Astonishing History of Chokers

The prevalence of choker pieces of jewellery is at an untouched high right now, with in vogue stars like Taylor Swift and Kendall Jenner, alongside some our most loved bloggers, finishing off their coolest looks with the adornment. Once considered a styling touch reminiscent of the '90s, the champion piece has been changed into something totally cutting edge, with such a large number of versions on offer that ladies of each style influence are giving it a shot. Inquisitive as to where these well known pieces of jewellery initially started, we did a touch of burrowing and found that they go much further back than we envisioned.

As per master custodians from the Jewellery Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, chokers have been around for a huge number of years, first gracing the world's soonest human advancements: the Sumer Empire in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. Regularly done up in gold or lapis, the pieces of jewellery were thought to be defensive and permeated with uncommon forces.

Princess Alexandra of Denmark

Chokers rose again all through the Renaissance as simply complex decisions and were particularly famous with royals towards the end of the nineteenth century. Amid this last period, ladies in Germany and Austria additionally utilized the pieces of jewellery to conceal irregularities on their necks brought on by goiter, an ailment basic over the Alps at the time. In different corners of the world, more straightforward strip chokers were images of prostitution, as portrayed in Manet's celebrated 1863 painting "Olympia," however the look lost some of its ignoble affiliations when received by ballet performers before long.

In spite of the fact that they were never completely out of design, chokers ruled yet again in the 1920s and into the '30s, loaning themselves to the darling Art Deco style of the time. Whether rendered in pearls or velvet strip with a focal decal, they were regularly alluded to as "canine collars" amid this time. Their pervasiveness blurred once the 1940s started, yet they were embraced by and by, in more beautiful cycles, by free-energetic '70s flower children.

Choker in 1880

In the '90s, obviously, chokers re-emerged with a blast, however they were not the better forms of yore. Rather, the period's rocker chicks and young ladies wore the notorious plastic tattoo chokers or decided on the negligible yet stark look of a dark lace. Pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera conveyed the adornments into the early aughts, leaning toward flashier choices in silver and gold.

Quick forward to 2015 and chokers are again taking the spotlight as far as patterns for this coming spring and summer. Today's chokers are about a mix of surfaces, examples, materials and hues. Chokers made with overwhelming chains, metal, stripes, gems and pearls all have their place on catwalks right now.

It's captivating to figure out how chokers first happened around 500 years prior and how they have changed throughout the years. Having stood the trial of time, it's obvious that chokers are a genuine design symbol – and these realities doubtlessly let us know that chokers will be around for a long time to come.

To take a leap into the professional world of jewellery designing, Enroll into Solitaire Diamond Institute's online jewellery designing courses Bangalore.

Carved Gemstones

An engraved gem is a small gemstone, usually semi-precious that has been carved, in the Western tradition normally with images or inscriptions only on one face. The engraving of gemstones was a major luxury art form in the ancient world. Engraving means carving in intaglio where the design is cut into the flat background of the stone, the design looks projecting out of background. This article uses "cameo", to denote a carving exploiting layers of different colored stone. Carved gemstones also called as “engraved gem”, commonly known as cameos or intaglios.

  

Early gems mostly show animals, Gods, and mythological scenes were common and famous statues often used. Gems were mostly cut by using abrasive powder from harder stones in conjunction with a hand-drill, probably often set in a lathe. Some early types of seal were cut by hand, rather than a drill, which does not allow fine detail. There is no evidence that magnifying lenses were used by gem cutters in antiquity. The color of several gemstones can be enhanced by a number of artificial methods, using heat, sugar and dye. 

  

Cameo is a method of carving an object such as an engraved gem, item of jewellery or vessel made in this manner. It always features a raised (positive) image and contrast with intaglio, which has a negative image. Originally, and still in discussing historical work, cameo only referred to works where the raised image was of a contrasting colour to the background; this was achieved by carefully carving a piece of material with a flat plane where two contrasting colours met, removing all the first colour except for the image to leave a contrasting background.

Many modern cameos are carved into layered agates. The layers are dyed to create strong color contrasts. The most usual colors used for two-layer stones are white on black, white on blue, and white on red-brown. The layers are translucent; this allows the artist to create shading effects by removing material to allow the background layer to show through. Removing material from the white layer creates shades of blue or grey, depending on the color of the base.

