Gemmology: Don't forget the BASICS!

I was reading a blog of Eric Emms(FGA DGA) the other day, entitled "The New Gemmology" (http://ericemms.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-gemmology.html). In this blog he explains that gemmology is getting ever more scientific with all the new equipment available, that allows a more in depth analysis of a gem material.

These are big expensive pieces of equipment that are housed in the larger gem labs and universities and are proving very helpful in the identification of new synthetics and treatments.

It used to be a matter of course that when you entered the jewellery trade you enrolled in two courses to gain qualifications. The first was The Retail Jewellers Diploma (R.J.Dip. now The Professional Jewellers Diploma, P.J.Dip.) to gain knowledge about all the various aspects of the retail jewellers role. The second was enrolling on the Diploma course in gemmology from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain and Ireland, to gain an excellent understanding of gemmology and ultimately the F.G.A. I have spoken to many colleagues in recent years that are either too focused on sales or don't see the point in studying gemmology "because it's all done in labs now" rather than using some skills in store.

Erics next point is to say that the new gemmologist's job is to explain gems, synthetics, treatments and of course the beauty of these pieces to the trade and public. I spend hours every day explaining what a Tourmaline is, how angles and percentages affect the light performance of a Diamond, what is the difference between Akoya cultured pearls and Natural Pearls, what does heat treated mean, and so on. But I am able to do this with confidence because of the training I have had. So Eric is right, but this is only part of the new gemmologist's role.

We need to have more gemmologist's in or close to retail in order to protect the trade and public alike. Unfortunately there are many rogue traders in the world that don't tell the truth either intentionally or through ignorance. All jewellery professionals need a basic training using the most useful equipment a good pair of eyes and a loupe or eyeglass. This was something reinforced by Edward Johnson of GIA London where I attended a course in January. My view is it's easier to stumble into trouble with your eyes closed!

You also need to train your eyes. After coming back from a weeks Diamond Grading, I noticed colour or lack of it in everything. When a tap was running, I could easily detect the slight differences in the water coming out, just the same as Diamonds in the normal colour range. Something that made me think of doing this blog this mornig was this. My wife tells me off for putting spread on the toast on the kitchen worktop intead of on a plate. If she had an eye as trained as mine I would never get away with it. When you spread toast on a worktop it stays relativly flat, if you spread it on a plate it takes on the curvature of the plate. Yes, I know it's very sad that I notice these things, but it helps me to be a good gemmologist! Get looking!

Take care,

Damian

Soft steel used on watches.

Another quick one. There has been alot of discussion on watch forums about qualities and hardnesses of steel used for watch cases and bracelets. Does it matter? O.K. Rolex are known to use a very hard steel alloy. Through my personal experiences this has meant the bracelets, when combined with screws to hold them together instead of pins, last a long time. The steel has a slightly bluish hue and quite simple finishes are applied. Omega on the other hand are getting slated for using a soft steel. Yes they do mark more easily and the bracelets, with their pinned construction, wear out faster. So this is bad isn't it? In my opinion, no. Using a slightly softer steel allows a more delicate finish to be applied. Omega's ground finish looks as fine as most other brushed finishes and their brushed finish is one of the finest, silky finishes you will see! Also, I think about shocks on a car giving a more comfortable ride for the passenger. A slightly softer case will absorb the shock of knock better and protect its passenger, the movement, a lot better. Softer steel is easier to re-finish when the watch isn't looking so tidy also. The construction of bracelets poses another problem. If you chew the head off a bracelet link screw, you're stuck. With a pin and sleeve construction, no problem. With Omega's newer screw and pin construction, it doesn't matter if you chew up one end as the other will work. Harder, sometimes makes things harder and softer can usually make things smoother. Take Care Damian

Valuations are truly amazing.

Just a quick observation on this one. I find it amazing that when someone has something valued for insurance, they never dispute a higher valuation than last time, but always challenge a lower one. A very recent example was a customer that had remembered a valuation from 8 years ago on two items. The first was an 18ct gold bracelet that had risen in price by five times, no problem, not even mentioned. The second article was a Sapphire and Diamond ring valued at £500 less than its previous valuation of £3000, chaos breaks out! I had everything from an incompetent valuer to bad typist thrown at me, but only one item could possibly have been wrong! After explaining the process, comparing with current stock and other measures, I would have come out at a figure slightly less again, but could see how the figure was achievable. It turned out that this previous valuation may have been fictional and the best part of the complaint was "Whenever we have taken this to a jeweller for cleaning they have always said it was a very nice ring". Two points to mention. Firstly "nice" or "bad" are relative. A tramp may think a corduroy jacket with patches on the elbows is great whereas someone who is used to Armani suits wouldn't use it to clean their shoes. Secondly, I have never known a jeweller to say "Certainly we will clean your ring for you, its worth £3000 exactly". A final thought is, what if the bracelet was overvalued? This customer could have it index linked on their policy for 20 years, be paying out an extortionate rate to insure it and only get paid its current value at the time if it gets lost. More of a rant this time than useful information, for that I apologise. But do think about valuations and when to challenge them. Damian

Molluscs with a bit of Culture: The Queen Conch.

