Help Identifying Stones

[koolchicken]

Hi! I'm a long time lurker and this is my first ever post. I have these earrings and I was hoping someone on here who's more educated could help me determine if these stones are genuine and what they may be.

I got these as a present about 20 years ago. No one in my family would have thought twice about giving a child real gems and I had/have plenty so that adds to the mystery for me. They're 5mm, pink, with a slight brownish edge. The center of one stone is lighter and a little orangey, both are kind of dark and a smidge brown. There are no inclusions that I can see both with the naked eye and with a loupe and there are no surface scratches even after all this time. The photos are reasonably accurate as far as color is concerned, perhaps a bit darker than in real life but it was the best I could do. The posts and the backs are marked 10k gold, I don't know if that's indicative of a real stone but I would imagine fakes would be set in silver or base metal.

I've decided if they're real I want to have them reset. My husband bought me IDJ jackets for our anniversary and I'm currently waiting for them to be made. I have diamond studs but thought I might like a bit of variety so I plan on having a few colored pairs made up. So if these are genuine I would reset them in something more sturdy, if not then I'll just keep them in my box for sentimental purposes and buy some real stones.





I hope I uploaded the photos right. I truly have no clue what I'm doing!

 

[MAC-W]

Hi koolchicken, and welcome to the forum

If you're a long time lurker, you probably already know that it's impossible to say for sure based only on a photo, but I'm going to stick my neck out and guess that they are garnets of some type.

 

[koolchicken]

Thanks MAC-W!

I am and I know there's a limit to what help can be given. I guess I was just looking for an educated opinion as to whether or not they could be real given the variation in color, condition, age, setting style, and material. I truly don't know. I would send them out for testing but I don't even know if that's necessary or if it simply taking them to a jewelry store could tell me what I want to know. Also, testing seems pricey given I don't know what they might be. If they could be something expensive then sure, but if the general consensus is they're too low quality or couldn't be stones that fall into the expensive category then I'll skip it. I live in Hawaii so even though they don't weigh much the shipping will be a lot using UPS or FedEX and I'd feel rather foolish paying more for the shipping than the stones themselves!

Another thought I had was to wait until I have a few more pairs I want to set. I think I would want to go with DanielM as I love the pieces people have posted here. I don't know if he would know if they were something, but if he did I could send them with the other stones I eventually source and if they're worth setting then have him do it, if not just send them back with the finished pairs.

In any case thanks for the suggestions of garnets, I'd never considered it. I may be a long time lurker but I'm mostly stalking photos, lol. I really don't know what I'm doing or where to get started.

 

[Edward Bristol]

garnet (OK), spinel (lucky) or synthetic (sorry).

 

[MAC-W]

No problem.



One suggestion for you regarding getting them tested, is to contact your local jewellers association and find out if they know of any local courses for trainee jewellers. If there are, then contact that college and see if the tutor of the course would consider testing your stones as an 'Assignment' for his students.

I've done that a couple of times where I live and gotten free testing as a result.

Mind you I knew what I had and just wanted confirmation that they really were what I had bought. The tutor I spoke to here in Australia was happy to do it as it gave his students something different. Maybe you could do the same in Hawaii.



By the way, did you know that there is a jewellery trade expo coming up in Hawaii? http://www.uexpos.com/jeweleryExpo_hawaii.html
Maybe you could find out who is exhibiting there and see if someone could tell you more about your stones.

 

[koolchicken]

I'll contact them and see if there are classes where I live. Hawaii is a chain of islands and I'm one one of the smallest and most rural so it's unlikely. We do have a small community college, but most of the classes have been dismissed for the summer. Maybe I'll get lucky in the fall. I think this is where most of my problem is. I don't have the resources of a mainlander. All we have here is a Zales, Kay, and a few touristy shops. I know of one family jewelry store but I sense they don't actually know much at all about what they're selling.

That expo sounds like a lot of fun, I'd love to go to one of them someday. This one seems to be on Oahu though and I'm on a different island. Sometimes you just can't win. I'd totally go just for fun if I didn't have an eight month old, he doesn't exactly travel light. Maybe they'll have one again in a few months, I am planning a trip there in November. I could buy myself a little birthday treat!

 

[JewelFreak]

Welcome to PS!

If they're real, they are probably garnets. They could be synthetic, though. Either way, they would be pretty in jackets. Do the prongs seem loose? Is that why you want to re-set them in something sturdier? You could take them to the jewelry store you mentioned to have the prongs tightened & have the settings looked over for general condition. Otherwise, since your sources are limited locally, you could hang onto them till you are next on Oahu -- research first & I'm sure you can find gemologists there who might tell you more, at least enough to know if you'd want to send them for further testing.

