Flora Refashioned - How to Make Jewelry Cast from Nature
This past summer I was contacted by the Editor of Belle Armoire Jewelry and asked to write an article about casting Jewelry from nature. Specifically, how to make coiled twig rings. What a thrill to see it in print! Bell Armoire is published by Stampington Publications who are known for fine magazines on crafting.
Have you ever seen something ordinary yet so profoundly beautiful that you wish you could freeze the moment in time? What if you can alter that object and use it in a fresh way? I enjoy trying to blur these lines between reality, fantasy and time. I usually trip over my most interesting ideas and this is exactly what happened one spring afternoon. Just missing the cross-town bus, I decided to meander home through Central Park instead of waiting for the next bus. Enjoying the magnificence of the day and deep in thought, I heard a loud snap and looked down realizing that I had stepped on and broken a branch a branch. Picking up the very ordinary twig I imagined what it would look like turned into metal and embellished with gems.What are champagne diamonds? Or, how to make lemonade with carbon....
The term champagne diamond is used to describe untreated diamonds that are yellowish brown in shade. Intensity can vary from soft yellow to deep brown. Once, not so long ago these diamonds were regarded as inferior industrial grade stones and they were sold to machinery manufacturers to be used for making drill bits, files and blades. White Gold - Isn't that an oxymoron?
It is common practice to plate white gold jewelry with Rhodium to offset the yellow shade of the alloy, adding brilliance and a more refined finish to the piece. Rhodium is a bright white precious metal in the Platinum family. It is actually ten times more costly than gold and even more expensive than platinum. Rhodium is hypoallergenic, has a great resistance to corrosion, tarnishing, scratching and abrasion.
What to Know About Insuring Your Jewelry
Today I'm pleased to introduce insurance experts Brian Boak and David J. Singer who have written this guest post to answer your questions about how jewelry insurance works. Thank you Brian and David.
Insuring Your Jewelry by Brian Boak and David J. Singer
A very common question that insurance brokers hear is, “Why do I have to cover my jewelry any differently than my other possessions?” In this short piece, we will give you the answer to that question, and what you should think about when deciding about jewelry coverage. The reason that jewelry is treated differently than other possessions is that it is a target of thieves. Therefore, the insurance companies need to charge more to cover your jewelry. In order to do that, every home, condo, co-op, and tenants’ policy has limits on jewelry coverage and if you have more jewelry than the policy’s limit, you need to buy more coverage. The limit may be as low as $500, but could be as high as $5,000. The jewelry coverage may also be subject to the policy’s deductible, meaning that the policy would only pay for claims in excess of the amount of the deductible. Even if you do not have more coverage than the policy’s limit, you may wish to “schedule” your jewelry, as discussed below. Jewelry coverage can cost between $15 and $25 per $1,000 in coverage (depending on location).
There are two ways coverage can be added to your policy, Blanket or Scheduled:
BLANKET COVERAGE: You tell the insurance company how much coverage you want in total. You would not need to list individual items (good). Some companies have an endorsement to add $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 of jewelry coverage to your policy. Other companies allow higher limits. A deductible may apply to a loss and there is normally a per piece coverage maximum.
Surface Finishes on Metal - Will that be polished or satin?
A finish is a treatment on the exterior of jewelry which gives the piece a subtle flavor. It's the icing on the cake, that final detail that enhances the design. It is usually one of the final steps in completing a piece and has no bearing on the overall construction of the piece.
There are different types of finishes such as brushed, patination, etching, enamel, electroplating and hammering. The two most common finishes in fine jewelry are polished (shiny) and satin (matte). These mechanical finishes are applied by physical abrasion of the metal surface using a secondary media. The media may be cloth, stone, metal or plastics used with a waxy finishing compound and is washed off after each step. Methods of application include wheel, hand abrasion, blasting, tumbling barrels and vibratory finishers.
Caring For Your Jewelry
Fine jewelry is often an investment which should be worn and enjoyed. Proper care will ensure that your treasures will last longer than a lifetime.
Here are some general guidelines for basic care to keep your valuables looking brand new and the stones secure. If, for any reason, you are uncertain about a piece after reading this, consult us or a local jewelry professional. Always remove jewelry before doing manual labor and when coming into contact with chlorine especially in common household cleaners.CHECK-UPS: Check settings periodically (at least once per year) professionally for any damage to prongs or bezels. Contact me or bring the piece to a professional jeweler for repair immediately if you observe any of the following:
About Carats, Karats and Carrots
The correct use of the words karat and Carat can be confusing. Both derive from the word carob because carob seeds were used as counterweights on ancient balancing scales. Although other types of seeds were also used for measuring, the carob seed was preferred for its precision in weighing gold and gemstones because its mass varies so little.
Here's a quick overview of the differences:
CARAT is a unit of weight used specifically for gemstones and pearls. One carat is equal to 200mg or 100 points. Therefore, a .70 carat stone may also be referred to as being 70 points. This unit of measurement was adopted by the United States in 1913.
KARAT describes the quality or purity of the gold in and item. Pure gold is 24 karat and is rarely used for jewelry in its pure form because it is so soft and also very costly. Gold is normally alloyed with other metals such as silver and copper and the resulting blend is harder and more durable for jewelry. Reducing the percentage of gold and increasing the amount of other alloys has another added benefit. It reduces the cost and makes the piece more affordable. The lowest karatage that can be sold and marketed as Gold jewelry in the United States is 10 karat.
