A young couple recently reached out to ask if I could make a wedding ring for them, using their collection of Family, and Personal jewlery. What a great idea!
Some of the pieces were inherited, while other pieces were gifted to them. 
Even though this is a very exciting project, full of fun and family history, it can be a challenge to knit together a Beautiful project from a collection of Gemstones. 
Sometimes the Gemstones and Diamonds vary significantly in their quality, so that the new piece will not look balanced. 
This particular project is to be a wedding and engagement set. The first step was a thorough cleaning and steaming of all of the gemstone jewelry. After the cleaning was completed, I then graded the quality of all of the diamonds. Many of the pieces were commercial “mall quality” diamonds; one piece with smaller diamonds had top light brown diamonds, which looked good when next to each other, but do not play well next to a bright white diamond. Since we were going to make a pavee band, their juxtaposition would make the color difference obvious to the naked eye. it was a big color difference.
Sorting out the brightest cleanest gemstones and the sizes that could work into a pavee style band takes time and patience. Most of the time comes into matching how well the cuts of the diamonds match. The last thing that you want is to have a beautiful bright field of diamonds only to be interrupted by a flat, dull non reflective diamond. 
The gold however is easy to repurpose. Usually the customer is given a choice of 18 vs 14 K white or yellow gold. The metal is cleaned up , any old solder is removed, and then it is mixed with brand new alloyed metal of the same caratage. 

So all in all, repurposing your jewelry may present a few challenges, but with a patient eye and careful callipers, a beautiful project can come to life. 
It can save you time and money. 
If you have old collectibles that you are not wearing, let’s see what we can do to bring them back to life!

Recently I was contacted by the daughter of a client. Her mom had moved to an assisted living facility, and she needed some help determining the value of her mom's jewelry. 
It turned out to be a very memorable time as we cleaned , polished and checked over her mom's valuable collection. 
I realized that among the collection there were many pieces that I had designed and manufactured. My client and her husband had celebrated their 50+ years of marriage by giving many one of a kind pieces of jewelry. 
Of course the daughter had her favorites, which was fun and touching to learn about. But it was also her task to give family members the jewelry pieces that had meaning for them as well. That was very special to experience. 
It was a memorable afternoon, and a pleasure to return many of the pieces to As New condition. It is wonderful, that the collection will go on being enjoyed by the family, and so with each piece,  will many fabulous memories of both mom and dad. 

Bracelets are a popular adornment. 
Linked bracelets are a favorite staple in jewelry boxes. Often times, after years of enjoyment, a weak link wears out. When wearing the bracelet, body oils and dirt act as an abrasive, and over time will cut a chanel into the link’s hinge, which can cause it to fail. The Bracelet hopefuly will fall off in your hourse or car, and not in the grocery store!
Most times teh links can be rebuilt. Wen one link fails, the chances are that several links will need to be rebuilt. 
The second issue with links, is the clasp, whether hinged cuff or linked. The tongue can wear, and the closure becomes unsecure. The tongue can be rebuilt with little difficulty. Sometimes it is the box end of the clasp, the part where the tongue inserts into the bracelet. Also, the edges that hold the tongue, can wear down, losing its ability to retain the tongue in a locked position. The box can be rebuilt and returned to returned to a new condition. 
So, wear your bracelets, clean them with your kitchen liquid detergent using a soft brush, then rinse with warm water. And, if you suspect that you have a worn link, take your bracelet to a your local small  jeweler, and not a big box or chain store. Chances are, using your local jeweler for repairs will cost less!
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The Sapphire is September’s Birthstone, and is a truly remarkable Gemstone. Corundum is the matrix material, or mother mineral for this stone. Sapphires actually come in a wide variety of colors, and here is why: when the Corundum is hot and fluid, it becomes mixed with other minerals, which gives the Corundum different colors. Hence HEAT is the reason for the multitude of Sapphire colors. In fact, you can choose from any color in the rainbow!
Pictured is a wedding ring with channel set saphires, which is a lovely use of this gemstone. 
Athough blue Sapphies are seen commonly, the Red color of Corundum is known as Ruby! And, the Lotus Flower Pink (with peach overtones) is known as Padaparasha. 
If you are a September baby, you are blessed with a truly unlimited variety of Corundum ( Sapphires) from which to choose! 
Have fun choosing your favorite Sapphire. 

Solitaire Studs of Pearls, Colored Gemstones, or Diamonds add a highlight to your look, by using a punctuation of color and light. 
​Dangling Earrings give movement and length to the appearance of the ear. That little bit of motion adds alot of drama!
Huggy Earrings are very nice. They hug the ear lobe, and have a finished front side and back side. They clip on, and have a taylored appearance. The design styles are limitless, from simple hoops to colored gemstones, some whimsical and some playful. 
Button earrings are usually on the larger side, and because of their size and weight have French backs to hold them upright on the ear. These earrings can feature larger colored gemstones, and there is alot of area to work with. You can work with different forms or designs, from freeform, to geometric, to asymmetrical shapes. These earrings tend to make a BOLDER fashion statement. 

