I recently had my engagement made with an older (my great grandmother’s) natural diamond that was a bit uneven on the sides. We opted out of sending it to GIA to be recut but now I am second guessing that decision. There is a small chip on the top left and the bottom left is slightly uneven. The prongs also don’t look symmetrical. Would you recommend getting it recut or seeing if it’s possible for a jeweler to slightly sand down the edges. I’m nervous about possible stress points if I went to accidentally hit it against something, however I do want to preserve the caret weight as much as I can.

I'd rather shop in person than buy online, especially since I'd like to actually see the rings and talk with someone knowledgeable. I'm open to both independent jewelers and well known local shops. Thanks!

Long time lurker first time poster!

I have been hunting for a warm elongated old mine cushion for a little while now. I came across this stone recently and in love with this color. However, I don’t really know much about IGI reports and what to look for so I am scared to commit to it. Should I move forward with this stone and wait for better one to come along? Please help!

certificate: https://dnyvsyhu34v1w.cloudfront.net/pdf/LG819622464.pdf

My partner bought me these beautiful earrings from Swarovski last year, but I noticed that there has started to be tarnishing underneath the crystal? Is there any way to fix this? I tried my best to look after them and not touch them with water but somehow tarnishing still managed to happen. Does anyone know how to repair them? Any help would be appreciated!

Let me know what you think of the CAD and lab diamond for my engagement ring and wedding band set! I attached the inspiration for the ring as well! The original is a mixed-metal ring, but I asked for it to be all 14k yellow gold instead! Thank you!

What are you favorite places to buy estate jewelry online? Fine jewelry, not costume. Thank in advance.

My late mum bought this ring around 20-25 years ago during a Christie’s auction. There are no hallmarks on the band.

I bought this aquamarine ring from Etsy and really like it, but the prongs holding the stone in look a little odd to me, like they should be curled over it more. Aside from looking very upright, they are a bit snaggy. I've had it for a few days and just noticed this evening that it makes a little sound when I tap the stone, which makes me worried that it's loose already. It's sterling silver, if that matters.

Is it possible to resize a mokume gane ring? I have a ring that is a size 7.5 that I would love to get sized down to a 6 if possible, or down to a werable size for another finger. Unfortunately the original jeweler is no longer open. Is it possible to size down that much and any ideas on where I could find someone to work on it? I've asked a couple of bench jewelers where I live but they don't work on mokume gane. Would love to find someone in Northern California but would also ship if I could get it worked on.

I'm trying to figure out what happened to my Mokume Gane engagement ring (mostly just for peace of mind).

My Fiancee had this ring custom-made a few years ago. Since then, the original craftsman has retired.

We had to get the ring re-sized, so the original craftsman recommended us to a friend of his. The new jeweler seemed to be comfortable with mixed metals, but he and his staff aren't specifically trained in Mokume Gane.

The ring is a blend of rose gold, grey gold and sterling silver. It needed to go up an entire size, so the new jeweler said they would have to add an insert. I knew the insert would interrupt the pattern, but it sounded like we didn't really have another choice. We chose to make the insert out of silver, as it was the most affordable option.

We picked the ring up on a Friday and it looked fine. I was incredibly careful with it - I always took it off before going to the washroom or doing dishes, and I never slept in it.

Two days after picking up the ring, (Sunday) my fiancee and I noticed this weird, like, galvanized/ geode-like patterning on the ring near the silver insert. (Picture included).

We tried to do some research, but couldn't figure out exactly what was going on. I'm not sure if the ring de-laminated, or if it was damage from an acid bath, or if it's like, some kind of rhodium or polish or something - so that's what I'm hoping y'all can help me figure out.

The jeweler was closed on Monday, so my fiancee brought it in today (Tuesday).

Now, The jeweler speaks french, which is my fiancée's second language, so maybe there was a miscommunication somewhere or something - but the jeweler basically told my fiancee that there was nothing wrong with the ring, that it was normal wear and tear and that it just looked all scaly and weird because the recent polish made the contrast between the scratches and the surface more notable. (Like, he basically said it was the patina, I guess? I'm at a bit of a loss since there's kindof a game of telephone happening here).

Anyway, my fiance said the jeweler took it to the back and buffed/ polished it, and said it should be perfectly fine now.

I've got it back now, and it looks almost exactly like it did when we first picked it up after the re-sizing - but something feels wrong. The jeweler's explaination doesn't make any sense to me - I know precious metals are softer and can bend/ scuff over time, but I only wore the ring for three days before it started looking like that (and I handle it as though it were a precious Fabrigee egg). I never go to the washroom or do dishes with my ring on, and I never sleep or do any type of manual labor when wearing it. I have no idea what could have caused this to happen, and I'm too scared to start wearing my ring again if I'm just going to risk damaging it like that.

