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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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Anyone else at Tucson?
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Feb 12, 2014 22:36
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PAK Designs is a place I'd recommend. They do great work!
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Feb 27, 2014 05:01
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Luneshot posted:Alright, time for silly questions. I've got a small 4mm sapphire stud (square cut of some sort) in sterling silver that I wear every day as my earring. While I really like it, I kinda want some other options- but I'm a college student with a pathetic budget. I'm going to take the opportunity to pimp the opal earrings in my shop. Coupon code "goons" for 15% off
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Jun 13, 2014 04:34
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Fair enough. Just keep in mind that opals usually look better in person than they do in photos. Actually, does anyone here have tricks for photographing opals? Everyone I've talked to about it has basically said 'keep trying in different lightings'.
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Jun 13, 2014 06:53
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Unfortunately, Ethiopian opals don't react very well to water - they're reverse hydrophane, so the drier they get, the more spectacular the colors.
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Jun 13, 2014 20:42
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Umph posted:So I am going to propose. Do any of the cool jewelers here have any interesting or pretty engagement rings they're currently selling? My budget is 2 grand. Thanks! I don't personally have any engagement rings, but my good friends at PAK Designs do wonderful work. You should send an email to Info@pakdesigns.com - say you got a referral from Angry Turtle.
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Jul 8, 2014 07:24
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If you wanted to do something custom, maybe some precious metal clay would work too.
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Jul 14, 2014 00:23
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Just as a warning - if you do anything with PMC, make sure you don't put it in a furnace where it might hit the sides. The metal fuses to the floor, and it's close to impossible to get out.
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Jul 14, 2014 03:23
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To the jewelry goons with your own website, how much did it cost to set up?
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Aug 31, 2014 13:29
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If you think the lapis is dyed, you can just put a little acetone swab across it. If it comes away blue, you know it's faked. No reason to settle - the real stuff is super cheap right now. Nickel's a bigger problem than lead overall (if you're allergic). Most of the problems have been in the really low-end stuff - if you go with Sterling you should be fine, and it isn't that expensive. Anyway, I feel like I pretty much *have* to plug my store now. We've got a lot of good jewelry in the $20-$30 dollar range. We should be putting up some lapis in the next week. https://www.etsy.com/shop/angryturtle Coupon code GOONS for 15% off.
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Nov 22, 2014 18:34
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Zratha posted:Unfortunately nowadays in order to make the dye more durable, when lapis is dyed they then coat it with a thin layer of plastic afterwards, rendering the acetone test useless. There are ready ways to detect that as well. Hot pin (like you use with amber), emission of smoke or a foul smell would indicate any plastic content.
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Nov 22, 2014 20:36
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Hey man, just so you know, your search page seems to be returning a few spurious results. Those $0.00 things just return a 404 page, so it isn't major, but figure you should know about it. EDIT: You can see them by searching for 'thin bangle'. DoubleEDIT: Also, looks like your customer feedback thing is having an issue? Doesn't seem like the stars are matching the comments. Tunicate fucked around with this message at 06:50 on Nov 28, 2014 |
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Nov 28, 2014 06:36
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Brennanite posted:Tunicate, I'll keep an eye out for the lapis. Hey, a goon just bought a lapis from me. Was that you?
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Dec 1, 2014 02:01
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The Doctor posted:I know there is at least one goon in this thread who designs superior gemstone jewellery. I used to have the URL but lost it. Can someone re-post it if you have it? Actually the links to any goon-owned jewellery shops if there's more than one.  Going to toot my own horn. And some other etsy goons too.http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3679557
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Dec 24, 2014 05:01
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rotoscoped posted:Phew, I just read this entire thread in the past few days and I'd really like to thank Claes and especially Johnny for keeping this thread going for so long and talking about so many cool and interesting things Well, you can try to find some local gem and mineral shows in your area. Being able to look at them in person and talk with the vendors will probably help you figure out what you like or dislike.
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Dec 25, 2014 23:48
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Wire wrapping faceted gems is more difficult than cabochons. You might want to look for premade settings that would fit the stones online, but I'm not sure what would fit the octagonal cut. I think one of the pendant settings from Tripps would work for the rose quartz, provided you're willing to put the stone in yourself. They've got a few different styles if you poke around the site a bit, and getting one in sterling is like 6-7 dollars.
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Jan 13, 2015 18:20
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Xun posted:It'll be my first time there, not sure what to expect! Try not to buy anything the first day. You won't be successful, but try. Anyway, I'm going as well.
