Fantastic Finds Info

My mother’s birthday and Mother’s Day often coincide. This can be problematic for my brother and me because our mom is difficult to shop for. Finding two worthy presents in the same time frame can be quite a challenge. This year, I think we’re going to hit it out of the ball park.

We’ve settled on ordering her matching mother’s birthstone jewelry. The birthstone for May is emerald, so we’re having an emerald pendant necklace crafted. The second part of the gift will be a custom made ring with our mother’s birthstone flanked by birthstones representing my brother and me. I was born in December, so my birthstone is topaz, while my brother, who was born in August, has peridot as a birthstone.

For my girlfriend’s birthday I had jewelry custom made for her. I was able to find a jeweler online who specializes in birthstones. My girlfriend’s birthday is in February and the corresponding birthstone is amethyst. With help from the jeweler I was able to come up with a necklace, earring, and ring set I think my girlfriend will really love.

The pendant on the necklace is designed to look like a primrose, the flower of February. Supposedly, the primrose represents modesty, distinction, and virtue- all qualities that my girlfriend possesses. The other design birthstone jewelry is simplistic in comparison. The earrings are amethyst studs, though the matching amethyst ring has a swirling design on the silver band. I’m hoping that my girlfriend really loves her custom birthday gift!

Different societies have different traditions when it comes to birthstones, which is why there are so many inconsistencies as to which are the “correct” stones for each month. Some cultures follow the traditional birthstones associated with the Gregorian calendar. Others believe in mystical birthstones, which are Tibetan in origin and date back over one thousand years. Ayurvedic birthstone lists come from ancient Indian medicinal and philosophic traditions from 1500 BCE. In Babylon, birthstones were based on the Zodiac and were thought to have magical properties.

A pamphlet published by Tiffany and Co. in 1870 gives a list of birthstone colors that are generally accepted:

January- garnet
February- amethyst
March- bloodstone
April- diamond
May- emerald
June- pearls
July- ruby
August – peridot
September- sapphire
October- opal
November- topaz
December- turquoise

It’s only natural for a mother to relive her youth vicariously through her daughter. As our children age, we compare their progress to that of our own – their interests, talents and even their temper tantrums and signs of rebellion. For a stylish mom, her daughter’s clothing and accessory choices are a point of special interest. At some point, the question of ear piercing will probably come up in conversation.

Most health experts encourage parents to wait until their daughters are old enough to discuss the question of pierced ears. In some cases young children are traumatized by the process because they don’t understand what’s going on. But children’s earrings represent a rite of passage for girls old enough to understand their significance. To make the experience particularly memorable, bring your daughter on her birthday. Consult a list or birthstone colors and meanings; this way you’ll be able to give her a unique set of earrings with her stone to commemorate the occasion.

“Someone turn that TV down.” I demanded in frustration.  ” I can’t concentrate and  balance this checkbook with that thing yelling at me!”  Then I realized that I was the only one in the house.  After muttering a few choice words,  I backed my wheelchair away from the computer, located the remote control and turned the monster down–but not before my eye caught  a demonstration of amateursbeing taught to set gemstone jewelry. “Looks like fun,” I told myself.  For a moment I dared to think that I could do that. Then all the excuses reared their ugly heads.  You are handicapped.  You are wheelchair bound.  You have severe arthritis in your hands.  Your hands shake sometimes!  I justified all of this kind of thinking with old generalization–You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and this old dog was 83!  ”Oh, forget it!” I told myself out loud. But the idea just hung around, so I decided to prove once and for all that I could not learn this art.

“Teach me to make a ring like this I have on,” I pointed to the ruby ring on my finger.  The retired master jewelry designer I had called on for help looked at me like I was out of my mind. And to tell you the truth, I was thinking the same thing!

“Fay, you are 83 years old.  That is too old to learn this skill.  Find something easier.  It took me years to gain that skill, and I was a young pup then,” my friend cautioned.

