gilbertandfrech.com Blog

by Victor Epand

I am not in New York City and am quite a bit more southern than that. As for “best of the best” that depends on how well the question fits my particular expertise. My main knowledge is in jewelry work, whether making a piece from scratch or repairing great grandmother’s hand-me-down. Pearls I do know something about but am not the best of the best in that category!

REAL PEARLS, NATURAL AND CULTURED

First, the term “pearl” is not but should be applied only to natural pearls, formed in a mollusk when some event in nature induces the oyster or mussel to form a pearl. These pearls are quite rare and are the pearls of antiquity before pearl farmers learned to culture pearls. Freshwater pearls fished from the rivers in the USA are natural pearls but nowadays, most freshwater pearls are also cultured in freshwater pearl farms.

In any event, naturally forming or cultured, such pearls are formed in the oyster or mussel and are not fakes. The real difference in the totally natural pearl and the cultured pearls is what makes the pearl start to grow and the thickness of the nacre. Nacre is the pearly layers that make a pearl so lovely. The natural pearl will have very thick nacre, generally forming in concentric rings around some starting source or irritation to the mollusk.

A large natural pearl is very, very rare. Cultured pearls generally use a “core” of mother-of-pearl, the shell of the mollusk. The bead core goes into the mollusk and nacre is formed around the core. The core determines the overall shape of the pearl. How long the oyster is allowed to let the pearl grow determines the thickness of the nacre. Thicker nacre is better. Best of all is thick nacre and a smooth, almost blemish free surface.

Pearls grown inside the mussel or oyster do have a gritty feel to the tooth.

FAKE PEARLS

Fake pearls are made by coating a core of some sort (mother-of-pearl, plastic, etc.) with a plastic, a kind of paint containing ground fish scales or other stuff that look pearly to the eye. Generally, the fakes do NOT have a gritty feel to the tooth. Most may be identified with a little practice and a 10x jewelers loupe or microscope. The way to do it is to compare real pearls with some known fakes. The fakes almost always show a grittier “look” to the surface and not the more smoothly formed natural nacre. The look is grittier but the feel to a tooth is smoother. After some practice comparisons, most fakes are fairly easily identified.

Still, some are hard to detect without very thorough testing sometimes using solvents and acids which attack the real pearl nacre but not the plastic fakes and visa versa.

Other than that, a look at the drilled holes in the beads will help. Since the pearl is formed naturally without a hole, the hole must be drilled. The surface of the pearl at the drill hole will not “sink in” or “rise up” as is seen in many fakes that are formed and coated with the holes already made to the core. In the real pearl, the nacre will be smooth with the drill hole and might even be chipped a bit.

Some folks recommend having a dentist do an x-ray to see what is inside. Still, unless a person is very, very familiar with reading the images the results are very iffy. A core will look like a core whether in a fake or a cultured pearl. A core will not be present to any large extent in a pearl formed freely in the ocean but those pearls just are not around or to be had except in very small sizes.

Using a good loupe (hand held magnifier) of 10 powers is likely the best home test. Of course, try the teeth first! Then look at the drill holes and the surface compared to a good cultured pearl.

There is not a one-in-all test I can recommend. Some of this will simply require some “pearls” of real and fakes for comparison.

Even the jewelers are fooled once in a while but not often.  Have you seen Mabe pearls? These are the large “half pearls” often seen in rings and pendants. Some years ago some really good fakes hit the market and were being sold at very competitive prices’that is, compared to the real ones. Many were sold and bought as the real thing! The testing for these required disassembly of the fake mabes plus solvent and acid tests. A lot of buyers were taken in on this one, likely never to know they bought and later sold fake mabe pearls.
About the Author
Victor Epand is the owner of http://www.JewerlyGift.biz, a huge online jewelry superstore featuring the greatest selection of jewelry including personalizable items. Clearance Sale items are here: http://www.jewelrygift.biz/collection/clearance-sales.html

Boasting a colorful and romantic history, Tourmaline rivals all but the most unique gems as it is found in an incredible array of gorgeous colors. Coming in a palette of over 100 different hues, Tourmaline is one of the world’s most diverse gemstones. This has resulted in the nickname “the chameleon gem,” which is doubly appropriate when you consider that one major source of Tourmaline is Madagascar, home to more than half of the world’s chameleon species!

While Tourmalines occur in large crystal sizes, Tourmaline of sufficient beauty to be set into jewelry is not available in great abundance. Because of their size, crystals are sometimes cut into long rectangular shapes following the axis of the crystal.

Tourmaline crystals occur in granitic pegmatite veins occurring in the great gem mining districts of Minas Gerais in Brazil, and the East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar.

In the summer of 1998 a new Tourmaline deposit was unearthed near the city of Ibadan in Nigeria, West Africa, proving to be one of the most significant Tourmaline discoveries in modern times.

Tourmaline is a group of mineral species. However, it’s the mineral Elbaite (named after the island of Elba near Italy’s west coast where it was discovered) that is responsible for almost all of Tourmaline’s most famous gem varieties. When used, the name “Elbaite” typically references Green Tourmaline, while the other colors of Elbaite have their own specific color-related names.

