Monthly Archives: November 2010

History Of Platinum

Platinum

Platinum

Platinum, its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into “little silver of the Pinto River.” It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal.

Although the modern history of platinum only begins in the 18th century, platinum has been found in objects dating from 700 BC, in particular the famous Casket of Thebes (see image). This little box is decorated with hieroglyphics in gold, silver and an alloy of the platinum group metals. Platinum is a rare, scarce and costly metal and it shows certain properties which make it unique. The specific chemical and physical properties of this metal are of essential use for many different applications. Platinum is known as the environmental metal.

As a matter of fact, approximately 20% of the goods manufactured in the world contain platinum or are produced using platinum. For the Spanish Conquistadors of the 16th century, platinum was a nuisance. While panning for gold in New Granada they were puzzled by some white metal nuggets which were mixed with the nuggets of gold and which were difficult to separate. The Spanish called this metal Platina, a diminutive of Plata, the Spanish word for silver.

Some thought that the platinum was a sort of unripe gold, so that for many years it had no value except as a means of counterfeiting. In the 18th century platinum was a tough challenge to European scientists trying to understand and use the metal. Their difficulties came from the very properties which make platinum suitable for so many applications, such as its high melting point and its great resistance to corrosion. The problems were compounded by the other metals of the platinum group, which were present in raw platinum in varying quantities.

In 1751, a Swedish researcher named Sheffer succeeded in melting platinum by adding arsenic to it. He also recognised platinum as a new element. In 1782, Lavoisier achieved the first true melting of platinum using oxygen, which had recently been discovered; even so, it was another 25 years before commercial quantities of platinum could be produced by this method. During this period, platinum was used for the decoration of porcelain as well as for making laboratory ware and ornaments.

During 1802, Wollaston and Tennant developed refining of platinum and discovered palladium, followed in 1804 by rhodium, iridium and osmium. Meanwhile Wollaston perfected a method of producing malleable platinum. Grove studied the catalytic properties of platinum and in 1842 devised the very first fuel cell using platinum electrodes. In England, Percival Norton Johnson began work on refining the platinum group metals. He took as his apprentice in 1838 George Matthey, and this collaboration gave birth to the partnership of Johnson and Matthey in 1851. The two men perfected the techniques of separation and refining of platinum group metals and the melting and casting of pure and homogeneous ingots. Matthey went on to create the standard metre in platinum and iridium, at the request of the French Academy of Science, in 1879.

Platinum mine production has grown continuously since the Second World War in response to the development of new applications. One of the principal new uses of platinum was in the petroleum industry, where platinum catalysts were introduced to increase the octane rating of gasoline and to manufacture important primary feedstocks for the growing plastics industry.

During the 1960s, demand for platinum in jewellery experienced a spectacular rise in Japan, appealing to the Japanese public by virtue of its purity, colour, prestige and value. Platinum jewellery later succeeded in penetrating other markets – in Germany in the 1970s, Switzerland and Italy in the 1980s and the United Kingdom, the USA and China – today the world’s biggest single market for platinum jewellery – in the 1990s.

By the 1990s, platinum was growing in use as a medical treatment against certain forms of cancer and the same decade saw a multiplication in the uses of machined platinum alloy components (as seen right) to treat cardiac and other disease.

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The History Of Gold

History Of Gold

Gold

A child finds a shiny rock in a creek, thousands of years ago, and the human race is introduced to gold for the first time. It was the people in the area of the Transylvanian Alps or around Mount Pangaion in Thrace who first mined it and began to use it for decorative purposes. Being a decoration, it was appreciated probably because of it’s color and shine. It is so different from the plain dirt of the earth in color and texture. It is not like rocks, even the colorful ones because of it’s malleability. Gold shines even when it is not wet. It is not like some other metals in that it does not rust or change appearance. It seemed to be the perfect material for decorative purposes and indeed may have inspired the idea of decoration in the first place.

Gold has a long and complex history. From gold’s first discovery, it has symbolized wealth and guaranteed power. Gold has caused obsession in men and nations, destroyed some cultures and gave power to others.

Gold became a part of every human culture. Its brilliance, natural beauty, and luster, and its great malleability and resistance to tarnish made it enjoyable to work and play with.

Because gold is dispersed widely throughout the geologic world, its discovery occurred to many different groups in many different locales. And nearly everyone who found it was impressed with it, and so was the developing culture in which they lived.

The Persian Empire, in what is now Iran, made frequent use of Gold in artwork as part of the religion of Zoroastrianism. Persian goldwork is most famous for its animal art, which was modified after the Arabs conquered the area in the 7th century AD.

