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Scarodactyl posted:There isn't really a set price for these types of things, though you can find good comps by searching arpund eBay and online shops to get an idea what it would cost to replace. I think you paid a very reasonable price. Thanks yeah I was worried that would be the case. I did find an online resource comparing the prices of tumbled stones but it doesn't seem to be comprehensive.
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Oct 18, 2019 07:56
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straya mate posted:Thanks yeah I was worried that would be the case. I did find an online resource comparing the prices of tumbled stones but it doesn't seem to be comprehensive. There's a large amount of qualitative factors that go into $/gm calculations too, so you may be comparing apples to oranges to bananas.
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Oct 18, 2019 10:18
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Yeah quality is a huge factor and it can be hard to tell because what is considered desirable can be different between different gems. For example, for most gems inclusions lower the price but for emerald they're super desirable.
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Oct 18, 2019 16:01
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Inclusions aren't desirable in emerald (aside from trapiches but that's a different can of worms). They are considered particularly acceptable in emerald because clean stones are very rare (apparently chromium tends to mess with their crystal growth), but stones that are properly clean sell for far, far more.
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Oct 18, 2019 18:43
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Scarodactyl posted:Inclusions aren't desirable in emerald (aside from trapiches but that's a different can of worms). They are considered particularly acceptable in emerald because clean stones are very rare (apparently chromium tends to mess with their crystal growth), but stones that are properly clean sell for far, far more. 100%, we have some stock of emeralds from the Chivor mine in Columbia and I find them very interesting for a few reasons. One is that they are very, very clean for emeralds, only a few inclusions here and there and relatively small, and two because they have this incredible slightly turquoise green colour that is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to photograph accurately.
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Oct 18, 2019 18:48
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Scarodactyl posted:Inclusions aren't desirable in emerald (aside from trapiches but that's a different can of worms). They are considered particularly acceptable in emerald because clean stones are very rare (apparently chromium tends to mess with their crystal growth), but stones that are properly clean sell for far, far more. Oh really! That's interesting, we definitely covered that specifically in class but it's not like I can afford real emeralds lololol
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Oct 18, 2019 21:53
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Would this be the correct thread to ask about a mysterious pair of sterling silver cufflinks I bought in England during the 90's? I'm very familiar with silver, but I absolutely cannot identify who made these drat cufflinks. Purchased and Harvey Nichols in the mid 90's -  They hallmarks indicate they are from London and Sterling. But I absolutely cannot identify the maker's mark. It looks like an SJ? I've used my x60 loupe and just cannot figure it out. 
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Oct 20, 2019 22:37
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Are there any jewelers willing to take a custom commission for an engagement ring, hopefully delivering in the next couple months? My girlfriend found a ring she loves on Etsy but the artisan isn’t currently taking custom orders and I would really prefer to get moissanite stones rather than diamonds. For reference, here’s the ring; she loves the dainty laurel leaf pattern, and the artist has an asking price of about $500. It’s rose gold with three tiny stones. To be clear, I wouldn’t expect anyone to make an exact copy of this, that seems a bit unethical to me. 
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Nov 5, 2019 18:06
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Lawnie posted:Are there any jewelers willing to take a custom commission for an engagement ring, hopefully delivering in the next couple months? My girlfriend found a ring she loves on Etsy but the artisan isn’t currently taking custom orders and I would really prefer to get moissanite stones rather than diamonds. For reference, here’s the ring; she loves the dainty laurel leaf pattern, and the artist has an asking price of about $500. It’s rose gold with three tiny stones. To be clear, I wouldn’t expect anyone to make an exact copy of this, that seems a bit unethical to me. Yeah I'd be down. Shoot me a PM and I can send you examples of my work and we can talk details and timeline.
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Nov 6, 2019 03:05
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Claes Oldenburger posted:Yeah I'd be down. Shoot me a PM and I can send you examples of my work and we can talk details and timeline. Sent you a PM, at least I think I did.
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Nov 7, 2019 02:15
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Thanks to advice from Claes I hopefully have achieved the shiniest non-quartz gem I've ever cut! I still need to flip it and cut the crown but I'm excited   It's got a bit of dust on it because I ran out of the good wipes/lovely toiletpaper rip
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Nov 12, 2019 17:22
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Beautiful work! Ruby or spinel? (One hell of a girdle though!)
