Book Review: Beautiful Beaded Ropes

My latest book purchase is "Beautiful Beaded Ropes" by Jill Wiseman, and I was so intrigued by this book that I had to share it with everyone.

One of the most common elements I think every beader is incorporating into their designs are beaded ropes. I know that my very first beadwork ever was in form of a beaded rope, Russian spiral to be precisely.
There are so many different possibilities and variations of beaded ropes it's even hard to keep track of them all.

In Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes, Jill go through 5 basic rope techniques; spiral ropes, peyote ropes, netted ropes, herringbone ropes and right angle weave ropes.
She shares with us in this book a couple of different ways of using these basic techniques into some wonderful designs.
So far I've tried the dew drop spiral rope variation in shape of a bracelet. And I just love the result; the piece ends up with so much contrast and life compared to a simple spiral rope.
There is also a chapter where Jill shares with us a couple of other stitches and techniques.

At the end of the book, there are a couple of pages consisting of a wonderful photo gallery of creations not only by Jill herself, but also from a couple of other memorable designers, whom I personally love. You can get lost just by staring at them.

If you're interested in getting your hands at this wonderful book, I recommend to pick it up at "The Book Depository". They have lots of different titles, and they deliver world wide for free.

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Gold Coins

A Gold coin is a coin made mostly or entirely of gold. In modern times, most gold coins are intended either to be sold to collectors, or to be used as bullion coins, coins whose nominal value is irrelevant and which serve primarily as a method of investing in gold.
Gold has been used as money for many reasons. It is fungible with a low spread between the prices to buy and sell. Gold is also easily transportable, as it has a high value to weight ratio, compared to other commodities, such as silver. Gold can be divided into smaller units, without destroying its value, it can also be melted into ingots, and re-coined. The density of gold is higher than most other metals, making it difficult to pass counterfeits. Gold is extremely unreactive.

Collector Coins
Many factors determine the value of a gold coin, such as its rarity, age, condition and the number originally minted. Gold coins coveted by collectors include the Aureus, Solidus and Spur Ryal.
In july 2002, a very rare $20 1933 Double Eagle Gold Coin sold for a record $7,590,020 at Sotheby's making it by far the most valuable coin ever sold to date. In early 1933, more than 445,000 Double Eagle Coins were struck by the U.S Mint but most of these were surrendered and melted sown following Executive order 6102. Only a few coins survived.
In 2007 the Royal Canadian Mint produced a 100KG gold coin with a face value of $1,000,000, though the gold content was worth over $2 million at the time. It measures 50 centi metres in diameter and is 3 centimetres thinck. It was intended as a one off to promote a new line of Canadian Gold Maple Leaf  coins, but after several interested buyers came forward the mint announced it would manufacture them as ordered and sell them for between $2.5 million and $3 million. As of may 3, 2007, there were five order.
Austria had previously produced a 37 centi metres diameter 31 Kg philharmonic gold coin with a face value of 100,000. Euro.
On October 4,2007,David Albanese stated that a $10, 1804 dated eagle coin was sold to an anonymous private collector for $5 million.
In 2012 the Royal Canadian Mint produced the world first gold coin with a 0.11-0.14ct diamond. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee coin has been crafted in 99.999% pure gold with a face value of $300.


Fineness of Gold Coins:
Coins are usually mode of an alloy as other metals are mixed into the coin to make it more durable. Fineness is actual gold content in a coin or bat and expressed as a per mil or thousandths. For example, a gold ingot identified as being .999 fine will be 999/1000 pure gold, with the other 1/1000 being an alloy.
Karat weight is a traditional fraction based system used to denote the fineness of gold with one Karat being equal 1/24 part of pure gold in an alloy. With the precision of modern assaying techniques, however the fineness of gold ingots  and bullion is more likely to appear as a decimal measurement. In this system, pure gold would be denoted as 1.000 fine. However, since absolutely pure gold is very soft and therefore not suitable for coinage or ingots, it is generally accepted worldwide that anything above .999 fine qualifies as 24K.
Below is a Karat weight to fineness conversion chart
Correlation between karat and fineness

• 24 Karats = .999 fine or above
• 23 Karats = .958 fine
• 22 Karats = .917 fine
• 21 Karats = .875 fine
• 20 Karats = .833 fine
• 18 Karats = .750 fine
• 16 Karats = .667 fine
• 14 Karats = .583 fine
• 10 Karats = .417 fine

The fineness is often converted to a percent, as well. If a gold coin has a fineness of  .900, that is 90.0% pure gold. if a gold coin has a fineness of .850, then the gold coin is 85.0% pure.

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Knowing the character of Gems (Stone Majesty)

There are some things readers really need to know if we wanted to know more about Stone Honor / Gems. Not infrequently this knowledge only for consumption businessman, collector, or the researchers minerals. Posts are collected from multiple sources may be able to treat more curiosity about the characteristics of the stone or the Noble Gems


Crystal
 

 

Often we hear dikeseharian. But in the case of stones, crystal is a homogeneous object, shaped very geometric and the atoms are arranged in a crystal lattice, due to the crystal lattice structure is different so it's also different. Crystals can form in nature (mineral) or in the laboratory. Crystal means having the form of a rather symmetric (symetris) and are limited on many sides by plane, thus giving bangin a distinctive character to the mineral in question. Solids composed of atoms that are said to have organized kristalen structure. Crystal form is divided into six forms, namely:

• REGULAR, isometric cube or three axle same length and intersect perpendicular to each other (eg, Diamond Stone, rock salt)
• Tetragonal (four-star) chalkopirit example, rutile, zircon.
• Hexagonal (six-star) apalit example, beryl, corundum.
• ORTOROMBIS (sliced ​​diamonds) Berit example, sulfur, topaz.
• Monoclinic (lopsided) example gypsum, muscovite, augite.
• TRIKLIN (oblique, third direction) albit example, anortit, Distin.

