Be born to Tanzanite

The deadline is approaching soon...

Check out www.tanzanitefoundation.org for amazing information for this stone which was made famous by a sinking ship. The stone that changed the profile of the gem cutting industry of Jaipur. The stone that changes color in a shimmer.

Welcome to tanzanite... be born to tanzanite.

For design lovers and those who want to design... dates are approaching fast...

TANZANITE DESIGN CONTEST 2006 DEADLINE IS 25 TH JULY 2006...

Oldest Jewelry

Curious about which is the oldest piece of jewelry we know of? Click here to read about it.

WHY WOULD ANYONE ALLOY GOLD

This is a write-up about why gold is alloyed? Why is it that this precious material is contaminated. Click here to read about it.

Friday, January 06, 2006

WHY WOULD ANYONE ALLOY GOLD

WHY ALLOY GOLD

Gold in its pure form is yellow in color and is called PURE GOLD or FINE GOLD. Its purity represented in KARAT. It is alloyed or mixed with other metals in a consistent blend for the following most important reasons:

To achieve the strength or stability in gold

• Pure gold is very soft and jewelry made in this kind can easily bend and get misshaped. Fine work such as filigree is usually not recommended in pure gold because it can bend out of shape to irreparable extents fairly easily


• Stones set in pure gold can easily fall out because of the softness of the metal holding them. Most commonly plain gold jewelry is made in 22 K in India and 14K or 18 K in the US.


• To make a product in higher karat gold, the thickness of the product has to be considerably increased to increase its stability. Thus you will land up paying more for the same design made in higher karat gold.

To achieve color in gold

Gold in its purest form is yellow. Gold is often alloyed with other metals such as silver, copper, zinc, palladium etc to achieve a whiter or paler look. “White” gold is an extremely pale color of gold which looks almost white. This is usually created in 18 K gold or lesser purity of gold.

• Normally the bright yellow of pure gold reflects off beautifully on darker skin tones. This makes 22 K yellow gold a popular choice in India as well as Africa. However, pale yellow colored jewelry looks beautiful on most paler or lighter colored skins and hence becomes a popular metal in the US, Italy and Australia. White gold is now a popular choice all over the world due to its publicity and resemblance to platinum.


• Other colors in gold are pink gold, purple, black, green and white. These colors depending on the properties of each are used to enhance design without compensating on the value of the product.

Workability increases when the gold is alloyed

• It is simpler to create solder (material used to join two pieces of gold) for a lower karat of gold rather than struggle with achieving the purity of 24 K gold.


• For a craftsman it is easier to work on lower Karat of gold most of the time if the product has to be hand crafted. He has to be much more attentive so as not to ruin his work when working with fine gold.


• For these above reasons, the making or labor charges may be lesser for a lower karat product in gold.

The cost of metal in a product is reduced considerably

• If in a 18K gold product, the value of metal used is $ 750, then the same design made in 24K gold will be $ 1000. The same design in 9K gold will be $ 375 only. Thus in a fixed budget one can get more if they are willing to compensate on the karat value of the metal.


• Since the weight of gold is more than that of silver or copper, (which is the most common alloying metal for making jewelry) hence the mass of 10gm pure gold will be lesser than that of 9 K gold.

• This means that a 10 gm gold bangle in 24 K is smaller to look at than the same design same weight in 9 K gold.

• Due to its softness, the higher the karat of gold, the faster it gets scratches thus requires more frequent polishing and hence the loss of precious material. This wear and tear makes the product look older sooner.

ABOUT THE ALLOYS

Pure or fine gold is 24 K and theoretically this means that the metal has 100% gold content in it.
But for making jewelry, an example of 18 K gold in terms of “fineness” is the gold content expressed in 750 parts per thousand (75.0% gold). The remaining 25% of the metals in this alloy can vary depending upon the property desired.

The percentage of gold in various alloys is given below (the commonly used Karat values are marked in bold).

