Product Information

All of our unique gemstone jewelry is designed and created by our own jewelers using clasps, ear-wires and crimp-beads that are Sterling Silver or 14K Gold Filled. The spacers that we use are either Sterling Silver, 14K Gold Filled or 24K Heavy Gold Electroplate.

DEFINITIONS:

STERLING SILVER: (S.S.) An alloy containing 92.5 % pure fine silver and 7.5 % base metal, usually copper.

24-KARAT GOLD: (24K) Pure gold with no other metals added.

14-KARAT GOLD: (14K) Jewelry that is stamped 14K has 58.5% pure 24K gold mixed with other metals.

14K GOLD FILLED: (14K G.F.) A layer of 14 Karat gold permanently bonded by heat and pressure to one or more surfaces of a supporting metal, then rolled or drawn to a prescribed thickness. The Karat Gold layer must be at least 1/20th by weight of the total combined gold and base metal.

24K ELECTROPLATE: A chemical process that electrolytically bonds pure 24K gold to a base metal, usually nickel or brass. The minimum thickness is 7 MILS (millionths of an inch) of pure 24K gold. The Industry standard for gold plated jewelry is 7- 10 MILS… That's not very good.

24K HEAVY GOLD ELECTROPLATE: (24K H.G.E.) To be labeled "Heavy Gold", the legal minimum thickness must be 100 MILS (millionths of an inch) of pure 24K gold. That makes it at least 10 times the Industry standard. It is meant to last.

These are the best products on the market. We use Heavy Gold, Gold Fill and Sterling Silver so that our jewelry will be readily affordable to most people. It's what famous designers use in their costume jewelry, but not at a "famous designer's" price. We've taken years to develop our products, to make them the prettiest and best quality Gemstone Jewelry on the market. We know you'll be satisfied.

GEMSTONES:

We use the finest AAA quality gemstones available on the world markets.

AMETHYST: This popular violet member of the Quartz family was highly prized by the ancient Babylonians, Greeks and especially the Romans, for its many supernatural powers. They are found in geodes in alluvial deposits. Our Amethyst comes from the world's largest deposits, which are in Brazil.

AVENTURINE: Translucent or opaque green; it is related to Quartz. It has often been confused with the highest quality Jade. One of many gemstones that originate in Brazil.

AZURITE: This azure-blue stone which is often confused with Lapis Lazuli, is sometimes inter-grown with Malachite to create a unique blue-green gemstone. Our Azur-Malachite is mined in Arizona.

BLACK ONYX: A form of Chalcedony. In ancient times was used by craftsmen to create Cameos. The greatest deposits are found in India and Brazil, which is our source for the finest onyx.

BLUE LACE AGATE: The name Agate is thought to come from the Sicilian river Achates where agates were probably found in ancient times. It is a banded Chalcedony, sometimes containing opal. They are found as nodules or geodes in volcanic rock. Brazil offers some of the best quality Blue Lace Agate.

CORAL: Corals have built reefs and atolls in all the oceans of the world. Only their calcified skeletons are used in jewelry. Our "Italian" coral comes from one of the main trading centers in Torre del Greco, not far from Naples.

CRYSTAL: From the ancient Greek for "ice". It is found all over the world. For many years, rock crystal pebbles from the Rhine River were made into Rhinestones.

CARNELIAN: A red form of Chalcedony. Translucent, it's home is mainly Brazil.

CITRINE: This rare yellow transparent gemstone, which will always brighten one's day, is found mostly in Brazil.

EMERALD: Has been sought after since ancient times for its rare beauty and spiritual qualities. It has even defined a color, Emerald Green. The most important deposits are in Columbia, South Africa and our source, Brazil. There are also many deposits that have long ago been played out, such as the Urals north of Sverdlovsk and the Emerald mines of Cleopatra, east of Aswan in Upper Egypt.

FLUORITE: Comes in several colors, particularly violet and green. It is often confused with Amethyst and is found mostly in Germany and England.

GARNET: A very popular ancient gemstone; some forms of it can easily be confused with Ruby. Large deposits are found in many parts of the world, especially Sri Lanka, Czechoslovakia and India, which is where we get our Rhodolite and other types of Garnets.

