I'm Working Again, Parking is Available and What is With This Pricing Nonsense

18k pink gold ring with diamonds

I'm happy to report that as of last Friday I was given permission to get back on the bench and I have jumped right back in.  I can't say that working is pain free but I'm just happy to be able to be back doing what I love to do.  I've gotten started on replacing my best selling ring (see it here) which I just sold again recently, working on a piece for my wife's upcoming birthday, and working on some tanzanite earrings for a customer who just ordered them.   The tanzanites are 7.5 mm round stones so they are big!  I'll get a picture of them up in a few weeks when they are finished.  And I'm mucking around with some of the new stones I got recently to see what else I can come up with.  So if for some reason you were waiting for my personal touch on a piece, you can now get it again.

For those of you who live in Cambridge, or those of you who regularly travel through Cambridge, you already know that virtually the entire city seems to be under road construction right now.  My area of Massachusetts Ave. is part of this and large parts of it seem to be under constant construction.  Besides the fact that the construction itself is both temporarily and permanently taking away parking spaces, it seems the construction crews only want to park and leave their supplies on Mass Ave. so we have even fewer parking spaces available than usual.  So I am coming to the rescue to my many customers who come in from out of town and don't have Cambridge parking permits.  We have one parking space behind the store that is only in use at certain times of the day.  Anyone who wants to come see me is welcome to call me when they get in the area and if the space is available, I will direct you to it.  This service will be permanent, regardless of whether or not they actually ever finish all the construction.

In two different articles I have posted (here and here)I have discussed pricing issues in America.  Both of these articles came to mind last week when we were once again booking some airline tickets for our winter vacation.  We had been checking fares regularly for about a week and finally made the decision to purchase the tickets because it appeared the prices were going up.  Kathy had looked at the prices and they were up significantly and we figured we had better make them before they went up any higher.  She was planning on doing it in the late afternoon but got busy and couldn't get to it.  That evening she went back on line and the prices had dropped by $300 (for the pair of tickets) for exactly the same seats.  In other words, simply by waiting approximately three hours we saved $300 (which works out to $100/hour).  How could this possibly make any sense?  What could have happened in three hours that would have lowered the price by that much? Three hours!  Not an entire day.  Not looking at 11 pm and then at 1 am.  Just three hours on the same day. 

The very next day there was an article in the Boston Globe that brought this subject home further.  It was about how online retailers (especially in the travel industry but also some retailers) are tailoring their pricing to the individual customer who is searching on line.  Apparently if in the past you stayed in high end hotels, the sites will offer you prices that are higher than if you stayed in dumps usually because they feel you will pay more for the exact same room.  Also some of the retail sites have started to do this as well; adjusting pricing based on your past spending patterns.  (You do all know that everything you do is watched on line these days, right?)  This is so patently unfair to the customers and I don't understand why people put up with it.  It would be a little like my quoting different prices depending on how you are dressed that day! 

So again, you can rest assured that I won't charge you more if you're dressed in a suit (or less if you're in jeans) and my prices don't go up and down by the hour.  And that's just
the way I think things should be!

It's Been Awhile.....

18k and 22k yellow gold with blue chalcedony and rubies.

Some of you may know that I recently had some shoulder surgery.  Hence the delay in the writing of any articles here.   I am, as of today, out of my sling and able to type once again.  I should be back on my bench in a few weeks, something I really want to get to.  Since I was 16 I haven't spent this long off my bench and, given how much I actually like making jewelry, I'm a little frustrated.  But it's more important that I get the shoulder fixed properly so I can get back to regular productivity. Fortunately I had some warning on the operation and I was able to get a fair amount of new stock out before I went under the knife, so there is no lack of wonderful things here for people to enjoy.

There are some changes happening in my world of jewelry right now that I would like to discuss. The first is that gold has continued to fall in price, albeit slowly.  However there are now a majority of pundits claiming that it will continue in this direction (it had been about 50/50 up/down until recently).  Because of this I am telling anyone who has been considering turning in gold scrap towards something new that now is definitely the time to do it.  It's looking less and less likely that by waiting you will get more for any scrap.  And given that the holidays are coming it would be a good time to turn some of that old metal into something new.  For those of you who don't know, I will take in scrap anytime and put a credit in your name in our accounts until you decide what you want (you don't have to use the credit immediately) so it's not too early to think about it if there is something new you would like for the holidays. 

