 July 2012 |
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Now that the annual APP conference and International Body Piercing Day has come and gone, we are getting back to normal here at Anatometal headquarters. As we enter into July we are excited to introduce our newest line of gemstones called Passion Topaz, along with new colors available in our CZ gemstones. We also have our summer 2012 catalog out! Have you received your copy yet? Just contact us and request one!
July 4th is coming up fast, and as a company that prides itself in making our jewelry right here in the USA, this holiday holds a special place in our hearts. At Anatometal, we believe in a quality product that will withstand the test of time. Extreme care is put into each piece of jewelry we make, throughout every stage of its conception. From the use of implant grade materials to hand polishing, and hand setting gemstones, we take the extra effort to ensure that your jewelry is flawless. So when you wear your Anatometal, you know you are sporting only the best of the best.
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These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Things
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Anatometal is proud to announce our newest line of gemstones: Passion Topaz by Swarovski. These genuine gemstones were inspired by a love affair with color and are available in shades like White, Turquoise Blue, Pink, Aqua Blue, Khaki, Baby Pink, Ice Blue, Rainforest, Blazing Red, Paraiba, Honey, and Poppy. While traditionally color is achieved in Topaz through exposure to radiation, Swarovski has developed a process that allows hues to show brilliantly in these stones without irradiation, making a safe viable alternative to conventional stones. If you share our fervor for design and radiance, these are the gemstones for you! Just look at those colors!  
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Meet Anatometal
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We know how much you love your Anatometal and what it stands for: handcrafted right here in the USA, made with only the highest quality materials. There is so much that goes into each piece as it moves from our machine shop, to the polishing room, to the gold room, through quality assurance, packaging, and to our shipping department. We thought you would like to get to know the people who make that Gemmed Eyelet, Heart Navel Curve, and Nostril Screw possible! In the coming months, we will be invading all the departments here at Anatometal Headquarters and bringing our hard workers right to you!
This month we bring you:
Sasha from the Machine Shop
Anatometal: What do you do here at Anatometal?
Sasha: Ummmm... Whatever I am told. But really, I work in the machine shop.
Anatometal: How long have you worked for Anatometal?
Sasha: Let's see, almost three years now. It will be three years in September.
Anatometal: What is your favorite piece that Anatometal makes?
Sasha: My favorite piece? I don't actually have any piercings, but I really like our Bullet Eyelets. They are good.
Anatometal: Tell us three things about yourself.
Sasha: Ok... I am Russian, I like relaxing, and I really dislike when you start to watch some B-rated movie on Netflix and find out that it is actually really, REALLY bad.
Anatometal: Ninjas or Pirates?
Sasha: Oh, Pirates.
Thanks for letting us get to know you a bit Sasha! Who will be featured next month? Be sure to check back to find out!
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Genuine Gemstones VS. Synthetic Gemstones
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Recently it has been brought to our attention that there is some confusion out there about the differences between genuine and synthetic gemstones. This month we would like to clear that up!
A gemstone or gem, also called a precious or semi-precious stone, a fine gem, or jewel, is a piece of mineral, which in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. There are also certain rocks such as lapis lazuli and organic materials like amber, which are not minerals, but are still often considered to be gemstones. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a stone.
The traditional classification in the West, which goes back to the Ancient Greeks, begins with a distinction between precious and semi-precious stones. In modern usage the precious stones are diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, with all other gemstones being semi-precious. This distinction reflects the rarity of the respective stones in ancient times, as well as their quality: all are translucent with fine color in their purest forms, except for the colorless diamond. Other stones are classified by their color, translucency and hardness. The traditional distinction does not necessarily reflect modern values, for example, while garnets are relatively inexpensive, a green garnet called Tsavorite, can be far more valuable than a mid-quality emerald, which can be more valuable than a diamond. Use of the terms 'precious' and 'semi-precious' in a commercial context can be misleading in that it deceptively implies certain stones are intrinsically more valuable than others, which is not the case.