Mineral
Mineral definition of a material nature, a lot of reviews and theories from experts. But in a nutshell is a substance contained in the natural and there is a distinctive chemical composition and crystal structure usually have clear, which sometimes can manifest in a particular geometric shape. The term mineral can have a variety of meanings, depending on the viewing angle and what products. Noble or Gems Stone is a mixture of mineral elements, thus showing a captivating shape or form in terms of beauty. Each mineral has a character composed of a crystalline structure. And the longer the mineral lasts a long time in the world, the more beautiful crystals formed.


Hardness Scale (using the Mohs scale):
Is a physical properties of the rocks, which are influenced by the internal layout of the atom. To measure mineral hardness Mohs Hardness Scale is used, the following are illustrative examples of the scale of violence:
Mohs scale 1: Talk, easily scratched with a thumbnail
Mohs Scale 2: GIPS, easily scratched with a thumbnail
Mohs Scale 3: Calcite, easily scratched with a knife
Mohs Scale 4: fluorite, easily scratched with a knife
Mohs scale 5: Apatite, can be cut with a knife (it's hard)
Mohs Scale 6: Ortoklas, can dicuwil thin section with a knife edge
Mohs Scale 7: Quartz, Emerald, Hematite can scratch the glass
Mohs Scale 8: Topaz, can scratch the glass
Mohs Scale 9: Ruby, sapphire, corundum, topaz can scratching (ruby gemstones, sapphire blue hue / sapphire)
Mohs Scale 10: Diamond, can scratch corundum crystals diamond shape is solid besisi eight (octahedron)




 
In terms of hardness, diamond has the highest hardness, so it is widely used as a drill bit in the oil, so it can penetrate through the padas, and oil drilling in the rock layers.
Researchers mineral known, Mr.K.E. Kinge (1860) convey grouping Batu Mulia / Gems who made jewelry in five classes as follows:

• Gemstone Class I (Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz, Cubic Zirconia Chrysoberyl) Rated at home between 8 s / d 10 Mohs Scale
• Gems class II (Beryl, Zircon, Emerald, Aquamarine, Amethyst, Garnet, Spinel, Quartz) Loud value between 7 s / d 8 Mohs Scale
• Gemstone Class III (Lapiz Lazuli, Citrin, Tourqis) is classified as a class Gemstones kinds of precious stones and precious stones hearted, hard value approximately 7 Mohs Scale, consisting mostly of grit acid (kiezelzuur).
• Responsibility-Precious stones are stones grade IV (Phenakite moonstone Opal Peridot Quartz Beryl), hardness values ​​between 4-7 Mohs Scale 5.
• Class V and class V value rigors specific gravity levels vary greatly. The color is dark (dull) and mostly rather murky, opaque, slightly shiny stone, and Harganyapun very cheap when compared to the price of precious stones. In this class, including marble and stone are not classified as class V precious stones. An example is the agate.

Color

What's wrong with the so-called Color? Colors can be seen when there is some wavelengths removal process, some absorb specific wavelengths of the visible spectrum. Spectrum can be seen consist of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. When there is a transfer of energy wavelength will affect and will change color and if the gems it contains iron will usually look dark colored, while those containing aluminum usually looks bright, but there is still colored minerals such as water (berkristal) and named Idhiochromatic.

Here the color is due to the innate nature there is something of substances in jewels as a source of color (pigment agent) which are minerals which are: sulfur yellow; malakit green color; azurite blue color; pyrite yellow; magatit color is black; augite green color; gutit yellow to brown; hematite red color etc.. There is also a mineral that has an assortment of colors and termed allokhromatik, this is due to the presence of dye (pigment), terkurungnya some object (inclusion) or the presence of a mixture of substances (Impurities). Impurities are elements which is comprised of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and usually not present in a mixture of pure elements are concentrated in low gemstone. Assorted colors are very beautiful gemstone and mempersona man so that man gave the title of "noble" in these stones.

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Estate Jewelry

Estate in the term Estate Jewelry does not refer to jewelry coming from the estate of the deceased but refers to the fact it was previously owned.

Periods of Estate Jewelry:.

Periods that are usually included in
Estate Jewelry are  Early Victorian
Mid-Victorian, Late Victorian,
Art and Craft era,
 Art Nouveau, Edwardian,
 Art Deco and Retro.





Georgian Jewelry 1714-1837
Georgian era jewelry is very rare and handmade. Often featuring nature inspired designs such as leaves and birds and frequently includes precious stones, Memento Mori Jewellery was also popular at the time featuring skull motifs and coffins.

Early Victorian, Romantic Jewelry 1837-1855
Like jewelry of the Georgian era early Victorian era jewelry features nature inspired designs. Freauently, these designs would be delicately and intricately etched into gold. Lockets and brooches were popular everyday jewelry during the early Victorian era whereas colored gemstones and diamonds were worn during evening.

Mid-Victorian, Grand Jewelry 1856-1880
Because the Grand or Mid Victorian era corresponded with the death of Queen Victoria husband many jewelry pieces have soleman grave designs. Known as mourning jewelry the pieces feature heavy dark stones. Jet onyx amethyst and garnet are frequently found in jewelry from this period more colorful designs were found using shells mosaics and gemstones and some would argue more creativity to the design process was applied.

Late Victorian aesthetic Jewelry 1885-1900
During the Late Victorian or Aesthetic period, jewelers used diamonds and feminine, bright gemstones such as sapphire peridot and spinel. Star and crescent designs as well as elaborate hat pins where also popular. Some scholars believe the aesthtic era began sooner in 1875 and ended as early as 1890.

