What is jewelry? Is it rawhide cord with a drill shell, a sterling silver likeness of your zodiac sign , or a breath-taking platinum ring with diamond given as a symbol of love and acceptance of an engagement? Jewelry is all of the above and could be considered almost any form of personal adornment. You are making a statement of who you are, your sense of fashion, success in business, or how deeply you are loved by wearing or gifting jewelry.

Most jewelry today is some form of metal that may or may not include stone or other materials.
Custume jewelry is made up of non-precious metal and has to be as a major sell. Often the only value is the design itself. Silver jewelry has silver metal as a major component and may have stimulated stones or less expensive gemstone. Sterling silver is 92.5% fine or pure silver with the remainder comprised of the other metals as alloys. Gold jewelry is produced in many different karat weights or rations of pure gold to alloying metal. Pure gold is 24 karat, but is so soft that it can not be worked into most jewelry. Although 18 karat gold has been increasingly popular, 14 karat has been the more accepted standard. If you change the alloys that you mix with gold you can produce green, apricot, pink (rose), or white gold. The majority of new brides today are choosing white metal for their engagement rings, either 14 or 18 karat white gold or platinum. Platinum has had a re-birth as the metal of choice. No longer is it Grandma's ring or brooch. Its subtle satin finish differs from the high polish of gold, and its durability far exceeds than of gold. However the price per ounce of platinum in its pure form is more than twice that of gold. Platinum is also far denser, requiring more weigh or metal (and that metal is not alloyed except to small extent). 14 karat gold is only 58% pure metal. Further, platinum is more complicated to cast and requires more time to finish. Consider all these factors when choosing between white gold and platinum, is metal is worth the 2 ½ times or more than the cost of gold?

All natural and synthetic gemstones are evaluated by: their size or carat weight: how well they are cut: the number type and size of the inclusion or the clarity: and last but most importantly, the color of the material. With diamond you will hear of 4 C's of color, cut, clarity and carat weigh. My motto is to" only but and sell pretty". Vary the factor, but always create a piece of jewelry than I am proud to sell, and customer will wear knowing that it will be notices and commented on.

Custom jewelry is created as one of kind or limited production. When purchased directly from the craftsman, the custom jewelry can be less expensive than "off the rack", have superior workmanship, and gemstones, selected to fit precisely and have the maximum beauty. From a picture or idea a wax is carved and shown for approval. Following any alternations to the wax, it is cast in the metal of choice and polished. Next the stone are set and final polishing is given. It is rare, indeed, that the pride of personally designing your unique piece of jewelry in not worth the extra time involved.