Bead Jewelry | Pearl jewelry | Pendant

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We are temporarily interrupting our series, “Knot on my thread”, to answer a few questions. “Knot on my thread” will resume in a few weeks. I found a common “thread” lurking in both questions, so I will answer both of them, and discuss the common “thread”.

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Q: A few days ago I saw a beautiful new gemstone that I’ve never heard of, on a national T.V. shopping network. It was a transparent, “light celery green” gem they called Prasiolite. I talked to a jeweler who told me it is man made. Is it real or not? What can you tell me about it?
I love your newsletter. It’s easy to understand and I’ve learned a lot. Thanks, J.D.

A: J.D, Actually both are right. It is a real stone, but this color does not exist in nature. PRASIOLITE (Greek for Leek green stones), also called “GREEN AMETHYST”, “GREEN QUARTZ”, “VERMARINE”, can be anywhere from a pale yellow-green to the deeper shades of green. It is produced by heating violet amethyst and yellow quartz, from the Montezuma mines in Brazil, to approximately 500 degrees C. Recently, a new source of this special amethyst has been found in Arizona (USA). From everything I have read about PRASIOLITE, the color seems to be unstable, and usually fades in sunlight. Because of this instability House Of Gems will not be carrying this stone.

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Q: I’m having a problem, and I hope you can help. A few of the ladies I sold necklaces to are complaining that they can’t remove the tarnish on the silver beads in the necklaces I sold them. The silver beads are located between pearls and gem beads in these necklaces. A friend suggested we use an ultrasonic cleaner, but I read somewhere that it might damage the pearls and gem beads. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks for your newsletter. Keep it up. E.G

A: You’re right about the ultrasonic cleaner damaging pearls and gemstones. I would suggest you try an Ionic Cleaner. These cleaners work by electrolysis. Ions are attached to dirt and grease, and surface tension is reduced. This permits dirt, tarnish and oxidation to be lifted away from jewelry or other metal pieces with gentle bubbles-without abrasion. No metal is lost. Stones and pearls are safely cleaned without potentially damaging vibration, friction, heat or abrasion. Rinsing and drying after immersion naturally enhances renewed luster.

Have you guessed the common thread in these questions? It is the “toughness” of the gems. Toughness, here, pertains to the durability of the gems. Toughness involves: hardness; cleavage; brittleness; porosity; heat resistance; impact resistance; chemical & acid resistance; flammability; shock resistance; light resistance; etc. Even though a gem is very hard, it could have a lower toughness scale because it can cleave, fade, or be attacked by chemicals. The following chart will try to give you information on the intrinsic weakness in the gemstones.

Virtually all gem beads, and glass beads, too, have some kind of weakness. Knowing these weaknesses helps you to plan their usage in your jewelry. For example, a bead with a toughness rating, in the following chart, of “poor” & “fair” tend to be more delicate and should be used in a more protected environment. Necklaces, earrings, and pins get little impact, where as, rings and bracelets can get a lot of impact. Weaker beads can be protected between metal or stronger beads. This isn’t something to be paranoid about. Diamonds, emeralds, opals, & tanzanite (all can shatter), plus pearls & amber (very soft), are among the most popular gems that are used in rings.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN CREATING WITH GEM BEADS.
(A continuing series)

Here is information for using the following chart:

TOUGHNESS CODE: POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELENT. (WEAKEST TO STRONGEST).
COLOR CODE: BLACK= BK, BLUE= BL, BROWN= BR, COLORLESS= CL, GOLD= GD, GRAY= GY, GREEN= GN, PINK= PK, ORANGE= OR, RED= RD, VIOLET= VL, WHITE= WT, YELLOW=YW, WHITE= WT,
OPAQUE=OP, TRANSPARENT=TP, DARK= DK, LIGHT= LT,

HARDNESS CODE: 1 TO 10 (SOFTEST TO HARDEST).

