Diamond Times

St. Valentine The patron of romantic love wore an amethyst ring carved with the image of Cupid. Leonardo Da Vinci The artist wrote that amethyst quickens intelligence and gets rid of evil thoughts. 164 Pounds Single amethyst crystals can be huge: the GIA Museum displayed a doubly terminated crystal that weighed 164 pounds. Facts Mineral: Quartz Chemistry: SiO2 Color: Purple Refractive Index: 1.544 to 1.553 Birefringence: 0.009 Specific Gravity: 2.66 Mohs Hardness: 7  Because of its wine-like color, early Greek legends associated amethyst with Bacchus, the god of wine. Other legends reflected beliefs that amethyst kept its wearer clear-headed and...

Ruby is the most valuable variety of the corundum mineral species, which also includes sapphire. Rubies can command the highest per-carat price of any colored stone. This makes ruby one of the most important gems in the colored stone market.   In its purest form, the mineral corundum is colorless. Trace elements that become part of the mineral’s crystal structure cause variations in its color. Chromium is the trace element that causes ruby’s red, which ranges from an orangy red to a purplish red.   The strength of ruby’s red depends on how much chromium is present—the more chromium, the...

    Birthstones & Anniversaries On almost all modern birthstone lists, diamond is recognized today as the birthstone for April. Diamond is also the gem that marks the 60th and 75th wedding anniversaries.   About Diamond Diamond forms under high temperature and pressure conditions that exist only about 100 miles beneath the earth’s surface. Diamond’s carbon atoms are bonded in essentially the same way in all directions. Another mineral, graphite, also contains only carbon, but its formation process and crystal structure are very different. Graphite is so soft that you can write with it, while diamond is so hard that...

Metropolitan Magazine has awarded Kuhn’s Jewelers with their “Best of” accolade for the 11th straight year. We appreciate your vote of confidence each year as the Eastern Shore’s “Best in Fine Jewelry”.