The 1st crusade at the end of the 11th century was at least as much about greed for gold as it was about religion. Early Medieval goldsmiths relied on captured or traded gold because very little gold was produced in Western and Central Europe at the time. In contrast, the Arab world had access to the rich gold resources of Nigeria and the Gold Coast.

After AD 700 the economic strength of Byzantium also drew gold out of Europe. The gold was traded for Byzantine luxury goods like silk, cotton and linen. As a result, silver became the metal of choice for European jewelry and coins. During this period European jewelry styles were also strongly influenced by Byzantium.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, when the invention of the water wheel allowed mining in new areas, new sources of gold were found in Europe and more gold jewelry was manufactured. By the 15th century, standards were set and enforced for gold content in Europe. In England, in 1478 all gold and silver had to be brought to London to be tested and stamped. Inspectors roamed the country for non compliers. Scales had to be tested as well. By the 15th or 16th century, Europeans also had draw plates with levers to pull wire.

First, try to understand the nature of metals so that you can figure out the process for cleaning them. Gold is not prone to corrosion, flaking or any kind of weathering. It retains its shine over very long periods of time. Silver does not lose it shape over time but it can get tarnished when exposed to air.

Gold jewelry does not need any fancy cleaning agent. Just use warm soapy water to clean your antique gold jewelry. If the jewelry is studded with stones, take a used soft toothbrush and use it for cleaning the areas that are indented. Most gold jewelry that is made of 18 carats or of a higher grade does not corrode or tarnish even when exposed to household cleaning agents. However, jewelry made of lower grade gold can get affected by household chemicals.

When you store silver jewelry, wrap it up in acid-free paper and keep it away in a moisture free place. Never wrap up silver in newspaper as the printing ink leaves a stain behind on the metal. Silver that has been stored normally requires a polish. Most silver jewelry regains its original sparkle just by rubbing it with a soft cloth.

If you find that your antique silver jewelry has tarnished heavily, use a store-bought silver cleaning solution to clean it. Most silver cleaning creams and fluids need you to apply them on the silver and then polish using a soft cloth. These cleaning solutions contain a protective coating that stays on the silver and protects it from tarnishing further. If your jewelry is silver plated make sure you do not rub too vigorously else the plating will wear away.

Antique gemstone jewelry is always prone to the gemstones slipping out. This is why such jewelry should be placed in a bowl while cleaning it. Never clean such jewelry in the sink. Use an old soft toothbrush and warm soapy water to remove all traces of grime and dirt between the indentations and crevices of rings. You can safely use this method for diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and most other gemstones. Avoid using fabric to clean such jewelry as it can get caught between the gaps and weaken the grip of claws that hold the gemstone in place.

Apart from the monetary value Swarovski pieces are natural collector’s items in their own right, as they are stunningly beautiful and make talking-point displays in any home, office or exhibition environment. The crystals are unique as, in order to maximize refraction and to give Swarovski its magnificent sparkle, the crystal contains around 32% lead. Some of the crystals are also coated in order that they refract a rainbow spectrum.

Apart from the miniature collectibles Swarovski also produces beautiful jewelry pieces and individual crystal beads, which it encourages other designers to incorporate into both their own necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry but also into their couture. Wedding dresses and evening gowns, often make use of these versatile crystals which make full use of the light to sparkle and dazzle for a signature piece.

The Swarovski Collectors Society continues to rapidly expand around the world and thus it would seem that there will be no slowdown in the rise of the value of all the pieces. Acquiring Swarovski now, whilst there is a chance of some items being sold at reasonable prices, should ensure a highly valuable collection going forward.

Being in love is the most wonderful feeling to enjoy. It’s much better than graduating from Harvard!

The spirit of romance is a powerful emotion for humans to celebrate. This kind of enlivening feeling is symbolized with insightful yet intense color like red. Red is the shade of passion, blood-shot sensuality with incomparable beauty.

It is considered the color for devil a well as Cupid as it is referred for both evil as well as honey-dipped sweet fondness for other person.

Tenderness shown by colors less in degree like pink, orange etc, but strong compassion is attached with this sharpened inclination of red. However, love definitely brings out a liking of acquiring beautiful presents to your loving lady.

