All Entries in the "Facts & Useful Info" Category
Sunshine Polishing Cloth Is The Best Jewelry Cleaner
I’ve been using Sunshine polishing cloths for a long time and love them. They are gentle enough to clean the most precious charms but strong enough to get off really tough tarnish and grime. They clean all types of metal but I use them primarily for silver jewelry.
Cultured Pearl Treatments
All cultured pearls are cleaned and polished to enhance the luster before being sold to jewelers. There are additional treatments that are applied to lower quality pearls in order to develop a marketable product. It’s always important to at least ask, and then obtain a guarantee when purchasing pearls, in order to be sure of the investment.
Cultured Pearls and Modern Pearl Farms
Almost all of the pearls sold today are cultured pearls grown on pearl farms. The techniques developed and refined over the last century have allowed modern pearl farmers to produce pearls that conform to specific standards. Natural pearls are less than one percent of those available on the market nowadays.
Cultured Pearls – Birth of the Industry
Pearls have long been a favorite as an embellishment for jewelry and nowadays almost all pearls coming into the market are cultured pearls. Cultured pearls are formed by intentionally inserting a foreign object into a mollusk, typically an oyster, and waiting for the natural process of nacre to build up.
The Correct Way To Use A Jewelers Loupe
The proper way to use a jeweler’s loupe is straightforward and easy. Start with a well lit room or natural sunlight and a place to sit down so your hands will be steady. Make sure to clean the piece of jewelry and the lens with a soft cloth to remove surface dirt before viewing. Also put a cloth underneath the work area to keep items from rolling away if you drop them.
What To Look For When Buying A Jewelers Loupe
A jewelers loupe (pronounced loop) is a small magnifying glass that folds into a metal protective case. It’s used to view small jewelry pieces and gems to detect flaws and to read marks that can’t be seen using normal vision. There are several features to consider when purchasing a jeweler’s loupe depending on individual needs.
Fake Enamel Charms – A Disgraceful Practice
I’m a big advocate of full disclosure when selling vintage jewelry on the internet. I think it’s contemptible to lie about the condition, origin, or age of jewelry to make a buck. It happens a lot so it’s very important to learn as much as possible as a buyer.
Vintage Jewelry – Is It Real Gold Or Silver?
When buying vintage jewelry, the best and most surefire way to ensure the piece is truly the metal quality you are expecting, is of course to view a hallmark of the metal purity, such as 14K or Sterling Silver somewhere on the item. For those of us who buy collectible fine vintage jewelry that’s not intended to be heirloom or investment quality, there are other methods that are often used to establish the value of an item.
Gemstone Hardness and The Moh’s Scale
Gemstones are rated by levels of hardness using the Mohs’ scale. This method was developed in 1812 by the German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. He used ten commonly available minerals and classified them according to their hardness, and their ability to scratch and be scratched by other minerals. Diamond, which is the hardest naturally occurring substance, [...]
Gold Fun Facts
A while back I purchased a diamond and gemstone testing machine from IGEM Instruments. Turns out it’s quite a handy and useful gadget. Anyway I must have signed up for their mailing list because this week I began receiving newsletters from them. Volume #1 was filled with a bunch of gold trivia and I thought I would share with you.
