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materials
At iram-inal designs, we use
all natural semi-precious stones and silver in our hand-made creations. Each stone
has a variance and beauty that, when combined
with other stones and findings, makes each
jewelry creation unique.
In addition to
semi-precious stones and sterling, we also
complement our distinctive designs with other
components regularly found in jewelry making,
such as Swarovski crystals, Czech glass beads,
cultured freshwater pearls, and abalone and
mother-of-pearl shell, just to name a few. We
believe that using components that derive from
nature bring us closer to earth’s creation, and
allow us to be as individual and “iconic” as is
the beauty found in each individual stone.
Click the links below to
learn more about the
materials we use in our
creations at iram-inal
designs. To learn more
about other semi-precious
stones not described here,
please see our Fun
Facts about Stones
section.
(Click on the link to find
out about some of the
materials we use in our
designs!)
Swarovski Crystal
Czech Glass Beads
Cultured Freshwater Pearls
Mother of Pearl
Abalone Shell
Birth
Stones
Swarovski Crystal
Daniel Swarovski, of
Bohemia, created the
Swarovski company in 1895.
He invented and implemented
the use of the automatic
cutting machine to cut glass
crystal, in his crystal
cutting factory in Austria.
Swarovski vs. Other Glass
Crystals:
One main difference that's
found in Swarovski is seen
in the lead content of the
crystal. While
fire-polished cyrstals have
no lead, and Celestial
crystals test at 12% - 14%
lead content, the Swarovski
crystal tests anywhere from
21% - 32% lead content,
depending upon the shape of
the crystal.
Swarovski vs. Natural
Crystals:
Swarovski and other glass
crystals are man-made
crystals.
Manufacturers of leaded
glass crystal are found in
Austria, Germany, the Czech
Republic, Egypt and
elsewhere. In contrast
to man-made glass crystal,
naturally occurring gemstone
crystal is found and mined
in earth deposits.
Natural crystals are often
referred to as
semi-precious.
Diamonds, rubies, sapphires,
amethyst, citrine, peridot,
garnet, tourmaline, and
aquamarine are all mined in
crystal form before they re
cut and polished in the
gemstone shapes your
purchase in the store.
Bohemian Czech Glass Beads
Fire-polished beads are
machine faceted, then
polished by glazing the
stones inside a red-hot
oven. This glazing gives
them a beautiful, glistening
color, with a softer look
and a smoother feel, at a
less expensive price than
the fire-polished Czech
crystal. Sight
imperfections are to be
expected in this bead, and
add to the allure of these
much sought-after beads.
It was not until the 1550's
in Bohemia that a major
glass industry was founded
in the cities of Jablone,
Stanovsko, and Bedrichov
(now modern Reichenberg) in
Bohemia (known as the
current Czech Republic).
These glassmakers were
mostly decentralized cottage
crafters making beads for
use in larger, centralized
jewelry factories.
Cultured Freshwater Pearls
A pearl is a hard, rounded
object produced by mollusks
and oysters. Pearls
are normally white,
sometimes with a creamy or
pinkish tinge, but may be
tinted yellow, green, blue,
brown, red, purple, or
black.
Pearls fit into two
categories: Freshwater and
saltwater. Freshwater
pearls are formed in
freshwater mussels that live
in lakes, rivers, ponds, and
other bodies of fresh water.
Most freshwater cultured
pearls (pearls made by
placing a piece of debris in
a mussel to "force"
production of a pearl) sold
today come from China.
By contrast, saltwater
pearls grow in oysters that
live in the ocean, usually
protected by lagoons. Akoya, South Sea and
Tahitian are the three main
types of saltwater pearls.
Luster, color, size,
symmetry and aesthetic
perfection (or being close
thereto) is what gives
pearls greater value.
To most jewelers, a strong
luster is what makes a pearl
go from "good" to "great."
Additionally, bigger pearls
are considered to be more
valuable overall.
Pearl Shapes
Pearls come in eight basic
shapes: Round, semi-round,
button, drop, pear, oval,
baroque, and ringed;many of
which we use in our
iram-inal creations.
