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I don't know if this has been asked yet. But what is the deal with gold leaving marks on your skin? I've heard that it means the gold is fake...but I've also heard that's a myth. Once in a while I go through a period of a couple of months where gold marks up my skin like crazy. I can literally take any piece of gold jewelry and draw on myself. Then suddenly it stops happening and I can't do it for a while with the same pieces of jewelry. I love gemstones and have been collecting semi-precious stones (crystals/uncut or tumbled) since I was a kid and wanted to be a geologist. 
party hat fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Apr 28, 2011 |
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Apr 28, 2011 02:31
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... I have no idea! I have never seen that before.
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May 4, 2011 02:26
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party hat posted:I don't know if this has been asked yet. But what is the deal with gold leaving marks on your skin? I've heard that it means the gold is fake...but I've also heard that's a myth. This does happen, I don't remember the mechanism for it though. Could you be allergic or something? edit: quote:1. Sometimes skin secretions and perspiration contain chemicals that react with the other metals in the gold alloy, leaving a residue. (The Jewellers Associations suggest that this can happen when changes occur in body chemistry, for example during pregnancy.) party hat posted:since I was a kid and wanted to be a geologist. It's awesome come to the dark side. Hey Johnny, not to harass you by I've done mapping in the field of a good portion of the Bay of Fundy since you said you'd e-mail me tomorrow. 
WAFFLEHOUND fucked around with this message at 02:59 on May 4, 2011 |
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May 4, 2011 02:56
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Heh, I just emailed you a few minutes ago.
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May 4, 2011 03:11
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I have a lovely square cut engagement ring, just over a carat with good color and clarity (it does have two barely visible occlusions that really only show if you look through the side of the stone. I would have to look up the exact rating it received when we had it appraised for insurance. My husband has a cousin who is in the business and he worked with his dealer contacts to find us what we wanted at pretty much the dealer price, which was amazing! Long story short, I was married at the pretty young age of 21 and I was sure my tastes would change, so I picked out the most simple, plain yellow 10k gold(I'm hard on rings) solitaire setting and wedding band. I figured that in 10 years or so I'd have a different take on it and could have it reset without a huge investment lost. Our 10 year wedding anniversary was last August - right in the middle of my husband's three year trip through law school, which has left our finances lovingly depleted. (See the law school mega thread for all that fun). Still, I am not really happy with my yellow gold ring anymore. A friend mentioned that I could have my rings plated in white gold for a nominal fee, but that it might wear off pretty quickly. Do you jewelers have any advice for that? What I would really prefer is a white gold hand engraved setting. I have my great grandmother's very simple white gold engraved wedding band I'd love to wear with it. Based on some of the other posts in this thread it sounds like I might be able to do this pretty economically. I don't really want to add additional accent diamonds, but I'm not against it if it really adds to the setting style. The look I'm going for is very vintage.
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May 4, 2011 21:06
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Sangori posted:Still, I am not really happy with my yellow gold ring anymore. A friend mentioned that I could have my rings plated in white gold for a nominal fee, but that it might wear off pretty quickly. Do you jewelers have any advice for that? You can have your gold ring rhodium plated for a minimal cost (under $100) and it will then look a platinum white. The plating will indeed eventually need to be redone, but maybe once a year at the most, for the same cost. If you don't have the money for a new ring and want it to have a white gold/platinum look, then rhodium plating is the way to do it. I'd look up a craftsman/custom jewelry shop in your area and take it in, they'll get you hooked up. If you happen to be in Seattle, I'd even do it for you! 
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May 4, 2011 23:24
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Can anyone point out good resources for buying antique jewlery online or via distance in the UK? I'm looking for a tiara, hair slides and a pair of matching cocktail dress brooches. (They won't all be worn at the same time). I was in London recently and saw some amazing things in Burlington arcade, but most of the stuff that the shops sell online are far too expensive, (doesn't need to be worn by Victoria), or modern looking or both. And the stuff I find looking through other retailers are over priced and aesthetically unappealing. Failing that, has one had success with finding jewlers that would be willing to recreate antique piece via distance?
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May 5, 2011 13:26
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Tiaras are my secret specialty. We have two in process right now. Recreating antique jewelry is surprisingly difficult and expensive. Modern technology helps a bit but there are still some techniques and finishes that are labor intensive. If you'll send me a PM with your design ideas I would have a better idea of how to advise you.