Even celebrities prefer to sport white gold or platinum jewelry on the red carpet. Style expert Michael O’Connor said this on 67t Annual Golden Globe Awards. It’s also a fact that white gold is a natural color enhancer. Therefore, colored gemstones look best when set likewise.

The approaching Valentine’s Day is all about gifting stunning gemstones like ruby and pink sapphire. Pink is sugary and candid but red is ardent. Therefore, this time, perfect gemstone jewelry gift is Ruby. Apart from loose gemstones, gifting contemporary designs like a pair of mesmerizing earrings is a good idea.

Various leading online jewelry retailers have tightened their sashes to provide best of the ruby earring designs. Keeping the importance of the day ahead, several innovative models in crimson have been showcased which will continue to allure customers this complete season.

Different people have a varied range of choices and demands in jewelry. Earrings are such that can improvise and beautify the look of a person completely. For example, a lady with a calm and composed nature would actually feel confident and attractive consequently, in a pair of naïve pearl earrings.

On the other hand, a woman with a much more intensity in her persona would opt for some exquisite yet bold ones.

Finest rubies of high transparency, brilliance, and shades are offered to customers. They are mounted in luxurious designs like Square Ruby Studs in white gold. This would look superb on every kind of attire. Surely, it can glorify the appearance with a dash of aristocracy with an incredible sparkle.

No matter the occasion, her ruby earrings would perfectly allure your folks in return with compliments. Exceptionally crafted by expert craftsmen, a design like Square Ruby and Diamond Hoops in yellow gold is a chunky one.

A bewitching experience with a combination of ruby and diamonds is all about creating an emblematic reflection of style through it. A gifted gemstone to team up with every charm to add that voguish glitter, ruby is the answer to all your jewelry quests this season of mush.

Apart from the models discussed, there are many latest ones launched every other day. They are a must-check-out for a proper knowledge of smart yet wholesale deals required.

Even gold and diamonds have meanings attributed to them, so if you were to give the gift of gold you would be asking your loved one to open their mind to love and acceptance, because this regal mineral is thought to be a powerful mind-balancer as well as attracting positive energies. Diamonds, they say, are a girl’s best friend and for centuries they have been believed to dispel negativity, purifying the body and spirit. Diamonds are a symbol of fidelity hence their link with engagement rings. Giving a gift of diamond earrings is more than giving a gift of love, it is giving total commitment.

Everyone has their favourite colour and gemstones come in every colour imaginable. An important tip, therefore, is to first discover the favourite colour of your loved-one. If this is not possible, or desirable (if, for example, the gift needs to be a surprise) choose a stone associated with that person’s birth as every month has its own birthstone, or stones and if this is not their favourite colour now, it will soon become so once the thought behind the gift is realised.

A December birthday, for example, is associated with tanzanite, zircon or turquoise and these are always popular stones for earrings as they often compliment eye colour and fashion sense. Zircon is a calming stone which protects against depression and insomnia and thereby raises self-esteem, whilst turquoise is a master healer, aiding tissue regeneration and strengthening the whole body. Known as the environmentally friendly stone, it protects against harmful pollutants and aids peace of mind and creative expression. Gem Avenue offers an elegant pair of turquoise drop earrings with freshwater pearls and sterling silver wires at under $20.00. For a birthday or Christmas present for someone born in December, this lovely pair would be an ideal and highly personal gift to give, especially when the reason for the choice is explained.

A word to the wise about the wiring or posts of the earrings: do try, before choosing your gift, to establish whether your loved-one has allergies to any metals. The cheapest gemstones may well be set with inferior metal, although most nowadays offer surgical steel, which is safe for most people. The more expensive earrings will have silver or gold wires or posts and these are not only more attractive, but usually safe for everyone. A final piece of advice when looking at the quality of the stone itself, is to hold it up to the light and check its clarity and purity. As with diamonds, the clearer the stone, the better the quality.

