The most common type of gemstone setting is the basket setting, which can hold gemstones of many gorgeous shapes, colors, cuts, and sizes in place using just a few tiny metal prongs.  To set a gemstone into a basket setting, you’ll need a rule, a pre-made basket setting, prong setting pliers, and of course the loose cut gemstone or gemstones of your choice.  Not sure where to find your gemstones?  Loose cubic circonia stones from Pehnec Gems are affordable and available in a wide variety of colors and cuts.  Pehnec’s lab created gems sparkle beautifully just as natural gemstones do.

After ordering and receiving your gemstones, you’re ready to choose your basket setting.  First measure the size of each gemstone you want to set.  Determine the gemstone’s width, length and depth in millimeters using a ruler.  You will need to do so because basket settings are categorized according to their size in millimeters.  In addition, you’ll also need to identify the cut of your loose gemstone to be set since basket settings are also categorized by shape as well.

Once you have both the basket setting and the gemstone you want to get started with, begin by positioning the loose gemstone in the basket setting with fronts facing upward toward the ceiling.  You will then need to use your prong pliers to bend the settings metal prongs down over the gemstone.  Once your gemstone is set securely snug against each prong, voila!  You have set a gemstone using a basket setting.  You’ll feel like a pro jeweler after you see your piece of jewelry illuminating the room.

The surprise gift does more than just that however. The person on the receiving end may have been in need of a pick me up. The surprise gift shows that you noticed. The key to this gift is to try and give it when the recipient needs it, not when you feel a need to give it as a form of apology or some other reason.

Since gift giving is an extra expense, the availability of fine looking jewelry at affordable prices can help the average working man out when looking for that great surprise gift. The availability of fine quality cubic zirconia stones has been a real help to consumers over the course of the last several decades. These loose lab created gems are available to jewelry makers at better than wholesale prices and they do not disappoint when the gift wrap is removed and the box is opened.

There are many colors available – sapphire blues, emerald greens and amethyst purples are just a few of the cz gems that can be purchased. The original lab created loose cubic zirconia is also available along with the other man made stones and they are all known to provide long lasting beauty.

That long lasting quality is what makes the jewelry made with these loose cut gems better than that other surprise gift favorite, flowers. With them you need a vase, water, and still before you know it they’re gone. Cubic zirconia jewelry is definitely the way to go when someone is looking for an incredible and affordable gift for any occasion.

The design of the first jewelry offering from a Jersey Shore cast member should come as no surprise at all to those who’ve seen or heard about the show.  The round pendant contains 21 bright pink lab created sapphires and is in the shape of a party ball.

While Polizzi’s line of jewelry may not be the perfect fit for everyone, the initial piece was kept at a price that would fit most budgets by using lab created gems.  The pendant, that would certainly please most young party goers and club kids, is available for less than fifty dollars through the Diamond Shark website.

Using high quality lab created gems from a reputable wholesaler is a great way for designers to produce incredible pieces of jewelry that can be offered for affordable prices.  Lab created gems are often just as striking as their natural counterparts but usually cost only a fraction of the price.  Wholesale lab created gems can be used to seamlessly and affordably replace diamonds, rubies, sapphires and a variety of other precious stones in fine jewelry pieces in order to keep prices down.

Jewelry Industry Tweets has just opened its virtual doors to the public and the website’s mission is simple – to help you find the info and connections that you need to stay up to date.   The new website has an extensive Twitter directory for visitors to peruse that includes pertinent company information along with the company’s Twitter name in order to follow.  Not every business that you may want to follow is easy to find, Jewelry Industry Tweets was developed to make it easier to make those connections.

Many businesses and designers provide information about upcoming offers or new product releases, others share up to date news about the industry itself.  Much of this information may be exclusive to Twitter followers, so being able to find and connect with these businesses and individuals can be very valuable.

Twitter gives every business the opportunity to reach out and efficiently communicate in the timeliest manner with their customers.  Many members of the jewelry industry, including Pehnec Gems, are not only taking notice of this powerful opportunity to connect, they are taking full advantage of it.

 You can follow us on Twitter at @czworldwide to get the latest and most up to date company information, industry news and deals on the finest loose cubic zirconia and lab created gems available.

That’s right folks, the splashes of color that have been sweeping through celebrity engagement rings is going to continue on through the start of 2011 and take hold as a major focal point of rings, earrings and bracelets in the new year.

Of course, the amazing jewels that the celebrities are donning contain natural rubies, emeralds and diamonds which come with some outlandish price tags.  This means that much of what you see advertised as next year’s must have accessory will most likely have a price that is out of your comfort zone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t keep up with the trends while staying within your budget.

You can have the brightest, most sparkling and most brilliant jewelry imaginable at an affordable price if you find a retailer that stocks pieces crafted from lab created gems.  Colored cubic zirconia and other lab created gems are every bit as beautiful as their naturally mined counterparts and most are just as durable as well – in reality, if you aren’t a professional jeweler the only way you’ll be able to tell the difference between the natural gem and the lab created gem is by the price.

Loose cz and lab gems can be purchased in bulk, often at below wholesale costs, and turned into the hottest styles for the lowest possible cost.  This lets even those fashionistas with the tightest budgets stay current with the latest trends without having to worry about going into debt to do so.