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May 5, 2011 14:29
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Can anyone give a ballpark time frame for how long large fluctuations in the precious metals market take to affect jewelry prices? My fiancee and I are ring shopping but with the PM bubble bursting, we're considering waiting a bit to get a better deal on the bands. My guess is that it takes a while but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask the experts.
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May 6, 2011 01:05
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If I can piggy back on that question with question I've been wondering about but forgot to ask: if gold prices are at an all-time high, why is *everyplace* buying gold right now? Is it as simple as it seems: a bet on the part of the jewelers/other gold buyers that gold prices will only ever go up not down, or is there more to it than that?
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May 6, 2011 01:12
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From an "investment" point of view, everyone was running around scared that the declining dollar will keep declining (and will stay down forever) making hard commodities like gold and silver worth more (in dollars). Everyone and their uncle bought a ton of gold (and even more silver). Now the big boys are selling out and taking profits and now everyone is rushing to sell their "investments". Silver is down below $35/oz when it was almost $50/oz less than a week ago.
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May 6, 2011 01:23
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spf3million posted:Can anyone give a ballpark time frame for how long large fluctuations in the precious metals market take to affect jewelry prices? My fiancee and I are ring shopping but with the PM bubble bursting, we're considering waiting a bit to get a better deal on the bands. My guess is that it takes a while but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask the experts. It doesn't really make a difference in the short term. Any jeweler would have purchased their inventory at the higher prices, and it could take 6-9 months for a restocking of inventory. This works both ways, and when prices are climbing you can get lucky and find a jeweler that isn't adjusting their prices until they reorder. Arnold of Soissons posted:If I can piggy back on that question with question I've been wondering about but forgot to ask: if gold prices are at an all-time high, why is *everyplace* buying gold right now? That is a common misconception. When you bring $1,000 of gold to a buyer they're going to offer you less than the metal price - This is their profit margin. Buyers purchase gold from the public for 65-90% of the commodity value and sell it to a commodities broker for 90-98% of the value. The broker will then sell it on to a refinery to make their profit. The brokers/refiners cannot refuse sellers; they need the constant volume to make money. However, fluctuations in the metal price can devastate buyers who aren't properly hedged. I have a feeling that the $15 drop in silver may have bankrupted a few brokers I know. One of the reasons there are gold buyers everywhere right now is because the price is so high. A 10% profit margin these days can net you ~$140 on an ounce of 24k, but that same margin in 2001 would have only been worth $30.
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May 6, 2011 05:48
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JohnnyRnR posted:One of the reasons there are gold buyers everywhere right now is because the price is so high. A 10% profit margin these days can net you ~$140 on an ounce of 24k, but that same margin in 2001 would have only been worth $30. That makes perfect sense and now I feel silly for not getting it sooner. Thanks! On a personal note: I commissioned a lost wax pendant for my wife and the wax itself should be done in about a week, iirc. I'm pretty excited.
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May 6, 2011 13:35
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I know this thread has been a little light on pictures. Here's something some should find interesting. It's hard to picture just how impressive a large diamond is without seeing it in person, but seeing one in comparison to another is the next best thing. Sorry for the blurry photo, but I had to shoot this one through a pane of glass. Comparing retail prices the 5 carat is: - 135x the price of the .54 carat - 67.5x the price of the 1 carat diamond For scale, the five carat pear is 15mm tall and 9.5mm wide.  Here's something more colorful. These Peridot earrings are cut in a different method called Concave Faceting. You can see in the bottom image that some of the facets are angled or rounded - This bends the light into cool patterns and gives the faceter a lot of control over the final appearance of the gem. We aren't stuck with just straight lines anymore.
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May 8, 2011 02:21
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JohnnyRnR posted:
Those are beautiful, how was this done? I've only ever used an old fashioned grinding wheel with the notches to facet things, I can't even comprehend how this was done. How much would one of those peridots go for? Does that kind of cut add much to the cost?
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May 8, 2011 04:57
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In regular lapidary work the stone is held securely and lowered onto a flat spinning cutting wheel (like a 12" record). In concave faceting the stone is held on a flat table jig and a rotating cutting cylinder is lowered onto the stone. Manipulations of the cylinder can make some crazy light refraction patterns. Concave faceting typically adds 75-150% in extra labor costs to a stone. So on a less expensive gemstone it could double the price, and on the higher priced or larger gemstones it would be a much smaller premium. We're hoping to start carrying many more concave cut gems, but they can only be done in 7mm+ sizes and I'm having trouble sourcing gemstone rough in the larger sizes (without breaking the bank). We have that pair of earrings listed at $700, so each peridot would probably be in the $250 range. They're 2.05 carats each.
