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I've received a kunzite pendant, and had a question. Wikipedia tells me that if kunzite is exposed to light for a long time, the color will fade. Can the color be brought back with a heat treatment? Will a heat treatment make the color stick? Random question for all: how do you store your jewelry at home? I live in an apartment and was considering a safety deposit box, especially since I don't wear much jewelry but still have a small pile. Husband is opposed, so I was wondering what others do.
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Jan 1, 2014 02:35
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I have a decent amount of valuable coins and some jewelry, but I keep it at home because I live in BFE so I'm not much help there. A safe deposit box is nice though, its where I keep important paperwork like my passport, birth certificate, and car's title. It costs me something like $5 a month. Even the smallest safe deposit boxes would probably hold all your jewelry and papers. It's definitely nice to know they're in a safe, access-restricted, fireproof place.
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Jan 2, 2014 06:03
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It could be good for papers, but if you want to wear your jewelry, it's a huge pain in the rear end. I would do it if I inherited a diamond tiara or something else super valuable that I'd never wear in real life. But if you have pieces worth several hundred dollars and you wear them a few times a year, I'd skip it. You can get a small fireproof box and find some way to secure it or hide it at home. You have renters' insurance, right? Make sure they know about the jewelry and its value -- they might want to add a rider. Either way, document it and store those files somewhere else.
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Jan 2, 2014 20:32
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i like nice words
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My father did jewelry as a hobby and he recently passed away, leaving me with a bunch of tools and such. Since I have no use for them, I'm trying to sell them locally, but I have no clue what would be a fair price or if anything is particularly valuable. I took a ton of photos. http://bit.ly/19XLu1u I'd appreciate it if someone could take a glance at them and give me some more information about what's there. Even better would be a ballpark price that I should try to sell it for.
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Jan 7, 2014 20:42
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Anne Whateley posted:It could be good for papers, but if you want to wear your jewelry, it's a huge pain in the rear end. I would do it if I inherited a diamond tiara or something else super valuable that I'd never wear in real life. But if you have pieces worth several hundred dollars and you wear them a few times a year, I'd skip it. You can get a small fireproof box and find some way to secure it or hide it at home. I do not have the jewelry on renter's insurance, thank you for that tip. I will add it ASAP. While I want to wear my jewelry, I only go to events where I can do it approximately twice a year, so I will still consider that deposit box, which I will at least put some papers. It's sad that I cannot use my awesome jewelry box for jewelry and have to hide it somewhere. I'll have to figure out something else for that box. It's too bad it's difficult to quantify jade's value. My grandmother gave me a pendant that she said is old jade and she still has the receipts for it from when she was in China or Singapore, but the jeweler we took it to get a clasp said it was cheap and fairly new. We trust this jeweler, so I'm somewhat confused.
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Jan 8, 2014 21:59
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If you are planning to put your jewelry in a safe deposit box, just do not put anything with a high water content (pearls, opals, mother of pearl) as it will dry out and turn to junk. As for the jade, old jade is a misnomer, and was just a sales name for a type of jadeite. The 2 kinds of jade are jadeite and nephrite, jadeite being the higher quality. A gemmologist can pretty easily test which it is, as jadeite has a higher RI and specific gravity than nephrite. A UV can also be used to check if it is dyed. When you buy jade in Asia, especially in the markets (or markets anywhere, really), they always tell you it is top quality, so you can't really take the seller's word for it, unfortunately.
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Jan 8, 2014 22:36
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agscala posted:My father did jewelry as a hobby and he recently passed away, leaving me with a bunch of tools and such. You could probably get a few grand for those things. The motors especially. The set of dapping balls with the dapping block will sell for a decent price, as will the foredom flex shaft tool. That green rolling mill with the big black gear will be a good seller as well. The Unimat lathe with all the accessories you can find for it around the shop will probably sell for $500. He had a nice collection of stuff. Ebay is probably your best bet to sell them though. If I had any extra cash I would make on offer on some of that stuff.
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Jan 9, 2014 04:41
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Zratha posted:If you are planning to put your jewelry in a safe deposit box, just do not put anything with a high water content (pearls, opals, mother of pearl) as it will dry out and turn to junk. That is all really good to know, thank you. How long does it take to get the stones analyzed? Is it something where I can bring something in and walk out with it in the same day?
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Jan 9, 2014 16:46
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The actual work would take less than 20 minutes, but if you are bringing it to a jewelry store and they are sending it out, obviously it will take longer. I would try and find out if there is either a gemology school nearby, or a gem and mineral club. Someone at either will have access to the right equipment, and may be willing to do it for you for free. Another idea would be to keep an eye out for gem/mineral/fossil shows and bring it with you. There is often someone set up to analyze gems.
