Show me your family heirloom!

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JCDC..

LOL..we really should move this conversation over to the colored gemstone forum where there''ll be someone who knows what they''re talking about!

I do know this much: A natural pearl is formed inside an oyster when some foreign irritant (a grain of sand, or whatever) gets inside the shell and bugs the creature. In defense, the creature starts coating the irritant with a pearly substance, nacre. Eventually, often years later, you have a natural pearl.

A cultured (not cultivated

) pearl is the result of humans raising the oysters, implanting the irritant inside the shell, returning the oyster to the ocean to do its nacre thing, and harvesting the pearls later. Obviously, the bigger the irritant (a bead, perhaps) the less time and the less nacre it takes to produce a decent sized cultured pearl.

Before they learned how to culture pearls, they were VERY RARE and only Royalty and the very wealthy could afford them. Can you imagine how hard it would be to find even two natural pearls that matched?? Let alone enough for a strand?

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[diamondlil]

Date: 4/16/2005 7:29:54 PM
Author: diamondlil
This is a great thread. Thanks, Widget, for starting it. I have something I''ve been wanted to post for your opinions.

This was a ring given to my grandmother probably a good 65 years ago by a gentleman who wanted to marry her. She said no, but she kept the ring -- smart woman.

After my grandmother''s death, my dad gave me the ring, and it''s been in my jewelry box for about 10 years. I don''t know what the stone is or if it is even worth anything more than sentimental value. My grandmother''s birthstone was sapphire, but the stone has a greenish-blue/teal color to it. I can see a few flaws in the stone with my loupe so I presume it is not glass or a synthetic.

Do you have any ideas what the stone could be?

Update: I finally got the answer I was seeking about my grandmother''s ring. I recently visited Martin Fuller to have an appraisal done on my new wedding set, and just for fun, I took along my grandmother''s ring. He was really intrigued. At first glance, he thought it was blue zircon, and one of his associates agreed. Then he put it under the microscope and noticed tiny bubbles in the stone and it also fluoresced bright red!!!! He took a couple of cool pics too. Turns out to be synthetic spinel. Unfortunately, not of any monetary value, just sentimental. I was kind of bummed since it was a gift from my grandmother''s boyfriend -- what a cheapskate --

-- no wonder she said no to his proposal

. Under magnification, Martin also noticed that all but 1 of the accent diamonds are single cut. One was a full-cut diamond, so she must have lost a stone along the way and had it repaired.

Mystery solved.

DiamondLil

 

[velouriaL]

I think I remember hearing that back-in-the-day, synthetic stones, especially colored, were more accepted than they are now. Only the *very* wealthy could afford real ones, especially in the 30s and 40s, and they were less common on the market than now. Plus, people were intrigued and impressed by what science could do... So, yeah, you''re grandma''s boyfriend may have been an okay guy after all!

 

[widget]

Diamondlil....thanks for the update! So interesting!

I like synthetic spinel a lot better than colored glass, anyway!

By the way, what exactly IS a single cut diamond, anyway?...(or is this a question for yet another new thread elsewhere...

)

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[diamondlil]

Date: 5/20/2005 2:19:27 PM
Author: velouriaL
I think I remember hearing that back-in-the-day, synthetic stones, especially colored, were more accepted than they are now. Only the *very* wealthy could afford real ones, especially in the 30s and 40s, and they were less common on the market than now. Plus, people were intrigued and impressed by what science could do... So, yeah, you''re grandma''s boyfriend may have been an okay guy after all!

LMAO! Oh alright, he MAY have been okay, but not good enough for grandma since she dumped him anyway.

DiamondLil

 

[diamondlil]

Date: 5/20/2005 2:21:25 PM
Author: widget
Diamondlil....thanks for the update! So interesting!

I like synthetic spinel a lot better than colored glass, anyway!

By the way, what exactly IS a single cut diamond, anyway?...(or is this a question for yet another new thread elsewhere...

)

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A single-cut diamond only has 16 facets -- not nearly as brilliant as a modern cut with 58. I don''t know if the single-cut method is for small diamonds only or whether larger stones would have been cut that way too. Of course, I don''t know the history behind OMC or OEC diamonds either (guess I should learn considering I''ve been hanging out here at PS for 2 years

). Maybe single-cut is just an earlier method of cutting?

DiamondLil

 

[Kismet]

This is my grandmother''s engagement ring. I''m pretty sure the stone is nothing but glass, but I''ve always thought it was pretty.

 

[Kismet]

And another view.

 

[Libster]

You guys.....I love each and every piece and especially all the memories each holds for you!! Keep them coming, they are beauties!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 5/20/2005 2:10:42 PM
Author: diamondlil

Update: I finally got the answer I was seeking about my grandmother's ring.

Besides, spinel can esily look like that no matter where it comes from. I really do love the color ... Do you wear the ring ?

 

[Rowan]

This is my grandmother''s (mom''s mom) wedding ring from her fist marriage in 1934.

 

[Kaleigh]

Rowan,
It''s lovely!!

 

[Rowan]

And this is my grandma and my grandfather sometime around 1947.