-
Round Pearls - the most
expensive. Used in
necklaces, bracelets.
-
Semi-Round - Used in
necklaces, bracelets,
earrings.
-
Button - Slightly
flattened on one side.
Used in earrings,
pendants, bracelets,
necklaces.
-
Drop/Pear or "Teardrop"
- Used in earrings,
pendants, necklaces.
-
Baroque - Various shapes
and sizes. Used in
necklaces, bracelets,
rings.
-
Ringed Pearls - Often
viewed as "irregular" or
"imperfect."
Characterized by
ridges/rings around the
body of the pearl.
Cultivated vs. Natural
Cultivated pearls, or pearls
that are “grown” by man, are
less valuable than pearls
that grow on their own in
nature. Jewelers can tell
the difference between a
“cultivated” pearl, and one
that is natural by looking
at the inside of the pearl
with a X-ray. If the pearl
was grown by man, the center
of the pearl would be a
perfect sphere; the sphere
shape would be the result of
the cultivator inserting
perfectly round grit in an
effort to create a perfectly
round pearl.
If the center of the pearl
is
not perfectly
round, then they jeweler
knows that the pearl was not
grown in nature. In
our custom-made designs, we
use cultured freshwater
pearls of all shapes and
varieties.
Mother-of-Pearl
The beautiful shine that you
see when looking at a piece
of jewelry made of
mother-of-pearl? It’s
called
nacre, and is
created when a mollusk that
is living peacefully is
infiltrated by a parasite or
foreign object that they
cannot remove from their
shell. As a result of being
occupied by this foreign
object, the mollusk begins
to entomb the foreign entity
by creating layers of nacre
around it.
Natural abalone shells
collected in the Pacific
Ocean with beautiful
iridescent colors in shades
of blue-green, silver and
pink. These abalone shells
are composed primarily of
calcium carbonate, which was
deposited in thin
overlapping layers.
Reflected light from these
layers causes the colorful
iridescence, which what we
refer to as
mother-of-pearl.
The glowing, iridescent
inner layer is regularly
used in making
jewelry,
and can also be seen as
decorative inlays in wood
furniture or guitars.
Mollusks that grow nacre are
found in warmer climates,
namely in Asia, but are also
found growing in the United
States, parts of Europe, and
other Pacific Ocean regions.
Mother of Pearl is easily
dyable, and can be found in
a wide variety of colors.
Abalone Shell
Abalone Shell, which is also
used in many iram-inal
creations, comes from a
mollusk call Haliotis, which
is also commonly referred to
as an
ear shell. It is
the pearly interior of the
shell that is formed in to
the beautiful abalone shell
beads that we use in many of
our designs.
The inside of the shell
consists of iridescent,
silvery white to green-red
mother-of-pearl
in certain varieties, while
other varieties (there are
over 300 species of “ear
shell” mollusks found in
various parts of the world)
show pinks and reds with
predominant deep blues,
greens and purples. The
shell of the abalone is
known for being
exceptionally strong.
The mollusks that create
abalone shell are found
primarily in South Africa,
New Zealand, and the coasts
of Australia.
Birthstones:
Everyone has a birthstone
that represents the time of
their birth, regardless of
the culture or place where
that person is born.
In America, birthstones are
assigned based on the
Gregorian Calendar.
That “birthstone” – normally
of the semi-precious variety
– symbolizes the month of
birth for everyone. The
question: Which stone is
connected to your birth
month? Is there more
than one stone that
represents the month of your
birth? Well, that all
depends on which chart
you’re using to determine
your birthstone.
Indeed, there are three
different categories for the
birthstone. Amongst
the many different
birthstone groupings that
exist, we are going to focus
on three particular
groupings:
Traditional, Zodiac, and
Mystical
birthstone charts.
