Being a Diamond is a Lot of Pressure

If you're like most people, you probably like jewelry. Similar to the vast majority of the population, you also probably know as little about diamonds and other gems. Here's something you most likely knew though; diamonds are formed with high temperatures and massive amounts of force. If you didn't already know that, well, now you do. Since you'll probably have to deal with jewelry and gems one way or another, or at least once in your lifetime, let me tell you a few more things about them. Whether you're a man hunting for jewelry as gift (which is usually the only reason why men look for jewelry), or a woman who absolutely adores them, it doesn't hurt to learn a thing or two. After all, the most precious jewelry - diamonds are girls’ best friend.

Beauty in All Shapes and Sizes

The first thing that people notice about jewelry is how big it is, which sometimes, but not always, correlates to weight. In terms of diamonds, this is called the carat weight, the higher the carat, the better. Larger gems will create a dent in your pocket. I'm not just speaking about the weight because you have to take into consideration the cut, the clarity and the color of gems. The cut or shape, is not just for preference. The cut affects brilliance, though there isn't a certain cut that maximizes brilliance. Ever see diamonds that shine like disco balls while others seem more like flat, aluminum panels? Exactly no, right? Moreover, brilliance simply depends on clarity.

Now, regarding undesirable feature of gems, the amount of imperfections is the difference between crystal clear (less imperfections) and murky gems (more imperfections). Color is also just as important as cut and clarity since similar gems come in a variety of colors. Take diamonds as example, they come in an assortment of shades such as blue, green, pink and many others. In white, they can also have a tinge of yellow or brown. What you really want though, is as close to colorless as you can get because the clearer it is, the more rare and valuable.

Gems Come in Colors of the RainbowSpeaking of different colors, there are others that are less pricey, but still beautiful gemstones out there. Garnet, emerald, opal, pearl, peridot and the famous sapphire are just a few of these gems. Like diamonds, they come in assorted cuts, clarity, and color. They are also perfect gifts as birthstone jewelry, since each month has a special gem correlated with it. That is what we call brilliance!

Types of Metal Bands

The most important gems aren't the only thing you should pay attention to when looking at jewelry. Consider the type of metal which is just as valuable and entirely crucial. When you want to pair your gems, remember that gold and silver are the most popular metals.

You may not know but a lot of people may have confused karat and carat before. Let us try to clear that up now. Carat measures diamond while karat is used to measure gold purity. Purity is how much gold is in the metal. You may be surprised to learn that the pure 24k gold is much softer to wear. Do you know that “gold” jewelry is a mix of other metals to make it stronger for everyday wear? Imagine all the effort you would have to put into a 24k ring to prevent it from bending! Because gold is mixed with other metals, their color can also vary from yellow, white, rose and even black rhodium. So even when you're an old school princess cut diamond on a yellowish gold or a rebel pearl on black rhodium gold, it really does not matter. Because whatever your style maybe, you are definitely still rockin' what you wear!