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Jan 9, 2014 18:00
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agscala posted:Even better would be a ballpark price that I should try to sell it for. While they're not age-old antiques for some of the hand tools depending on quality you could find a tool collector auction outfit. I watch http://mjdtools.com a lot for inexpensive woodworking tools but they handle all sorts of old tools. You could also try to find independent jewelers and call to see if they'd be interested in purchasing the equipment, which is nice stuff.
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Jan 9, 2014 19:04
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squigadoo posted:I've received a kunzite pendant, and had a question. Wikipedia tells me that if kunzite is exposed to light for a long time, the color will fade. Can the color be brought back with a heat treatment? Will a heat treatment make the color stick? Nah, you'd need to irradiate it to (temporarily) bring the color back, and that's just not worthwhile. Heating it will just remove the color quicker. Good news is, some kunzite (depending on the locale) is stable, and even the stuff that fades will often reach equilibrium with some color remaining. And if you keep it out of direct sunlight it should probably be fine, since it's mostly the UV exposure that causes fading.
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Jan 13, 2014 07:53
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Zratha posted:I would try and find out if there is either a gemology school nearby, or a gem and mineral club. Someone at either will have access to the right equipment, and may be willing to do it for you for free. Another idea would be to keep an eye out for gem/mineral/fossil shows and bring it with you. There is often someone set up to analyze gems. Awesome, thank you. I will keep an eye out for all three. I'm really hesitant to send things out with a jeweler I don't know. Tunicate posted:Nah, you'd need to irradiate it to (temporarily) bring the color back, and that's just not worthwhile. Heating it will just remove the color quicker. Hoorah, thank you! I hope mine has reached its equilibrium, as it is very light pink already. Any lighter, and it might as well be clear. I've got in a pouch, in box, in a box. hah.
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Jan 13, 2014 20:38
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squigadoo posted:It's too bad it's difficult to quantify jade's value. My grandmother gave me a pendant that she said is old jade and she still has the receipts for it from when she was in China or Singapore, but the jeweler we took it to get a clasp said it was cheap and fairly new. We trust this jeweler, so I'm somewhat confused. 99.9% of jewelers have no idea about jade.  It's the most difficult material to price since tiny variations can lead to vast differences in price.If you could post photos of the pendant I could give you an estimate. I'm in the .01% that sell quite a bit of fine jadeite. Please take one photo of it sitting in your hand in daylight and one photo in an average lit room with a light shining through it from behind.
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Jan 14, 2014 17:11
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squigadoo posted:Hoorah, thank you! I hope mine has reached its equilibrium, as it is very light pink already. Any lighter, and it might as well be clear. I've got in a pouch, in box, in a box. hah. Hah! Might as well be safe One of my teachers has a really nice crystal (I forget the type now, not a common gem material) that was this gorgeous pink colour. Unfortunately due to the amount of silver salts within the crystal it would gradually lose all it's colour if exposed to light (I think it also somewhat regained it in darkness but I forget now). She kept it in a box in a dark closet and only brought it out once a term and opened the box for about 10 seconds. Gotta keep those gems looking nice!
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Jan 15, 2014 19:16
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Questions about jewelry cleaning: Is there a way to clean copper jewelry and/or protect it from tarnishing? I have earrings made from oak leaves covered in copper (so there are a bunch of tiny holes) but the edges have begun to tarnish. Also, what is the best way to clean sterling silver? I have necklaces with intricate surfaces (not smooth surfaces) and also earrings that are all twisty (although each surface is smooth) that have tarnished.
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Jan 18, 2014 05:16
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justFaye posted:Questions about jewelry cleaning: As for protecting copper the best thing I think is using conservators wax (also Renaissance wax). It's used in museums and will slowly rub off over time with normal wear, but you can re apply it every few months or so. As for sterling, I've had lots of success with either the liquid silver "dip" containers, or polishing cloths. Both work well and should give it a nice shine again. If they're really banged up you can take them to a jeweller to re polish. Word of warning though, for any sterling pieces that have darker details, or areas which seem dark grey (usually it's on more artsy pieces) the jewellery dip will remove all of that! So it's best for things like chains or sterling pieces that are meant to look all silver. For pieces with dark details use a polishing cloth I hope that helps! I haven't ever cleaned copper jewellery but the polishing cloths I think would help, they're two sided (you first use one side, then the other) and last until it falls apart.