 

[Rowan]

Thank you Kaleigh! It''s 14k white gold with tiny diamond chips. Not worth much monetarily, but is very sentimental.

 

[Kaleigh]

I love the scroll work on the ends. Doesn't matter what it's worth, it's the sentimental value that is priceless, IMHO.

 

[Rowan]

I agree.

 

[fountainfairfax]

I have to jump back in again to say I LOVE this thread!!!! Such great jewelry & artistry we don''t see a lot of anymore, wonderful stories, great pictures....I was very proud to share my Great aunt''s ring w/you all & just as happy to read the stories & see the beautiful pieces everyone else cherishes!

I never got to experience my omc diamond in it''s "original" home (my uncle has told me it was originally in a broach his mother had & she gave the stone to him for the e-ring he gave my aunt) and I think its wonderful when we can keep our family jewelry in its original state but sometimes circumstances allow us to give it a new & special home, and to creat heirlooms for future generations!

I hope we get to see many more examples of the wonders of heirloom jewelry...

 

[blueroses]

I love this thread too!!

These three eternity bands are either my maternal grandmothers or great-grandmothers.....I think it's the latter, but I have to check. Either way, whomever it was had some TINY TINY fingers! That's the furthest they can go down my pinky!! I have short pudgy fingers, but they're not huge--ring finger is a 6. Anyway, one's sapphire, one ruby, one diamond. I'm not sure if the diamond is channel or pave set--it's hard to tell. (The gemstones are channel, though.)

The stones go all the way around, so I imagine it'd be hard to re-size them? No one wears these, but I think they're lovely!


eta: this is a scanner shot, which is why my finger looks mashed!

 

[blueroses]

Whee, fun with the scanner!!

Ok, these three all belong to my mother; but all are vintage and two are antique.

On the left, diamonds in white gold (and plat, I think??) that my dad gave my mom for a big anniversary, but I don't remember which. I think the center diamond is a family one and the antique setting is from Jim Jessop here in San Diego, who my parents swear by.

Middle is a ring my mom bought for herself --OEC stones, I think, with sapphire accents in platinum. This is from Karl Winchell in La Jolla who we also really like. (He made my sister and bIL's weddings rings....this is where the old family jeweler B&M stuff can actually be nice once in a while, b/c he had a 1.04 (?) F, IF RB that he'd been holding onto b/c it was a very special stone to him....and he sold it to them at a great cost (I want to say around 8k, from what I remember, and this was in '9 It's a great stone. Anyhoo. My mom had been looking for another antique RHR and Karl called her when he found this.

The last one will be mine someday--hopefully in the not too distant future. We had a dear family friend who had no children, and when she passed away, she left two diamond rings in my mom's care for my sister and me. (The other was a three stone OEC ring--they were in this weird asymmetrical slant on the ring, but pretty stones.) When my sister was engaged, the ring was given to her, and she had earrings made from the sidestones and the center stone was made into a center pendant on a pearl necklace. (I think it'd be prettier on its own.) ANYHOO, this ring--EC w/ baguettes set EW and then NS on either side in platinum--will be mine. Someday. If my bf ever proposes and gets me off the LIW list. To that end, if he wanted THIS to be my e-ring, it'd be ours for the taking, but...not till then. No idea on the specs, but the center stone is def. under a carat--I'd guess .75 at the most? It's grown on me so much--I used to want an RB, then an oval, then a cushion, and now am fixated w/ asschers...so of course I

emeralds and all step-cuts!!
( ...eta, the inset shot is another one of this last.....it came out too flashy/hard to see on the other.)

 

[Kaleigh]

blueroses,
Those eternity bands are just beautiful!!! I got one from my other grandmother and took it to a jeweler that was able to size it for me. I guess it all depends on how much it needs to be resized. They are just lovely.

 

[blueroses]

Here is a FABULOUS sapphire/diamond art-deco pin that was my maternal grandmother''s. I LOVE IT. Hopefully I''ll find a way to integrate this onto my wedding dress someday. The sapphires are almost BLACK! Love it

 

[blueroses]

Awww, thanks Kaleigh!!!

I love them too--they are so pretty and special to me. I''m not sure how my mom would feel about resizing them....I should bring it up again

But they are TINY....I mean, I can''t even get them over my knuckle on my PINKY!! Bleah

Ok, Last pic??

The big cameo belonged to my sweet maternal grandfather (none of these are people I''ve met, by the way....3/4 of my grandparents all died between 1967-1968 so I never knew them.....so mementos like this mean so much more! I love this ring...I don''t know the story behind it, just that it was his.

The big old opal, though belonged to my Nana--my paternal grandmother who I DID know, and was blessed enough to have as my one and only grandparent (she did the work of 4 with ease and grace!!--an AMAZING lady!!) She was widowed in 1967. YEARS later in 1981, she was proposed to by a dear childhood friend whom she had always adored, and who''d been widowed as well. So this was her 2nd engagement ring. Kind of big and flashy, but lovely, and so her--(this is a grandmother who wore the same Revlon Hot Coral lipstick for 50 years and wore red reebok high tops to her aerobics classes in her late 70s.) VERY sadly, her fiance had a stroke before they were ever married. But she always wore this ring, along with another opal ring given to her by her OTHER suitor (another childhood friend) at this same time. Love and marriage at 70 years old! We lost her in 1996 when she was almost 85

(My mom had lost her mother before my dad proposed, and her dad 7 months after their wedding....so Nana was truly her mother longer than her OWN mother. Such a role model--she never referred to my mom as her DIL, always her daughter, and she had an amazing relationship with all her in-laws.) She left the two opal rings to each of her daughter-in-laws, and my mom got this one.