The Conch (Konk) pearl, also known as the pink pearl, is one of the most beautiful gifts that the natural world offers us in the way of gems. They come in colours from the palest pink through peachy hues to strong pink, brown and orange. Its not just the colour that's so special, they have a distinctive flame like pattern in their structure that is visible to the naked eye. This is caused by a the fibrous formation of the pearl. They are not nacreous as most pearls we are familiar with are. That's not all. Until very recently, if you saw a Conch pearl, it was natural. The Queen Conch (Strombus Gigas) is usually found in sea grass beds down the western side of the Americas from Florida to the northern coast of South America. It is now becoming endangered because its habitat is becoming smaller and mans interference, of course is playing a part. They have a pretty long life if left alone living for up to 40 years but reaching full size after only 3. In November 2009 it was announced that Scientists from Florida Atlantic University's Harbour Branch Oceanographic Institute, had suceeded in producing a cultured Conch pearl. Over a period of 2 1/2 years they produced around 200 pearls which have been thoroughly examined by The Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The GIA have written up a report that is in the current issue of Gems & Gemology (Definitely worth subscribing too). These are very difficult to culture and people have been trying for in excess of 20 years. The pearls are produced in the gonad of the Conch which proves difficult to access in its spiral shell. I won't go into all the technical details as the GIA have handled that brilliantly, as they do. When I first heard this news, I can't say I was pleased. Making a rare article commonplace can never be good......Right? I suppose this was the kind of reception Mikimoto got when he perfected the Akoya cultured pearl and look what happened there. Beautiful cultured pearls being worn and appreciated by many people and not confined to the privileged few. I have seen a couple of Conch pearls and have been totally captivated by their flame like beauty. Imagine what it would be like to show and share these special treasures to the masses. I would dearly love to deal with their unique beauty on a day to day basis and now maybe I could? Okay about turn. Brilliant! Bring on the cultured Conch. I can't wait to buy and sell my first cultured Conch pearl necklet with matching earrings! Take Care, Damian

Welders for jewellery. So expensive.... or are they?

Whenever anyone mentions welding jewellery, they are usually met with one of two reactions. Philistine, they obviously don't understand the intricacies of soldering. Or the other, teeth sucking and comments on the cost of the machines used. Jewellery welding, that is, joining two pieces of precious metal by fusing and not introducing a solder, is usually performed on a large and expensive laser machine. But not always.....

Last year I had the opportunity of using the PUK 3 precision welder developed by Lampert of Germany. This was on a one day course at Birmingham's School of Jewellery helped along by Sutton Tools of Birmingham, who supply this piece of equipment in the U.K. Its different to other welders as it is a precision TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welder. Whats the difference? A laser welder uses a concentrated "beam" to weld whereas the PUK uses an electrical arc. The laser has more power and a few other advantages such as being able to weld metals of different thermal conductivity, but most decent ones cost in excess of £15,000. But you can buy the best PUK set up for about £3,500. and it takes up less space.

What can it do? LOTS! The PUK3 Pro is a very versatile machine, it uses a small electrical arc to superheat a small area causing it to melt and cool quickly, fusing, resulting in a joint. The arc and metal are covered in a shielding gas such as BOC's Argosheild so oxides are kept to a minimum creating a stronger joint. It has different modes for different jobs and a good range of power and timing adjustability.

What did I do with it? Again, LOTS! I took as many examples of tricky repairs with me as possible. Everything from silver jump rings threaded onto pearls using silk, as silver conducts heat very well and silk and pearls are easily damaged by heat, through very thin Victorian plaque brooches, that easily melt due to lack of material, to Platinum rings , because platinum always shows up its solder joins. I also re-tipped a claw on an 9ct gold Amethyst ring. Joined heavy silver jump rings (2 x 1.5mm). Joined jump rings in silver, 9ct and 18ct gold and Platinum. Welded together steel plates to make a model fish (I was playing at this point). I even joined some pieces of Titanium together, which under normal circumstances can't be done in a jewellery workshop. By using fine wires of various materials it is possible to add or build up metal.

There are many possibilities for this machine from tidying up imported goods and porosity to premanufacture "tacking" rather than using binding wire. As this is pretty clean requiring a little bit of a brush up on chain and charm welding it would be ideally suited to use by a retailer. No acids, messy polishing or combustible gases are needed, so why not have one? A major advantage of the PUK over laser is you can't miss the metal and damage a Diamond as you can with a laser. You can set presets for welding charms, ring sizing or any other regular job, making jobs much quicker. Its quick and simple to use as long as you have a basic idea of how metals work. There is very little heat transference, meaning you can hold pieces in your hands for maximum flexibility in holding. But you do need a firm and steady hold.

In conclusion if I had a spare £3500, I would buy one without question. A very versatile tool with many possibilities, don't think of just jewellery. If you are presented with a steel or titanium watch clasp, no problem. Costume jewellery or enamelled pieces, pick it up tomorrow? Hole in the claw of an Emerald ring, sure why not. You can repair items that would be uneconomical or further damaged by traditional means. If Lampert are reading this, yes I would gratefully receive a free one (might as well try).

For more information on these brilliant bits of kit please visit www.lampert.info you can find some videos of it in use there. Also www.suttontools.co.uk as they are the U.K. distributor.

I hope this is of use to you. Take Care.

Damian