I’ve been interviewed…

I’ve been interviewed! It’s all about being a gemologist, starting an Etsy Shop, and business. Check it out: 

The term Pave diamonds comes from the French verb ‘paver’, or ‘to pave’. The idea is to set the stones so close together that no metal shows through - but the way a master actually accomplishes this is to pull tiny prongs out of the heated metal to hold the stones in place. Really, just about anything paved in diamonds sounds good to me…And this band is a perfect example! See the full listing here. 

Great Question!

shaba said: One of my friends took her tsavorite ring to be sized and the jeweler broke the stone and is now refusing to replace it, saying the setting was damaged. Since I heard the story I wondered what your opinion of the situation would be? 

Well, that’s just ridiculous! First off, tsavorites are not that soft - so difficult to break. Also, why was he touching the stone for a resizing? Usually for a resizing you don’t have to go anywhere near the center stone. And finally, if the setting was damaged to start with, the jeweler should have seen that and refused to work on the ring. If I take in a ring for repair that I have questions about (say the ring has a soft stone and I’m worried about breaking it), I clearly explain the risks to the client and if they wish to proceed I have them sign a liability waver. Assuming this was not done, then the jeweler is totally liable for the damage! Mistakes happen, but it’s still the job of the professional jeweler to clearly explain the risks to the client and be responsible for any work that they do! 

Currently on Display

Currently on display at my alma mater, The Gemological Institute of America, is a moving collection of several pieces recovered from bank vaults inside the World Trade Center after 9/11. I can only imagine all the family heirlooms that weren’t recovered. 

A 14K White Gold Ribbon Broach dating to the 1950’s with 75 diamonds totaling 2.78 carats was recovered intact - notice the gold has been burned to black. 
Two silver mesh clutches were fused together by the fires that burned for weeks. You can still see some of the contents. 
Two Antique Pocket Watches. 
To learn more about GIA’s programs, click here. 

Appraisals and Value

I know I do these posts occasionally, so I’m sorry if they get boring. It just totally drives me up the wall! Saw this ring for sale on Craigslist for 9.5K. It’s an attractive design, so I became interested. They say it appraised at 20k in the last month, and that they only bought the ring in June. They strangely say they bought the ring first, then the center stone - this is strange because generally these types of rings are designed specifically for the center stone. If they’re not, you have gaps between the center stone and the ring that are unattractive. But, back to valuation. If it appraised at 20k, then they paid 7-9K, at most. I also notice a total lack of disclosure on carat weights. So they’re trying to sell a used ring for more than they purchased it for just a few months ago! Guess they believe there’s a sucker born every minute! 

Oh yeah, and all sales are final! so when you take it to a jeweler like me and find out how ripped off you are, you’re stuck with it! Cute! 

Strange but True Gemology

So one of the weirder tests to becoming a gemologist - you need to be able to grade the angle of both the “top” (crown) and “bottom” (pavilion) parts of a diamond by sight. They actually give you a set of flash cards with various angles shown in profile, and you have train your eye to see exactly what the angle is by sight. There is no way to quantitatively grade the angle without large, expensive machines, so all gemologists must be able to do this by eye. Ideal is considered 34.5 degrees, and most gemologists can accurately estimate the crown angle within 1 degree. Impressive if you ask me! 

Kim Kardashian’s Engagement Ring

Dear Gillian,

Here’s a question (tapping into your gemology background): What do you make of Kim Kardashian’s engagement ring? Inquiring minds want to know. ;)

Thanks for considering the question.

P.S. Your daughter couldn’t be any cuter. Good luck with naps! Rockspings

Thanks for the great question! Actually, I quite like the ring. I’ve read several reports stating how tacky the ring is, but I find the cut and design quite conservative. Emerald cuts are less flashy than other cuts, and flanking the center with two side stones makes this a very traditional three stone ring. And with a center of 16.5 carats, it’s not all that big in the scope of celebrity diamonds. Elizabeth Taylor’s engagement ring to Tim Burton was of a similar style and was over 33 carats. Of course, Elizabeth didn’t pick the same engagement ring with multiple fiancees, and she did donate all her gems to charity upon her death.

I do wonder as to the quality of the diamond. I was able to dig up that it’s a VS quality - which probably means a VS2. In such a large stone, and particularly in an emerald cut, this means that the inclusions (the ugly stuff sometimes trapped in a diamond) probably are eye visible. So if I looked at the diamond with just my eye (no loupe or fancy tools) I could probably pick out the flaw. So it looks like they went with size over quality for the budget (which was apparently 2 million)…Which is just fine by me! Can’t say I’d be unhappy with that stone myself! Just to explain a bit, emerald cuts are what we call step cuts. So instead of having the super sparkly faceting of a round diamond (which can obscure the quality), these stones have a less facets that when seen from above look like steps going to the back of the stone. The large facet on top, called a table, acts like a large window straight into the diamond, and you can usually easily see any flaws and whatnot. It also makes emerald cuts very easy to grade. 

My other concern is in the knock off department. Now that Kim has this ring, a lot folks shopping for an engagement ring will be looking at the emerald cut. And unfortunately, they just don’t sparkle well unless they are very large. Most engagement rings are less than a carat, and in my opinion that just isn’t big enough to show off an emerald cut well. Add to that the fact that stones don’t sparkle as much when dirty, and I think most people would disappointed with an emerald cut. But in the larger sizes, emerald cuts, and Kim’s ring, are just stunning. Now let’s just hope the engagement/ marriage lasts! 

The Cullinan

Ah, the Cullinan. Of course one of my favorite diamonds, but I do love all things British (including my husband!).

With the rough diamond weighing in at a staggering 3,106 carats, it’s the largest diamond ever found. Found at the Premiere Mine, South Africa, January 25th, 1905, it gets it’s name from the mine owner, Thomas Cullinan, who was visiting that day. The rough was then sold to the Transvaal government, who gave the diamond as a gift to England’s King Edward VII. The King chose Joseph Asscher (if you’ve ever heard of an Asscher cut diamond, he created it) to cut the monumental stone. It was cut into 9 major stones, 96 smaller stoner stones, and about 19.5 carats of unpolished rough (could I just have that please?). The two largest pieces, known as the Cullinan I and the Cullinan II went to England’s regalia. Cullinan I, AKA the Star of Africa, a 530.20 carat colorless pear shape, is the top piece of the Royal Sceptre. The Cullinan II, a 317.40 carat cushion shape is in the front piece of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. 

Just gorgeous! Talk about priceless. What a nice gift to get! You can actually see these diamonds for yourself in London, as I did on my last trip to England. The room they’re held in at the Tower of London has a movable walkway to keep you from staring too much at all the bling. And they get awfully cross if you walk backwards in order to get a better look (cross in that polite British sort of way). But it’s still worth seeing something so unique and precious from our wonderful earth.