Traditional Birthstones
The
Traditional
category includes the stones
that are most often
recognized by Americans as
birthstones. It is
speculated that the
Traditional
birthstone list originates
from the Christian gospel,
although this is not
confirmed. Stones
assigned to months are
discussed the Christian
Books of Exodus and
Revelation. In the
Book of Exodus 39:10-14,
the “stones” are discussed
in The Breastplate of Aaron
section, which states:
(10) Then they mounted four
rows of precious stones on
it. In the first row there
was a
ruby,
a
topaz
and a
beryl;
(11) in the second row a
turquoise,
a
sapphire
and an
emerald;
(12) in the third row a
jacinth,
an
agate
and an
amethyst;
(13) in the fourth row a
chrysolite,
an
onyx
and a
jasper.
They were mounted in gold
filigree settings.
(14)
There were twelve stones,
one for each of the names of
the sons of Israel, each
engraved like a seal with
the name of one of the
twelve tribes.
In the
Book of Revelation 21:19-20,
the foundation stones of New
Jerusalem are listed in the
order of the Roman calendar,
reading:
(19) And the foundations of
the wall of the city were
garnished with all manner of
precious stones. The first
foundation was
jasper;
the second,
sapphire;
the third, a
chalcedony;
the fourth, an
emerald;
(20) The fifth,
sardonyx;
the sixth,
sardius;
the seventh,
chrysolyte;
the eighth,
beryl;
the ninth, a
topaz;
the tenth, a
chrysoprasus;
the eleventh, a
jacinth;
the twelfth, an
amethyst.
Adopted in 1912 by the
National Association of
Jewelers,
Jewelers of America,
this list is generally
used in America, and other
countries, including Austria
and Thailand.
includes the birthstones
that are commonly associated
with birthdays: the diamond,
the ruby, the opal, etc.
(click on the month in the
chart below to learn about
that month's birthstone ):
Here are some "fun
facts" about
birthstones:
January Birthstone –
Garnet
Colors:
-
Comes in a variety
of colors,
including red,
orange, yellow,
green, blue, purple,
brown, black,
colorless
-
Often looks
glass-like or
amber-like in nature
Origin of Name:
-
From the Ancient
Greeks: They coined
the stone “garnet”
because it reminded
them of the
pomegranate, or
granatum, seed.
-
Granatus,
meaning
Grain in
Latin.
Where in the World is it
Found?
-
Kenya, Sri Lanka,
Thialand, Brazil,
India, Madagascar,
Canada, and the USA
(New Hampshire,
Arizona, Colorado,
Georgia, Idaho, New
Mexico, North
Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Utah,
Florida, California,
& Virginia).
Did you Know?
-
The origin of the
name
Garnet is
in reference to
malum granatum
(the “pomegranate”
fruit), as
pomegranate seeds
are similar size,
shape, and color to
the garnet crystal.
-
Has
been used as an
abrasive since the
Bronze Age.
-
The
blue garnet
is the most rare
garnet
-
Stone for the Star
sign
Capricorn
Metaphysical Properties:
-
Associated
with vitality,
courage, passion,
love, sensuality and
self-confidence.
-
Makes person
knowledgeable and
improves higher
education prospects.
February Birthstone –
Amethyst
Colors:
-
The finest quality
amethyst is medium
to dark in tone, in
vivid purple,
reddish purple, and
bluish purple hues.
-
An
amethyst variety
called "Rose de
France" is usually a
pale pinkish
lavender or lilac
shade, and is
thereby the least
sought variety of
the stone. The most
prized color is an
intense violet with
red flashes and is
called "Siberian."
These stones are
found in Siberia,
Uruguay, and Zambia.
Origin of Name:
Comes from the
Greek
phrase
a
methuskein,
meaning, "to
intoxicate." a reference
to the belief that the
stone protected its
owner from
drunkenness;
the
ancient Greeks
and
Romans
wore amethyst and made
drinking vessels of it
in the belief that it
would prevent
intoxication.
Where in the World is it
Found?
-
Brazil, Uruguay, Sri
Lanka, Siberia,
Canada, India,
Bolivia, Argentina,
and some African
countries.
Did you Know?
-
Amethyst was named
after the Greek
mythological maiden,
Amethyst, who was
turned to stone by
the God Dionysus.
The God of Wine,
Bacchus, was
insulted by a
mortal, swore that
the next mortal to
cross his path would
be attacked by
fierce tigers.
