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My girl and I have decided to pull the trigger and get married, and for what ever reason she has her heart set on this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D0RNSM6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3CFP9FIT47IBY&coliid=I27LYY7RZ1VEFB&psc=1 I've told her I'm willing to spend much more but she won't budge. Is there any quality issues or anything else I should be concerned with? I've never bought jewelry of any kind before, so not totally up to speed on what I should be looking for or what red flags there are.
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Apr 18, 2017 22:01
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There are lots and lots of undisclosed synthetic amethysts on the market--it's estimated anywhere between 60-95% of amethysts in jewelry stores. If that matters a lot to you you'd want source your stone from someone who cut it themselves from rough material that showed natural crystal faces (important because lots of rough sold to cutters is also undisclosed synthetics, sold as completely broken pieces to remove the obviously unnatural surfaces). The plus side to that would be that sourcing directly from a US cutter will let you pick out the specific stone you want, and since most US-based cutters use high precision cutting techniques (as opposed to cheap jamb peg cutting which is typical of mass-produced jewelry) you'll get a better stone too. The downside is that you'll pay more, but it's still amethyst so you're not in the diamond ballpark at all even with US cutting. The other major downside, though, is that quartz is only hardness 7. If it is worn daily the stone is going to get scratched up sooner or later, and it will have to be replaced. Again, since it is a less expensive stone that isn't necessarily a big deal but it needs to be taken into consideration. If she is careful with her rings it could last a long time but if she's hard on them it will probably go pretty quickly. There are some purple alternatives that are harder (sapphire or spinel) but they're going to be a lot more expensive, especially if you're looking for that awesome rich amethyst purple.
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Apr 18, 2017 22:30
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Xun posted:Life hack: get hit by truck, use ensuing insurance payout to buy a FANCY ULTRATEC YAAAAAAA I'll give you props for doing whatever it takes. But man.... Glad you're ok. Jxforema posted:My girl and I have decided to pull the trigger and get married, and for what ever reason she has her heart set on this: Nothing wrong with it. It's a nice little ring, and it will do the job.
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Apr 19, 2017 05:55
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Claes Oldenburger posted:Goodness are you going to the new Crown Collection opening? I forget whether or not you're close to Denver. Was it earlier this month? I may have been. I haven;t been checking the forum much, sry for the late response!
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Apr 27, 2017 06:36
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goodness posted:Was it earlier this month? I may have been. I haven;t been checking the forum much, sry for the late response! Maybe? I forget haha. No worries!
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Apr 27, 2017 21:52
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I found a ring on the ground near where I work. Before I go trying to find the owner I want to be sure it isn't just costume jewellery. I suspect it silver with a jade stone. There is a stamp on the underside that reads S92AL54. Does that mean anything to anyone? EDIT: Looking closer its actually S928AL?54. I can't work our what the missing letter is but It looks like my guess was right about this being silver. Eyespy fucked around with this message at 03:53 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 03:49
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I'm looking for a pair of white gold/diamond stud (solitaire I guess?) earrings for my wife's birthday. I'm hoping to spend less than $650 if possible, while still getting something she'll be pleased with. She's got modest taste so I'm not too worried but it's her 40th birthday so I'd like something special. Something like this look nice, but I am really ignorant. I live in the Washington DC area (Northern Virginia) and I have access to a lot of stores, both chain and small. Will I be able to find something decent at that price point? me your dad fucked around with this message at 15:29 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 14:17
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Eyespy posted:EDIT: Looking closer its actually S928AL?54. I can't work our what the missing letter is but It looks like my guess was right about this being silver. Sorry, but that inscription sounds like a manufacturer's design number. I've never seen it before. me your dad posted:Will I be able to find something decent at that price point? The ones you linked are fine earrings. Get them in early and make sure they're the size you want. It can be tough to accurately gauge the size online.
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May 5, 2017 21:03
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me your dad posted:I'm looking for a pair of white gold/diamond stud (solitaire I guess?) earrings for my wife's birthday. Do not ever go to a Sterling Jewelers store (Kay, Jared, Zales) for diamonds. Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth are much better quality and they don't treat their employees like poo poo. But really, your local independent jeweler should be able to meet Blue Nile's price, with the advantage that if you need repairs in future, they're right there. Also, shopping local. Those earrings look fine and very versatile, from my consumer's perspective. The actual jewelers in the thread may have more detailed feedback.
