Beauty Tips Guides

In the open marketplace, the value of ANYTHING is what a willing Seller is prepared to sell for, and what a WILLING BUYER - or YOU in this case - are willing to pay.

Generally in a forced sale situation, items selling on the secondhand market (Forced Sale Conditions) may only get between 10% percent to 50% percent of an appraisal value.

This appraisal or Valuation is based on what an item would cost if it is lost or stolen. It is for the INSURANCE campanies only, but is often mistaken for what something is ‘Really Worth’ - which it is not.

Maybe the person who has these Sapphires can’t get rid of them at any price, and so is happy to trade them at cents on the dollar.

The real question is: Would you rather have $3500 bucks in your hand - OR are you willing to take a gamble and see if you can find someone willing to put a profit on them for you.

Remember there are thousands of gemstone dealers out there who already supply on a 90 day invoice to all the jewelers in the world. So why should they buy these from you?

But they might if the price is right…

Pawn brokers and dealers buy and sell everyday - many on eBay for example. But they understand that Valuation Appraisals are only for Insurance and are nothing more than a GUIDE to a replacement cost.

Your call… As long as you are not shelling out money and the only cost is your time… Why not?

On the other hand….

To understand a little more about Jewelry Appraisals and how they are calculated, find an online jewelry appraisal website and follow some of their info articles.

Sapphire is a precious stone or gem that is a form of corundum, a hard mineral of aluminum oxide. Sapphire is prized for its translucent beauty. It is the focal point of many pieces of fine jewelry. Sapphires can be set in pendants, rings, earrings, brooches and tiaras.

Sapphire is usually thought of as a deep blue gem. However, sapphire is found in many different shades of blue, as well as many other colors. Sapphires that are any color other than blue are called fancy sapphires. Fancy sapphires can be orange, yellow, green, pink, or purple. Red sapphires are called rubies.

A very unusual type of sapphire is called the star sapphire. Star sapphires produce the appearance of a six point star that is the result of tiny crystal inclusions in the stone. The symmetry and balance of the star, along with the shade and translucence of the stone, make for a more perfect star sapphire. Star sapphires are very valuable because of their rarity.

Sapphires are found buried in the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. Growing in hard crystal clusters, they are laboriously mined and than turned over to a cutter. Sapphires are second only to diamonds in their hardness, which makes them easy to care for and virtually indestructible.

A skilled cutter gives sapphires their individual shapes and meticulously works to bring out their optimum reflective potential through the cut. Before a sapphire reaches the hands of a cutter, it hardly resembles the end product that we see and prize. A sapphire in the raw appears cloudy or solid, dull and common.

Sapphires are a favorite choice for engagement rings because of the emotions associated with them. Sapphire is symbolic of love, permanence, loyalty and trust. Sapphire is also the birthstone for those born in September, which provides even more sentiment to an already beautiful piece of jewelry.

Sapphires are also thought to have healing properties. They are used to heal or relieve arthritis, swelling and painful conditions that affect the joints and muscles. Sapphires are also thought to ease mental illnesses and abdominal discomforts.

Throughout history, sapphires have been used to enhance physic powers, and to assist in clairvoyance and the ability to move objects with the mind. They were also believed to promote telepathic powers, the ability to communicate through thought. This might explain why sapphire is a favorite among lovers!

Victor Epand is the owner of JewerlyGift.biz, a huge online jewelry retailer featuring the largest and best selection of jewelry including personalizable items…

The best way to repair is often with a cement. Do the edges of the broken pieces fit together closely? If so, a good two-part epoxy cement is best. I recommend an epoxy which cures to a clear color, not amber like most. The brand name is Huges 330 Epoxy. It is made for gemstone material cementing. A craft shop should have this cement or may order it for you. If not, try an exposy cement from a craft shop or hardware store but do not get the quick setting kind. The best will harden in about 2 hours. Quick set cements cure in 5 minutes and this is too little time to make a good joint of the broken ends.

Clean the ends well with alcohol. This is needed to remove any traces of oils, etc. which will lead to a joint failure later. Arrange a means to hold the ends together so the ends will not be moved until the cement cures. Do this arrangement first and be certain it will work.

Then, mix the two part cement according to directions. Apply only enough cement to one broken edge to cover the end with a little cement. Push the pieces together and see if too much runs out the edges. If so, wipe off before the cement starts to cure then place together again. Hold the pieces in place as mentioned already.

