Pink Tourmaline And Diamond Pendant.
Q.I am indeed looking for good-looking sapphires as earrings for my wife, who value them for their beauty, not for their price or snob appeal. Local jewelers have been quick to show me Ceylon-color studs and loose stones starting above $1000/pair. They have been evasive about my hunch that diffusion goods--forthrightly sold as such--are worthy "simulants," some implying that the coating would scratch off. My wife's earlobes are softer than corundum, trust me. (I've also heard salesfolks claim that CZs are 'too soft' for normal wear. CZ is about 8 on the Mohs scale but about -700 on the commission scale.) So where do you go for first-rate jewelry built from "alternative" gems? I value top-notch gold and lapidary work and am happy to pay for it--but don't want to pay insane prices for traditional gems if I can get well-cut simulant/synthetic/treated goods that are beautiful and convincing. If only a gemmologist with a microscope and a knowledge of inclusions can prove the substitution--then BFD. But locally, at least, top-quality work generally goes hand-in-hand with expensive stones. Even beautiful natural stones such as tourmaline, chrome diopside, or chrome-pyrope or rhodolite garnet are rarely given serious treatment because jewelers are hostage to the diamond/ruby/sapphire/emerald trade. They exploit large emotions for large profits, and they seem a bit cool to ideas that might upset the applecart. Does anyone have suggestions about good ways to find convincing "faux" stones set as if they were worth major money? Is the best approach to buy the stones loose and pay for custom settings? How do you gracefully sidestep the financial biases built into the jewelry trade?
A.Briefly, it's a two-store chain, and the man who owns them does a lot of the cutting, "sculpture carving", and setting right there in the back of the one store. My SO and I have gone there a few times, and I think I found a good thing, though I may be wrong. No one has ever given us the "hard sell" .. in fact quite the opposite. I wanted to "design" my own ruby pendant one time, and the owner suggested that he could put in a good spinel, which would have the same look, but not the price. (He doesn't carry synthetic stones or simulants, but he does carry a variety of natural stones.) I don't think he was doing it because of how we were dressed, because we were both dressed nicely, and I gather he knows that my SO is a professional. A couple months a go, we went in to get a tourmaline. Again, no hard sell, and the head salesman pulled out a couple trays of stones, and let me take all the time I needed to pick the one I wanted. He also didn't "hover" over me while I did it, and spent some time with another nearby customer too. I picked a 3/4 carat one, pink, oval. Under 4x magnification, I can see a small "bubble" inclusion, but appears clear otherwise. I think the price was 150$ per carat, which made the stone around 110$. I'm content to buy retail, and we tend not to spend much time in cities (where there'd be diamond districts), so paying retail isn't that big of a problem. I was guessing that the lack of the hard sell, the suggestion to go with a spinel instead of ruby, and the way they let me pick the stones were all good signs.
Other Questions :
Vintage Diamond Ring, Diamond ring in Madison? (NDC)
I am finally giving in to the cartel and getting my wife a diamond ring. Any suggestions in the Madison WI area?I would love to have my husband give me a DP (even though I own all of them) and tell me this story! Does she definitely want a d...
Princess Diamond Engagement Ring, gossip from Asprey&Gerrard ?
someone from the firm of Asprey&Gerrard has let it slip out that William was in and purchased a ring... Is he ready to pop the question to some fortunate young woman?At 19 years old??? How old would the fortunate young woman be? 16 or 17?...
5 Carat Diamond Tennis Bracelet
We have found Grand Jewellers in St. Thomas and in St. Martin to be great. Have dealt with them several times and always been satisfied. Last trip my wife traded in her 3 carat tennis bracelet for a 5 carat and it appraised fantastically well...
No longer "Plus-sized" ?
Oh, happy day!! Went shopping today...Out of habit went to the women's plus size department. Everything looked too big. Walked over to the "regular" clothes and was thrilled to find that I am a size 14, and can put on a size 12 (not yet suitabl...
Diamond Cuff Bracelet.
I'd love some diamond studs. I'd kill for a great trenchcoat. I love my navy blazer - makes me feel very crisp and together. Wear my pearl studs everyday and my pearl necklace often. Cuff bracelets - I don't like stuff on my wrists.What would ...