Viridian Gold Nuggets

Should I buy a Titanium Ring? Titanium has become an increasingly popular metal for jewelry, especially rings. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Titanium Rings.  The PRICE. Titanium Rings come in a wide range of prices. Plain Titanium Rings and wedding bands can be purchased for under $100. Even Titanium rings with diamonds are less expensive since you are not paying for a precious metal such as gold or platinum. Titanium is much harder than gold or silver, providing a durable and scratch resistant product. The hardness of Titanium makes it an excellent choice for anyone doing hands-on work that could easily damage gold or silver rings.  Titanium rings come in a wide range of styles. Titanium's natural color is a soft gray, but Titanium can be anodized in black, dark gray, and many other colors.  Titanium is light-weight for those who prefer a lighter feel to their rings. Titanium is one of the most hypo-allergenic metals available. Titanium reacts with the

Is Silver a Good Jewelry Choice? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of silver jewelry? Silver can be an excellent choice for many types of jewelry. Here are some of the advantages: Silver is inexpensive. Over the last several years, silver has traded at a price anywhere from $14.05 an ounce to $17.62 per ounce. The price of gold has ranged from $1,358 to $1,174 per ounce over the past year, making gold jewelry 7 to 10 times more expensive that silver.  Silver is lightweight. For larger jewelry pieces such as a large bracelet the weight and lower cost of silver make it an excellent choice Silver's white color with a slight pink undertone is especially popular and attractive with rich, deep color precious and semi-precious stones such as turquoise, agate, garnet, onyx, malachite, and topaz. Silver is a good metal for "travel jewelry". For example, a valuable ring made with white gold and diamonds can be duplicated with silver and cubic zirconia for a f

What makes platinum so good for jewelry? Platinum is an excellent metal to use in jewelry making. Like gold, platinum is extremely non-reactive which means it will not tarnish or rust.  Here are some of the other advantages of platinum jewelry:  It has a soft white color like white gold or silver. However unlike silver, it won't tarnish. It is white like white gold, but white gold has a rhodium plating that wears off and shows the yellow underneath; then it has to be re-plated. Platinum jewelry is naturally white, so it never needs to be re-plated. Platinum is hypo-allergenic. Many people have allergies to gold or to the alloy metals such as nickel that are used to make 14K or 18K gold. Platinum does not cause an allergic reaction in most people Platinum is harder than gold. On the Moh's hardness scale, gold has a hardness of 2 to 2.5. Platinum has a hardness of 4.5, so it won't scratch or dent as easily as gold Most platinum jewelry is made of 90% platinu

Platinum, Gold, or Silver? Which is Best for my Jewelry? Platinum, gold, and silver are all used to make jewelry and each metal has its advantages and disadvantages. Today's blog highlights the advantages and disadvantages of gold in jewelry making. For a beautiful deep yellow color 14K or 18K gold is the best choice. The deep yellow color can be used to make beautiful pieces especially when combined with gemstones with deep, rich colors such as ruby, emerald, sapphire, tanzanite, or amethyst.  Another advantage of gold is that it never tarnishes. This does not mean that gold jewelry never needs to be cleaned. Gold jewelry with intricate designs will pick up dirt and body oils, especially if the piece is worn every day, so cleaning is usually needed at least every six months. Ask your jeweler for a recommendation for a good jewelry cleaner. Many jewelers will clean and inspect your jewelry free of charge. So what are the disadvantages of gold jewelry? Gold is expensive.

St. Andrew Cross or St. Olga Cross? What is the difference between the St. Andrew Cross and the St. Olga Cross? The St. Andrew Cross is the also called the Three-Bar Cross that is traditionally associated with Russian Orthodoxy.  The name of the Cross is derived from the tradition about the Apostle Andrew who preached the Gospel around the Black Sea in the region that is now southern Russia and the Ukraine.  When St. Andrew preached he carried with him a large Three-Bar Cross. The top bar represented the sign posted above Jesus head which read, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." The middle bar was the bar to which Jesus arms were nailed. The third bar at the bottom was the place where Jesus rested His feet.  In his preaching, St. Andrew would move the third bar so that one end pointed up and the other end pointed down. The end pointing up represented the thief, St. Dismas, who said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me in your Kingdom." The bar pointed up to in