Leave the left over on a mixing paper or plastic, whatever is used to mix the cement and place the mixer(toothpick, paper clip or other handy object) into the unused part. When the object is cemented hard on the unused portion of the cement, you know the jade is also cured and may be handled.

Excess if any may be carefully trimmed with a razor edge or left alone. Trimming of extruded cement will often leave a white and easily seen line. Sometimes it is best to leave the cement as is.

If you have way too much cement and way too much is pushed from the joined edges, clean in acetone or nail polish remover. Clean well as you can. Then start again with a new mix of the epoxy. Do not use “super glue” since this will not hold strongly for a long period of time.

If you want to try to do the work, I believe you can. The first try might be messy and you might have to try a second time. If you want someone else to do it, a jeweler should be able to cement the pieces together for yourepair depends on the sort of break in the bracelet. If the jade is broken and the ends of the break fit fairly well, a jeweler( or you if handy with such) may use a good expoxy cement to join the ends. A recommended epoxy is Hughes 330, recommended because it cures water clear and is quite strong with gemstone materials. In any case, epoxy cements have no strength when first mixed. The cure brings the strength. If you try it yourself, dry fit first to find a way to support the pieces during the 2 hour cure time.

If the break is jagged and the ends do not fit, the best solution is to have a jeweler make a metal tube, either of silver or gold, to go over the broken ends and bring all together as a jade bangle with “metal fittings”. The tube will need to have two ends angled to fit the curve of the jade pieces at each break.

I do hope the break is clean and will fit back together. If so, with a good cleaning to remove all traces of oils, etc., the epoxy solution to the fix will work quite well. If done carefully, there will be little to show obviously at the break line.

Victor Epand is the owner of JewerlyGift.biz, a huge online jewelry retailer featuring the largest and best selection of jewelry including personalizable items…

You ask how durable is an 18k gold plate. Wow, I do wish I could give you an answer in months or years or in any time frame. The fact is, without knowing how thick the plated surface actually might be there is little way to predict wearability. Even if I knew the thickness, the best I could say is, “It will wear better (or worse) than this or that other sort of plate or layer.”

So much depends on how often the ring is worn and the conditions of that time when worn. I do believe you will take good care of the ring and that does make me happy. Too many folks will come into our business with a worn out ring, packed with dirt and stones dull from all of it…then proudly say, “I never take it off.” What a mistake they make! Gentle and regular care and cleaning is so vital to keeping a ring looking the best and detecting if any stones might have worked loose.

When the ring is worn, if your hands are in contact with surfaces which contact the ring, daily wear will eventually take the plate from that contact area. This wear might come from a desk, keyboard hand support or simply items you regularly handle in day to day work and living. Being more alert to what the ring touches will certainly give you a “heads up” on preventing wear from everyday contact.

The National Gold and Silver Marking Act (USA) requires certain thicknesses of gold plate for a jewelry item to be stamped as gold plated. The mark might be “gold plate”, “hge” for heavy gold electroplate or simply “plate” or “plated”. These marks indicate a recognized thickness of gold plating. If there is no mark saying gold plated in one form or the other, likely the plate is of the thinner sort and not thick enough to qualify for marking as plated. Sure, it is plated but not thickly enough to warrant the marking. If not marked as plated, the ring is likely plated about as thickly as typical costume jewelry and will wear about as well.

How long? I simply cannot say. My wife wears lots of Avon jewelry items all with only a wash of gold color on them.(She happens to like it..) Still, it is surprising how long the surface does last. I suspect your ring has a thicker plate than that and should last longer.

When caring for the ring, use essentially the same steps to clean as with CZ’s. However, do not often use a polishing cloth, especially the chemical or rouge treated ones. These are made to remove tarnish and are capable of eventually wearing away the gold plating on the ring! Wipe gently with a soft cloth only to dry from cleaning in a mild detergent solution. You may use a soft brush to clean behind the stones.

The surface will show some wear from daily contact and that is normal. This will happen long before the plate is worn through. Trying to polish out the wear from daily contact will only help remove the plate and greatly reduce the life of the ring.

I realize this answer is vague. There are simply no fast rules as to how long a plated jewlery item will last since each person has a personal life and conditions are different.

Victor Epand is the owner of JewerlyGift.biz, a huge online jewelry retailer featuring the largest and best selection of jewelry including personalizable items…

Diamonds are one of the most sought after precious gems and diamond jewelry has been given as gifts and treasured for ages. While we all know that diamonds are an important factor in jewelry and especially in the engagement ring, did you know that diamonds have important industrial uses as well?