When Rome began to flourish, the city attracted talented Gold artisans who created gold jewelry of wide variety. The use of gold in Rome later expanded into household items and furniture in the homes of the higher classes. By the third century AD, the citizens of Rome wore necklaces that contained coins with the image of the emperor. As Christianity spread through the European continent, Europeans ceased burying their dead with their jewelry. As a result, few gold items survive from the Middle Ages, except those of royalty and from church hoards.

In the Americas, the skill of Pre-Columbian cultures in the use of Gold was highly advanced long before the arrival of the Spanish. Indian goldsmiths had mastered most of the techniques known by their European contemporaries when the Spanish arrived. They were adept at filigree, granulation, pressing and hammering, inlay and lost-wax methods. The Spanish conquerors melted down most of the gold that they took from the peoples of this region and most of the remaining examples have come from modern excavations of grave sites. The greatest deposits of gold from these times were in the Andes and in Columbia.

The rise of a gold standard was meant to stabilize the global economy, dictating that a nation must limit its issued currency to the amount of gold it held in reserve. Great Britain was the first to adopt the gold standard in 1821, followed, in the 1870s, by the rest of Europe followed. The system remained in effect until the end of the first world war, after which the US was the only country still honoring the Gold Standard. After the war, other countries were allowed to keep reserves of major currencies instead of gold. The arrival of the great depression marked the end of the U.S. export of gold in the 1930s. By mid 20th century, the US dollar had replaced gold in international trade.


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The History Of Silver

The History Of Silver

Silver

Silver was discovered after gold and copper about 4000 BC, when it was used in jewelry and as a medium of exchange. The earliest known workings of significant size were those of the pre-Hittites of Cappadocia in eastern Anatolia. Silver is generally found in the combined state in nature, usually in copper or lead mineralization, and by 2000 BC mining and smelting of silver-bearing lead ores was under way.

The best-known of the ancient mines were located at the Laurium silver-lead deposit in Greece; this was actively mined from 500 BC to AD 100. Spanish mines were also a major source. the Athenians found an enormous silver mine right near Athens, on land that belonged to the government. This mine was what paid to build Athens’ first navy, and helped Athens to become a powerful city-state.
Another famous set of mines were in southern Spain.

Another famous set of mines were in southern Spain. These mines were already being worked in the Bronze Age. After the First Punic War, in the 250’s BC, the Carthaginians took over these mines and used the income from them to pay the money the Romans demanded. Then in the Second Punic War the Romans took over these mines and used the money they got from the mines to pay for more conquests.

People first mined silver in the Bronze Age, for jewelry. Silver was pretty easy to find all over Europe and West Asia. The big problem was, silver ore, which is the rocks that had silver in them, generally also had lead in it, so that lead mining and silver mining were the same thing. But lead is very poisonous, so the men who were mining the silver were also being poisoned by the lead. Most lead-and-silver miners died of lead poisoning in two or three years. Because of this, most free men wouldn’t work in the mines, and so they forced slaves to work in the mines instead.

In the mid-19th century a large silver deposit was discovered in Nevada. This resulted in the United States becoming the world’s largest silver producer until the 20th century, when it was surpassed by Mexico and South America (particularly Peru).

Since the early begin, silver has some various used among the civilization. Silver, in the form of electrum (a gold-silver alloy), was coined to produce money in around 700 BC by the Lydians. Later, silver was refined and coined in its pure form. Many nations used silver as the basic unit of monetary value.

Sterling silver jewelry is often plated with a thin coat of .999 fine silver to give the item a shiny finish. This process is called “flashing”. Silver jewelry can also be plated with rhodium (for a bright, shiny look) or gold. Silver is such a malleable metal, silversmiths have a large range of choices with how they prefer to work the metal.

Silver is much cheaper than gold, though still valuable, and so is very popular with jewelers who are just starting out and cannot afford to make pieces in gold, or as a practicing material for goldsmith apprentices. Silver has also become very fashionable, and is used frequently in more artistic jewelry pieces.

Silver can be alloyed with mercury, tin and other metals at room temperature to make amalgams that are widely used for dental fillings. To make dental amalgam, a mixture of powdered silver and other metals is mixed with mercury to make a stiff paste that can be adapted to the shape of a cavity. The dental amalgam achieves initial hardness within minutes but sets hard in a few hours.

Mirrors which need superior reflectivity for visible light are made with silver as the reflecting material in a process called silvering, though common mirrors are backed with aluminium.

Silver and silver alloys are used in the construction of high quality musical wind instruments of many types. Flutes, in particular, are commonly constructed of silver alloy or silver plated, both for appearance and for the frictional surface properties of silver.

