Month: July 2016

How to Care for Fine Jewelry

Posted on by HoustonJewelry

As a retailer of fine jewelry we get lots of emails and calls asking us how to protect these valuable assets. Here a few valuable tips to keep your fine jewelry safe and sparkling. Dirt buildup may hasten the wear of your jewelry. Visit your jeweler at least once a year to have your fine jewelry professionally cleaned and inspected for worn or cracked prongs, faulty clasps, or any other potential problem that can occur with daily wear.  Avoid heavy blows to your diamond. Diamonds can chip if they are struck at just the right angle. If you bump or snag your jewelry, have it inspected for potential damage that may be unnoticeable to you. When you are not wearing your jewelry, place each item in a separate, soft, compact container. If cluttered together, jewelry can become scratched or chipped.

Diamond Care

Don’t wear your jewelry in the ocean! Salt water and jewelry just don’t mix. Ocean water can actually damage some stones and metals.Don’t wear your jewelry while cleaning! Exposure to chemicals can damage and discolor precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Certain household chemical cleansers can actually damage colored gems. Remove your jewelry before going into chlorinated water, salt water, when using household cleansers.  Swimming in jewelry is also a bad idea as the water can constrict fingers making it more likely for your rings to fall off. Don’t place or store your jewelry near vents, grates, sinks or drains. This is just a disaster waiting to happen. When wearing pearl jewelry be cautious what cosmetics and lotions you use, as pearls are easily damaged by such products.

Pearl Jewelry

Keep jewelry in an unlikely place. Jewelry boxes are an obvious place for thieves to look. When traveling, keep valuable jewelry at home or store it in the hotel safe, not your safe. Most burglaries happen in broad daylight. Always keep doors and windows locked during the day. One of the best ways to keep valuable or extensive jewelry collections secure is to store them in a burglary and fire-resistant safe.

Ruby the Birthstone of July

Posted on by HoustonJewelry

Coast Ruby Ring

Ruby the birthstone of July, is considered the King of gems. A ruby is also a traditional gift for 15th and 40th Anniversary’s. The ruby stone represents love, health and wisdom. It is believed that wearing a ruby bestows good fortune on its owner. According to ancient legends the ruby contains the original spark of life known as “a drop of the heart’s blood of Mother Earth”. The word Ruby originates from the Latin word rubens which means red. These stunning gemstones range in color from the richest shades of red to pigeon blood and,  pinkish reds. Rubies are considered one of four precious stones. The others are diamond, sapphire and emeralds.  A ruby gets its coloring form trace amounts of chromium. The most desired rubies are those that are a very deep red, widely known as “pigeon’s blood”.  Ruby stones are very hard and on the Mohs scale of hardness as they register at a 9, thus making them only slightly softer than a diamond. For a ruby to be considered perfect it must be the right shade of red, have a rich glow, and be brilliant and pure. Almost all rubies have flaws, and those without are considered exceptionally rare. Such rare rubies can fetch prices higher than those of diamonds of the same weight and quality. Almost all natural rubies are treated to improve their color. This is a standard practice accepted by the American Gem Trade Association.

Ruby & Diamond Pendant

The finest rubies where originally mined in Myanmar, which is how the term “Burmese” ruby came to describe the finest rubies on the world market. Due to Human Right’s violations there are still many restrictions in place banning the import of goods form Burma. As a result this has impacted the production and sale of Burmese rubies in the marketplace. Rubies are also found in Thailand, Cambodia, India, Afghanistan and Colombia. In 2009 a large deposit of rubies was found in Mozambique.

ruby3

The worlds most expensive Ruby is known as the “Sunrise Ruby”.  This 25.59 carat Burmese pigeon blood ruby was mounted by Cartier and considered one of the rarest gems in the world. In May 2016 the “Sunrise Ruby” went up for auction by Sotheby’s Geneva. It was estimated to be worth $12-18 Million dollars. It sold for 30.42 Million dollars to an anonymous buyer.