June 29, 2009
EGL Certificate Not Accurate
Mark had his diamond ring resized in another store and called to see if we could help him identify his diamond. He was concerned that it did not look the same as he remembered. He said it had a certificate so we told him to bring it in. With a certificate it is usually a simple, quick confirmation using the microscope to confirm the plotting of the imperfections.
Even with our having over thirty years of experience it was still surprising what we saw. The diamond was graded by EGL (European Gemological Laboratory) International and came with a plotting. Upon inspection we noticed that there was an obvious omission on the plotting of a large fracture located in the middle of the stone. There was no way the imperfection could not be noticed. All other imperfections toward the edges were listed and the measurements and the weight coincided with the information on the certificate.
The diamond was a listed as 1.01 ct. SI1 clarity grade , H color. The diamond as inspected under the microscope would have been graded as an I1 clarity grade taking in account the fracture not listed.
Within the industry it is known that EGL is not graded quite as strictly as AGS (American Gem Society) or GIA (Gemological Institute of America). Further inspection revealed that the color grade was a J color. The lower color and clarity grade of the diamond would have lowered its value by $3000.
The diamond was the one listed on the certificate but with the appalling omission of the fracture. Mark had paid more than he should have for the actual grade of the diamond and to make matters worse did not get the grade that he thought he purchased.
Unfortunately the average consumer does not know enough about diamonds and the industry to always make the proper decision.
We have written an article on Oceanic Time Warner’s Around Hawaii website to help people understand the information about diamonds necessary to make a wise purchase. You can follow this link to read the complete article.
Russell Oshita
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
June 25, 2009
Pittsburgh Steeler’s Super Bowl XLIII Ring
Have you see the cool ring that the Pittsburgh Steelers received as winners of Super Bowl XLIII?
The players were honored with their rings on June 9, 2009 in a special ceremony.
Each ring has 63 diamonds with a total weight of 3.61 cts.
The (6) larger diamonds represent the number of Super Bowl games that the team has won.
The (14) other diamonds represents (7) conference championships and (7) other division titles.
The red, blue and yellow stones resemble the team’s logo.
One side of the ring has (6) Lombardi trophies with and the final score of 27-23. The other side of the ring has the name of the player, his number, the Steeler’s helmet with logo and the NFL logo.
The league allotted $5000 per ring, however, it has been estimated that the actual production ran over that allotment. The manufacturing company absorbed the extra cost for the bragging rights and future production of related jewelry.
What Does Palladium Look Like?
Several times a week we have customers wanting a new setting in a white metal and intuitively ask about the differences between Platinum and white gold.
Many do not know that there is a third alternative if you do not count silver. That alternative is palladium. What is palladium you ask?
In an earlier reply to a question about palladium on this blog, it was explained that palladium is a metal in the platinum family that is hypoallergenic like platinum, a white metal very similar to platinum. It is 10% harder than platinum making it more scratch resistant that allows it to stay shinier longer. It is also less dense and lighter than platinum, making it about the same weight as 14k gold but considerably less expensive than platinum. Its cost is similar to 14k white gold.
As mentioned palladium makes a good alternative for those wanting a metal whiter than white gold, that is harder than platinum which also costs less.
So, now, you ask what does it look like compared to the other whiter metals.
The following picture is from left to right, silver, 14k white gold, platinum and palladium.
If Palladium appeals to you, ask your jeweler to show it to you, it may just be what you are looking for.
Russell Oshita, the diamonddude
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
June 19, 2009
De Beers sees early signs of recovery
Ramat Gan, Israel-The Israel Diamond Institute and De Beers participated in Israel’s first “Diamond Town Hall Meeting.” At the meeting Gareth Penny, the De Beers Group Managing Director spoke on the industry and its outlook.
He explained that for the past 120 years the diamond industry has been extremely resilient and noted that after every recession the industry has enjoyed an immediate resurgence.
Penny also said that there have been early signs of a recovery with an increase in demand for rough. He believed that the 2009 holiday season would be stronger than it was last year. However, he did not believe that holiday sales would reach former levels until 2010.
