World of gold jewelry and watch

Jewelry and Skin Allergy (1)

     Has gold and other jewelry ever left greenish or black marks on your skin? It's happened to most of us at least once or twice.
Nickel Allergies
     The allergy that occurs by wearing original or artificial jewelry is referred as Nickel allergy. (Nickel allergy is also a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction by contact with such things as brassiere hooks, zippers, or the metal in eyeglass frames.) Jewelry that contains the metal will make your skin itchy and red where it comes in contact with your body.

     Jewelry allergy is a common complaint from many people. Few even mention that they are allergic to gold/silver. The main cause of these allergies is the nickel content present in the gold and silver ornaments. Pure gold and silver metal are too soft to be mounted into any form therefore, jeweler mix nickel, zinc and copper into the pure metal to make it little hard enabling to give the desired shape to the metal. Zinc and copper do not harm the skin but skin is always sensitive to nickel.

		The nickel allergy is caused when the skin comes in contact with the metal viz. Through the pierced nose or ear hole, nickel penetrates inside the bloodstream of the body where the cells react in opposition to the presence of nickel. Once the cells react negatively, every time the skin comes in contact with the jewelry it causes the skin to erupt. As a result body develops allergy.

People wearing jewelries are allergic to nickel and not with the jewelry !
     Copper - It reacts to turns skin green. The piece you're wearing might not be pure copper, but it might have enough copper in it to cause a reaction, and some people seem to have body chemistry that's prone to staining.
      Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is 7.5 percent copper, but the most common stains from sterling silver jewelry are black. You've seen silver tarnish-that' s definitely not something you want in an open wound!
     Gold - Gold itself hardly ever stains your skin, it's the other metals that gold is mixed with that do. Copper, nickel and silver can be used to alter the color of gold, and make it stronger and more affordable. Any of those metals can cause discoloration on your skin. The lower the "K" number on your gold (Karat), the less pure gold it contains, it is always better to wear high karat gold jewelry. Must buy 1 8K pieces to stop the discoloration!

Good Choices • 14k or 1 8k gold • A special plastic called Tygon for people who are sensitive to metals • 925 Sterling Silver in which you must be careful the jewelry is not coated with nickel or alloyed with nickel. • Surgical Stainless Steel - commonly contains a low enough content of nickel that it won't cause a reaction. • Pure Titanium • Niobium - not recommended for initial piercing, only for ones already healed. • Glass (Pyrex) • Wood & Other Natural Elements • Pure Platinum • Acrylic • White gold - only white gold that has been alloyed with palladium.

Yvel In the Mood of Pearl

     Yvel was founded in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1986 by Orna and Isaac Levy, continuing a family tradition of more than one hundred years in the creation of exquisite high-end jewelry designs featuring pearls. Yvel's exclusive designs are now found in the finest jewelry stores around the world.
     "People were demanding jewelry of the utmost quality that was truly different. They literally wanted their jewelry to be wearable art" explains Isaac.
      Pearls are the central focus of all Yvel jewelry designs by Isaac Levy, "I enjoy designing with pearls because they represent one of nature's loveliest creations and are very much in fashion. Pearls are also ultra-feminine, in fact worn almost exclusively by women."
     Yvel let the pearls take center stage, using gold and diamonds to enhance their inherent beauty. "We allow nature to stand on its own, assisted perhaps a little bit with the artist's creative hand and then enhanced with gold and diamonds."

Biwa Pearl Collection

The Biwa Pearl Collections in an 18k gold collection set with diamonds, enhancing the natural colored beauty of the round, drop and square Biwa pearls.

Ethiopia Collection

The gold collection-Ethiopia Collection is rekindling of an ancient Ethiopian art and is hand made and woven in 18k white, yellow gold, black gold and brown gold and then set with diamonds. They create each piece by hand twisting thin wires around an individually shaped net. The result, a collection that is primitive yet contemporary, artistic yet elegant.

One of a Kind Collection

The Yvel collection-One of a Kind-has been truly a sophisticate collection for the sake of Passion in which comes in rare pearl and colorful gemstones, assembling them together with 18k gold and diamonds as a fine piece of art.

Assaying of Jewellery
Measuring the Gold Content (Fineness) of Jewellery

There are a number of methods for measuring the gold content - or 'fineness' - of carat gold jewellery. Measuring the gold content is known as assaying and many of the most commonly used methods are described in a recent World Gold Council technical publication ' The Assaying and Refining of Gold - a guide for the gold jewellery producer'. This is available from your local World Gold
Which method of measurement is selected depends on the accuracy of measurement needed and the speed and ease of measurement. The cost of the equipment (instrument) will also influence the decision.

The most accurate method, with an accuracy of 2-3 parts per ten thousand (0.02%), is the Fire Assay (Cupellation) method. This involves taking a small scraping from the article, typically about 250 milligrammes, weighing it accurately, wrapping it in lead foil with some added silver, cupelling it in in a furnace at about 1100 C to remove all base metals and then placing the resulting gold-silver alloy button in nitric acid to dissolve out the silver ( known as 'parting' ) and re-weighing the resulting pure gold. This is the standard reference technique used by the national Assay laboratories worldwide for Hallmarking and is covered in the International Standard, ISO n 426:1993.
Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry
Fire Assay is closely followed for accuracy by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Spectrometry, which involves taking a smaller sample of about 20 milligrammes, dissolving in acid and subjecting a sample to analysis in an ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) Spectrometer - an expensive instrument. This technique has an accuracy of 1 part per thousand but requires use of comparative standard reference alloy samples of known composition. This technique is accepted for Hallmarking purposes and has the advantage in that it also measures the other alloying constituents.
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a non-destructive technique that is suitable for normal assaying requirements such as in-house quality control in manufacturing or for 'certifying' gold content in retail outlets. It has an accuracy of, typically, 2-5 parts per thousand under good conditions, i.e. where the surface of the jewellery being measured is relatively flat and sufficiently large. On curved surfaces, the gold X-rays generated and measured are scattered and accuracy is reduced significantly.