BUT.....my mom buys into this silly opal supersticion (esp. b/c of Nana losing her fiance) so she won''t wear it. So it''s MINE!!

I have worn it a few times--like last week to my first ever Opera. I think I want to have the center stone polished (it''s had some wear and tear) and set in a pendant? Not sure, but I don''t want to regret it. Either way, I''ll have the stone polished and reset.

OK. Sorry for the LOONG narrations!

 

[widget]

Oh, My Gosh....I've said it before, I must say it again...I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!!!!!

Where do I start? Kismet...your grandmother's ring certainly is amazing! I've never seen anything like it....I wonder where it's from, or if there's some kind of story behind it? It also occurred to me the red stone might be synthetic spinel, like Diamondlil's..

And Rowan! The wedding band is precious, of course, but I'm absolutely knocked out by the picture of your grandparents! So "'40s"!!! And your grandmother dressed to the nines! Is it possible this was a wedding picture of them? Thank you for sharing it.

Blueroses...I'm reading along, actually gasping at those beautiful deco pieces, (the brooch is truly incredible...I've never seen anything even remotely like it, and I look at a LOT of Deco jewelry...what a treasure) and then I start reading about your wonderful grandmother...Another HUGE ATTACK of goosebumps! What an incredible lady...

I'm actually almost stuttering...the old jewelry is fabulous, of course, but the stories and pictures that go with them are even better! THANK YOU!!

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[fountainfairfax]

oh, Blueroses, what beautiful pieces you posted! The eternity rings are so delicate, someone should be wearing them as a pendant or maybe as a pinky ring....

Your mother''s rings are beautiful & I''d be going crazy if I knew that 3 stone emerald-shape would one day be mine (how nice that your family friend thought of you and your sister)! I love that sapphire pin- it would make a perfect "something blue" for your wedding day. Your grandfathers cameo is very cool, too!

funny, but I think a lot of families have some kind of superstition towards one piece of jewelry or stone...in my family its both pearl and opal rings- my paternal grandmother, who was very much into urban legends & old wives'' tales told me that if I wore either a pearl or opal ring before getting married I would surely be an old maid & never marry

 

[Kismet]

Date: 5/21/2005 10:32:13 PM
Author: widget
Where do I start? Kismet...your grandmother''s ring certainly is amazing! I''ve never seen anything like it....I wonder where it''s from, or if there''s some kind of story behind it? It also occurred to me the red stone might be synthetic spinel, like Diamondlil''s..

If there is a story, we don''t know about it. My grandmother died very shortly after my mother was born and my grandfather *never* talked about her. If he bought the ring he would have got it around 1930 in (probably) Pittsburgh. If it was a family piece it probably would have came from Hungary. It''s stamped M R 14k on the band. I''m assuming the red stone isn''t worth a lot because the diamond shaped piece on top is attached via a bar that goes through the center of the stone.

 

[diamondlil]

I continue to follow this thread it is so fascinating. I have enjoyed reading each and every story on each piece -- family stories of love, mystery, and superstition give me the chills!

I just got a new camera, so I think I''ll have to go through my jewelry box and take some pics of the other pieces of have inherited. Nothing mysterious like my synthetic spinel, but it''s nice that they can be enjoyed by other enthusiasts like you all here. I love this place!

Everyone, keep your pictures coming. I love them all!!

Date: 5/21/2005 3:02:02 AM
Author: valeria101


Besides, spinel can esily look like that no matter where it comes from. I really do love the color ... Do you wear the ring ?

Val, I have not worn the ring except to take a hand pictures. It would need to be sized down (its about a size 7 now) to fit me snug enough not to spin as the ring is seriously top heavy. Martin thought I should do it though. If nothing else, it is a fun conversation piece.

DiamondLil

 

[Jennifer5973]

I love this thread!

Blueroses, you have amazing pieces with such history! Wow!

 

[TL]

I have been a lurker here forever and I rarely post (shame on me.) However, I felt as though I should post this time since my mom was so kind as to pass this ring down to me now. It was my great aunt''s ring, passed to my great grandmother, to my grandmother (who is still alive), to my mother (who is still alive) and now to me! When my mom received this ring, my grandmother gave me the matching watch so now I have the set. My mom got a new ring (from my father) that I helped her design recently so she can''t wear this one anymore. She said I could have it as long as I wear it everyday... ok twist my arm. I just feel so lucky to wear something this special everyday!

 

[TL]

... and a hand shot...

 

[blueroses]

Thank you to everyone--Jenn, DiamondLil, Widget, FountainFairfax, Kaleigh, et al--for the kind comments!! Very fun to share.

And that ring is stunning, TL!

Yay