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INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SILVER JEWELRY & GEM STONES

Jewelry is made of specific metals such as gold, platinum, silver, copper, brass, gun-metal, and some inorganic materials like wood, plastic, glass, shells, corals, etc. Since ancient times, jewelry has been worn on various parts of the body.
Below you'll find "must know" facts to help you make the right decision when shopping for jewelry. This includes descriptions and helpful suggestions on the care and cleaning of jewelry, gemstones and silver.

Why 925 Silver ? Why not 100% Silver ?
Silver has long been used as a means of individual jewelry and home decor. In early days, Silver jewelry was made out of pure silver and hence was quite prone to tarnish. Also, because of it?s pliable soft nature, the ornament often lost it?s shape or could get easily damaged. As an enhanced remedy to this...Sterling Silver was produced. Sterling is 92.5% pure silver mixed with other alloys such as copper and zinc to make it harder and less prone to tarnishing. This mixture also helped the craftsmen in making much sturdy and better jewelry designs. Unless it is covered in Rhodium or another heavy metal, sterling jewelry will still tarnish. With that said, however, it is still very easy to clean and take care of.

Why Sterling Silver Jewelry ? Why not Gold or Platinum ?
Sterling silver jewelry is beautiful... and affordable. Sterling silver jewelry and components are within reach of nearly any budget--ours and the budgets of individual jewelry artisans who create the silver jewelry we love so much.

Why Cubic Zirconia or Lab Gems in Silver Jewelry. Why not precious stones ?
Since past 5 years fashion for silver jewelry has been on continuous rise world wide. Since it is comparatively much cheaper than Gold or Platinum jewelry it is
Not considered as a valuable ornament but more as fashion jewelry which is suppose to be changed on regular basis as per the moving trend.
Silver Jewelry can also be Gold plated which can last as long 2-3 years if taken good care. Lab gems look as real as precious gems which makes the entire ornament look as quite valuable as gold jewelry.

What is Cubic Zirconia ?
Cubic Zirconia (or CZ) is extremely rare in nature but is widely synthesized for use as a diamond stimulant. The synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic Zirconia has remained the most geologically and economically important diamond stimulant since 1976.

Cubic Zirconia vs. Diamond Cubic Zirconia is so optically close to diamond that only a trained eye can easily differentiate the two. There are a few key features of CZ which clearly distinguish it from diamond, some observable only under the microscope or loupe. For example:
Flaws. Contemporary production of cubic Zirconia is virtually flawless. Whereas most diamonds have some sort of defect, be it a feather, included crystal, or perhaps a remnant of an original crystal face.
Index of refraction. CZ has a lower index of refraction than diamond. This allows more light to leak out of a CZ, especially when greasy or wet. CZ's lower index of refraction causes it to have less luster than diamond.
Cut. Under close inspection with a loupe, the facet shapes of some CZs appear different from diamonds. A diamond has such a high refractive index that having these facets meet at a single point does not cause much loss of fire or reflection. On the other hand, CZ has a considerably lower refractive index than diamond. CZs are often cut with 6-sided crown main facets, so that the star facets do not touch the upper girdle facets. This optimizes the brilliance and fire of the CZs. The optimum angle of the main crown facets is steeper for diamond than for CZ.

What is Rhodium plating ?
Rhodium, definitively, is a metal that is part of the platinum family. Rhodium can be applied to base metals, gold, sterling silver, or some other alloy, to give it a shiny white surface like platinum. However, because rhodium is not plentiful, the process of rhodium plating on jewelry can be expensive.
Nonetheless, rhodium plating provides protection for our sterling silver and white gold jewelry, coating it to help prevent tarnishes and scratches. A rhodium finish, however, is not impervious to the effects of everyday wear and abrasion. To limit wear, one should avoid household cleaning, gardening, and other activities that can quickly destroy the rhodium plating, thus exposing the slightly yellow tint of the white gold underneath.
If wear does occur, most jewelry can be re-plated with rhodium at a local jeweler for a minimal cost. The plating on pendants and earrings lasts longer than on rings, as they are not exposed to friction. Here are some tips for keeping your rhodium plated jewelry looking its best.

Silver Jewelry Cleaning and Care
Store your sterling silver jewelry in tarnish prevention cloths or bags. The treated cloth slows down the tarnishing process and keeps the jewelry from rubbing against harder jewelry that can scratch it. Try to keep your sterling silver jewelry in a cool, dry place.
Clean sterling silver with a phosphate free detergent. A low abrasive cleaner, such as 3M Tarni-Shield Silver Polish, is a good choice for removing light tarnish. Some people use toothpaste to clean their sterling silver, but most silver experts caution against it because they feel toothpaste is too abrasive and leaves dulling scratches.
With proper care, your fine quality silver will last a lifetime. To minimize scratches and other damage, store your silver jewelry either in a cloth pouch or in a separate compartment in your jewelry box. Avoid exposing your silver to household chemicals when cleaning with bleach or ammonia, or when swimming in chlorinated water, as these chemicals can damage silver.