(via JQ magazine, July/August 1996) Naaz Aalund writes:
The questions in this quiz have been gathered from experts in the jewelry industry as the most often asked questions. While some of the multiple choice answers contain correct information, the right answer is the one that concisely presents the best information to the customer.
Have fun.
1. Are platinum and white gold the same thing?
a. There is no true white gold
b. There is no difference—they are the same thing.
c. Platinum is a noble metal that is naturally white, while white gold is combined with zinc, nickel and silver to give the naturally yellow gold a white color.
d. Platinum is more rare, more pure, more dense and more demanding to work with, so it’s more expensive.
Answer: c
2. Are tanzanites too fragile to wear in rings?
a. No. Wear them all the time and don’t give it a second thought.
b. Yes. Tanzanite should only be worn in pendants and earrings.
c. Tanzanites are thermo-sensitive, so it is not advisable to wear them while cooking.
d. Tanzanites are 6.5 on the Moh’s hardness scale, which means if they are not cared for properly, they may get scratched. Opals are only a 6, and pearls are only a 3, so if they can be worn in rings, so can tanzanite.
Answer: d
3. With colored gemstones, is darker always better?
a. Intensity of color is all a matter of personal preference.
b. Intensity of color is good even if the gemstone is so dark that color and light can no longer be seen in it.
c. Actually, lighter is better—as with diamonds, colorless is best.
d. Intensity is good up to a point. When a gemstone becomes too dark, it is not as valuable.
Answer: d
4. Is eighteen karat gold too soft? Is fourteen karat gold stronger?
a. Only fourteen karat gold is tough enough to take daily wear.
b. High quality jewelry is made heavy enough for eighteen karat gold to be acceptable.
c. In tests done on eighteen karat and fourteen karat gold, both wore evenly under similar conditions, with fourteen karat showing cracking from fatigue more quickly than eighteen karat.
d. Fourteen karat is best for thin wire jewelry.
Answer: c
5. Are diamonds the rarest of gemstones?
a. De Beers maintains a limited supply and keeps demand high with advertising.
b. Rarity is dependent on many factors, including color, carat weight and clarity. Often a ruby, spinel, or tsavorite of exceptional quality will be more rare than an average diamond.
c. A ‘D’ color flawless diamond is not only the rarest of diamonds; it is also the most rare of all gemstones.
d. Rarity of a gemstone is dependent upon whether the gemstones can be made in a laboratory.
Answer: b
6. Can a ring be sized to any size, larger or smaller?
a. No problem. Gold is a very flexible metal, and it can be bent easily.
b. A ring can be sized smaller much more easily than it can be sized larger.
c. The goldsmiths can compress or stretch the gold as needed to make a ring smaller or larger.
d. Sizing a ring more than two sizes larger or smaller may structurally damage the ring and cause gemstones to break or fall out.
Answer: d
7. What is the difference between precious and semi-precious gemstones?
a. Precious gemstones are diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire; everything else is semi-precious.
b. Rarity and beauty determine a gemstone’s value. An extremely large Paraiba tourmaline would be more valuable, and thus more precious, than a pale and included emerald. These terms precious and semi-precious do not truly indicate a gemstone’s value.
c. Semi-precious gemstones include cubic zirconia, synthetic sapphires and emeralds and all laboratory grown gemstones, while precious gemstones are all natural.
d. Precious gemstones are the twelve birthstones, one for each month of the year, and semi-precious are the gemstones that aren’t birthstones.
Answer: b
8. Why is platinum jewelry so much more expensive than gold?
a. Platinum is more demanding to work with, so it requires greater skill in manufacturing, making labor more expensive.
b. Platinum is twice as dense as fourteen carat gold. In jewelry that is the same size and shape, platinum will weigh more, making it more expensive.
c. Platinum is 90 percent pure platinum. Whereas fourteen carat gold is only 58 percent pure gold, platinum is alloyed with iridium, another platinum-family metal which keeps its value high.
d. All of the above.
Answer: d
9. Why does it take 4-6 weeks to custom-make a jewelry item?
a. At any given time, a designer and his staff may be making 200 pieces of jewelry or more, so for a client’s job to get the attention it needs, other work must be cleared away first.
b. In each step of the jewelry making process, there is a specialist that must complete her part of the job to the best of her abilities for the jewelry item to have the high quality of craftsmanship the client deserves.
c. Jewelry is still in large part made by hand by craftsmen and women who have practiced their craft for a lifetime to achieve mastery. Yet even the finest master craftsperson, when rushed, may overlook flaws that compromise quality.
d. All of the above.
Answer: d
10. Why can’t I wear my jewelry all the time? If it’s good quality jewelry, shouldn’t it last even when I wear it during sports and to bed?
a. Jewelry last hundreds of years and never wears out. Don’t worry about wearing your jewelry all the time.
b. Like a fine silk blouse or a mink coat, jewelry and gemstones can be damaged if not cared for and worn properly.
c. The investment you have made in your jewelry will be lost if you wear it in way that will damage it.
d. Like everything that is around us, things will wear out and, unfortunately, jewelry is no exception. To minimize the wear and tear that can detract from your jewelry’s longevity and beauty, it is advisable to remove it during activities and at bedtime.
e. Answers b & d.
Answer: e
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