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Please help, found destroyed antique diamonds

Elizabethhunts said:
I like your realism! It keeps me from getting overwhelmed. I will keep this thread updated!
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Absolutely come back and tell us what you found. If this pandemic lasts any longer, I might be buying lots of stuff on eBay and sorting through them lol.

As I said, there are much worse things right now... and I love a good imagination and dream of possibilities and things that could be... I can get lost in it. It’s a nice break from reality. So I feel you there... I get it. It’s fun to imagine.
 
What a fun find.
Items that are precious metal will be hallmarked ie 14kt, 18kt 585, 750 or Sterling silver which is 925. It is unusual to find precious metal jewellery without a hallmark.
You can’t rely on so called “diamond testers”, they are not reliable unfortunately. Only the Presidium gem tester, which costs a few hundred dollars, is considered accurate for differentiating between glass (CZ) and other gem stone types. Nevertheless it can’t tell you if a gem is natural or grown in a lab.
Things to look out for if trying to decide if a piece is fine Jewelry and not Costume jewellery is the metal. Hallmarked gold is likely to mean real gemstones, but not always. Real gems are likely to be set with an open back, costume stones are often glued in. The quality of the setting Is another clue, ie solid prongs that can’t be easily “lifted” with a fingernail.
Best to use a magnifying loupe and look for natural inclusions. If a gem looks too perfect it’s probably not natural.
 
whitewave said:
I’m usually the one to break bad news to people in my circle. I feel it’s sorrier to let a person get their hopes up only to be dashed.

OP didn’t find a treasure and she has a lot of junk. However, if she paid $15.00 for the box of junk and she had a few sellable pieces, with some effort and eBay she could make a few (under $100 for sure) dollars.

In a pandemic, this might not be so bad of an activity. It’s like how my MIL does with garage sales.... buy other people’s junk and resell the sellable things at your garage sale.

There are worse things, especially right now.
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whitewave said:
Absolutely come back and tell us what you found. If this pandemic lasts any longer, I might be buying lots of stuff on eBay and sorting through them lol.

As I said, there are much worse things right now... and I love a good imagination and dream of possibilities and things that could be... I can get lost in it. It’s a nice break from reality. So I feel you there... I get it. It’s fun to imagine.
Click to expand...

Bron357 said:
What a fun find.
Items that are precious metal will be hallmarked ie 14kt, 18kt 585, 750 or Sterling silver which is 925. It is unusual to find precious metal jewellery without a hallmark.
You can’t rely on so called “diamond testers”, they are not reliable unfortunately. Only the Presidium gem tester, which costs a few hundred dollars, is considered accurate for differentiating between glass (CZ) and other gem stone types. Nevertheless it can’t tell you if a gem is natural or grown in a lab.
Things to look out for if trying to decide if a piece is fine Jewelry and not Costume jewellery is the metal. Hallmarked gold is likely to mean real gemstones, but not always. Real gems are likely to be set with an open back, costume stones are often glued in. The quality of the setting Is another clue, ie solid prongs that can’t be easily “lifted” with a fingernail.
Best to use a magnifying loupe and look for natural inclusions. If a gem looks too perfect it’s probably not natural.
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About to hit a few with a hammer and see what happens.
If they are real, does anyone want an old mine cut? Ive got a few to spare under the circumstances. Ive been wracked for days, finding the stone buried in big acrylic set part on the gregorian piece blew me away. I really did it for shits and giggles.
 
Elizabethhunts said:
About to hit a few with a hammer and see what happens.
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There is a jeweller - Hisano Shepherd - she's a visionary with pearls.

little h pearl jewelry

Designer Pearl Jewelry
littlehjewelry.com littlehjewelry.com

She does a lot with gemstone chips. All recycled gemstones extracted from unwanted pieces sold by the lot. I asked her how she got the chips into evenly-sized, workable pieces. I'm not sure what sort of answer I was expecting, but "I whack them with a hammer" wasn't it!
The image of this petite woman pounding away at gemstone cast-offs that will later appear in swoon-worthy jewels just... oh, I laughed!
 