Art and Crafts Jewelry 1894-1923
Due to the Industrial Revolution, many jewelry designers rebelled duriong the Arts and Crafts movement, returning to intricate jewelry designs and handmade craftsmanship. It was common for jewelry of  this era to be simple  in pattern, made of colorful, uncut stones.

Edwardian Jewelry 1901-1915
The Edwardian period started with the decease of Queen Victoria and her son Edward became king. During this period expensive many of the Edwardian designed incorporates, more expensive gems such as diamonds emeraids and rubies in their elaborate designs.

Art Nouveau Jewelry 1898-1915
Art Nouveau jewelry features natural designs such as flowers and butterflies and were generally considered romantic Art Nouveau was a style popular from roughly 1895 until World war I. The movement actully began around 1875 in Paris and its influence went throughout the Western World. The movement eventually died out by the end of World war I but has since continued to be revived throughout the contemporary ages. Art Nouveau jewellery follows curves and naturalistic designs, especially depicting long-haired sensual women some times turning into birdlike or flower like forms.

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Tips on choosing a gold and diamond jewelery

Jewelry gold rings or necklaces, earrings, bracelets is a fixture that is especially desirable by women. In choosing the best diamond and gold jewelry bought at a jewelry store in the mall such official. It is more expensive but the quality is guaranteed. And more stores selling diamond jewelry will give you a certificate as a guarantee of authenticity. Every purchase of gold or diamond jewelry buyer must request invoice or certificate if any.

Models of gold jewelry is a variety, choose according to taste. There are some things that need to be considered in buying jewelry gold rings and other jewelry from gold. First is the purity of the gold. Purity is measured by carats, the bigger the carat the purer the gold. 24 carat gold is pure gold as no other metal alloys. Jewelry with pure gold will not cause skin allergies in the wearer. But usually 24 carat gold is softer nature and should dirwat well. 22 carat gold can be an alternative as a mixture with other metals to make jewelry is more powerful and durable and are both safe for people who have skin allergies.

The second thing to consider in buying jewelry that has diamond is carat diamond. The bigger the carat diamond, the more expensive. For jewelry you should choose the carat diamonds under 0.5 carats. Above 0.5 carat diamonds are usually used for investment. From the way of cutting a diamond, choose a diamond shape that is not too deep and not too short. Diamond cut will determine the reflection of the light produced. When buying diamonds will surely get a certificate showing the rust, the color of purity and type of diamond jewelry. Stores that sell diamond jewelry will also likely prove the authenticity of diamonds it sells with a detection tool. Thus, the buyer will be assured of the authenticity of the diamonds.

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10 stones in this world has a very high value

Some of the stones in this world emiliki a very high value. So it is not surprising that the experts are always you explore the bowels of the earth to find new types of stones which of course has a very high value. Remember the story of Flinstone? which in those days men wearing stones to look more attractive. Just like now. Humans currently still using stones - precious stones to be able to look attractive.

Here are 10 of the world's most expensive stones:

1 Jadeite


Stones that had been a mystery for many years have a value of more than USD 3 million per carat. So it is not surprising that in 1997 and in Hong Kong sold a necklace with strands Jadeite stone for USD 9.3 million


2. RED DIAMOND


To date there are only a very few red diamonds in the world. Not surprisingly, this type of stone prices reached USD 2.5 million per carat


3. SERENDIBITE


Stone found in Sri Lanka consists of three types, namely: 0.35 carats, 0.55 carats and 0.56 carats. This stone prices reached USD 2 million per carat


4. BLUE GARNET

Garnet is one of the precious stones that contains many colors, such as red, orange, yellow, green, etc.. This stone prices reached $ 1.5 million per carat


5. PAINITE


This stone is believed to be the rarest stones in the world. The price of this type of stone reached $ 60,000 per carat


6. GRANDIDIERITE


Stones that are found in Madagascar in 2000 was valued at USD 50,000 per 0.5 carat


7. MUSGRAVITE


The price of this type of stone is $ 35,000 per carat. It merukan latest types of precious stones were found in this world


8. RED EMERALD Beryl


Stones were found in the mountains of Utah and has also been reportedly found in Mexico has a price of $ 10,000 per carat


9. BLACK OPAL


Australia is the country's largest producer of opals in the world for more than 95% of opal found there, including the precious stones. The price of these stones to reach USD 2355 per carat


10. JEREMEJEVITE


Colorless stones are from Namibia. The price of these stones to reach USD 2,000 per carat

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Kinds of precious stones according to zodiac; Part 2

June: Birthstone for June is Pearl and Moonstone. While the Birth Star or Zodiac stone for Cancer June 22-July 22 is the Emerald or Emerald. Moonstone is a beautiful stone with radiant color of moonlight. Stone is synonymous with the word romantic. Pearls are organic gemstones derived from shellfish. Its light was gorgeous too, became a symbol of luxury women.

July: Birthstone for July is Ruby gem stones. Star birth or Zodiac Leo July 23 to August 23 is the Onyx stone. It is also called "King of Gemstones" Ruby is red corundum jewels with diamonds below the level of violence. Luster color red is able to attract the eyes of the people around.

August: Birthstone for August is Peridot. While the rock star or the birth stone for the Zodiac Virgo August 24 to September 22 is Carnelian Agate. Peridot with gorgeous green lights are also referred to as the "Olivine". This stone has been used for thousands of years by the nobles as jewelry.

Setember Month: Birthstone for September is Sapphire / Sapphire. Stars born or Zodiac stone for Libra September 23 to October 23 is the Chrysolite. Sapphire is a mineral corundum except red. This stone is so glossy that it becomes one of the top grade gemstones that are sought after by collectors stones. The sapphire is also most suitable as an investment because of the interest on this type of stone.