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Jan 24, 2015 01:39
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The real value of jewelry is what it's worth as a piece of art. The better the jeweler, the bigger the difference between the raw materials price and the value of the finished piece. And the price of the raw material is pretty variable and subjective for everything but diamonds, so... FAKEEDIT: yeah what Scaramouche and JohnnyRnR said. Personally, I've always been open for negotiating on my prices, but I'm a bit of an extremophile as far as the jewelry trade goes. If someone knocks my 30 dollar pendant down to 25, I don't really fight that much.
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Jan 24, 2015 08:35
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This seem like the type of friend who might fall for a scam?
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Mar 26, 2015 02:31
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The Lone Badger posted:The quotes I've been getting start at ~$500 for a 9ct yellow gold claw setting, is that in the right order of magnitude? How big is your stone? I'd recommend looking at the pendant settings from Tripps.
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May 4, 2015 05:54
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Slash posted:As in Moissanite? They aren't the same gem  Moissanite is cooler. quote:Also, I inherited from my parents a chunk of "tiger's eye" agate. I think it's tiger's eye anyway. Years ago my dad had a small piece cut from it and a tie pin made for himself and a small brooch for my mother. The finished stones look like the color thats called tiger's eye to me. When I say a "chunk", I mean they used it as a door stop. We also cracked nuts on it. It weighs about eight pounds and the color looks uniform overall. Any idea what it might be worth?  If it's just yellow and brown, it's not super valuable. About 5 dollars a pound? If it's got blue and better patterning, price can go way up.
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Jun 5, 2015 23:36
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hmmxkrazee posted:Kind of a vague request but I'd like to get a bracelet for my girlfriend with a budget of about $100. JBD are friends of mine. They don't do leather, but their bracelets seem to be in the area you're looking at. Something like this seems about right. They do a lot of commissions, so if she has a favorite stone they can work it out for you (or just ask for one with a citrine or other yellow stone). Tunicate fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Jun 10, 2015 |
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Jun 10, 2015 06:40
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I'd say that sapphire is a bit dark, unless your girlfriend is really into that deep royal blue - it could black out in dimmer light, and you won't get all the performance that's possible from a lighter stone. Also, looks like the forum ate your timg, so it's showing up as full size
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Jun 21, 2015 01:04
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errol _flynn posted:The dumbest of questions: 5.2mm stud earrings will hold 5mm sapphires just fine, right? (Or do I need to get 5mm only?) They should, though different settings have different tolerances, and depends upon how shallow the stones are cut as.
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Jul 19, 2015 16:54
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Brennanite posted:That's a pretty big ring, the center stone alone is 2 carats. Not a knock if that's what she wants, but I'd have her try on a similar-sized ring to be sure. The oval cut isn't a big deal, that's fairly standard. I'm pretty sure most sapphires on the market have been heat-treated, so you should assume it has been as well. Color is a matter of personal preference. Again, if she likes it, that's the important thing. I'm curious to hear about clarity, I've never heard about it in dark sapphires. Yeah, everybody heat treats sapphires. Unless they explicitly say otherwise, that's the default assumption. It's a stable treatment, though, so it's not like it's a big deal.
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Jul 23, 2015 19:13
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A Wizard of Goatse posted:I'm not exactly looking to plastic up the Hope diamond I was mostly hoping for brand recommendations for protecting semiprecious, slightly porous poo poo like turquoise. Well if it's cheap turquoise odds are it's just a bunch of blended stone stuck together with epoxy anyway.
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Jul 28, 2015 06:12
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black.lion posted:Sorry if this has been answere (I'm sure it has) but my friend is looking into buying an engagement ring - what path gives him the most bang for his buck? Buy a stone and have it put in a ring? I know going to Tiffany's etc. is a ripoff according to the OP... Probably best to get into touch with a good jeweler from the start and not try to DIY it. I personally always recommend my friends at PAK Designs for engagement rings. You can see a lot of their pieces on their ebay. No matter what type of stone you're looking for, they'll either have it, or know the guy who does. Their contact email is info@pakdesigns.com Tell them the Angry Turtle told you to get in touch. 
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Aug 19, 2015 17:48
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Captain Bravo posted:Got a question for you jewelers out there, is it possible to buy electrum? I've got a project that needs a 12"x12" sheet of metal, right now all I can find is gold, brass, or silver but I'd like to do it in electrum. I don't exactly have the tools to make an alloy myself, but I can't find anywhere to buy just a sheet of electrum. What ratio do you want? You can try Hoover and Strong. EDIT: Best to look for it under the name 'green gold'. Double edit: dangit, forgot they don't sell to people who aren't wholesaling. Tunicate fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Sep 3, 2015 |
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Sep 3, 2015 00:20
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Captain Bravo posted:Thanks guys, I'll call both of those places tomorrow and see if they can hook me up. You might want to look into precious metal clay. Essentially, moldable sculpie that you stick into a pottery kiln, which burns out all the filler and turns into a solid chunk of metal. You actually *can* put stones into it before firing, if you're careful, so that's an advantage. As a disclaimer, I have no idea what happens if you mix gold clay and silver clay, but that might end up giving you a neat effect.
