Ways To Repair Your Gem Stone
This is one that lots of people have to deal with. I want to say first that I am glad you have an aquamarine! This makes me smile in a sentimental and special way. Why? Well, with so much blue topaz on the market today, the wonderful aquamarine has almost faded in the public eyes. Unfortunately, many do not even know about this much more valuable and beautiful gemstone. In years past, the aqua WAS the stone of choice for those special shades of blue nature makes. Aquamarine is a superior stone in all aspects to the irradiated blue topaz, a stone not naturally the rich blues in nature.
First of all, most jewelry shops do not have the capability to recut chipped gemstones. Some of this depends on the cut of the stone to start with, whether a cabochon(round top, like an opal or onyx might be cut) or faceted as with diamonds, rubies and other stones with little faces (the facets) on the surface. The person who cuts gemstones does the work called ‘lapidary’ or stone cutting. This work requires the cutting and polishing equipment needed for gemstones. Almost all stones must be worked with tools the jeweler simply does not use for working metals.
Stones are much harder than metals and require special and sometimes very specialized machines to work the gem, whether in cutting a gem from a piece of rough material from the earth or in repairing a chip in a stone already cut. While many folks do cut and polish cabochons(rounded tops without facets), the number greatly lessens when looking for those who do facet cutting. The equipment is very different since each individual facet is cut one at a time, through different grades of cutting from rough abrasives to the final polish.
What do most jewelers do? When a chipped stone needs repair, the jeweler generally sends the stone to a lapidary craftsperson. This usually means sending the stone to a company where the work may be done. Sometimes, the jeweler might have a local connection to either a professional or amateur(some are the best going!) for the repair work. The cabochon work is easy and more locals can do this work. For faceted gems, having a local cutter is not common and most stones are shipped to a factory offering the service.
What work is needed? Some companies offer to cut the gem stone for you. On some websites they show you what kind of cuts that they can do. When you see line drawings of the ‘diamond’ they want to sell. Using the line drawings, you can get an idea of how difficult it might be to repair the chip in your aquamarine. It all depends on the location of the chip! The middle of the stone, between the top(crown) and the bottom(pavilion) is called the girdle of the gem. If the chip is here, repair is relatively simple for a small chip and will not affect the rest of the stone in a noticeable way.
If the chip is higher on the stone, say on or between a couple of the facets on the crown, the repair is more difficult. Why? Look at the drawing(or at your aquamarine) and you will see the faces line up and meet each other. To repair a chip on one of the higher facets will mean cutting and polishing the stone down deep enough to remove the chip. This will change the face where the cutting is done and the facets will not line up as before.
To do the job properly, often the entire top(crown) of the stone will need to be re-cut. This means all facets are re-cut and polished so they all line up as before. This is done to prevent one large repaired face from messing up the arrangement and standing out easily to the eye.
How the repair is done depends on the location of the chip and whether the stone is faceted or a cabochon cut. Then, where and how well the work is done depends on the contacts the jeweler has. To find a jeweler with in-house lapidary service is a rare find, indeed. Be sure to ask if the work is done in-house or sent to a cutter. Ask for an estimate before having the work done. Ask if the repair will change the over dimensions (width and length) of the stone since that will affect how it fits back into your jewelry mounting.
Ask if the cutter can give you at least an idea of how much stone must be cut away to do the repair. Asking these questions can kind of give you an understanding of how the stone might look when they are done with it. But sometimes it is good to ask these questions that way you can find out if taking your stone to this one person is a good thing. You can always go around to all of the jewelry stores and ask them the same questions and when you get home find out which one is the best for you.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.DiamondGems.info/ . DiamondGems.info carries the best selection of diamonds and diamond jewelry on the market. Browse through our selection of loose diamonds by size, cut, and shape here: http://www.DiamondGems.info/subcategory/loose-diamond.html
Antique Engagement Ring Eras
The word antique comes from the Latin word ‘old’ antique engagement rings are usually over 50-100 year old. they are desirable because of their age and rarity and because they are unique.
Older style engagement rings are rings that show stunning craftsmanship. These rings a special because you really can see the attention and care that has gone into the design.
If you are planning on getting married it is well worth considering giving your loved one an antique engagement ring as it will symbolize and hold uniqueness and charm.
An antique engagement ring is usually at least 50-100 years old and is also referred to as a vintage engagement ring by some jewelers and come from different eras including Victorian, Edwardian and art deco.
Edwardian engagement rings were mainly made from platinum as this was the era when the oxyacetylene torch was invented. The rings would contain sapphires and rose cut diamonds as these were extremely popular at this time.
The rings from this era would stand out because of their stunning scrollwork with piercing shapes and the fine detail made each one unique.
The Victorian engagement rings had a softer more elegant style and were usually set in rose or yellow gold. The rings in this era were often set with rows of diamonds and an extra facet called mine cut, this was due to the industrial revolution and discovery of diamond minds.
