Every day Jewelry Television is adding more and more product videos to our catalog. As you are making purchasing decisions, these videos will help. What better way to try out the updated videos than with this piece from The Vault: a $79,950,000 unheated Burmese sapphire ring?
Extensive WWII sweetheart jewelry, wartime patriotic items, militaria and more up for bid “Out of the woodwork” is a phrase associated with many aspects of collecting, and often used in the militaria arena.
It’s difficult for most of us to imagine what life is like in countries where diamonds are the source of so much chaos and suffering, and the connection between terror and diamonds is not something that’s reported heavily in the press. The 2006 movie Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, should help make the issues more mainstream, if only temporarily.
Copper Jewelry
Copper reacts to turns skin green. The piece you’re wearing might not be pure copper, but it might have enough copper in it to cause a reaction, and some people seem to have body chemistry that’s prone to staining.
Sterling Silver
Sterling silver is 7.5 percent copper, but the most common stains from sterling silver jewelry are black, and occur when the metal tarnishes (darkens due to a reaction with gases in the air). Some sterling pieces are coated with products that help keep them from tarnishing, but the coatings will wear off in time.
Gold shouldn’t cause staining, should it?
Gold itself hardly ever stains your skin, it’s the other metals that gold is mixed with that do. Copper, nickel and silver can be used to alter the color of gold, and make it stronger and more affordable. Any of those metals can cause discoloration on your skin.
The lower the “K” number on your gold (Karat), the less pure gold it contains–and the more other metals. Some people never have a reaction to the metals in even 10K gold, but others must buy 18K pieces to stop the discoloration.
Nickel Allergies
If you are allergic to nickel, you won’t just have stained skin. Jewelry that contains the metal will make your skin itchy and red where it comes in contact with your body.
Gold Plated & Gold Filled Jewelry
The thin layer of gold in gold plated jewelry can wear off, exposing an inexpensive base metal that can stain your skin
Gold filled jewelry is made with a thicker outer layer of gold, so it doesn’t wear off as quickly.
Ways to Eliminate Staining
It’s not too early to start planning for Mother’s Day. Mother’s rings let moms and grandmothers use birthstones to display the birth months of their children and grandchildren, and the mother’s rings in this collection are unique, just like the children they represent. They’re designed for moms, but guys should take a look at these rings for a fiancé or girlfriend, especially the stackable birthstone eternity ring that lets her wear her birthstone and yours side-by-side.
© Zales