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Jan 22, 2014 18:34
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Questions about mixing rings of different carat white gold: I bought my girlfriend(guess I should say fiancée now) a 9ct White Gold Engagement ring, and now we are looking at Wedding Rings. Can she wear a 18ct White Gold Wedding ring next to it? Or will the softer metal be worn away by the engagement ring? Also does how well the rings 'fit' together change this?
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Jan 23, 2014 11:00
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Claes Oldenburger posted:I haven't ever cleaned copper jewellery but the polishing cloths I think would help, they're two sided (you first use one side, then the other) and last until it falls apart. I have a wear-every-day pendant that is copper and sterling (and turquoise, because let's make it complicated) and the polishing cloths do work well. I'm afraid to dip it because of the turquoise, so that's the best that I think can be done.
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Jan 23, 2014 21:54
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Melliemel posted:I have a wear-every-day pendant that is copper and sterling (and turquoise, because let's make it complicated) and the polishing cloths do work well. I'm afraid to dip it because of the turquoise, so that's the best that I think can be done. That's good to know, thanks! Also yes that's smart, I forgot to add that the jewellery dip can have a bad effect on some gemstones so do a bit of research beforehand to make sure it won't be a problem with your piece.
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Jan 23, 2014 22:37
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I have put a lot of early thought into an engagement ring and now I'm like "damnit, wedding ring." Do many people have a cool (bigger, fancy) engagement ring and a simple wedding ring and swap them out based on utility? IE going hiking take the wedding band, wanna go out use the engagement ring? I have a family ring I'd like to set a new gem in that I have an idea for but it wouldn't allow very well for another ring next to it. How customary is it to wear both rings at once?
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Jan 23, 2014 23:59
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Not an Anthem posted:I have put a lot of early thought into an engagement ring and now I'm like "damnit, wedding ring." Do many people have a cool (bigger, fancy) engagement ring and a simple wedding ring and swap them out based on utility? IE going hiking take the wedding band, wanna go out use the engagement ring? I can't think of a married woman I know that doesn't wear both at once, but obviously it'll always be personal preference.
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Jan 24, 2014 09:00
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Not an Anthem posted:I have put a lot of early thought into an engagement ring and now I'm like "damnit, wedding ring." Do many people have a cool (bigger, fancy) engagement ring and a simple wedding ring and swap them out based on utility? IE going hiking take the wedding band, wanna go out use the engagement ring? Most women wear both. Also most women tend to go for a plain wedding ring, which is much cheaper than an Engagement ring. You can get Wedding rings which have a notch or bend in them so that they fit snugly against the Engagement Ring, these can also be custom-made from a mould of the Wedding ring to get a good fit. Like this: http://aurumjewellers.com/our-products/wedding-rings/fitted/page/2/ Slash fucked around with this message at 10:05 on Jan 24, 2014 |
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Jan 24, 2014 10:02
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Not an Anthem posted:I have a family ring I'd like to set a new gem in that I have an idea for but it wouldn't allow very well for another ring next to it. How customary is it to wear both rings at once? If you travel often, or go to rough areas at times, the style is to wear them separately. This is one reason that mis-matched wedding bands are coming in to style. You wear the two rings interchangeably depending on the situation. It's a fun way to do it because you can buy wildly different rings to wear with different outfits.
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Jan 24, 2014 18:32
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Yeah, I'd kinda rather do that, since buying a wedding ring with a kink in it to accommodate an older heirloom I'd like to use as the base for an engagement ring seems weird. Like you'd never be able to wear just the wedding ring. Thanks Johnny. That's what my sister does and has actually similar setup with engagement and wedding rings.
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Jan 24, 2014 19:46
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A while back, I posted about getting an old subway token mounted for wear as a pendant. I've ben unable to find a suitable coin mount for it, so I think I'll just have a loop welded to it. The token itself is sentimental but not valuable and I'm ok with making it into a pendant. What's a reasonable price to get someone to weld a piece of wire to a coin to use it as a pendant? The loop doesn't need to be a precious metal or anything fancy, just need it to accommodate an average size mens' figaro chain. I've found an independent local bench jeweler and plan on taking it there, at least for an estimate. I also was recently given an old religious medal I'd like to be able to wear on the same chain. It's a small Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus thing I've been keeping in my jeans' small pocket with the token. It was designed to be worn on a chain or rosary and has a loop on it. Could a jeweler make this a wearable pendant as well? Again, how much should I pay, ballpark?
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Jan 29, 2014 07:30
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StorrowS posted:Questions about mixing rings of different carat white gold: Sorry to raise this again but it got skipped over. Is it safe to mix 9ct White Gold and 18ct White Gold rings on the same finger?
