Handmade Gemstone Jewelry

Handmade Gemstone Jewelry

Handmade gemstone jewelry is a very popular alternative to fine jewelry. There are women who invest ridiculous amounts of money on expensive jewelry. If money were no object, perhaps more women would. Fortunately, for those who don't have money to burn there's gemstone, also called precious or semi-precious stone. When used sparingly, a gemstone can be something of value but not unattainable.

A gemstone comes from an attractive mineral. It is the cut and polished version that is used for jewelry and other types of adornment. Not all that is considered a gemstone, however, is a mineral. Lapis lazuli, for instance, is a rock and amber is an organic material but they are among the most widely-used for handmade gemstone jewelry. A gemstone is characterized by its hardness, lustre and its rarity gives it value. Natural flaws make it more interesting and are therefore usually not tampered with or corrected.

What differentiates a precious from a semi-precious stone? It largely depends on culture and may change over time. Generally speaking, diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald and opal are considered precious. Pearl, although not a gemstone, is also valuable as most people already know. The famed Coco Chanel made it iconic in the 20's. Amethyst, which goes as far back as Ancient Greece is also considered a precious stone until the discovery of bulk quantity in Brazil in the 19th century. Others such as aquamarine, peridot and cat's eye due to its popularity have also been regarded as precious.

The distinction between precious and semi-precious gemstones are no longer made these days as even the most expensive jewelry use most of them. Depending on brand (most designers have a bijoux line), fashion trends (statement costume jewelry), treatment (gemstones set in gold or sterling silver) and other factors, the bounderies blur. Still, there are types that are regarded more valuable than others like diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds.

There are basically two classifications of cuts: cabochons, cut as smooth and dome-shaped and faceted, polished small falt windows cut at fegualr intervals and at exact angles. Although there are gemstones that are used in its original found form - maybe for organic or avant garde looks - most employ the two mentioned types.

Opaque stones such as opal and turquoise are commonly cut as cabochons to show color and surface qualities. On the other hand, transparent stones are faceted to highlight their optical properties. When cut in the proper angle depending on the optical quality, this gemstone maximizes reflected light which comes off to the naked eye as sparkle. This light will just pass through if the angles are too shallow or too deep.

Perhaps the most attractive and obvious quality of a gemstone is its color. White light or daylight is actually a mixture of different colors of light. The color of any materials really depends on the nature of light itself. This simply means that when light touches a material, some of it is absorbed and the rest just passes through. That which is not absorbed reaches the eye as light. Take for instance, a ruby. It absorbs blue, green, yellow and all the other colors of white light except red, thus, it is perceived by the eye as red as it is the only color that reaches the eye. Come to think of it, it's strange that something is red because it is the only color that is not "present" in that object. Strange and awesome how nature works!

How come the same gemstone can exhibit different colors? A stone has the same chemical composition but its color is based on its atomic structure which is not always exactly the same. Sometimes - very rarely actually as it occurs one in a million - an atom is replaced by a different atom. This causes the absorption of certain or additional colors, leaving all the other colors unaffected and lending the stone the variation in the color. This is what is called an an impurity. Beryl, for example, colorless in its pure mineral form when added with manganese turns pink, with iron becomes aquamarine and with manganese chameleons to emerald.

So many are gemstones that there are enough for each month of the year. Birthstones have become common knowledge for people specially those who are fond of jewelries. Here is a list of birthstones for each month:

January- Garnet
February- Amethyst
March- Aquamarine
April- Diamond
May- Emerald
June- Pearl
July- Ruby
August- Peridot
September- Sapphire
October- Opal
November- Topaz
December- Turquoise

It becomes easier to choose a birthday gift for a loved one knowing his/her birthstone. For fashion jewelry using some of these gemstones, visit http://cerashop.multiply.com/. Each piece is handmade and made-to-order. There is a wide array from which to select a handmade gemstone jewelry.