Gem Guide

Crownover Jewelers Alexandrite is one of the only types of stones that naturally change color in different lighting conditions. The finest alexandrite changes from an emerald green in sunlight to a fine purplish red in incandescent light. Alexandrite is very rare. There are many varieties of synthetic alexandrite on the market. Alexandrite is found in Brazil, Madagascar, Myanmar, Russia, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. It has a hardness of 8.5
Crownover Jewelers Amethyst is a type of purple quartz and has been one of the most popular gemstones for centuries. It ranges in color from pale lavender to deep purple with red highlights. Though traditionally one of the five "precious" gemstones, amethyst is now very common and quite inexpensive. The most popular, and most expensive type of amethyst is bluish purple in color and often has red highlights. It has a hardness of 7.
Crownover Jewelers Aquamarine comes in many hues, ranging from the palest blue or turquoise to much deeper shades, all of which suggest the colors of seawater. The highest quality aquamarine is transparent. Some of the finest aquamarines are found in Russia and Sri Lanka. It has a hardness of 7.5.
Crownover Jewelers Citrine is a type of quartz. It varies in shade from pale yellow to dark orange. Although citrine may occur naturally, much commercial synthetic citrine is produced by heating amethyst or smoky quartz under controlled conditions.
Darker colors are more highly prized, especially stones of medium golden orange ("Rio Grande" citrine) and dark sherry color ("Madeira" citrine). It has a hardness of 7.
Crownover Jewelers Diamonds range in color from light yellow to completely colorless, and can also be found in shades of pink, blue, and green. Diamonds are one of the five historically precious gems. Colorless diamonds are the most prized. However, brightly colored diamonds are much rarer and more expensive. The Hope diamond and Eugenie diamond, both beautiful blue diamonds kept in the Smithsonian collection, are among the most famous examples. It has a hardness of 10.
Crownover Jewelers Emeralds range in hue from medium to dark green and are one of the five historically precious gems. The best known sources of Emerald are Colombia and Zambia. Almost all emeralds contain numerous small inclusions and fractures that promote fragility. Most stones on the market are impregnated with oils, waxes, or other substances to mask the fractures and sometimes enhance color. While this is an accepted practice, naturally clear stones demand the highest prices. It has a hardness of 7.5
Crownover Jewelers Garnets usually range from dark reddish brown to purplish red. Garnets are usually cut in small sizes because larger stones appear black unless held up to bright light. Though garnet is often thought of as only red, it comes in many colors, including yellow, orange, violet, green, brown, and black. Its hardness ranges from 7 - 7.5.
Crownover Jewelers Jade comes in two varieties, Jadeite and Nephrite. Jadeite is rare and the highest quality is known as Imperial Jade. Jadeite is found in many colors, including red, yellow, green, lilac, black, orange, white, pink, blue and brown. Jadeite has a hardness of 7. Nephrite is more common and is the type of jade most often used in Chinese carvings. Nephrite comes in shades of green and is most commonly found as an olive green. It has a hardness of 6.5.
Crownover Jewelers Onyx can be found in brown, white, gray, and black. Most naturally occurring onyx is banded with different hues. Black onyx is often placed with pearls to create elegant, affordable jewelry. Onyx, sard, and sardonyx are varieties of chalcedony. Sard is reddish brown, and sardonyx is a blend of sard and onyx with red bands of sard and white bands of onyx. Onyx, sard and sardonyx all have a hardness rating of 7.
Crownover Jewelers Opals of larger sizes are rare and costly. Opals can be found in almost any color. Black and red opals are the most rare, and white and green are the most common. Transparent opals, such as Mexican red or orange fire opal, are often faceted. Values are normally determined by the presence and nature of color flashes (play of color). It has a hardness of 6.0 to 6.5.
Crownover Jewelers Pearls are formed in shellfish, as a reaction to an irritant. Cultured pearls are created by adding an object inside the shell of an oyster or mussel. The oyster or mussel responds to the irritant by covering it with layers of minerals to cover the object, forming a pearl. Natural pearls are more expensive than cultured pearls due to their rarity. Freshwater pearls tend to be relatively inexpensive. Pearls can be white, brown, silver, cream, black or pink depending on the type of shellfish and water. Pearl has a hardness of 3.
Crownover Jewelers Peridot is a transparent lime or olive green and is also known as olivine. Though Peridot is not one of the softest gemstones, it can be very brittle. It is wise to be careful with Peridot. Peridot may fracture or change color if subject to large temperature changes. It has a hardness of 6.5.
Crownover Jewelers Ruby can vary in hue from light pink to blood red. It is a type of corundum and closely related to the sapphire. Ruby is found worldwide. Some of the finest stones were found in Myanmar. Rubies are also mined in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Madagascar, and the USA. Most rubies on the market are treated for color or to make the imperfections less visible. An untreated ruby that is still of excellent quality will command a very large premium. Ruby is one of the five historically precious gemstones. It has a hardness of 9.
Crownover Jewelers Sapphire is the name given to all gem quality corundum that is not red. Sapphires can be blue, orange, yellow, violet, green, white, and pink. Sapphire is most often and best known as a blue stone. Some sapphires can change color between blue and violet depending on the light. Sapphire is one of the five historically precious gemstones. Star sapphire exhibits a six-rayed star shaped pattern when viewed with a single overhead light source and is a rare phenomenon. It has a hardness of 9.
Crownover Jewelers Tanzanite can be blue, purple or slate gray, but is most commonly a periwinkle purplish blue. Tanzanite is often heat treated to improve its color and clarity. Tanzanite is a delicate stone that can be easily cracked or chipped and should be cleaned carefully. Tanzanite is native only to Tanzania, in Australia. It has a hardness of 6.5
Crownover Jewelers Topaz is most commonly a yellow or orange gemstone, but also comes in blue, pink, brown, green, and colorless varieties. Orange-red "Imperial" topaz is rare. A recent trend in jewelry is the manufacture of topaz that displays iridescent colors, which is sold as "mystic topaz." It has a hardness of 8.
Crownover Jewelers Tourmaline is found in many colors, including black, blue, brown, yellow, green, red, and pink. Tourmaline is very rarely colorless. Bi-colored and multi-colored tourmaline crystals are relatively common. The most common bi-colored tourmaline on the market is a combination of green and pink and is known as watermelon tourmaline. It has a hardness of 7.5.
Crownover Jewelers Zircon is a natural gemstone that is often confused with cubic zirconia, which is manmade. Zircon is most known as a colorless stone used to imitate diamonds but is also found in shades of red, brown, yellow, green, and black. Heat treatment can be applied to zircon to produce blue or golden yellow zircons. It has a hardness of 7.5.

