Finding Unique Pearl Jewelry at Great Prices

Pearl jewelry are very common stuff to involve in jewelry rings, they are regularly found in jewels, ornaments, and even in a jingle. Any female who is existing with plants, serenaded with poems, and in adore will accept a prize engagement enclose. And If you are bored with the usual treasure trinkets and want a change then perhaps you should buttress out some of the most popular ornaments designers. By far the best place to find gorgeous prize earrings is in Japan, there everything is completely different to the ordinary types that you find here.

Locating steadfast prize ornaments designers.

You don't actually have to travel all the way to Japan to get great matchless prize jewels. If you forecast a family holiday to Japan anyway then you should be on the look out for some careful pieces. As not everybody will be planning to go to Japan you will maybe be interested in decision other sources for great price trinkets. It may look awkward to footstep down a upright, steadfast trinkets designer, however it's not actually an impossible brief!

It doesn't even have to be that thorny, it can actually be superb relaxed. You should first determine whether you want this to be completely rare, or just a little. If you want something that upstart else has then you should be agreeable to pay much more. If you do want a totally exclusive produce then you should pathway down some custom jewels designers. Before you dwell these designers you should try to learn something about pearls, this way you actually know what you're chatting about.

Ideally you should understand the nugget feature as you don't want to trash time discussing this with your designer. The pearls are givens a grading which depends leading the range, tint, gleam and smoothness. Luster is one of the most important properties a treasure detained that. If the pearls appear tedious and don't have patina then they aren't ready to look that great. The magnitude isn't actually as important as the luster.

Any good treasure designer will tell you that the cost of a slice of nugget necklaces will depend on the range. Nevertheless that doesn't mean to say that small pearls can't still be very high condition. You don't want to wish a mammoth nugget if it will subdue the model of earrings, but you also don't want to wish a pearl that upstart will poster.

When you have decided which pearl jewelry charms designer to use you can shock organizing and creating your beautiful slice of earrings. In just a few weeks you will get a rare member of ornaments which you can treasure eternally. Hopefully this sole making will stay in your family forever, bonus it's a good conversation starter!

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Canadian Diamonds - Why You Should Buy Them Now

The last Northern gold rush occurred in the late-19th century in the Yukon when tens of thousands of prospectors made their way to Dawson City to find their fortunes. Since then, miners and oil workers have continued to seek wealth in the North. In the past decade, history has repeated itself with the discovery of diamonds in Canada's North.

Diamond exploration in Canada began in the 1960s, but major discoveries of diamond-bearing kimberlite ore did not occur until the 1990s. With the discovery of diamonds in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in 1991, Canada has risen to become one of the top three diamond producers in the world in terms of value, behind Botswana and Russia. Currently, Canada produces 15% of the world's diamonds. According to Statistics Canada, 13.8 million carats of diamonds worth approximately $2.8 billion have been mined in Canada between 1998 and 2002. To put it in perspective, each day Canada produces one 1.5 kilogram bag of diamonds worth $1.5 million. It is hoped that the diamond mines will provide income for decades to come.

In 1991, the first diamonds were found at Point Lake near Lac de Gras in the Northwest Territories, some 300 kilometers northeast of Yellowknife. Soon after the initial find, two diamond mines were opened in this region, the Ekati and Diavik mines. Diavik is approximately 100 kilometres southeast of Ekati. A third diamond mine, Jericho-3, began production in 2005, in Nunavut. A fourth diamond mine, Snap Lake-4 in the Northwest Territories, should begin production in 2007.

The Jericho-3 mine is located near the north end of Contwoyto Lake in West Kitikmeot, Nunavut Territory (NT). It is operated by the Tahera Diamond Corporation, which has been exploring for diamonds in Nunavut for the past seven years. Operations will commence with an open pit mine, and despite the harsh climate, it is planned to operate year-round. It is currently projected that the mine and processing plant will have an 8-year life and employ a total of approximately 125 to 175 employees and contractors.

The majority of shares in the Ekati mine (80%) are owned by the Australian mining conglomerate BHP Billton. The remaining 20% are owned by prospectors Charles Fipke and Stewart Blusson. The Ekati Diamond Mine is the only diamond mine owned by BHP Billiton and produces nearly four per cent of current world diamond production by weight and six per cent by value. The mine is expected to be viable for 20 years.