Amethyst came along
and was turned in to
a statute of quartz
by Dionysus.
Bacchus was
remorseful, and wept
tears of wine over
the stone maiden,
creating the lively
purple stone color
-
On exposure to heat,
amethyst generally
becomes
yellow,
and much of the
citrine,
cairngorm,
or yellow quartz of
jewelry is said to
be merely "burnt
amethyst".
-
Beads of amethyst
are found in
Anglo-Saxon
graves in
England.
-
In more recent
times, certain gems
(usually of Bolivian
origin) that have
shown alternate
bands of amethyst
purple with citrine
orange have been
given the name
ametrine.
-
Is the
anniversary gemstone
for the
4th and 6th
year of marriage.
Metaphysical Properties
-
Associated with
spiritual awareness,
meditation, balance,
psychic abilities,
inner peace, healing
and positive
transformation. This
stone brings an
understanding of
death and rebirth
and aids in
past-life recall.
March Birthstone –
Aquamarine
Colors:
-
Delicate blue or
turquoise color,
suggestive of the
tint of
seawater.
-
Found in a range of
blue shades, from
pastel to rich in
color.
-
The highest qualify
aquamarine is
transparent.
Origin of Name:
Where in the World is it
Found?
-
Brazil, India,
Russia, and USA
(Maine, New
Hampshire,
Connecticut, the
Carolinas, Colorado,
and Vermont),
Zambia, Madagascar,
Malawi, Tanzania,
Kenya
Did You Know?
-
Aquamarine is the
officials.
-
Ancient sailors
traveled with
aquamarine crystals,
believing that it
would ensure a safe
passage, and often
slept with the
stones under their
pillow to insure
sound sleep. They
believed the siren’s
(mermaid) fish-like
lower body was made
of aquamarine.
tate gem
of Colorado.
-
Is
the
wedding anniversary
gemstone for the
16th and
19th
year of marriage.
-
It is the stone for
the Star sign
Aquarius.
Metaphysical Properties:
-
Is said to have a
soothing effect on
“just married”
couples, assisting
in working out
differences and
insuring a long and
happy marriage.
Provides courage,
strength, and will.
April Birthstone –
Diamond
Colors:
-
Diamonds can occur
in nearly any color,
though yellow and
brown are by far the
most common. "Black"
diamonds are not
truly black, but
rather contain
numerous dark
inclusions that give
the gems their dark
appearance.
Origin
of Name:
Where in the World is it
Found?
Did
you Know?
-
Pure or nearly pure
diamonds are
transparent and
colorless.
-
Is the hardest known
natural material
-
They
make excellent
abrasives
because they can be
scratched only by
other diamonds
-
Used as religious
icons
in
India
at least 2,500 years
ago
May Birthstone – Emerald
Colors:
Origin of Name:
-
According to Rebbenu
Bachya, the
Hebrew
word "Nofech" in
Exodus 28:18
means "Emerald", and
was the stone on the
Ephod
representing the
tribe of Judah.
According to other
commentaries, "Nofech"
means "garnet",
and another stone,
the "Bareqet", representing the
tribe of Levi,
is thought to be
emerald.
Where in the World is it
Found?
-
Russia, Austria,
Norway, Australia,
and the U.S. (North
Carolina),
Columbia.
Metaphysical Properties:
Did you Know?
-
Is believed to have
been obtained in
Upper Egypt as early
as 2000 BC, during
the life of Pharaoh
Sesostris III)
-
The Moguls of India,
including Taj Mahal
builder, Shah Jahan,
loved emeralds and
inscribed them as
talismans.
Some of these
talisman may be seen
in museums around
the world, today.
-
It is highly prized
as a
gemstone
and by weight is the
most valuable
gemstone in the
world
-
It is quite rare to
find an emerald with
only minor
inclusions
-
Traditional gemstone
for the astrological
sign of
Taurus.
-
In some cultures,
the emerald is the
traditional gift for
the 55th
wedding anniversary.
It is also used as a
20th and 35th
wedding anniversary
stone.
-
Is the
anniversary gemstone
for the
20th, 35th
and 55th
year
of marriage.