Elizabethhunts said:
About to hit a few with a hammer and see what happens.
If they are real, does anyone want an old mine cut? Ive got a few to spare under the circumstances. Ive been wracked for days, finding the stone buried in big acrylic set part on the gregorian piece blew me away. I really did it for shits and giggles.
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Noooooooo!!


Hon, do NOT hit them with a hammer.

Where are you getting these ideas from?

If you have a diamond, you will shatter it.

I go to crater of diamonds in Arkansas and dig for them. I have no idea what you are doing with heat, water and a hammer!!!
 
How you are supposed to use the diamond tester. You have to press the metal plate on the back and put the stone on the metal plate it came with that has divots on it.

 
Bron357 said:
Hitting any gem with a hammer will destroy it. It’s definitely not a method of gem testing!
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It was a light hearted joke but probably in bad taste. I have checked their density in water, and tried to shatter one by heating it and then exposing it to cold water. Nothing yet. And no hammer! My jewler said hed be happy to look at them for me, and test the pieces that are gold tone and not magnetized.
 
whitewave said:
How you are supposed to use the diamond tester. You have to press the metal plate on the back and put the stone on the metal plate it came with that has divots on it.

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I am only dissapointed that it cant meter other stones, i have a few that i certainly would love to identify, a few beautifully colored of what im sure is spinel but cant confirm
 
NEAT UPDATE EVERYONE.
Some of the larger stones im finding are filled with acrylic at the bottom as well. Ive attached a photo you can see the seperation from what is mineral to what is acrylic. These stones have come from a number of different pieces so i cant even begin to figure out which ones these came from. This fillong was a practice used with diamonds during the gregorian era when resources were spread thin, and to get lsrger stones and flashier fine jewelry, they would pad the diamonds with acrylic to give them a little boost. VERY NEAT! Im excited to see what size the true stones are! I found one of these filled stones yesterday, and had a blast grinding away at the axrylic to reveal the treasure inside 20200626_165941.jpg
 
I'm sorry but these are rhinestones or cz, not diamond. All of it is costume jewelry
 
PreRaphaelite said:
I think you are trying to refer to the Georgian era, but acrylic did not exist during that time. Why not just enjoy the costume bling?
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Thank you for correcting me, its been quite a day. I want to enjoy it! Very much so, just have to ensure im not sitting on diamonds is all. And if they are indeed, i have far too many to keep them all.
 
Elizabethhunts said:
Thank you for correcting me, its been quite a day. I want to enjoy it! Very much so, just have to ensure im not sitting on diamonds is all. And if they are indeed, i have far too many to keep them all.
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It's pretty clear you arent sitting on diamonds. They look nothing like diamonds and are all in cheap costume jewelry. Enjoy the pieces, but please dont get caught up in this idea that you foind something valuable
 
lovedogs said:
It's pretty clear you arent sitting on diamonds. They look nothing like diamonds and are all in cheap costume jewelry. Enjoy the pieces, but please dont get caught up in this idea that you foind something valuable
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15932171938186460975542293708909.jpgthis doesnt AT ALL look like a diamond to you?
 
We take our gems seriously here. Lol.


We probably all gasped when we read that




Elizabethhunts said:
It was a light hearted joke but probably in bad taste. I have checked their density in water, and tried to shatter one by heating it and then exposing it to cold water. Nothing yet. And no hammer! My jewler said hed be happy to look at them for me, and test the pieces that are gold tone and not magnetized.
Click to expand...
 
