Gem Identification

Last week a customer brought in a vintage-looking necklace and earring set that she purchased at an estate sale. Although the 8x6 mm oval stones don't look like diamonds, she decided to test the stones with her at-home diamond tester. When the result was "diamond," she brought the set to us to verify her finding.

The stones have a very faint light blue color and few inclusions. Through closer inspection under a microscope, we determined the stones are definitely not diamonds, but were unsure of exactly what mineral they are.

All gemstones have multiple identifying characteristics. For instance, color is an easily seen characteristic. The type of inclusions, a stone's specific gravity, its crystal habit and fracture type and other things like refractive index and optic character are also used to identify stones. Because characteristics like color and fracture type can be the same in multiple gemstones, we have to look at all of them in combination.

In this case, our next step was to determine the stone's refractive index, which is the speed of light traveling through the stone versus light traveling through the air. Through the refractometer, we were able to narrow the stones down to a few minerals, but still were unsure.

We then used a polariscope to determine whether it was singly or doubly refractive and to determine its optic character.

Benitoite and chrysoberyl were possibilities, but based on all our findings, we found the gemstone to be corundum. Sapphires and rubies are varieties of corundum, and the mineral comes in nearly every color. Although our customer's gemstones don't look like a typical sapphire, they could be referred to as colorless sapphires.

Many gemstones are very easy for our trained gemologists to identify without this multi-step process, but we always find the detective work fun when we are presented with a stone such as this.

-Photo from http://dave.ucsc.edu/myrtreia/photos/corundum_colors.jpg

Hearts & Arrows: The Super Symmetry Ideal Cut Diamond

An ideal cut diamond is a diamond in which all areas of the stone have been cut to ideal proportions. This means every single facet needs to be a certain size and cut at a certain angle. This achieves the greatest brilliance and scintillation viewed as light returning to the naked eye.

The earliest ideal standard was developed by Marcel Tolkowski in the early 20th century. Today, only slight modifications from this original formula have changed. However, sophisticated computer technology has allowed us to achieve a super ideal cut known as the Hearts & Arrows ideal cut diamond.

A Hearts & Arrows diamond encompasses the latest technology in diamond cutting. CAD technology plays the lead role in designing such brilliant stones. The rough crystal image is loaded into sophisticated software that then maps out the best pattern of fashioning, all of which is done by computer-driven cutting wheels.

The result is a symmetrically perfect diamond that is strikingly more brilliant and fiery than a diamond graded as a good cut. This can be seen by a special viewing tool that allows the consumer to see a heart pattern when viewed down through the pavilion and an arrows pattern when the stone is facing up, thus the term Hearts & Arrows.

Hearts & Arrows is not a branded diamond. It is a term used to describe these perfectly symmetrical super ideal cut diamonds that exhibit this phenomenon. This model of perfection does command a higher premium, however, not as much as some branded ideal cut diamonds.

For more information visit www.heartsandarrows.com.

Reusing Gold

It may sound like a great idea to have grandma’s old wedding rings melted down and made into a new fashionable ring for you, but it’s not quite that simple.

Because gold jewelry is not pure gold, it cannot simply be melted and reused. That said, very few jewelers have the equipment needed to properly process the gold. Simply melting the gold results in metal that is porous and brittle, which is not safe for everyday wear. Jewelry made form this metal will bend, break and exhibit an uneven pitted surface luster, or porosity. Thus, pieces made this way will not generally hold up well over time. To be safely reused, the gold must be refined, which is the process that frees the metal from impurities and unwanted materials.


While many jewelers will not melt your gold, it is not impossible to find one who will. Some may do it in their store, but most likely they will send it to a refinery. But be aware: what you get back may not be the actual gold you took in. Often for time and monetary efficiency, the jeweler will process a batch of jewelry rather than just your pieces and give you a portion of the refined gold. If it is important to you that you actually use grandma’s jewelry, ask about the jeweler’s process or consider doing something different.

A creative jeweler can help you find other ways to use grandma’s jewelry. Depending on the pieces, you may be able to add or subtract diamonds or gemstones to create a new look. In some cases you can take the top off a ring and fashion it into a pendant or create a pair of earrings if the design is symmetrical. Some wedding bands can be shaped into open heart pendants, and don’t forget that you can always set diamonds and gemstones into new mountings.

Your idea may not work exactly like you envision, but don’t be afraid to share your ideas with a jeweler and let him or her help you find a design that will be both visually appealing and a durable design.


-Photo from www.accountancypartners.co.uk

Finding a Jeweler

With so many types of jewelry stores, it can be hard to find one you trust. How do you know if they are reputable? Will they do a good job repairing your engagement ring? How do you know if their products are of good quality and made well?

The first thing to do is find a store that is a member of the American Gem Society (AGS).

