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. 

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

Clients often ask me this question: how do I clean my ring and jewelry?
So I will offer a couple of pointers.
First, if every prong is in good repair, and all your gemstones are tight, then it is safe to clean your ring! You dont want any stones to fall out.
For diamonds and other gemstones, NOT for Pearls:
Mix 1/2 tsp of vinegar, 1/2 tsp of ammonia and 1/2 tsp of dish detergent together. Then add the cleaning mixture to one quart of warm water. 
After you have mixed the cleaning and water solution, soak your jewelry in the solution for 30 minutes. After soaking, take a soft toothbrush and gently clean all surfaces. 
Your gemstones should be clean and brilliant after the soak and brushing. 
For Pearls:
To clean Pearls, use 1/2 tsp dish detergent in 1/2 quart warm water. NO ammonia or vinegar. Clean Pearls using a microfiber cloth, NOT a toothbrush. 

In general, it is recommended to have your jewelry cleaned by your Jeweler every 6 months or so. This allows for not just cleaning, but also for examination of the gold, assessment of  tightness of gemstone fittings, and review of the general condition of your  jewelry. At Michael Nutter Jeweler, there is NO CHARGE for cleaning and jewelry checks. 

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. 

The Queen of the Gemstone World: The Pearl

A Perfect Genstone. Organically birthed, and grown in the Great Oceans and Waters around the world; there are so many to choose from!
Mississippi River Pearls
Biwa Fresh Water Pearls
South Sea Pearls
Pearls are very diverse. There are many different sizes ranging from 2mm to 16 mm.
A wide range of colors from snow white, cream, light brown, pink, dark brown, golden, black, gray silver are available! Pick the color that is best for your skin complexion. 
This Wonderful Gem can be worn casually or Dressed up for any Formal Event. They will look absolutely beautiful!
Pearls can be crafted in many different jewelry settings!
From Classic Solitaire Pearl Stud Earrings, or an elegant Solitaire Pearl Ring, to the simple strand of pearls. Always in Style!

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. 

When I began my career in the field of jewelry design, the ARTWORK of jewelry design was organic and fluid. The textures were amazing, using wood, lava flow, and leaves that reflected the Back To the Earth movement of the 60’s. It was exciting and represented a BIG movement away from the 40’s and 50’s in jewelry design.
In the 40’s and 50’s, design was straight forward with lines of diamonds, center stones, and generally yellow gold. 
Forward to the 70’s , which brought BIG yellow gold jewelry with Wide yellow gold bands and Lots of prongs. 
In the 80’s ring fashion changed and showed lots of Channel set diamonds, freeform designs flowing with smooth movement, accented with small diamonds in channels to compliment the center gemstone. 
And then there was the 90’s. BIG Diamonds, 2 carat center stones were all the rage! These designs were taylored to allow the Centerstone to become Centerstage. 
In the 2000’s, the price of Gold hit an alltime high. The field of jewelry design retooled and redesigned: mountings became light and thin! Micropave and small diamonds embellished almost every surface. Designs used very little gold, and A LOT of small diamonds. 
And then there was CAD
Computer Assisted Design: the technology of the day RULES.
Jewelry designs have become neutered, boooooring and cookie cutter. 
One Halo design looks just like ten others, they all look the same. 
I Believe that the ART and Feel of individually crafted jewelry has almost disappeared. 
My Hope is that Individuality begins to reemerge; That REAL design reclaims true artistry in the Golsdmithing Design Arena. 
Afer all, who is really proud of a Mechanical Technical Manipulation that is sitting on their hand, VS a hand made, hand set collection of Gems, with sublte and beautiful Technique. Unique in design, subtle in its imperfection, with organically generated artistry, NOT a DNA cookie cutter model!
People will make the choice. I hope the human eye and hand will prevail over the CAD and Mechanisation that has taken precedence in the last decade. 

Does your RING need new PRONGS?
Does it need to have the TIPS built back up?

Do your RING PRONGS look like flat pads with no to little material over your Gemstone?
Has a RING PRONG broken or sheered off?
If this has happened, then it is time to have your RING tips RETIPPED.
A Jeweler is trained in the craft of RETIPPING and is skilled in this area. Taking your fine jewelry to a Jeweler will provide you with the best support for your RING. 
If your RING is in poor shape , or the tips have already been reworked, it might be best to have a new head or setting installed, and have the Gemstone reset.  Your Jeweler can help. 

A good RETIPPING job should restore the tips to a “Like New” look. The tips should be just over the Gemstone and higher than the worn tips, leaving a nice finished Bead on all of the tips.
​Only hard solder  should be used for a good quality and long lasting repair. All too often, I see the result of inexperienced technicians, who use “easy solder” as a short cut  in retipping repairs, which is not durable, does not last very long, and is very frustrating for the Jewelry Lover in the short term. Quality takes time and patience!
The Ring pictured above is Bezel Set.
Read More about Retipping Rings
https://www.dmia.net/what-is-retipping-a-ring-7-things-you-should-know/