The two biggest expenses in the retail jewelry business are inventory and rent.  A storefront needs to stock enough variety among its shelves to intrigue whatever type of customer happens to walk through the door, and it needs to be large enough to accommodate the shelves, employees and customers.  Fine jewelry is very expensive, and takes up very little space – this means that stocking a wide variety of fine jewelry would require even a very small retailer to have hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory in order to have even a reasonable amount of variety.  As you can imagine, several hundred thousand dollars is an awfully big investment for an establishment that has low sales.

Two things that can drastically decrease overhead while increasing profit margin are changing the type of stocked inventory and generating an online presence in place of a storefront.  Doing sales online allows you to have an enormous “inventory” for your customers to browse through while eliminating the need for paying rent seems like a logical move to many retailers, but changing the type of inventory stocked from naturally mined gem jewelry to lab created gem jewelry is one that some retailers may not be as quick to adopt.

Loose cz is available in bulk lots from wholesalers for approximately one tenth of the cost of naturally mined diamonds, without losing anything in terms of quality.  During times when every consumer is concerned about their personal budget, it makes perfect sense to offer a less expensive alternative.  Shoppers will still want to look and feel attractive and glamorous, but now they have to do it within their allotted budget.  By offering a high quality alternative that is created from lab gems, retailers can meet those customers’ needs and succeed in an economy that is still struggling.  Make no mistake about it; this big change could lead to a big boost in sales and profits.

Last year’s recall put even more of a hurt on a jewelry industry that was already ailing from the floundering economy, and though the regulators are doing whatever it takes to keep the tainted items out of stores, this second recall will no doubt hurt the sales that were ever so slowly coming back to life.  Many consumers are still being very careful with what little excess money they have to spend and it’s very unlikely that any would spend their hard earned money on a product that could conceivably dangerous to their children.

This is one of the primary reasons that jewelry retailers need to have complete confidence in the products that come from their vendors.   Virtually all jewelry products are in constant contact with the skin, and jewelry designed for young children may end up in or around the mouth making it even more of a necessity for the raw materials used to be free of dangerous chemicals.    Using a wholesaler that is established and that has a solid reputation will help to ensure the quality of materials used to create the end product.

Pehnec Gems has a long standing reputation for offering loose cz and lab created gems of the highest quality for below wholesale prices.  If more retailers chose to buy from wholesale vendors based on the quality of product offered, there probably wouldn’t need to be so much scrutiny in the testing of the final product and there would be much less chance of innocent children becoming ill as a result of coming in contact with dangerous chemicals.

Flowers don’t last, so there are probably better ways to spend your money; candy can be a decent gift, but it may ruin her diet – if you want to get your Mom the perfect gift, something that she’ll absolutely love and that she can have forever, how about jewelry?

They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but if you want to get the most beautiful earrings or pendant that money can buy – a piece crafted from cubic zirconia is a much more “friendly” option for a shopper on a budget.  You don’t have to spend a million dollars on Mom to make her feel special with lab created gem jewelry because wholesale, loose cz can be purchased for a tenth of the cost of a natural diamond and turned into the most stunning jewelry that you have ever seen.

Lab gems are optically flawless, inclusion free and very durable – so you can get the most perfect looking gift for Mom at the perfect price for your budget.  Mother’s Day is supposed to be a special celebration for your Mom, so don’t waste too much time thinking about what she made need, just get her something that you know that she’ll want – a stunning piece of jewelry crafted from wholesale lab gems.

Thankfully, fashion conscious shoppers don’t need to forego getting their green jewels just because the economy is still struggling and that their purse strings are still tight.  Lab created emerald is just as brilliant and beautiful as natural emerald, but it can be purchased for a fraction of the price.

With lab created emerald, just as with cubic zirconia and other lab created gems, the customer never has to worry about inferior quality even though they are spending less.  Due to the fact that lab gems are created in a controlled environment, each piece can be produced optically flawless and absolutely inclusion free making for the most beautiful gem possible – even the highest quality and most expensive natural gems is likely to at least have some minor inclusions.

There is also no supply and demand issue with lab created gems, because they can be perfectly manufactured to order – this means that regardless of the time of year or current demand that loose wholesale lab gems can be affordably purchased, without the major fluctuation in price that we sometimes see from naturally mined gems.

Retailers can purchase lab gems in bulk and create any number of brilliant and beautiful pieces that can satisfy the needs of every person that walks through their door, regardless of each particular customer’s budget.  This means that anyone who’s got a May birthday, or just anyone who wants to spruce up their collection of accessories with a little green, can do so without having to break the bank on an expensive natural emerald.

Two of Country’s youngest and most talented stars, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, managed to wow the crowds and cameras with gowns that had color and flare, matched with the perfect jewels to create a powerfully beautiful look that was just right for the occasion, without going overboard.

Any time a star, especially a star that is so young, can pull a look together so perfectly, fans begin to wonder where they might be able to get pieces of the ensemble to add to their own wardrobe for special occasions.  Though the “one of a kind” gowns may be impossible to duplicate and the shoes may cost a fortune, many fashion conscious fans who are on a budget know that they’ll be able to find an affordable version of the jewels worn by the stars if they can find a retailer who deals in jewelry made from cubic zirconia.

A lot of elements of fashion are hard to duplicate affordably simply because the raw materials that are used in the original are expensive and using a less expensive substitute could result in an inferior product – this couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to lab created gems though.  Loose cz can be purchased in lots from wholesalers and used to recreate the most beautiful pieces of jewelry from the red carpet at a fraction of the price of natural diamonds, but the end user won’t have to sacrifice the quality.  CZ is durable, optically flawless and the only people who can tell it apart from the real thing are trained professions.