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May 8, 2011 06:21
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JohnnyRnR posted:We have that pair of earrings listed at $700, so each peridot would probably be in the $250 range. They're 2.05 carats each. Holy gently caress that's a lot for peridot. The cut is stunning though, and I'd be curious to see how markets react to these if they become more common, especially considering how cheap some of those gems are in raw form and you could sell them based on labor. Basically what I'm wondering is if you'll see mall jewelry stores selling hundred dollar amethyst because of labour intensity. Also I replied to your e-mail.
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May 9, 2011 21:34
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WAFFLEHOUND posted:Holy gently caress that's a lot for peridot. The cut is stunning though, and I'd be curious to see how markets react to these if they become more common, especially considering how cheap some of those gems are in raw form and you could sell them based on labor. Depends on where your peridot is from. These are top grade material that's perfectly loupe clean. You can find much cheaper peridot, but it's going to be lower quality and not cut as well. The Chinese stuff is especially cheap now. It's funny, but I get this a lot. Many people think you can buy kilos of raw gems for very little money. But once you start culling out the low quality material, and lose very large amounts of weight in cutting (up to 90% in the worse cases), the prices suddenly don't look as bargain-tastic as they seemed. I've seen 30 kilo lots that didn't have a single gem-quality stone in them. For those thinking to speculate I would encourage caution: It's a bad day when you make a buy and realize that you just threw your money away. Not sure what the second part means - A $100 amethyst could be a bargain depending on the quality.
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May 9, 2011 22:19
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JohnnyRnR posted:Not sure what the second part means - A $100 amethyst could be a bargain depending on the quality. I meant small tiny shitstone you find at malls usually, I've seen great amethyst before but it doesn't do anything for me. And you can buy kilos of raw gems but yeah not any good quality in them. I just picked up a garnet the size of my thumb the other day for two bucks but yeah all I cared about was that it showed the crystal form v  vIf we're discussing quartz varieties though, citrines are beautiful. e. Out of curiosity, have you ever seen anything done with calcite? I know it's incredibly soft but the optical properties are really cool and it'd be interesting to see what it could do in a doublet. WAFFLEHOUND fucked around with this message at 23:34 on May 9, 2011 |
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May 9, 2011 23:31
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I've never seen a gem-grade Calcite, but I have heard that it exists in very small quantities. You can buy the lower grade material everywhere. Every craft store seems to carry it.
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May 10, 2011 00:04
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So does pretty much every beach ever. I wasn't aware it even truly existed as gem-grade, that'd be interesting to see and I'm sure a bitch to work with.
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May 10, 2011 00:25
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This stuff is all so incredibly interesting. the alexandrite ring posted a few pages back, and the wedding ring on the last page (I think) were both incredibly beautiful. if only my materials science degree with metals concentration could land me a job as a jeweler...
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May 11, 2011 06:00
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I have a 10 x 8 oval blue topaz I had set into a re-tipped (re-tipped with 14 K) 22k gold ring about 2 months ago, and I noticed yesterday that the stone is loose a tiny bit. Is this normal for a larger stone? I've never had a stone this large in a setting like this one. It's set with 4 prongs and isn't set especially high up. I really like the color and cut of the stone and I'd hate to lose it one day--do the prongs need to be tightened, or is it ok as is?
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May 11, 2011 10:48
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If it's loose then the prongs should be inspected. If I had to take a guess I would blame the 22k base. 22k is very malleable, and a little banging around can make large changes in the ring's structure. With mixed metals you can sometimes run into problems where one metal moves a bit and pulls the other parts. Without seeing it I would guess that the 22k base has warped and put pressure on one of the prongs.
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May 11, 2011 14:37
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JohnnyRnR posted:If it's loose then the prongs should be inspected. If I had to take a guess I would blame the 22k base. 22k is very malleable, and a little banging around can make large changes in the ring's structure. Smartyhead!  Thank you sir!