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Feb 4, 2014 11:04
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I'm thinking about having a custom bracelet made, but I don't see what I want on Etsy and I'm not sure what the options and costs are to have it done elsewhere. I'm looking for an ID-style bracelet (not a bangle), 14k white or yellow gold, probably 1/4 to 1/3 inch tall, with a bracelet that's heavy enough to withstand daily wear but not so heavy that it looks mannish. What should that cost, and would the average independent jeweler (or Johnny?) be able to do it?
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Feb 10, 2014 18:58
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StorrowS posted:Sorry to raise this again but it got skipped over. Is it safe to mix 9ct White Gold and 18ct White Gold rings on the same finger? You'll be ok. It's generally not a great idea to mix metals, but two different types of gold worn in close contact will be fine. Two rings on the same finger don't move much so it would take a long time for any damage to happen. Melliemel posted:I'm thinking about having a custom bracelet made, but I don't see what I want on Etsy and I'm not sure what the options and costs are to have it done elsewhere. I'm looking for an ID-style bracelet (not a bangle), 14k white or yellow gold, probably 1/4 to 1/3 inch tall, with a bracelet that's heavy enough to withstand daily wear but not so heavy that it looks mannish. What should that cost, and would the average independent jeweler (or Johnny?) be able to do it? It wouldn't be a piece that I would be up for, but I'd think the average retailer would be in the $1,000-$2,500 range depending on construction. With gold prices so high heavier custom bracelets tend to be pretty expensive.
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Feb 12, 2014 15:45
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Melliemel posted:I'm thinking about having a custom bracelet made, but I don't see what I want on Etsy and I'm not sure what the options and costs are to have it done elsewhere. I'm looking for an ID-style bracelet (not a bangle), 14k white or yellow gold, probably 1/4 to 1/3 inch tall, with a bracelet that's heavy enough to withstand daily wear but not so heavy that it looks mannish. What should that cost, and would the average independent jeweler (or Johnny?) be able to do it? I would definitely be up for it but I'm unfortunately pretty tied up with my last semester of school as well as some other projects. If you don't mind waiting a few months until that clears up we could talk about it in mid April. As Johnny said though, the amount of metal required will bring the price up quite a bit.
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Feb 12, 2014 16:19
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I know I talked to a few goons about jewelry/engagement ideas but I may be pulling the trigger very quickly. There is a very reputable wholesale gem dealer who uses a very reputable jeweler and generally acts as a "fixer." He makes his cut on the gem deals and charges exactly what his jeweler charges him. I have this estate piece (blue sapphire oval surrounded by small diamonds in a ring, 18k white gold) my mom got a while ago and she heard I was talking to a family member about engagement stuff, and offered it to me to use. Its got a ~1.5ct very beautiful blue sapphire that I want to swap with a red precious/semiprecious stone, he took measurements and is asking his jeweler which the best stone replacement is (he showed me 6 stones, 5 rubies and a rubilite that was way too pink) for size, then his GIA dude for which is the best stone, and he'll report back to me. He's given me a swath of 1.16ct to 1.5ct stones to pick from visually and then we'll get paperwork on the stones. The most expensive is the smallest but also one of the reddest, but its a very shallow stone. The second best visually red/clear stone is a lot deeper and the second biggest but I may be able to see inclusions. My gf and I are leaving the state next wednesday and having a sendoff party this sunday, and I want to propose at the party. It'd be the last time we have a big gang of close friends around, I think it'd be special. Its informal (bar my friends work at) but my folks/family/friends and her friends will be there celebrating. Anyways is this a terrible idea? I know if I spend more time looking I'd have a more perfect ring, but if the gem is a good fit and I can afford it, such a bad idea? He's advised me to keep the blue sapphire because its a real nice gem and that I can just make it into a pendant/ring later, that I would get gouged selling it. I tried looking for semiprecious stuff but jeweler's row in chicago does not have a lot of semiprecious stones in RED. The one thing I'm kind of unfortunately stubborn about is the redness because I know ruby's her birth stone and that while she'd be fine with a semiprecious stone, or just a bare ring honestly, she always gets wide eyed at very red reds. I saw one "waffle" faceted rubilite and if it were really red and not the waffle pattern I'd jump at it for the price but it was way too pink. Advise I'm seeking: 1) Rubies. Oh god. Besides getting a GIA paper on it, what should I do? Get my own independent GIA report, and ask that I be able to return the gem if it doesn't pass muster? 2) Anyone know chicago gem dealers who'd have more selection for semiprecious red stones uh, super last minute 3) I really like/trust this guy. He makes his money selling the stone, its like 100$ or something to set it and fix the prongs on the new stone to my ring and resize it (big resize job), and AFAIK that's it.