Hippocrates, the “father of medicine”, wrote that silver had beneficial healing and anti-disease properties, and the Phoenicians used to store water, wine, and vinegar in silver bottles to prevent spoiling. In the early 1900s people. Silver ions and silver compounds show a toxic effect on some bacteria, viruses, algae and fungi, typical for heavy metals like lead or mercury, but without the high toxicity to humans that are normally associated with these other metals. Its germicidal effects kill many microbial organisms in vitro, but testing and standardization of silver products is difficult.

Silver inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi and thus is added to clothing, such as socks, to reduce odor and the risk of bacterial and fungal infection. Silver is incorporated into clothing or shoes either by integrating silver nanoparticles into the polymer from which yarns are made or by coating yarns with silver.

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Carbonado, The Black Diamond

Black Diamond

Black Diamond

Black diamond or have official name as Carbonado, is a natural polycrystalline diamond found in alluvial deposits in the Central African Republic and Brazil. Its natural colour is black or dark grey, and it is more porous than other diamonds.

Carbonado has been described from Brazil and the Central African Republic. The source formations are thought to be Proterozoic conglomerates. In Siberia similar material is known as “yakutite”. Diamond referred to as carbonado has also been reported in a few iron meteorites such as Canyon Diablo and Chuckwalla. It does not seem to occur with normal diamonds in kimberlite pipes, suggesting a very different mode of origin.

The carbonado was first recognized as a form of polycrystalline diamond as long ago as the 1840s, when it was discovered and placer mined in Brazil, S.America. It has since been found elsewhere, e.g., Venezuela, eastern Australia, and the Ubangui region of the Central African Republic, where it is known as `carbons’.

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Beads, The Beauty And The History

Beads

Beads

A bead is a small, decorative object that is usually pierced for threading or stringing. The word bead comes from the Anglo Saxon words bidden (to pray) and bede (prayer.) The history of beads is long and rich. Beads can be made of many types of materials. The earliest beads were made of convenient natural materials; when found, these could be readily drilled and shaped. As human technology became capable of obtaining or working with more difficult natural materials, those were added to the range of available substances. The same was true of new synthetic materials when created. In modern manufacturing, the most common bead materials are wood, plastic, glass, metal, and stone.

Glass was discovered about 3,400 years ago, and since then has become a very important material for the bead-maker, user and wearer.

A pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells, approximately 100,000 years old, are thought to be the earliest known examples of jewellery. Beadwork is the art or craft of making things with beads. Beads can be woven together with specialized thread, strung onto thread or soft, flexible wire, or adhered to a surface (e.g. fabric, clay).

Beads may be divided into several types of overlapping categories, based on different criteria such as component materials, manufacturing process, place or period of origin, surface patterning, or general shape. In some cases, such as millefiori and cloisonné beads, multiple categories may overlap in an inseparably interdependent fashion.

Prayer beads are known world-wide, and help the user recite prayers and keep track of the sequence and number of the prayers. Worry beads, also common around the world, help with decision-making, and keep the hands busy. Beads continue to be used as talismans to protect the wearer against evil, and as amulets to bring wisdom and fortune.

The history of beads dates as far back as 40,000 years with the advent of modern people. They have been made by every culture since then.

In North America, the use of beads and their manufacture was limited to a difficult production in gold, jade, bone, blue-green stone turquoise and hand polished shell beads. Thousands of years prior to European contact, geographical location determined the kinds of beads produced. Prehistoric Southwestern cultures traded turquoise throughout the western regions and into Mexico. Marine shells from the Florida coasts were traded north and made into beads in Illinois. They were distributed to the agricultural societies of the Mississippi, Ohio and Illinois River valleys about A.D. 1100.

Historically, beadworking was part of a social pastime where friends and family would bead together at the same table and discuss the issues of the day or just socialize. Today, cosmopolitan issues generally overtake friends and families and the individual must find time for the craft.

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White Iron Jewelries

White Iron Jewelry

White Iron Jewelry

North Maluku is famous by the exotic nature and it is proved by the green sightseeing over the hills and the marvelous blue over the ocean. Moreover, this province is also have numbers of hand-gift like the culinary and accessory.

North Maluku is popular by its product of white iron jewelry. The white iron products are usually in the form of bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings, and other jewelries. These handicraft products are quite popular among the youth. Those white metal handicrafts are made from junk equipment from Pacific war (1941-1945). This white iron souvenir is produce in Morotai Island.

There are tons of heritage from Pacific war that we can found in Morotai Island. Thus, by those wrecks, the local people have an idea to create particular jewelry for sale. Fortunately, that idea make significant changes among the society.