Tourmaline very occasionally displays the cat’s eye effect. Chatoyancy or the cat’s eye effect is a reflection effect that appears as a single bright band of light across the surface of a gemstone.

All Tourmalines can display pleochroism, meaning that its color changes when viewed at different angles. However, this can vary from specimen to specimen. In some, this effect is hardly noticeable, while in others it is strongly apparent. To bring out the best color, gemstone cutters must take this into account when faceting Tourmaline.

Click Here for Tourmaline at Gilbert & Frech

by Priyanka Arora

If you are looking for expensive clothing for less or just trying to fit some designer names in your closet, not to worry about your budget, there are tons of ways to look like a million dollars without having to crack open your piggy bank.
Take a look at your closet and jewelry box, there are probably a million things you can update for obtaining that fresh new look, you just think it is outdated, but for some reason it still remains hidden between your possessions, don’t you think? You can join an old necklace to a new one and wear them together by framing them, this is an old trick in the book, used for centuries for women who want to look like a million dollars or look like models on a runway. You will be surprised at the variety of combinations that can be born out of this.

If you want to make people to look at you, since remember, you appear to be a million bucks, using Odd numbers in your accessories is also a well known secret amongst the industry, Even numbers are for bland people that don’t really like to make a scene, Odd numbers work well for attracting the eye, so wear bracelets in groups of three or five. You can always wear only one, making it be, by itself, the center of attention in your outfit.

The first step to looking like a million dollars is not anything extravagant; on the contrary, it starts with a classic fashion item, like jeans or jackets in black, white, blue or natural earth tones. Classic still is translated to contemporary; we all have classic pieces in our closets that work either for day or night. You can wear the same pair of jeans every day, by adding different accessories and trendy tops you are ready to go, of course, it all depends if those jeans have the quality and cut that suits your body.

For your next shopping, if you are on a budget but still want to look like a million dollars, it all depends where you buy. There are zillions of retailers targeted for bargain-hunters, these people are used to paying a lot for designer clothes and accessories at discount stores, they pay less for more. Consumers find fabulous designer wear at ridiculously reduced prices, remember, trends come and go and sometimes it’s not worth to spend so much money on something you will always wear once.

There are also other retailers like Gap, Banana Republic, Zara, H&M, and Anne Taylor Loft that offer their own lines of basics for that classic contemporary look that never goes out of style. Combine that classic pencil skirt with your best accessory, your trendiest new top (that didn’t really cost that much), and those new boots you were dying to show off to your friends. You will be the center of attention, and everybody will ask you where everything is from.

About the Author
Buy apparels from a well-known, trusted online store for men, women & kids delivered to you free anywhere in the world. www.SalwarKameezIndia.com  offers hassles-free online purchase of henna mehndi, herbal face pack and more.

by Kent Klein

Casting is a process in which liquid material made from heating metals, is poured in a module, to give the liquid a desired shape. Then the liquid is cooled and a solid object in the desired shape and size is obtained. Casting Jewelry is the latest “in-thing” in the fashion markets. This jewelry is made from different materials like silver, aluminum, gold, bronze, alloy metals and even plated casting jewelry is available.
Casting Jewelry is very attractive and delicate. They are made using machines, but very finely crafted and hand made jewelry is also available in the market. This type of jewelry can be available at a very low, as well as high costs, depending on the design and material and design that you choose. Casting Jewelry is very fragile and should be handled with out most care as it can break easily. With the advent of casting jewelry, the fashion world has benefited a great deal. Today, free flowing designs, multicolored jewelry and even a special made to order jewelry is available in the market.

Before this, it was difficult to cast a metal in a desired shape but today it is as simple as it gets, all you need is a creative mind to create new designs and a group of well qualified workers and good machinery to make your own casting jewelry. This also gives you an option to make your own series of new designs. Casting jewelry is being widely used across the globe. With the prices of gold increasing day by day and with the entry of new metal jewelry like platinum, casting jewelry slowly but surely is making a mark in the fashion world. With the cost silver plated casting jewelry, the dream of wearing a new necklace or a new ear-ring everyday is a reality. You can actually afford new set of jewelry everyday. There are also costly models made of pure gold and delicate designs and with embedded diamonds that are available.

Casting Jewelry is not only about fashion, it has also opened a new avenue for small scale businesses. With proper knowledge and machinery, you can start your own company and make casting jewelry. It does not need any expensive material nor does it need a big capital. A small store room in your house will also be sufficient to set up your casting jewelry work-shop. You can then design your own range or hire a professional jewelry designer to create your range of jewelry.

Casting Jewelry has also helped the educational branch of “jewelry designing” grow considerably. Today it is considered in par with “fashion designing”. Many young students are nowadays looking at jewelry designing as a full time career.

The only draw-back of plated casting jewelry is that is they are used on daily basis, then they might lose their shine and the coated silver or gold respectively. If they come in contact with water regularly, then they can turn black. You can get them re-plated and use them. As casting jewelry is very fragile and delicate, even a slight mishap can change its shape or even break it.
About the Author
Go to Metal Casting Zone to get your free ebook on Metal Casting at Metal Casting. Metal Casting Zone also has Sand Casting Information, Spin Casting Information and a Metal Casting Blog with daily news on Metal Casting. You can Find Metal Casting Zone at www.metalcastingzone.com.