When choosing an earring style, you should keep in mind the shape of your face. Whether your face is round, pear, oval or square in shape, pick a style that flatters your look with a design that accents you beautifully. 

Earrrings are a wonderfull part of the jewelry wardrobe. Discover your style and look your best!

My Favorite Clients are the ones who have taken the time to celebrate those special moments in life. The Birthdays, Anniversaries, and significant events such as career promotions, graduations, and accomplishments to remember and commemorate!
A recent customer called, and wanted to make an appointment to upgrade his wife’s original wedding ring. They were celebrating their 50th anniversary!
He wanted to give her a diamond when they were married, and what he could afford, was a yellow gold free form band. It was lovely! And of course, that band means the world to them. His comment was “from humble beginnings.” I had a beautiful half carat diamond that they both fell in love with. I fashioned it into their old ring with some careful remodeling. 
When they picked up the finished ring, it brought tears to their eyes. He said to her that she finally had her diamond that he had been saving up for so long. A wonderful celebration of their sparkling life, together.

 Corundum: a spectacular mineral that displays every color under the rainbow, with many variations of color and so many nuances. 
Red Corundum is named Ruby. 
This Gemstone is often referred to as the Gemstone of Passion. 
Fiery Red, this gem is RARE because Chromium in the earth’s mantle is extremely rare. The Corundum mineral has to come into contact with the chromium to create the beautiful red color in Rubies. 
Ruby is found Africa, Thailand, Burma.... large gems are very rare, and only a few each year are discovered that are greater than 3 carats. 
July’s birthstone is Fiery with Passion and Radiance!

At LAST there is an affordable and durable, refractable replacement for Diamonds!
At the end of the 19th Century, Henri Moissan discovered a mineral from a fallen meteriorite in Arizona. He took it to his lab, and deconstructed the mineral, and determined that it was silicon carbide. At about the same time, Edward Acheson set about reconstructing silicon carbide in a controlled environment. This brilliant gem is now known as moissanite, whether found naturally or when synthetically created.
MOISSANITE.
It has the hardness of the diamond, at 9.5-9.9 on the Mohs scale for gemstone durability. 
It has as much refraction or ability to SPARKLE as a diamond, and if cut properly it can sparkle MORE.
The patent on the process expired a few years back, so there are alot of competitors in the arena.....not always a good thing because not every company produces Gem Color Cut and Clarity. However, a fine Moissanite of 1 carat retails for around $600 today, versus $6500 for a 1 carat diamond. 
As in all things, educate yourself about the differences, and check it out. 
Your Jeweler will not know the difference between a diamond and moissanite, using a Diamond Meter test, because moissanite appears the same as diamond in this test. However, the specific gravity or weight of the two gemstones is different, the optical character is birefringent (also different), it changes color at 150F, and has different electrical conductivity than diamond. So there are positive ways to differentiate the two gemstones. 
Consider Moissanite for your Fine Jewelry.
Read more about Moissanite:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-1997-synthetic-moissanite-nassau

When Making a Repair to your Jewelry, the experience of your personal jeweler matters. 
Most often, jewelry repairs require some soldering or welds. 
There are FOUR types of Solders:

• EASY- Low temperature, easy flow/ BAD for durability
• MEDIUM- Medium Temperature, about 1800 degrees, use near gemstones
• HARD- 1820 degrees which is close to the metal melt temperature, usually the best for Quality repairs
• Repair Hard- Very Very close to metal melt temperature. I use this only for ring sizings

If you take your jewelry to a “hands on “ jeweler, your jeweler will be familiar with the different types of solders and welds, and will make the appropriate choice for the repair. 

All too often, the Big Box stores or Mall Jewelers use inexpensive repairs using easy solder where hard solder should be used.  Have you ever wondered why your ring shank cracked, or why the tips on your prongs did not last long? Chances are easy solder was used. I see this frequently when jewelry is brought in for repairs. 

Ring Shank Repairs: 
Recently a diamond and sapphire ring came in for refurbishment. 
The client was unhappy with the ring shank, which had recently been repaired. The ring shank had cracked yet again. 
So I looked at the ring, and after inspecting it, noticed that the ring had been sized four times! The ring shank was thin and had lost the ability to remain in the round. 
I mentioned that an option is to replace a portion of the ring with new metal, basically a half ring shank. The client elected to have the existing shank resoldered. 

When I approach a repair like this one, the ring is thoroughly cleaned..... after cleaning I gently heat the ring up, to see where repairs have been made in the past. The Solder will gently discolor , indicating where the sizings or repairs have been made in the past. And, SURPRISE ...... the ring shank fell into the Jewelers Bench Tray!
The jeweler in the past used 14K or 10K Easy Solder. 
After removing the easy solder and thoroughly inspecting the other solder seams, I used 14K Hard Solder and reinstalled that portion of the shank. The repairs that I made were very solid, and will last a long time. 
However, this project was a very good candidate for 1/2 ring shank replacement, as it would have added strength and cleaned up the past mediocre repairs. 
But even so, I told my client, that in the future I would take care of any problems related to my repair, without additional charges. I stand behind my work.