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Archive for the ‘Jewelry’ Category

I think that one of my favorite crafts is jewelry making. Beads should be part of any well-equipped jewelry making kit. I love the choice of styles that jewelry making allows you to try. The range of materials that you can use for jewelry making also means that their possible uses are limited only by my imagination. Even though I was not a particularly experienced craftsperson I soon found that I enjoyed jewelry making and created wonderfully original jewelry. Of course, I now wish that I was capable of far more intricate jewelry making but at least I am always improving on the ones I made before!

I enjoy jewelry making using a variety of different materials. It is fun to look at what I have handy that I can convert into pretty jewelry. One of my favorites is using strips of colored paper for paper mache jewelry. My kids love tearing pictures out of glossy magazines and we try jewelry making together, well, almost! They prefer to move straight to the decorating stage and I have found that dried macaroni makes an ideal bead. The tubes of pasta have a ready made hole for threading and can be painted easily. We also use clay quite a lot when jewelry making, probably because kids enjoy molding the shapes. I have to take over the baking part but once that is done they can decorate and varnish their creations and continue with their jewelry making.
Of course jewelry making is made more fun if you can give the jewelry to other people to wear. I like creating necklaces and earrings to give as gifts. People often appreciate handmade goods more than shop-bought ones, but more importantly I save a fortune with my crafty offerings! My kids like making friendship bracelets for their mates and have recently got into using lettered jewelry to make up people’s names on necklaces. A lot of kids wear them round here and also have become interested in jewelry making too!

I use a lot of different materials as a base for my jewelry making. It would probably be impossible for me to remember all of them but I like using leather cord and jewelry metal the most. I have tried almost anything that I could thread a bead onto probably! Nowadays I do not have the time to dedicate to jewelry making that I once did, in fact I probably haven’t made anything for over a year due to our latest addition but when she is older I may well teach her the basics too.

Who does not like looking good? Jewelry has always been a part of woman’s attire and to have a diamond and a bright piece of Jewelry has really caught up and looks dazzling on those pretty faces. Jewelry adds to the classiness and poise of women. Jewelry is not only a lady’s best friend but is also an ideal investment forum, making people over vigilant while putting their money into these unblemished pieces of metal.

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Diamond history varies greatly depending on your source of documentation, as diamond history is as rich in myths and folklore as it is in physical facts and records.  Diamond history is one filled with mythical stories, such as one where snakes guarded a land full of diamonds, and the history has fascinated people with the romance and beauty that surrounds our most precious gemstones; diamonds.

Early Diamond History
Around 3,000 years ago, in the country of India, the first ever diamond history was recorded.  If diamonds had been found prior to this period of time, we have no written record of  it  Diamonds in this day and age were used for two main purposes, and is quite different from why we still love diamonds today.  Diamonds stood as a talisman in order to fend off evil spirits, and to provide protection during battles, and they were also valued because of their ability to reflect the light.

Dark Ages of Diamond History
It is during the dark ages that the diamond history moved into having some sort of medical purpose.  St Hildegarde was said to have written an anecdote to heal wounds and cure illnesses that instructed the sick to hold a diamond in their hand and make the sign of the cross.  Some people in diamond history went as far as swallowing diamonds, hoping it would cure their illnesses magically.

Middle Ages of Diamond History
It was during the middle ages that diamonds began to gain popularity.  It is this point in diamond history that many of the famous diamonds were discovered, including the Blue Hope, and the mountain of light, both found in India.  In our current times, India remains the worlds finest polishers of diamonds.

The middle ages also saw a shift in diamond history- where previously diamonds were valued based on their mythical powers, they began to be valued more for their overall worth.  As more people learned of the incredible value of diamonds, mine owners began circulating stories that diamonds were poisonous, to prevent the workers from swallowing diamonds as a means to smuggle them out of the mines undetected.

Also during this period of diamond history, people wanted diamonds more than any other time period previously, mostly because they recognized their power and worth.  India’s diamond supply was dwindling and was unable to meet demands of diamond buyers.  South Africa’s find of diamonds near the Orange River began the world’s largest diamond rush of diamond history, and helped satisfy the demands of those wanting diamonds for themselves.

More Recently
Diamond history began to spread into eastern Australia sometime during the middle of the nineteenth century.  During the late 1970′s, Australia as a diamond producer became validated.  Also in the late 1970′s, 1979 to be exact, the Argyle pipe near Lake Argyle was discovered by geologists.  Since that day, Argyle has become the absolute largest producer of diamonds in all the world and throughout diamond history, and produces over one third of the diamond volume each year.

Diamond certificates from independent organizations such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) provide a diamond grading report, that gives you valuable information about the 4 C’s that were taken into consideration when the diamond was priced.  It’s important that you use an outside source for diamond certificates, instead of the jeweler who is selling the diamond you are interested in, because the jeweler wants to make money on the sale of the diamonds, the certificates may be slightly biased and you could be paying more than the market value of the diamond.

Reasons to have Diamond Certificates
When you go to a jewelry store, or consider making a purchase from an online retailer, the jewelry that has diamond certificates tends to sell for several hundred dollars more than diamonds that are graded the same that are without certificates.  This is because the jeweler recognizes that they typically grade their diamonds one level better than an independent grading organization, like the Gemological Institute of America.  The GIA is more conservative when grading diamonds because they do not gain anything from diamond sales.

Pay the Right Price for your Diamond
Diamonds are valued according to their quality based on a grading system that makes use of the 4 C’s.  You should receive diamond certificates (also called grading reports) from independent companies rather than a jeweler, to insure that your getting an unbiased reporting of the value of the diamond.  Otherwise, you could be paying much more for your diamond than what the diamond is actually worth.

Protecting Your Investment
Diamonds are not the same kind of investment as buying stocks and bonds, but having diamond certificates gives you a better investment than just having the diamond.  Diamond certificates make it easier to sell a diamond in the future, because you have documentation of how much the diamond is worth and why it was valued that amount.  In fact, if you attempt to sell diamonds without having diamond certificates, most dealers will not buy from you and you would end up having a certificate drawn up anyway, so you may as well have a certificate grading report created at the time of purchase, for your current protection as well as future possibilities for selling.

Increased Security during Cleanings and Repairs
Many people hesitate to bring their jewelry into the jeweler’s when they’re in need of repair services or cleaning.  It makes people wonder how they’ll know for sure that they’ve received the same diamond back that they brought in.  It is an extremely rare occurrence for a jeweler to purposely switch diamonds, however it could happen unintentionally.   Diamond certificates act as an additional security measure in this case.  They are like fingerprints stored in police databases; they contain all the data needed to match the person to the fingerprints, and diamond certificates have enough information on the diamond to match the diamond with the certificate and the owner.