HEMATITE: When polished, this black-gray gemstone was used in ancient times as a mirror and as an amulet to protect one's physical security. Much of it is now mined in Alaska.

IOLITE: Named for its very deep transparent violet-blue color, it is easily mistaken for Sapphire. In antiquity, it was known as Water Sapphire. Major deposits can be found in Burma, Sri Lanka and India, which has become our source for high quality Iolite.

JADE: Being part of its religious tradition for thousands of years, the Chinese carved mystic figures and other symbols from it. In pre-Columbian Central America, Jade was more highly prized than gold. Large deposits can be found in Burma, Mexico, Guatemala and the Jade we use, Chinese Jade.

JASPER: From the Greek, meaning "spotted stone". Deposits are found all over the world. There are many colors, varieties and names attached to Jasper, such as Leopard, Poppy, Picture, etc. Our Jasper comes from the Western U.S. and Africa.

LAPIS LAZULI: In ancient Egypt, only the Pharaoh and the Royal Family were permitted to wear Lapis jewelry. Anyone else caught wearing it would be given a death sentence… Some people take their jewelry very seriously… Our source for this exquisitely blue gemstone comes from the world's most important deposits: the wild terrain of the West Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan.

MALACHITE: Formed in or near copper ore deposits. For centuries, the Russian Czars extracted it from the Ural Mountains so that their artisans could create beautiful in-lay work and intricate objects d' art. Today, Zaire is the most important source of high-quality Malachite.

MOTHER OF PEARL: Cut from the inner nacreous layer of a mollusk shell, it is used in jewelry making and in-lay work because of its refractory play of light.

OBSIDIAN: Was used in antiquity because of its sharp edges and high vitreous luster. Found in or near volcanoes. Ours comes from the state of Utah.

OPAL: Its rainbow-like iridescence is one of the qualities that make this a unique sought after gem. Precious Opal deposits are found in Mexico, Brazil and Guatemala as well as our source, Australia.

PEARLS: For 6000 years Pearls have been regarded as one of the most valuable gems, traditionally given as an expression of love. Our Fresh Water Pearls are named after the Japanese Lake, Biwa, where this type of cultured Fresh Water Pearl originated.

PERIDOT: First brought to Europe by the Crusaders, it has been mined for over 3500 years. There are many sources for this transparent, beautiful olive-green burst of light. Deposits can be found on the volcanic island of St. John, in the Red Sea and in upper Burma and Brazil. We have been getting ours from Australia and the American Southwest.

RHODOCHROSITE: The Greeks named it for its color, rose. Some of the world's important deposits are in Argentina and the American State of Colorado, where our supply is mined. Interestingly, Rhodochrosite has formed as stalagmites in the silver mines of the Incas since they were abandoned in the 13th century.

RHODONITE: The Greeks named this one too, for its color, rose. It is often confused with Rhodochrosite. However, though it can also be opaque to transparent, it doesn't have the light-dark notched layers that Rhodochrosite does. Our Rhodonite comes from Africa.

RUBY: From the Latin, Rubeus, for its red color. One of the most expensive gems, large Rubies are rarer than comparable diamonds. It is the hardest mineral after diamond and can be opaque, translucent or even transparent. Important sources are Burma, Thailand and our favorie, Sri Lanka.

TIGER'S EYE: Its silky luster is reminiscent of the eyes of a cat. The most important deposit is South Africa.

TOURMALINE: This incredibly rich gemstone has been mined since ancient times. Its variety of colors has no equal in the world of gems. The most desired ones being pinks, reds and greens. Sri Lanka, Australia, India, Brazil, Mozambique and Angola are just some of the sources for the finest quality Tourmaline.

TURQUOISE: By 4000 BC, the Turquoise mines in Sinai were already used up. The name means "Turkish stone" because its trade route to Europe went through Turkey. Large deposits can still be found in Iran, China, Israel, Tanzania and the American Southwest. Though the supply is fast dwindling, we still get our Turquoise from Arizona.

UNAKITE: This fairly rare gemstone is mined in the Unaka Mountains of North Carolina. When we combine it with Coral, it's a feast for the eyes.