1. 24 K = 24/24 * 100 = 100 % Gold; no other metal
2. 23 K = 23/24 * 100 = 95.83 % Gold; 4.17 % other metals
3. 22 K = 22/24 * 100 = 91.66 % Gold; 8.34 % other metals
4. 21 K = 21/24 * 100 = 87.5 % Gold; 12.5 % other metals
5. 20 K = 20/24 * 100 = 83.33 % Gold; 16.67 % other metals
6. 19 K = 19/24 * 100 = 79.16 % Gold; 20.84 % other metals
7. 18 K = 18/24 * 100 = 75 % Gold; 25 % other metals
8. 17 K = 17/24 * 100 = 70.83 % Gold; 29.17 % other metals
9. 16 K = 16/24 * 100 = 66.66 % Gold; 33.34 % other metals
10. 15 K = 15/24 * 100 = 62.5 % Gold; 37.5 % other metals
11. 14 K = 14/24 * 100 = 58.33 % Gold; 41.67 % other metals
12. 13 K = 13/24 * 100 = 54.16 % Gold; 45.84 % other metals
13. 12 K = 12/24 * 100 = 50 % Gold; 50 % other metals
14. 11 K = 11/24 * 100 = 45.83 % Gold; 54.17 % other metals
15. 10 K = 10/24 * 100 = 41.66 % Gold; 58.34 % other metals
16. 9 K = 9/24 * 100 = 37.5 % Gold; 62.5 % other metals
17. 8 K = 8/24 * 100 = 33.33 % Gold; 66.67 % other metals

Most jewelry worldwide is marked with the caratage or fineness. This may be part of a Hallmark on the jewelry. To read more about Hallmarking and Assaying of gold, please click here.

Something very interesting about gold alloys is that with varying quantity or percentage of alloying metals used, the physical and chemical properties of that alloy can be very cleverly manipulated. A very common use of this fact is that 18 K white gold and 18 K yellow gold has the same content of gold in them, but the color changes. 18 K pink gold is harder to work with than 18 K yellow gold. To read about these differences and how one can use these in their jewelry, click here.

Engagement rings for men

The recent query I got:

Is it true that engagement rings for men should not have diamonds? or is this
just a myth? – Miti Garg

To read about this, please click here

Flush Setting

FLUSH SETTING

In this kind of setting, the stone is set completely in the metal so that it looks like its surface is on the same level as the rest of the metal. It is the most stable kind of setting for the safety of the stone.Unfortunately, the stone in this setting has to endure a lot of tension while being set, and if not crafted with experience or care, it can easily get chipped or damaged. Thus the setting cost is a little on the higher side.

Also, in this kind of setting, the stone looks a little smaller and also the metal covers it enough to retard the light reflected back from it.

The other disadvantage of this kind of setting especially in case of deep cut stones is that the amount of metal used is much more than other conventional settings such as prong or bezel settings. The thickness of the metal has to be more than the depth of the stone, so most big stones are NOT set in this style unless manipulated by design technically.

This kind of setting is usually recommended for tougher stones such as Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires etc. Almost all stones set in this setting look gorgeous especially when complimented with matte finish. This of course depends on the design itself.

"Today, jewelry designers view flush setting – sometimes called burnish setting – as an innovative alternative. Freed from the constraints of channel walls, prongs and groupings, flush setting allows a random, almost whimsical, scattering of gem accents." -by Tom Weishaar

Click here to learn how to set a stone in Flush Setting?

Stones for the Month

Birthstones

A birthstone is a gift of a precious material (jewelry, mainly gemstones; themselves traditionally associated with various qualities) that symbolizes the month of birth (in the Gregorian Calendar) of the birthday boy or girl. It is sometimes also called birthday stone.