The month of October: Birthstone for the month of October is Opal and Tourmaline Stones Honor. Star or Zodiac stone for Scorpio born October 24 to November 22 is the precious stone Beryl. Opal stone or in Indonesia is often referred to as the 'Kalimaya' is a unique precious stone with amazing color game. This stone is like life because menmpilkan exceptional color. Tourmalin stone is a beautiful sparkling crystal jewels. Found in many African countries.

November: Birthstone for November is Topaz and Citrine. While the birth of Rock Star or Zodiac stone for Sagittarius November 23 to December 21 is Citrine or Yellow Quartz stone. Topaz stone has a beauty and luster are charming, with colors ranging from yellow, collorless, to royal blue. Topaz stone with naturally beautiful colors are very difficult to find in nature. Most Topaz cheaply on the market has been through the process of treatment or discoloration. Citrine stone or commonly referred to as yellow amethyst are also very rare. Citrin Most on the market are quartz stones are heated so it becomes yellow.

December: Birthstone for December is turquoise stones or Turquoise and Tanzanite. While Stone Birth Star or Zodiac stone for Capricorn December 22-January 20 Ruby is a precious stone. Turquoise stone is semi-precious stones with motifs of stone color is very pretty. Usually blue and green stones. This stone is believed to bring good luck or hockey, and happy life. Tanzanite is the mineral crystal with a force which is so hard about 6 Mohs scale, but it has a very beautiful rays. Tanzanite stone colors ranging from blue to violet. Because the stone is very soft as gemstones, it should use caution.

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Kinds of precious stones according to zodiac; Part 1

If you are confused to choose the stone you use, fear not match the aura or your personality, then the selection of the stone according to the moon and the star of your birth may be the best alternative. For thousands of years gems have been associated with the moon and the star of one's birth. GF Kunz, famous author, in his book, "The Curious Lore of Precious Stones", more or less said that the stones used will relate to the personality and traits of the wearer. Jewel is also associated with the zodiac or star. In international rock star associated with the birth has been formulated since 1912. Immediately following list of birthstones by month and zodiac.

In January: Birthstone for January is Garnet Stone Honor. Meanwhile, Zodiac stone for Aquarius January 21 to February 18 is Garnet. Honor stone Garnet has a red, green, and orange. This stone is not included rock hard but very nice sheen, like a jewel above grade.

February: Birthstone for February is Amethyst. While Star or Zodiac stone for Pisces February 19 to March 20 is the Amethyst. Stone Amethyst is purple quartz.

March: Birthstone for the month of March is Aquamarine Blue Diamond stones. Stars born Aries March 21 to April 20 Bloodstone is a stone. The blue color is very pretty owned by this stone. Stone in blue like the sea by sailors believed would protect them from danger. Aquamarine stone with nice color precious very expensive.

April: In April Birthstone Diamond Diamond is a gemstone. Taurus zodiac star April 21 to May 21 is the gemstone sapphire. Diamond stone is a symbol of the highest award. Gemstone sapphire is also a fairly high price.

May: Birthstone for May is Emerald or Emerald gem stones. While the birth star or the Zodiac for Gemini May 22-June 21 are carnelian or Agate stone. Emerald stone with green color attracted thousands of collectors. Emeralds or emerald is very rare for good quality. Therefore, the price of these stones sometimes exceeding Diamond Diamond. Emerald Stone is a stone that is very fragile, so be very careful when wearing it.

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Art Jewelry

Art Jewelry is created with a variety of materials not just precious metals and gems and forms a counterbalance to the use of precious materials in regular jewelry. Art Jewelry should be compared to expressions of art in other media such as glass, wood, plastics and clay. Art Jewelry however has not yet created such a large following and is a relatively small niche, where jewelry is mostly bought by collectors and museums.
An Example of current trends in art jewelry is the use of modern synthetic materials such as polypropylene, nylon and acrylic. Art jewelers have developed techniques for using these materials to dramatic effect. One example of this is award winning jeweler Gill Forsbrook a designer working in the UK. Further notable makers and artisls include Hermann Junger Swis born Pierre Degen, Caroline Broadhead, Naomi Filmer, Otto Kuenzli and Florian Ladstaetter.
Fashion Labels such as Bless, Martin Margiela, Comme des Garcons, etc. have had a strong reference and input in the field of contemporary jewelry.

History of 20th Century Jewelry:.

In the late 19th century, Rene Lalique revolutionzied jewelry design through his emphasis on imagination and technical virtuosity over precious materials and the imitations of past styles.Additionally, he experimented with industrial techniques, plastic and glass.
Though many consider art jewelry still part of craft as opposed to real "Arts" things are changing considerably, in particular in Germany. In the 1960s and 1970s the German  Government and the commercial jewelry industry decided to foster and heavily support modern jewelry designers, and thus creating a new marketplace.
They focused in particular on combined contemporary design with their goldsmithing tradition and jewelry making. The first gallery for art jewellery only Orfevre opened at Duesseldorf Germany in 1965. At present art jewelry is no longer a niche market and many designers are sold in regular jewelry stores.

Exhibitions:
The acceptance of Jewelry as art was fostered in the United State very quickly after World War II by major museums such as Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, each of which held major shows of art jewelry in the 1940s. The Museum of Arts and Design formerly The Amercian Craft Museum, Started their collection in 1958 with pieces dating from the 1940s. Other Museum whose collections include work by contemporary jewelry designers include, the Cleveland Museum of Art.

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Beads for Blogpost

I just adore PRECIOSA ORNELA!

My favorite way of incorporating these lovely traditional Czech glass beads are many, but when I use their seed beads especially in netting the touch really makes the beads feel like fabric; soft and smooth against the skin.  

