Whois & Analysis for jamesallen.com

A gemstone (also called a gem, fine gem, jewel, precious stone or semi-precious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments.

However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli) or organic materials that are not minerals (such as amber, jet, and pearl) are also used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well.

Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value.

Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone.

Apart from jewelry, from earliest antiquity engraved gems and hardstone carvings, such as cups, were major luxury art forms.

A gem maker is called a lapidary or gemcutter; a diamond worker is a diamantaire.

Jewellery or jewelry consists of small decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.

Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes, and the term is restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers for example.

For many centuries metal, often combined with gemstones, has been the normal material for jewellery, but other materials such as shells and other plant materials may be used.

It is one of the oldest type of archaeological artefact – with 100,000-year-old beads made from Nassarius shells thought to be the oldest known jewellery.

The basic forms of jewellery vary between cultures but are often extremely long-lived; in European cultures the most common forms of jewellery listed above have persisted since ancient times, while other forms such as adornments for the nose or ankle, important in other cultures, are much less common.

Historically, the most widespread influence on jewellery in terms of design and style have come from Asia.

An engagement ring is a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married, especially in Western cultures.

In Western countries, engagement rings are worn mostly by women, and rings can feature diamonds or other gemstones.

In some other cultures men and women wear matching rings.

In some cultures, engagement rings are also used as wedding rings.

A wedding ring or wedding band is a finger ring that indicates that its wearer is married.

It is usually forged from metal, and traditionally is forged of gold or another precious metal.

A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color.

However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect.

The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities and/or structural defects in the crystal lattice.

Depending on the hue and intensity of a diamond's coloration, a diamond's color can either detract from or enhance its value.

For example, most white diamonds are discounted in price when more yellow hue is detectable, while intense pink diamonds or blue diamonds (such as the Hope Diamond) can be dramatically more valuable.

Of all colored diamonds, red diamonds are the rarest.

The Aurora Pyramid of Hope displays a spectacular array of naturally colored diamonds, including red diamonds.