There have been many different sets of birthstones used throughout history and in different cultures, but in 1912 the American national association of jewelers, Jewelers of America, officially adopted the following list; it is currently the most widely used list in the United States and many other places, including Australia (a jeweler's 'modern' list states they are selected for bright colors) and Thailand:

• January: garnet
• February: amethyst
• March: aquamarine or bloodstone
• April: diamond
• May: emerald
• June: pearl or moonstone or alexandrite
• July: ruby
• August: peridot or sardonyx and sapphire
• September: sapphire
• October: opal or tourmaline
• November: topaz (any non-blue topaz)
• December: turquoise or lapis lazuli or zircon or blue topaz or Tanzanite
  

Zodiac stones

This is an astrologic version of the birthstones, using zodiac signs in stead of calendar months of birth, and one completely different stone (the only link) :

• Aquarius : Amethyst and moonstone
• Pisces : Diamond
• Aries : Diamond
• Taurus : Sapphire
• Gemini : Spinel
• Cancer : Emerald
• Leo : Ruby
• Virgo : Opal
• Libra : Peridot
• Scorpio : Aquamarine
• Sagittarius : Topaz
• Capricorn : Garnet

Birthday stones by the week

While this word has also been used as synonym of Birth stone (see above), there is a separate list of assignment according to the day of the week of the recipient's birth:

• Monday : Pearl
• Tuesday : Garnet
• Wednesday : Cat's eye
• Thursday : Emerald
• Friday : Topaz
• Saturday : Sapphire
• Sunday : Ruby

More about these stones

I am updating the information on the various stones mentioned above...
Context of interest about each stone will be mentioned in the following sub-headings...

1. History of the stone and various beliefs and significance of the stone
2. Value and worth of each stone as compared with other stones
3. purchase and pricing tips
4. Technical details about the material and composition
5. Interesting design and setting recommendations

Reference:

1. Pineglen
2. http://www.gemstone.org/image_library_frameset.html
3. Wikipedia
4. Mineral Galleries
   

Kinds of Stone Settings

What is a setting?

Why are stones set?

FACTORS THAT AFFECT OUR CHOICE OF SETTING STONES

The factors that affect the kinds of settings that we use for different jewelry designs are:

1. Design or the look… the visual appeal
2. Kind of stone eg Emerald vs Diamond vs Peridot
3. Use of the product. For example a piece being worn for everyday work would not be adorned with precious stones in invisible set.
4. Shape of stone
5. Cost of setting and damage expected
6. Maximum light penetration or reflection for that particular stone eg Kundan vs open setting

COMMON SETTING STYLES USED

There are some very commonly known stone settings that we use to set various kinds of stones, which are mentioned below. To read about these please click on individual links...

1. Prong Setting
2. Bezel Setting
3. Flush Setting
4. Channel Setting
5. Pave Setting
6. Invisible Setting
7. Combination Settings
8. Some unusual Settings
   

Why use gold???

So you are thinking of using Silver !!!

Silver being less expensive than gold, sounds like a more feasible option to use instead of white gold. It values not only lesser in dollars per ounce but is also lighter in weight (mass) and hence lesser quantity will be used to create the same piece when compared to gold. (A 10 gm gold bangle will look bigger when made in 10 gms of silver). Usually in the jewelry market we use sterling silver for all purposes of strength and durability.

However, cost sometimes can truly buy quality. In this case, durability at least!!! Silver tarnishes fairly easily when exposed to the atmosphere due to reaction with sulfur present in minute traces in the air. The brownish tint caused by this reaction can be removed by cleaning with regular silver polish available in the market, however it is a repetitive activity. Also such frequent cleaning of the delicate product may render the stones loose from their setting. Silver is a softer metal than gold thus the prongs built in silver to hold the precious stones as well as the links can easily get damaged. Silver gets scratched easily as well.

Most of all, silver is white and only a temporary gold polish can give it the look of yellow present naturally in gold.

But for those who want the benefit of wearing jewelry crafted beautifully in good looking stones without living with the burden of the extreme expense accompanied, silver is a beautiful metal!!!

Why not Platinum you wonder !!!

