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Archive for the ‘Jewelry’ Category

Perhaps lapis lazuli is the oldest of the rocks to be considered a gemstone.  Its beautiful deep blue was prized by pharaohs in ancient Egypt and continues to be prized today. The finest specimens are lightly dusted with minute flecks of golden pyrite, which identify the stone as genuine.

The most beautiful lapis lazuli comes from Afghanistan, where the mines which are worked today might well have been in operation to get the stones for the pharaohs. Lapis has also been found in the Andes, and to some extent in Russia, Angola, Burma, Canada and in California and Colorado in the USA, but no stone from these places is the vibrant intense blue of that from Afghanistan.

The ancient Egyptians favored lapis lazuli for amulets and the Assyrians and Babylonians used it for seals.  Egyptian ladies used powdered lapis as eye shadow and the Romans thought it a powerful aphrodisiac.  Artists using blue colors in Medieval Illuminated manuscripts and Renaissance paintings found the ultramarine tempera paint derived from lapis lazuli to be very expensive. When oil paint was introduced during the Renaissance, artists found that the beautiful blue was diminished when mixed with oil, so the use of ultramarine declined.  Most artists today use synthetic versions of blue colors, but there are a few pigment companies that still produce the genuine ultramarine.

Lapis lazuli can polished to make beautiful jewelry, and can be carved into figurines, statuettes and vases.  Near the Euphrates River in the lower regions of Iraq, the ancient Sumerian tombs yielded thousands of carved artifacts of lapis lazuli, and in parts of Afghanistan, artisan craftsmen are still using this beautiful stone.

Clarity is an important aspect of a diamond, and it is important to know how to grade the clarity of a diamond before you buy one.  It is actually quite easy to learn how to grade the clarity of a diamond.

There are basically two things that you must understand:

Diamonds with visual inclusions and blemishes, and those that are ‘eye clean’ meaning that there are no inclusions or blemishesthat can be seen with the naked eye.  From there, the clarity of a diamond is further broken down into subcategories.

Many people mistakenly think that diamond clarity refers to how clear it is. This isn’t so. Clarity actually refers to the internal and external imperfections of the diamond. The best diamonds, of course get a grade of FL or IF – Flawless or Internally Flawless – meaning that it is perfect. A grade of I-1, I-2 or I-3 means that the diamond is imperfect, with a grade of I-3 being the worst.

Other grades are VVS1 and VVS2, which means that the diamond is very, very slightly imperfect; VS1 and VS2, meaning the diamond is very slightly imperfect; SI-1 and SI-2, which means that the diamond is slightly imperfect.

When buying diamonds and diamond jewelry, visit a reputable dealer and ask the right questions.  By doing your due diligence, you will be happy with the result of your eventual purchases.