Regent Jewelry uses both 18k gold (75% gold and 25% alloy metal), and 14k gold (58.5% pure gold, 41.5% alloy metal) in their designs. Pure gold (24k) is a precious metal that is very soft when pure, much too soft to hold gemstones and diamonds. In addition 24k gold is too soft to maintain the beauty of our hand engraving. 18k and 14k gold is alloyed (mixed with other metals, usually silver and copper) to make it less expensive and harder. Alloyed gold comes in many colors:
The following metals are added to gold to produce various colors.
Alloys:
For Yellow Gold - 50% silver and 50% copper
For White Gold - Nickel, zinc, copper, tin and manganese
For Pink or Rose Gold - 90% copper and 10% silver
Karat (abbreviated k) is a measure of the fineness of gold.
24k 100% Gold
18k 75% Gold
14k 58.5% Gold
10k 41.7% Gold
In some cases the choice of 14k vs. 18k is a matter of price, however there are some aesthetic considerations as well. 18k yellow gold will have a warmer, more rich yellow gold color, since it has more pure gold (75% vs. 58% for 14k gold). 14k white gold will hold it's "white" color better after the rhodium plating begins to wear off since it has less "yellow" gold and more "white" alloys.
Platinum is a very strong, dense precious metal with a white color. Platinum jewelry is usually 90%-95% pure and is often alloyed (mixed) with Iridium. For rings that will be worn on a daily basis, Regent Jewelry recommends using Platinum because of its durability.
Rhodium is an extremely expensive white precious metal. Regent Jewelry plates all white gold and platinum jewelry with Rhodium to give it a hard, bright finish. Over time this plating may wear off and you may choose to have your piece replated. We will be happy to replate your piece for a nominal charge, plus shipping and insurance fees.
Regent Jewelry uses Sterling Silver for all of our Silver Jewelry. Sterling Silver is 92.5% pure silver alloyed with copper.
Most Gold and Platinum can be cleaned with a non-abrasive cleaner. Chlorine is gold's worst enemy, avoid exposure to chlorine based cleanig products as well as swimming pools and jacuzzis.
Sterling Silver tarnishes quickly when exposed to air, Regent Jewelry recommends using a non-abrasive silver cleaner.
Most consumers have heard of the 4 C’s. They are Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat weight. Regent Jewelry consistently uses SI1, G-H color diamonds. The total weight of diamonds in a specific piece of jewelry will be included in the Certificate of Appraisal. If a specific diamond grade is desired for a certain item, please contact customer service.
| Symbol | Meaning | Definition |
| F | Flawless | Free from all inclusions or blemishes. |
| IF | Internally Flawless | No inclusions visible at 10x magnification. |
| VVS1 | Very Very Slightly Included #1 | Inclusions that are extremely difficult to locate at 10x. |
| VVS2 | Very Very Slightly Included #2 | Inclusions that are very difficult to locate at 10x. |
| VS1 | Very Slightly Included #1 | Minor inclusions that are difficult to locate at 10x. |
| VS2 | Very Slightly Included #2 | Minor inclusions that are somewhat difficult to locate at 10x. |
| SI1 | Slightly Included #1 | Noticeable inclusions that are easy to locate at 10x. |
| Sl2 | Slightly Included #2 | Noticeable inclusion that are very easy to locate at 10x. |
| I1 | Included #1 | Obvious inclusions. Somewhat easy to locate with the unaided eye. |
| I2 | Included #2 | Obvious inclusions. Easy to locate with the unaided eye. |
| I3 | Included #3 | Obvious inclusions. Very easy to locate with the unaided eye. |
A popular alternative to diamond melee (small diamonds) is white sapphire. White sapphire has a hardness rating of 9 vs. 10 for diamonds. It also refracts light differently and will have a bit less "sparkle" than diamonds, but white sapphire is an excellent, cost effective alternative as an accent stone (see Corundum or Sapphire below).
