Jewelry & Gemstones

Rubies, fancy colored diamonds, painite and musgravite can all be more expensive than diamond. Compare real price-per-carat ranges for each rare gem here.

Clean Navajo pearls with a soft polishing cloth on the silver, keep turquoise away from liquids, and let hairspray and perfume dry fully before you put the jewelry on.

Learn how to clean a diamond sharpening stone with soap, erasers, and Bar Keeper’s Friend, plus when to skip oil and how to store the stone dry.

A cubic zirconia stone usually has little resale value, although a ring’s precious-metal setting can affect what the complete piece is worth.

Quahog and giant clams have real pearls, but pearl oysters and freshwater mussels remain the primary source of nacre-coated pearls sold today.

Montana gemstones include sapphire and agate, which have shared the state’s official gemstone designation since 1969.

Spiny oyster turquoise pairs vivid spiny oyster shell with stabilized turquoise, bonded together with epoxy in Southwest Native American inlay jewelry.

Local jewelers, pawn shops, diamond exchanges, and online marketplaces all buy loose gemstones, and the best choice depends on speed versus price.

Pearl cotton is a mercerized, non-divisible cotton embroidery thread that differs from embroidery floss in structure, sizing, and use.

Glass filled rubies are low-quality rubies treated with lead or zinc glass to hide cracks, and they sell for only a few dollars per carat.