Titanium has many potent qualities that have allowed it to become one of the most diverse metals in the world. It has been used to send space shuttles soaring, allowed submarines to plunge to unheard of depths and is the preferred substance for refined surgical tools in the medical world. And the mighty Titanium only continues to add onto to its impressive roster into the new millennium.

Why Titanium? If there were a warrior in the jewelry world, it would be Titanium. Dually noted for its strength, beauty, nobility, purity and resilience, this metal is certainly making an inspiring mark in the world today.

Strength: Named after the Greek Titans who were known for their superior strength, Titanium boasts the highest strength to density ratio of all metals. It has the amazing strength of steel wrapped into a feather weight package.

Beauty: Titanium has a gorgeous luster that comes in several tones of gray. Other metals pale in comparison and there are virtually no other metals that feature shades quite like the ones found in Titanium.

Nobility: Titanium is the first noble element that has been found in 3,000 years! Although it has only been around since 1791, had it been found first, it would have certainly already earned rankings as prestigious as its counterparts platinum and gold.

Purity: Because of its 99% commercial purity, Titanium is considered a hard metal. Because the metal is so good at its job of holding stones, standing up against everyday wear and tear and maintaining its luster, many jewelers offer lifetime guarantees on their Titanium products.

Resilience: Titanium has corrosion resistance that has never been seen before, especially to the element oxygen, which is known to oxidize many other metals. Consequently it will maintain its stunning appearance for a lifetime and longer.

Because of these unique properties, Titanium’s popularity in the jewelry world has begun to soar in recent years. It is especially well-liked in men’s jewelry, most notably wedding bands, since most members of the male species do not like to be bogged down by heavy jewelry. It’s newly found status and ground-breaking usage is anticipated to grow even more rapidly over the next few decades.

As reported in the most recent issue of Geology, shining a white light on a blue diamond will result in blue brilliance but shine an ultraviolet light on the Hope diamond and you’ve got… red-orange? Strange but true. And researchers say that this new detail can hold the key to finding the mysterious relative stone of the famed blue diamond.

The Hope Diamond is one the most treasured and popular jewels in the world but it didn’t always start out so ‘small’. The original parent stone was a whopping 112 carats of blue diamond, taken from an Indian mine in the 17th century. The twinkling twilight colored gem was cut down to 67 carats, dubbed the French Blue and became part of the French Crown Jewels until its disappearance during the French Revolution. No fear; the Blue resurfaced in 1812, cut down to a significantly smaller size and, at its new 45 carat stature, was renamed the Hope Diamond.

Recent research done at the Hope’s homestead, the Smithsonian, has shown that while most blue diamond’s react to UV light by glowing an ever more brilliant blue tone the Hope Diamond oddly glows a fiery orange-red, further adding to this renowned stone’s mystifying appeal. Scientists have come to the conclusion that the common mix of boron and nitrogen that gives most azure stones their luster under ultraviolet lighting is quite a different in the Hope. In simpler terms, Hope still has a boron and nitrogen combo but it is a very untraditional blend that results in the reddish glow.

Researchers believe that the red tint is very rare and that all of the other blue diamonds’ mined around the same time as Hope, especially its parent stones, will have the same ethereal red radiance when examined under UV rays. By using this new found information, scientists anticipate finding the rest of Hope’s family that has been hacked off over time as well as identifying other stones that came from the same Indian mine in the mid 1600’s.

Colored stones – pink, blue, canary, black and red among others – can certainly suit any gem lovers fancy. You can choose a stone that aligns with your personality. You might also seek its energy properties for good fortune or peace mind. You may simply want one that is your favorite hue.

Regardless of your reasons why, a Colorful Masterpiece can certainly do wonders in making our world a more beautiful, sparkling place.