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Elizabethhunts said:
15932171938186460975542293708909.jpgthis doesnt AT ALL look like a diamond to you?
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I’m sorry but since you asked, no it doesn’t. But go see. I’ll be very happy for you if proven wrong. Heck, I’ll help you plan a big spendy vacation for your family if you hit it big. That’s another fun thing to dream about!!!
 
whitewave said:
I’m sorry but since you asked, no it doesn’t. But go see. I’ll be very happy for you if proven wrong. Heck, I’ll help you plan a big spendy vacation for your family if you hit it big. That’s another fun thing to dream about!!!
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15932179376006724302477821753128.jpg are these not what diamonds look like? Im sorry but if not a single one of these is a diamond ill eat my hat good sir. Although realism IS always the best route. You are all correct there. However, I cant deny the brilliance of these stones
 
Elizabethhunts said:
15932179376006724302477821753128.jpg are these not what diamonds look like? Im sorry but if not a single one of these is a diamond ill eat my hat good sir. Although realism IS always the best route. You are all correct there. However, I cant deny the brilliance of these stones
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No. Those look nothing like diamonds. They look like glass, or other synthetic
 
Well guys, theres no convincing ya.
If they are real ill know tomorrow morning. And if they are real i have a lot of work to do. Ill leave you all with one more photo. These are just random loose stone, clean and foil removed. Old mine cuts of "stones" well call them for now. They really are gorgeous. Wish photos did justice15932186246292709217404356052879.jpg
 
Regretfully I'll chime in and say they look nothing like real diamonds. Not even good fakes.

But if/when someone comes here posting that one in a million find I will be absolutely thrilled for them!!

I hope it's me!! lol
 
Elizabethhunts said:
15932179376006724302477821753128.jpg are these not what diamonds look like? Im sorry but if not a single one of these is a diamond ill eat my hat good sir. Although realism IS always the best route. You are all correct there. However, I cant deny the brilliance of these stones
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all that matters in the end are the ones you love and the ones that sing to you. It doesn’t matter what they are, only that they make happy. =)
 

This may be of interest, she was quite the prolific costume jewellery designer:)
[/QUOTE]
Tldr; i purchased a hattie carnegie's personal and crafting jewelry, as well as some of her handmade work.

UPDATE:
I now present to you all..
Hattie Carnegie's personal jewelry.
Her iconic pearls20200623_133632.jpg
The diamonds she was using to make jewelry (she was know to take fine jewelery and mix it with costume)20200626_084244.jpg
Her ring boastimg her favorote color, carnegie blue image-20200626_190153.jpg

What seems to be a fully handmade trinket by her, a tiny wooden box fashioned into a vanity, adorned with real gemstones.
Yes the diamonds are real.
She was known to use fine jewelry to design and create her own costuke jewelry. Which her husband John then pushed her to develop her own line of it. Which she did. 20200627_002507.jpg
And a pendant that seems to be the basis of her entire crystal elephant series. 20200626_232754.jpg
Now i need to figure out what to do. These handmade pieces are priceless. I cant refine or sell her hand done work. Even the diamonds i suddenly feel strange about. I have brooches in the shape of a poodle (her brand logo and favorite animal) and a teddy bear holding a teddy bear entirely encrested with diamonds. The poodle has ruby eyes. And the bear emerald. These were most definitely handmade by her. Im overwhelmed.
 
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Guys there is so much of her work in here.... the diamonds are amazing.... but how do i even begin to sprt and evaluate how much of this has been hand altered by her? Or influenced other works? The diamonds are just tennis braclets and greorgian pieces.... but all the "junk" is hattie carnegie's work. Her brilliance. Her inspiration. Where the hell do i begin???? Is there a hotline for this sort of thing?
 
So really Hattie WAS destroying antique georgian pieces, but she also paid for them so i guess i can give her a pass on this one.
And she wasnt ruining the diamonds. She was a brilliant artist with a very quirky style. So i was wrong in part. I have yet to test her blue stoned ring pictured in the start of the thread, but there are about 30 rings total. And i have a strong feeling she wasnt wearing them.. she was taking them apart and designing her jewelry with them. The very same thing i bought the lot to do, to begin with.
Actually, she made the five ornate ones, out of the 25 random ones, ive just realized. 20200626_003558.jpgthe rings pictured were designed by Hattie, for Hattie to wear. These were not mass produced or replicated into costume form. This is her personally curated ring selection, made from other pieces of fine jewelry.
 
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I’m confused. Are those diamonds from before real? They don’t look it but who knows.
 
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