Gemstones are normally thought of as being in an unpolished state, but not always. The word Jewel, on the other hand most often refers to a piece of jewelry that has been set. In other words, a ring, pendant, earring and so forth. But sometimes these words are used interchangeably. I don’t worry a lot about the nomenclature of things. Plain old easily understood English is the thing for me.

But in some circles, you might have to be very careful about calling something a gemstone or a jewel.

My favorite place to view gemstones in their natural state? The Smithsonian in Washington D.C., of course. Have you ever been there? It is truly a jewelry/gemstone lover’s dream!

What do you consider affordable jewelry ? To me, it is when the beauty of the piece is more than worth the price paid for it. I have always loved handmade jewelry. To me, the intrinsic value is in the artist’s work itself. There is something precious about a piece of jewelry that was crafted by an individual, over a period of time.

Now of course, every piece of jewelry has had the human touch applied to it in one way or another. But not all jewelry seems to carry forth the personality of the artist. This site I have linked to has always done that for me.

And over the years, the prices have remained in a range I have always been able to afford. Affordable jewelry? Ah yes. But so much more than that.

I love engraved jewelry. I still have my great-grandfather’s wedding ring, with the engraved name of him and my great-grandmother, and the date of their wedding. June 19, 1882. There is something magical about that flowery script, hand engraved so many years ago. It is the ultimate way to personalize a piece of jewelry. Engraved gifts will always be popular, but to me, a piece of jewelry is one of the most personal gifts you can give. And the story it can tell through generations; precious beyond words.

Consider an engraved piece of jewelry as something to give your closet family members the next time gift-giving time arrives.

I just had to share this silver polishing anecdote, even if it does expose me as a bit of a buffoon.

A year ago a good friend of mine showed up at my doorstep practically in tears. It seems the Celtic knot ring her boyfriend had given her had turned  black! "No worries," I said, looking for my polishing cloth. So I rubbed. And I rubbed. Nothing. The black part just got shiny black. Great!

I said to her, sadly, "I’m afraid this may not be sterling silver after all." She was crestfallen. She replaced the ring on her finger and departed. The ring was a very special one to her. Her beloved was serving in Iraq, and it was an important physical connection to him.

Well, just a few days ago she called me. "Robert, you won’t believe this! But that ring of mine is sterling silver after all. I just decided to try out your suggestion with the baking soda, and lo and behold, it took off all the tarnish!"

It pays to pay attention to your own advice!

After I wrote my last tip, I realized I forgot one of the most important rules of all! To keep your silver jewelry relatively tarnish free, keep it in a small ziplock plastic jewelry bag when not wearing it. I have some pieces that I seldom wear, and as long as they aren’t exposed to the air, they remain almost completely tarnish free.

Of course when it’s time to put it on, you might want to give it a little polish, but it will be very easy to do since the tarnish you will have to remove will be so minimal.

Silver tarnishes because of sulfur in the air. And I have heard tell that because of all the pollution in our modern civilization, there is a lot more sulfur to be exposed to. Stands to reason. So keep those pretties protected from tarnish with this simple little hint!

Silver polish can be created from baking soda and water. Did you know this? I learned to polish our good silver when I was a child from mixing a thick paste of baking soda and water, then smearing it into the silver, rinsing then polishing with a soft cloth. Voila! Instant sparkle.

And yes, you can use it to clean your silver jewelry as well. Once in a while I invest in a polishing cloth, but for the most part I use this tried and true old-fashioned method, and it works just fine. And you know what? It is biodegradable, and leaves no harmful byproducts in the environment.

I thought you might enjoy this little tip from "Uncle Robert!"

There seems to be a rush to sell gold jewelry. I can barely take a drive without seeing people standing on the roadside with signs pointing to a joint promising "Top Dollar" for your old gold jewelry. Well, if you are truly in a pinch I suppose selling your heirloom or otherwise jewelry might make sense. But there is always that possibility that the worth of gold my skyrocket. In that case, you may kick yourself for selling it now.

To protect your derriere as well as your pride, I suggest finding another way to pay the bills.

Your grandchildren will thank you for holding onto their heirlooms, and being man (or woman) enough to earn a living without selling off the family assets. I believe YOU should be the one to win if the price of gold goes through the roof someday, as many are predicting. And enjoy your gold earrings, pendants and brooches. They were made to be worn!

Diamonds are often at the center of mysteries. Take this Agatha Christie novel I’m reading now, called By the Pricking of my Thumbs . Fantastic. Of course, the fact that gemstones play a roll in this page turner had nothing to do with my reading it originally. I just happen to be a big fan of her writing. But towards the end, when some raw diamonds show up in an unlikely place, I had to finish the novel in one sitting.

It got me thinking. How many novels, short stories and other writings center around gemstones? I don’t really have time to sit around and Google this just to satisfy my curiosity, but it is something to ponder. And one of these days maybe I will do just that.

A way to collect emeralds, diamonds and rubies on the cheap!

It’s almost a shame that Bakelite jewelry has gotten so popular! There was a time when you could shop the thrift and antique stores for beautiful Bakelite bracelets and come up with some gorgeous designs. I especially like the ones with polka dots.  Most of them are done in nicely contrasting colors (Black with white or black with pink) Of course, now the white has turned more of an ochre color, and the pink looks orange. But I don’t mind.

“New” Bakelite is around now as well. So if you are searching for the real thing, be sure to go to a reputable dealer. You can still find the original Bakelite, but you have to know a bit about it. And it is costly. But since we haven’t invented a time machine, there is only so much of the original Bakelite jewelry.  Where there is scarcity, there are rising prices!

A diamond ring being purchased by a young man for his sweetheart evokes feelings of romance and tender love just blossoming. But how often does this same young man investigate the source of his chosen gemstone?

Sadly, the lust for wealth can result in brutality, torture and death. There has been quite a bit of concern lately for the diamond mining practices in Zimbabwe, a country now devastated by hyperinflation.  A team was sent to investigate allegations of violence against civilians in this country, and Mr. Fayia, a deputy minister of the ministry that oversees mining in Liberia reported:

“Our team was able to interview and document the stories of tens of victims, observe their wounds, scars from dog bites and batons, tears, and ongoing psychological trauma,

“I was in Liberia throughout the 15 years of civil war, and I have experienced too much senseless violence in my lifetime, especially connected to diamonds.”

It is easy to ignore the source of our diamonds; please make sure your gemstones are not “blood diamonds.” Sometimes all it takes to stop this sort of treatment is paying attention and refusing to purchase gemstones so cruelly gotten.