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May 7, 2017 06:17
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Thank you both for the feedback. I'm relieved to hear good things about Blue Nile. I haven't written off a local small shop; I just figured they'd be more expensive. I'm working on getting some finances in order before I purchase and I have a few weeks before her birthday, so I'll check out some local shops this week. EDIT: I hadn't heard of Brilliant Earth and I'm looking there. They have these 1/4 CT TW stud earrings for $910 with an average G/H color and SI clarity. Blue Nile has these 1/4 CT TW stud earrings for $610 with a minimum I1 clarity and minimum I color. Can anyone please tell me how those would stack up? Would it be a noticeable enough difference to spend $300 more for the Brilliant Earth set? Is a big part of the price the gold they are set in? Brilliant Earth uses 18k white gold, where Blue Nile is 14k. Now I see Blue Nile has a higher quality 1/4 CT pair which compares better against the Brilliant Earth set. Blue Nile has these 18k with I color and SI2 clarity for $820. I'm willing to up my budget if it means a detectable difference with the naked eye. The last thing I want is for my wife to feel disappointed in the least. me your dad fucked around with this message at 14:38 on May 8, 2017 |
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May 8, 2017 14:09
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In that size they're all they're to have pretty much the same appearance. You should be just fine picking up any of them. My advice is buy the lower priced pair and return them if you aren't happy. They fully expect it - Bluenile's return rate is hovering around 50% these days.
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May 8, 2017 17:24
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Thanks - that's great advice!
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May 8, 2017 20:10
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Found enough time to finish another gem!!  
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Jun 13, 2017 22:04
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I like it! Looks like you did a great job. Citrine?
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Jun 13, 2017 23:29
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Thanks! It's technically a synthetic smokey quartz but it did come out more citrine-y than I expected
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Jun 13, 2017 23:46
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Neat! I imagine that you're already loaded down with rough, but if you'd like to take on another quartz I have some cool deep purple Nigerian amethyst with red hematite needles that I could send you a piece of. I think it will cut up nicely.
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Jun 14, 2017 01:22
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Scarodactyl posted:Neat! I imagine that you're already loaded down with rough, but if you'd like to take on another quartz I have some cool deep purple Nigerian amethyst with red hematite needles that I could send you a piece of. I think it will cut up nicely. That sounds super cool! :o Sadly I will be out of town for a while, so I might have to wait till like, august before I can start something new lol
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Jun 14, 2017 09:38
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Wanted to share something special (and not for sale) that you don't get to see every day. This is a Chrome Sphene from Skardu, Pakistan. It is the finest example of chromium containing sphene that I've ever seen. Most sphene has a yellowish-green, yellow, or orange note. But in this one the green is pure, and under incandescent or candle light a strong RED pops out of any reflected light. It's amazing. It is the coolest thing to wear at night. This type of material comes from a single mine high up in the mountings. Conditions are extremely inhospitable so it is only able to run for a couple months per year. But you can see why they still make the effort.  
JohnnyRnR fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Jun 23, 2017 |
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Jun 23, 2017 04:36
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JohnnyRnR posted:Wanted to share something special (and not for sale) that you don't get to see every day. getting some blue balls on these gem photos
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Jun 23, 2017 04:55
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JohnnyRnR posted:Wanted to share something special (and not for sale) that you don't get to see every day. Is this similar to the effect of chromium and vanadium in colour changing sapphire?
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Jun 23, 2017 07:14
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Not exactly--sphene is most notable for its extremely high dispersion (which is the ability of a material to split white light into its component colors). That said, it's very true that really intense green sphenes that are dead clean do seem to show off more red flashes than other colors which may have something to do with the weird complexities of red and green color perception which also contribute to color change gems. Unfortunately the videos aren't loading for me but that is some of my favorite material, really incredible stuff.
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Jun 23, 2017 09:31
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JohnnyRnR posted:Wanted to share something special (and not for sale) that you don't get to see every day. I can't see anything.
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Jun 23, 2017 15:30
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No idea what happened... They were working fine last night but now no images will inline. Oh well. I'll just link them. http://www.abbgs.com/SA/SphenePendant.jpg http://www.abbgs.com/SA/SphenePendant-RedFlash.jpg
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Jun 23, 2017 19:37
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Niiiiiiiiice.
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Jun 23, 2017 21:54
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D-d-d-d-dayummmmm.
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Jun 25, 2017 18:03
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Good god! That's super cool! 
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Jun 25, 2017 21:24
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I have these Tourmaline for sale if anyone is interested, preferably trade for Ethereum.    14.18g of material total from various mines. Several bi and tri color. $350 or ~1.5-2 ETH goodness fucked around with this message at 03:49 on Jul 1, 2017 |
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Jun 26, 2017 19:57
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Gems for bitcoins?! 
