1 What is the best way to find a competent jeweler?

2 Is my jewelry automatically insured while being repaired or appraised?

3 How often should my jewelry be cleaned, and by what method?

4 How often should I have the prongs on my engagement ring checked?

5 How often should pearls and beads be re-strung?

6 How is a ring sized?

7 Can a ring be stretched or shrunk?

8 Is costume jewelry repairable?

9 What is laser welding?

10 How often should my watch be cleaned?

11 Who is the best person to repair my watch?

12 What does "water resistance" mean?

13 How do I get my watch to be water-resistant?

14 What is the difference between water resistant and waterproof?

Appraisals and Gemology

16 How can I be sure I am receiving a proper appraisal?

17 How is the appraised value determined?

18 How can I find out the value of my jewelry without getting an appraisal?

19 How do I know if my gemstones are genuine?

20 How do I know if my pearls are cultured, natural, or simulated?

21 How do I know if my item of "antique" jewelry is authentic or a reproduction?

22 What is the nature of the new diamond simulant, synthetic moissanite, and how does it differ from cubic zirconia?

23 What does "fracture filled" mean and does it affect the value of my gemstone?

24 What does a jeweler have to disclose about merchandise offered for sale?
 
 

Many gems, and particularly diamonds, attract dust, soap film, and even oil from your own skin. Some of these substances are easily removed with a soft brush and a mild solution of soapy water or diluted ammonia. However, cleaning must be done with caution. Many gem materials, particularly organics such as amber, ivory, coral, and pearls, can be damaged by ammonia. Ask your jeweler about methods you can safely use to clean jewelry yourself, and at the same time discuss having your jewelry professionally refinished and cleaned periodically. Ultimately, your jeweler's training and experience provide for the safest and most effective cleaning of your treasured jewelry.

Regular examination of the prongs on your ring will not prevent wear, but it will prevent the unpleasantness of losing your diamond. When your ring is new, having the prongs checked six months is probably sufficient. However, if you know that you are not gentle with your jewelry, either because you work with your hands or perhaps because you never remove the ring for any reason, greater frequency might be advisable. By noting that a prong is bent or wearing thin, your jeweler can help you prevent a loss by performing restorative procedures on your ring.

With repeated wear the thread that secures beads and pearls, knotted or strung without knots, stretches and loses its strength. If yournecklace or bracelet is strung with knots, watch for fraying of the knots and increasing spaces between beads or pearls. Every wearer treats his or her beads differently, so there is no predictable time frame during which the piece will have to be restrung. If you watch for the signs described above or simply have your jeweler check your necklace orbracelet regularly, you can avoid the unpleasant surprise of having yourpearls break at an inopportune time.

The basic procedure for ring sizing involves the cutting of the bottom of the shank with a fine saw blade, followed by the adding or removing of matching metal to enlarge or decrease the size of the ring. After being enlarged or reduced, the shank is fused back together using the appropriate solder (i.e., gold, silver, platinum). Precious metal solders are formulated to melt at a temperature slightly lower than that, which the article of jewelry will melt, so that the solder can effectively fuse without the danger of melting the shank. For the purposes of this discussion we will refer to gold only.

Enlarging a ring size involves the spreading of the shank to accommodate a piece of gold that is the fused permanently by applying the heat from a torch to fuse the solder with the ring shank and added gold.

Reducing the ring involves cutting away the appropriate amount of gold, then bending the shank inward to create enough tension to hold a piece of gold solder. When the solder is properly melted it creates a strong bond because the pressure of the shank is inward, toward the joint.

After soldering has been successfully completed, the excess solder has to be filed away, and the remaining gold sanded and polished. Occasionally a ring's design (such as an extended area of channel set diamonds) may create difficulty in the sizing process because opening or closing the shank might disturb gemstone settings, enamel, or the integrity of the ring's structure. In such a case, your jeweler should advise you of the danger so you can make an informed choice as to whether or not to proceed with the sizing.

Often you will find new rings on display in a jeweler's showcase that cannot be sized at all due to their design intricacies or stone setting style. When that is the case the ring can be obtained in the customer's precise size by having it manufactured to the specific size, on a special order basis.