Materials

Cultured Freshwater Pearls

Pearls are one of a few natural or organic gemstones (others include coral, amber, jet and mother-of-pearl). Produced by the pearl oyster and the freshwater pearl mussel, natural pearls are...

White Ware

What is White Ware?   Whiteware is a class of ceramic products that include porcelain, china, pottery, earthenware, stoneware, and vitreous tile, are usually but not necessarily white, and consists typically of...

Herkimer Diamonds

What are "Herkimer Diamonds"? "Herkimer diamonds" are doubly terminated quartz crystals found in Herkimer County, New York and surrounding areas. These crystals have the typical hexagonal form of quartz; however, they are...

Ion Plating

Ion plating is a relatively modern technique in jewelry.  This process is used to apply a hardwearing and durable finish to stainless steel.  Benefits of Ion Plating • Five to eight times more...

Gold Vermeil

Gold Vermeil (pronounced vehr-may; it's French!) is a legally regulated term that refers to a certain kind of quality jewelry. To be legally called "vermeil" in the United States, the jewelry...

Gold Plated

Gold plated jewelry is made by using electricity or chemicals to deposit and bond a very thin layer of gold over another metal. This process creates a layer as thin...