Know Everything About Jewelry and Gemstone Myths and Misconceptions
Everyone knows
that the Hope diamond is the biggest diamond ever found, or is it?
No, it is the most expensive. Well, it’s not that either. The
mystery, beauty, value and stories that follow certain famous gems
add a legendary quality to their existence. Here are a few commonly
understood “facts” that are actually myths, or are they?
1. As probably
the best-known gemstone in the world, the Hope Diamond is followed by
a number of myths and legends. After passing through many hands, it
was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1962. It has been known
as the largest diamond in the world, the most valuable diamond in the
world and as a flawless stone. None of this is true. It is listed as
a fancy blue gray diamond in color and a VS1 in clarity. A number of
diamonds are larger, worth more and more flawless.
2. Some say
that color is far more important than clarity, especially in the fancy
colored diamonds. Color, cut, clarity and carat are all
important no matter what the color is.
3. The
Cullinan diamond is the world’s largest cut diamond. The Golden
Jubilee diamond at 545.67 carats is larger than the Cullinan’s
530.2 carats.
4. Diamonds
are the most valuable stones in the world. This is definitely a
highly debated point. Some say Emeralds
are the most expensive and others say it is Alexandrite. The
.95-carat Hancock Red diamond holds the record at $926,000.
5. Pearls come
only from pearl oysters. The Smithsonian has the Christopher Walling
pearl, which weighs 187.5 carats. It is an abalone pearl. Mussels
also make pearls.
6. Diamonds
are the most rare stones in the world. Many stones, such as
Alexandrite, are more rare. De Beers controls the release of diamonds
to keep them expensive.
7. Birthstones
are just something members of the jewelry industry concocted to
create a market for their wares. Actually several systems of stones
have been developed over many centuries. The American National
Association of jewelers created the current most commonly used list
in 1912. It lists faceted stones exclusively, and is said to have
been created to make Mother’s Rings look better. The Mystical
list of stones was created in Tibet in the first millennium and the
Traditional birthstone list was created in the sixteenth century.
8. Pearls
dissolve in vinegar. Legend has it that Cleopatra dissolved a pearl
in vinegar to impress Marc Anthony with consuming the most expensive
meal. This appears to be a matter of debate. The US Department of
Energy Newton website for science teachers says that it is
theoretically possible for this to happen because of the composition
of pearls and the acidic properties of vinegar, but the size of the
stone and acidity of the vinegar would affect the time it would take.
9. Diamonds
are indestructible. Diamonds are the 10 on the Mohs scale – only
a diamond can scratch a diamond, but they can be brittle and chip if mistreated. |