Carved gemstone pendants, body chains, and earrings can be flaunted with any modern or traditional attire they suit perfectly to all.

To take a leap into the professional world of jewellery designing, enroll into Solitaire Diamond Institute's online jewellery designing courses Bangalore.

Article By

Keerthana Nayak K

Jewellery Instructor

What Everybody Ought To Know About Mother Of Pearl - Nacre

A smooth shining iridescent substance forming the inner layer of the shell of some mollusks, especially oysters and abalones, used in ornamentation.

Mother of pearl also known as Nacre, is an organic/inorganic composite material produced by some mollusks as an inner shell layer; it also makes up the outer coating of pearls. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. The outer layer of pearls and the inside layer of pearl oyster and freshwater pearl mussel shells are made of nacre. 

                                

Most of the oysters for the mother-of-pearl supply came from the Red Sea. Today, however, Australia, California, New Zealand and Brazil are the main exporters.

                                 

Mother of Pearl is Widely used for pearl buttons especially during the 1900s, Nacre has been used for centuries for a variety of decorative purposes. Both black and white nacre are used for architectural purposes. The natural nacre may be artificially tinted to almost any color. Nacre sheets may be used on interior floors, exterior and interior walls, countertops, doors and ceilings. Mother of pearl buttons are used in clothing either for functional or decorative purpose.they are also used in jewellery. 

                                       

Nacre is also used to decorate watches, knives, guns and jewellery. Nacre inlay is often used for music keys and other decorative motifs on musical instruments. 

For exciting career in Jewellery Designing Industry, get enrolled into SDI's Certificate and Diploma Programs.

ARTICLE BY

Keerthana Nayak  K

Jewellery Instructor

Navaratnas and their Astrological Significance

Navaratna is a Sanskrit word which means "nine gems". Jewelry created in this style has important cultural significance in Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, and among other religions. Yet such importance is given to this combination of nine gems that they are recognized as sacred and royal in almost all the countries. In Thailand, the Navaratna is officially recognized as a national and royal symbol of the king.

The traditional setting and arrangement of these nine gems is shown in the illustration. A ruby (representing the Sun) is always in the center, surrounded (clockwise from the top) by a diamond, a natural pearl, red coral, hessonite, a blue sapphire, cat's eye, a yellow sapphire, and an emerald. This is the same placement as the Nava-graha Yantra.
                                       

The placement of the navagrahas in one’s horoscope supposedly has an influence throughout an individual's life. Wearing the nine gems is said to provide an astrological balance and benefit to the wearer. Hindu astrology also says that these gems potentially may have both positive and negative influences on human life, and that astrological gems should be worn only after consulting a Vedic astrologer.
                             
Every sign of the zodiac is ruled by a planet and every planet has an associated gemstone, which in turn has the powers to harness the power of the cosmic rays associated with that particular planet and elevate a individual’s emotional, mental and materials status.

For exciting career in Jewellery Designing Industry, get enrolled into SDI's Certificate and Diploma Programs.
                                     

Article by
Keerthana nayak k
Jewellery instructor

This Article Will Boost Your Knowledge About Fire Opals: Read Or Miss Out!

Fire Opal" is a term used for colorful, transparent to translucent opal with a background color of fire-like hue. Fire opals are unique in the lush world of the opals. They were already admired as symbol of love in ancient times, in India. Fire opals possess either flaming-orange or cherry-red body color that is uniform and solid as opposed to the iridescent streaks, patches or flecks of color.  That’s why the term “fire” is used.

The most significant fire opal deposits in the world lie in Mexico. Rock strata containing opals run through the Mexican highlands, with their many extinct volcanoes. With a few exceptions, the gemstone, which lies hidden in cavities and crevices, is extracted in open-cast mines.  Their warm, expressive orange comes in all varieties from yellow to light red, sometimes with a brownish undertone.

                     
Fire opals are either faceted - as far as their transparency allows - or cut as a cabochon, since this is the shape which best brings out the rich glow of this orange jewel. It is the oval which is regarded as the classical shape for valuable fire opals.
                                                 
Play of colour, body colour and transparency are the three criteria which determine the price of a fire opal. The more transparency and 'fire' it has, and the more intense the deep red of its body color, the more valuable it will be. Their warm, fiery color gives us vigor, fills us with the joys of life and opens our senses to the beauty of Nature.