One of their newest type of beads are the lovely twin beads, which can be used in many different variations of design, and so far I've tried them myself in a few right angle weave bracelets, and some pendants together with the Preciosa Ornela seed beads and bicones.

I also recommend everyone to visit their website, where they have a lot of free projects involving seed beads and twin beads, to get you started in your own journey with this wonderful Czech glass bead company; http://preciosa-ornela.com/

They also have a YouTube channel with some great video tutorials and product videos; http://www.youtube.com/PreciosaOrnela

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Talk About Digital Gold Currency

Talk About Digital Gold Currency.
What is Digital Gold Currency (DGC)
Definition of Digital Gold Currency.
Digital Gold Currency is a form of electronic money based on ounces of gold. It is a kind of representative money, like a US paper Gold Certificate at the time that these were exchangeable for gold on demand. The typical unit of account for such currency is the gold gram or the troy ounce, although other units such as the gold dinar are sometimes used. DGCs are backed by gold through unallocated or allocated gold storage.
Digital Gold currencies are issued by a number of companies each of which provides a system that enables users to pay each other in units that hold the same value as gold bullion. These competing providers issue a type of independent currency.

Features of Digital Gold Currency
Universal Currency 
Proponents claim that DGC offers a truly global and borderless world currency system which is independent of exchange rate variations and political manipulation. Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium each hace recognized international currency codes under ISO 4217.

Asset Protection
Unlike fractional reserve banking, Digital Gold Currency hold 100% of client fund in reserve as gold, silver and platinum which can be exchanged via digital certificates. Proponents of GDS system say that deposits are protected against inflation devalution and other economic risks inherent in flat currencies. These risks include the monetary policy of countries or territories, which are said by proponents to be harmful to the value of paper currency.

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Pendant: Twilight Sprite

Yesterday I managed to finish up my second pendant in the little "collection" that I mentioned in the first post I made; "Pendant: Forest Sprite".
The two pendants are approx. 7x3.5cm and they are attached to a 42cm long copper chain with a lobster-clasp in copper.

As the name states, this pendant is my interpretation of "Twilight", the colors that really fascinates me the most during this hour of the day. In northern Sweden we had a lot of moments when the sky created these exact shades of colors that I chose to incorporate and use in the pendant, and I wanted to bring that experience to life in a small piece of jewelry :)

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Diamond Color

A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-size natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities and structural defects in the crystal lattice. Depending on the hue and intensity of a diamond's coloration, a diamonds color can either detract from or enhance its value.For example most white diamonds are discounted in price when more yellow hue is detectable, while intense pink or blue diamond can be dramatically more valuable. Out of all colored diamonds, red diamond are the rarest. The Aurora Pyramid of Hope displays a spectacular array of naturally colored diamonds, including red diamonds.

Possible Colors:.

Colored Diamond

Diamonds occur in a variety of colors steel gray diamonds, yellow diamonds, orange diamond, red diamond, green diamond, pink diamond, purple diamond, brown diamond and black diamond, Virtually in every color of the rainbow. Colored diamonds contain interstitial impurities or structural defects that cause the coloration, while pure diamonds are perfectly transparent and colorless. Diamonds are scientifically classed into two main types and several sub types, according to the nature of impurities present and how these impurities affect light absorption.
Type 1 diamonds have nitrogen atoms as the main impurity, commonly at a concentration of 0.1% if the nitrogen atoms are in pairs they do not affect the diamonds color these are type laA. If the nitrogen atoms are in large even numbered aggregates they impart a yellow to brown tint.  About 98% of gem diamonds are type la, and most of these are  micture of laA and laB material, these diamonds belong to the Cape series, name after the diamond rich region formerly known as Cape Province in South Africa, whose deposits are largely Type la. If the nitrogen atoms are dispersed throughout the crystal in isolated sites, they give the stone an intense Yellow or occasionally brown tint, the rare canary diamonds belong to this type, which represents only 0.1% of know natural diamonds. Synthetic diamond containing nitrogen is Type lb. Type l diamond absorb in both the infrared and ultraviolet region, from 320 nm.  They also have a characteristic fluorescence and visible absorption spectrum.
Type II diamonds have no measurable nitrogen impurities. Type II diamonds absorb in a different region of the infrared, and transmit in the ultraviolet below 225 nm, unlike type I diamonds. They also have differing fluorescence characteristic  but no discernible visible absorption spectrum. Type IIa diamond can be colored Pink, red or brown due to structural anomalies arising through plastic deformation during crystal growth these diamonds are rare 1.8% of gem diamonds, but constitute a large percentage of Australian production. Type IIb diamonds, which account for 0.1% of gem diamonds, are usually light blue due to scattered boron within the crystal matrix, these diamonds are also semiconductors, unlike other diamond type.

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Gold an Investment Buy Gold

Off all the precious metals gold is the most popular as an investment. Investors generally Buy Gold as a hedge or harbor against economic, political, or social fiat currency crises.
The Gold Market is subject to speculation as are other markets, especially through the use of futures contracts and derivatives. The history of the gold standard, the role of gold reserves in central banking, gold low correlation with other commodity prices, and its pricing in relation to fiat currencies during the 2007-2012 global financial crisis, suggest that gold behaves more like a currency than a commodity.

Gold Price:.

Gold has been used throughout history as money and has been a relative standard for currency equivalents specific to economic regions or countries, until recent time. Many European countries implemented Gold Standards in the latter part of the 19th century until these were temporarily suspended in the financial carises involving World War I. After World War II, the Bretton Woods system pegged the United states dollar to gold at rate of US$35 per troy ounce.The system existed Until the 1971 Nixon Shock, when the US unilaterally suspended the direct convertibility of the United State dollar to gold and made the transition to a fiat currency system. The last currency to be divorced from gold was the Swiss France in 2000.
Since 1919 the most common benchmark for the price of Gold has been the London Gold Fixing, a twice-daily telephone meeting of representatives from five bullion-trading firms of the London bullion market. Furthermore, gold is traded continuously throughout the world based on the intra-day spot price, derived from over the counter gold trading markets around the world.