Here are some of the ways that diamonds are used in industry:

- Diamond powder is used as abrasives.
- As a semiconductor
- To polish or cut other materials
- A electrical insulators
- As drill-bits
- As Engraving tools

Known as the hardest mineral and natural material, only another diamond can make a scratch to another one.

One of the things that makes a diamond so expensive is the precise and strict controls of production necessary before it can be sold to any part of the world.

Almost 49% of diamonds comes from southern and central Africa. Other countries where diamonds are abundant include Brazil, Canada, Australia and India. Diamonds vary in size, shape, color and weight. Each corresponding element contributes to the value of a diamond, thus, each is different its own subtle way.

Here are some of the characteristics of a diamond that contributes to its value:

1. Color

Diamonds that have the least color are the most expensive ones. Color may or may not been seen by the naked eye. The color of diamond is graded according to the following groupings.

D: This is the grade that has the highest form. It is absolutely colorless and diamonds with this grade are classified as extremely rare.
E: Colorless. Minute or very small traces of color can be seen, though this can be detected only mostly by trained gemologist. This is classified as a rare form of diamond.
F: Colorless. Small traces of color can be detected or seen by gemologists. This is still classified in the colorless category and is deemed as a high-quality form of diamond.
G-H: Near colorless. When compared to other diamonds that are of higher grade, color is noticeable but can are still classified to be of excellent value.
I-J: Near colorless. Diamonds in this category have a color that is somewhat noticeable.
K-Z: The least expensive types of diamonds. Has an oily or hazy look on it.

2. Cut

The brilliance of any diamond depends on how it is cut. Cutting on diamonds refers to the art and science of producing a diamond of gem-quality from its rough beginnings.

It likewise refers to how a diamond is shaped and polished. Most gemologists determine the value of a diamond based on its cuts. This is due to the fact that even if the stone is of perfect clarity and color, its brilliance may be dulled if not appropriately cut.

Cut may be deep, shallow or of the perfect length. A cut that is too deep allows light to escape of the sides, thus making it look dull and dark. If it is too shallow, most of the light that is reflected is lost at the lower part or bottom, thus the diamond tend to loose its brilliance.

3. Clarity

Diamonds that have the highest value and are the most sought-after ones are those that are absolutely clear, meaning, it free from subtle coloring, scratches or tiny traces of minerals.

4. Carat

This refers to the mass of a diamond or its weight. One carat is exactly 200 milligrams. The biggest carat size if 5, the smallest of which usually is 0.25.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.artisan-jewelry-online.com where you can learn more about jewelry of all types as well as how to buy diamond jewelry.

For those with a December birthday, a birthstone is always a perfect and safe choice for a gift, specially if one is left clueless as to what the celebrator would want or need for a present.

Birthstones are actually precious and semi-precious stones which have been associated with birth dates for centuries. They come in varying colors, textures, sizes and shapes.

Different cultures assign specific gemstones for each month based on the zodiac until there came a time when a specific gemstone was assigned for each of the month. Different cultures have different sets of twelve semi-precious and precious stones. Although the choice of stones to represent each month differ from culture to culture, one thing is certain- wearing birthstones effectively bring good luck and health. Some even believe that these stones have “powers”.

Birthstones, as a tradition, is deeply embedded in modern culture and birthstone jewelry is widely gaining popularity nowadays.

However, here in the United States, there is not a single gemstone for a particular month. In fact, there are numerous birthstones for each of the twelve months! And so, choosing a December birthstone, for one, will not prove to be a very easy task.

Turquoise may be the most popular of all the December birthstones, owing to its value and unique color. Often referred to as the modern December birthstone, turquoise actually happens to be one of the most valuable non-transparent minerals often used in making jewelry.

Its value was first discovered by Egyptians in 6000 BC. Turquoise is considered sacred by the North American Indians and Tibetans. These stones are used in rituals and ceremonies officiated by shamans because it is believed to promote spiritual and mental clarity. These stones are also believed to enhance one’s trust, understanding, kindness and wisdom.

Although turquoise literally means stone of Turkey in French, turquoise of finest quality are sourced from Iran. However, high-grade stones can also be found in the southwestern parts of United States such as in Arizona and New Mexico. Turquoise of poor quality is often dyed or applied with coatings of various resins.