Platinum is more durable than gold and is known for its hardness and it does not get scratched as easy. Thus very fine details (and faults) on the metal can be easily observed in platinum. It sometimes even looks whiter than gold when rhodium polished. Stones set in platinum are fairly safe from falling off because the prongs are relatively stronger and resist bending braking or wearing out. In short platinum is a more practical metal than gold.

It is however a very heavy metal and much more expensive than gold as well. (A 10 gms platinum bangle will look much smaller than a 10 gm gold bangle). The labor costs involved in handcrafting platinum jewelry is way more than the cost of making gold jewelry. The machinery and equipment are also more expensive for platinum jewelry because of more frequent wear and tear and harder quality which is a hidden cost usually involved in manufacturing platinum jewelry.

In short platinum is more practical metal to make jewelry in for everyday wear such as in wedding bands and engagement rings but for elaborate jewelry such as this one which is not worn so frequently as daily, it may prove to be an impractical expense.

Jewelry however is known to be an aspirational expense and I would not dissuade a person from indulging into platinum for the same reason as all of us love to buy diamonds!!!

The Rain Dance

Inspiration
Peacock dancing in the rain

What is it that is so special about the monsoons in India...

The feeling of joy that showers down and back on those longing faces parched with the summer heat. The relief from each moment spent under the smoldering sun with that one anticipation of the cool sounds of water splashing all around. This joy that the monsoons bring to us is reflected most beautifully in the Dance of the Mayur... the Peacock.
I have assimilated my feelings in this one piece of jewelry. The diamonds in all their sparkle are as beautiful as the rain drops. The form is completely adapted from the plumage of a Peacock dancing in the monsoon. Sapphire full of its rich blue gives a hint of his beauty merging perfectly in that wondrous environment.

Materials used:
Diamonds and sapphire set in 18K Yellow gold

This design is completely molded in 18K Gold. I have used yellow gold as the base for the entire product with highlights of white rhodium polish on the prongs holding the diamonds. This makes the Diamonds look Bigger and whiter

Fine quality round brilliant diamonds varying from 0.02ctw to 0.20ctw(image placeholder) is used. The design is subtly given color by setting drop shaped Sapphire in rich velvety color.

Are you considering using alternate metal or stone options?

Some of the other options you can consider for this design in metal can be Silver, Platinum or several other not-so-precious metals such as Stainless steel, Titanium etc. Any of the above mentioned metals can be polished or plated with a yellow metal (may or may not be gold) if desired. Click here to read more.

Diamonds can be replaced by "diamond look alikes" … or can they??? You want to try using some other blue? What about another range of colors for this design lets say Ruby or emerald or aquamarine?

Pricing

Gold weight
Diamond weight
Sapphire weight
Making charges
Other charges

Contact:

Surbhi S Gupta
surbhi.s.gupta@gmail.com
732-986-8132

Found a new site

This website has very interesting information about cutting of stones and stuff about their origin etc.

The designs are very basic and useful for an everyday wear but fancy a lot of color which makes them pretty appealing.

Must see on this website...

1. Location where various stones are found
   
• http://www.trigemdesigns.com/gems/world-of-gems-north-america.php
2. How gems are cut
• http://www.trigemdesigns.com/gems/how-gems-are-cut.php
3. Intersting tit-bits on gems
• http://www.trigemdesigns.com/gems/gem-fact-files-home.php
4. How Jewelry is made
• http://www.trigemdesigns.com/gems/how-gems-are-cut.php

History Lesson

Eternity Bands

This is a great article about the History of Eternity Bands

More to come on the Eternity Bands as soon as I complete the research on the same from my end.

Design Depot

Design Depot

Emerald reigns

Inspiration

Indian traditional jewelry

This design is purely a reflection of the influence of the Indian design concepts that I have seen people wear over and over again in various forms. The design has a very simple elegance created by the conjunction of the traditional “jhumar” look and the more modern “chandelier” look. Emerald being recognized as “The royal stone” from the ages of kings and princes is of prime importance in this design.