“You are probably right,” I countered,” but pretend I am 30 and try anyway.I need to know if I can do it. I need to know if I can learn something that is brand new to me.”

In the next few months, I broke prongs, set stones crooked and made other boo-boos.  But I was challenged to finally do it right.  Then the fun began.  I spent hours actually enjoying myself in the sun room where I had set  up shop.  I was so proud of each item I made correctly! When my hands got shaky I just quit for a while.  When the arthritis caused my hands to ache unbearably, I dealt with the pain, and went on.  My mentor was amazed at my success!  So was I!  And so am I today after creating about 500 pieces.  Each one was unusual and each was unique!  And the most important thing–I made each one!  What a heavenly feeling!

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?  Don’t be so sure. The older learner absorbs new skills in a different way than younger ones do.  They need more demonstration and  practice with the new addition to their store of knowledge.  But, old dogs can learn new tricks–and they do so with gusto!

PS: In past years this writer  was a recognized authority on adult learning ability.  I am sure she would like to hear your thoughts on the subject.  Do you think that old learners can master new skills?  Just try!

How can you tell if a gemstone is real or not?  I have already told you that the most obvious characteristic–color– is of no help!   But there are other clues.

Pay attention to the language used to describe the gem.  If the stone is described as natural, you know that Mother Nature has taken eons of time to create the beautiful  gem inside the rock in the earth.  It took primitive man a long time to learn to mine it  and to figure out  the characteristics that would mark the stone as valuable.  But with a pick ax and a shovel, primitive man learned to get and to value the shining rock in his hand.

Today, if the stone is described as simulated, it has the looks of the gemstone, but none of its valuable mineral properties.  It could be made out of anything from glass to bits of other natural gemstones.  But it is just a look-alike!  Much of the costume  or fashion jewelry worn today uses simulated stones.  They are sometimes very beautiful—-and a lot less expensive!

If  the stone is described as synthetic, you have a real treasure!  These stones have the same color (or sometimes better color) as the natural ones.  They have the same chemical makeup. They have the same visual and refractive characteristics. They have the same specific gravity.  In every way they are the same as the natural stone–except in two ways–length of time needed for them to grow and the price you pay.  Because of these factors, many well known designers use as many synthetic stones as natural ones.   In almost any jewelry store today you will see as many synthetic stones as natural ones.

Simulated and Synthetic!  These are the two “S” you need to be aware of in selecting jewelry for your treasure chest!  There is one more thing that you need to know before you go shopping.  Whoops! I am writing too much again, so I will tell you about this in the next blog!

BE CAREFUL! If you are buying a TV or a washing machine it is easy to compare models, etc. and make good value decisions. But very few of us have the knowledge to make that kind of decision about gemstones. Sadly to say, both on the internet and behind store front windows there is a multitude of  corrupt merchants who will smilingly take your money without giving you fair value.  There is also a multitude of very honest merchants.  I wish I could always tell the difference!

The best defense the customer has is the appraisal services of a skillful independent appraiser. Never buy an expensive piece of jewelry without this!   Honest merchants will encourage you to seek this service.

An appraiser is a gemologist who has invested a fortune in instruments that measure various properties of natural gemstones and years in studying what to look for in identifying gems.  His services are usually expensive, but worth the investment.    There is nothing more heart breaking to discover that the beautiful unique gemstone ring you emptied your piggy bank to buy is nothing more than a piece of bottle glass!

I craft the jewelry pieces for Gemstone Creations.  I am fascinated by gemology and have invested time and money into the purchase of a microscope and many  other instruments to help me identify gems.  I spend a lot of time studying the characteristics of gems, so that someday I will be a gemologist.  But that time has not yet come, so I have found a substitute way to identify the probable value of a gemstone.

I have used up my word limit  for this blog, so in the next one I will tell you all about this valuable resource.  It is available to everyone and is just a few clicks away.  Stay tuned . . . . .

I wish that we were all millionaires, but I certainly am not and probably you aren’t either!   What is that old saying–a champagne taste and a beer pocketbook–That is me!

