Opal and green something?

[talamasca]

I recently inherited some rings from my lovely grandma, one of which is an opal with green stones surrounding it. I'm thinking they're possibly emerald chips or something...... any ideas?

I'd like to have it assessed professionally and valued, but I have yet to find a trustworthy jeweller local to me in the UK, where so far 3 have failed to impress me in the slightest! So thought my best bet would be to ask on PS first. Plus, I'd like some advice on how jewellers assess and value jewellery and whether they need any qualifications, etc.

I also have 3 other rings which I've inherited and need re-sizing up by 1 size at the most. How would a jeweller do this? Can I wait whilst they do it? I'm not sure I'd trust leaving my rings with them..... I'd also like to get these valued; one is my grandma's decorative wedding band which I'm not sure can be re-sized as the decoration goes all the way around, one is a beautiful diamond 'flower' ring and the last is a three stone bezel set diamond ring.

How do jewellers test carat of gold, I think 2 still have marks on them but the others have rubbed off. They're all yellow gold, but one looks darker than the others.

Pics of opal ring below...... plus a couple of all rings together

 

[talamasca]

I was tempted to wear all 4 rings on my right hand, with the opal on my middle finger, the flower and band on ring finger and 3 stone on pinky, but I think it might be a bit much for me on a daily basis so will probably have them altered to fit just the ring finger and then swap them daily

 

[chrono]

Assessment is done by:
1. Verifying the condition of the ring and stones
2. Verifying the value of the stones (colour, size, clarity, treatment, etc)
3. Verifying the workmanship and design of the ring.

A good appraiser would be an accredited gemmologist (training by GIA or some other lab schools) and have some experience under their belt.

Resizing up by 1 size is easy enough. Unfortunately, this isn't something you can wait onsite for it to be completed; depending on the jeweller's workload, it could take a day or a week. The work itself doesn't take long though. You are correct that a decorative eternity type band isn't as straightforward to resize.

 

[talamasca]

P.S. whilst sorting through my grandparent's belongings, my dad came across what looks like a bag of amber....... how would we find out if it is amber and if it is what should we do with it?

If it is, I like the idea of us all having a piece of jewellery made using the amber, but is it something a lapicidarist would cut and polish for setting?

 

[chrono]

Any gemmologist in your local area? Some simple tests should allow him to tell you if they are amber or something else. They can be cabbed and set as pendants, rings, etc. I have an amber necklace made of multiple round beads.

 

[pregcurious]

Hopefully our UK members will come along to help. I live near DC and would recommend Martin Fuller (http://martinfullerappraisals.com/). Perhaps you can email him and ask for a recommendation for someone in the UK? I would go to an independent appraiser (not affiliated with a store), if possible.

 

[chrono]

This isn't exactly what you are looking for but hopefully will guide you in the right direction.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/quick-question-recommend-a-gem-lab-in-uk.184346/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/quick-question-recommend-a-gem-lab-in-uk.184346/[/URL]

 

[dk168]

I am in the UK, and have only used a local jeweller to evaluate the jewellery pieces that I wanted to sell. He was/is certified to perform evaluation, and I found his evaluation truthful and honest.

I guess it helped that I roughly knew the specs for 3 of the 4Cs of the diamonds except for the cut grade, and the grades of the metal used.

As for testing of metal, the acid test is still the norm, in that an acid is applied to a small area of a piece of jewellery, and the colour change is observed and compared to a chart, in order to determine what it is and % content etc...

Fine for yellow gold and platinum jewellery, however, for white gold items that have been rhodium plated, it will take off the rhodium plating and expose the un-plated white gold underneath, which can be unsightly if the location where the acid is applied cannot be concealed easily when the jewellery item is being worn.

DK

 

[talamasca]

Thank you. I'm a bit of a worrier, so I worry that a Jeweller might replace stones and I wouldn't know any difference! But, that's just me being a worry-wort LOL. I just need to find a Jeweller that I feel I can trust..... my mum had a few rings of my grandma's altered by a local Jeweller and they've done a nice job, though they came back ultra clean and sparkly, which whilst looked good, made me think hmm wonder if they're still the same stones, but that's just me

I can't seem to find a gemmologist local to me to look at the amber and the Jeweller my dad asked didn't do any tests and suggested he sold it on eBay!

