Jul 19, 2017

5 Jewelry Myths We Believe

There are a lot of common misconceptions about jewelry that we all believe. Today I give you my top five most believable myths and a little background on them.

1. Diamonds do not break

This is by far the most common myth that I hear. Yes a diamond on Moh's scale of hardness are classified as a 10 which is the highest score possible, but it does not mean that diamonds are unbreakable. A 10 simply means that a diamond cannot be scratched. Although it is true that diamonds do last a long time due to their hard composition, it is possible for a diamond to crack or break from a direct hit or extreme temperatures. Therefore they should be taken off and stored safely when doing strenuous activity.

2. You can bite gold to check if it's real

I do not recommend anyone to do this as it is unsanitary and an unreliable method. This myth was made by Hollywood portraying miners biting into gold coins to verify its authenticity. However the flaw that Hollywood didn’t realize is that there are other materials such as lead are just a soft as gold. Overall if you have any doubts or the piece is not hallmarked, I say it is better to get your gold verified by a jeweler than trying to bite it.

3. Pearls dissolve easily

The truth of this myth is that pearls are extremely delicate and do in fact dissolve when placed in vinegar. However the process of dissolving a pearl is slow and takes days. This myth started when Cleopatra wanted to throw the most expensive dinner party and was supposedly dissolving pearls in vinegar and drinking them. Although it is possible to quickly dissolve pearls by crushing them first, it seems history might have exaggerated a little.

4. The Bigger the stone the more expensive

It seems like common sense that the bigger stones would weigh more and therefore cost more, but that isn’t always the case. It also depends on the 4 c’s of gemstones: Clarity, Cut, Color, and Carat (weight). It is completely possible to have a diamond be of mediocre color and cut but be very large and still cost less than a diamond that has high quality color and cut but be small. It is best to pick diamonds on their overall qualities rather than just their size.

5. Gold has only three colors.

It is very popular now to wear rose gold and white gold, but the truth is that only yellow gold is pure gold. Like myth #2 above said, gold is very soft and is usually combined with other metals such as copper, iron, or silver for stronger resistance. Even yellow gold is mixed with other metals to strengthen its durability. The mixture of these metals is what rose gold and white gold get their colors from.