I hate the words “diamond chips.” Customers often call small diamonds “chips.” This is a bit demeaning to the poor guy who spent hours faceting those small diamonds. Facets are created by grinding a diamond on a wheel that looks like a phonographic turntable covered in diamond paste. The diamond is held in a dop, which looks a little like a record player arm.
“Diamond chips” is a misnomer. Very few pieces of jewelry historically have ever used chips. At one time they used crude rose cuts, but they have at least four facets, one on the bottom and three on top. Some designers start... VIEW FULL ENTRY
There is a big scam going on with our soldiers in Afghanistan. They are getting “Great Deals” on gemstones. Problem is they are FAKE! In some cases they are poor quality, some are synthetic, some are glass and some are plastic. Not only are they buying them from locals, but some are being sold through the PX. Worse yet some of the soldiers are coming back selling them here in the States unwittingly and wittingly ripping off more people.
Here are some of the posts directly from the jewelers’ group. (Heidi wants me to mention that she did not edit these, and the spelling and grammatical erro... VIEW FULL ENTRY
We see a good number of people who need their rings cut off their fingers. If you leave a ring on all the time you run the risk of getting it stuck on your finger and it getting so worn that gemstones will fall out.
Getting a ring cut off from your finger is no fun and damages the ring. A ring that is too tight can also damage your finger.
Here is a nifty trick if you get a ring stuck on your finger. Take some elastic fabric, similar to respirator straps or the elastic used for sweatpants and wrap it tightly around the finger from the outside of the knuckle to the ring. Feed the end through the ring and p... VIEW FULL ENTRY
Sometimes I hear someone say jewelry is frivolous or not practical (usually a husband). Yet humans have adorned themselves since, well, since we’ve been humans. It started with shells, teeth, claws, amber, and wood. What is it about jewelry that affects the human mind?
Jewelry can be a symbol of rank, status, success, power, glamour or affection. It can be used to mark milestones in one’s life, coming of age, engagement, marriage, birth of a child, anniversaries, and achieved goals.
The gift of jewelry is, in itself, a compliment. It’s the giver telling the recipient “ this is a reflection of the bea... VIEW FULL ENTRY
Opal is the October birthstone. Most people think of the white Australian variety when they think of opal; however opal comes in many colors and from many places. Opal is formed over a very long period of time from water and silica flowing into the cracks of rocks and hardening.
In addition to white Australian opal, there is black and grey Australian opal as well. Most of the Australian opals are called precious opal, which means they have a play of color that has different spectral colors that change with the viewing angle of the opal. Opals without a play of color are called common opa... VIEW FULL ENTRY
It’s was a rough week at Diehl’s Jewelers last week. Last Monday, a young friend passed away and we had to put our hound, Aonghus, to sleep. Ninety-nine percent of our business is marking happy occasions, but every once in a while we have a sad one.
This week has me thinking about Memento Mori, remembrance jewelry. Since at least ancient Greek times people have marked the passing of a loved one with jewelry.
Early on this was usually in the form of a ring. Often there would be imagery like a cupid with an extinguished torch, ... VIEW FULL ENTRY
Since pearl is the June birthstone, I figured I’d write about how salt water cultured pearls are made.
Cultured pearls are an extraordinary collaboration between man and mollusk; that is to say, man has helped the oysters produce pearls. The Japanese have been culturing pearls since the 1880’s starting with mabe pearls, which are grown against the shell, and then in the 20th century with round cultured pearls. The process that produces a salt water cultured pearl is a long and involved one, but it clearly demonstrates the value of this beautiful gem.
With everyone selling gold and silver these days, we occasionally get a piece that we won’t make an offer on and instead offer to broker it.
Why do we do this? Partly, we do it to get you a better price for an item, and partly because we hate to see some pieces just melted down. We broker an item by taking the jewelry to multiple estate buyers and returning with the item and the best offer. These are companies that buy for reselling an item rather than scrapping the jewelry for metal content. Since we have a definite offer on an item that is over scrap v... VIEW FULL ENTRY
At the shop, all of us have designed one-of-a-kind jewelry. Very often we are using a customer’s gemstones for such projects. It starts with a design, requires a one-of-a-kind model to be made, and from that, the piece to be cast, the stones to be set, and the piece polished. It costs a little more to do things this way, but it creates a wonderful, unique treasure that will fit some of the beautiful gems a client may have.
Sometimes you just want a classic piece; a sapphire and diamond ring, for example. For this you can come in and just buy from what a jeweler... VIEW FULL ENTRY
I hate the words “diamond chips.” Customers often call small diamonds “chips.” This is a bit demeaning to the poor guy who spent hours faceting those small diamonds. Facets are created by grinding a diamond on a wheel that looks like a phonographic turntable covered in diamond paste. The diamond is held in a dop, which looks a little like a record player arm.
There is a big scam going on with our soldiers in Afghanistan. They are getting “Great Deals” on gemstones. Problem is they are FAKE! In some cases they are poor quality, some are synthetic, some are glass and some are plastic. Not only are they buying them from locals, but some are being sold through the PX. Worse yet some of the soldiers are coming back selling them here in the States unwittingly and wittingly ripping off more people.
We see a good number of people who need their rings cut off their fingers. If you leave a ring on all the time you run the risk of getting it stuck on your finger and it getting so worn that gemstones will fall out. 
Sometimes I hear someone say jewelry is frivolous or not practical (usually a husband). Yet humans have adorned themselves since, well, since we’ve been humans. It started with shells, teeth, claws, amber, and wood. What is it about jewelry that affects the human mind? 
Opal is the October birthstone. Most people think of the white Australian variety when they think of opal; however opal comes in many colors and from many places. Opal is formed over a very long period of time from water and silica flowing into the cracks of rocks and hardening. 
It’s was a rough week at Diehl’s Jewelers last week. Last Monday, a young friend passed away and we had to put our hound, Aonghus, to sleep. Ninety-nine percent of our business is marking happy occasions, but every once in a while we have a sad one. 
At the shop, all of us have designed one-of-a-kind jewelry. Very often we are using a customer’s gemstones for such projects. It starts with a design, requires a one-of-a-kind model to be made, and from that, the piece to be cast, the stones to be set, and the piece polished. It costs a little more to do things this way, but it creates a wonderful, unique treasure that will fit some of the beautiful gems a client may have.