Buying “Gold” Jewelry? Gold Plate, Gold Fill, Karat Gold???

If you’re thinking about buying “gold” jewelry for the holidays, knowing exactly what you’re getting can be a bit confusing. After wading through the terms myself over the years, I’ve put together a short and (hopefully!) useful guide to understanding the “gold” in...

Birthstones: December

For the last couple of weeks in October, I’ll be publishing a little summary information about each month’s birthstones. December’s birthstone has been fascinating mankind for over 8,000 years –Turquoise. Facts Among all gemstones, turquoise has the longest history with humanity. The first recorded...

Birthstones: November

For the last couple of weeks in October, I’ll be publishing a little summary information about each month’s birthstones. November’s birthstone is the fiery Topaz. Facts The word topaz comes from the Sanskrit word tapas, which means fire. Not surprising, since the most valuable form of topaz is a...

Birthstones: October

For the last couple of weeks in October, I’ll be publishing a little summary information about each month’s birthstones. October’s birthstone is the (sometimes) flashy Opal. Facts “That’s really an opal?” – that’s a question, understandably, that gets asked quite often. Opal is a truly...

Birthstones: September

For the last couple of weeks in October, I’ll be publishing a little summary information about each month’s birthstones. September’s birthstone is the dazzling sapphire. Facts Sapphire is the ruby’s twin. Rubies and sapphires are the same mineral (corundum). Rubies are red corundum, and sapphires...

Birthstones: August

For the last couple of weeks in October, I’ll be publishing a little summary information about each month’s birthstones. August’s birthstone is “the gemstone from outer space!” – peridot. Facts Okay. Well, so not all peridot comes from outer space. But some of it is found in meteorites!...