To take a leap into the professional world of jewellery designing, enroll into Solitaire Diamond Institute's online jewellery designing courses Bangalore.

Article by
Keerthana Nayak K
Jewellery Instructor

Golden Pearl from the Golden-Lipped Oyster

A pearl is a living gem; it warms to the touch and enhances the natural tones of the skin. Its layers of nacre reflect the light and create a sense of luminous depth and radiance. Elegant white, exotic black or intense gold – its color is captivating. It is both luxurious and understated.                                                         

             

These opulent golden pearls are produced by the golden-lipped oyster. Harvested in sizes of 9mm and up, their warm, natural golden color is said to be rarer than gold itself. The color palette ranges from light champagne to a very rare, deep gold. This oyster species can also produce richly luminescent white pearls, but the deeper golden colors are the most coveted of all pearls.

To take a leap into the professional world of jewellery designing, enroll into Solitaire Diamond Institute's online jewellery designing courses Bangalore.

Article By:

KOMAL.D. CHHABRIA.

Jewellery Designing Instructor 

Solitaire Diamond Institute

HISTORY OF JEWELLERY

“Jewellery is a universal form of Adornment”. Jewellery made from shells, stone and bones survives from prehistoric times. It is likely that from an early date it was worn as a protection from the dangers of life or as a mark of “status or rank”. Later the enormous importance of religion in everyday life could be seen in jewellery. The designs reflect the new-found interest in the classical world, with mythological figures and scenes becoming popular. The ancient art of gem engraving was revived. The inclusion of portraits reflected another cultural trend.

The 19th century was a period of huge industrial and social change. In the first decade classical         styles were popular, evoking the glories of ancient Greece and Rome. Naturalistic jewellery, decorated with clearly recognizable flowers and fruit, was also popular for much of this period. These motifs became fashionable. At the same time, flowers were used to express love and friendship. The colours in nature were matched by colored gemstones. 

By the modern era, changes in fashion had introduced new styles in jewellery. Expanding global trade made gemstones ever more available. Advances in cutting techniques increased the sparkle of gemstones in light.

For exciting career in Jewellery Designing Industry, get enrolled into SDI's Certificate in Gold Appraisal.

Article By:

Keerthana Nayak.K

AMBER - Valued from Antiquity to the Present as a Gemstone

Amber is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry.

                                                         
There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents. Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin, amber sometimes contains animal and plant material as inclusions.

Amber is heterogeneous in composition, but consists of several resinous bodies more or less soluble in alcohol, ether and chloroform, associated with an insoluble bituminous substance.
                                   
The abnormal development of resin has been called succinosis. Impurities are quite often present, especially when the resin dropped onto the ground, so that the material may be useless except for varnish-making, whence the impure amber is called firniss.

Amber has been used since the stoneage from 13,000 years ago. Amber ornaments have been found in Mycenaean tombs and elsewhere across Europe. To this day it is used in the manufacture of smoking and glassblowing mouthpieces. Amber's place in culture and tradition lends it a tourism value; Palanga Amber Museum is dedicated to the fossilized resin.

To take a leap into the professional world of jewellery designing, enroll into Solitaire Diamond Institute's online jewellery designing courses Bangalore.

Article By:
Komal.D.Chhabria.
Jewellery Designing Instructor(SDI)              

Antique and Vinatge Jewellery - The Major Difference between the Two

Antique Jewellery is customarily defined as Jewellery crafted more than 100 years ago. For an item to be considered antique, it has to be atleast 100 years old. Many pieces from the 1920’s are now considered antique.

Vintage Jewellery is usually identified with a particular era and includes the historic Georgian and Victorian, Art Noveau and Edwardian design periods as well as the Art Deco, Retro, Mid-Century, Modern and Contemporary Periods.

Most experts consider it to be anything that is atleast 20 years old. So anything from the 1980’s and earlier.

