Precious Metals » education

Old gold

Administrator — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:56:21 +0000

This is a great blog post by the folks at Mardon Jeweler’s in Riverside, CA. It has a perfect example/explanation of why we never use “old gold” in our work, but use recycled gold in every piece we make. While re-using gold from your old jewelry to make new pieces sounds both practical and romantic, it actually can be more costly (in the long run) than if you sell your old pieces for scrap and make the new piece from clean recycled metal.

Pet Peeve-Hollow gold Jewelry

Administrator — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:09:34 +0000

I just had a lovely woman come into the store with her favorite necklace. She purchased it because it is a great all occasion piece. It is a 14K gold chain with big circular links in different thicknesses and diameters. The problem is that the thinner links are deforming. When she took the necklace off and handed it to me, I immediately cringed. It was a piece of hollow gold jewelry. The links were made from tubes not solid wires, so that as the necklace was worn the tubes had started to collapse. Once a hollow piece has collapsed or dented, there is almost always no cure.

I HATE hollow gold pieces. I hate telling customers that their favorite piece of jewelry is unrepairable (or could be repaired at a huge expense). I especially hate it when they tell me that the piece is less than a year old.

Here’s the deal. Companies make hollow pieces because it is a great way to get the same look as a big heavy gold piece without the huge price tag. Customers buy hollow gold pieces because they see that a solid piece of similar size and style is 3 to 4 times as expensive as the hollow piece. But, as with most things, you get what you pay for. If you only wear the piece on special occasions, the hollow piece might work well for you. If you wear the piece everyday, it is only a matter of time, usually a few short years sometimes even months, before your jewelry is totally destroyed. Rings and bracelets take the most abuse and will wear out the fastest. Necklaces tend to fair a bit better, but the hollow piece are just not meant to be durable. The look big and flashy, but they don’t last.

If you are making a jewelry purchase look out for pieces that look heavy but feel light. Ask the sales person if the piece is hollow. If they don’t know, ask the manager. If the piece you like is hollow, keep in mind that you are buying something that might not be meant for everyday wear. If you already have hollow pieces, treat them with care. Don’t wear them to the gym or while you are doing chores or to bed. If you want to purchase an item which you plan to pass down to your children and will wear often, spend the extra money to buy a solid piece.

My personal opinion is that there is only one piece of hollow jewelry that is acceptable: the hollow earring. When it comes to earrings the lighter weight is not just less expensive, it is often more comfortable. Most gold hoops on the market are hollow, so you really don’t have much choice. The trick is to never, ever, ever wear the earrings to bed. 99% of the customers who bring me their hollow earrings that have been dented admit that the damage occurred when they were sleeping. Taking the earring off when you use the telephone is another way to extend its life.

This particular customer is pretty lucky. We are going to slowly replace her hollow links with links made from solid wire. It will extend the life of the necklace and restore the original look of the piece.

Braille Jewelry- LOVE IT!!!

Administrator — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:49:34 +0000

I’ve always been fascinated with braille. Both of my parents are eye doctors (one optometrist and one ophthalmologist), and worked closely with the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI) in Kansas City. I was amazed at how quickly the students there could read the little bumps, which to my fingers seemed completely random. At First Sight has created a line of braille jewelry designed to help people learn braille as well as to make people aware of the fact that the majority of the blind can’t read. According to statistics, only one in ten blind people know how to read braille. Compare that to the literacy rate for the U.S. as a whole, which is around 99%. Programs like CCVI are working hard to turn those numbers around and this jewelry is a great way to raise awareness. I urge you to check out both sites, buy a bracelet, and make a donation.

Go to At First Sight

November’s Birthstone- Topaz or Citrine

Administrator — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:41:46 +0000

When most people think of topaz they think of blue topaz. It is certainly the most common form of topaz found in most jewelry stores. But November’s birthstone is the yellow form of topaz or “Precious Topaz”. Unlike the blue topaz, which has been irradiated, Precious Topaz is an all natural stone with a beautiful golden hue. The more accessible Citrine (quartz) is often used as a substitute. Below is a link to the Jewelry Information Center’s page on November’s stones.

JIC- November Birthstones

All that glitters

Administrator — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:48:40 +0000

http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2010/03/05/all_that_glitters_may_not_be_cash/

Great article about selling gold. While Precious Metals buys gold, we will ALWAYS tell you exactly what we pay per pennyweight and will convert that to a per gram price if you request. We will break it down to the exact percentage that we pay (63%). Which mean that if the market value of the earrings in the article is $14.64, we would pay $9.23. That is more than what the dealers in the article pay, but more importantly, if the earrings were brand new (the examples in the article were just purchased) we would have advised you not to sell them as scrap! Never sell a piece of wearable jewelry as scrap unless you are desperate or have exhausted other options. Selling jewelry on e-bay or at a consignment store will allow you to get money for the workmanship and wearablity of the gold along with it’s market value as a precious metal. We also do metal exchanges. Say you have some 14K gold chains, and you want us to make a 14K gold ring. We will use the weight of your metal towards the weight of the metal in the new piece less ten percent. So essentially you are getting 90% of the value of the gold back.

Bottom line, do your research. Get quotes, and if you aren’t getting clear answers, don’t waste your time.

May’s Birthstone: Emerald

Administrator — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:48:08 +0000

Emerald is known as the “stone of successful love”. It is said to provide for domestic bliss and to instil both sensitivity and loyalty. It is also said that emerald can enhance the memory.
Emeralds are a variety of the mineral beryl. When beryl is blue it is called Aquamarine, and it can also be found in shades of yellow (golden beryl), red (bixbite), and pink(morganite).
While emerald has a hardness of 7.5 to 8 out of 10 on the Mohs scale, which measures resistance to scratching, they are very brittle and prone to breaking. If you are going to invest in emerald jewelry, look for earrings and necklaces rather than abuse prone rings.
Most natural emeralds are treated, usually by soaking them in oil. The oil fills surface fissures and make the stone look more uniform. Never put your emeralds in an ultrasonic cleaner or use jewelry cleaner, as both can remove the oil and change the appearance of your stone. Clean your emeralds with lukewarm water and a soft toothbrush.
Synthetic emeralds have been available since 1964. They are the same chemical compound as a natural emerald, but have been created in a lab. They have fantastic color and are an affordable alternative to the natural stone.
To learn more click here.