Did You know that Men were the first to wear jewelry as a status symbol and as good luck amulets to aid them in war.

Agnes Sorel, the mistress of King Charles VII of France was the first woman  said to wear diamonds.

Initially, only one ring was used for an engagement and a wedding. Then in 1477, Maximilian of Austria gave an engagement ring to his beloved, Mary of Burgundy starting a tradition.

1/142 of an ounce equals a carat. The world carat comes from carob, a seed that is uniformed in weight.

The value of a diamond depends upon carat weight, color, clarity and cut.

Aaron first high priest of the Hebrews, wore 12 gemstones representing the 12 tribes of Israel  in his silver breastplate. This is when birthstones originated.

The most important quality of a ruby, sapphire or emerald is its clarity of color.

A natural or cultured pearl (unlike an imitation or simulated one) rubbed against the edge of one's teeth produces vibrations one can actually hear.

Jewels avoid metal-to-metal contact of watch parts that do the most work.

Under government regulations, 10 power magnification is used by jewelers in their loupes to cehck gemstones.

 14Karat Gold is 58.3% of pure gold.

Cutting and polishing, a very limited natural supply and mining operations makes a diamond so costly.

The largest diamond ever found was the The Cullinan. It weighed 3,106 carats, or about one and a third pound. Di

 Did you know that only 75% of American brides receive a diamond engagement ring