SilverStones

Are you looking for a special gift for someone on your Christmas shopping list? Check out these exquisite gifts in sterling silver jewelry. This beaded black onyx necklace has a sterling silver magnetic clasp that can be worn in front with several of the large V-style pendants we offer in ginkgo leaf (shown left), sunflower, smiley face, and hand carved cameo pendants with a lady’s face or horse’s head. These beaded gemstone necklaces are available in black onyx, turquoise and lapis lazuli in 16″ and 18″ lengths. These necklaces are woven over a clear rubber cord that holds its shape, unlike other woven beaded necklaces you would typically find. This gemstone necklace can also be worn with the clasp in the back. The magnetic clasp is a great feature for people that have a hard time putting on a necklace.  Matching earrings for these sterling silver pendants are available in ginkgo leaf, sunflower, smiley face, and horse cameos.

Some of these pendants with matching earrings are in closeout; so don’t delay on getting one of these exquisite gifts sure to please that special lady on your list. SilverStones has a variety of unique sterling silver jewelry available in black onyx, turquoise, denim lapis, lapis lazuli, amber, amethyst, citrine, and more. See what we offer in 925 sterling silver and natural gemstone jewelry.

SilverStones is your online jewelry store for authentic sterling silver and gemstone jewelry. Check our home page for special sales we offer from time to time.

Religious cross jewelry protects you from evil forces. This sterling silver cross can be worn by a man or woman, not too fancy and perfect for casual wear. This pendant makes a great Christmas present or gift for those in times of trouble.

This large religious cross measures 1 3/4″ in length and has a hidden bail. The center stone is a 6mm round oxblood coral stone. The nails of the cross are a replica of horseshoe nails. This cross pendant fits a 1.5mm chain or smaller.

We can custom make this cross pendant with your favorite domed cabochon stone in seventeen natural gemstone options; oxblood coral (shown), Chinese turquoise, amber (yellow-orange), Swiss blue topaz, denim lapis, hematite, tiger eye, amethyst (AAA grade), black onyx, nepharite jade, iolite, moonstone, citrine, rainbow topaz, lapis lazuli, malachite, sleeping beauty turquoise, and blue moonstone. The price of this religious cross pendant depends on the stone you select.

These carved cameo horse earrings make a great gift for the horse lover. There are a very limited supply of these horse earrings available. These horse cameos are hand carved in Germany from black agate and have a blue tint as shown in the photo. We also have a matching horse pendant to go with these earrings available in the horse jewelry section of our website.

The horse cameo pendant has a V-style bail that is specifically designed to wear on the gemstone woven necklaces we offer. When wearing this pendant on this woven necklace, the clasp is worn in front with the pendant slipped over the clasp. We also offer other V-style pendants for this necklace in the silver pendant and turquoise sections. These gemstone woven necklaces are available in 16″ and 18″ in turquoise, lapis lazuli and black onyx. These beaded necklaces are woven over a clear rubber collar to hold it’s shape.

The V-style bail is a converter bail for this pendant and can be removed to be worn on a chain up to 5mm thick.  Check out what we offer in horse jewelry in bracelets, necklaces, pins, pendants and earrings. All of our horse jewelry is made with .925 sterling silver.

This sterling silver gingko pendant has a converter, the piece between the pendant and the bail. These silver pendants are made to be worn with our woven gemstone collars available in 16″ and 18″ lengths. We offer these gemstone collars in black onyx (shown left), lapis lazuli and turquoise. These gemstone collars are woven over a clear rubber cord to keep its shape unlike other woven gemstone necklaces you would normally find. This gemstone necklace can be worn alone with the clasp in the back or in front with the V-shaped bail and pendant. We offer several of these V-shaped bails with silver pendants to be worn on this type of necklace like our smiley face pendant, turquoise filigree pendant, horse cameo pendant, lady cameo pendant, sunflower pendant and our sunburst pendants available with several gemstone options. These gemstone necklaces with our silver pendants make a stunning accessory that can be worn with any outfit.

We also offer a smaller V-shaped pendant that can be worn on our genuine braided leather necklaces with a sterling silver clasp. This .925 sterling silver Fleur-de-Lis pendant is shown with a 6mm leather necklace. We sell these braided leather necklaces in 3mm and 4mm widths in 16″ and 18″ lengths. Other pendants that will accommodate this smaller V-shape bail are our smiley face pendant and leaf pendants available in round and rectangular shapes. If you would like to have this smaller bail for these pendants please include a comment with your order to have this pendant special made.

This large sun pendant makes a great conversation piece.  The sun is a symbol of power and strength which makes this a great pendant for a man. This sterling silver sun pendant is oxidized in the flame portion of this pendant. The center of this pendant has a large high domed black onyx cabochon. The backing if this sun pendant is solid sterling silver.

The sun has been use in jewelry making since ancient times. The sun is considered a female symbol, where the moon is considered a male symbol. In ancient times people worshiped the sun and that’s why there is sun jewelry.

So, what is the difference between black onyx and black agate? They are both agates. Black onyx and black agate are both banded stones. The difference is the width of the banding and as far as the price for a strand of beads; black onyx cost twice as much. These stones are dyed for a uniform color.  Many semi-precious stones are enhanced in some way, whether they are dyed to produce a uniform color or polished for a shiny appearance.

Another agate that is in this family of onyx stones is sardonyx. Sardonyx is also banded and has black, white, and brown streaks, like this necklace shown right.  Sardonyx is not dyed to show the beautiful patterns that vary from one stone to the next.