The Diavik mine, located about 300 km (180 miles) north of Yellowknife, is owned by Britain's Rio Tinto PLC (60 per cent) and Toronto-based Aber Diamond Corp. (40 per cent). It employs 700 workers and produces 8,000,000 carats annually for total sales of $100,000,000 Cdn. The area was first surveyed in 1992, construction began in 2001, and diamond production started in 2003. It provides approximately 5% of world diamond production. The mine is also expected to remain in operation for 20 years.

The Snap Lake mine, owned by DeBeers and operated by DeBeers and AMEC consultants, is starting this year and is expected to remain in production for 20 more years. This mine is located under a lake and will be the first entirely underground diamond mine in Canada. DeBeers also owns the Victor mine, an open-pit diamond mine in a remote area in the James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario, approximately 90 km west of the coastal community of Attawapiskat.

Canada's diamond industry has a world reputation for both quality and integrity. In recent years, there have been ethical problems with African diamonds, which can originate in unstable countries such as Sierra Leone and Angola where diamond sales fund terrorism, war and weapons sales. Canadian diamonds are traceable, as each one is etched on the girdle with a serial number as well as a microscopic Canadian logo such as a maple leaf or a polar bear as a trademark. The pictorial logos vary with the companies selling the diamonds.

Canadian diamonds, especially those from the Ekati mine, are high quality and extremely white. They're also fashionable, which was demonstrated when the Canadian teen singer Avril Lavigne attended the 2003 MTV Awards in New York wearing Canadian diamonds worth $50,000.

The mines provide high-income jobs with an average salary of $63,000, many of them permanent, not just the temporary make-work projects for which the Aboriginal communities of the Canadian north are well known. Almost 40% of the jobs are done by aboriginals. For instance, one diamond-cutting operation in the Northwest Territories is majority-owned by the Yellowknife Dene First Nation.

Some of the more specialized jobs, such as diamond cutting, are done by professionals from Armenia, Israel, China and Vietnam who earn salaries of more than $100,000. Many of the diamonds are cut and polished in facilities in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Matane, Quebec. Between 1998 and 2001, employment in the diamond mining industry in the North increased from 90 to 700 workers, with estimates of more than 2,000 jobs currently. Another 2,000 jobs are created in support industries for the mines and their workers. Diamond mining produces more than just diamond sales. It also funds many other activities such as construction, road-building, Arctic and sub-Arctic surveying and engineering projects.

Diamond fever in Canada's north shows no signs of abating, and an article in the Toronto Globe and Mail in February 2004 reported that prospecting companies have laid claim to more than 70 million acres in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The newspaper said the most dramatic increase in diamond prospecting is in Nunavut, where the number of prospecting permits grew to 1,518 in 2004 from just 190 in 2003.

Starting on Dec. 1, 2003, companies were given one month to apply for prospecting permits, resulting in long, round-the-clock lines at offices in Yellowknife and Iqaluit. There is a charge of 10 cents an acre to register a claim, $1.50 to $2 an acre to stake a claim. With 70 million acres involved, the cost of these claims is expected to generate up to $140,000,000 in government revenue even before the mines open. Prospectors desperate to finish filing their claims have even been known to drop claim stakes from helicopters in poorly-accessible areas.

An economic boom is occurring in the north as tradesmen move into the area to fill jobs in the mines. This has raised the cost of living in the north, which was high to begin with due to the cost of transporting food and other necessities to isolated northern communities. In such places as Yellowknife, a basement apartment can rent for as high as $1,500 a month.

In 1998, Yellowknife Mayor Dave Lowell said that the diamond rush might have saved his town from economic decline. "Quite simply, it is our future," Lowell said. "We'd be going into quite a recession if it wasn't for the diamond mine."

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Buying Jewelry Online: How To Choose The Right Company

For anyone looking to purchase fine jewelry, online shopping can be a great way to find the right piece at the right price. There can be many advantages to buying fine jewelry online - with savings being one of the major factors. Reputable online jewelers usually have much lower overhead costs, and can pass those savings on to the consumer. Another advantage of buying fine jewelry online is convenience - you need travel no further than your computer to choose your jewelry and make your purchase. This being said, there are things you need to consider in order to make your fine jewelry purchase a positive experience.

Choose a Jeweler You Trust
The first thing you need to do is find an online jewelry store that you can trust. You will have to do a little bit of detective work in order to eliminate the less desirable companies and end up with a list of jewelers that you feel confident doing business with.