June 18, 2009
Blackened Engagement Ring
My fiancé gave me an engagement ring which needed to be resized. We brought it back to the store, and they said it would take a few days. On a Friday afternoon, the owner called me and asked how late would I be able to stop by, and I told him I would just pick it up late Saturday afternoon. I had the ring only a few days, and it started to tarnish. In one week, it was absolutely black – it looked like it was set in black nickel, even the prongs. I took the ring to a reputable jeweler, and she said she had never seen anything quite like it. There are chunks of bonding agent actually stuck in the gaps underneath the diamonds. The main diamond is very loose and can be turned with my fingers – you don’t even need tweezers, and there is still a rough spot in one of the baguettes. The jeweler said he had to remake the ring because the original size was so off, yet when I had it for the first week, it didn’t tarnish. I just want to take it back and go somewhere else. What is your take on this whole situation?
D. Fenley
Hi D,
It is a little difficult to answer your question at the moment because I need to get a little bit more information to properly help you.
Where do you live? It would be easier if you lived in Hawaii and brought the ring to us to inspect. If not there are some questions that you can help me with. Possibly send us a picture of the ring.
Could you tell me what kind of metal is used to make the ring?
Why was the ring remade instead of resizing? Was the original size far off from your ring size?
Did the jeweler explain why “bonding agent” used?
If the jeweler that did the resize is the one that sold you the ring you should not have a problem returning the ring.
Your answers will help me to better understand your exact situation.
Russell Oshita, the diammonddude
The Diamond Specialists Inc
Diamonds Hawaii
Hi, Russell. I appreciate the prompt response. Nick had purchased the ring from Charleston Gold & Diamond. They had resized the ring three times. When we got it back the last time, it tarnished within a few days. You could also hear that the diamond was so loose in the head that I could turn it with my fingertips and you could see it move at least 1/8”. The store rep claimed that they had ‘a bad batch of rhodium.’ I took the ring to another jeweler for examination, and she told me that they, too, have had that experience, but that it happens immediately. There were lumps of bonding gold stuck in the ring underneath the diamond, the ring isn’t even symmetrical to the naked eye, and there is a chip out of one of the baguettes that you can feel with your fingertip. I believe the ring is made of 14k gold with a .93 ct VS1 H diamond. I think they charged him around $6700. The original size of the ring was a 4.0, then he told them a 5.0. I took it in for resizing, which they claim they did. I asked them for cleats inside the band, as I have broken that finger and the knuckle is larger; this prevents the diamond from sliding around to the back. The jeweler insisted that I didn’t need it, and I don’t remember the new size – I think it’s a 6.5 and still doesn’t fit properly.
We took the ring back and just asked for our money back. It’s very, very poor quality in workmanship, not even apprentice work. They agreed to swap out the diamond for a new one (I don’t particularly care for solitaires) and refund him the cost of his ring. I will send you a photo of the ring. Let me know what you think.
We will be taking the new loose diamond to Paula Harrison in Mt. Pleasant, SC – she is a very good friend of mine and a jeweler with the highest reputation. Let me know what you think of the ring…
I appreciate your help,
Best regards,
D. Fenley
PS: Pictures to follow separately.
Hi D.
I am glad you were able to resolve your problem and you did not have to keep the ring. I am still very interested in seeing the pictures of the ring.
Russell Oshita, the diamonddude
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
Diamond Mining to Restart in Namibia in July
Namdeb is a joint-venture diamond mining operation shared by DeBeers and the government of Namibia. Namdeb halted production at all six of its mines on April 1st, 2009 as part of a DeBeers’ plan to reduce the production of rough diamonds by 40%.
DeBeers has now confirmed that mining will begin again on July 1st.
June 17, 2009
A Very Valuable Jade Ring
Jade is difficult to evaluate because there are so many enhancement techniques, such as dyeing, and resin filling, not to mention that there are hundreds of simulants, stones that look like jade but are not jade.
Based on this knowledge it was interesting when Nicole came in with a jade ring to ask what it may be worth. She said that she was planning to give it to a friend and wanted to know what she was giving.
The ring was inherited from her grandmother and she thought it was ugly. The jade was about 3/4″ in length and a 1/4″ in width. It was rectangular in shape and shaped with a ridge going across the top. It was not a very nice looking shape.
The ring was in 14K white gold old-fashioned design. Also not very pretty.
The color of the jade on the other hand looked fantastic. It was a beautiful apple green color and shiny as hard candy.
We told her that by the look of the jade she may want to reconsider giving it away for the jade may be worth a lot. We suggested she get an appraisal for confirmation from a gemologist.
She took our advice and had an appraisal done. What she found out astounded her. The jade, it appears, would be valued between $10,000 to $20,000, depending on the whether it was sold in the West or the East because orientals would place a different value on it than westerners.
Needless to say she kept the ring.
