Jewelry Myths – Debunked!

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We’ve had a few posts about jewelry facts over the last few years, but we’ve never covered jewelry myths. It is great to know the myths that surround jewels and jewelry so you are at the top of your game when you look to purchase your next piece.

Opals are Bad Luck: Originally opals were viewed as lucky in Roman times with husbands gifting opals to their wives as good luck charms. This changed during the Victorian era, when the French wanted to hurt the British opal trade and the myth surfaced of opals as bad luck, associated with black magic.
Diamonds are the Rarest Gem: While some diamonds are very rare, the overwhelming majority are not. Other gems are much more rare, like painite with just 25 known specimens, pink/purple gem star taaffeite, and alexandrite.
Diamonds Can’t be Damaged: It is true, diamonds are the hardest mineral with Mohs hardness of 10. However, diamonds can scratch other diamonds and diamonds can chip or fracture.
Zircons versus Cubic Zirconia: It is true, cubic zirconia is an artificial gem, but zircon is a precious gem and the oldest mineral on Earth. They come in lots of colors and are similar to diamonds in brilliance.
Precious versus Semiprecious: These terms are essentially meaningless. They started being used in the 19^th century to help market the four precious stones: diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald. Some semiprecious stones are more rare or may cost more than precious stones.
There are no Different Colors of Gold: True gold is yellow. Other colors are made using gold and varying amounts of iron, silver, platinum, copper or aluminum to achieve the desired tones.

As you look to expand your jewelry collection, it is always good to know not just jewelry facts, but the myths that are still influencing the market. Stop in to Bridgewaters to see what other myths we can explore with you!