7 Jewellery Myths Debunked

Jewellery has been a part of human culture and history for centuries. While every era has shaped the way jewellery is made, looks and what constitutes as jewellery, the time has also given rise to several stories and myths around jewellery. Some of them stem from common folklore while others are more contemporary. Some of them have even subconsciously influenced the jewellery industry and patrons alike. Let’s take a look at some common jewellery myths and shed some light on the truth behind them.

Gold Comes In Different Colours

Gold is always yellow in its naturally occurring state. However, because of the presence of white, gold, rose gold, etc., many believe that gold is available in several colours. However, these are merely alloys of gold – made by mixing pure gold with other metals like iron, silver, or platinum. For instance, white gold is an amalgamation of gold, nickel and palladium, while rose gold combines gold, silver and copper.

The 12 Gemstones Came From The 12 Tribes of Israel

The origin of this myth is based on true events. King Solomon built the first ever Jewish Temple and the High Priest at the time wore a breastplate adorned with 12 gemstones that were believed to be representative of the twelve tribes of Jerusalem. From there, the idea evolved to be birthstones for each month of the year. These stone were matched to each month without any specific reason. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that modern birthstone list as we know it today began taking shape. You can also check out our blog on the traits of a Taurus woman based on her birthstone.

Pearls Can Dissolve In Vinegar

There is some truth to this myth as pearls are porous and the most delicate among all precious gems. As a result, these stones can dissolve in vinegar, hover, the process is slow and would take several days. The myth began when Cleopatra wanted to throw an extremely lavish dinner party and began throwing pearls into her in her drink. Although it is possible to dissolve pearls quickly by crushing them, history has exaggerated this fact over the years. If you’re intrigued by this classic gemstone, here’s our blog on all you need to know about pearls.

Sapphires Are Only Blue In Colour

While sapphires are synonymous with their cerulean shade, a little-known fact is that these precious stones are available in many other colours apart from blue. Depending on the number of impurities found in the stone, the colour changes from blue to a lighter blue or sometimes to a completely different colour. For instance, the standard blue sapphire contains traces of titanium and iron. The presence of vanadium changes sapphires to purple, while iron turns them yellow. Head over to our blog on myths and legends that surround the blue sapphire for more interesting facts.

Diamonds Are The World’s Rarest Gemstone

Diamonds hold the mantle of the world’s rarest gem. While they are among the rarest in the world that their value surpasses other stones like emeralds, rubies, sapphires, etc., a few other stones like painite, bixbyite, jeremejevite, serendibite, musgravite, benitoite, taaffeite and garnierite are much rarer.

Diamonds Are Indestructible

This is among the most widespread myths related to jewellery. Diamonds are in fact among the most durable gemstones in the world and score a 10 on the Moh’s scale of hardness. However, a level 10 classification means it cannot be scratched. And while diamonds do last the longest because of their composition, they can crack under extreme heat and pressure. Therefore it is essential for you to take care of your jewellery

The Bigger The Stone, The More Expensive It Is

It would seem the most natural thing to assume, that the price point of a gemstone directly depends on its size. However, this is far from true, as a stone’s price depends on the 4Cs – cut, colour, carat and clarity. It is entirely possible for a diamond to have a mediocre colour and cut but be large in size and still cost less than a diamond with high-quality cut and colour,  but be small in size. As a rule of thumb, it is always best to choose diamonds based on their overall qualities rather than focussing on their size alone.

Buying jewellery and precious stones is always an investment, and you shouldn’t be held back by myths and legends. With time, more and more myths surrounding jewellery are bound to crop up. While some of them make for fun stories, it’s always a good idea to know the difference between fact and fiction. Visit Gehna today for beautiful and authentic jewellery, or find out more about our custom-made designs.

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