The second issue is that my suppliers are recently back from the large Hong Kong gem and jewelry show.  They have all come back with reports of sharply rising prices on colored stones, especially the better, high end material.   Gemstone prices in the past had been somewhat stable (except for opals which have been going up rapidly for a number of years) however they now seem to be making up for lost time.  Sapphire, ruby, opal, tourmaline are all going to see price spikes as soon as the dealers old stocks are sold off.  Again, if you're looking at making a major purchase of one of these gem materials, sooner is probably better.  My opal dealer reported he could find only twenty stones that weren't priced so absurdly high that he actually bought them. 

My new German carved drusy moon face supplier was back in town recently and I made some new purchases from her.   I now have a matched pair of the faces for a pair of earrings that will go out shortly after I am back on the bench.  I also got some beautiful ruby beads, an amazing (unfortunately only .58 ct.) orange sapphire with an unusual cut that just makes it yummy, some carved blue chalcedony for a new pair of jellyfish earrings and a few other odds and ends.  If you're interested in seeing any of the new material please stop by and take a look.  I should be back on here a little more regularly from now on. 

Have a great Columbus Day weekend! 

Happy Labor Day

I hope most of you are enjoying a pleasant holiday.  I, as it happens, am working however.  I especially don't mind working on this one.  It is, after all, about celebrating the worker and working.  Because I have always worked with my hands, I have always felt a strong connection to all laborers.  And I happen to like to work, especially when I can actually sit down at my bench and get an extended period of time actually making the jewelry.  I truly enjoy my time on the bench.  Every time it provides me with a challenge (and mind numbing boring repetitive tasks---but that allows me to think at the same time) and new ideas.  As it happens I am in working today because I am swamped at the moment but that's okay too because it does give me an excuse to come in and get some happy time on the bench. 
Happy Labor Day everyone.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No Wait a Minute What the Heck Is It?

Why don't you write?  Why don't you call?  I know, I know I sound like my Jewish mother.  But it is always amusing to me that so many of you tell me you read my blogs but no one ever leaves me any comments.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I have a couple of spammers who routinely leave comments on my blog.  Actually one of them does it over and over (at least it looks to be coming from the same guy's Google+ account).  Inevitably these spam comments consist of a mostly unintelligible sentence but always with a link to another site at the end of it.  And, also inevitably, these sites are mostly jewelry sites. 

18k Yellow Gold and 1.11 ct. Ruby Ring

I always try to track these guys down a bit because some of them seem to link to legitimate jewelry stores and I will usually email them to stop spamming me.  But a lot of them take you to a variety of on line sites, usually where there is no real way to contact anyone unless you're going to make an actual purchase.

The other day I spent a few minutes trying to follow another one and it led me to a website that was selling.....well I'm not entirely sure what they were selling.  But here is their description of what they are selling:

"Diamond NSCD Nano Carbon Simulate Diamond Diamond Weight 2 carat Metal 925 Silver with 18K Gold Plated Clarity VVS1 Cutting: 3 ex Antwerp Cut Fine Jewelry all made by Hands from Skillful Craftsman with over 20 Years Experience in Jewelry Production; Life Time Warranty: Free Replacement if Simulated Diamond Ever Fades!! We promise free maintenance & servicing for whole life Ring Replacement if there is any Damage How are NSCD lab-created diamonds produced? Lab-created diamonds are produced by utilizing two gem-quality diamond creation processes: High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). In both processes, a small diamond seed is placed in an environment that contains carbon, the atomic component diamond. Under suitably controlled conditions, the diamond grows, atom-by-atom, layer-by-layer, recreating nature's process. How do NSCD lab-created diamonds and natural diamonds compare? Both have the same physical, chemical and optical properties and emerge as rough diamonds. Both have the same hardness, specific gravity, refractive index and dispersion factor; are polished using the same equipment and techniques; and have the same brilliance, sparkle, fire and scintillation. Both are, in fact, diamonds. How do NSCD lab-created diamonds and diamond-like materials compare? They don't. Cubic zirconium, moissanite, and diamond-coated materials, are not diamond. These are called "simulants" in the industry. These materials have completely different physical properties compared to diamond. ABOUT LAB CREATED DIAMONDS Since diamonds are mined from deep within the earth as carbon is pressurized to produce the miracle gem it takes centuries to create. As science would have it however, now it is possible to speed up the process creating a diamond in a fraction of the time. Hybrid diamonds are not fakes, but have a real diamond layer. NSCD DIAMONDS ARE NOT ZIRCONIA"

There is so much deception included in this description that it is mind boggling.  They have thrown in just enough legitimate information to seem real but then try to mask exactly what they are selling.  Many of my long term readers are aware of my descriptions about synthetic diamonds which you can read here.  Synthetic diamonds are man made diamonds that have exactly the same chemical and physical makeup as a natural diamond except that they are man made.  They are, while less expensive than natural diamonds, not cheap by any means as the processes used to produce them are fairly complex and expensive.  

