The Jewelry Insider

When we think of diamonds, we often imagine briliantly white gemstones. But ever so often, a diamond will come out of the ground in vivid color. These diamonds are extremely rare, accounting for only 0.001% of the total number of rough diamonds that are mined. Because of this, they are often far more expensive than normal diamonds. Here’s a quick run down of the main fancy colors:

	YELLOW Yellow is one of the most familiar names known aside from white “colorless” diamonds. Canary is a term commonly used to describe intense yellow diamonds. Some of the yellows with higher intensity of color (Fancy Vivid Yellow) are as rare as the pink and blue diamonds.
	PINK Pink diamonds are rare and highly desired. Pink diamonds of higher intensity are the most rare. Most pink diamonds mined are faint to light colored (pastel colored). Many of the deep colored pink diamonds come from the Argyle mine in Australia.
	BLUE Natural blue color is one of the rarest of fancy color diamonds. These diamonds are amongst the most sought after by collectors. Color can range from faint to a very deep blue.
	RED Red is by far the rarest of all colored diamonds. Fewer than 20 stones have so far been certified as red diamonds. Some of these have fetched over a million dollars per carat, although most other colored diamonds fetch between five to six figures per carat.
	GREEN Green diamonds with no other secondary hues or modifiers are some of the rarest, and depending on intensity and purity of color, can command astronomical prices. Most green diamonds have either grey, brown or yellow modifiers.
	PURPLE Purple diamonds with no secondary hues are very rare. Most of these diamonds are less than one carat in size and are very seldom found in dark to vivid lilac colors. Most purple diamonds exhibit needle-like color zones.
	ORANGE Orange diamonds are not as rare as the red or green daimonds. Most orange colored diamonds have strong yellow or brown hues mixed in with the orange. Pastel colored orange diamonds are of similar value as pastel pinks and some blues.
	GREY Diamonds with grey as the primary dominant color are also unique. These diamonds are comparitively reasonably priced (in the high four to low five figures per carat).
	BLACK Black diamonds are not transparent, and do not show fire (flashes of color) as other diamonds, but can be extremely expensive where they are in the dark to vivid color ranges. Black diamonds may give off secondary color hues of grey or white.
	BROWN These are the most widely available and surprisingly affordable colored diamonds. They provide a beautiful low cost alternative to pink, blue, grey, green or yellow diamonds. Common names used to describe brown color are: champagne, chocolate, coffee, golden, honey, bronze, cognac, etc.

P.S. Thanks to Olympic Diamonds for some of the content here.

Gold and Platinum has dramatically increased in value in the past 5 years. Gold in one year had a low of $637 per ounce and high of $978 and climbing. Platinum in the same year had a low of $1168 per ounce to $2169 and souring higher. The five year low and high is even greater. Gold’s low was $322 and now is over $978 and Platinum’s low was $602 and has climbed over $2169.

If the jewelry item’s value was due in large part to gold or platinum, then the item might not be able to be replaced for the appraised value! Diamond values have also gone up in the same time period. In addition many gemstones have risen dramatically in the last five years. If your jewelry was appraised over three years ago, it you could be undervalued by 40% or more!

This has been a period of big changes in the jewelry field. We are dedicated to keeping up with all the adjustments and keeping our clients protected and informed.

P.S. Thanks to Kitco for the charts

Pearls are considered by many to be symbols of purity and chastity. But even symbols of purity get dirty from time to time. As you know pearls are produced when a mollusk secretes nacre to form a covering around a foreign body in its shell. Pearls are not as durable as gemstones produced by the heaving pressure beneath the earth’s surface. Therefore special attention should be used when cleaning them.

Pearls should be the last thing that you put on and the first thing that you take off. Common personal products like cosmetics and perfume can severely damage pearls. They should be cleaned in warm soapy water periodically, gently scrubbing individually with a soft brush. A soft brush must be used so as not to scratch the surface of the pearl. Care must be taken to clean well around the drill hole, but do not dip the whole strand into the cleaning solution because water could get into the drill hole and cause the pearl to discolour. Also, if the silk thread becomes overly wet, the dampness can cause deterioration of the silk. All pearls should be knotted to prevent the pearls from rubbing against each other. If the strand ever becomes broken, only one pearl may become lost. Any dirt that has become caught around the knots should be removed with a toothpick very carefully. Pearls should be dried on a lint-free towel, laying them on an absorbent towel should hasten the drying process.

