GOLD JEWELRY-FROM THE STARS

The Smithsonian will finally unveil its Let Them Wear Paste jewelry collection on QVC next week.
It's been five months since the Smithsonian Institution announced it had signed a deal to sell Hope Diamond knockoffs and faux Marie Antoinette earrings on the home shopping channel.Initial offerings, which will be unveiled during a Tuesday, Sept.14, 7-9 p.m. telecast, will include a ring made with Smithsonite, a mineral named after the Institution's founder James Smithson.Those who do not buy into the idea that Smithsonite is a girl's best friend might instead consider a sterling silver, turquoise and white topaz ring, reminiscent of the one Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louie -- when his funds were tight, no doubt.
Gemologist Christine Webb, a 13 year veteran of the gems and minerals department at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, will also present for your consideration a "limited-edition heart-shaped sterling blue topaz ring" designed by Judith Ripka, the Smithsonian and QVC said Friday. That ring: a "tribute" to the 100th anniversary of the cutting of the Blue Heart diamond.
QVC's next Smithsonian special will be telecast in early December -- just in time for the holiday season. At that special, you will be afforded the opportunity to bid on bijou reminiscent of the more iconic pieces in the Smithsonian's extensive gem collection -- Marie Antoinette's earrings, the Napoleon necklace, and the Hope diamond.
That two-hour show will be telecast live from the Smithsonian Castle in Washington.

Black gold, blue gold, purple gold and many other colors of gold. Are these really gold? Is such colored gold as strong as normal gold? How are these gold colors obtained. We are all familiar with white gold and yellow gold, but these fancy gold colors have now hit the market. And the truth is that little is known about these gold colors thereby keeping jewelry buyers in the dark. Most gold coloring processes are patended by a few big companies who keep the facts hidden from the general public. To start with, these gold colors are gold and obtained by mixing different alloys into gold. This is similar to the process used to create white and yellow gold. The lack of sufficient knowlegde regarding these gold colors is true of jewellers too. That is the reason why maintaining and repairing these fancy gold colored jewelry is not an easy task. With a variety of patented alloys used in the making of these gold colors, there is a special reason for concern for, people with sensitive skin that is prone to skin allergies. Given the entire mystery and secrecy that shrouds these gold colors, you need to wonder whether it is worth spending your money on them.