An example of fine Victorian jewelry is that of a gold brooch adorned with a beautiful dove. A finely crafted piece of jewelry made of yellowish gold. The center of the ornament displays the dove with an olive branch made of swirling gold clutched in its beak. The brooch is styled in a form called ‘bulla’ which means ‘bubble’ in Latin. This type of jewelry is in a circular form that alludes to its name. It became popular in the late part of the 19th century. The brooch is made of 18 carat gold and circulated around 1880. One of the most important characteristics that effectively date a brooch is the style of its clasp. Most brooches from the Victorian Era had a “bent pin system” that kept the brooch from falling off and thus avoiding loss of the item.

Purple, which has long been known as a shade attributed to royalty, was also big in the world of fashion and jewelry during the Victorian Era. This trend is most evident in the style of an enamel pendant that was Edwardian in Style. Made of 14 carat gold, the piece a purple guilloche with a cross design was made with such fine craftsmanship. Nowadays, finding enamel Victorian Jewelry in such good condition is very rare and pieces that do survive are given such a high value.

One thing that has captured the fancy of people in the later part of the Victorian Era was that of mythical creatures that can be found in mythology books as well as in the stories that have fascinated nation after nation through the ages. This attraction to myth has been effectively translated into different styles of jewelry including one stickpin of a stylized serpent made in 14 carat gold. The said piece of jewelry is believed to be a creation of the Victorian Jeweler named B.G. & O.

The style of Victorian jewelry is an effective mirror of the style of her people. They were very much attuned to the finer details; preferring their jewelry to be encrusted in all sorts of gems and priced south sea seed pearls. All this detail contrastingly lay in delicately forged and molded gold and enamel.

Tacori bracelets are custom jewelry bracelets at their finest. Designs range from ultra-modern large link bracelets to finer and more delicate bracelets interspersed with beautifully set diamonds.

The Tacori 18K diamond bracelet is a beautiful example of hand crafting. This delicate looking bracelet has fine oval links that have been hand worked to give the appearance of milgrain, then alternated with a worked circular link that contains a diamond set in an engraved setting.  This extremely elegant bracelet is timeless in its apparent simplicity. The hand working on the links adds to the overall beauty of the piece. This particular Tacori bracelet can be worn solo or accessorized with a watch. These bracelets are available with a varying number of diamonds in a range of sizes to accommodate varying budgets.

The Tacori large link bracelet features pave set diamonds on each over sized circular link. This bracelet has 100 diamonds in total with a carat weight of 100 points, pave set in a crescent silhouette setting. The back of each link, and the smaller joining links have been beautifully carved to add to the overall beauty of the piece. This bracelet looks absolutely stunning in the white gold, but is also available in platinum for the ultimate in hard wearing luxury. For the woman who wants to customize her bracelet with other colored metals, 18K rose and yellow gold are also available. This large link pave set diamond bracelet combines contemporary diamond fashion jewelry with the craftsmanship one associates with Tacori handmade jewelry

The Tacori oval link pave set bracelet is a less chunky version of the above bracelet. This bracelet has 142 diamonds weighing in at 60 points set into much finer oval shaped links. This eternity style bracelet is also from the Crescent Silhouette Collection, and gives a much more delicate appearance. This custom made bracelet looks stunning in platinum or 18K white gold as a backdrop for the diamonds. However, it can be made up in yellow or rose gold to match your other jewelery if you desire.

Tacori have also included a diamond chain bracelet incorporating their signature style of the Floating Crescent. This bracelet has a necklace to match and almost appears to be a very fine and delicate charm bracelet. Very delicate worked links have subtle snowflake drops hanging from them. Each drop contains a diamond set beautifully amongst hand worked filigree gold or platinum. One longer dangling charm hangs from each bracelet.

Tacori bracelets are available in a wide range of styles to suit even the most discerning woman. Chunky contemporary through to unbelievably delicate, there is a handmade diamond bracelet for everyone and every occasion. Tacori bracelets are the perfect accompaniment to a Tacori ring. Alternatively, a handmade Tacori bracelet is a great place to start with your very own Tacori collection.

The reason most people who go for titanium bands is because of this durability. As opposed to gold, which is a relatively soft metal, titanium is extremely hard to scratch. To get a good grasp of exactly how strong of a metal titanium is, consider this: it is often used to construct many of today’s common aircrafts. While the titanium that is used in jewelry is certainly not of the same grade as that used in heavy-duty aircraft, it is still quite a bit stronger than silver, gold, and even platinum.