June Birthstone – Pearl
Colors:
-
Pearls are usually
white, sometimes
with a creamy or
pinkish tinge, but
may be tinted with
yellow, green, blue,
brown, purple, or
black.
-
Black pearls,
frequently referred
to as Black Tahitian
Pearls, are highly
valued because of
their rarity; the
culturing process
for them dictates a
smaller volume
output and can never
be mass produced.
Where in the World is it
Found?
Did you Know?
-
Pearls
are produced by
certain animals,
primarily mollusks
such as
oysters.
-
The
idea that a grain of
sand acts as a
"seed" for creating
the pearl is a myth
(When
a parasite drills
thru the shell of
the pearl oyster,
the oyster becomes
irritated and uses
its only means of
defense to form a
barrier: the mantle.
This unique organ
covers all the
inside of the shell
of the oyster and is
responsible for the
secretion of the
pearly substance
know as
mother-of-pearl or
nacre.
The oyster will use
its mantle to
secrete nacre on top
of these nasty
intruders and, if
lucky, will coat
them and turn them
into
natural pearls).
-
Most freshwater
cultured pearls
sold today come from
China.
-
Pearls are usually
harvested three
years after the
planting, but it can
take up to as long
as six years before
a pearl is produced.
July Birthstone – Ruby
Colors:
Origin of Name:
-
Its name comes from
ruber,
Latin for red.
-
According to Rebbenu
Bachya, the word
odem in
the verse Exodus
28:17 means "ruby";
it was the stone on
the Ephod
representing the
tribe of Reuben.
Modern Hebrew has
taken this meaning.
Where in the World is it
Found?
-
Africa, Asia,
Australia,
Greenland, Sri
Lanka, Kenya,
Madagascar,
Thailand, United
States (Montana,
North Carolina,
South Carolina).
Did you Know?
-
Ruby symbolizes
passionate love.
-
The color is caused
mainly by chromium.
-
Natural rubies are
exceptionally rare.
-
It is considered one
of the four precious
gems together with
the sapphire, the
emerald and the
diamond.
-
Ruby is also the
most commonly named
precious stone in
the Bible (Proverbs
31: "A
virtuous wife is
worth more than
rubies.")
August Birthstone
–
Peridot
Colors:
Origin of a Name:
Where in the World is it
Found?
-
North Carolina,
Arizona, Hawaii,
Nevada, New Mexico,
Australia, Brazil,
China, Kenya,
Mexico, Burma,
Norway, Pakistan,
South Africa, Saudi
Arabia, Sri Lanka,
Tanzania
Did You Know?
-
Peridot is also
often referred to as
"poor man's
emerald".
-
Is one of the few
gemstones that comes
in only one color.
-
Gem-quality peridot
is rather rare.
-
Peridot crystals
have been collected
from iron-nickel
meteorites.
-
According to
folklore, the
peridot will bring
its wearer success,
peace, and good
luck.
-
Native Hawaiians
referred to peridot
crystals as the
tears of Pele, their
goddess of fire.
September Birthstone –
Sapphire (Blue)
Colors:
-
Blue, red, yellow,
pink, purple, orange
or greenish color.
Origin of a Name:
Where in the World is it
Found?
-
Sri Lanka,
Madagascar, Myanmar,
Australia, New South
Wales, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, India,
Kenya, (US) Montana
Did You Know?
-
Fancy sapphires
are any sapphire
other than blue or
red.
-
Purple sapphires are
lower in price than
blue ones.
-
Historically, most
sapphires have been
mined in Gem grade
sapphires and rubies
are also found in
and around Franklin,
North Carolina, USA.
Several mines there
are open to the
public.
October Birthstone –
Opal
Colors:
-
Opal ranges from
colorless through
white, milky blue,
gray, red, yellow,
green, brown and
black.
Origin of a Name:
-
The word
opal
comes from the
Sanskrit
upala,
the Greek
opallios,
and the Latin
opalus,
meaning "precious
stone."
Where in the World is it
Found?
-
Peru, Australia,
Mexico, Mesoamerica,
Idaho (United States).
Did You Know? |