The Jewellers I was going to go to do not mention GIA on their website. However, they and a couple of other local Jewellers, say that their Valuers are registered with NAG (National Association of Goldsmiths)........ and these Valuers visit the stores regularly to undertake valuations on site, so I presume they aren't employed by the Jeweller stores. I may still to go the Jewellers I was thinking of, but I'm not sure.....!

Does anyone have any idea as to what the green stones are?

 

[pandabee]

Beautiful ring! I have been looking for similar ones on ebay (emerald for May, the month FI and I had our first date and opal for October, our anniversary) and I would say some of the opal/emerald rings that come up are real emerald (just not the best quality) or tsavorite. When I was looking, a lot of the UK gold rings were 9kt too if that helps.

PS love that wide star band of yours! Especially with the opal ring.

 

[Starzin]

The Jewellers I was going to go to do not mention GIA on their website. However, they and a couple of other local Jewellers, say that their Valuers are registered with NAG (National Association of Goldsmiths)........ and these Valuers visit the stores regularly to undertake valuations on site, so I presume they aren't employed by the Jeweller stores. I may still to go the Jewellers I was thinking of, but I'm not sure.....!

Does anyone have any idea as to what the green stones are?

I'm not in the UK but NAG valuers sound like a good option since they appear not to be employed by the stores. However they would probably be paid by either the jeweller to value a group of items or the customer requesting a valuation. What about ringing/emailing NAG and asking for a recommendation to a valuer near you?

Unfortunately it's really hard to determine from your photos just what the green stones might be since (to me) they don't look like emeralds and the colour looks a bit off for tsavs. Best to find a valuer who can tell you.

ETA: Do you have a picture of the amber? Best to get the valuer to look at that too. There can be several options for making attractive jewellery from it if you wish.

 

[talamasca]

Thanks pandabee and good luck with your search.

Hi Starzin, I will give NAG a ring. The Jewellery store I spoke to before Christmas advised me that the NAG Valuer is extremely experienced and has been valuing jewellery for 40years. He comes to their store once a month to undertake valuations and the cost of the valuations depend upon the final value fee of the items, e.g. if the total of the 3 rings is under £1,500 then the fee would be £65, if it's below £2,000 then the fee would be £85 and from what I've seen of other NAG valuations this seems to be correct, and actually less than some who also charge separately for the valuation, then plus a percentage of the overall cost. The lady I spoke to was very helpful and was happy to try to accommodate my wishes of having the valuations and re-sizing done on the same day, which I thought very good.

I haven't got a photo of the amber, but that's a good idea to take it with me to the valuer, thanks.

Does anyone know exactly what happens when rings are re-sized, i.e. are they heated, stretched and re-shaped or do they cut them, add gold and re-shape? They only need increasing by 1 to 1.50 sizes.

When they clean them, could they get damaged, i.e. the opal and green stones.... I presume the diamonds (if they are real) would be OK to go in some sort of liquid/machine.....whatever it is they use to clean jewellery with?

Also, how does the valuer determine what the stones are.... does he have a microscope, etc and what does he look for to be able to tell the difference between real and fake? How will he check what the green stones are.... what will he be looking for?

Lastly, does checking the carat of the gold leave a mark/damage the jewellery, as I understand it's an acid test?

LOL I think I should use Google to try and find answers to some of many questions!

 

[chrono]

I prefer the jeweller actually cut and add/remove for resizing, instead of stretching since it can distort the pattern. As mentioned above, the shank is cut, metal is added and then soldered back together. Make sure the jeweller does NOT steam or put your rings in the ultrasonic or your stones will never look the same again. Valuation means he has to determine the gem type (microscope, dichroscope, refractometer and etc.) and from there look at the inclusions and other signs to determine most likely gem type, treatment and quality. Recognizing the difference between real and fake will take lots of skill and experience since oftentimes, the readings will be identical.

 

[LD]

Talamasca

The most reputable outfit in the UK to give you a true valuation (not an inflated valuation by a jeweller) is Safeguard - they are the valuation arm of the Birmingham Assay Office. They have a few valuers who go around the UK visiting local jewellers OR you can send items to Birmingham. They are not the cheapest but they are the best. Their word holds weight with the jewellery and insurance market in the UK.

http://www.theassayoffice.co.uk/safeguard/

 

[talamasca]

Thank you Chrono and thanks for the link LD - I hadn't come across this company, but I see there's a couple of Jewellers close to me that offer the Safeguard valuation and I would rather pay a little more for an experienced valuation than risk it.