       

The major difference between Antique Jewellery and Vintage Jewellery is the age. Both use rare and beautiful objects and metals. Its certainly true that the age of an item is big factor in its worth. This is because the Goldsmithing techniques used in the past are often superior to the techniques used today.

ANTIQUE FINISH

           

Antique Finish Jewellery is very different from Antique Jewellery. Antique finish is nothing but the dull finish given to jewellery of the new styles. It is also known as Oxidation that is the polish or finish given to the jewelery.

For exciting career in Jewellery Designing Industry, get enrolled into SDI's Certificate in Gold Appraisal.

Article by;

Komal.D.Chhabria.

Jewellery Designing Instructor(SDI)

Hair Accessory Inspired by Skydiving

“Being made in the image of God, man was the crown of creation.” – Walter Lang

Birds inspired man to fly; the polymath genius and artist of Renaissance period, Leonardo –da-Vinci ,who created first blue print of parachute, has quoted “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes  turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always  long  to return”.

The design and structure of my collection – OORDHVA – is inspired by SKYDIVING, the adventure sport which gives a feel and sense of bird’s flight. 

This exquisite ornament representing the basic details of sky diving is a Hair Accessory and a double duty piece converted to a Tiara in white metal with the enamel technique, rubies, sapphires and a star sapphire. 

Skydiving is a method of exiting from an aircraft and returning to Earth with the aid of gravity, then slowing down during the last part of descent by using a parachute.

The Hair Accessory also called as Rakodi in the shape of a curvy rhombus is inspired by the body suit or called the “Wing suit” that is used by the divers. The motif used in the upper border portion of the accessory is chosen from the positioning of the divers arm, as it is supposed to be held in a formation diving. The motif in the lower border portion of the jewelry is inspired by the existing style of an expert diver. The swirl below the central stone represents the wind as it is one of the main factors for the sport. The enameled portion represents the parachute and the metal strings of the same. The central stone is chosen to be a star sapphire. The color representation in this ornament is chosen from the US national flag as the first formation diving was experimented and successfully executed in United States in the year 1964. Also, in the same year a star sapphire called the “star of India” was stolen from the US museum. Hence the colors Red, White and Blue are used with stars.

Designer

As  the diver opens his parachute after reaching a certain altitude to reach ground safely, this Rakodi too opens to a Tiara if unhooked from behind, making it a double duty accessory.

To take a leap into the professional world of jewellery designing, enroll into Solitaire Diamond Institute's online jewellery designing courses Bangalore.

Design and Article

 -Muthamma

  

What No One Tells You about Reverse Setting of a Gemstone

Setting of gemstone is an art of secure placement or attachment of stone into jewelry.
Reverse setting is the non-traditional way of setting a gemstone, i.e the culet facing upward in jewelry, unlike the traditional way of a table facet facing up and the culet facing down.

                                                           

Reverse Setting in a Ring

                                                                   

The renowned designer Paolo Costagli is widely popular for setting the gemstones with the culet facing upwards. He has used this signature element in his jewelry collection Very PC and Ombre.

The “Very PC” Collection

                 
                                                                                 
In this setting first the light catches the stone from many different angles as there is much more surface area exposed resulting in more sparkle enhancing the overall appeal to the jewel.

The reverse setting differs (from left): loose Peridot stones with the culets facing up next to Peridot stones with the table facing up.

Also this unexpected depth creates an interesting jewelry, enhancing a special character and different personality to the jewelry.

Below is ear hanging of the Indian designer brand Arunashi - pave set rose-cut diamonds and reverse-set green demantoid garnets.

                                                             

Reverse Cutting - "Wallace cut"

"My mind is one with the work, and my physical self is removed from the gemstone," says Wallace Chan.

Wallace Chan is a Chinese artisan jeweler who developed this innovative technique of carving the gemstone in reverse, to give it a life.

                                                         

Look into the gemstone and there appears to be a human face, as the gemstone is turned, it fragments to be looking in all different directions at once.