Interesting intricacies

Delicate balance of amount of metal used vs. sturdiness of the product

Interesting switch of stud to a chandelier earring

The necklace is assembled with a simple horizontal link which creates very basic but sturdy flexibility for it to fall comfortably in place around the neck. As you may notice the amount of gold showing around the stones is kept very minimal, you may question the strength of this product. To work on this part, I have made sure that the depth of the gold is a minimum of 0.5 mm which is sufficient to support this design.

The stones are all pierced with the gold knots well rounded to avoid catching fabric and of course give a well finished look.

The earring can be worn as a stud alone or along with the hanging emerald chain component which gives it a more elaborate look.

Even though I would normally recommend a round snake chain for this design, it can completely vary with the personal choice of the wearer.

Materials used

Emeralds set in 18K Yellow gold

This design is completely molded in 18K yellow Gold. Fine quality emerald beads (full as well as half drilled) and gold beads are used.

Emerald, depending on the richness of its “slightly bluish green” color looks best when set against yellow colored metal. At most a few accents of white gold created by rhodium can give a simple shade or twist in the simplicity of the design if used cleverly.

When a fairly good quality emerald is set entirely in white gold, it starts to look paler. However if the color of emerald is extremely dark, it is better to set it open from the back so as to let the light pass and show forth its color. The depth of the setting metal in this case should be kept minimal so as to allow the passage of light through the stone.

Almost all emeralds have fissures or cracks in them naturally. For this reason they are “oiled” (“joban ka tel” as we call in casually in India) which is a temporary treatment of the stones.

To learn more about the treatment and care of your emeralds click here.

Are you considering using alternate metal or stone options?

Some of the other options you can consider for this design in metal can be copper, gold plated Silver or several other not-so-precious metals such as alloys of other metals. Any of the above mentioned metals can be polished or plated with a yellow metal (may or may not be gold) if desired. A lower or higher karatage of gold can also be used for the same design. Click here to read more.

Emeralds can be replaced by synthetic emeralds or other green colored stones such as tourmaline, or tsavorite garnets etc. If you want to see this design enriched by another color say blue, pink, red, etc click on the individual colors to see the change and its impact on the design.

Some of the other options you can consider for this design in metal can be Silver, Platinum or several other not-so-precious metals such as Stainless steel, Titanium etc. Any of the above mentioned metals can be polished or plated with a yellow metal (may or may not be gold) if desired. Click here to read more.

Diamonds can be replaced by "diamond look alikes" … or can they??? You want to try using some other blue? What about another range of colors for this design lets say Ruby or emerald or aquamarine?

Pricing

Gold weight

Emerald weight

Making charges

Other charges

Contact

Surbhi S Gupta

Surbhi.s.gupta@gmail.com
732-986-8132

"Om" ... to peace

"Om"... A tribute to Lord Shiva

Precious Jungles

Paisleys to the Peacock

Garland of Love

Pride

She walks in Beauty

Trail of Beauty

Flight

Inspiration

Flight of a bird

Deep the depths of my heart, I still pursue this dream of flying real high. Somewhere from where all is visible… all is clear. I want to take that journey that will fill my lungs with the fresh breeze… the cool air.

This piece is designed looking at those objects of nature which hold this privilege to fly… to experience. My passion to design jewelry and this dream of flight are both reflected in this design where I have embedded diamonds and Tsavorite garnets in 18K gold.

Materials used:

Diamonds and Tsavorite Garnet set in 18K Yellow gold

This design is completely molded in 18K Gold. I have used yellow gold as the base for the entire product with highlights of white rhodium polish on the prongs holding the diamonds.

Fairly good quality of round brilliant diamonds is used to complete the glittering motion in this design. The lush green of Tsavorite garnet compliments the trail. The three chains are separated using spacers designed in effect for this piece.