Turquoise usually come in hues of green blue and light sky blue. Hardness of turquoise stones is between 5- 6.

Another December birthstone would be the zircon which could be mistaken for a diamond due to its luster and fire. Generally, zircon is in hues of browns and greens. However, it can be heat-treated to attain a beautiful blue or golden hue.

Blue topaz is another modern December birthstone. Topaz, the hardest of silicate minerals, came from the Sanskrit word “tapas” which literally means fire and symbolizes love and fidelity.

It is believed to possess healing powers. When in its pure form, Topaz appears colorless. However, with minor treatments, it can turn into a variety of colors such as pink, red, green, yellow and blue. This mineral can be mostly found in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.

Less popular December birthstones would be the tanzanite, lapis or lapiz lasuli, ruby, onyx and chrysoprase.

When shopping for birthstones, make sure it is the real thing. There are many categories of gemstones. They are either called genuine, natural, synthetic, simulated, treated or a combination of these. A genuine gemstone is real. If a genuine gemstone is in the same state it was found, it is called a natural gemstone.

On the other hand, the chemical characteristics of some gemstones can be reproduced in laboratories. These are called synthetic gemstones. Synthetic gemstones cost less than natural gemstones. Those who are made to look like genuine stones in color and texture, but are actually made of a different material, are called imitation stones.

Remember that birthstones of low quality, when treated, can look like stones of high quality due to enhanced color and clarity.

Read as much as you can about birthstones before making a purchase and compare prices. Comprehensive information that you will need are available on the internet.

Ask for a jeweler or gemologist you trust to guide you in assessing and evaluating the quality of birthstones you are going to buy. Genuine natural birthstones, in particular, are expensive investments and extra caution must be taken in purchasing them.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.artisan-jewelry-online.com where you can learn more about jewelry and find out about Decembers Birthstone.

The first mark (KLd) is usually the Makers or Manufacturers mark. Sometimes it could be the Store Mark (like SH) for Samuel Hill Jewelers… This doesn’t make any difference to the Hallmark so you can generally ignore it.

The next mark was an ‘F’ which is the Date letter.

The next is a Crown, which is the ‘Quality’ Mark which was introduced for 18ct and 22ct gold in 1798 and has been used ever since.

The 22 indicates the gold quality being 22 carat gold.

The last mark is a shield so I am going to assume that it was assayed in Chester UK. However each Shield is slightly different.

Now one of the MOST IMPORTANT stamps is the SHAPE of the Hallmark. Sometimes they can be oval or square. Many times with the corners cut off. These help with the Date letter ‘F’.

MOST date letters come in batches of 20 and they change every 20 odd years (one letter per year). In order to identify them they can sometimes be an Uppercase - othertimes in lower case. This is where the SHAPE comes in too. This is also why I needed to know how old your Anut was when she died. Most women didn’t get married until say 20. This will help you in narrowing down the date RANGE (ie: That Batch of 20 letters).

May I suggest you go to the Antique Jewelry of the 20th Century where you will find a complimentary Hallmarking Course. You will learn from very easy emails how to understand UK Hallmarks. This will finally narrow down your search to around the 1950’s - Hint: 1956 Date letter is an ‘F’.

By very wary of the ‘SH’ though as it is EXACTLY the same upside down, ie: ‘HS’ which is a mark for H Samuel, a high street jewelry chain in the UK.

The earlier Samuel Hennell is S.H plus you would have to look at ALL the Hallmarks together and check their overall shape to get an accurate date.

There is NO 22ct gold rings which should be scrapped unless extremely thin or worn.

The ‘f’ or foreign mark is a modern mark and shouldn’t be confused with the full UK Hallmark.

There should always be a qualtiy stamp in any ring bought in the U.S.A. in the last 50 years. The ‘C’ with the circle is usually a copyright trade mark stamped in most rings. The ‘A/C’ has no significance other than the ‘MFG’ stamp.

The mark you describe could be a British registry mark. These marks were sometimes on the outside of the item instead of the usual inside marks. It’s difficult to match up since there are so many - the S could stand for shefield or it could be a Registry Month Mark for 1849. These usually were inside a diamond shape or circle. You don’t say whether the ring is gold or silver. You might check your local library for a book on British Registry Marks or jewelry marks. Also does the ring have a precious stone ? If so, you might take it to a gemologist for further assistance.

Victor Epand is the owner of JewerlyGift.biz, a huge online jewelry retailer featuring the largest and best selection of jewelry including personalizable items…