Beauty Tips Guides

Typically, jade bracelets come cut as a solid bangle or as a flexible bracelet with several sections of jade held by metal end caps and joints between pieces. With your bracelet, adding the spacer is a good idea but you will have to have two spacers, not one.

Since the solid jade is not flexible, the bracelet will need to be cut on opposite sides so each half may be connected with a spacer. You will need to find someone with a fine blade diamond saw to cut the jade. These saws are motorized using a 6″ or so circular blade of thin design. Steel tools simply will not do the job. You want a fine and neat cut so the ends are parallel and match nicely.

If a jeweler cannot do this, most will not have fine diamond rock saws, one suggestion is to contact a local rock and gem shop. The rock and gem shops cater to folks who like to do their own stone polishing and a diamond saw is one of the basic tools of the hobby. Ask the rock shop if they can recommend someone has a “thin kef” rock saw. People who do faceted stones or cut opal are most likely to have the diamond saw with a fine (thin) blade and may cut the bracelet for you. The rock shop may also offer this service for a minimal fee.

Spacers will take the form of “end caps” or shallow cups into which the jade is cemented. The spacers could be made with two opposing caps (shallow tubes) for joining the jade ends, with one spacer on each side of the bracelet. Any competent bench jeweler should be able to fabricate the spacer from silver stock or use available silver “findings” to make the caps. Findings is the word used by jewelers to describe the “parts” used in jewelry work, such as ring shanks, stone settings, clasps, catches, etc. Depending on the diameter of the jade, there is the possibility of the jeweler using “bezel cups” to make the spacers.

Bezel cups are stamped cups of silver (or other metal) used to mount stones onto bracelets, rings and other jewelry. Purchased, the bezel cups should work and will cost a fraction of the price if hand fabricated from silver sheet stock. Some silver design should be between each cap to allow the angle of the caps to match the angle of the jade ends for a clean look and secure fit. The use of a single section of silver tube for each spacer is possible but that depends on the angle of the jade at the cut ends and availability of silver tube of large enough diameter.

Yes, the job is certainly possible and not very difficult to do. The problem is getting the bracelet sawn in-two cleanly. After that, having the spacers made should not be a daunting task at all.

If you wanted, the spacers could be made one with a clasp and the other with a hinge, providing a bangle which opens and closes to be placed on the arm.

Joining the jade to the spacer cups (or tubes) will be cement designed for such work. I suggest fine quality epoxy cement which cures to a water clear color. One such cement is Hughes 330, designed for joining gemstone material and metals. Other epoxy cements will work just so long as the cement is applied with care with little excess to show at the caps.

Victor Epand is the owner of http://www.JewerlyGift.biz, a huge online jewelry superstore featuring the greatest selection of jewelry including personalizable items. Clearance Sale items are here: http://www.jewelrygift.biz/collection/clearance-sales.html

The law requires metal to be marked by the maker and the metal quality. For sterling, the mark will be either the numbers 925 (meaning 92.5 % silver, which is sterling) or a “sterling” stamp with the words. Near the clasp should have the mark, it would be at the end of the chain if anything. Sometimes the mark is on a little flat looking ring at the end of the chain, so check around.

Sterling silver will tarnish and on some people it tarnishes quickly due to body chemistry, but on others it may never tarnish. To keep tarnish from happening, sterling is very often plated with another metal to protect the sterling and keep the tarnish from happening. The plating will be a metal called “rhodium” which is very bright or another metal recently used on silver that looks more the color of silver. However, the chain can be sterling and still have the plate on the outside to prevent tarnish.

Other than that, the only real way to tell if something is sterling silver is to test it. For example, like an acid test done by a jeweler. Generally a test will cost some money, not a lot, but maybe not worth it, depending on what you paid for the chain. On a large heavy chain, the test might be worth it, but that’s all up to you.

I suggest thinking about where you got the chain from and whether or not you got it from an established business. An established business would serve little purpose in selling anything fake for sterling silver. Always look for both a sterling marks and a stamp or symbol for the manufacture as I said before. Both of those marks should be there.

Here’s some information on how to tell if the gold on your bracelet is really gold. The chlorine in bleach is dangerous to gold jewelry, so it’s best not to test gold in bleach, or else you’ll ruin your jewelry. Stress points like where the metal has been hammered, bent over stones in prongs, formed by chain making machines and the like are the most affected by chlorine. Soldered areas are sometimes affected by chlorine. White gold is most easily damaged but apparently this happens with yellow gold also at stress points in the metal.

