gem indentification

Natural freshwater pearls occur in mussels just as saltwater pearls occur in oysters. A foreign object enters or is entered into a mussel and is not expelled creating a cultured freshwater pearl. The irritant is covered with nacre. Japan cultured the first freshwater pearls with freshwater mussels. They were the first to culture pearls in freshwater mussels in Lake Biwa, a large lake near Kyoto. It first started in the...

Peter Carl Faberge (1846-1920), born in Russia is known for the creative and meticulous workmanship of the Imperial Easter Eggs. He was educated in England, Germany, Italy and France. In 1879, at the age of 24, Peter Carl Faberge inherited his father’s jewelry business. He gained international fame when his detailed decorative designs caught the eye of the wealthy royal families of Europe. In 1882, he was honored with the...

The chemical structure, natural radiation or intense pressure during millions of years of a diamond’s formation creates its color. Simply stated, nitrogen creates a yellow or orange diamond. Boron creates a light or deep blue diamond. Natural radiation creates a green colored diamond. Intense pressure creates a pink, red or brown diamond and hydrogen produces a purple diamond. The Mossaieff Red diamond was created by intense pressure. It was discovered...

The demantoid garnet belongs to the large garnet family that is known for its dark red color. Not only is the demantoid garnet the most expensive in the garnet group, it is also one of the most precious of all gemstones and it is green. Demantoid garnets come in varying shades of green from slightly yellowish green to brownish green to a blue green. The most precious garnet is a...