Comparison of Assaying Techniques

Technique	Versatility	Sample Size	Accuracy	Limitations	Equipment Cost
Fire Assay	Only gold	~ 250 mg	0.02%	Modifications for Ni and Pd	Moderate $50,000
ICP	Complete analysis	~ 20 mg	0.1%	-	High $150,000
XRF	Complete analysis	Non-destructive	0.1-0.5%	Surface layer, flat samples	Moderate $25,000+
Touchstone	Only Gold	Almost non-destructive	1-2%	Unsuitable for high carat and white golds	Low $100
Electronic Pen Density	Only Gold Only Gold	Non-destructive Non-destructive	4-8% Poor	Not consistant Only for binary alloys	Low $200 Low $500

101 Diamond Amazing Facts

66. Diamonds are the only gemstones composed of just one chemical element, carbon-very similar in nature to graphite, or pencil lead. (Carbon is one of the most common elements in the world, and is one of the four essentials for the existence of life. Humans are more than 18-percent carbon. The air we breathe contains traces of carbon.) 67. Every diamond in the world is unique. No two are the same. 68. Starting in roughly the 4th century BCE, Man first discovered diamonds 4,000 years ago in the riverbeds of the Golconda region of India. Since then, India was the only known source of diamonds before the sixth century and the predominant source for over 2,000 years, until the mid-eighteenth century. In 1725, important sources were discovered in Brazil, and in the 1870s major finds was South Africa. 69. Today diamonds are mined in about 25 countries, on every continent but Europe and Antarctica. However, only a few diamond deposits were known until the 20th century, when scientific understanding and technology extended diamond exploration and mining around the globe.

70. Major diamond production is now dominated by Australia, Botswana, Russia, and Congo Republic (Zaire), but South Africa is still a major producer, in both volume and value. Today, more than 95% of the world's diamond supply is mined in South Africa. Other diamond producing countries include Angola, Brazil, Central African Republic, China, Ghana, Guinea, India, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Venezuela. 71. Diamonds were not used as gems in European jewelry until the late 13th century. They were initially used for such purposes as engraving other gems, such as sapphire cameos, and for drilling holes in hardstone beads. 72. Small numbers of diamonds begin appearing in European regalia and jewelry in the 13th century, set as accent points among pearls in splendid wrought gold. But an act of Saint Louis (Louis IX of France, 1214-70) that established a sumptuary law reserving diamonds for the king bespeaks the rarity of diamonds and the value conferred on them at that time. 73. Diamonds were believed to render their owners courageous and fearless. Thus nobles like Cosimo the Elder, Florence (1389-1464), Henry II of France (1519- 59),and perhaps, the, Dukes of Burgundy used them as symbols in rings and even wore them into battle. 74. On May 13, 1888, using a pen encrusted with diamonds and emeralds, the Princess Imperial Regent Dona Isabel signed the decree ending slavery in Brazil. With a single stroke, she liberated 1,500,000 men, women and ;"children, and brought freedom to the last slave-holding country in the western hemisphere.

75. Ancient Thai legend believed that diamond is an auspice gemstone. According to the ancient text, the best characteristics of diamond is Bhathomchat diamond which has red in color like Thai bitaceae fruit, shining and sparkling in multi colors such as white, yellow, black, green and rainbow when see in sunbeam. It is suggested Hoever wear this kind of diamond will be highly successful in thier career and will win emies. If they wear on the index, they will be in higher successful. 76.According to the Thai ancient text, the bad iuck characteristics of diamond are the one that has a fracture or a hole like a cross inside. The flawed diamond will cause poverty and misery; the enemy will plot against, it will cause an illness and unhappiness life; your house will be on fire and has flood. 77. Jewish high priests used diamonds to decide the innocence or guilt of the accused: A stone held before a guilty person dulled and darkened; a stoneheld before an innocent person glowed with increased brilliance. 78. The Hindus believed that this brilliant gem was created when bolts of lightning struck rocks. 79. In ancient believed that diamond was to be effective as a talisman, the gem would have to be given as a token of love or friendship. If bought or sold, it would lose its powers. 80. Indians believed that diamonds can detox reunite, get cure illness, help couple to good luck, has fortune and fame and success in life.

81. Antiquity, myth and mysteries have surrounded black diamond. In ancient Indian mythology, black diamonds that appear like the eyes of serpent was believed ; to be dedicated to Yama, the God of death. 82. On the contrary, in ancient Italy, a black diamond was regarded as the stone of reconciliation. It was believed that touch of black diamond has the power of patching up all misunderstandings between the warring couples. 83. The ancient Romans were among the first to attribute romantic powers to diamonds. They believed that diamonds came from the falling stars that tipped the arrows of Eros, the god of love. Cupid's arrows were ft"' said to be tipped with diamonds. 84. "Ceylon diamond" and "mature diamond" designate colorless zircon. "Killiecrankie diamond" and "Saxony diamond" designate colorless topaz. "Radium diamond" is really smoky quartz. 85. The tradition of the diamond engagement ring began in 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented Mary of Burgundy with a ring set with diamond crystals. (To be Continued)