Diamond inside-out hoops and spring cuff bracelet

One of the best loved pieces at this year’s Coture and JCK shows, this five row spring cuff bracelet in 18 karat yellow gold features 1.15 carats of G VS diamonds that are bead set in 18 karat white gold bars. Flexible in style and execution (there are tiny steel wires inside to give it spring), it’s amazing with jeans or a little black dress. Like this summer in Texas, it’s hot, hot, hot! $5750.

On the right and left of the bracelet are incredible inside-out diamond hoop earrings in 18 karat white gold. Each G VS diamond is set with a single prong, so all you see is sparkle. These earrings have a spring safety clasp for extra security, and that makes wearing both the 1″ diameter, 0.90 carat total weight (on left, $2200) and 1 3/16″ diameter, 1.50 carats total weight (on right, $3200) even easier.

• Pure gold is 24/24, or 24 karat.
• 18 karat gold, also known as 750 gold, is 18/24 parts, or 75% gold.
• 14 karat gold, also seen stamped as as “585″, is 14/24 parts, or 58.5% gold.
• 10 karat gold is 10/24 parts gold, which is 41.7% gold. Jewelry or objects with less than 41.7% gold cannot legally be described as “gold” in the United States.

Where the jewelry is manufactured often dictates the karat chosen. In India, much of the jewelry is 22 karat gold. In Europe, 18 karat is the norm.

2 ounces of 24 karat gold casting grain

What makes up the rest of the item when it isn’t pure gold? That depends entirely on the desired result. White gold alloys for jewelry are often achieved by blending pure gold with nickel, zinc and copper or by blending pure gold with silver and palladium. Rose gold alloys are a mix of pure gold with mostly copper. A dark, rich yellow gold can be obtained by adding copper and zinc to pure gold.

There are plenty of proprietary alloys and special colors in the marketplace. Some alloys are better for casting; some are better for milling or hand fabrication. For the best quality, it is a requirement that the proper alloy mixture be matched to the manufacturing style and type of piece being created.

August’s birthstone is a bright lemony green, dark lime green, or olive green gem form of olivine called peridot [per-i-doh]. It is one of the few gemstones which exists in only one color range, and its saturation of color is determined by the amount of iron present as the gem crystallizes. This gem forms deep in the earth as molten lavas are brought to the surface through volcanic activity. For all you sci-fi fans, Peridot has the unusual distinction of being the only gemstone found in meteorites.

Peridot and Diamond Earrings by Deleuse Jewelers

Peridot is found in many places all over the world. The finest quality peridot is mined in Pakistan, known as Kashmir peridot. The most commercially significant resource is found here in the United States on the San Carlos Indian Reservation in Arizona, and the gems are mined by Native Americans. Cut peridot is readily available in many shapes and sizes of up to five carats; larger stones do exist but are more unusual.

Peridot earring charms from Dunay Joailler

On the Mohs scale of hardness, peridot registers a 6.5 to 7. It is infinitely suitable for earring, pendant, and brooch designs; however, rings and bracelets made of peridot should not be worn every day. The movement and contact with other objects that a ring or bracelet experiences will dull the surface of  a peridot over time. Peridot should be protected from high heat and rapid temperature change. The best method for cleaning this gem is warm soapy water and a very soft toothbrush.

Carob pods and seeds

A carat weighs 1/5 gram; further, a carat is divided into one hundred points.  So, a 50 point diamond is the same as a half carat, and is usually written as 0.50 carat.

Does a one carat diamond look twice as large as a 1/2 carat diamond? It doesn’t work that way.  Remember, carat is a measure of weight, and weight is added all over the diamond (volume) instead of what we see face-up (diameter).

A typical one carat round brilliant diamond is 6.5 millimeters in diameter. A half-carat round brilliant measures 5.1 millimeters in diameter. So, a round brilliant diamond with twice the diameter of a one carat round brilliant would weigh a little over eight carats.

These rose cut diamond dome earrings from Andrea Fohrman have been created in oxidized silver:

This oxidized sterling bangle with 18 karat gold accents by Armenta features white sapphires:

This 24 karat yellow gold ring with rose cut diamonds by Yossi Harari also has oxidation:

The feel of these three items, if you’ll notice, is organic and less structured. There were also plenty of more traditional designs that were using oxidation and black rhodium techniques.

These gorgeous fancy colored sapphire sets and their rainbow layout inspire whimsical, light-hearted thoughts. Just picture them in a swirly ROYGBIV pendant or in a colorful straight line across a wide ring. If you’ve fallen in love with purple sapphire, you can have a design made of just that color, or any color combination you can think of.

You will need a glass jar with a lid, preferably screw on, that your hand can reach into. In the jar, mix the following in proportions of 1/3 each:

Plain household ammonia

Mr. Clean (the yellow color)

Water

Place your jewelry in the jar with the solution for a few minutes, or even overnight. Don’t forget to screw on the lid if you’re going to leave the items in the jar unattended.

Reach into the jar and remove your jewelry. You can use a soft toothbrush to loosen stubborn dirt and oil. Now rinse with warm water and pat dry.

This solution is safe for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. It is also safe for diamonds and most transparent gems.

*Do not clean emeralds, pearls, or opals with this solution.

If you’re lucky, you might still find it there waiting for you when you rush back to the bathroom in a panic. Maybe it’s not there, but some one-in-a-million kindhearted soul has turned it in somewhere, somewhere you actually think of going to claim it. Yeah, right.

I have a better solution: DON’T TAKE IT OFF. I’ll be happy to clean your jewelry for you – no charge. Call me whenever you need your jewelry spruced up, and I’ll set an appointment time to clean it while you wait.

Well, the price of gold today is two and a half times what it was five years ago. Platinum is twice the price. Some classes of larger, high quality diamonds have increased by 50% per carat in the last five years. While it’s great that your assets are appreciating, if your appraisal hasn’t kept up, you may be underinsured. To replace your treasured items you could get stuck coming up with the difference between the outdated insurance value and the new cost. Eek!

You didn’t realize you had a prong missing on your engagement ring? A thorough assessment is just one of the benefits of having your jewelry appraised regularly. It’s also a treat to have your jewelry returned to you sparkling clean.