Before you buy precious metals or gem jewelry, you need to be informed. You will make the best decision knowing more about your favorite gem or metal.

Some old folks keep their jewelry all locked up in safes for their future use. Some say that the price of diamonds and gold will only go up; therefore, they are popular investment methods. And we all know how some people use jewel and diamonds to enhance their appearance.

If you�re like so many other women (and men) out there who have a passion for gems and jewels, you�ll appreciate the short information that we have placed together in this article.

Silver

Silver is extremely soft metal in its pure form. Jewelry made from silver are too soft to be worn on its own, therefore, in order to make the silver wearable and durable, silver is mixed with other types of metals. The Federal Trade Commission dictates that in order for jewelry retailers to call their items �silver�, the item would have to contain at least 92.5% pure silver.

Platinum

Iridium, Palladium, Ruthenium, Rhodium, Osmium�they all sound like technical jargon but in actual fact, these are names of materials that fit under the term �platinum�.

Platinum is generally white in color and is often used to hold precious gems to jewelry. Platinum can also be used as part of the area that engravings are made. Platinum is stunning because when combined with yellow gold, the effect is grand and extremely eye-catching.

Ruby

Rubies are extremely popular choices for jewelry � mainly because the color red is often associated with passion and love. Some people believe that if you own at least one set of jewelry containing ruby, it�s good for your love life. To believe in this folklore or not is entirely up to you, but one thing�s for sure � rubies are real lookers! Rubies can be dark red or slightly purplish in color. Real rubies are expensive and rare. Before you buy ruby from a retailer, be sure to check their certification. Real rubies come with a report from a qualified gem lab that can verify the authenticity of the ruby.

Emerald

Emerald is another popular choice among jewelry collectors. Emeralds are green in color and contain chromium or vanadium. The shade of the emerald sometimes varies in color � in the same gem stone. Colombia is the home of the world�s highest quality emeralds. Emerald from Colombia is often green with a slight tinge of blue in them.

Pearls

Pearls are, essentially, organic gems because pearls are created by living creatures. Each pearl starts its life as a piece of grit or dust particle that gets �stuck� in a clam or oyster. Over time, layer after layer of a kind of protective substance called �nacre� is released by the clam/oyster and soon, there are so many layers over the dust or grit that�viola, we have your previous gem extracted by human beings and to be worn to parties and elegant dinners.

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