TOUGHNESS CHART

GEM NAME	COLORS	HARD-NESS	TOUGH-NESS	NOTES
AMBER	YW, BR, GN, OR, RD	2-2.5	POOR	AVOID HEAT, FLAME, ACIDS, CAUSTICS, ALCOHOL, PERFUME, CLEANERS,
APATITE	PK,YW,GN,BL,VL	5	FAIR	BRITTLE. AVOID ACID. SYNTHETIC IN TRADE. COMPOSES BONE.
ARAGONITE	CL, GN,VARI	3.5-4	POOR	SOFT, BRITTLE, AVOID ACIDS. COMPOSES PEARLS, M-O-P, MARBLE
BERYL GROUP		7.5-8
EMERALD	DEEP GR-YW/GN	7.5-8	POOR-GOOD	BRITTLE, STONE HAS INCLUSIONS. AVOID: HEAT,CLEANERS, SOLVENTS
AQUAMARINE	Lt – Dk BL, B/G	7.5-8	GOOD	AVOID HEAT & USE CAUTION IF IT HAS LIQUID INCLUSIONS & FEATHERS.
BIXBIT	GOOSEBERRY RED		GOOD
GOLDEN BERYL	LEMON/YW-GOLD/YW		GOOD	INCLUSIONS RARE. DECOLORIZATION AT 482 DEGREES F.
GOSHENITE	COLORLESS		GOOD	USED AS IMITATION DIAMOND OR EMERALD BY ADDING COLORED FOIL .
MORGANITE	PINK-VIOLET, SALMON		GOOD	INCLUSIONS RARE. POOR GEMS IMPROVED BY HEATING ABOVE 752 DEGREES F.
AZURITE	DK/BL, AZURE/BL	3.5-4	POOR-FAIR	CRYSTALS CUT FOR “SPECIMEN”, ONLY. MASS MATERIAL CAN BE USED.
AZURITE BLOCK	DK & AZURE BLUE		POOR-FAIR	MAN-MADE. BLUE AZURITE & GREEN MALACHITE MIXED IN RESIN. .
AZURITE, IN MATRIX	BU, GN,RD,CREAM	4+	FAIR-GOOD	MIX OF AZURITE, MALACHITE, CUPRITE & OTHER COPPER MINERALS.
CALCITE	CL, BL,BN,YW,VARI	3	POOR	SOFT, BRITTLE, CLEAVES
CHALCEDONY	BLUISH, WT, GY	6.5-7	GOOD	AKA ONYX, HEAT MAY CHANGE COLOR EASILLY TAKES COLOR DYES.
CARNELIAN	FLESH RED-BROWN RED		GOOD	TODAY MOST IS DYED & THEN HEAT TREATED.
SARD	REDDISH BROWN-BROWN		GOOD	TODAY MOST “SARDS” ARE DYED.
CHRYSOPRASE	GREEN-APPLE GREEN		GOOD	SUNLITE & HEAT CAN FADE COLOR. MAY RECOVER IN MOIST STORAGE .
HELIOTROPE	OPQ.DK/GN W/RED SPOTS		GOOD	AKA: BLOODSTONE
DENDRITIC AGATE	CL-WHTISH/GY W/DK. DENDRITES			AKA: SCENIC AGATE, MOSQUITO STONE, PICTURE AGATE, ETC. .
MOSS AGATE	CL W/ GN, BN, RED INCLUSIONS
AGATE	ALL COLORS, BANDED		GOOD	MANY ARE CHEMICALLY COLORED, CAN INCLUDE CRYSTALS. MANY VARIETIES ARE NAMED BY THEIR COLOR, PATTERNS, AND/OR ORIGIN.
JASPER	ALL COLORS & PATTERNS		GOOD	CONSIDERED CHALCEDONY, BUT STRUCTURE IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. VARIETIES ARE NAMED BY THEIR COLORS, PATTERNS, AND/OR ORIGIN.
PETRIFIED WOOD, BONE, ETC.	WARM COLORS W/PATTERNS			ORIGINAL STRUCTURES REPLACED BY AGATE, JASPER, OPAL.
CHAROITE	LILAC-VL, “FLAMED”	5-6		NEW MINERAL, FROM SIBERIA. RECOGNIZED 1978.
CHRYSOBERYL	GD/Y,GN/Y,GN,RD,BN.	8.5	EXCELENT-GOOD
CHRYSOBERYL CAT’S EYE		8.5	EXCELENT-GOOD	THE ONLY REAL CATS’ EYE”. OTHERS MUST NAME GEM. AVOID HEAT.
ALEXANDRITE	CHANGES GN-RED	8.5	GOOD	DAYLITE=GREEN & INCANDESCENT=RED, SENSITIVE TO KNOCKS. HIGH HEAT CAN CAUSE COLOR CHANGES. ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE GEMS .
CHRYSOCOLLA	GREEN, BLUE	2-4	POOR	SOFT, BRITTLE ANCIENT GEM. SILICIFIED GEM INTERTWINED WITH AZURITE, MALACHITE, AND OTHER COPPER BASED GEMS.
CHRYSOPHRASE				SEE CHALCEDONY
CINNABAR	RED, PALE BLUE	2-2.5	POOR	MOST COMES FROM CHINA AND IS CARVED, LACQUERED WOOD. REAL CINNABAR IS POISONOUS MERCURY ORE W/DROPS OF LIQUID MERCURY.
CORAL	RD,PK,WT,BK,BL	3-4	FAIR-GOOD	AVOID HEAT, FLAME, & ACID. MOST CHINESE IS DYED & CAN FADE.

Tune in next week for more stones!

REFERENCES:

1) GIA (GEMOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA) PUBLICATIONS.
2) GEMSTONES OF THE WORLD, BY WALTER SCHUMANN
3) NUMEROUS OTHER GEMS, MINERALS, AND ROCKS BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS + YEARS OF
STUDY & EXPERIENCE.