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Sep 3, 2015 03:52
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Vino posted:I have a ring made of some cheap stuff which might be silver that I got in a bus station in Spain, and some copper that is definitely copper that I got from a copper spool wire, and I've been wearing them as rings for a while, and I'd like to take them somewhere and make them into something nicer that maybe won't even turn my fingers green. Is this possible? Can I just take the metal to any jeweler and they make something cool out of it for me? Or do only special places do that? Or what? Generally it's a lot cheaper and easier to sell the metal for its value and have them use fresh wire or whatever. Working with unknown alloys is a pain.
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Sep 9, 2015 22:32
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laxbro posted:What are some good materials for a men's wedding band? I'd like something matte silver or gold colored that isn't super expensive. What price range are you looking for? 14k or 18k gold isn't really super expensive. A lot of people like brushed matte tungsten rings as well. Shop around on those though since price varies a lot. Tunicate fucked around with this message at 17:38 on Oct 9, 2015 |
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Oct 9, 2015 17:35
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IIRC tungsten carbide is brittle enough that you can shatter it with a pair of pliers if you need to remove it in a hurry, so it's a little safer than titanium in that respect. Don't wear it when working with machines obviously, but you shouldn't do that with any ring, no matter whether its rigid or made of a malleable metal that can get deformed.
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Oct 9, 2015 21:40
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xyloshan posted:How would you cast something in say copper without using a forge? I was looking into trying to cast skull molds with different metals but almost all of them required forges, especially if it was a more expensive metal. At the risk of repeating myself, you should look into using precious metal clay.
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Dec 20, 2015 20:48
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The newer formulas of pmc need a lot lower temperatures - there even are ones you can fire with a butane torch.
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Dec 22, 2015 04:28
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RabbitMage posted:So today I found a ring I like. I totally neglected to take a picture (I could probably go back tomorrow and get one) and Google isn't finding anything similar enough. But I love it, and I think the intended recipient will, too. With the amount of information you gave, it's possible it's a good deal, but it's hard to judge without knowing more. Would have to see photos (and given that this is opal, maybe a video, depending on play of color) to really give a good estimate. What color is the opal? Any idea where it's from? Tunicate fucked around with this message at 08:40 on Jan 16, 2016 |
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Jan 16, 2016 04:51
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Anyone else planning to go to Tucson this year?
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Jan 25, 2016 08:35
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Wedemeyer posted:Not quite jewelry, but is there a place online to buy halved amethyst geodes? My dad had one until it was broken and I was hoping to replace it with a similar sized one, maybe 5 or 6 inches long by 3 or 4 inches wide? I looked on etsy but it's either thousands of dollars for something the size of an umbrella stand, tiny shards clearing my aura, or wire wrapped jewelry. All very nice, but not what im hoping to find. What would be an appropriate price range so I'm not getting ripped off? Check ebay's buy it now. While price depends on color and shape, but in that general size range there are some in the 20-50 dollar range that are nice. Hopefully nobody beats you to that first link - it's a pretty great deal. Tunicate fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Jan 25, 2016 |
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Jan 25, 2016 21:38
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TunaSpleen posted:On Sunday my fiance asked me a very interesting, but somewhat vague question: "What's the rarest kind of gem on Earth?" I told him many gems are common in the Earth's crust, but finding large ones of high quality is the hard part. However, he meant absolute rarity as in small amounts existing in total. Can any gemologists point me toward some oddball shiny rocks? The rarest I can find is naturally-occurring Moissanite. Probably some obscure silicate mineral, where there's only one crystal in a collector's home somewhere. Or some one-off Russian synthetic produced during the cold war. There was a guy at Tucson selling faceted super-high-lead-content glass out of a window used to shield the workers during the Manhattan Project. It looked really cool - the radiation it had been exposed to turned it yellow-green, and at 70% lead oxide, it has an incredibly high dispersion. Historical significance makes it pretty rare. Tunicate fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Feb 10, 2016 |
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Feb 10, 2016 19:04
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JohnnyRnR posted:
Dunno if he still has any, but here's his site.
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Feb 18, 2016 08:15
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