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Feb 12, 2014 17:12
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If the guy provides you with an official GIA report you should be fine, you don't need to get a second one. I don't know anyone in Chicago, but if you are trying to find other red stones because you want to save money you could look for someone who has some of the following: -Synthetic rubies (there is both Verneuil and flux type synthetics, flux is of a higher quality) - Red Spinel is found in the same deposits as rubies, and for a long time was simply viewed as not-rubies and sort of pushed aside, but they are now finally getting the recognition they deserve. They very durable and come in all kinds of gorgeous colours. They are also often very clear. (fun fact: 2 of the most famous rubies turned out to actually be spinel. The Black Prince's Ruby, and the Timur ruby) - Red tourmalines are very pretty and durable. - Almandine or pyrope garnets come in a variety of reds (almandine garnets tend to lean on the violet end of reds, and pyrope tend to be more on the deep red end) There a handful of others, but they will likely be harder to find. Personally, I love spinel and tourmaline. Hope this helps! Edit: Also the term semi-precious is to be avoided. Generally anything that is not a diamond is called a coloured stone. Zratha fucked around with this message at 20:36 on Feb 12, 2014 |
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Feb 12, 2014 20:33
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Not an Anthem posted:Advise I'm seeking: Without knowing the names of the people involved there's no way to know if your people are honest or lying to you. I find it strange that a gem dealer wouldn't make you an offer on a nice sapphire. Everything has a market price. But if you trust him then go with it. For a ruby report take the stone to the PGS Gem Lab. They're on the row in Chicago. Good people who can give you an honest independent opinion. If you want RED then you need a great ruby, a top color spinel, or a synthetic stone. The natural options are not cheap: Because they're so rare they are in strong demand. I have a 3ct round, top color red spinel and I'm asking $12,500 for it (and it's already mounted in a fine custom ring). The price of the best qualities in colored gemstones are one of the reasons why diamond engagement rings are so popular; you can get a nice diamond for a lot less than an awesome gemstone. 
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Feb 12, 2014 21:44
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Thanks Johnny, Zratha. Guy is Mike Gale of Gale Diamonds, are you familiar?
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Feb 12, 2014 22:16
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JohnnyRnR posted:I'd think the average retailer would be in the $1,000-$2,500 range depending on construction. Claes Oldenburger posted:As Johnny said though, the amount of metal required will bring the price up quite a bit. Wow. That's a lot more than I was thinking of. I think I'll need to shelve this thought for a while. Thanks!
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Feb 12, 2014 22:32
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Anyone else at Tucson?
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Feb 12, 2014 22:36
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Tunicate posted:Anyone else at Tucson? I wish! My program finishes in April and my goal is to make enough money to take a "business trip" there next year. And by business I mean ooo and aahh at the shiny rocks. 
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Feb 14, 2014 01:08
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Tunicate posted:Anyone else at Tucson? I had hoped to go this year, but it didn't work out. Take lots of pictures!
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Feb 14, 2014 02:10
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JohnnyRnR posted:For a ruby report take the stone to the PGS Gem Lab. They're on the row in Chicago. Good people who can give you an honest independent opinion. I can vouch for PGS as well. I've worked with them in the past and they're pretty good at giving you straightforward, no bullshit opinions. Johnny's right about the red. True red is wicked rare in the gem world, and doubly so in the affordable bracket. I've seen some killer garnets that have great red coloration with only a hint of brown, but based on my experience it's gonna be pretty drat unlikely that you can find a garnet like that in chicago. There isn't much of a colored stone scene here, unfortunately; there just isn't the demand. I know a few people who travel through chicago who might have stones like that, but nobody working full time in the city. I'd tell you to find a jeweler who can get you a synthetic ruby on short notice. They're not expensive and they're the best of the best when it comes to true reds. They're also free of inclusions so they're more durable than the majority of their natural counterparts. Failing that, I don't know hat else I'd recommend you do on such a short schedule. My gut says you should wait on the proposal until you get a ring you're really comfortable with, but If you feel like this is the right moment, then the jewelry doesn't matter.
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Feb 14, 2014 03:30
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Thank you, I'll have it looked at at PGS. I'm thinking about waiting as well but he found a better fit for the ring that is clear with a spot of black, its also giant, and obviously more than I wanted to spend, but if it checks out I think its a winner. If I go to PGS Labs which report should I ask for, quality analysis? I want to do it while the stone is still loose. Not an Anthem fucked around with this message at 14:13 on Feb 14, 2014 |
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Feb 14, 2014 14:06
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Personally, I would go for the quality analysis. It is the most complete and it is just $100.
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Feb 14, 2014 15:26
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