With being such a solid metal, how can titanium bands even compare to the sheen of those made of gold? With the proper craftsmanship, they can have just as much if not more sheen than your average gold wedding band. While they are more difficult to shape than traditional bands, there are thousands of dedicated and skilled craftspeople that know how to get the best out of the hard metal when forming jewelry. Put your fears to rest that a band made of titanium will not be as beautiful as one made of gold, because it will.

Another reason to purchase a band made of this metal as opposed to something else is that it does not generally react to the human body at all. This means that even people who have allergies to gold or silver can safely wear bands made of titanium. They are also great for people who work in a labor-heavy field and do not want to have their wedding band damaged while on the job.

While the reasons for getting a band of titanium as opposed to some other metal may seem simple, to many they are very good reasons to go with this metal. It is also worth mentioning that more times than not wedding bands that are made of titanium will not cost very much more than those made of gold, if at all. With this information, there is no reason to doubt the strength and the value of titanium, even in the case of jewelry.

Some people have never even heard of jewelry made out of titanium, much less wedding bands, but they are getting more and more popular. While titanium wedding bands are not likely to completely replace gold wedding bands anytime soon, they are a great alternative if you are looking for a sturdy, attractive, and high-quality wedding band.

Any of Tom Binns earring, bracelets, and rings make a subtle but bold statement – especially if you are wearing a nice suit and/or packing around a kid. Tom Binns jewelry works for the high-end crowd that wants to be edgy but not trashy or look like they are trying too hard to be hip or young. Not that the young hip crowd won’t be wearing this jewelry.

He was the CFDA Fashion Award winner in 2006 and the Accessory designer of the year. He is from Ireland and graduated from Middlesex Polytechnic with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in jewelry design. His influence is “punk couture”. All of his pieces are one of a kind.

He incorporates skulls, guns, spikes, and bombs with great chunky chains and beautiful stones and pearls. Tom Binns other range of jewelry is simple with a small twist – like his wavy hoop earrings. His crystal pieces are chunky and random and look like heirloom jewelry but with an edge.

I don’t think the average jewelry buyer will understand Tom Binns. His randomness is such a refreshing change from the predictability of most jewelry designers and it takes a sense of humor to really appreciate some of his designs.

Tom Binns is launching some new items this week in New York and the end of the month in Paris – it is by appointment only and I haven’t been able to find any of the jewelry online yet. Hopefully his pieces will show up in the magazines. Hopefully his pieces show up on my vanity.

When you’re looking at different jewelry cleaning solutions, the first thing you should do is read the label carefully. Make sure it doesn’t contain any alcohols or acids, such as ammonia or vinegar. These are strong chemicals that can harm the finish on antique jewelry, as well as any stones or mountings that are in the setting.

Common sense might lead you to think that good old soap and water might be a good choice for cleaning your jewelry, but actually that isn’t true. First of all, it would probably leave a soapy residue on your antique jewelry, and further dull the finish and the clarity of any stones or gems it contains. Even worse, water can dissolve any mounting materials that are used in the piece, such as glues. If that happens, you might lose the stones from the piece, which would indeed be a shame.

If the main problem with your piece of antique jewelry is simply dust, then you can just use a very soft toothbrush to clean deep into its crevices. Use the absolute softest toothbrush that you can find, and make sure that it’s a brand new brush. Old toothbrushes might be fine for cleaning around the kitchen sink, but they definitely won’t do for cleaning jewelry. There might be toothpaste residue in an old toothbrush that scratch and dull the finish on your jewelry piece.

Whatever method you choose to clean your antique jewelry, it’s very important to make sure that it dries very thoroughly after you’re done, and especially before storing it in your jewelry box. The slightest bit of dampness can contribute to rust, pitting on plated metals, verdigris, and other unpleasant consequences.

So that’s basically it – make sure that you use a safe cleaning solution, and treat your piece of antique jewelry very gently by using a very soft toothbrush. If you’re still uncomfortable about doing it on your own, you always have the option of taking it to a professional jeweler, of course. Many jewelry stores will provide this service for free, too. Whatever you do, just make sure that you don’t do anything to modify your antique jewelry. Any significant changes to the original setting can have a drastic effect on its value as a collectible.