Whatever they are, they're a nice color & you can have fun with them! Even Princess Diana wore synthetic jewelry sometimes -- so do I, things I inherited from my grandmother that are great & nobody guesses.

--- Laurie

 

[chrono]

Well, here goes - my best guess is the same as the other posters: garnet at best, synthetic at worst. Having a better guess requires actually testing the refraction but it sounds as though no one on your island has a refractometer. If it is indeed a garnet, it sounds as though it is in excellent condition given the age which is puzzling. Any facet abrasion?

 

[koolchicken]

Hi JewelFreak, thank you!

You know, I'm starting to think they just may be rhodolite garnets. If you do a google search that's indeed what they look like IRL. The color isn't super consistent and the hint of almost orange in the center of one stone looks like so many of the images I've looked at. And while theyre reasonably well matched they arent exactly the same. I guess I thought if they were synthetic they would have more even tone and just generally be more "perfect". But like I said, I don't know too much about this stuff. Just bits and pieces I've picked up on this site. I do know some more expensive gems have synthetic replicas that have inconsistencies and inclusions just like their real cousins. I just assumed that if these were real they would be free of those as they would probably be less expensive stones to begin with. Sort of like amethyst, sure you could replicate it, but it's so common wouldn't you make a prefect version since no one's going to question it?

I want them reset just because the setting seems a bit thin. The prongs could do with tightening as well, and I'm not super crazy about the style. I prefer a martini setting. I would happily upgrade to a 14k rose gold setting if they're real. I just think the price of gold is too high right now if they're glass.

And thank you too Edward for your input!

 

[koolchicken]

Hi Chrono,

There does not seem to be any wear on the facets. In fact I don't see any surface scratches at all. They are earrings so while I would suspect they would see less wear, they appear perfect. I will admit I was treated like a living doll as a child. My mother dressed me in the morning and I wasn't allowed to touch my jewelry- she put it on me and she took it off. Even if my earrings bugged me during the night, I wasn't allowed to take them off. So they've lived on me or in a box for most of their life. Granted as I got older and was allowed to actually make contact with the things I was wearing I was slightly less careful. But still I'm reasonably good about my things. I know garnets aren't the hardest stone in the world so I would expect some wear, but there really isn't any I can see.

I wonder if someplace like Kay might be able to tell me? It can't hurt to ask. There really is no where else.

 

[MAC-W]

Hi KC,

I found these guys in Honolulu who have a refractometer as part of their equipment. http://www.iridiumjewelers.com/refractometer.html

Maybe you could take your earrings to them during your trip in November and get them tested properly?

If you do, you have to let us know the outcome , and if our guesses were correct.


ETA: they seem to have a reasonable reputation.
http://www.bbb.org/hawaii/business-reviews/appraisal-jewelry-formerly-66000-000/iridium-jewelers-and-gemologist-in-honolulu-hi-36001302/complaints

http://www.yelp.com.au/biz/iridium-jewelers-and-gemologists-honolulu

 

[chrono]

Highly unlikely for stores like Kay to have the knowledge nor right testing equipment.

 

[koolchicken]

Hi MAC-W Thanks! I'll definitely check them out the next time I'm on Oahu. I know where they are and have actually driven by there in the past, it's right by the mall.

Thanks Chrono. I figured they might be no different than regular retail employees. But I may get lucky. The thing about this island is you never know who you might meet, and what their past life was. For example a Supercuts here isn't like one on the mainland. Here you're likely to have a former mainland salon owner cutting your hair. There are soooo many people who were professionals and business owners who came here on vacation, met someone, packed up and sold their old life and started a new one here. Often the cost of restarting a business is too high here so they end up working in retail chains. So even though I may not get anywhere it's worth a try. Who knows, maybe someone there knows of someone local who could help me!

So our local jewelry stores may not know much about gemstones. If anything I could see a salesperson in one of the family stores knowing about jade and pearls, but not much else. There are far more sales to be made from Hawaiian gold bracelets, even Costco sells them. This is what they look like, http://www.aloha2go.com/catalog/2-1-2.htm

I'll be sure to update when I find out what they are.
In the meantime I think I should try and busy myself by finding other stones for studs!

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,


I'm going to guess as well. I think they're rubies. They might be given to a child by an aunt or uncle. I'm not saying they are top quality, but the color reminds me more of ruby than garnet.

Annette

 

[koolchicken]

Hi Smitcompton!

Thanks for your guess! I'm open to any suggestions.

I actually put the earrings in my bag so the next time I'm in town I can try to stop into a store or two and see if anyone can help me. The "city" is more than an hour away, so I want to have them at the ready if I'm down there.

 

[LD]

These are unlikely to be Rhodolite Garnets as they are more pinky/purple. My guess is Pyrope Garnets. Garnets have been around for years and are often found in Victorian pieces. Please let us know what you find out.