White iron is a mixture of several kinds of metal, it has more lustrous surface than silver or bead. In addition, white iron souvenirs are anti corrosion guaranteed , when it exposed to water, it will more shiny. Even. the A quality is become difficult to distinguish from white gold jewelry.

There is also new model of white iron design, which is a combination of A quality bracelet with gold color. You can get this bracelet with a price of Rp. 250000-300000.

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Lombok And South Sea Pearl

South Sea Pearl

South Sea Pearl

South Sea pearls are among the largest commercially harvested cultured pearls in the world. The average size of a South Sea pearl is 13 mm, with most harvests producing a range of sizes from 9 mm to 20 mm. The South Seas lie between the northern coast of Australia and the southern coast of China. These waters are the native habitat of a large oyster known as Pinctada maxima. This oyster grows up to 12 inches in diameter, and can be nucleated with a much larger bead than other saltwater oysters such as the Akoya.

There are two varieties of Pinctada maxima, the silver-lipped and the gold-lipped. The two are distinguished by their distinct coloration of the outer edge of the interior. This type of shell is also known as mother-of-pearl, and is responsible for the coloration of the cultured pearls produced.

There are four reasons South Sea pearls can grow to such large sizes, dwarfing many of their other saltwater pearl counterparts. These reasons are: the large size of the Pinctada maxima, the size of the implanted bead, the length of time the pearl is left to grow in the oyster, and the oyster’s environment. Due to the size of the oyster, it is able to accept a large bead.

In Indonesia, Lombok pearl being honored as producer of foreign exchange in the country. Because Lombok pearls are produced by the scenic island which is included in the category of south sea pearls in the world. So, no wonder that pearls of Lombok is been looking by pearl lover, both inside and outside the country.

Lombok nowadays is deserved to be proud for outperforming other pearl producing countries such as Australia, Tahiti, Myanmar, and Philippines. Even, the data of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries said that Indonesia is now the leader of the exporting country of sea water pearls. No wonder because Lombok has been producing pearls since long time ago and become a major pearl producer in the country.

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The History Of Wristwatch

The History Of Wristwatch

Wristwatch

A watch is a timepiece that is made to be worn on a person. It is usually a wristwatch, worn on the wrist with a strap or bracelet. In addition to the time, modern watches often display the day, date, month and year, and electronic watches may have many other functions.

Before wristwatches became popular in the 1920s, most watches were pocket watches, which often had covers and were carried in a pocket and attached to a watch chain or watch fob. Watches evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century.

In the present day, a wristwatch is not just a device to tell time, it has rather become a status icon. This is because with the increasing popularity of cell phones and pagers with small clocks, the wristwatch is just used as a fashion entity rather than being an object of function. Nowadays, expensive watch brands include Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Tag Heuer, and Omega. Rich business persons and officials are found usually wearing one of these brands.

However, the scene was different almost 100 years ago. People were never found wearing expensive wristwatches, instead rich men always carried pocket watches, with a gold half-hunter, which was the status symbol at that time. Women also wore pendants attached to their jackets and corsets. Wristwatches were known as Wristlets and were mostly worn by women at that time.

Louis Cartier, the kind of watch that we see today, made the first watch. He made the first watch for the flying hero Santos Dumont. After this, by the year 1911, these watches came in the market and became popular among people. To this day watches almost look like the same as they were back then.

Soon after this, the designs began to be modified. From the classical round shape that had been in fashion, new shapes and sizes started to be introduced. New companies introduced new shapes. Movado is the company that came out with the new “Polyplan” shaped watch. Patek Philippe made the first rectangular shaped clock.

The most famous wristwatch of all times is the Rolex. In 1920s, Rolex introduced the dual time feature for the first time, in which the seconds’ sector was larger than that of minutes. Jaeger Le Coultre introduced a watch, which could turn 180 degrees within its case, thus providing a shield for the crystal and dial. It became very popular instantly, but its strength was lost by the recession in 1930s and starting of the Second World War.

Watches made between 1910s and 1930s are the type of watches we see today. Brands like Rolex, Cartier, Jaeger Le Coultre , Omega and the others mentioned in the article are among the most expensive and collectible varieties.

In conclusion, from pocket watch to a fashion accessory. What was once, in the earliest years of portable watches, considered to be unsuitable for men and only for women, has developed today into a fashion utensil that everyone has. In the meantime, the wristwatch is no longer only a tool to tell the time. It is a designer piece and can indicate much more than the time.

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The Toe Ring

Toe Ring

Toe Ring

A toe ring is a Ring made out of various metals and non-metals worn on any of the toes. The second toe of either foot is where they are worn most commonly. In most western countries they are a relatively new fashion accessory. There is not a symbolic meaning for wearing toe rings. They are only regarded to be a new fashion jewelry; they often accompany barefoot sandals, anklets, barefeet or flip flops.

