osing gemstone jewelry, most buyers tend to focus their attention on the stone along. Precious or semi-precious, single or multiple, transparent or opaque...the questions attached to a purchase of gemstone are endless. But while buying gemstone jewelry ? whether a gemstone ring, earrings or even a gemstone beads necklace ? the metal used must be chosen with as much attention as the gem.

For a balanced choice of metal to be used, three factors must be considered with some importance ? cost, compatibility with the gem, and maintenance. Compatibility with the gem is decided on the basis of color combination and setting - a harder metal will permit a prong setting, better to show off a transparent gem.

In today's fashion, white gold has become extremely popular. White gold is an alloy of gold with either nickel or platinum. Nickel is cheaper than platinum, creates a harder and more durable alloy, but may trigger allergies in some. Palladium white gold (with copper, platinum or rhodium added for some hardness) causes fewer allergies, and handles chemical exposure better than the more reactive nickel.

White gold, especially when rhodium-plated, needs re-plating every year or two. Platinum, though far more expensive, is more likely to get scratched than white gold, is heavier, and needs regular burnishing. White gold goes well with both transparent and opaque stones, and can also be combined with metals of a different tint ? bronze, yellow gold, red gold (alloyed with copper), or green gold (alloyed with silver) ? to produce a varied effect.

Yellow gold is the eternal favorite when it comes to wedding or engagement jewelry. This is quite expensive, and is available in several gradations, called carats. 24-carat gold is 100% gold, while lower carat ratios have less gold and more of metals like copper, palladium or silver.

After gold in the hierarchy of metals used for gemstone jewelry comes silver. Silver has a unique, muted sheen of its own, especially when worn on a regular basis. It is extremely easy to care for ? several silver polishes are available in the market, and the metal is extremely durable, and does not blacken much over time. Silver is also much less expensive than gold, and can be used with equal facility with all kinds of gemstones.

Copper and bronze are often used as settings for semi-precious stones, especially opaque. These are not very expensive, and require very little maintenance ? a little lemon or tomato is usually enough to restore their shine. These metals are somewhat less conventional than those mentioned above, and gemstone bead jewelry set in copper or bronze, when carefully selected, is guaranteed to turn some heads.

Gemstone jewelry should always be designed so that the entire ornament looks well assembled. So rather than just comparing the durability, value and convenience of the options at hand, it is best to look at the stone-metal combination, see what looks best, and choose a selection that is pleasing to your eye, your needs as well as your pocket.

By: Gen Wright

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