Russell Oshita, the diamonddude
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
Report: Lohan-loaned jewels missing
London–Diamond jewels worth approximately $410,000 have gone missing after a photo shoot involving actress Lindsay Lohan, her U.S. spokeswoman and British police told Reuters on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Lohan, who is trying to rebound from recent troubles that include a 2007 drink driving conviction, acknowledged the probe. But she told Reuters that there were about 20 people at the photo shoot, Lohan was not being investigated personally and that police had not yet questioned her.
June 14, 2009
Unfortunately A Synthetic Ruby Is Not as Valuable
Jennifer brought in a 2 carat ruby ring she had inherited from her grandmother. It was purchased in the forties and she wanted to know how much it was worth. The ring was in 14k white gold and the ruby was a beautiful red color.
We had explained to her that she may have a very valuable piece if it was genuine. She said she knew it was a ruby so she asked how much was it worth.
We told her that it could be a synthetic ruby is a real ruby that is created in a laboratory. The technology to created synthetic gemstones was already known in the thirties and just because the ring was old did not mean that the ruby she had was genuine.
A genuine nature created ruby has straight striations, much like the rings of a tree when it is formed. A synthetic ruby is grown so quickly that the striations are curved.
All we had to do was examine the ruby under the microscope to determine whether it was genuine or synthetic. Unfortunately much to her disappointment curved striations were evident. She had a beautiful synthetic ruby, nice but not nearly as valuable as a genuine one.
Russell Oshita
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
June 12, 2009
Pendant Enhancers Offers Flexibility
Susie wanted to wear her ruby pendant with her pearl necklace and as a standard pendant on a chain without making either one looking out of place.
Fortunately there is a pendant enhancer that opens up to fit between pearls when mounted on the necklace. It will also fit on a regular chain to wear as a normal pendant.
The pendant enhancers are wonderful accessories that allows the flexiblity of being used for different purposes and looks. They help bridge the best of both worlds.
Russell Oshita
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
June 6, 2009
A Poor Job of Resizing a Ring
Julie had bought a diamond engagement ring from another store and had them resize it. She brought it in to us because the store that resized it said they could not make it better. Wearing the ring was very uncomfortable.
After taking a look at the ring we noticed that it was oval in shape. The ring looked like the bottom of it was just flattened and the sides of the ring bothered the fingers next to the ring. It looked uncomfortable.
In Hawaii people on average are smaller and ring sizes average about a size 5. Most rings are made in a standard size 6-7. Julie was a 4 1/2.
The ring was made oval because of the diamonds set on the side of the center diamond. Resizing the ring smaller would sometimes loosen the diamonds and they would fall out. The jeweler that originally resized it did not want to deal with the side diamonds and did not work on resizing it properly.
Our jeweler was able to make the ring round and re-tighten the diamonds on the side.
It is now comfortable, beautiful and appreciated. All is well in the world.
Russell Oshita, the diamondude
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
June 4, 2009
What the Heck is Palladium?
Thank you to our friend, Stacey, of Emi Ink who wrote about us in Emi’s Blog.
“I just browsed through Jewelry 411 and zoomed in on two questions right away: “How do I clean my ring?” and “What the heck is palladium?” (I’m paraphrasing, of course). I don’t habitually clean my rings and I’ve been thinking of switching the band on my e-ring to palladium. Bingo, questions answered.”
So Stacey, I sent you an email with the quote to change your ring from white gold to palladium- same style. You will be very happy with the beautiful white color of palladium.
For all of you who need wedding or birthday inviations, place cards, thank-you cards go to Emi Ink and see Stacey’s creative designs. I especially love the Gallery which shows what she has done for her customers.
Very nice, Stacey!
J
June 3, 2009
Inspecting Your Tennis Bracelet
Monika had almost lost her 4 ct diamond tennis bracelet when it slipped off her wrist. She was lucky that it had hit her foot and she had noticed it.
We took a look at her bracelet and found that her clasp was not working properly. It was an easy adjustment to make it secure again. Both the clasp and the safety attachment had to be adjusted.
Most diamond tennis bracelets are constructed the same way in the clasp department and should be checked periodically to make sure it is working properly. With constant use it will become loose.
You should gently pull the bracelet at the clasp area. If it comes out without resistance it should definitely be adjusted. The safety latch should also be checked and adjusted if necessary.
Periodic inspection will insure that you have a long time to enjoy your tennis bracelet.
Russell Oshita, the diamonddude
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