Interesting intricacies

Movement in the Tsavorite Garnets

Three chains assembled together using separators

The movement created in the “tail” of the necklace is basically by using vertical linking from behind the metal. The Tsavorite Garnets are set after assembling the gold components in this design. The Garnets are pierced and set very simply in place on Gold wire.

The chains used are round snake chains which are separated at 4 places using simple 4 hold separators. The rigidness of the chains ensure them to remain in place and shape and yet they are flexible enough to take form around the neck.

Are you considering using alternate metal or stone options?

This design can be easily cast into other metals such as white gold, platinum or silver. The color of the metal may it be yellow or gold will either ways not change much to the final look of the design.

By using white colored metal, the color of Tsavorite garnet which is not completely “set” but is dangling in the middle of the metal does not get dampened at all. White in this case would help make the diamonds look richer in this design.

The reason why I chose to use yellow gold in this case though was basically to emphasize on the Tsavorite. By using too much white, the diamonds would gain undue attention thus killing the purpose of using Tsavorite.

Pricing

Gold weight
Emerald weight
Making charges
Other charges

Contact

Surbhi S Gupta
Surbhi.s.gupta@gmail.com
732-986-8132

My Interests

Anything and everything to do with Jewelry captivates me...

Some other things that grip my senses are

Colors... an assembly of beautiful of colors, what they mean to a mind and more

Forms... what is so breathtaking about one form and why another gets simply ignored. What in our subconcious makes us diverted and reverted to a form

Nature... fresh wild plants, jungles, seasons, water, animals... just about everything from their life to their movement to their beauty

Music... live as well as recorded of all sorts

People... communication, personalities, beliefs and more

Blogging... I love to speak my mind out about my favorite... jewelry

About me

PROFILE:

Currently working at developing an information and design house. The site is an encyclopedia to the world of jewlery and design and is aimed at becoming a Design Depot and information for consumers, professionals as well as students in the near future.
www.designdepot.blogspot.com

Working towards building an exclusive clientelle through an upcoming brand sukRitaM
www.sukRitaM.com

Worked as a full time designer at Scott Kay.
www.scottkay.com

Developed the brand Vero India Jewels dealing with export of high end Fine Jewelry from India to Florida.
www.veroindia.com

Worked with Tanishq (leading brand in fine jewelry in India) as a full time designer.
http://tanishq.in/

Over 5 years of experience in Jewelry Design and Development

Strong Expertise in conceptualization of designs and themes and further converting them into creative jewelry

Excellent understanding of Product Development, Materials, Stones and manufacturing processes and Marketability

Experience on designing products based on Forecast, Trends, Market Research and existing design demands

Hands on experience working as a Design Coordinator, coordinating and managing a team of designers and craftsmen to manufacture theme based jewelry

Excellent Communication and Presentation Skills & a perfect team player

Organized & Participated in several Exhibitions & Expos for Fine Jewelry

Good organizational capabilities having worked for developing brands in startup

Fast Learner & a Team Player

SKILLS:

-Highly creative & imaginative in designing
-Sketching, Modeling & Drawing Skills, Color Coordination
-Expert software designing using Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop & 3D Max
-Skilled in Material Manipulation of all types
-Proficient in Technical Design and CAD
-Form Generation, Bench working, Sculpting
-Computer Document & Presentation using MS Word, MS Power Point, MS Excel
-Skilled Gemologist
-Project Management experience for product development

Events and Exhibitions:

-“Dance of Mayur – An introduction” at Vero Beach, FL on 12 June '04
-“Dance of Mayur – The Showcase” at Vero Beach, FL on 26 Nov '04
-“Accessory Design Show Case: 2001” at New Delhi in Sep’01

Find more about me on

1. http://www.styleportfolios.com/portfolio.php?username=surbhi79&imgset=2
2. http://www.coroflot.com/surbhi79

I respond to mails I receive at surbhi.s.gupta@gmail.com