Gemmology International: Jewelry Judge

May Birthstone: Emerald. May birthdays fall right in the heart of spring, and the emerald is the perfect gem to symbolize and celebrate this month. Prized for its brilliant and beautiful green color, the emerald is often favored by the rich and famous to wear as statement pieces for big events. But this beautiful gem is just at home in an unassuming pendant as it is in an ornate tiara.... As the birthstone for May, the emerald, a symbol of rebirth, is believed to grant the owner foresight, good fortune, and youth. Emerald, derived from the word smaragdus, means, quite literally, green in Greek. See more

You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction. -George Lorimer

Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve done before.

Platinum. Platinum is a type of precious metal jewelry that costs more than gold. It usually is mixed with other similar metals, known as the platinum group metals: iridium, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium and osmium. Different markings are used on platinum jewelry as compared with gold jewelry, based on the amount of pure platinum in the piece. The quality markings for platinum are based on parts per thousand.... For example, the marking 900 Platinum means that 900 parts out of 1000 are pure platinum, or in other words, the item is 90% platinum and 10% other metals. The abbreviations for platinum Plat. or Pt. also can be used in marking jewelry. See more

Do what you can with all you have, wherever you are. Theodore Roosevelt.

Famous Jewels: Phenomenal Gemstone Stars Believe it or not, some of the world's most famous gemstones are actually sapphires and rubies, not diamonds. Diamonds typically need to be faceted to bring out their brilliance, but ruby and sapphire can be admired without the need to be faceted. Many colored gemstones are prized and valued based on their color and size alone, often requiring only a light polish to bring out their luster. In fact, there are some gem types that ...are never faceted, particularly gems which exhibit rare forms of chatoyancy, including cat's eyes or asterism (the star effect). Phenomenal gemstones are extremely rare and highly prized, which is why many of the world's most famous gemstones are star gemstones. See more

Thanksgiving Day is a good day to recommit our energies to giving thanks and just giving.

Mermaid Sapphires: The Next Big Thing in Engagement Ring Stones For millennia, people have treasured sapphires. They’re one of the most well-known types of colored gemstones. Classic blue, as well as pink and padparadscha sapphires, have all become popular jewelry stones. So, what’s new in the world of sapphires? The beautiful mermaid sapphires. Teal sapphires combine different degrees of blue, green, yellow, and gray. There are at least six different varieties of teal... sapphires, each showing a different combination/percentage of these colors. The dominant colors are usually a deep aquatic blue and a vivacious forest green. Mermaid sapphires show a rare, precise 50-50 ratio of blue and green color. See more