Practicing Hindu women in India have implemented the tradition of wearing a toe ring as a cultural aspect of marriage. This is comparably similar to the aspect of Western civilization’s traditional wedding band worn on the finger. These toe rings are typically won on the second toe of the right foot and will be set in silver, symbolic of respect. Such rings designated to this tradition are called “bichiya”. Set in richly elaborate detailing within classic elements, some modern women of India choose a contemporary design as well. Tradition does not permit unmarried women of India to wear toe rings.

While Hindu tradition calls for toe rings as a ritual practice of their cultural beliefs, popularity within United States has soared simply as a fashion statement and an attractive accessory in footwear.Toe rings were introduced to the United States by Marjorie Borell who, after returning from India began manufacturing and selling them in New York in 1973. Her first retail outlet was Fiorucci, a trendy fashion retailer located on 59th Street in New York. The “Original Toe Ring Boutique” sold toe rings in silver, gold and with diamonds.

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The History Of Ankle Bracelet

Leg Bracelet

Ankle Bracelet

Rings, arm bracelets, charms, earrings, and necklaces have always been a popular and noticeable form of accessory for women, but anklets that have also been around for a long time add a certain flair to a woman’s appearance. A woman wearing an anklet with a summer dress or with a swimsuit could have an even more interesting appearance than another woman wearing the same apparel.

Leg bracelet, an anklet ankle chain, or ankle bracelet is an ornament worn around the ankle. Barefoot anklets and toe rings historically have been worn for centuries by girls and women in Egypt and Arab world especially in Bedouin and countryside and married women in India, though in the United States both casual and more formal anklets became fashionable in the late twentieth century.

Ankle bracelets or anklets have always been a popular accessory adorning girls’ and women’s ankles for decades. First worn in India, the fashion of wearing these ankle bracelets have evolved to the Western countries. In the early 50’s, these thin chains have been became a sign of rebellion, and the trend of using them has caught on. In time, women started to wear these chains for a more modern and sexy appearance. Variations of these chains were then designed for each decade, and these anklets never looked better. What better way to show off their sexy calves and legs than with an anklet. They add charm and elegance to whatever you are wearing.

There are ancient civilization that recorded to be the consuming for ankle bracelet:

The ancient Sumerians lived in the Mesopotamian region about 4500 years ago. Unearthed Sumerian graves shows that this civilization was the first in recorded history to leave evidence of wearing bracelets, including ankle bracelets. It is believed that the wearing of jewelry by a wife showed how wealthy her husband was. Graves also reveal the Sumerians wore finger rings, toe rings and necklaces.

The rich and the poor of ancient Egypt both enjoyed wearing jewelry, including anklets. Egyptian royalty wore anklets made of precious stones and metals. The upper eschelon of ancient Egypt were well known for coveting beautiful pieces of jewelry and were very trendy and interested in fashion. The poorer people in Egypt also wore ankle bracelets, but these were inexpensive and may even been used to display amulets or lucky talismans. Later centuries would call these pieces of jewelry charm bracelets.

It’s believed that the styles of ancient times traveled down the Silk Road. Jewelry dealers brought bracelets, including anklets, to the empire of Persia. The archaeological site known as the Golden Mound yielded over 20,000 pieces of fine Persian jewelry. Many of the pieces contained precious gems like lapis lazuli and amethyst.

Indians have worn ankle bracelets for centuries. Their love for this jewelry is even instilled in their literature. The story of Shilappadikaram tells a fanciful story of an unfaithful husband who briefly falls in love with a woman who wears a magic anklet. Today’s Indian wedding customs still include wearing anklet bracelets as a part of the ceremonial wedding garments. Indian women wear some of the most extravagant anklets in the world featuring lots of tiny chains, bells and charms. Silver is a popular medium for Indian anklet bracelets.

The ankle bracelet became popular in the United States in the twentieth century. In the 1950s bobby sockers wore the jewelry to enhance their white socks. In the 1970s, women began wearing anklets that featured their name or initials. While they can be worn by men or women, the ankle bracelet continues to be more popular with women. Today, you can purchase any type of ankle bracelet, from a simple hemp strand to a delicate golden filigree rope. Anklets are considered a permanent fixture of American fashion.

There are various kinds of anklets. There are gold anklets, custom or personalized anklets, anklets with diamonds or other gems, beaded anklets, shell anklets, leather anklets, sterling silver anklets flexible or hinged anklets and stretch, and weave or locking anklets.

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