                                                       
It all seems a mystery to me, how this human head having a life of its own is embedded into a gem.
With a keen interest on jewelry he started making wearable "jewelry sculptures". But his dream was to find an entirely new way of working on gemstones in reverse. He started working with cheap crystals, but the tools he used were not very co-operative. After 6 months of research he came up with a modified dentist drill, on using this tool to practice on gemstones he realized this would generate heat and damage the expensive gemstone. Later he learns the technique of working under cold water and this means the carving made is not seen under water. Chan states “It became repetitive process. I make one cut, take it out of the water to check it, dry the stone, check it again, and if it's fine I put it back in the water and make another cut." The artist took 13 years to develop this technique.

“Every stroke and cut has to consider movements of light as it took lot of practice to learn how to carve in reverse.”

                                                         
This work of his called the Now and Always, inspired from mythology depicting Horae the Greek goddess of seasons. No doubt this is his most work by far.

"There is a Buddhist saying that every person has many selves, and that inspired me spiritually as I created this work." Says Chan.

To take a leap into the professional world of jewellery designing, enroll into Solitaire Diamond Institute's online jewellery designing courses Bangalore.

Meenakari Jewelry

Meenakari is regarded as one of the most famous art forms of India. However it is mistaken that this form originated in India. Meenakari originated in Persia and it was introduced to India by the Mughals. Raja Maan Singh invited Lahore – based skilled artisans to his kingdom and had a Meenakari centre established in Jaipur. 

Meenakari is a team work which requires specialization of skill. As it is generally done on the reverse side of kundan jewellery, meenakar has to work with goldsmith, engraver, designer or chitteria as well as the stone-setter.

  

Meenakari is an enamelling work done on metal. Craftsmen involved with Meenakari creations are known as Meenakars. Higher end Meena jewellery is made of gold while the lower end products are made from silver.

Designs of flowers, birds, leaves etc are engraved on the metal. This leads to the creation of walls or grooves, to hold colour. Once this engraving is done, the Meenakar applies different colours with brushes on the design. Then the ornament is fired at a high temperature. The furnace heat melts the colour which spreads evenly. Once the entire process is finished, the art is polished with corundum and again placed in fire to make it stronger.

To step forward into the Jewellery Designing Industry enroll into our online jewellery designing courses Bangalore and visit Solitaire Diamond Institute Bangalore.

Article by-Shehnaz, 

JD Student @ SDI

23 Amazing Facts About Gold

1.    If all of the existing gold in the world was pulled into a 5 micron thick wire, it could wrap around the world 11.2 million times.

2.   The boiling point of gold is 2808 degrees centigrade.

3.   There are just over 31.103 grams in a troy ounce of gold.

Largest Gold Coin

4.   The troy ounce (oz t) is a unit of imperial measure, now used for the mass of precious metals.

5.   It is difficult to find a 1 ounce nugget of gold than a five carat diamond.

6.   A gold nugget is a naturally occurring piece of native gold.

7.   The temperature of the human body is 37 degrees centigrade. Gold’s conductivity of heat means that it rapidly reaches body temperature – one of the reasons it has become valued for jewellery.

8.   Gold melts at 1064 degrees centigrade.

9.   More than 175,000 tonnes of gold has been mined since the beginning of civilisation.

10. While digging up stones to build a house, Australian miner George Harrison found gold ore near Johannesburg in 1885, beginning the South African gold rush

11. All of the gold ever mined would fit into a crate of 21 metres cubed.

12. Around half of all gold mined today is made into jewellery, which remains the single largest use for gold

13. The 40,000 miners who joined the California Gold Rush in 1849 were called “49ers”. Only a very small number of them ever got rich.

14. Over 90 per cent of the world’s gold has been mined since the California Gold Rush.

15. Gold is often alloyed with other metals to change its colour and strength. Eighteen karat gold is composed of 750 parts of pure gold per 1,000.

16. The largest gold coin ever created was cast by the Perth Mint in 2012. Weighing one tonne and measuring 80 cm in diameter, it surpassed the previous record, a 2007, C$1 million coin which was just 53 cm across.

17. One ounce of gold can be stretched to a length of 50 miles; the resulting wire would be just 5 microns wide.(1 micron=0.001 mm)

18. The largest ever true gold nugget weighted 2316 troy ounces(72,034  gms i.e, almost 72.034 kg )when found at Moliagul in Australia in 1869. It was called the “Welcome Stranger”.

