Gemstone and Jewelry Care Proper Care for Your Jewelry Jewelry is beautiful but easily harmed. Do your best to protect any jewelry from harsh chemicals, extreme temperatures, scratches, sharp blows and sunlight. Always take of jewelry before swimming. Chlorine can cause damage to various gemstones and gold. Gemstones may become loose in their settings (and possibly fall out). Take off your jewelry before doing high impact sports as you may scratch the metal or chip the gemstones. When doing household tasks such as gardening and cleaning, be certain to remove rings. Put your jewelry on after washing and applying any makeup/hair spray. Store jewelry separately so it doesn't scratch other jewelry. Keep your jewelry in moderate temperatures. Do not store your jewelry on a window sill, heater vent or on a car dashboard. As sunlight will fade many gem stones, store jewelry away from sunlight. Keep bead necklaces (such as pearls, onyx and lapis) flat as silk will stretch. Jewelry Hardness: Avoid Scratching Your Jewelry The Mohs scale is the jewelry industries way of specifying a gems hardness. The higher the Mohs scale number, the harder the gem stone is. The highest Mohs scale rating is 10 (very hard but brittle - such as diamonds). Anything with a Mohs scale rating of less than 7 is easily scratched (examples are: amber, coral, lapis, malachite, pearl, opal and turquoise). Gold, silver, and platinum are only Mohs 2-1/2 to 4. Always carefully store any fine jewelry to avoid scratching. Verify Jewelry Ring Mounts Check that gems mounted in rings are not loose. The prongs of a ring can and do wear down over time. If the prongs wear down too much or break, you can loose the gemstone. Prongs are easily "retipped" by most jewelers to secure the gemstone. Visit your local jewelry store for help. Keep Gemstones away from the Sun Many gemstones are damaged in sunlight (there may be more): Amethyst, Ametrine, Apatite, Aquamarine, Aventurine, Beryl, Celestite, Chrysoprase, Citrine, Fluorite, Kunzite, Rose Quartz, and Smokey Quartz. Avoid Stretching Bead Necklaces If you own bead necklaces such as a wonderful strand of pearls, store them flat as silk will stretch over time. Stretched bead necklaces can easily break and if the necklace isn't knotted, beads will go everywhere. When knotted necklaces stretch, it can detract from their beauty. Many jewelers will restring necklaces or reset gemstones (for a fee). Polishing Jewelry Sterling silver jewelry will shine more by buffing or rubbing it with a Sunshine Cloth or a soft cotton cloth. To have your sterling silver jewelry be less likely to tarnish, store your silver jewelry in plastic bags with an interlocking seal. (Do NOT store your pearl jewelry in plastic bags!) .

Jewelry Books Gemstone Books: Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide--How to Buy Diamonds, Pearls, Colored Gemstones, Gold & Jewelry With Confidence and Knowledge (5th Edition) - by Antoinette L. Matlins & A. C. Bonanno Learn about the latest synthetics, treatments, gems, and instruments. Worth the money. Gemstone Buying Guide: How to Evaluate, Identify, Select & Care for Colored Gems - by Renee Newman A wonderful introduction to gemstones. Simon and Schuster's Guide to Gems and Precious Stones - by C. Ciprianai, Kennie Lyman (Editor), Alessando Borelli A more technical book with lots of pictures. Find cuts, hardness, weights, refractions, and value of color are included for each gemstone. Gold & Platinum Jewelry Book: Gem & Jewelry Pocket Guide: A Traveler's Guide to Buying Diamonds, Colored Gems, Pearls, Gold and Platinum Jewelry - by Renee Newman Easy to follow book on how to buy all types of gold and platinum jewelry from an expert. Thanks to Amazon.com for fast, efficient, and reliable book processing . Jewelry World News: Jewelry made of pottery at Queen Bee (The Tennessean) Queen Bee boutique in Nashville is now carrying handmade jewelry made of pottery that feature designs including doves, owls and leaves. Fossil 1st-quarter profit climbs on international growth, watch and jewelry sales (Canadian Business) RICHARDSON, Texas (AP) - Watch maker Fossil Inc. said Tuesday its first-quarter profit climbed 21 percent, helped by international growth and strong watch and jewelry sales, but fell short of Wall Street expectations. Residents robbed of cash, jewelry (Bradenton Herald) MANATEE - Three men, two of them masked, forced their way into a home early this morning and robbed the residents of cash and jewelry at gun point. Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter benefits from promotion by Chambersburg's Gartenberg Jewelry (Public Opinion) A local jewelry shop owner packed his vehicle with pet food Monday and drove it across town to the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter. Andy Gartenberg, owner of Gartenberg Jewelry in Chambersburg, unloaded 60 bags of dog and cat food at the shelter Monday. Midcoast jewelry designer and teacher introduces students to a versatile new medium (Bangor Daily News) Freedom Hamlin seems well-named to instruct a course on making jewelry with precious metal clay, or PMC. .