Chlorine will cause a darkening on gold, but on yellow gold it looks almost like a very pale gray color. White gold reacts the same way but sometimes goes darker. This is the chlorine reacting to the metals in karat gold. All jewelry metal of 18k, 14k and 10k has other metals in the recipe when the metal is made. Pure gold is mixed with mostly silver and copper (with nickel or palladium with white gold) to make metal strong enough for jewelry.

The karat mark shows how much pure gold is in the mix. For instance, pure gold is called 24k. Now, 10k will have 10 parts pure gold and 14 parts of the other metals, all adding up to 24 part. 18k gold will be 18 parts pure gold and 6 parts other metals, all adding up to 24 parts. That is how it goes with karats.

Yellow gold is not as dangerously affected by chlorine in bleach and a good buffing should make it ok, that is, if it is really gold. The best way to see if it is real karat gold is to have it tested. That means an acid test or a test using one of the newer electronic gold testers some jewelers use. That is what I would recommend.

Victor Epand is the owner of http://www.JewerlyGift.biz, a huge online jewelry superstore featuring the greatest selection of jewelry including personalizable items. Clearance Sale items are here: http://www.jewelrygift.biz/collection/clearance-sales.html

Whether you have wide or narrow feet, you know that finding special sized shoes is difficult. The most difficult type of special shoe to find is one for a wide or large foot. Having large feet does not have to mean you should pay high prices to have custom made shoes. There are a large number of online shoe stores that concentrate on large men and women’s shoes almost exclusively. In addition, a great many of those sites offer the shoes at reasonable prices and are what you might expect to find at a regular shoe store. Both men and women have a hard time finding shoes when they are relegated to hard to find large sizes. There are ways though; that you can get the specialized shoe that will work best for you.

For women, the quest for large shoes can end up with the purchase of large sized men’s shoes just for the sake of comfort. The problem is that when the occasion calls for something beyond casual or athletic wear. If a woman should need to wear a shoe that goes with more formal attire, then she will not have anything that works with her clothes. Wearing men’s shoes may be an easy solution, but it will not serve you well if you are in need of formal women’s shoes.

If you are a woman who wants good looking shoes for all occasions, then try checking out strapless shoes and sandals. These shoes are available in large sizes, but will not cost a lot of money. If you are a man, you may also need large shoes for every occasion whether it is athletics, formal wear, or even slippers. For men, if you contact manufacturers online or via the mail, you will find that many actually do offer the shoe sizes you need. It is just a matter of ordering them, and they are often much less expensive than you may think.

One thing to keep in mind when you order special sized shoes online, whether you are a man or a woman, is that most stores do not stock large amounts as a general rule. Instead, it may happen that you will find larger shoes on backorder. This most often happens when the style is popular or trendy. If you do end up with a backordered pair of special sized shoes, then the website will usually let you know how long you will have to wait.

When it comes to women’s special sized shoes, there are other things to consider, as well. The same size in each style may not fit you every time. For instance, when it comes to wide shoes it is possible that a large shoe with elastic will help you just as much as a specially ordered shoe. If the shoe has narrow toes or a high heel you will likely need to order something a little larger than you are used to. The idea is to make sure you know what is going to be best for your feet with regard to the type of design.

Keep in mind that if you do have very large or very small feet, that it is no reflection on you as a person. It is easy to complain about your shoe size or to be embarrassed about having to buy specialized shoes, but there is nothing you can do. Instead, concentrate on getting yourself shoes that fit properly so that you can walk in comfort. In addition, shoes that fit your feet correctly will actually help them look normal in size. If you take care of your feet, they will take care of you.

If you have feet that are either too big or too small, you may feel a little embarrassed in addition to having trouble finding the right shoes. You may have been told or feel like you should have to pay a lot more then you would for regular shoes. The truth is that some places may actually do that by telling you that custom shoes are more expensive. However, if you search online you will find a shoe that fits you and is at a price you can afford. Whether you are a man or a woman, you just need to make sure you are getting a shoe that fits you well so that it is not only comfortable, but also healthy for you and your feet.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as men’s dress shoes at http://www.mensdesignerdressshoes.com