19. The atomic number of gold is 79, which means there are 79 protons in the nucleus of every atom metal.

20. A “London Good Delivery Bar”, the standard unit of traded gold, is made from 400 troy ounces(12.4 kg) of gold.

21. The US Federal Reserve holds 6,700 tonnes of gold, in 530,000 gold bars. At its peak in 1973, the Fed stored more than 12,000 tonnes of monetary gold.

22. There are 147.3 million ounces – around 4,600 tonnes – of gold stored in the US Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.

23. 1 ounce of pure gold can be hammered into a single sheet 9 metres square.

Article Credit - World Gold Council

For exciting career in Jewellery Designing Industry, get enrolled into SDI's Certificate in Gold Appraisal.

Article By

Krupa J.S.

CAD Designer, SDI

Top 9 Jewellery Designing Insights from India International Jewellery Show 2015

IIJS  2015 exhibited experimenting with lots of stones specially Cabochons, as we tend to use more of faceted gems rather than non faceted ones. And also to the versatility of sliver as base metal.The whole exhibit was divided into different categories which were spread across 4 halls -

• Diamond Section
• Loose Gemstone Section
• Jewellery Section
• Machinery Section.

1. The common element in designs noticeable repeated several times across different Jewellers was - The Concept of Concave Shape.
2. It was used in different textures like Filigree, Sand Blast and even gems were placed inside the shape giving an excellent imitation of lotus flower.
3. There was another display which had placed their jewellery piece on two sheets, which were butter sheet and vellum sheet over lapping each other in such a way that when someone views it, he/she can actually see the design created by the designer and the final product.
4. Then in the Loose Gems section, we came across loose pearls. 
5. Then there was Swarovski stall. They were selling the stones at the rate of INR 50 per stone of 0.02 cts. One packet contains 500 stones.
6. There were some stalls which dealt exclusively in Sterling Silver.
7. Cabochons can stand on its own, against the glittering cut stones. 
8. Particularly fire opal used as centre piece in pendants. And also painted pearls.
9. Turquoise is another gem which is attractive when put together creatively.

Finally, take a look at some of the Unique Jewellery at IIJS 2015:

IIJS 2015 perfectly showcased different styles of jewellery, loose gems and interesting new trends.

To step forward into the Jewellery Designing Industry enroll into our online jewellery designing courses Bangalore and visit Solitaire Diamond Institute Bangalore.

Coral Carving: A Traditional Art

Coral is one of the “organic gemstones,” the other main ones being pearls and amber. Made out of calcium carbonate that’s secreted by organisms known as polyps, coral is mostly found in tropical oceans, where colonies of polyps are jammed together to create reefs.

Coral is often fashioned into round, barrel-shaped, or oblong beads, as well as cabochons in necklaces and rings. Sometimes coral is left in its natural state, and sometimes carved with a beautiful design.

Carved Rose

There are basically two productive sectors: plain coral and carved coral.


PLAIN CORAL

Plain coral is used in serial Production, which used to be subdivided into the round coral and factory coral.

Carved Ganesha

As is the case with plain coral, coral carving entails sawing, filing, cutting, burning and lathing off material from the object concerned.


CARVED CORAL

Coral carving enables us to obtain products of various shapes. No matter how complex and unpredictable these shapes can be, we can make real sculptures sometimes.

Neckpiece

Carved coral are making a comeback as the perfect example of modern technology borrowing ancient techniques. Long ago, corals were designed into many different shapes, designs and symbols rather than smooth and shiny gemstones. The art of carving coral has been a tradition for many years and has been practiced by many artisans all over the world.

To learn more about online jewellery designing courses Bangalore visit Solitaire Diamond Institute Bangalore.


Article by
Krupa J.S.
CAD Designer,SDI

Everything You Should Know About - Bullion

The word 'bullion' has a very simple definition: a refined and stamped weight of precious metal. It is also used to refer to a metal piece shaped in the form of a coin or a bar. The word bullion comes from the old French word bouillon, which meant "boiling".

Bullion refers to precious metals in bulk form which are regularly traded on commodity markets. The value of bullion is typically determined by the value of its precious metals content, which is defined by its purity and mass.

To sum it up, the phrase “gold bullion”simply means gold in its purest form, valued by its weight and quality 99.9 pure, plus the small percentage costs incurred in refining, fabricating, and shipping that bullion to you.

