Fantastic Finds Info

If you’re an avid jewelry wearer and collector, you are probably aware that there are numerous little tricks and techniques for making your jewelry look its best. For one, you should always make sure your trendy jewelry is as sparkly, shiny, and polished as possible. If you’re wearing a metal product, make sure there’s no varnish. With a standard jewelry metal polish, scrub your pieces until they gleam.

Also make sure that jewelry is visible when you wear it. If, for example, you have a pendant on a medium chain, it might be prone to slipping under your blouse’s neckline where it can’t be seen or enjoyed. Or perhaps you have some pearl earrings, but they’re studs. If you have long hair, they can remain obstructed all day. For this reason, make sure you invest in pearl drop earrings. These will show even if you have long hair, and the natural light can illuminate some of the pearl’s beautiful luster.

“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!

Gold everywhere! There is a little known gemstone in the quartz family called rutilated quartz. It is a unusual stone. The gem itself is clear (or sometimes light yellow) with golden rods passing through it, criss-crossing in all directions. These rods are  bright gold and reflect beautifully on the clear background of the stone.

It occurred to me that with enough of these stones I could affect the gold market! What a prize! However, my fantasy came to a swift end when further study revealed  that these beautiful rods were only fools gold! What a disappointment!

One thing was saved out of my fantasy.  Let’s think about this a little bit more!  There are not many gemstones that are completely unique.  There are never ever two of them alike. Also, they are quartz!  Quartz is plentiful. That means that in terms of  gemstone prices, rutilated quartz will remain one of the lowest priced gemstones.  None of that distracts from  the beauty  of the golden clad gem that still makes up into gorgeous jewelry, unique gemstone rings, pendants and earrings.   So maybe I really have struck gold!

There are a few pieces of rutilated quartz rings and pendants in the Gemstone Creations Collection. When I find the right settings, I will be making more. So keep an eye on the websites!

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!

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.

Yes, really! Back before man populated the Earth, flaming meteors whipped into our planet, blasting giant holes in the Earth, creating volcanoes and other violations of the planet’s surface.  In the centuries that followed, volcanoes released steaming, molten streams of a hauntingly beautiful lime green substance. As modern excavators  explored ancient meteor sites the same material was seen as a part of a meteor.  Today, we call this beautiful  material ” peridot.” It was found first in Russia  where meteorites  collided with earth.  Yes,  Earth really does  has gemstones from outer space!

Peridot was found in many ancient cultures.  It was found in Egyptian jewelry as early as the 2nd millennium BC. Archaelogists found the probable source of these jewels at mine sites  long exhausted  on a volcanic island in the Red Sea about 45 miles off the coast of Aswan.

Peridot is the official birthstone for August. It is an appropriate  gift for a 16th wedding anniversary. It is the stone for the Zodiac sign of Libra! References to it as chrysolite, and “evening emeralds” are found throughout ancient literature and art.  The fabled breastplates of the Hebrew high priests were decorated with peridot. In the Bible it is called “pisdah.”  The Romans breastplates were also decorated with peridot.  It is believed that many of Cleopatra’s “emeralds” were really peridot!  Do you suppose Mark Anthony gave them to her?   We know that Napoleon gave peridot gems to Josephine as a token of his undying love!  Would you like to visit a beach where the sand is peridot?  Stay tuned and I will tell you where!