At Regent Jewelry we love colored gemstones! We want you to understand some things about the gems we sell. Some gemstones may require special care and handling. It is always best to avoid hitting gemstones against hard surfaces. Keep gemstones away from household chemicals, cosmetics and perfumes. Most gemstones can be cleaned with a non-abrasive cleaner (we like Brilliant Diamond Cleaner, but even this cleaner is not appropriate for every colored gemstone). Please refer to their packaging for more details or visit their website at wwwBrillianDiamondRestorer.com. Some gemstones do not tolerate ultrasonic cleaning; therefore we do not recommend this type of cleaning.
Things to consider about your new favorite piece of jewelry!
Gemstones have varying hardness. Hardness is measured using the Mohs scale. Below please find a Mohs scale with the corresponding gemstones:
1 Talc
2 Amber, Ivory, Shell, Silver (Fingernail)
2 – 3 Gold 3 Bronze, Coral, Pearl 4 Iron 5 Glass
5.5 – 6.5 Opal, Peridot, Hematite, Fire Opal, Chrome Diopside
6 Turquoise, Tanzanite, Moonstone, Kunzite
7 Amethyst, Citrine, Carnelian, Chalcedony, Quartz, Zircon,
Tourmaline, Rhodolite, Iolite, Garnet, (Steel)
8 Emerald, Aquamarine, Spinel, Topaz, Tsavorite Garnet, Morganite
9 Ruby, Sapphire
10 Diamond
Amethyst is a variety of quartz. Amethyst is usually purple, but can range in color from pale lavender to a very deep, reddish purple to a milky color to green. Amethyst has a hardness of 7.
Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl group. Aquamarine is a clear, light blue or sea-green stone. The best aquamarines come from Brazil. Aquamarine has a hardness of 7.5-8. Beryl Beryl’s are a family of gemstone that include emerald, aquamarine, and morganite. Beryl has a hardness of 7 – 8.
Carnelian is a reddish form of chalcedony. Carnelian comes from India, Brazil, Uruguay and Japan. Carnelian has a hardness of 6.5.
Chalcedony is a family of minerals that are often milky to gray to bluish in color. Chalcedony is porous and translucent. Chalcedony has a hardness of 6.5-7.
Chrome diopside is deep green colored gemstone. Chrome diopside has a hardness of 5 to 6.
Citrine is a rare, yellow type of quartz, a semi-precious stone that ranges in color from pale yellow to orange to golden brown. The best quality citrine is found in Brazil. Citrine has a hardness of 7.
Coral is an animal that grows in colonies in the ocean. Coral ranges in color from pale pink to orange to red to white to black. In jewelry making, coral is either carved into beads, cabochon, or is left in its natural branch-like form and just polished. Coral has a hardness of about 3.5.
Corundum is called ruby or sapphire, depending on the color. In its rare pure form, corundum is colorless and called white sapphire. Corundum has a hardness of 9.
Cultured pearls are generally white, but are produced in many colors including gold, yellow, champagne, pink, peach, lavender, grey and black. Because natural pearls are so rare and difficult to recover, cultured pearls are created by seeding mollusks with bits of shell or sand similar to the process occurring naturally. Dyes, irradiation and heat treatment are sometimes applied to produce a wide variety of hues in fresh water and cultured pearls. Pearls require special care as they are sensitive to chemicals and acids. Avoid perfume, hairspray, abrasives, solvents and nail polish remover. Store your pearls wrapped in a soft cloth or bag to avoid being scratched by other jewelry items.
Demantoid garnets are valuable green, very lustrous garnets. They are a rare variety of andradite. Demantoid garnets have a hardness of 6.5.
Emeralds are a very hard, green precious stone. Flaws and cloudiness (called jardin) are very common. Emeralds have a hardness of 7-8.
Fire opals are a type of opal in which red and yellow colors are dominant. These opals are rarely transparent - they are usually milky. Many opals have a high water content - they can dry out and crack if they are not cared for well (opals should be stored in damp cotton wool). Opals have a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5. Fire opals are found in Western Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, and Honduras.