A range of professional participants are active in the bullion markets: banks, fabricators, refiners and vault operators or transport companies as well as brokers. They provide facilities for the refining, melting, assaying, transporting, trading and vaulting of gold and silver bullion. Bullion investments can be considered as insurance against inflation. Buying gold bullion is now cheaper and easier than ever before. And it's still, by a long way the safest way to own gold.

Bullion

DIFFERENT FORMS OF GOLD BULLION

Gold Bullion Bars

If you’re serious about investing in gold, bullion bars provide a great way to efficiently purchase large quantities, and they’re pretty easy to store. However, there are some significant drawbacks. Gold bullion bars can be difficult and costly to liquidate when you’re ready to use and/or sell them. Also, while they do come in a range of sizes, they tend to come in larger sizes than coins, making them less versatile. Overall, they’re more appropriate for serious gold investors.

Gold bullion bars can weigh anything from a few grams upwards. 1kg and 100 oz ( Approx 2.83kg) bars.

Gold Bullion Coins

Bullion coins are cast from precious metals and bought for investment purposes. The only real difference between coins and bars is that coins have a different shape (coin shape, obviously) and are smaller. The value of these coins is whatever the current market price for gold is, plus a small amount to cover production costs. Since they’re smaller and already in usable form, coins are easier to liquidate and use than bars. Because of their versatility, gold coins are a good way for beginners to venture into the world of gold investing.

Well-known examples of Bullion coins are :

• British Sovereign   

  

  British Sovereign

  
  
• Canadian Maple Leaf     

  

  Canadian Maple Leaf

  
  
• American Golden Eagle   

  

  American Golden Eagle

  
  
• South African Krugerrand  

  

  South African Krugerrand

When to Buy

The simple aim of buying bullion is to buy when prices are low and sell when prices are high. However life and the markets are never simple or easy to predict. As we see, precious metals are best regarded as a long-term investment: so if you are able to buy during a slight dip in price that is good, but it is hard to call every turn of the market when considering how to buy gold.

Where to Buy
Investors can buy bullion gold through gold bullion dealers, online shops or providers of vaulted gold.

How to Sell

It is important to invest with a supplier that has a transparent, liquid market for buying back bullion at favourable rates that do not disadvantage the holder. Beware of offers of ‘all-in-one’ pricing where you cannot relate the deal to market rates.
You will often discover that companies, who sell bullion to you, particularly in the case of bars, will discount the market price by only 2% or 2.5% if you bought it from them.

Cost

Their value is based on their bullion content and prices fluctuate daily. In general, costs for the production of bullion gold coins are higher than the costs of producing bullion gold bars. Bullion gold coins are typically minted, whereas bullion gold bars are cast.

Both bullion gold bars and bullion gold coins are normally sold at a low premium or mark-up above the value of their gold content as compared to non-bullion gold such as collector coins or ornamental gold bars, also called investment bars.

Make a leap into the exciting world of Gems & Jewellery industry. Get Certificate in Gold Appraisal at Solitaire Diamond Institute.

Article by
Krupa J.S
CAD Designer, SDI

Rare Pink Pearl- “The Conch”

The tale of ‘The Pink Pearl’ is sure to be an inspiration to all who love both the pearl and the sea. Conch pearls (pronounced ‘konk’) are natural pearls created by the Queen Conch, a saltwater mollusk. Conch pearls are far more rare than the finest natural Akoya pearl. Attempts to culture them have failed thus far, as a result it remains one of the rarest pearls in the world, and therefore are considerably more expensive.

Conch pearls are one of the most rare and valuable of all natural pearls. It has been estimated that approximately 1 in 10,000 conch produce a pearl and of these only a few possess the color, shape and flame pattern necessary to be considered a gem.

Color & Structure
Conch pearls often exhibit a flame-like pattern due to concentrically arranged calcium carbonate platelets in a lamellar fashion. Flame structure is found mostly in the salmon, pink, and red toned pearls. This significantly increases the value and price of the conch pearl.
Conch pearls contain no nacre, so technically they are not actually pearls at all. Instead, the gems are calcareous concretions. Conch pearls and nacreous pearls have the same chemical composition the only difference between them is their polycrystalline structures.
The principal determinant of value for a conch pearl is its color as well as shape, size and flame vibrancy. Although many tend to be orange, yellow, beige or ivory, enough are pink for these pearls to have been known as "pink pearls" in the trade.