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Nov 12, 2019 17:59
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Xun posted:Thanks to advice from Claes I hopefully have achieved the shiniest non-quartz gem I've ever cut! I still need to flip it and cut the crown but I'm excited Looks great! Can't wait to see it finished 
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Nov 12, 2019 18:00
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Scarodactyl posted:Beautiful work! Ruby or spinel? It's a synthetic sapphire, I love the color! Sadly I screwed up the orientation during dopping so it needed to be cut way down  Claes Oldenburger posted:Looks great! Can't wait to see it finished Thanks! I can't wait either lol
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Nov 12, 2019 19:44
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It was suggested to me to come post over here since someone would likely have more insight. Over in the Weird News Headlines thread, it was posted about a couple claiming to have lost a $280 million dollar emerald in the 2018 Camp wildfire. https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article237531689.html https://www.marketwatch.com/story/was-a-280-million-emerald-destroyed-in-california-wildfire-pge-is-dubious-2019-11-19 While it goes without saying that this couple's likely trying to pull something on the damages claim, I'd never heard of gemstones burning up like this so I googled around. I found mention of impurities within the stone being a factor and as far as emeralds go, they convert into phenacite when burned. I know diamonds can be burned under the right conditions and heat, but what about the other gemstones?
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Nov 25, 2019 17:51
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Heat resistance varies quite a bit from stone to stone. Sapphires are fine up to around 2000c (though these temperatures can certainly affect them, hence heat treatment), but beryl (which emerald is a variety of) will turn to opaque white ash around...I think 800ish c? I've done it once, it wasn't pretty. For a specimen like this, though, you're not dealing with a single crystal, but a specimen composed of many intergrown crystals of different minerals. They will have different heat tolerances and different rates of thermal expansion. They're also much harder to clean, impossible in many cases to get soot out of fine crennelations, vs a single crystal or faceted stone. So yeah, a fire could totally destroy a specimen like that with ease. That said, their valuation is insane even by massively-inflated-valuation standards, and I think it's fair to disbelieve anything they say.
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Nov 25, 2019 18:24
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https://twitter.com/thetimes/status/1198941676636688384
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Nov 25, 2019 20:02
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Scarodactyl posted:Heat resistance varies quite a bit from stone to stone. Sapphires are fine up to around 2000c (though these temperatures can certainly affect them, hence heat treatment), but beryl (which emerald is a variety of) will turn to opaque white ash around...I think 800ish c? I've done it once, it wasn't pretty. That makes sense. Thanks.
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Nov 25, 2019 20:42
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Insane. Likely a targeted job for someone wanting these pieces (I hope). Best case scenario is they're returned, second best case is the person who paid to have them stolen keeps them intact, and the worst case is they're all melted down. Any word on if this was done by the pink panthers?
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Nov 26, 2019 00:27
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puravida posted:Nice to see the gem thread back! I loved browsing the last one for tips and photos. https://instagram.com/jbrookheart
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Dec 17, 2019 06:00
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Is there anything special about buying diamond stud earrings versus buying a diamond engagement ring? My wife has mentioned wanting a pair at some point. Is Blue Nile the way to go for something as commoditized as stud earrings?
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Dec 17, 2019 16:45
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So, what is the best place/way to learn lapidary? I want to save up to take courses as a gemologist so that I can grade gems, but I also am interested in learning to actually cut them as well. Am I being dumb with wanting the initial gemologist schooling, or is that actually a reasonable career path?
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Dec 18, 2019 09:36
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Residency Evil posted:Is there anything special about buying diamond stud earrings versus buying a diamond engagement ring? My wife has mentioned wanting a pair at some point. Is Blue Nile the way to go for something as commoditized as stud earrings? Honestly, should be fine. Diamonds in earrings are of lower quality usually because people don't get as up close to them as they do with engagement rings. I still default to custom jewellers because their work is better, but diamond earrings are pretty simple. Rorac posted:So, what is the best place/way to learn lapidary? I want to save up to take courses as a gemologist so that I can grade gems, but I also am interested in learning to actually cut them as well. Am I being dumb with wanting the initial gemologist schooling, or is that actually a reasonable career path? Not entirely sure on what gemologist schooling could do for you career wise, but as for the lapidary the best idea is to find local rock and mineral clubs in your area and see if they have classes. I took a 3 day course on cutting gems and then bought equipment and taught myself the rest. I was already making jewellery so maybe it came a bit faster to me than some, but many people are self taught and do incredible work. Tom's book "Amateur Gemstone Faceting Volume 1: The Essentials" is gospel and basically takes you from starting to learn the process right up to cutting your first stone.
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Dec 18, 2019 18:06
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Yeah, for faceting it's usually best to find someone local who has a machine who can run you through some stuff because the setup cost for equipment is pretty high, so you want to be able to try it before you sink potentially thousands into a machine and laps. That book has a great reputation. For a quick overview there is also Arya Arhkaven's Faceting 101 series on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD6ZlNmtwmM Cutting cabochons is a lot easier and less technical, though it does take some practice. Gemological education is going to vary in usefulness depending on what you want to do, I think. I've been considering it myself since I'm at a point where I'm doing a bit more stone sorting (specifically separating treated from untreated from synthetic, baseline ID is easy with a raman), plus having some sort of gemological credentials is always handy for establishing cred. But it isn't essential if lapidary stuff is your main goal, and an awful lot can be learned on your own--for instance the GIA has all of their issues of Gems and Gemology available for free download, which is a ton of high quality and easy-to-read research at your fingertips.