First of all please understand they didn't have a product listed on their site that was more than $100.  Obviously that should be the first sign that you should be cautious.  But let's look a little more closely at what they are saying:

"How are NSCD lab-created diamonds produced? Lab-created diamonds are produced by utilizing two gem-quality diamond creation processes: High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). In both processes, a small diamond seed is placed in an environment that contains carbon, the atomic component diamond. Under suitably controlled conditions, the diamond grows, atom-by-atom, layer-by-layer, recreating nature's process"

So they correctly tell you in this set of sentences how synthetic diamonds are created.  The only problem is they don't actually tell you how their NSCD diamonds are created.  They make it sound like they are using the same processes but never actually say that. Here is the next bit:

"How do NSCD lab-created diamonds and natural diamonds compare? Both have the same physical, chemical and optical properties and emerge as rough diamonds. Both have the same hardness, specific gravity, refractive index and dispersion factor; are polished using the same equipment and techniques; and have the same brilliance, sparkle, fire and scintillation. Both are, in fact, diamonds."

Without a lab test to determine most of these statements there is no way to confirm any of what they are saying.  They offer no proof on their site, no testing data, etc. The statement that both are in fact diamonds is completely disproved as we get further into their description so we'll get back to that. 

"How do NSCD lab-created diamonds and diamond-like materials compare? They don't. Cubic zirconium, moissanite, and diamond-coated materials, are not diamond. These are called "simulants" in the industry. These materials have completely different physical properties compared to diamond."

They have this part right too.  Materials such as cubic zirconia, and moissanite are simulants.  Note that they also include "diamond-coated materials" in this description as this also ties into the end of the piece.  So let's get to that end right now and see what is really going on here:

"ABOUT LAB CREATED DIAMONDS Since diamonds are mined from deep within the earth as carbon is pressurized to produce the miracle gem it takes centuries to create. As science would have it however, now it is possible to speed up the process creating a diamond in a fraction of the time. Hybrid diamonds are not fakes, but have a real diamond layer. NSCD DIAMONDS ARE NOT ZIRCONIA"

Another Photo of my Opal and Ruby Pendant

And herein lies the most important line in the entire piece: "Hybrid diamonds are not fakes, but have a real diamond layer."  So apparently what they are selling is a "hybrid diamond".  I'm not exactly sure what this is because I've never heard it used in gemological circles before.  Perhaps it's a diamond that runs on both gas and electricity! But note the second part in which they say they "have a real diamond layer".  Ok I got it.  Their product has some layer of diamond on it.  Okay so let's go back up to here: "Both are, in fact, diamonds".  Wait a minute!  If their product has a real diamond layer how is it in fact a diamond???? If it's some other material with a layer of diamond dust (which I am being generous by assuming this might actually be what it is) then it most assuredly is not a diamond.  "Cubic zirconium, moissanite, and diamond-coated materials, are not diamond."  Umm, that's right but they just said that their material has a diamond layer, which I'm pretty certain means that it is diamond coated so if it's not diamond in this statement how does the statement "both are, in fact, diamonds" fit into this? 

As a gemologist I'm able to look at this pile of misinformation, double speak, outright lies and phony sales hype and recognize it for exactly what it is.  Unfortunately most people aren't gemologists.  This gets me back to what I continually am talking about on this blog.  Buy only from people you trust implicitly.  For the most part online merchants in my industry are going to push the truth as far as they can.  And for goodness sake, if the product is priced at $50 and claims to have a half carat "diamond" use your heads.  It's not going to be any kind of a diamond!!

Only Three More Days

There are only three more days until tax free day and our sale so I thought I might tempt you with a few new pieces that just came out:

 This first one is a boulder opal with an emerald and a sapphire.   I came upon the stone by accident.  (Long story).  

 These earrings have an orange spessartite garnet and a rhodolite garnet. The stones are two different colors and you can't quite see that in this picture but they're a fun pair of earrings.

 This is a beautiful aquamarine in a ring.  Unfortunately you can't have it as it's already been claimed. 

Since I sold the other super fine boulder opal the other day I decided to put out the second one.  Kady got the colors of the opal perfectly but the pendant itself is a little lost so as soon as I can I'm going to get another shot of it up here. So come on by!