(ARA) - Jewelry is the quintessential Valentine's Day gift. While diamonds may be a girl's best friend, gemstones add excitement and variety to jewelry wardrobes. From amethysts to zircon, gemstones offer a wide range of color and style choices. "You can choose your gemstone gift by buying a piece in the recipient's favorite color or birthstone, or you can choose a gemstone that symbolizes love and devotion," says Natalie Parman, vice president of merchandising at Jewelry Television.
For example, one of the first gemstones that comes to mind for Valentine's Day is the ruby, with its brilliant red hue. Throughout history, rubies have been considered the "king of gems," treasured by royalty and cultures throughout history. In fact, prior to the 20th century, rubies were considered more valuable than diamonds.
Current fashion trends can also help you choose a gemstone. "Tanzanite is one of the hottest looks today," says Parman. "Its brilliant color and its exclusive origin in Tanzania combine to make it a unique and highly sought after gemstone," she adds. The stone is highly valued for its shades of sapphire blue, amethyst and blue violet. "Wearing a well-cut tanzanite communicates self-confidence, individuality and maturity," says Parman. The name Tanzanite was coined by Tiffany, which had first and exclusive rights to the stone for many years.
If you've never heard of tanzanite, or couldn't distinguish a sapphire from an opal, a visit to Jewelry Television's Web site reveals a wealth of information about gemstone lore and quality to help you make an informed choice.
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You'll find out that most gemstones are enhanced, which allows the jewelry industry to use various forces of nature such as heat to unlock the inherent beauty of nature residing within a gem. Most Tanzanite, for example, comes from nature a rather drab brown. Once subjected to mild heating, however, these stones turn handsome shades of blue and violet.
No matter how well-informed you are, when buying a gemstone, you need to trust the seller. Jewelry Television stands by its merchandise -- many items come with free appraisals. Since the company focuses exclusively on the sale of fine jewelry and gemstones, it offers a huge variety at fantastic prices. "Due to our 'opportunity buy,' we often provide fine jewelry far below fair market values, providing customers with extremely affordable luxury," says Parman.
The appraisal process notes exact characteristics of an item and then determines the value of that item. Gemstone quality is determined by its beauty, rarity and durability. An appraisal determines these factors by recoding the exact carat weight, color, clarity and cut.
When shopping on Jewelry Television, you can purchase either loose gemstones, which can be used in custom settings for one-of-a-kind pieces, or you can shop for rings, earrings and necklaces that feature your favorite gemstone. "Jewelry Television is the only shop-at-home source for loose gemstones," says Parman. "Anyone would treasure a loose tanzanite or piece of tanzanite jewelry for Valentine's Day, and Jewelry Television is one of the world's leading sources for this stone."
You can watch Jewelry Television and order over the phone, or visit the company's Web site at your convenience to see what's new. Check local listings to find the network on your cable system, DirectTV or the Dish Network, or visit Jewelry Television 
Courtesy of ARA Content