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May 11, 2011 18:51
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Since I'm down in Texas where my jeweler is and since I needed to pay him a visit anyways (thanks to another jeweler loving up my fiancée's engagement ring), I thought I'd take a look at his loose stones. I bought a nice garnet in a pear cut, a round cut olivine, and a step cut citrine. I'll post pictures of them when I can if anyone cares. Johnny, you never got back to me about the garnets, but if you have anything reasonable in a trilliant cut I'd still be interested in looking at it. WAFFLEHOUND fucked around with this message at 22:00 on May 18, 2011 |
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May 18, 2011 21:48
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Great thread, glad I found it! I have a design for a wedding band in mind but have no local jeweler that can do the work. Any ideas? The band actually exists online, but is in sterling silver and is sort of plain and I was thinking of 14K white gold, a nicer edge with the same design set in the band. Is that possible to have made? I know not to even ask Zales, Kay, etc. so how to find a reputable jeweler who can get this type of band made?
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May 19, 2011 01:52
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Thank you so much for this thread. It really encouraged me to look outside of "mall jewelers" and find a local artist that I really loved the work of, who is now designing something that I had input on and will love completely (but for so much money it makes me feel faint thinking about it, arrrrrgh breathe breathe). I'm not from a tipping country, and now live in one that is. Is it proper to tip my jewelery designer? If so, how much? I wouldn't have tipped someone if I had bought it from Birks or something, but is it expected in this instance?
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May 19, 2011 15:10
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Christabel posted:I'm not from a tipping country, and now live in one that is. Is it proper to tip my jewelery designer? If so, how much? I wouldn't have tipped someone if I had bought it from Birks or something, but is it expected in this instance? I don't think I've seen anyone tip my friend, or anyone who works with her. While they're retail artisans, they're not service industry where their labor for you is their only product (food service, maid service, etc) and their profit is calculated into the cost of the piece. I'd say you don't need to tip. Anniepoo posted:Is that possible to have made? I know not to even ask Zales, Kay, etc. so how to find a reputable jeweler who can get this type of band made? Where are you at, generally? If you really don't have anyone local, Johnny might be able to get you started, or I can send you the info for my friend's shop. She's able and happy to do work remotely.
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May 19, 2011 16:50
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Christabel posted:I'm not from a tipping country, and now live in one that is. Is it proper to tip my jewelery designer? If so, how much? I wouldn't have tipped someone if I had bought it from Birks or something, but is it expected in this instance? No, it isn't necessary at all. Designers will be paid by the shop or out of the sales proceeds from the final piece. Anniepoo posted:I have a design for a wedding band in mind but have no local jeweler that can do the work. Any ideas? Most independent jewelers can custom manufacture single pieces. You may want to call the company selling the ring in sterling and ask if they also stock the ring in gold. Many do. If you need some pointers feel free to send me a PM. I'll point you in the right direction.
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May 19, 2011 19:21
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Thank you, I am in the Huntsville, Al area. My fiance ordered my engagement ring from a jeweler (independent) but they do not design rings, they will custom order though. I think the design we are looking at for the wedding band is not that unique, just finding it in a nicer band is what I am looking for. I will ask the company that carries it in sterling silver if they have it in gold, if not, I will ask the jeweler that we ordered the engagement ring from if he can find one like it in gold and with a nicer finish and edge. thank you, this thread is great!
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May 20, 2011 01:55
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Arnold of Soissons posted:On a personal note: I commissioned a lost wax pendant for my wife and the wax itself should be done in about a week, iirc. I'm pretty excited.  Preliminary wax. With the blue wax it's hard to see in the photo or in real life, but that's a large faceted rectangular lapis set into the back of a scarab. We're going back to see the final sculpt this week and then it will get cast…I don't know, next week I imagine.
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May 23, 2011 16:17
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I have a garnet ring (7? garnets set together in a flower pattern) set in an unknown gold-toned metal (it was 60 euros a decade ago at a shop in France, the garnets are a dark red). The metal seems pretty soft as the prongs have bent over time, so I've been considering getting the stones re-set in a new ring (same flower pattern) but a stronger metal. Would I be better off just getting the current ring repaired or whatever they can do to straighten and possibly strengthen the prongs or is re-setting a better idea?