The gemstone family “garnet” contains more than ten different gemstones. They range in color from red to green (garnets occur in all colors but blue). Garnet has a hardness of 6-8.
Grossular Colorless, orange, green, pink, or brown
Pyrope Colorless, pink, or red Almadine Red-orange to red-purple
Spessartine Red-orange to yellow-orange Hessonite Brownish orange
Topazolite Yellow to orange-yellow
Andradite Green Yellow-green to black
Demantoid Green to yellow green andradite
Tsavorite Green to yellow-green
Uvarovite Emerald green
Rhodolite Purple-red
Hematite is a lustrous, opaque, blue-black to silvery gray mineral often used in jewelry. Hematite has a hardness of 6.5. Hematite is found in England, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, and the Lake Superior region of North America.
Iolite is a transparent, violet-blue, grayish blue mineral. Iolite has a hardness of 7 - 7.5. Iolite is found in Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar and Burma.
Jade is a semi-precious stone that is usually green, sometimes white, lavender or red. Jade has a hardness of 6.5 – 7.
Kunzite is a transparent pink, light pink, or lavender gemstone. Kunzite can fade after prolonged exposure to light. Kunzite has a hardness of 6-7.
Moonstone is a semi-translucent stone. It is usually whitish-blue, but can be colorless, yellow, orange, gray, or even reddish. Moonstone is usually set as a cabochon. Moonstone has a hardness of 6 – 6.5.
Morganite is a transparent gemstone that ranges from pink to almost lilac. It is a variety of beryl. Morganite has a hardness of 7.5 - 8. Morganite is found in Brazil, Madagascar, Italy, Pakistan, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and the USA (California, Maine, Connecticut, and North Carolina).
Mother-of-pearl is the iridescent coating on the inside of oyster or abalone shells.
Topaz is a very hard gemstone with a hardness of 8. Mystic Topaz is enhanced with a coating called chemical deposition to add a beautiful irridescent finish. Special care should be taken with this gemstone. Avoid harsh chemicals, heat, ultrasonic cleaning and repolishing or recutting.
Opals are semi-precious stones that are luminous and iridescent, frequently with inclusions of many colors ("fire"). Many opals have a high water content - they can dry out and crack if they are not cared for well (opals should be stored in damp cotton wool). Opals have a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5. Opals are found in many places worldwide, including Kenya, Czechoslovakia, Brazil, Peru, Honduras, Mexico, Canada, and the USA -- but Australia has a tremendous variety of beautiful opals.
Peridot is a yellow-green semi-precious stone and is a transparent, green form of olivine. Peridot exhibits double refraction; when you look through the stone, things appear double. For example, when looking into a faceted peridot gemstone, the number of bottom facets appears to be double the actual number of facets. Most peridots are from a volcanic island in the Red Sea, Zebergit/St. John, the "Serpent Isle." Peridots have been found in meteorites. Peridot has a hardness of 6.5.
Quartz is a crystalline mineral that comes in many forms, including amethyst, aventurine, citrine, opal, rock crystal, tiger's eye, rose quartz, and many others. Rutilated quartz and tourmalinated quartz have needle-like inclusions of other minerals. Quartz has a hardness of 7.0. This mineral is found worldwide.
Rhodolite (meaning "rose stone" in Greek) is a purple-red to pink-red variety of garnet. This stone has a hardness of 7-7.5. Rhodolite is found in the US, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Sri Lanka (Ceylon).
Rose de France is a recent name for a very pale variety of amethyst or quartz. It is also known as lavender amethyst. Rose de France has a hardness of 7.0.
Rose quartz is a form of quartz that ranges in color from pink to deep red. Rose quartz has a hardness of 7.
Rubellite is a red variety of tourmaline. Rubellite has a hardness of 7-7.5.