Jewelry Care

Always try to protect jewelry from scratches, sharp blows, harsh chemicals, extreme temperatures and direct sunlight. Store jewelry so that it does not scratch other jewelry.


Jewelers in Warsaw, INWhen doing household tasks such as gardening and cleaning, be certain to remove rings.


Put your jewelry on after washing and applying any makeup or hair spray.


Never wear jewelry while swimming in a swimming pool. The chlorine can cause damage to gemstones and to gold. Gemstones may become loose in their settings and fall out.

 

Avoid storing your jewelry next to a heating vent, window sill or on a car dashboard.

Store jewelry away from direct sunlight as the sun may fade the gemstones.


If you have bead necklaces such as lapis or pearls, store them flat because the silk used to string the beads will stretch over time. Most jewelers will restring necklaces or reset stones.

Do NOT store pearls in plastic bags!

Hardness is based on a gem-trade standard called the Mohs scale. The higher the Mohs scale number, the harder the stone is. The highest Mohs scale rating is 10, or diamonds.

Anything with a Mohs scale rating of less than 7 is easily scratched. This includes coral, lapis lazuli, opal, pearl, and turquoise. Gold, silver, and platinum are only Mohs 2-1/2 to 4. Always carefully store any fine jewelry.

Sterling silver will polish up by rubbing or buffing it with a soft cotton cloth or a Sunshine Cloth. If you store silver in plastic bags with an interlocking seal, it will be less prone to tarnish.

Be certain that stones mounted in rings are not loose and do not rattle. The prongs of a ring can and do wear down. If the prongs wear down too much or break, you've lost the stone. Prongs are easily "retipped" by most jewelers to keep the stone secure.
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