Size, Shape & Care
Most conch pearls have an elongated, oval, or baroque shape, and occasionally they will create a button or round. Round specimens are very rare. Conch pearls weigh significantly more than oyster pearls, with a specific gravity of 2.85; and unlike other pearls, are sized by carat weight. Although conch pearls can be found over 100 carats, larger sizes (above 5 carats) of conch pearls are uncommon, with the average size being less than 3 carats.

Due to the high value of conch pearls, drilling and/or gluing should be avoided in the mounting, as this will devalue the pearl. Prolonged exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet light) can have a dulling and fading effect. Indoor lighting does not seem to have effects on the pearls. Because its an organic gem, therefore, jewelry should be used with care.

To learn more about diamond designing courses visit Solitaire Diamond Institute Bangalore.


Article by
Krupa J.S.
CAD Designer, SDI

RICHEST TEMPLES OF INDIA IN TERMS OF GOLD…..

India is the world's biggest consumer of gold and its ancient temples have collected billions of rupees in terms of jewellery, bars and coins over the centuries.. Every year thousands of visitors frequently visit these religious places. Its not a bribe but a token of respect, faith and belief.
Lets know about the richest temples of India.


1. Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located  in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The richest of all the temples in India. Recently in June 2011, a committee of 7 members opened a chamber A and found tonnes of gold coins, jewellery, sacks of diamonds and other precious stones lying untouched from thousands of year.

With the estimated Rs 1 lakh crore worth of wealth that was found to be kept under underground stone cellars, but if Rs 1 lakh crore floored you completely, there are claims that suggest the actual worth of the assets could well be above Rs 5 lakh crore.

2. Tirupati Balaji Temple

The second richest of all the temples in India.Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) receives 80-100 kg of gold and 100-120 kg of silver as offerings every month. "Tirupati has a treasure trove of Rs 70,000 crore in the form of gold bars, coins and jewellery”.It deposits the gold in banks to earn interest.very day close to 70,000 devotees visit Tirupati Balaji temple. Karnataka exminister Gali Janardhan Reddy, for instance, had offered a diamond-studded crown worth Rs 42 crore to the God.
More than 12,000 kg of gold, ornaments and other precious jewels and 11,000 kg of silver worth over Rs 50,000 crore is already offered by a devotees till now. The 8-feet black-coloured main idol is loaded up with at least 65-70 kg of gold ornaments every day and it is estimated that in a single day offerings to the Lord ranges between Rs 80 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore.

3. Shirdi Saibaba Temple

he famous pilgrim centre of Shri Saibaba temple in Shirdi, one of the richest temples in Maharashtra, has ornaments and jewellery worth over Rs 32 crore and investments running into Rs 4,27,17,02,929 crore, according to official documents. And also it has Rs 47,82,31,835.64-crore as Trust Corpus Fund.

The temple trust has ornaments and jewellery including Gold worth Rs 24,41,10,640-cr, Silver--Rs 3,26,19,152-cr; Silver coins-- Rs 612,317; Gold Coins--Rs 1,28,89,749-cr and Gold pendants worth Rs 1,12,31,903-cr.

4. Siddhivinayak Temple

The two-century-old Shree Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai devoted to Lord Ganesha. The dome over Ganesha is coated in 3.7 kilos of Gold. It is one of country's richest temples, on an average the per year income of the temple goes up to 48 Cr and fixed deposit os Rs 125 Cr. Having amassed 158 kg of gold offerings, worth some $67 million, and its heavily guarded vaults are strictly off limits.

5. Vaishno Devi Temple 

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board caters to second largest pilgrim batch after Tirupti. It is one of the oldest temples in India, located near Katra, Jammu &Kashmir.The average estimated income per year is believed to be somewhere around 500 crore.

To learn more about online jewellery designing courses Bangalore visit Solitaire Diamond Institute Bangalore.

Article by
Krupa J.S.
CAD Designer, SDI