Find out if the website is secure. The jeweler's website should have 128bit SSL security. This is an absolute must when you are purchasing online, since you will most likely be using a credit card or supplying your bank account information. Somewhere along the line you will be supplying information about yourself, and the 128bit SSL security will ensure that no unauthorized party can get access to your information.

Also, any diamond you buy, whether it is online or from a store, should come with a diamond certificate. The Gemological Institute of America independently certifies diamonds providing information on a diamond's characteristics such as color, clarity and size. This is your best way of knowing the quality of the diamond you are buying.

The Online Jewelry Store Should Provide Excellent Customer Service
This cannot be stressed strongly enough. Before you make a fine jewelry purchase from a website consider contacting the jeweler's customer service department by email and by phone. When talking to a customer service representative, ask questions and pay close attention to the responses you receive. If the rep seems irritated with your questions or is spending the entire phone call trying to rush you into buying a product, consider that a "red flag".

If you contact them by email, check to see how quickly they reply. It should take them no longer than 48 hours during the business week - within 24 hours is the ideal. Look for professionalism and a helpful attitude in their emails.

The Website Should Be Informative
The jeweler's website itself should have information on how to buy a quality diamond, the different types of precious metals, etc. They should have a wide variety of choices, and be able to help you find what is right for you. By providing you with information the company is helping you make an educated purchase.

Look for Quality Craftsmanship
What the Internet can offer you is the chance to shop several stores without having to drive all over town; this allows you to choose a company whose fine jewelry shows attention to detail and craftsmanship.

The Return Policy Can Be Important
What if you receive the jewelry and are dissatisfied? Review the company's return policy before you buy so you know what rights you have if you want to return your fine jewelry purchase.

See If They Offer Extra Perks
Things like free shipping add up to big savings. If the online jeweler is located outside of the state you are buying from you pay no sales tax. Free shipping combined with no sales tax can make a big difference in your bottom line. Some companies offer a discount on your next purchase. This can also save you big money. If a company is offering these or other incentives, they will likely have this information throughout the site and in their shopping cart.

Your Jewelry Purchase Should Provide Good Value for the Money
When buying fine jewelry, you are getting a piece that will last a lifetime and become a family heirloom. Look for fine jewelry that offers the best value which is not only determined by how much the jewelry costs but by the quality of the piece and the materials used.

Online jewelry shopping offers convenience, selection and value. Consider the factors above when making your next fine jewelry purchase so you find the online jeweler that is right for you.

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Buying Diamonds For Cut, Carat And Clarity

We've all heard that cut, carat and clarity are important considerations when buying a diamond, but most of us have no idea what that really means. In this article, we will give you a little explanation of each so that you can be armed with a bit of knowledge the next time you buy a diamond.

Carat

Diamonds are measured in what is called carat weight which stems from an old form of measurement involving carob beans. At one time, if a diamond weighed the same as a carob bean, it was considered one carob or one carat. Today, the measurements are a bit more precise and one carat is 200 milligrams.

You may also hear a diamonds weight referred to as grains which stems from another ancient form of measurement. In the far east, rice was used to measure the weight of a diamond. If the weight equaled 4 grains or rice it was called four grains - or one carat as we know it to be now.

You have to be leery when buying diamonds that are already set or mounted. If there is more than one diamond in the piece then the tag will show the CTW or Carat Total Weight which is the combined weight of all stones. It will not tell you the weight of each stone in the piece, therefore you must ask the jeweler for the total carat weight of the largest diamond in order to really know what you are buying.

Clarity

There are basically two things to think about when evaluating the clarity of a diamond - inclusions and blemishes. Inclusions are flaws inside the diamond and blemishes are those on the surface. Diamonds are graded by the amount of inclusions and blemishes and whether or not they can be seen by the naked eye.

Many diamond buyers mistakenly think that diamond clarity refers to how clear it is but this is not the case.
Clarity actually refers to the external as well as internal imperfections in the stone. 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.

Cut

Contrary to what most people think, cut does not refer to the shape of the stone, but to the facets that are cut into each stone. These facets are critical as they are what causes the stone to reflect light and what gives it, it's brilliance. Even the most wonderful diamond can be ruined if it is not cut properly.

Jewelers follow a mathematical formula to insure that a diamond is cut to show the maximum brilliance of the stone. As with anything cut affects price and there are several grades of cut to consider when buying a diamond.

