Buying Jewelry For Your Business
Part 3: Buying Gemstone Jewelry
By Sam Serio
Whether you presently own a retail or web based business
and are looking for an additional profit center or you are thinking of starting a
business, jewelry is a “no-brainer” choice for a proven product category. The
buying public, (particularly women) never tires of jewelry as the choices in color,
materials, finishes and styles are endless and innovations are continual. Every generation
reinvents jewelry for itself in much the same way that it reinvents music and fashion.
Styles change but the basic facts remain the same. If you are a seasoned professional,
please consider the following a refresher course. To the new comer, use this information
as a foundation for your ongoing jewelry education.
The Facts About Gemstone Jewelry
Natural gemstones are found in nature. Laboratory-created
stones, as the name implies, are made in a laboratory. These stones, which also are
referred to as laboratory-grown, {name of manufacturer} - created, or synthetic, have
essentially the same chemical, physical and visual properties as natural gemstones.
Laboratory-created stones do not have the rarity of naturally colored stones and they are
less expensive than naturally mined stones. By contrast, imitation stones look like
natural stones in appearance only, and may be glass, plastic, or less costly stones.
Laboratory-created and imitation stones should be clearly identified as such.
Gemstones may be measured by weight, size, or both. The
basic unit for weighing gemstones is the carat, which is equal to one-fifth 91/5th) of a
gram. Carats are divided into 100 units, called points. For example, a half-carat gemstone
would weigh .50 carats or 50 points. When gemstones are measured by dimensions, the size
is expressed in millimeters (for example, 7x5 millimeters).
Gemstone treatments or enhancements refer to the way some
gems are treated to improve their appearance or durability, or even change their color.
Many gemstones are treated in some way. The effects of some treatments may lessen or
change over time and some treated stones may require special care. Some enhancements also
affect the value of a stone, when measured against a comparable untreated stone.
Jewelers should tell you whether the gemstone you’re
considering has been treated when: the treatment is not permanent; the treated stone
requires special care; or the treatment significantly affects the value of the gemstone.
Some common treatments that you may be told about and
their effects include:
• Heating can lighten, darken or change the color of
some gems, or improve a gemstone’s clarity.
• Irradiation can add more color to colored diamonds,
certain other gemstones and pearls.
• Impregnating some gems with colorless oils, wax or
resins makes a variety of imperfections less visible and can improve the gemstones’
clarity and appearance.
• Fracture filling hides cracks or fractures in gems
by injecting colorless plastic or glass into the cracks and improves the gemstones’
appearance and durability.
• Diffusion treatment adds color to the surface of
colorless gems; the center of the stone remains colorless.
• Dyeing adds color and improves color uniformity in
some gemstones and pearls.
• Bleaching lightens and whitens some gems, including
jade and pearls. |
