Eye.

Tiger's Eye
Rose Quartz
Citrine


Amethyst




Chalcedony- all cryptocrystalline quartz: Carnelian, Bloodstone, Agate, Onyx, Jasper, and Petrified Wood

Bloodstone
Agate
Carnelian
Petrified Wood


Opal- Sanskrit "stone": White Opal and Black Opal

White Opal


Jade- Spanish piedra de ijada or "hip stone". It was thought to protect  or cure the wearer from kidney disease. Mainly green, but all other colors have been found, as well.

Jade


Peridot- Arabic faridat "gem".

Peridot


Tanzanite- named after the African country of Tanzania. It's commonly found as ultramarine or sapphire blue. In the light it appears amethyst violet. Of the Zoisite Species.

Tanzanite


Hematite- Greek "blood". When cut it becomes red. When it is polished it becomes metallic and shiny.

Hematite


Pyrite- Greek "fire". If stroked against something it produces a spark. Also known as "fool's gold".

Pyrite


Moonstone- A white shimmer similar to moonshine with a luster. Of the Feldspar Group.

Moonstone



Labradorite- named after the Labrador peninsula in Canada where it is found. Lustrous metallic tones of blue and green. Of the Feldspar Group.

Labradorite


Rhodonite- Greek "rose colored". Appears rose-red to yellowish with stripes.

Rhodonite


Turquoise- means "Turkish stone" after the trade route to Europe from Turkey. It is usually interlaced with brown, gray and black veins.




Lapis Lazuli- Arabic and Latin "blue stone". It is composed of several other minerals including lazurite.It appears as the color lazur blue, violet and greenish-blue with spots.

Lapis Lazuli

For a more comprehensive look at gemstones and their varying colors, shapes and sizes try these books on for size:

Gemstones (Smithsonian Handbooks) by Cally Hall
Gemstones of the World: Newly Revised & Expanded 4th Edition by Walter Schumann
Gemstone Buying Guide, Second Edition: How to Evaluate, Identify , Select and Care for Colored Gems by Renee Newman

Friday, December 3, 2010

Metric Equivalency Chart

Sometimes when beading or making jewelry you'll run into a pattern that uses metric measurements rather that the U.S. unit of measurement. In that case, below is a chart to get you started with conversions from inches to centimeters and yards to meters. For lengths exceeding 30 inches and 10 yards or all half numbers see the links below.

Inches to Centimeters

1-in 2.5 cm
2 5.1
3 7.6
4 10.2
5 12.7
6 15.2
7 17.8
8 20.3
9 22.9
10 25.4
11 27.9
12 30.5
13 33.0
14 35.6
15 38.1
16 40.6
17 43.2
18 45.7
19 48.3
20 50.8


Yards to Meters

1 yard to 0.91 meters
2 1.83
3 2.74
4 3.66
5 4.57
6 5.49
7 6.40
8 7.32
9 8.23
10 9.14




World Wide Metric at http://www.worldwidemetric.com/measurements.html
Unit-Conversion at http://www.unit-conversion.info/metric.html