Factors influencing The Gold Price:.

Today, like most commodities the price of gold is driving by supply and demand as well as speculation. However unlike most other commodities saving and disposal plays a larger role in affecting its price than its consumption. Most of the gold ever Mined still exists in accessible form, such as bullion and mass-produced jewelry, with little value over its fine weight and is thus potentially able to come back onto the gold market for the right and is thus potentially able to come back onto the gold market for the right price. At the end of 2006, it was estimated that all the gold ever mined totaled 158,000 tonnes. This can be represented by a cube with an edge length of 20.2 meters.
Given the huge quantity of gold stored above ground compared to the annual production, the price of gold is mainly affected by changes in sentiment, rather than changes in annual production.According to the World Gold Council annual mine production of gold over the last few years has been close to 2,500 tonned. About 2,000 tones goes into jewelry or industrial production and around 500 tonnes goes to retail investors and exchange traded gold funds.

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Gold Bar

A Gold Bar is quantity of refined metallic gold of any shape that is made by a bar producer meeting standard condition of manufacture, labeling and record keeping.
Large gold bars that are produced by pouring the molten metal into molds are called ingots. Smaller bars may be manufactured by minting or stamping from appropriately rolled gold sheets.
The standard gold bar held as gold reserves by central banks and traded among bullion dealers is the 400 troy ounce 12.4 Kg or 438.9 ounces Good Delivery gold bar.
The kilobar, which is to say 1000 grams in mass, is the bar that is more manageable and is used extensively for trading and investment. The premium on these bars when traded is very low over the spot value of the gold making it ideal for small transfers between banks and traders. Most kilobars are flat, although some investors, paricularly in Europe, prefer the brick shape.

Types Of Gold Bar:.
Gold bars are classified into two different types, cast and minted, based on their method of manufacturing. Cast bars are made by pouring molten gold into an ingot mold to shape the gold product. Minted bars are from gold blanks that have been hand cut to the required dimensions from a flat piece of gold. Marking are almost always applied by presses

 

Standard Bar Weights of Gold Bar 

Gold is measured in troy ounces, often simply referred to as ounce when the reference to gold is evident. One troy ounce is equivalent to 31.10347687 grams. Commonly encountered in daily life is the avoirdupois ounce, an Imperial weight in countries still using British weights and measures or United State customary units. The avoirdupois ounce is lighter a troy ounce, one avoirdupois ounce equals 28.349523125 grams. The Standard Gold Bar held and traded internationally by central banks and bullion dealers is the Good Delivery bar with a 400 oz. nominal weigght. However, its precise gold content is permitted to vary between 350 oz and 430 oz. The minimum purity required is 99.5% gold. These bars must be stored in recognized and secure gold bullion vaults to maintain their quality status of Good Delivery. The recorded provenance of this bar assures integrity and maximum resolve value.

• One Tonne = 10000 Kilograms = 32,150.746 troy ounces.
• One Kilogram = 1000 grams = 32.15074656 troy ounces.
• One Tola = 11.6638038 grams.
• One Tael = 50 grams.
• TT (Ten Tola) = 117 grmas (3.75 oz)

Total is a traditional Indian measure for the weight of gold and prevalent to this day. Many international gold manufactures supply tola bars of 999.96 purity.

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Necklace: Steampunk Heart

Yesterday evening I decided to start another blog, a blog where I will focus on stuff that pretty much has nothing to do with my jewelry creations, but where I'll share more about myself and what is happening around me on an almost daily basis. You can get directly to my new blog by clicking here:)

Why I mentioned that is cause I recently posted an entry that features a polymer clay creation I did about a week ago, featuring some Steampunk pieces.

I decided to incorporate one of the Steampunk hearts I created with polymer clay into a necklace piece, something a little more simple where the heart would be the focus.
I bead embroidered around the heart with glass pearls and seed beads to get the result I was looking for, with some tweaking in between.
As for the chain, there are a couple of glass beads in amber color attached on a beading wire on each side - there are two separate pieces that goes into, or between the beading foundation and the backing. The rest of the chain consists of copper link, which I created myself. Gosh, it was a load of work creating that handmade chain... I had to file down the edges of the jump-rings to make sure they wouldn't be sharp, cause before I did this I tried the chain on myself and it really hurt my skin around the neck. Then I hammered each one of the jump-rings with a rubber hammer, to make them harder, so they wouldn't loose their shape - oh dear, I can't remember how many times I hit myself on the fingers with that rubber hammer, lol.
I apologize though, as you can't see the chain and the clasp on the picture, I really need to get my hands on a designer bust soon, lol...

To sum things up; this was my very first Steampunk related piece ever, and I had lots of fun creating it. Besides the Steampunk theme I also wanted to give it a little bit of vintage feel to it - I don't do vintage too often really so I have no idea if I succeeded :P

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Pendant: Forest Sprite

Yesterday I managed to finish up this pendant, created with bead embroidery.
I'm currently working on a bigger bead embroidery collar again, and during the day I ended up with this idea of making a few small pendants in different colors with the same rectangle shape. After working pretty much non-stop on the collar I wanted a change in materials and colors and decided to start on two of these little pendants that I planned just to get a little break.
This pendant is attached to a 42cm long copper chain and the closure is a lobster-clasp, also in copper.