Art deco antique engagement rings are the most popular engagement rings they reflect fashion trends from this era and are more streamlined. Art deco engagement rings are often colorful with contrasting gemstones and are especially pleasing to the eye.
Weather you are looking to by an Edwardian, Victorian or art deco antique engagement ring it is important to look carefully at the ring description, pay close attention to the age, condition and size of the ring and where possible ask for this in writing.
Always remember the 4 c’s Color, clarity, condition and cut this will help to ascertain if the ring is authentic and what you are looking for.
You can find older style engagement rings at various places including jewelers, pawn shops, online and antique shops. If you have never purchased an antique engagement ring before I would recommend that you use a reputable seller or someone that specializes in this type of jewelry.
Giving someone an antique engagement ring will express your love and devotion and will be lovingly accepted.
Antique engagement rings are also considered a huge investment as their value in money will increase over time. It is also something that can be cherished and handed down from generation to generation passing loving memories down from you to others in your family.
Allen Jesson writes for several sites http://www.antique-engagement-rings.info http://www.vintage-engagement-rings.com
http://www.agiftofpoetry.com
Which Pearl Is Fake And Which Is Real
This article is about real pearls, both natural and cultured. First, the term ‘pearl’ should be applied only to natural pearls, formed in a mollusk when some event in nature induces the oyster or mussel to form a pearl. These pearls are quite rare and are the pearls of antiquity before pearl farmers learned to culture pearls. Freshwater pearls fished from the rivers in the USA are natural pearls, but now-a-days, most freshwater pearls are also cultured in freshwater pearl farms.
In any event, naturally forming or cultured, such pearls are formed in the oyster or mussel and are not fakes. The real difference in the totally natural pearl and the cultured pearls is what makes the pearl start to grow and the thickness of the nacre. Nacre is the pearly layers that make a pearl so lovely. The natural pearl will have very thick nacre, generally forming in concentric rings around some starting source or irritation to the mollusk. A large natural pearl is very, very rare. Cultured pearls generally use a ‘core’ of mother-of-pearl, the shell of the mollusk.
The bead core goes into the mollusk and nacre is formed around the core. The core determines the overall shape of the pearl. How long the oyster is allowed to let the pearl grow determines the thickness of the nacre. Thicker nacre is better. Best of all is thick nacre and a smooth, almost blemish free surface. Pearls grown inside the mussel or oyster do have a gritty feel to the tooth.
Fake pearls are made by coating a core of some sort (mother-of-pearl, plastic, etc.) with a plastic, a kind of paint containing ground fish scales or other stuff that look pearly to the eye. Generally, the fakes do not have a gritty feel to the tooth. Most may be identified with a little practice and a 10x jewelers loupe or microscope. The way to do it is to compare real pearls with some known fakes. The fakes almost always show a grittier look to the surface and not the more smoothly formed natural nacre.
The look is grittier but the feel to a tooth is smoother. After some practice comparisons, most fakes are fairly easily identified. Still, some are hard to detect without very thorough testing sometimes using solvents and acids which attack the real pearl nacre but not the plastic fakes and visa versa.
Other than that, a look at the drilled holes in the beads will help. Since the pearl is formed naturally without a hole, the hole must be drilled. The surface of the pearl at the drill hole will not ‘sink in’ or ‘rise up’ as is seen in many fakes that are formed and coated with the holes already made to the core. In the real pearl, the nacre will be smooth with the drill hole and might even be chipped a bit. Some folks recommend having a dentist do an x-ray to see what is inside.
Still, unless a person is very, very familiar with reading the images the results are very iffy. A core will look like a core whether in a fake or a cultured pearl. A core will not be present to any large extent in a pearl formed freely in the ocean but those pearls just are not around or to be had except in very small sizes.
Using a good loupe (hand held magnifier) of 10 power is likely the best home test. Of course, try the teeth first! Then look at the drill holes and the surface compared to a good cultured pearl. There is not a one-in-all test I can recommend. Some of this will simply require some ‘pearls’ of real and fakes for comparison. When you look through a 10x maginfier at the surface of most fakes, the surface might look gritty, uneven, “orange peel” as in paints or even flaked off in small places.
There is a difference difficult to describe. The comparison of the nacre of a pearl to the fake surface is a good indication for use at home, following your teeth, of course. Again, look for the rising or falling surface at the drill holes, like a “painted surface” has sunk into the hole or been pulled up from it.
Even the jewelers are fooled once in a while but not often. Have you seen Mabe pearls? These are the large ‘half pearls’ often seen in rings and pendants. Some years ago some really good fakes hit the market and were being sold at very competitive prices — that is, compared to the real ones. Many were sold and bought as the real thing! The testing for these required disassembly of the fake mabes plus solvent and acid tests. A lot of buyers were taken in on this one, likely never to know they bought and later sold fake mabe pearls.