If the pearls are worn frequently, they should be re-strung on a regular basis and they should always be strung on silk. It may deteriorate faster, but it will not attract dirt or grime as quickly and it will not stretch. Pearls should never be stored with other jewelry. They should be stored in a moisture-free environment and should not be stored in a plastic bag. Pearls should always be wiped on a soft, lint-free cloth before being stored.

With care pearls can be worn for many years and even become a family heirloom.

Selling jewelry is not a skill that comes naturally to most people. There can be a lot of money tied up in old, estate jewelry that is not longer wanted or even broken, but getting it out isn’t always easy and the potential of being taken advantage of is high. To help, I’ve put together an in-depth article on the art of successfully selling jewelry. Here are some of the key points that you shouldn’t try to sell your jewelry without knowing.

The determining factors of estate jewelry price are style, condition, and intrinsic worth. You don’t get paid for the jewelry in relation to what you paid but the condition and demand when you sell. Clean jewelry shows the item at its best and helps in evaluating the design and gems, so be sure to clean your jewelry before you go to sell it.

Here are some cleaning tips. Never clean gold and gems in chlorine. Ammonia based cleaning products are used throughout the jewelry industry, but they can damage some gems. Try and avoid them if you can and know for certain if they well not hurt the gems in your jewelry. Use a mild soap with warm water and a soft toothbrush, then rinse thoroughly for most jewelry. A hard toothbrush and toothpaste or toothpowder will scratch gold and hurt some gems. The best cleaning tip is to know for certain the best cleaners to use on your jewelry and do it carefully.

Selling estate jewelry is the art of compromise. There is a balance between dollar paid and quickness of payment and ease of transaction. If you want the high price, fast and easy, you are dreaming. The higher the price gained from the sale of estate jewelry, the longer the time and more difficult the transaction. Finding another consumer to buy your jewelry is the most profitable but the most difficult, time consuming and problematic. Walking into a dealer’s shop is the easiest and fastest way to sell but you are selling at wholesale or less. Finding the balance is a personal judgement call. Each method of selling estate jewelry has it strengths and liabilities.

Safeguards are critical when selling jewelry to the public. First NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, and NEVER meet an unknown buyer in your house. Personal safety and protection against robbery should be your first priority. Fraud should be next on your mind. Cash is the best transaction, checks of all kinds can be faked. Also be aware of switching of jewelry, conmen are on the look out for unsuspecting people. Most of the world is filled with wonderful people and everything should go just fine, but you need to be prepared in case it doesn’t. Trust your instincts. Keep diligent and alert. Don’t take risks just to make a little more on the sale of your estate jewelry.
Selling your estate jewelry is not an everyday experience. Enjoy the adventure and learn some new skills. One very positive side effect of selling jewelry is you will learn how to evaluate jewelry. You will become a very wise jewelry buyer.

If you want to read in more depth on this subject you can look at the full article here: How to Sell Your Old Jewelry.

One of the most intimidating subjects for new comers to the jewelry industry is synthetic gems, so I figured I’d start with a quick explination of the subject. Here’s an excerpt from an article I wrote on the sbject:

Man made gems come in many forms. Every thing from simple glass to plastic to high tech chemical tongue twister like gadolinium gallium garnet (also called GGG) and the modern diamond simulant moissanite, a man made silicon carbide. In gemology, any material used to look like a gem is called a simulant. So clear glass to rock quartz to ggg to mossiatie are all simulant to diamonds. They look like diamonds, but are not diamonds. These simulants are easy for a well trained and equipped gemologist to detect. But if you had gem material that is the same chemically, optically and crystal structure as a natural gem, it would be very hard to tell them apart. In gemology we call this a synthetic gem.

So a man made synthetic ruby has the same exact chemical formula and crystal structure and optical characteristics as a natural ruby. How can a person tell them apart? I will tell you it is very very hard. It takes a lot of training, very good equipment and an extremely careful examination of the gem. Some synthetics are poorly made and can quickly be identified. Other synthetics are so well made it is impossible to id them in jewelry and can only be positively identified in gem labs with millions of dollars worth of equipment and world class personnel.

Synthetic gems make excellent jewelry because they have the same property as the natural gem. Synthetic gems make owning beautiful jewelry affordable. But synthetic gems are not natural; they are manmade. Knowing what you are buying is key.

In conclusion, synthetic gems are not bad, fakes, or the curse of a modern society. The story of how hard it is to make synthetic is one of mankind’s stories of perseverance and creativity. Synthetic gems are used in science and industry every day. Gem quality synthetics make affordable jewelry that looks like high end gems that only your gemologist can tell if it natural or manmade.

Go here to read the full article: Synthetic Gems: The Whole Story.