The idea I have for these pendants is that I'm gonna make a few inspired by natural elements, and the first one, called "Forest Sprite" is inspired by the shear simple beauty of the forest. I'm also working on a second one, but I'm not gonna reveal anything about it yet, not until it's completed and posted here, on my blog.

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Variations Of Gold

Pale Gold:.

This has been the color called gold in Crayola crayons since 1958.







Golden Yellow Gold:.

Golden yellow is the color halfway between amber and yellow on the RGB color wheel. It is a color that is 87.5% yellow and 12.5% red.
The first recorded use of golden yellow as color name in English was in the year 1597.







Sunglow Gold:.
This is a Crayola Crayon color formulated in 1990.

Golden Poppy Gold:.
Golden poppy is a tone of gold that is the color of the California poppy the official state flower of California.
The first recorded use of golden poppy as a color name in English was in 1927.

MU Gold:.
MU gold is used by the University of Missouri as the official school color along with black.
Mizzou identity Standards designated the color for web development as well as logos and images that developers are asked to follow in the University's Guidelines for using official Mizzou logos.

Harvest Gold:.
This color was originally called harvest in the 1920s.
The first recorded use of harvest as a color name in English was in 1923. Harvest gold was a common color for metal surface, as well as the color avocado, during the decade of the 1970s. They were both also popular color for shag carpets. Both colors went out of style by the early 1980s.

Goldenrod Gold:.
The color goldenrod is a representation of the color of some of the deeper gold colored goldenrod flowers.
The first recorded use of goldenrod as a color name is English was in 1915.

Old Gold:.
Old Gold is a dark yellow, which varies from heavy olive or olive brown to deep or strong yellow. The widely accepted color gold is on the darker rahter than the lighter side of this range.
The first recorded use of Old Gold as a color name in English was in the early 19th century.
Maroon and old gold are  color of Texas State University intercollegiate sports teams. Old gold and black are the team colors of Purdue University Boilermakers intercollegiate sports teams. The Georgia Teach Yellow Jackets wear white and old gold. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons, UCF Knights, and Vanderbilt Commodores wear old gold and black. The New Orleans Saints list their official team color as black, old gold and white.

Vegas Gold:.
Vegas Gold, rendered within narrow limits, is associated with the glamorous casinos and hotels of the Las Vegas Strip, United States.
Vegas gold is one of the official athletic color for the Pittsburg Panthers, the south Florida Bulls, the UAB Blazers, the Pittsburg Penguins, and the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Satin Sheen Gold:.
Starfleet command personnel uniform worn by Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise in the TV show and movies Star Trek.

Cal Poly Pomona Gold:.
Cal Poly Ponoma Gold is one of the two the official colors of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. The official university color are green and gold. The cal poly pomona office of public affairs created the Cal Poly Pomona color for web development and has technical guidelines, copyright and privacy protection as well as logos and images that developers are asked to follow in the University Guidelines for using official Cal Poly Pomona logos. If web developers are using gold on a university website, they are encouraged to use Cal Poly Pomona Gold. It is notable for its prominent use representing Cal Poly Pomona's athletic teams, the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos.

University Of California Gold:.
This is a shade of gold identified by University of California, Berkeley in their graphic style guide for use in on  screen representations of the gold color in the university's seal For Print media, the guide recommends to se Pantone 874 metallic or Pantone 139 yellow and 540 or 294 blue.

Golden Brown Gold:.
The first recorded use of golden brown as a color name in English was in the year 1891.Golden brown is commonly referenced in recipes as the desired color of properly baked foods.

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Gold Medal

A Gold Medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in this manufacture. The award concept arose in the military, initially by simple recognition of military rank, and later by decorations for admission to military orders dating back to medieval times.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have been awarded in the arts, for example, by the Royal Danish Academy, usually as a symbol of an award t give an outstanding student some financial freedom. Other offer only the prestige of the award. Many organizations now award gold medals either annually or extraordinarily, including UNESCO and various academic societies. While most gold medals are solid gold, notable exceptions are gold plated and often silver gilt like those of the Olympic Games the Lorentz Medal, the United States Congressional Gold Medal and the Noble Prize medal. Noble Prize medals consist of 18 carat green gold plated with 24 carat gold. Before 1980 they were struck in 23 carat gold.

Military Origins:.
     Before the establishment of standard military award e.g.., the Medal of Honor, it was common practice to have a medal specially created to provide national recognition for a significant military or naval victory or accomplishment. In the United States, Congress would enact a resolution asking the president to reward those responsible. The commanding officer would receive a gold medal and his officers silver medals. Other countries similarly honored their military and naval victors in a similar fashion.

Competition Medals:.
       Medals have historically been given as prize in various types of competitive activities, especially athletics.

Traditionally, medals are made of the following metals:.

1. Gold
2. Silver
3. Bronze

These metals designate the first three Ages of Man in Greek mythology the Golden Age, when men lived among the gods, the Silver Age, where youth lasted a hundred years, and the Bronze Age, the era of heroes.
The custom of awarding the sequence of gold, silver, and bronze medals for the first three highest achievers dates from at least the 19th century, with the National Association of Amateur Athletes in the United State awarding such medals as early as 1884.
This standard was adopted for Olympic competition at the 1904 summer Olympics.At the 1896 event silver was awarded to winners and bronze to runners up while at 1900 other prizes were given, not medals.

Other Gold Medal Awards:.
                     The award of gold medal, often couple with the award of silver and bronze medals to the next place finishers, has been adopted in other competitive fields, such as music and writing. Typically bronze medals are awarded only to third place, but in some contests there is some variety, such as International barbershop music contest where bronze medals are awarded for third, fourth and fifth place.

