The All Unique Handmade Jewelry

Fashion jewelry might mean machine-made imitations to many. In fact, most of us end up buying these items without trying to explore the various jewelry types. Hunting for new jewelry for women is chiefly confined to going to a nearby jewelry store and picking up few machine-made varieties. It’s sad that not everyone realizes the worth of handcrafted or handmade jewelry. However, once you start wearing them, you are certain of not buying anything else.

Handmade jewelry excels all machine-made types on account of its uniqueness, variety, design, and color. Created by skilled craftsmen, handmade jewelry is designed with special care and great precision that you would never find in machine-made jewelry. On account of their exquisiteness, handmade jewelry lends every ensemble a special touch. Their unique touch will surely help you create a fashion statement in front of the world.

Artisan handmade jewelry came into vogue as early as the 7000 B.C. with gold and copper ruling the roost as the jewelry metals. However, as times changed there emerged a wide array of metals to be used in jewelry. Besides, technological advancements contributed to initiating a competition as machine-crafted jewelry were priced much lower.

However, as the consensus goes, jewelry is always a prized possession, especially for women and no one likes to own an identical jewelry piece. The more the jewelry is unique, the greater is the attention drawn. Handmade jewelry has a big advantage in this respect and that is why it is equated to good tastes. This is one of the most essential fashion accessories through which you can express your individuality as well as create a personal statement. If price is not a factor at all, you can invest in diamond and platinum handcrafted jewelry. If not, sterling silver items also form a viable option.

The Latent Fire of Labradorite

Labradorite is a variety of feldspar. Its name comes from its discovery in Labrador, Canada, although much gem grade material now comes from Madagascar. Labradorite shimmers with a play of color (labradorescence) in gold, blue, red and green. This ethereal quality reminds one of a tropical butterfly’s wings. These beautiful iridescent colors are created by tiny layers of crystals lying side by side and head to heel.

This stone has been used throughout the ages for carvings and cameos or cut flat for ring mountings or in circular shapes for beads.

Mystic Lore says that Labradorite assists one in the discovery and practice of 'magic', the use of one's powers of mind to affect the physical world. It is said to unleash the power of imagination and to help release limitations.

This stone is said to protect one's aura and to unite the personal self with the understanding required to both realize and achieve the destiny of this life. It helps to synthesize intellectual thought with the intuitive, mystical and psychic.

A sister to moonstone, labradorite links to the Crone aspects of the Goddess, and grants inner knowing of Mystery. It enhances intuition and psychic perception. Like the Crone, it helps the bearer to release judgment, and understand his/her destiny. Use it to bring Light to the shadowed realms of the self and to connect with the power of the waning Moon.

Labradorite is associated with the third eye (brow) chakra. It enhances psychic abilities and strengthens one's sense of self-worth. It adds to one's personal strength and is said to reduce insomnia and lessen negativity (it is also said to help Parkinson's disease). The tiny plates of iron within this stone are said to be helpful for aligning the spine in line with the magnetic north and south poles. When the stone is used for healing, salt should be taken with food.

An Historical Tryst with Gold

Gold in Ancient Egypt

In ancient time, gold was the most preferable metal for making jewelry as it was rare, tarnish-resistant, and most important of all, malleable.

Beautiful necklaces, pendants, bracelets, earrings, diadems, head ornaments, pectoral ornaments and collars of gold were carved in Egypt-‘the land of Pharaohs. ‘

Excavations by Howard Carter in 1922 led to the great discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and many gold funerary artefacts, all showing the art work of ancient Egypt.

Gold in Rome

In the 8^th century B.C., the Italian Etruscans of Tuscany produced gold work in granulated texture. They made large fibulae or clasps, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. They also made pendants that were hollow and could be filled with perfume.

In coinage, the Romans used 18 and 24 carat gold. Being fairly easily available, coinage was the craftsman's raw material for decorative jewel work. Two thousand years ago, the Romans were using sapphires from Sri Lanka, cloudy emeralds, garnets, amber and Indian diamond crystals. When England was under Roman rule, fossilized wood called jet from the North of England was carved into amazing pieces.