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Dec 18, 2019 22:59
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I had a necklace that was stolen a few years ago. It was a large rectangular amythest (maybe 1/2 inch x 3/4inch). It was in a gold box setting. The amythest was previously part of a bracelet that belonged to my great grandma, so it was probably an antique cut. I wore the necklace all the time, and while I know certain sentimental aspects of the necklace are irreplaceable, I would like to get something similar. My sister and I were gifted matching necklaces made out of stones from this bracelet. I was hoping to bring my sister’s necklace to a jeweler and have it replicated. I don’t think this is the type of work my local jeweler would handle. I live in the Los Angeles area, so I could drive to the jewelry district there, but I’m overwhelmed by the number of stores and I’m unsure how to find someone who will do I good job. Any advice?
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Dec 28, 2019 20:44
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Staryberry posted:My sister and I were gifted matching necklaces made out of stones from this bracelet. I was hoping to bring my sister’s necklace to a jeweler and have it replicated. I don’t think this is the type of work my local jeweler would handle. I live in the Los Angeles area, so I could drive to the jewelry district there, but I’m overwhelmed by the number of stores and I’m unsure how to find someone who will do I good job. Any advice? This sounds like it wouldn't be too difficult. If you send me a photo I'll refer you to someone in LA that has the capability.
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Jan 4, 2020 05:58
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JohnnyRnR posted:This sounds like it wouldn't be too difficult. If you send me a photo I'll refer you to someone in LA that has the capability.   Any help you could give me would be great. I’d bring the actual necklace with me when I visit the jeweler.
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Jan 12, 2020 00:41
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Oh yeah. This is a pretty typical cut, kind of a shallow emerald. If Johnny doesn't have one on hand I might be able to find one at Tucson towards the end of this month if you can get measurements.
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Jan 12, 2020 01:04
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Any idea what this pendant is made of? The coppery gold stuff is shiny and the whitish-tan areas are translucent. Edit: added image 
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Jan 26, 2020 01:43
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It is probably pieces of quartz bonded together with metal leaf mixed with epoxy (broadly imitating natural native gold in quartz veins). This is most typically done with faux-turquoise to give it a spiderwebby look (or with purple faux-turquoise which is a weirdly popular item).
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Jan 26, 2020 02:43
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Scarodactyl posted:It is probably pieces of quartz bonded together with metal leaf mixed with epoxy (broadly imitating natural native gold in quartz veins). This is most typically done with faux-turquoise to give it a spiderwebby look (or with purple faux-turquoise which is a weirdly popular item). It's a neat looking piece and it's cool to know how it might have been made. Thanks!
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Jan 26, 2020 07:11
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Staryberry posted:
Just sent a PM with info on a friend in your area.
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Jan 27, 2020 18:42
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Is anyone else at the Tucson gem shows? It might be fun to do another meetup if so.
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Feb 1, 2020 20:49
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Scarodactyl posted:Is anyone else at the Tucson gem shows? It might be fun to do another meetup if so. Wasn't there this year  Next year for sure though!
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Feb 3, 2020 18:24
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Anybody know where I might be able to find a solid silver Claddagh ring with a Black gem or March birthstone? I've been looking online but I'm skeptical of some of the results.
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Feb 4, 2020 15:22
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Scarodactyl posted:Is anyone else at the Tucson gem shows? It might be fun to do another meetup if so. Had to skip it this year, sadly.
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Feb 7, 2020 18:14
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It’s my first time at Tucson! Omg, I thought it would be just a couple of locations. Not 30+ hotels scattered across the area :O The FOMO is strong.
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Feb 7, 2020 18:34
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Seluin posted:It’s my first time at Tucson! Omg, I thought it would be just a couple of locations. Not 30+ hotels scattered across the area :O What are you after? In terms of well'rounded shows if you dont know what you're after, 22nd street is the best pick - great deals across the spectrum AND dinosaurs.
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Feb 7, 2020 20:27
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I was looking for gems (particularly weird rare poo poo) and facet rough. I ended up spending most of my time doing Pueblo, 22nd street, JGX, and AGTA. Was cool seeing some random dino bones too
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Feb 9, 2020 07:53
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Seluin posted:I was looking for gems (particularly weird rare poo poo) and facet rough. I always love seeing the dino bones and fossils. It's like the huge crystals and...uhh...geodes? The big amethyst ones. It's not what I go for but it's always cool to see!
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Feb 10, 2020 18:02
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