In modern times gemstones are identified by gemologists, who describe gems and their characteristics using technical terminology specific to the field of gemology. The first characteristic a gemologist uses to identify a gemstone is its chemical composition. For example, diamonds are made of carbon, and rubies of aluminum oxide. Next, many gems are crystals which are classified by their crystal system such as cubic, trigonal or monoclinic. Another term used is habit; the form the gem is usually found in. Diamonds for example, which have a cubic crystal system, are often found as octahedrons. 
Gemstones are classified into different groups, species, and varieties. Ruby is the red variety of the species corundum, while any other color of corundum is considered sapphire. Emerald, aquamarine, red beryl, goshenite, heliodor, and morganite are all varieties of the mineral species beryl. Gems are also characterized in terms of refractive index, dispersion, specific gravity, hardness, cleavage, fracture, and luster. They may exhibit pleochroism or double refraction. They may have luminescence and a distinctive absorption spectrum. Material or flaws within a stone may be present as inclusions. Gemstones are often treated to enhance the color or clarity of the stone. Depending on the type and extent of treatment, said treatment can affect the value of the stone. Some treatments are used widely because the resulting gem is stable, while others are not accepted most commonly because the gem color is unstable and may revert to the original tone. While these treatments are often applied to gemstones to amplify their beauty, it on no way makes these stones any less genuine.
Lab created, synthetic gemstones are identical to natural gemstones in almost every way. This means they have the same basic crystal structure, refractive index, specific gravity, chemical composition, colors, and other characteristics. Diamonds, ruby, sapphires and emeralds have been manufactured in labs to possess identical chemical and physical characteristics to the naturally occurring variety. Lab-created stones however, tend to have a more vivid color to them, as impurities are not present in a lab and do not modify the clarity or color of the stone. Since the same gemological tests are used for stone identification on both natural and synthetic gems, it is sometimes possible for a gemologist to be puzzled as to whether or not a stone is natural or synthetic. When this occurs, the best course of action is to send the stone to an accredited gem laboratory, like the Gemological Institute of America. They can positively determine whether a stone is synthetic or naturally occurring. Only minor internal characteristics allow separation of a synthetic gemstone from a natural gemstone.  Finally, there are also imitation gemstones. For example, cubic zirconia is a diamond simulant composed of zirconium oxide. Moissanite, also an imitation stone, is another example. The imitations copy the look and color of the real stone but possess neither their chemical nor physical characteristics. Moissanite actually has a higher refractive index than diamond does and when presented beside an equivalently sized and cut diamond, will have more "fire" than the genuine stone. Imitation stones can really be made out of anything. A blue piece of glass could be an imitation sapphire. A variety of blue synthetic forsterite is an excellent imitation for tanzanite, but chemically, it's composition is much closer to the yellowish green peridot. Another classic example is the "alexandrite" set in many jewelry pieces is actually a variety of vanadium colored synthetic sapphire. We know that we have presented you with a lot of information, but hope that we have clarified the differences between genuine gemstones, synthetic lab created gemstones, and imitation gemstones. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask: heather.anatometal@gmail.com |
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Fan photo of the month
| We get so many great pictures every week of our fans wearing their Anatometal, we thought this would be a great place to show em' off! If you would like our Anatoworld to see your bling, post your pictures to our Facebook page, submit them to our Tumblr page or email them to heather.anatometal@gmail.com. We can't wait to see them!
 - Gemmed Polaris Eyelets in ASTM F-138 stainless steel with CZ and Arctic Blue CZ gemstones. |
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Thank you guys for joining us once again and participating in all the fun we have here with the newsletter, on Facebook, Tumblr, and all over the web! Is there something on your mind? A nagging question that you have been meaning to ask? If there is a subject you would like us to write about in our upcoming newsletters, let us know! Just contact heather.anatometal@gmail.com
Be on the lookout for some I.B.P.D. pictures to show up in next month's issue!
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Your friends at Anatometal
Questions? Comments? Please send them to heather.anatometal@gmail.com. If you know someone who will enjoy this publication as much as you do, don't hesitate to pass it along.
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