The Mysterious Aura of Moonstones

The moonstone is characterized by its unusual play of lights and its charismatic shimmer. This glittering gemstone is chiefly composed of feldspar, which makes up almost 80% of Earth’s rocks. The feldspar variety is called ‘adularia’, a potassium aluminosilicate of gemstone quality, which is also found in the European Alps near the Adula Group – hence the name 'adularia'. Another synonym for moonstone is 'selenite', from the Greek 'selene' ('moon').

The shimmer of moonstones is very unique in the world of gemstones. Gemologists refer to this phenomenon as ‘adularisation’. The cause of it is the lamellar inner construction of the gemstone. Incident light rays are refracted and scattered in the stone. In this way, a unique light effect comes about, and it is this which makes the moonstone so distinctive and so desirable.

However, this amazing gemstone scores low on hardness- only 6 on the Mohs scale. Hence, moonstones should be handled carefully as it can show signs of wear and tear even when used for a long time. Nevertheless, a jeweler can easily remedy the problem with a matt finish polish after which, the stone would shine again as new.

Pearl Varieties

Take a look at the amazing pearl varieties:

Akoya Pearls - Akoya Pearls are very popular and are named after the Japanese word for the relatively small Pinctada Fucata oyster. Mostly grown in Japanese and Chinese coastal waters, these oysters are nucleated with as many as five beads ranging from 2 to 6 millimeters in diameter. Only about one out of five nucleated Akoya produces pearls and only a fraction of these are of gem quality.

South Sea Pearls - South Sea Pearls come from Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Cultured in varieties of Pinctada Maxima, these large, warm water loving, gold and silver-lipped oysters produce fabulous colors. They are highly expensive and so often unaffordable for most customers. Fortunately, South Sea Color Akoya Pearls exhibit the same splendid orange, golden-yellow and pinkish fancy colors, at far better value.

Tahitian Pearls - Tahitian Pearls are from French Polynesia and are named after the tropical island of Tahiti. Grown in the large black-lipped oyster Pinctada Margaritifera, these Tahitian Pearls are usually very expensive. Well known for their very attractive black, gray and silver colors, Tahitian Color Akoya Pearls make a far better value but equally beautiful alternative.

Freshwater Pearls - Freshwater Pearls are cultured using slightly different methods without a bead. Although historically originating in Japan around Lake Biwa, Chinese freshwater pearl production congregates on the Yangtze River in Eastern China. These equally beautiful pearls are produced at prices that offer best value amongst all types of the pearl family.

World’s Biggest Diamond Unearthed!

Miners in the south-west province of South Africa have unearthed a diamond twice as big as the Cullinan. Earlier the title of the world’s largest diamond was held by the 203 carat Millennium Star. This discovery has sent shock waves to all the diamond communities who are now waiting for its bidding amongst worldwide buyers. Reports suggest that the bid amount might reach to as much as £15m!

The Cullinan was discovered more than a century ago and was recently acknowledged as the largest cut diamond in the world, weighing 530.20 carats. This diamond was outshone by another of the same name, weighing 545.67 carats. The Cullinan diamond now sits pretty on King Edward’s scepter in the Tower of London.

Care for Your Jewelry

How does it feel if your precious stone-studded ring gets chipped off due to sheer carelessness? Woeful, I guess! Be it diamonds or gemstones, every jewelry piece needs proper handling and care.

Some Basic Jewelry Care Tips

• Clean diamonds using a mild solution of six parts water and one part ammonia with a soft bristle
• Clean and re-string your pearl necklace professionally once a year. In between, you can use a damp cloth to wipe them
• Do not go for ultrasonic cleaning for gemstone cleaning
• Do not expose gold jewelry to household bleach
• Products containing sulphur can tarnish sterling silver
• Store jewelry in protective or tarnish-resistant box
• Avoid stacking your handcrafted rings, earrings and bracelets in one box so as to prevent scratch and abrasion
• Avoid wearing your precious jewelry during activities which expose it to risks