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Posts Tagged ‘crystal’
An Alternative to Diamonds
A diamond is glamour, its beauty and it’s also the ultimate expression of love and romance, a magnificent enchanting gem that every girl wants. Unfortunately diamonds also come with a magnificent price tag which is why for most they are reserved for special occasions. Diamonds are made from carbon atoms which are arranged in a certain way because of intense heat and pressure from their surroundings where they are created. Most diamonds around the world were formed between 1 to 3.3 billion years ago far below the earths surface where it took large volcanic eruptions to push them close enough to the surface to be mined. They are mined from a number of countries around the world and not only used for the jewellery trade but in other industries as well. A diamond is one of the hardest natural substances known to man and as such has other values than an aesthetic one. The gems appearance is enhanced because it has a high refraction and dispersion index. This makes the light passing through the gem bend and separate to form a colour spectrum which makes a diamond sparkle and shimmer. Diamonds aren’t the only gem that can create this beautiful effect and today there are a number of diamond alternatives that are used for making jewellery.
Swarovski Crystal
Swarovski crystal is the most affordable alternative to a diamond although not technically a crystal but lead glass. Its high precision cutting and polishing technique combined with its multi faceted faces, make Swarovski Crystals a high quality and cost effective alternative to diamonds which is why it’s so popular. Swarovski have a range of ornaments, stones for jewellery and Swarovski Crystal beads that are sold in many shapes colours and sizes and widely used throughout the fashion industry for adding sparkle to both jewellery and catwalk clothing.
Cultured diamonds
Cultured diamonds are man made diamonds that are manufactured in a lab from carbon the same raw material as a mined diamond consists of. Using a specific process which uses gases combined with high heat and pressure its possible to artificially grow diamonds that look like top quality flawless and colourless diamonds. The diamonds created have the same weight, refraction, dispersion and other properties to a natural diamond with the added bonus that some of the desired qualities can be enhanced to improve the diamond even further. All this and it only cost a few pounds to make a top quality diamond however at present they are still sold for a high price because of the name.
Cubic Zirconia
Cubic Zirconia which is known as CZ is probably the most well known diamond alternative as it’s often referred to as a fake diamond by many people. CZ is grown in a lab from a material called zirconium dioxide and is cheap to manufacture a flawless CZ gem. When compared side by side many people are unable to tell the difference between a high quality well cut CZ gems and a diamond. They are naturally colourless when grown and can be colourised by using metal oxide in the development stage to give the gem either one or a multi colour effect. CZ isn’t as hard as a diamond and has a lower refraction and dispersion index which means that it isn’t quite as sparkly as a diamond but comes very close. CZ is heavier than a diamond by about 1.6 times its weight making it easy to differentiate it from a diamond.
Moissanite
Moissanite is a newer diamond alternative than CZ and is currently only manufactured by one company who have a patent on the gem. Like CZ it’s also artificially grown in a lab to produce a gem that looks very much like a diamond. Moissanite is slightly lighter than a diamond in weight but not noticeably so, its also not far off the hardness of a diamond as it rates 9.25 on the Mohs scale in comparison to a diamonds reading of 10.0. This makes Moissanite harder wearing than both Swarovski and CZ and is less likely to chip through general usage. What distinguishes Moissanite from a diamond is its sparkle which is much higher than that of a diamond, which is noticeable even to an untrained eye.
Jewelry Keepsakes
Many online companies offer a select few keepsakes to choose from but one online retailer of funeral jewelry presents an enormous array of pendants and jewelry that you can choose from. Jewelry Keepsakes has grown by leaps and bounds and has become one of the leading online retailers of cremation jewelry and pendants. To further enhance your shopping experience with Jewelry Keepsakes, they have a customer service team that is knowledgeable and compassionate.
At Jewelry Keepsakes, you will find hundreds of heart keepsakes in different metals and finishes that will lovingly cradle and honor a remembrance of your loved one. Their heart pendants are obtainable in sterling silver, 14K gold vermeil, crystal and glass and have several different personalization options. Jewelry Keepsakes includes a free black satin cording or a free matching chain with all of their heart funeral jewelry purchases and they also have chain upgrades that allow each customer to choose the jewelry chain that best suits their personal taste.
In addition to their varied selection of heart pendants, Jewelry Keepsakes has several other categories of funeral jewelry. Crafted of high grade sterling silver, their cremation rings feature clean lines and gorgeous details. The forever love women’s ring has a small heart on the front and you can load your ring through a small opening that is accessible through a screw on the top of the ring. The men’s ring is bold and handsome and has a small screw opening on the bottom. Each of Jewelry Keepsakes cremation rings will hold some cremated ashes, a lock of hair or some sacred ground from the site of burial.
Jewelry Keepsakes has a complete line of men’s memorial lockets that are masculine yet still sentimental and striking. Their 14K gold vermeil book keepsake will hold a small remembrance inside the pendant and comes with a 14K gold filled box chain. Jewelry Keepsakes typically ships their keepsakes within twenty four hours but if time is of the essence, they do offer shipping upgrades.
Jewelry Keepsakes has a beautiful line of pet cremation jewelry that will aptly recognize the impact our pets have on our lives. Their pet pendants feature dogs, cats and horses as well as other animals and most of these keepsakes can be engraved with anywhere from one to three lines of engraving. Savor your fond memories of your constant companion with a beautiful pet keepsake pendant from Jewelry Keepsakes.
No two individuals are exactly alike and neither should two keepsake pendants. Each pendant at Jewelry Keepsakes is individually hand crafted and they send all their cremation jewelry in a beautiful jewelry gift box. Almost every pendant at Jewelry Keepsakes will lovingly cradle a small reminder of your loved one and keep it safe and secure. Whether you’re looking for children’s pendants or unique designer pieces, Jewelry Keepsakes has a complete selection of affordable and unique keepsake pendants.