In 1934, the founder of the Gemological Institute of America and other independent jewelers joined together to create the American Gem Society. They saw a need for an association dedicated to the highest possible standards of business ethics and professionalism in the jewelry industry. Today, AGS members continue this dedication by maintaining high levels of ethics, knowledge and consumer protection. Only a small percentage of jewelers who apply for AGS membership are awarded such, and AGS jewelers make up less than 5% of jewelers in the United States and Canada. This is because the qualifications for membership are stringent.

Shopping with an American Gem Society jeweler means you can shop with confidence. According to the AGS website, to be an AGS member, store owners and/or employees must have a high level of gemological knowledge including education through GIA or the Gemological Association of Great Britain. A store must "hold a reputation for unquestioned integrity in the business community and must be operated in a way that will enhance the confidence of the public in the jewelry industry." In addition to demonstrating financial stability for a minimum of two years, the owners must show that they are sincerely interested in high business ethics and run their store as such.

The American Gem Society also prohibits deceptive business practices, including the following:

• Misleading advertising that is in any way untrue
• Advertising or setting artificially high prices and passing them as the "regular price" to give consumers the idea of a sale price or supposed discount

When you shop at an American Gem Society jewelery store, you can rest assured that you will be assisted by educated and concerned jewelers.

Find an AGS member today: http://www.americangemsociety.org/member-search-jeweler.php

Setting a Watch

Instructions for Basic Models

Pull the crown out (the knob on the side of the watch that moves the hands). If your crown doesn’t pull right out, your watch has a screw-down crown. This feature helps to keep water and dust out of the watch. To change the time, you must first unscrew the crown. Be sure to completely screw the crown back in when you are finished setting the time. Many watches are ruined when people think they are “water proof” but the crown hasn’t been screwed back down.

If your watch has a day/date function, you will feel the crown click into two different positions. Pulling the crown out to the second notch will set the time and pushing it back in to the first notch will set the day/date. Typically, moving the crown one direction will set the date and the other direction will set the day. When setting the day/date it is important to have the watch set in the right 12-hour period. The easiest way to ensure the day/date changes at midnight and not noon is to pull the crown out to the second notch and change the time until you see the day/date flip. When it flips, you know that your watch is now in a.m. Turn the crown until you reach 6 a.m. and then push the crown back into the first notch. Set the correct day/date and then pull the crown out to the second notch again. Set the proper time and push the crown all the way back into the case.

Instructions for More Complex Models
Perpetual calendars and other features like chronograph and moon phase can be quite confusing. Although many watch brands have setting instructions on their websites, sometimes finding the instructions can be equally as confusing.

If your watch is more complex, we’ve listed a few common brands here. If yours isn’t listed, look on the brand’s website for something like “operational guide” or “setting instructions.” These are often listed under FAQ and Technical Support and may be found as a small link at the bottom of the page or as weird tabs off to the side. You may also have to search for the specific model number, which is found on the back of the watch or the bottom of the dial.

Bulova: http://www.bulova.com/dynamic_repository/instructions/general.pdf
Casio: http://world.casio.com/wat/download/en/manual/
Citizen: http://citizenwatch.com/COA/English/settings.asp
Hamilton: http://www.hamiltonwatch.com/webapp/en-us/customer-service/instruction-manuals.aspx
Movado: http://www.movado.com/downloads/MovadoOperatingManual.pdf
Omega: http://www.omegawatches.com/uploads/tx_omega/English.pdf
Seiko: http://seikousa.com/#FAQ
Skagen: http://www.skagen.co.uk/index.php?SCREEN=skagen_watch_ instructions
Tag Heuer: http://ww2.tagheuer.com/_documents/manuals/EI2241_en.pdf
Timex: http://www.timex.ca/en/instructions/095Instr.pdf
Tissot: http://www.tissot.ch/data/usersmanual/121-en.pdf

4 C's of a Diamond + Some

Carat
Probably the most well-known C, carat refers to the weight of the diamond. Like a dollar, there are 100 points in a carat. You may hear a half carat referred to as "50/100ths of a carat" or "50 points." Most fancy-shaped diamonds are elongated in shape and appear larger than a round brilliant of the same carat.

Color

Color refers to the presence of body color in a diamond. Fancy-colored diamonds are very rare and include red, pink, green and blue. The total absence of color is also rare, because most mined diamonds have a slight yellow color and some even have brown or grey.

AGS Color Scale: 0 to 10, 0 being colorless and 10 having body color that is easily seen by an untrained eye

GIA Color Scale: D to Z, D being colorless and Z having body color that is easily seen by an untrained eye

Clarity

Clarity refers to the presence of flaws in a diamond, both internally and on the surface.

AGS Clarity Scale: 0 to 10, 0 being flawless and 10 having a shattered appearance with large, obvious inclusions that effect the brilliance and beauty of the diamond

GIA Clarity Scale: Flawless, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, I3; VVS inclusions are difficult to see under magnification and inclusions become easier to see as you go down the scale; I-clarity stones have inclusions that are easily seen by an untrained eye and effect the brilliance of the diamond

Cut

Sometimes people forget about the cut of a diamond, but it is just as important as color and clarity when considering the beauty of a diamond. The cut is what gives the diamond brilliance and sparkle. Because many people are concerned with carat size, diamond cutters often sacrifice beauty to maximize the carat weight of the stone. After a stone is cut, factors like polish and symmetry are graded through a microscope. Ideal cut diamonds are cut to optimal proportions, which allows the most brilliance, luster and dispersion. Only 5 percent of the round brilliant cut diamonds on the market are cut to this standard.