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Jun 27, 2017 19:10
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Xun posted:Gems for bitcoins?!  I'd take some BTC instead of ETH
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Jun 28, 2017 00:20
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goodness posted:
Is that because ETH just took a giant poo poo on itself haha
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Jun 28, 2017 00:49
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Claes Oldenburger posted:Is that because ETH just took a giant poo poo on itself haha That's the best time to buy! I'd still prefer ETH. Buy the dip, hold for a year+, $$$ I'd do it all for $350 to goons, it's $30-$50/g material so hays a pretty good deal
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Jun 28, 2017 15:23
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So I have a question/need some advice. I had a tension setting wedding ring with a sapphire in it, well I banged my hand last weekend because I'm a klutz and the sapphire disappeared somewhere in my house. The ring is less than a year old, so I think.... tension settings aren't for me. I'm looking to get my wedding ring just completely redone and I was thinking of going local. I have a diamond my grandmother gave me at my wedding that I would want to get set in a new ring that will hold up me being a klutz. Here's the advice I need. Does this local jewelry shop seem okay? They list their custom design prices on their website: http://jthomsoncustomjewelers.com/design-pricing/ I was thinking of getting an Alexis Russel type design: https://www.alexisrussell.com/ only not hammered. Would this hold up well in platinum? I appreciate any feedback on this because I don't want to screw up another ring 
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Jul 12, 2017 14:25
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Cat Pilot posted:So I have a question/need some advice. I had a tension setting wedding ring with a sapphire in it, well I banged my hand last weekend because I'm a klutz and the sapphire disappeared somewhere in my house. The ring is less than a year old, so I think.... tension settings aren't for me. If it makes you feel any better, most tension settings aren't for anyone. They need to be made in an extremely special way to hold up to the requirement of everyday wear and not do what has happened to yours. Not sure about pricing because it can be regional and I'm in Canada  but any of those designs I see should hold up great in platinum and be exponentially more secure than your tension setting.
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Jul 13, 2017 01:23
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Hi friends, wondering if I could get some feedback on an engagement ring. Basically, I want to use an heirloom diamond from my Grandmother:  And some small sapphires from a ring from my other Grandmother:  Combined with some light stones in a line (blue/light/blue/light probably) or triangle pattern on the sides. We have a third heirloom ring with some small diamonds we're happy to take apart:  But the jeweler told us the diamonds in the ring on the right here are low quality and would detract from the overall new look. The jeweler is a local place, and my mom has been very happy with them before. It's annoying, however, because they get their stones/settings provided by a big company, Jabel, and just do a little bit of custom work themselves. To that effect they've quoted me $1700 for the custom 18K W setting and four new tiny diamonds for the shoulders. So, with that in mind, how is Jabel price/quality wise? I've got some other options I can pursue for truly local/custom work places, are they likely to be more expensive than this half/half outfit? Are they likely to be telling the truth that those small diamonds I have already will detract from the overall piece? I'd rather not buy new diamonds if I can, both for personal reasons and because using the heirloom ones is important to us. Thanks so much 
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Aug 10, 2017 14:30
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Jabel does fine work. The price they've quoted is pretty reasonable. And they're right about the lower quality diamonds detracting from the ring. It's a game of aesthetics and it can be tough to work in high and low qualities and still get something that looks great.
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Aug 11, 2017 03:28
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Ok, that's good to hear. I believed them that those small diamonds in that Aquamarine ring are lower quality, just wasn't sure how much impact that would actually have since we're talking about a few tiny ones on each side... Good to have an expert opinion! Final question, if I could: when taking apart/reusing old pieces like I'm doing here, do you need to watch the trade in value they're giving on the gold? Is it worth 'shopping around' for gold price, or are the two rings in question here not enough to be worth it, regardless?
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Aug 11, 2017 13:11
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Just ask what kind of credit they'll give you for the gold before you start. Just so there is no misunderstanding. Never do business with a jeweler you don't trust to treat you fair.
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Aug 13, 2017 06:43
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Kind of a long shot since I think you're all USA-based, but does anyone in the thread know of any good jewellery stores in London? My boyfriend and I are starting to look at engagement rings and we're keen on some options on the Blue Nile, Brilliant Earth etc websites but also would like to look at some things in person. We're going to look at stores in our area with decent Google reviews but just wondered if anyone had any recommendations. I'm very interested in moissanite and other non-diamond options (particularly sapphires), if it helps.
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Aug 27, 2017 14:46
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AAA I moved my ultratec to sweden and now I gotta find a transformer and hope nothing broke 
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Aug 31, 2017 04:29
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Xun posted:AAA I moved my ultratec to sweden and now I gotta find a transformer and hope nothing broke Bonus though...you're in Sweden? Congrats!
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Aug 31, 2017 06:48
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