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May 23, 2011 16:29
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I may be a total idiot, but do you have a website JohnnyRnR? I know some people referred to it earlier but I couldn't see it when I looked through the thread. Also; this whole thread is fabulously fascinating. What's your take on LifeGems? Specifically, my cat is in her dotage and I'm a crazy cat lady. Are their prices reasonable? http://www.lifegem.com/secondary/LGPrices2006.aspx If I got anything, it would be to make a pair of plain drop earrings, very simple, like this: 
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May 24, 2011 09:56
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Arnold of Soissons posted:
I love custom wax, and I love lapis cabs. That is going to make a fine necklace. One thing I love to do for unique pieces like this is to have the metal hand engraved with fine detailing. Wait a couple years before doing it and it's like the piece is brand new all again. A good hand engraver can make the piece look lifelike. justFaye posted:I have a garnet ring (7? garnets set together in a flower pattern) set in an unknown gold-toned metal (it was 60 euros a decade ago at a shop in France, the garnets are a dark red). The metal seems pretty soft as the prongs have bent over time, so I've been considering getting the stones re-set in a new ring (same flower pattern) but a stronger metal. Sounds like a Bohemian garnet piece. These were set in a variety of metals so there's a chance yours could be high karat gold. In that case it would be a constant struggle to stay one step ahead of the loosening metal before stones were lost. If it were my personal piece I would probably have the ring copied and reset. Holier than Thou posted:do you have a website JohnnyRnR I do. It's at https://www.brookheart.com The website is primarily a catalog for our more expensive pieces, but we do considerable amounts of special order jewelry and custom sourcing for our customers. I don't want to break your heart, but the "diamonds from remains" companies have been challenged by many gemological labs. The companies aren't open on their technology and some naysayers say that what they promise is impossible. Until we see better information I don't feel comfortable recommending the process.
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May 25, 2011 06:37
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I have a probably dumb question (that I don't think was asked here already  ): is the "Leo" diamond from Kay Jewelers just BS? Or, is it worth paying the premium they seem to ask for it over a "regular" diamond?
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May 28, 2011 23:07
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JohnnyRnR posted:I love custom wax, and I love lapis cabs. That is going to make a fine necklace. The wax has been engraved more than that now and the final touch is apparently going to be the jagged spikes on the legs, which are apparently very fiddly and prone to fall off. It's going to the casters next week, back the week after, polish and then off to have the tips of the legs gold plated the week after then back and final polish and ready to pick up in about a month all-told!
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May 28, 2011 23:56
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myron_cope posted:I have a probably dumb question (that I don't think was asked here already This bit of marketing does have some truth to it - Kay puts the Leo brand on their nicer diamonds. Typically these will have higher clarity and color than their regular market products, and will generally be better cut as well. We see quite a few of them secondhand, and they're generally nice.
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May 29, 2011 00:13
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When we got married we were poor students. We ended up buying a loose stone and putting it into the cheapest setting we could get. It's been three years now, and getting something nicer has finally moved to the top of the list. I was hoping I could get some input on what I've got in mind. I've got a vague sense of what is possible and the costs, but that's about it. Also, if this will look stupid/hideous please let me know.  Band 2 goes above band 1 under A. A: 0.62 carat Princess Cut C,D: small sapphires, flush with ring B:inverted as in below photo, sapphire  I'm not sure how thin the ring can be before it can't accommodate the sapphires, but I would like it to be fairly delicate. *Cross-posted to the Engagement & Wedding Meagathread
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May 30, 2011 06:02
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Really happy to see this thread again. So I haven't been fired from my job yet, and a couple days ago I finished my probation period so I am officially a jeweller's apprentice!!! I'm pretty good too (as far as I can tell, my boss said I am better than he was when he first started but I don't know if he's just being nice or not. :P) and I get to do all the jobs for his friends/family that they'd get a discount on/for free.... That's right, you don't pay full price and I butcher your stuff hahahah! Working on a silver wedding band (ick lol) with 1mm yellow gold strips on each side right now, and almost finished on some settings for 2 trilliant cut stones for earrings. Stupid triangles. *mutter* We do pretty much everything by hand, from designing since we only do custom pieces, to melting the metals down to actually making the jewellery to polishing it etc.. But one thing we don't do in my shop is wax casting so I am super interested in everything to do with it. If someone would explain in basic steps how the process works I'd love them forever. All I know is 1. Carve something out of wax!!.... 2. Create some kind of mold??.... 3. Beautiful jewellery!!!
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May 30, 2011 12:29
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