Gemstones: From Mining To The Jewellery Store

When you are shopping for jewellery, you may not be aware of the journey the beautiful jewellery you are looking at has been on, which is quite impressive. There is a lot more to creating exquisite jewellery than you may think, and the process takes some time. Below is the journey that your jewellery goes through before it arrives in the jewellery store, ready for you to buy it.
Mining
The first step is mining the raw materials for the jewellery, which includes precious metals and gemstones. You may find the gold in your jewellery is mined in Canada, Australia, or another country, and often the gems will come from a different country. When the raw materials have been mined, they will then be processed, and precious metals are refined to remove impurities, while gemstones go on a different journey entirely.
Processing The Gemstones
When the gems have been collected, they will start sorting and grading them before they are cut into one of the beautiful designs you find in jewellery. The gems will need to be cut and polished, and they can then be graded to ascertain the quality of the stones. You will find that every modern piece of jewellery will go to a gemstone laboratory where they are graded and given a certificate of authenticity, confirming they do not come from a conflict zone. Once the gems have been processed, they start the next step of their journey.
Purchasing Loose Gemstones
Jewellery designers will go to companies to purchase high-quality gems that they can use in their jewellery, specialising in selling gemstones. They can either buy the gems uncut or buy them cut, saving them a lot of time and effort as cutting gemstones is a long and technical process. Once they have the raw materials, they can then design the beautiful jewellery you find in your local stores.
Designing Exquisite Jewellery
The final step of the process is designing and making the jewellery you can purchase in your local jewellery store. If you are looking for quality jewellery, it is better to look at companies that design and make their offerings by hand, creating a much higher quality product than the mass-produced jewellery you get from factories, usually in China. Whether you are looking for bespoke jewellery or something off-the-shelf, there is a world of choice available, and your finished jewellery has most likely travelled thousands of miles around the world before you purchase it and get to wear it.