"Real" Jewelry

Sometimes, while looking at my handmade jewelry, my customers ask, "Is it real?" Well, this is such an odd question to me! Of course it's REAL! You are holding it in your hand! You are trying it on! You can see it, touch it, feel it on your skin! But I think what they really mean is...is this a semi-precious or precious stone, or a man-made copy? Is this 14k Gold? Is this Sterling Silver or silver plated base metal? What is the true value of the materials used? And they just don't have the language or education to communicate the idea they are forming. So I thought I'd share some education with you about stones and metals so that next time you are shopping you can ask what you are really wanting to ask and get the answers that will help you buy that special piece of jewelry that was made just for you!
A Gemstone is a mineral which is harvested in it's natural state and then cut and polished in several steps either my hand or machine to get it into a beautiful form for jewelry making. Gemstones include diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds and many others. These are precious stones and are valued the highest because mining them is serious and sometimes dangerous work plus it takes a huge amount of manipulation to get them to look shiny and perfect. They change many hands and distributors before they get into that ring on your finger. There are many other semi-precious stones that come in many different forms including beads, which is what ends up in my finished pieces. They are Turqouise, Hematite, Tiger's Eye, Quartz, Tourmaline, Agate, Jasper, Obsidian, Lapis, Malachite, Carnelian and many many more. They come in various colors and shades too such as Snowflake Obsidian, Rose Quartz, Lemon Quartz, Picture Jasper and Ocean Jasper (plus far too many to list here). Crystals come from Quartz, also called Quartz Crystal. They are found in their natural state or can be cut and polished from a Quartz mineral rock.
A great source of knowledge for all things including jewelry is Wikipedia. Here you can find information on gemstones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemstone. Below are some examples from my website www.jenuinearticles.com. We'll talk next time about metals and vintage findings!
Have a Love Filled Day!

This bracelet is made with Mocha Jasper beads and vintge wood beads.

This bracelet is made with Fire Cherry Agate beads.