AGS Cut Scale: 0 to 10, 0 being the best cut with the most brilliance and dispersion and 10 being the worst cut

Shape
Shape is not the same as cut. Shapes include round brilliant, pear, oval, marquise, emerald cut, heart, triangle and other branded shapes. Rounds are the most popular and anything other than round is considered a fancy shape.

Price
Round brilliants often command more money than fancy shapes. In addition, ideal cut diamonds and those with high color and clarity are more valuable than low-grade diamonds.

Hardness/Toughness
Diamond is the world's hardest substance at a 10 on the Mohs scale. It is resistant to scratches, although it isn't impossible to scratch a diamond. And even though it is hard, it is not the toughest substance and it is possible to chip or crack a diamond.

-Information provided by the American Gem Society

White Gold vs. Platinum

Although white gold and platinum often look alike, there are some big differences between the two metals. Here are some basics.

Color

• To achieve its color, white gold is alloyed (or mixed) with other metals. Nickel is often used to produce the white color. Because it is not a pure metal, white gold has a faint yellow color to it. To get a bright white color, white gold is plated with rhodium -- a member of the platinum family. This plating wears off as the jewelry is worn, so it must be re-plated from time to time. There's no set timeframe for re-plating because your body chemistry can affect it and so can the types of activities you do while wearing your jewelry, including washing your hands and using lotion. It also depends on personal preference. Some people don't like to see any hint of yellow, so they rhodium plate their rings every few months, and others don't do it for years.
• Platinum is a pure metal, so its white color is consistent. No plating is necessary.

Hardness

• Pure gold (or 24 karat gold) is too soft for everyday wear, so another reason it is alloyed with other metals is to make it harder. Pure gold has a hardness of 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale. When alloyed with nickel, a relatively hard metal, white gold becomes harder than platinum. Typically, but not always, the higher the percentage of alloy the harder the gold. For instance, 14 karat is harder than 18 karat.
• A hardness of 4 to 4.5 means platinum is a rather soft metal and can easily be nicked and scratched. After years of repetitive wear or even a sharp blow, it is not uncommon for platinum prongs or decorative details to be flattened out or moved. The softness also causes platinum to have an antique patina.

Density

• Gold has a specific gravity of about 19.3.
• Platinum is a dense metal. Its specific gravity of 21.5 makes it heavier than gold. Its density also allows it to wear a long time because little metal is actually lost during wear.

Polishing and Refinishing

• It is fairly easy to buff scratches out of white gold. A quick polish on a buffing wheel will often make gold look shiny and close to new again.
• Platinum isn't as easy to polish. For best results, it’s usually necessary to burnish the platinum to flatten the surface and remove scratches, which is a longer process than merely buffing.

Price

• Both the platinum and gold markets fluctuate on a daily basis. For years, platinum was significantly more expensive than gold with a difference of $400 to $600 per ounce.
• Today, however, that isn't necessarily the case. In recent months, gold has been about $900 per ounce and platinum has remained around $1,100.

Hope this information answers some of your questions about white gold and platinum. As always, please let us know if you're confused about anything. We know there's a lot of information to keep straight.

Karat Gold

Karat refers to the percentage of gold present in a piece of jewelry, or findings such as clasps and wire. The higher the karat, the more gold content and the more valuable the piece.

24 karat – 99.9 % gold
18 karat – 75.0 % gold
14 karat – 58.5 % gold
10 karat – 41.7 % gold

Pure gold, also known as 24 karat gold, is very soft. While 24-karat gold jewelry can be found overseas, very few jewelers in the United States use 24 karat gold when manufacturing or repairing jewelry. Instead, they use gold that has been alloyed – or mixed – with other metals. This is done to make gold harder and more durable. Jewelry will be less likely to scratch and be damaged when the gold has been alloyed. Mixing metals also creates different colors of gold. Nickel is often used to create white gold. Copper is used for rose gold and other metals are used to make green and blue as well.

Other karats of gold include 22, 20 and 9, but these are not common in the United States.

Welcome!

Hello.

Welcome to the new blog by Garwood's Jewelers!

We are aiming to educate customers and friends on everything jewelry and learn about your jewelry interests as consumers. We also hope you'll share your questions and comments and allow us to help you take the confusion out of buying jewelry.

From diamond and gemstone facts to our repair techniques and industry news, we will use this blog to transfer our knowledge to you.

In the next few days, we'll be writing about the differences between platinum and white gold, so be sure to check it out.

Hope you enjoy our blog, and please let us know if there are specific things you'd like us to write about.

Cheers!