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Hope Diamond United States 1902

Accounts vary about what happened  to the diamond during the years 1902-1907, one account suggested that it suggested that it lay in the Frankel safe during these years while the Jewelers took it out periodically to show it to wealthy Americans a rival account probably invented to help add mystery to the Hope Diamond  story, suggested that some in The New York Times of several owners of the gem, perhaps who had bought it from Frankel and owned it but apparently sold it back to Frakel. There were reports in one story in The New York Times of several owners of the gem, perhaps who had bought it from Frankel and owned it temporarily who met with ill-fortune, but this report conflicts with the more likely possibility that the gem remained in the hands of the Frankel Jewelry firm during these years. Like many Jewelry firms, the Frankel business ran into financial difficulties during the depression of 1907 and referred to the gem as the "hoodoo diamond."

In 1908, Frankel sold the diamond for 400,000$ to a Salomon or Selim Habib, a wealthy Turkish diamond collector, reportedly in behalf of Sultan Abdul Hamid of Turkey, However on June 24, 1909, the stone was included in an auction of Habib's assets to settle his own debts, and the auction catalog explicitly stated that the Hope Diamond was one of only two gems in the collection which had never been owned by the Sultan. A contrary report, however, suggested that Sultan Hamind did own the gem but ordered Habib to sell it when his throne "began to totter". Habib reportedly sold the stone in Paris in 1909 for 80,000$. The Parisian Jewel Merchant Simon Rosenau boughtthe Hope Diamond for 400,000 francs and resold it in 1910 to Pierre Cartier for 550,000 francs. it was offered for 150,000$. according to one report.

Pierre Cartier tried to sell the Hope Diamond to Washington D.C. socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean and her husband in 1910. Cartier was a consummate salesman who used an understand presentation to entice Mrs. McLean. He described the gem's illustrious history to her while keeping it concealed underneath special wrapping paper. The suspense worked. McLean became impatient to the point where she suddenly request to see the stone.  She recalled later that Cartied held before our eyes the Hope Diamond.
Nevertheless, she initially rejected the offer. Cartier had it reset. She found the stone much more appealing in this new modern style.There were conflicting reports about the sale in the New York Times, one account suggested that the young McLean couple had agreed to purchase the diamond, but after having learned about its unfortunate supposed history the couple had wanted to back out of the deal since they knew nothing of the history of misfortunes that have beset its various owners.

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Blue Diamond In United Kingdom

Blue Diamond in United Kingdom:.
                                   A Blue diamond with the same shape, size, and color as the Hope Diamond was recorded by John Francillon in the possession of the London diamond merchant Deniel Eliason in September 1812, the earliest point when the history of the Hope diamond can be definitively fixed, although a second less definitive report claims that the Hope Diamond's authentic history can only be traced back to 1830. The jewel was a massive blue stone of 45.54 carats and weighed 177 grains. It is often pointed out that this date was almost exactly twenty years the theft of the French Blue just as the statute of Limitations for the crime had taken effect. While the diamond had disappeared for two decades, there were questions whether this diamond now in Great Britain was exactly the same one as had belonged to the French Kings, but scientific investigation in 2008 confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that the Hope Diamond and that owned by the kings of France were, indeed the same gemstone in the sense that the Hope Diamond had been cut from the French Blue.

There are conflicting about what happened to the diamond during these years. Eliason's diamond may have been acquired by King George IV of the United Kingdom, possibly through Caroline of Brunswick, however, there is no record of the ownership in the Royal Archives at Windsor, although some secondary evidence exists in the form of contemporary writings and artwork, and George IV tended to mix up the Crown property of contemporary writing and atwork and George IV tended to mix up the Crown property of the Crown Jewels with family heirlooms and his own personal property. A source at the Smithsonian suggested there were "several references" suggesting that king George had indeed, owned the diamond. After his death in 1830, it has been alleged that some of this mixed collection was stolen by Georges last mistress Lady Conyngham and some of his personal effects were discreetly liquidated to cover the many debts he had left behind him.
Another report states that the King's debts were son enormous that the diamond was probably sold through private channels. In either case, the blue diamond was not retained by the British royal family.
The stone was later reported to have been acquired by a rich London Banker named Thomas  Hope, for either $65,000 or $90,000. It has been suggested that Eliason may have been a front for hope, acting not as a diamond merchant venturing money on his own account but rather as an agent to acquire the diamond for the banker. In 1839 the hope diamond appeared in a published catalog of the same Anglo-Dutch banking family. The stone was set in a fairly simple medallion surrounded by many smaller white diamonds which he sometime lent to Louisa de la Poer Beresford, the widow of his brother, Thomas Hope, for society balls. After falling into the ownership of the Hope family, the stone came to be known as the Hope Diamond.

Henry Philip Hope died in 1839, the same year as the publication of his collection catalog. His three nephews, the sons of Thomas and Louisa, fought in court for ten years over his inheritance, and ultimately the collection was split up. Tho oldest nephew, Henry Thomas Hope received eight of the most valuable gems, including the Hope Diamond. It was displayed in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and at the Paris Exhibition Universelle in 1855, but was usually kept in a bank vault. In 1861, Henry Thomas Hopes only child Henrietta, married Henrry Pehlham Clinton, Earl of Lincoln. When Hope died on December 4, 1862, his wife Anne Adele inherited the gem, but she feared that the profligate lifestyle of her son in law might cause him to sell the Hope properties. Upon Adele's death in 1884, the entire Hope estate including the Hope diamond, was entrusted to Henrietta youger sonn, Henry Francis Pelhm-Clinton on the condition that he add the name of Hope to his own surnames when he reached the age of legal majority. As Loard Francis Hope this grandson received his legacy in 1887. However, he had  only a life interest in his inheritance meaning that he could not sell any part of it without court permission.

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