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Fine Jewelry University Articles matching: “How much is an appraisal”
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Fine Jewelry University (Show All FJU Articles)
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How to Tell If a Diamond Is Natural or Lab Grown
…, with lab grown diamonds, the chemical structure and properties are all the same as natural diamond, so it becomes much more difficult to differentiate them. Responsible Disclosure The first thing to realize is that most lab grown …How can I know if my diamond is real? This is a question we get all the time, and it’s not as simple as you might think… whether or not it is a Type IIa diamond. Type IIa is actually a gemological variant of the diamond that relates to how pure the carbon is that makes up the diamond. In nature, less than 2% of all diamonds are Type IIa, however, most gem…
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Gem in the Spotlight: Alexandrite
… fluorescent light has a stronger greenish-blue component, the stone appears greener. Under candlelight, which has a much stronger red/orange component, the stone will appear redder. Alexandrite has a refractive index of 1.746-1.755 with … LED light. Under incandescent light, candle, and firelight, alexandrite appears purplish-red. This is because of how the trace element chromium interacts with alexandrite’s crystal structure. It absorbs most wavelengths of light very …
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Jewelry Repair FAQ
…are held in place with prongs. With wear, the tops of these prongs can become worn down. If the prongs wear down too much, the stone becomes at risk of falling out of the mounting. Retipping is the process of adding a small amount of … for retipping, and then reset after it was done due to the high heat that is generated by the jeweler’s torch. However, with our laser welder we are able to retip prongs next to many gemstones (diamonds, sapphires, and rubies for …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Topaz
…Some of these varieties have their own names: Imperial Topaz: When both orange and red colors are present (although much of the jewelry industry might call golden topaz imperial). Golden Topaz: Yellow to orange without any red component (… preference. Topaz itself is a hard gemstone with a Mohs hardness of 8. Mohs hardness is a standardized metric of how difficult it is to scratch something. For reference, topaz is a bit softer than diamond which is a 10 and corundum (…
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Star White Gold
… that is its true color. Most of them don’t know that jewelry manufacturers choose the white gold alloy mix. It is much cheaper to use the standard white gold alloy (again standard is the lowest) than a more white looking alloy. Most …How white is your white gold? Style, fashion, and beauty are all reasons to choose white gold. White gold compliments …away eventually. Regular, Plus, or Premium? The White Gold Task Force statement on the plating of white gold reveals how jewelry manufacturers view rhodium plating: “The lack of an industry-accepted definition of white as applied to …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Blue Zircon
… and have that distinctive fire that sets it apart from other gems. The Gemology of Zircon Why does zircon have so much more fire then other colored gems? Zircon has a high refractive index (1.92-2.01). The refractive index (abbreviated … a rainbow. Then the rainbow effect is broken and focused by the facets of the gem to create the brilliant light show we see. Zircon is also of interest to geologists because it is one of the oldest minerals on earth. In the gem world, a…
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Anatomy of a Ring
… or gemstone is set. What style of head is used? What trade-offs are being made between security, design, and how much of the stone is visible? As a final point on heads it is important to note that not all rings have a head. Some designs… soldered together if you plan to wear them together all the time. When you are looking for a ring, pay attention to how the gallery is made. Does is look substantial enough to hold the ring together? Are the gallery wires thin and …
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Synthetic Gems: The Whole Story
…. Unfortunately paper work is no guarantee of the facts of the gem. Some gemologist made an honest mistake on appraisals or I have seen gem reports that are just fraudulent. In conclusion, synthetic gems are not bad, fakes, or the curse of a … that kind of money to make a synthetic gem is because it is very good. These high priced synthetic gems look very much like the nature gems. The color and sparkle of these synthetics look like the best nature can produce. This is …
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Laser Jewelry Repair
… and repair options. Platinum traditionally is the most difficult metal to work on; the laser has rendered platinum much easier to repair and can be used to create new designs. Inexpensive jewelry that has great sentimental value but … or even crazy villains trying to take over the world with a “laser”. One of the last things you think a laser can do is to work on your intricate jewelry. Well, laser technology is making it possible to work on jewelry that once was …