I look at beautiful gemstones–large, bright, with few inclusions, perfectly shaped and perfectly cut– and tell myself I would love to make a ring from this stone.  But then I look at the price tag and quickly compute what I would have to sell  the finished ring for in order to break even and I put the beautiful gem back!

But there is a way I can eat my cake and have it, too!  That’s right–use the synthetic gemstones that have been expertly grown in a lab.  In fact,  not   many of us can afford to wear large natural gemstones because of their high price.

A good lab grown gem can have all the beauty of its natural counterpart.  It is not only beautiful but it is affordable jewelry. Many people even prefer the color and clarity of the synthetic gemstones over that of the natural gemstone.  The synthetics have fewer inclusions and are much more durable. Natural emeralds, for instance, are known for their cracks that weaken the stone.   Almost all natural emeralds are heat treated in one way or another  because of this.  Synthetic emeralds, on the other hand, have very few, if any, cracks.

Remember, a synthetic ruby has all the properties that make a ruby a ruby.  The gemologist with only a small portion of the natural ruby can grow a gem around the natural seed that will give the new creation all of the properties needed to become a real ruby. The gemologist  only requires a fraction of the time needed by Mother Nature to make a beatiful ruby.  Therefore, the price is much, much lower.

Another thing you need to remember when you are making a decision between the two–natural or synthetic–is that no natural gemstone is fault free.  The foreign materials that were caught up in Mother Nature’s procedures causes weaknesses that must be dealt with.  There are very few natural gems that are pure enough not to need some form of treatment to compensate for these weaknesses.

So when you are making choices, remember that synthetics are real, too!  And they are cheaper!

In the last blog I told you not to count on color to identify the authenticity of that gemstone you have been admiring.  Pay attention to the language that is used to describe the stone.  If the stone is described as natural, Mother Nature took eons of time to create the beautiful  gem in the rock of the earth.  It took man a long time to identify the characteristics that would identify the stone.

If the stone is described as simulated, it has the looks of the gemstone, but none of its valuable characteristics.  It could be made out of anything from glass or plastic to bits of other natural gemstones.  But it is just a look-alike!  Much of what is worn as  fashion jewelry today uses simulated stones.  They are sometimes very beautiful—-and a lot less expensive!

If  the stone is described as synthetic, you have a real treasure!  These stones have the same color (or sometimes better color) as natural ones.  They have the same chemical makeup. They have the same visual and refractive characteristics. They have the same specific gravity.  In every way they are the same as the natural stone–except in two ways–the shorter  time the laboratory needed for the gems to mature,  and consequently,  the price you pay.  Because of these two factors, many well known jewelry designers  use as many synthetic stones as natural ones.  Look at the showcases of almost any of today’s jewelry stores.  You will see as many synthetic stones as natural ones.  Some of them are really prettier than their natural counterparts, and all are cheaper.

Whoops!  There I go again, writing too much.  So next time I will tell you the one other thing you need to know before you go jewelry shopping!  Till we meet again…….

Have you ever wondered whether that trendy jewelry bought at a flee market was real or just a look-alike?  I did , too.  That is until recently, when after much study and learning the things I needed to know,   I acquired instruments that would help me answer that question.  With much sadness  I found that I could no longer claim that the big green stone ring on my right finger was real!  What a disappointment!  Of course, you would not be expected to buy the instruments, do the study, etc. to identify the gemstone the way I did.  I am fascinated by gemology.  But there are other hints that can help you.

First, color is no help. There is no color difference in a garnet and a ruby, or an amethyst  and an iolite.  When you are only given color differences as the gem  identifier watch out!  Even the most experienced  jeweler can be fooled this way.

My daughter told me that I write too much.  So, I am going to please her and stop right here.  The next blog that I write will tell you how to be more comfortable in buying gemstone jewelry.  So keep tuned in–we will be back very soon.  Same time and same place!  Meanwhile look at the the beautiful things we have put on the websites.