Rubies are precious stones and a member of the corundum family. Rubies range in color from the classic deep red to pink to purple to brown. Rubies have a hardness of 9. Rubies are found in Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Myanmar (Burma), Malagasy Republic, Malawi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Tanzania, Thailand, United States (Montana and North Carolina), and Zimbabwe (Rhodesia).
Rutilated quartz is a type of rock crystal which contains long, fine needles of golden or red crystals. This beautiful stone is usually cut as a cabochon or into beads.
Sapphire is a precious gemstone (a type of corundum) that ranges in color from blue to pink to yellow to green to white to purple to pink-orange. Six-sided asterisms sometimes occur in star sapphires. Sapphires are related to rubies. Sapphire has a hardness of 9.
Spinel is a very hard semi-precious stone ranging in color from red to black to yellow, frequently resembling rubies. Spinel is found in Burma, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Spinel has a hardness of 8.
Tanzanite is a valuable, transparent, blue-violet type of Zoisite. Tanzanite has a hardness of 6. Topaz Topaz is a very hard gemstone that ranges in color from brown, to yellow to blue to pink. Imperial topaz is golden orange-yellow topaz. Topaz has a hardness of 8.
Tourmaline is a gemstone that comes in many different colors and has the greatest color range of any gemstone. It ranges in color from pink to green to red (rubellite) to purple to blue-green (indicolite) to colorless (achroite) to black. Watermelon tourmaline is both pink and green. Tourmaline is mined in Brazil, The Ural Mountains in Russia, Namibia, Sri Lanka, and California. Tourmaline has a hardness of 7-7.5.
Tsavorite is a rare, deep green variety of grossular garnet, a type of garnet. Tsavorite is similar to emerald, but is rarer and more durable. Tsavorite has a hardness of 7.5. Tsavorite is found in east Africa.
Turquoise is a non-translucent, porous semi-precious stone that is usually cut as a cabochon or made into beads. The oldest turquoise mines are located in Alimersai Mountain in Persia (Iran) and in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Turquoise is found in desert regions worldwide. The finest turquoise is Persian (Iranian) turquoise; it is robin's egg blue and has no matrix (streaks of the mother stone from which they were found). North American turquoise is greener and has a matrix streaks. Over the years, oil from your skin is absorbed by the stone and it will change color slightly. Turquoise has a hardness of 6.
Black
Onyx
Hematite
Blue
Sapphire
Iolite
Turquoise
Blue Topaz
Aquamarine
Brown
Smoky Quartz
Smoky Topaz
Cognac Quartz
Champagne Quartz
Green
Emerald
Chrome Diopside
Demantoid Garnet
Tourmaline
Sapphire
Peridot
Pink
Sapphire
Tourmaline
Rose Quartz
Kunzite
Morganite
Purple
Amethyst
Rose De France (Lavender Amethyst)
Sapphire
Orange
Citrine
Carnelian
Fire Opal
Spessartine Garnet
Sapphire
Red
Ruby
Rhodolite (Garnet)
Pyrope Garnet
White
Diamond
Pearl
Moonstone
White Sapphire
White Topaz
Yellow
Citrine
Sapphire
AGTA American Gem Trade Association. www.AGTA.org.
Here is a list of common Western birthstones
Month Birthstone
January Garnet
February Amethyst
March Aquamarine
April Diamond
May Emerald
June Pearl, Moonstone or Alexandrite
July Ruby
August Peridot
September Sapphire
October Opal or Tourmaline
November Topaz or Citrine
December Turquoise, Blue Topaz or Zircon
Keep in mind that many gemstones come in a variety of colors, for example sapphire comes in pink, orange, green, yellow , purple and blue. Please see the glossary of gemstones for details on alternate gemstone colors.
A cabochon is a stone that has a rounded, domed polished surface with no facets.
A carat (ct.) is a standard measure of weight used for gemstones.
A facet is one of the flat polished surfaces of a cut stone.
GIA stands for the Gemological Institute of America.
A melee is a small diamond or group of small diamonds, under .20 carat.