Q: What rare gems should I consider that are not really expensive yet durable?
A: Chrysoberyl is 8 ½ hardness and very brilliant in greenish-yellow to bluish-green and yellowish-green to yellowish-brown colors. It is not available in all shapes and sizes so be open to what is available.
Of course, the rarest form of Chrysoberyl is Alexandrite which is very rare and quite expensive in fine qualities. The qualities shown on HSN or e-Bay are much less that I would carry. They simply do not have the change of color that Alexandrite is known for. That is why they are on these networks and not in a fine jewelry store where they will appreciate the fine quality and value. A fine Alexandrite will be purplish-red in artificial incandescent light and teal blue-green to grass green in natural daylight, specifically in the shade. Lesser stones turn grayish to gray-green or still exhibit the purple color from artificial light.
They need to have a dramatic color change to be considered fine Alexandrite. Check out our gallery to see one we sold a couple of years ago. This one is over seven carats. Alexandrite in fine quality is rare in pieces of more than two carats.
Spinel is a rare gem that is 8 hardness and comes in blue similar to Sapphire as well as red very similar to Ruby. In fact, the crown jewels of England have a number of stones thought to have been Ruby but were later found to be red Spinel. The Spinel is actually more rare than Ruby but since there is no demand for the stone, it sells much lower than comparable Rubies. Spinel also comes in pink and purple and yellow to orange colors. All are very brilliant if they are cut well.
Andalusite is another rare gem that many call the “poor man’s Alexandrite” because it has the green and red colors of Alexandrite. However, the Andalusite has these colors present in all lights with a very slight variation in shade from one light source to another. Rounds can sometimes be very orangy-brown and sparkly with little of the green showing. These make interesting earrings whenever available.
Q: How often should I have my jewelry cleaned and checked?
A: The professionals at Schatzley’s recommend you bring your jewelry in at least three times a year. Frankly, we would not mind if you came in 10 times a year. The more often you do, the safer you are and you get a new jar of jewelry cleaner to take home.
Q: How often should I clean my jewelry at home?
A: The professionals at Schatzley’s recommend you take your jewelry off at night and put it in our jar of cleaner until morning. Rinse, dry and enjoy! Any time you are doing gardening or other heavy chores, leave your rings in the cleaner. That way you know where they are and they are getting cleaner.
Q: How often should I get my jewelry re-appraised?
A: When you are updating your insurance, call us to see if values have increased enough to reappraise your jewelry. Gold has recently gone up dramatically so bracelets and chains have a higher value. You might be under-insured. Diamonds have not gone up very much in the past five years buy certainly have increased in the past 10 years. Check the dates on your appraisals.
Q: What can I do to solve the irritation on my ears when wearing earrings?
A: In many cases, the earrings simply need to be cleaned each and every time you wear them. Yes, everyday. Do not leave them in for days at a time. If this does not solve the issue, we can replace the 14k posts with 18k gold. Very few people have problems with 18k gold. If your earrings are white gold, you might be reacting to the nickel in the gold. Nickel is the alloy used to turn gold white.
In rare cases, we have to use platinum posts. Before that, let’s do one earring at a time and test your tolerance for 18k if simple, thorough cleaning does not work.
Q: My rings cause a skin irritation. Why? And what can be done?
A: If your rings are white gold, it might be the nickel alloy you are allergic to. It could also be the soap build-up on the back of your ring in the little holes under the Diamonds. Bring them in and we will see what we can do. The solution is a test of thorough, regular cleaning. Have us clean them first and then take a jar of our cleaner and use it everyday.
We may have to re-rhodium plate the rings every year or two. We can also reset your ring in palladium which has no nickel and causes no allergic reaction.
If your rings are yellow gold then it is most likely the soap build-up (see above). Occasionally, we have encouraged customers to change the hand soap they are using and combine that with daily cleaning in our cleaner to solve the problem.
Even your bracelets and chains need to be cleaned daily. You will enjoy them more and they will not irritate your skin.
Q. What can I do with my old jewelry and broken chains?
A: Bring in all of your old jewelry, including a half pair of earrings, broken chains and bracelets and worn-out rings. We can offer you a number of options:
- You will receive the greater value of these if you were to trade them in towards a new piece of jewelry. We will pay you the actual gold value, assuming you will be paying as much or more than you are getting on trade.
- If you simply want to sell them, we will offer slightly less than gold value.
Q. What if I have Diamonds and other gems of real value?
A. We will be happy to trade these in on a new item or items. Even if your Diamond is an old-style cut or even chipped, it still has value. Consider setting them into a pendant or earrings or a ring. This way you can keep them and enjoy them for many years to come. However, if you simply want to sell them, we are happy to make an offer.
If your Diamond would sell for $1,000, that is what we would offer on trade. If it requires re-cutting to remove chips or to update the cutting style, then we would have to consider the expense to do that and the value of the finished weight. A chipped Diamond or one that is not ideally cut is worth only what it would be after it is cut to ideal standards.
You might have old jewelry dating from the 1800s or the 1940s. If you do not want these any longer, bring them in. We will tell you what we will pay for them, in cash. Or we will tell you what we will consign them for. This means if you consign them, we will agree on how much you will be paid when we sell the item. Like we described above, we are happy to trade in or reset it in something new. At Schatzley’s, you have many options.
We recently re-set a customer’s Diamond which I sold her in 1966. The mounting sold in 1966 for $35 including 10 percent luxury tax. The old gold value today is $28. She was shocked. I was amazed. But when you consider gold is more than $700 per ounce today and it was $35 per ounce in 1966, I guess it was to be expected.
At Schatzley’s Diamond and Design Studio, we do a lot of antique and estate jewelry so if you want to sell or buy older jewelry, let us know.
Call Schatzley's or Email us with any questions for professional advise.