Sterling silver is no longer a cheap option when it comes to jewelry. In January of 2009, silver sold for $11.03 an ounce; today the price is hovering $33.00 an ounce.  This is why now is the time to buy your  sterling silver jewelry. The price of sterling silver is expected to sky rocket. I have heard speculations it could rise to $600.00 an ounce.

Large pieces of sterling silver jewelry like this orchid pin can be quite expensive, however, typically the higher the price the less markup there is in comparison to small pieces of silver jewelry. If you want to buy something that will have a lot of value, buy the larger pieces of sterling silver jewelry like this orchid pin or a cuff bracelet.  Not only will you get to enjoy wearing the jewelry but it will be an investment that will increase in value in the future.

If you see silver jewelry at a cheap price beware. It is most likely not sterling silver but silver-plated over another medal. If you see SP in a product description it means the piece is silver-plated.  Sterling silver has to be 92.5% silver in order for it to be qualified as sterling silver.  You will find more cheap silver jewelry on the market that is not sterling silver and it does not have the same value. This particular type of silver jewelry has much less silver in it (62% silver/38% copper). I recently found a supplier that stated their jewelry was 925 sterling silver. I emailed them to inquire if in fact is was sterling silver and they admitted that is was not and yes it was stamped 925. There is a top ranking silver jewelry site on the Internet selling their cheap jewelry but they price it as 925. I recommend you buy from a reputable supplier like SilverStones when buying sterling silver jewelry.

How are stones made to fit in jewelry? This piece on the left is a black onyx and mother of pearl (MOP) sterling silver slide pendant. This pendant has a stone inlay that was cut to fit this slide pendant. In natural stone jewelry stones are either cut to fit the piece or the stone has been reconstituted which means the stone has been ground to a powder then mixed with resin and pressed into the piece of jewelry. This is still considered a natural stone.

This cross pendant is an example of jewelry that has reconstituted stones. Hard to tell the difference isn’t it?

This natural turquoise stone ring, shown below, has a cabochon stone. Cabochon stones have been ground into a shape, polished, and have a flat back. This type of stone is either glued into the jewelry setting or depending on the type of setting may have the silver pressed around the stone to hold it in place. Semi-precious stones can be cut or reconstituted; translucent stones like amethyst, topaz, and citrine are usually cut into faceted shapes to catch the light to make them sparkle.

Beads used in making jewelry are tumbled and then drilled. When buying a strand of stones examine them closely, not all stones are real in other words they could be simulated (fake). Natural stones are always cool to the touch.

Looking for a unique gift for someone on your shopping list? Check out this sterling silver leopard pendant. This pendant has two bails, one on either end of this leopard lying on a branch. This sterling silver pendant is two inches in width and is perfect to wear on an Omega necklace.

SilverStones carries sterling silver jewelry in the latest fashions. This is not to be confused with fashion jewelry, we only carry .925 sterling silver jewelry. When shopping for sterling silver jewelry be on the lookout for the mark .925 inside or on the back of the item when you plan to make a purchase. The .925 means it is 92.5% sterling silver.

So, what is fashion jewelry? Fashion jewelry is made to look like the real thing but it’s not. Anytime you see the word fashion in the product name it is usually an indication the piece is plated or the stone is fake. Another clue is when you see the word simulated, the word simulated means fake. Simulated is a term used when referring to gemstones not silver. There is a lot of silver jewelry on the market that is silver-plated. The underlying metal is usually brass or some less expensive metal. With the skyrocketing price of silver (which is $27.30 an ounce today) you will find more and more silver-plated jewelry saturating the market. Retailers will stock silver-plated jewelry in their stores because it’s much cheaper than sterling silver jewelry. You probably couldn’t tell the difference in a piece of jewelry that was plated or not and that’s what they’re counting on. What a great price (so you think) until the silver wears off and shows the underlying metal. Silver is a commodity and is valuable. Silver will keep increasing in value whereas the fashion jewelry that is plated with silver will not have much value.

Onyx is a variety of Agate. Onyx is either solid black or has black and white bands. Onyx that is reddish brown and white is known as Sardonyx. Black onyx is usually dyed to produce a uniform color. Onyx has a fine texture that makes it ideal for carving cameos. In ancient times Romans used onyx to carve their seals because wax would not stick to it.

This black onyx necklace has tiny black onyx beads woven over a rubber collar with a magnetic clasp. This necklace can be worn alone with the clasp in back or with the clasp in front with a ginkgo leaf pendant (shown above) or one of the many V-style silver pendants available at SilverStones.

The main source of onyx is British Columbia, Canada, Scotland, UK and in the US in Utah, South Dakota, Idaho and Rhode Island, although it is also found in other parts of the world.

Bring the Knight out in your man with a dragon pendant. Dragons are associated with wisdom and were thought to have supernatural and mystical powers. In the King James version of the Bible, the words serpent, dragon and devil were used in an interchangeable manner.

The folklore and mythology of the dragon in European cultures depicts dragons with wings. According to Western folklore, medieval dragons were associated with magic, although the meaning of dragons varies in different regions of the world. Dragons guarded hidden treasures, gemstones and fortunes in their caves. These mystical creatures had the ability to fly and breathed fire that destroyed many villages.

In Medieval times, Knights slayed dragons to protect their castles and treasures, many a knight fought to their death to prove their faith. These dragon slayers found it to be a profitable business, which won them fame and fortune.