If you get pearls and you are not sure if they are fake or real and you have a hard time to tell them apart, go to you closest jewelry store and talk to them. See if they can run some of the test that I just menched to you. They will be able to tell you if the pearls are fake or not. But like is said it is very hard to tell some of the real ones from the fake ones. You need to be careful when you are shopping around for any kind of jewelry and make sure that you go to a jewelry store that you know are good.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.DiamondGems.info/ . DiamondGems.info carries the best selection of diamonds and diamond jewelry on the market. Browse through our selection of loose diamonds by size, cut, and shape here: http://www.DiamondGems.info/subcategory/loose-diamond.html
What Kind Of Branded Diamond Do You Want
Its become a very competitive business with everyone trying to come up with their own “Branded” diamonds, and jewelry and design, the so called Calla Cut is nothing more than a modified round stone it appears, this is the first I have heard of it, similar to an Ascher Cut which came out a few years ago and then just died!!! No one is buying Aschers anymore and the same will happen to this Calla. A cutter can make much more money with a “new” designer cut diamond and promote it, hopefully someone will fall in love with it and pay 30-40 more money than it should be.
If you love the cut then I would say go for it but be aware that the actual value will never come back to you since it is not main stream. over time, the round diamond has proven itself the most popular. We have sold many princess cut diamonds the past 5 years but even those have slowed down. We almost never sell any marquise diamonds lately, all these cuts are cyclical, the round diamond has been most consistent.
The Jeweler who told you about certified cut may have meant that he cant distinguish the table
and the depth to determine if the diamond is a good cut or not. More than likely he is blowing smoke and trying to get you to “doubt” the Calla Cut. When a diamond is sent to the laboratory such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or European Gem Labs (EGL) they are evaluated for Color Cut Clarity Carat Wt. hence the “4 C’s” of the diamond. The cut or of the table and depth ratios are the reason the diamond has “fire” or lacks “fire”.
If a diamond is cut with a table of 60 and a depth of 60 without getting too technical, you will have a stone with fire. An “Ideal” cut which means maximizing the light back to your eye would be a 55 table and a 61 depth. This is also known as an American Ideal cut or a Tolkowsky Ideal cut (tolkowsky was a famous mathematician)
Certified cut and certified stones are one of the same, if you have a diamond that is “certified” or lab graded it will have the cut evaluation which wont mean much to you. Just look at the diamonds and see if they have “fire” if it does they are cut well, if it lacks brilliance something is not cut to full potential. You can mfg a ring which will look like the “calla” for less money with well cut marquise diamonds and a round stone in the center. The trick is to get high color (F-G) and very well cut diamonds all matched.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.DiamondGems.info/ . DiamondGems.info carries the best selection of diamonds and diamond jewelry on the market. Browse through our selection of loose diamonds by size, cut, and shape here: http://www.DiamondGems.info/subcategory/loose-diamond.html
Finding The Perfect Wedding Rings
The most important piece of jewelry you will ever receive is your wedding ring, symbolising love and devotion between a man and a woman.
One of the hardest things you will have to do is choose a wedding ring there are so many patterns, metals and styles available you will be spoilt for choice. The main thing is to find the perfect wedding ring because it is something you will wear and treasure for many years to come.
Because the wedding ring is so important it will probably be the most expensive item of jewelry you will ever own so you need to make sure you choose the right one.
Traditionally wedding rings are worn on the left finger as it is believed that vein in this finger goes straight to the heart, although modern technology has proved this theory to in fact be wrong most people still continue to wear their wedding ring on the same finger as this tradition still exists. In other parts of the world such as Germany, Poland and Norway the wedding ring is worn on the right hand.
When it comes to choosing a wedding ring there are many metals to choose from, yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, and many many more.
White gold is measured in carats and is an alloy of yellow gold, Rose gold is often used for specialist jewelry, it is a copper and gold alloy with a red tint and is sometimes know as pink gold.
A popular choice of wedding ring metals for men especially is titanium because it is a strong durable metal that is light in weight and corrosion resistant. Although it is as strong as steel it is much lighter, this type of metal suits men because of the day to day jobs they encounter.
Another popular choice is platinum, this metal can be more expensive and not as available as normal gold. Platinum is a more precious gold and usually other metals are used along side platinum when making a ring to give it and extra special look.
I would always recommend that you choose the same metal for your wedding ring as your engagement ring, this is because they will always be worn along side each other so will need to match and compliment each other.
Once you have decided on the metal you are going to have for your wedding ring you will need to decide on a pattern, the most popular wedding ring pattern is a plain band, normally the engagement ring is fancier so having a plain band won’t take away its beauty.
Some couples may choose to have a personal message engraved on their wedding ring to give it a extra special uniqueness, sometimes the date of the wedding or the couples favourite song can make the ring extra special.
What ever wedding ring you decide on you will always treasure this beautiful symbol of love.
Allen Jesson writes for several sites including
http://www.antique-engagement-rings.info
http://www.vintage-engagement-rings.com
and http://www.agiftofpoetry.com