The best cut is called "Ideal Cut" and it is perfectly per portioned to maximize the brilliance of the stone. The next best cut is called "Premium" which is also very desirable and is less expensive than the ideal cut. A "Very Good" cut is one step down from the premium but still reflects most of the light from the stone.

In some cases, the cutters vary the proportions of the cut to result in a larger diamond. The "Good" cut is an economical grade - lower than the "Very Good" but quite popular with most people buying diamonds as it still shows the stone off quite well. "Fair" and "Poor" cuts should be avoided as they do not result in a sparkly brilliant diamond. These diamonds are cut to specifically maximize size but they sacrifice brilliance in the process.

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Buying A Colored Diamond Engagement Ring

The most famous diamonds in the world are colored diamonds so why shouldn't you have one in your engagement ring? You could get a yellow diamond like the Tiffany diamond or perhaps a blue like the Hope diamond. Another very popular color is pink. In fact, colored diamonds are becoming quite a trend among celebrities as well as everyday people.

Plus buying a colored diamond for your ring may be a better investment. Color diamonds have an amazing financial track record. In over 30 years, the value of colored diamonds has never decreased on wholesale level. In fact, the pink and blue diamonds have doubled every 5 years in a strong economy. If you have invested in a colored diamond you could make a killing, in fact a high quality blue diamond could go for $50,000 in the 1970s and that same In the 1970's stone would be worth between 2 and 3 million today!

While natural colored diamonds are quite expensive, gemologists have developed new ways to create versions that are affordable for the average person. They do this by treating the less desirable diamonds with irradiation followed by intense heat. This amazing process turns brown and yellowish diamonds into beautifully colored diamonds that you can afford. It can also produce stunning greens, blues, yellows, reds, purples and other colors. Although these colors are considered permanent, there is a possibility they could change during repairs if a high heat is used.

If you are shopping for an engagement ring with a colored diamond stone, you should probably assume that anything remotely affordable has been treated. If you are not sure ask about the stones origin and request to view a lab certificate to verify authenticity.

Another type of colored diamond that is affordable is a synthetic colored diamond. These are real diamonds that are grown in a lab. As they are grown, the natural coloring and process of diamond formation is simulated. Natural fancy color diamonds get their coloring from different trace elements like nitrogen and other minerals that are present in the stones. Lab created diamonds can be colored by exposure to radiation during its creation. An example of a diamond affected by radiation is a Green diamond.

Another way that a natural colored diamond gets color is by its inclusions. Interestingly enough, inclusions are regarded as flaws in a colorless diamond and are very undesirable, but in a colored diamond the inclusions give unique tones and brilliant flashes of color and are desirable.

When shopping for your engagement ring, remember that natural fancy colored diamonds are extremely expensive, and any colored diamond which is labeled to be sold as a natural colored diamond should be accompanied by a certificate from a respected grading lab verifying it as such.

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Information You Should Know When Looking to Buy Jewelery

For the average person looking at jewellery can be exciting, but confusing. What do all these terms mean?

Jewellery terms, especially relating to actual Gem stones, are very important because the price of the final item is dictated by the stone quality and cut. Following are some of the terms you'll come across.

Blemish: Imperfections found on the surface of a Diamond.
Brilliance: describes how well a diamond reflects white light.
Carat: is a unit of weight measurement used for weighing diamonds. For more information see The 4 Cs of Diamonds
Clarity: How "clear" the diamond is. For more information see The 4 Cs of Diamonds
Cloud: Most diamond defects are dark. This however is a milky colour, and a lot less noticable as a result.
Colour: The tint of the diamond. For more information see The 4 Cs of Diamonds
Crown: The upper surface of a cut diamond.
CT or CTS: Carat Total Weight of a diamond.
CTW: Carat Total Weight of a diamonds on piece of jewelry.
Cut: The shape of a finished diamond. For more information see The 4 Cs of Diamonds
Eye Clean: Diamond looks clear to the naked eye. For more information see The 4 Cs of Diamonds
Facets: The number of angles cut into a diamond. The more facets the shinier the diamonds appearence.
Finish: As you may expect, this is the quality of the diamond's workmanship.
Make: The cut and proportion of a diamond.
Polish: How well buffed the facets of the diamond are.
Symmetry: Good diamonds have been cut symetrical.
Table:Top surface of a cut diamond. Flat like a table top.
I trust this will help you when next looking to spend some of your hard earned money.

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