Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the common bead shapes?

Rondelle -button shape (fits nicely between beads) Round - sphere
Oval - flat or round ovals
Coin - flat rounds
Nugget - faceted or smooth
Tubes - round long narrow beads

2. What kind of metal beads and findings do you use?

Gold-filled ( layer or layers of gold alloy to a base metal-usually brass)
Gold vermeil (sterling silver, heavily electroplated with 22k yellow gold)
Sterling Silver (92.5% pure silver and 7.52% copper)
Solid brass (not plated)
Solid Copper (not plated)
Pewter - lead free only

3. How is your jewelry strung?
Mostly, I use the nylon-coated, "49 strand," strong, flexible, and kink resistant, Accu-Flex® or Beadalon beading wire. French wire or wire guardians are used to protect the beading wire from wear & tear at the crimped end. They are sterling, gold-filled, silver or gold plated. I also hand-wire some pieces with sterling, gold-filled or copper wire.

4. What is the best way to store and care for my jewelry?

a. Put your jewelry on last and later on take it off first. Put it on after applying makeup, hairspray and perfume. Chemicals are harmful to certain stones and pearls. Also remove your jewelry before bathing or swimming. When you take the piece off, wipe them gently with a soft clean cloth. Do not use bleaching agents, powdered cleaners, ammonia-based cleaners or detergents on certain stones and pearls. Do not hang or wear them when wet, since this may stretch the cord.

b. Store each piece in a cloth pouch or wrapped in a piece of soft cloth. Do not store in a sealed plastic bag. Some stones, especially pearls need to breathe. Avoid storing in direct heat or sunshine. If the piece has sterling silver, place a anti-tarnish strip in the box or bag.

5. Do crystals have lead in them?
Swarovski® crystals have 21% lead. Celestial™ crystals have 12 to 14% lead. Fire polish crystals are lead-free.

6. Are some semiprecious stones and pearls enhanced ? If so, what are the common procedures?

Bleaching: chemical agents to lighten or remove color.

Coating: surface enhancements to improve appearance, add color or other special effects.

Dyeing: adding dye into a gemstone to give it new color, enhance its own color or improve color uniformity.

Gamma/Electron Irradiation: gamma and/or electron bombardment alters a gemstone's color, which may be followed by a heating process.

Heating: the use of heat alter color, clarity and/or its magnificence.

Infilling: the intentional filling of surface-breaking cavities or fractures usually with glass, plastic to improve durability, appearance or add weight.

Imitation: man-made products, manufactured in glass, ceramic or plastic. This material is designed to imitate or resemble the appearance, not copy the characteristic properties.

Natural: stones not known to be enhanced.

Oiling/Resin Infusion: the filling of surface-breaking cavities with a colorless oil, wax, natural resin into fissured transparent/translucent gemstones to enhance appearance.

Stabilization: use of a colorless bonding agent (normally plastic) with a porous gemstone to give it durability and improve appearance.

Synthetic: man-made materials which have same optical, physical and chemical properties as in a naturally occurring corresponding item.

Waxing / Oiling: the impregnation of a colorless wax, paraffin and/or oil in porous opaque gemstones to improve their appearance.

Click here for a detailed list provided from Fire Mountain Gems or here for the list in this site.

More treatments are listed here: Fire Mountain Gems Encyclopedia

Necklace lengths:

Bib: multiple strands with the one below longer than the one above

Collar: 12 - 13" normally multiple strands of three or more that fits snugly around the neck

Choker: 14 - 16" usually ends just above the collar bone

Princess: 17 - 19" great for high necklines

Matinee: 20 - 23" casual or elegant length

Opera: 28 - 34" sometimes doubled to create a multiple strand

Rope: 40 - 45"

Lariat: 48" or longer and the ends are usually detached

Determining bracelet length:

Measure your wrist and add ½ inch to the final length.

Metals: (jewelry findings, chain, wire, beads, pendants)

Sterling Silver - an alloy containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The minimum millesimal fineness is 925. Handcrafted beads and jewelry components made by Karen Hill Tribe in Northern Thailand are typically 95 - 99% grade sterling. As the purity of the silver increases, the problem of tarnishing lessens.

Argentium Sterling Silver - this silver is a patented alloy consisting of 92.5% silver, about 5.9% copper and 1.6% germanium. Its tarnish resistance stems from germanium combining with elements in the air to form a clear compound that coats the metal. When this Argentium sterling wire does tarnish, it is light yellow in color and can easily be removed with a soft cloth, soap and water. This new sterling silver alloy can be soldered and heated just like regular sterling silver.

Vermeil - a thin layer (at least 2.5 microns or 1/10,000") of 10k (or higher) gold bonded over sterling silver.

Gold Plated - (GP or KGP or RGP) has a thin layer of gold electroplated to the surface of some other type of (base) metal underneath. GP is always less expensive than their Gold Filled counterparts. Wears quickly compared to gold filled.

Gold Filled - (GF or KGF) is a layer of 10Kt or better, permanently bonded under heat and pressure to a alloy base metal, then rolled or drawn to a given thickness. GF metal is more expensive than gold plated metal because of the amount of real gold used. Gold filled jewelry may last for generations if cared for and treated as fine gold jewelry. Reduce exposure to salt water, chlorine, perspiration and soap; clean frequently with a soft cloth.

Copper (solid) - a reddish-colored metal. There are many alloys of copper—brass is a copper/zinc alloy, bronze is a copper/tin alloy and "bronze" is usually copper/tin alloys. The copper price has quintupled since 1999, rising from $0.60 per pound in June 1999 to $3.75 per pound in May 2006.

Brass - 75% copper, 25% zinc. Brass has a yellow color, somewhat similar to gold. It is relatively resistant to tarnishing and is often used as decoration.

Bronze - 90% copper, 10% tin

Pewter - 92% tin, 8% antiimony (I use lead-free)

Semi-Precious Gemstones

Imitation Stones (manmade)

Azurite/Malachite
Reconstituted fron natural gemstones
Blue-green

Blue, Green or Brown Goldstone
Glass with glittering copper flecks through them

Cherry Quartz
Transparent to translucent pink glass

Pineapple Quartz
Semi-translucent soft yellow glass

Sea Opal Glass "Opalite"
Milky white glass with flashes of purple, blue, orange and yellow hues

Tigerskin or Volcano Cherry Quartz/Glass
Glass with browns, yellows, oranges, animal flare

Modern, Traditional, Mystical and Planetary Birthstones

If you don't care for your modern or traditional birthstone because of color or expense, you might want to try the mystical or Zodiac stones. Traditional birthstones were declared back to the 15th century. There are differing lists of traditional birthstones. Mystical birthstones are birthstones of Tibetan origin from over a thousand years ago. Ancient knowledge states that these stones help one overcome the obstacles of their birth month.

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