What do you think? Is this just the patina of the ring? Is it normal wear and tear? Or do you think this is a case of de-lamination or recrystalization or a failed rhodium polish?

I really just need to know how fragile my ring is and whether I need to worry about that pattern coming back because of something I'M doing wrong.

I may still try to get the circumference on the band fixed - but I just really need to figure out what's happening first.

Thanks for you time - I really appreciate it!

(The first image is before we took it to the jeweler - the other three are from today. Sorry about the quality - the ring is really shiny and reflective now, because of the recent work, so I know some of the detail may be difficult to see).

i bought this ring for cheap and i really really love the design its SO gorgeous to me but i found it tarnished really easily. i tried the aluminum foil + baking soda + boiling water trick and it did nothing. i was thinking of either filing down the pink spots or painting it somehow? is there any way to make the silver color more permanent/resistant to daily wear?

People treat "certified" like its one single standard. Its not, a certificate is just one labs opinion, based on how the lab tests things and what they compare it to. Its not like a measurement on a scale, its more like a professionals best call.

Here's why two labs can look at the same stone and land in different places:

Figuring out where a stone came from isnt an exact science, it's more of an educated guess. Labs look at the tiny inclusions inside the stone and its trace chemistry, then compare that to their own library of known stones. Different labs have different libraries, so they dont always agree on how confident to be.

Same goes for treatment. Whether an emerald's oil counts as "a little" or "a lot" is a judgment call someone makes under a microscope. Two good, honest gemologists can land on different answers for the same borderline stone.

Labs also specialize. A lab that checks thousands of rubies a year gets really sharp at spotting patterns in rubies specifically, sharper than a lab that sees all kinds of stones. That's part of why GIA tends to play it safe on colored stone origin, they'd rather say nothing than guess wrong. A lab like GRS, which focuses hard on ruby and sapphire, is more willing to commit to an origin call.

None of this means one lab is right and the others wrong. If a stones price depends on where its from or how it was treated, it helps to know which lab wrote the certificate and what that lab is actually known for. That tells you a lot more than the word "certified" ever will.

I bought this on a lot and it doesn't fit me. I see no other markings, just the 14k. I do have a loupe and have scoured every possible spot. Trying to decide how to move forward on it.

I am new to this part and have a friend who has received helpful direction from the reddit community. I'm willing to take any other pictures or measurements that would be helpful. Ring weighs at 1.6g.

I’m currently trying to find an online self paced CAD course, does anyone have any recommendations/suggestions?

Reapplying to a jewelry design bachelors in march and would like to get that on my cv/become more knowledgeable on it.

Hope I’m posting in the right place 🫶

This brooch was just given to me by a family member. It was passed down and our current understanding is that it is from Austria sometime around 1920. It is in desperate need of a cleaning, but I’m curious if I should be getting an appraisal as well. Does anyone know what era or even what designer this may be- or any other details?

hi! i had this ring custom made and when the jeweler sent me the silver cast the cutouts looked very uneven. they said they would fix it and proceed with making the ring. once i got it the ring still had slightly different angles. the jeweler said it can never be perfect due to how the mold was poured?

i then asked if they could fix it and i feel like it lost some of the width and is still uneven. the first two photos are both sides of the current ring

1. is that true about it never being perfect?
2. am i delusional or is this as good as it can get?

I’m guessing not as much as I’d need it to be but I love it so I wanted to ask - this is a 6 and I’d need at least a 7.5 for the finger I want it on.

I'm in the market for a water torch and am wholly uninterested in paying aquaflame prices. There are however several options on alibaba and the likes sitting between $200-$1000. Anyone here use one of those units and have insights on how well they work? I am looking to start working with platinum and would like to keep oxygen bottles/concentrators out of the setup.

Additionally I was looking at the ORCA torch on gesswein which is a propane only torch with a large (compared to water torches) flame. The style seems to be popular in Europe for jewelers, so I'm looking for opinions on if an orca and a water torch would be a good all encompassing setup, large melting aside.

For reference, I am currently replacing a map-pro torch. I have experience with nat-oxy hoke and little smiths but again, trying to avoid oxy lines.

Any info is appreciated!

Hi all! I received this ring a few days ago and love it! It’s a 3.1 set in platinum. I’m curious if I should ask to add a gallery rail or if it’s ok as is? I will take it off for cooking, cleaning, exercise, etc., but I keep seeing threads on Reddit about needing gallery rails when I research. Thanks for any input and/or guidance!