Unusual job on the bench today
Discussion
NDA said:
Love the shape of that stone.... What percentage of stones come in that shape? I imagine quite a rare thing....
Plenty around. Not the same volume as a brilliant cut or princess cut but still a readily available shape. The beauty of this particular stone is it's spread. It's a shallow stone so it looks much bigger than it is. It's a 1.22ct G VVS but looks like a 1.7ct+ E/F VVS thanks to its 11.5mm X 6mm proportions. Lots of stone to the eye but at smaller stone value.
ecain63 said:
And, I have taken receipt of the best natural opal I've ever seen. It's due to go off for valuation on Monday but having come from the mines of Coober Pedy I'm sure it's not going to be a cheapo stone! Over the coming weeks I'll work out what we are doing with it.
I've been to Coober Pedy, my lasting memory of the place was the huge mole-hill piles of stone and rock everywhere where individual miners had been trying their luck. Proper dust-bowl of a town and quite interesting to visit.If it's not a daft question, what's the purpose of the valuation? I presume that you paid trade for it, would the valuation provide some kind of certificate of authenticity and a retail value for insurance purposes for whoever eventually bought the stone from you?
Great work as always, that diamond is a stunner!
Edited by CardShark on Thursday 4th January 14:02
CardShark said:
I've been to Coober Pedy, my lasting memory of the place was the huge mole-hill piles of stone and rock everywhere where individual minors had been trying their luck. Proper dust-bowl of a town and quite interesting to visit.
If it's not a daft question, what's the purpose of the valuation? I presume that you paid trade for it, would the valuation provide some kind of certificate of authenticity and a retail value for insurance purposes for whoever eventually bought the stone from you?
Great work as always, that diamond is a stunner!
Afternoon If it's not a daft question, what's the purpose of the valuation? I presume that you paid trade for it, would the valuation provide some kind of certificate of authenticity and a retail value for insurance purposes for whoever eventually bought the stone from you?
Great work as always, that diamond is a stunner!
The purpose of the valuation was to give me an idea of what I was taking on. The stone is a bit special and quite large so working out a value from my limited knowledge (of opals) was too much of a stab in the dark. The opal, the marquee cut diamond, a 1.6ct brilliant cut, and some other bits and bobs have all been handed to me by an old customer who recently lost his wife. He's got stacks of capital so has chosen to sell her jewellery through me to then pass it on to a local children's charity. In order for me to price it all for a reasonably quick sale I needed to get it all valued and certified, which answers your last question.
The opal came in at £4k + vat so will go out at £5k. Retail would be well into 5 figures.
The lab had originally suggested a 5 figure trade price but a couple of sand marks in the face dropped it down a peg.
Edited by ecain63 on Thursday 4th January 16:48
ecain63 said:
The opal, the marquee cut diamond, a 1.6ct brilliant cut, and some other bits and bobs have all been handed to me by an old customer who recently lost his wife. He's got stacks of capital so has chosen to sell her jewellery through me to then pass it on to a local children's charity.
Thank you for answering my question, much appreciated.I've quoted the above because it has made me realise exactly what you do. Maybe I'm a tad slow on the uptake however it's just dawned on me that this isn't just about the immense skill, patience and technical ability of making an item of jewellery, it's actually about the trust that many people place in you to be able to create their vision. It's your professionalism and personal touch that people come to you for, to have such a customer as the one above trust you with the most personal of possessions must (I'd presume!) feel like a huge privilege.
You don't create mere rings, bracelets and the like. You create memories, keepsakes and the most treasured of personal items that far exceed their Pound Sterling value.
Happy New Year to you
CardShark said:
Thank you for answering my question, much appreciated.
I've quoted the above because it has made me realise exactly what you do. Maybe I'm a tad slow on the uptake however it's just dawned on me that this isn't just about the immense skill, patience and technical ability of making an item of jewellery, it's actually about the trust that many people place in you to be able to create their vision. It's your professionalism and personal touch that people come to you for, to have such a customer as the one above trust you with the most personal of possessions must (I'd presume!) feel like a huge privilege.
You don't create mere rings, bracelets and the like. You create memories, keepsakes and the most treasured of personal items that far exceed their Pound Sterling value.
Happy New Year to you
It does indeed. As with any retail or public facing business you see such a broad spectrum of human existence. The majority come and go without fuss, happy that they have achieved their aim and have gone away feeling they have been well looked after... or better. Some appear with expectations that cannot be met, but you can't win them all. I've quoted the above because it has made me realise exactly what you do. Maybe I'm a tad slow on the uptake however it's just dawned on me that this isn't just about the immense skill, patience and technical ability of making an item of jewellery, it's actually about the trust that many people place in you to be able to create their vision. It's your professionalism and personal touch that people come to you for, to have such a customer as the one above trust you with the most personal of possessions must (I'd presume!) feel like a huge privilege.
You don't create mere rings, bracelets and the like. You create memories, keepsakes and the most treasured of personal items that far exceed their Pound Sterling value.
Happy New Year to you
Then you get the people (not customers in my eyes) that immediately stir your interests with their smile. There's something about a genuine, full bodied smile that tells you everything you need to know about how the next part of your relationship will pan out. It's these individuals that I take the majority of my pleasure from working with. The gentleman with the above items has been a visitor to my business for many years and I knew his late wife reasonably well. You couldn't meet a nicer chap and the stories he tells can captivate young and old for as long as he can reel them off. I am normally incredibly busy at work and can't afford too much time in the shop front but I can lose hours with this guy.... not that 'losing' is the right term as I'm gaining in hearing his stories and am bowled over in seeing him in his element as a human being. It's pleasure to be part of his day.
It's a rare thing these days to hear a story that lasts so long, with so many facets as many people have lost the ability of communication beyond smartphones and keyboards. You wouldn't be wrong in assuming a generational shift and many of these fantastic characters are passing on due to ill health etc. Natural I know but still a real shame.
The trust thing is what people like this naturally possess. Always seeing the better side of life and intuitively steering away from those who may be of hindrance rather than help. I do take great comfort from the fact that I have customers who trust me with items of such sentimental and emotional value and I can only hope they feel the trust has been repaid by my efforts.
Thanks for your kind words CardShark
Happy New Year also.In keeping with the sentimental builds: Here is a silver ring built to contain the ashes of a loved one and also include the use of topaz, the birthstone of the deceased.
A simple split shank was made:
The capsule used to hold the ashes is then made by opening out a tube of silver with a punch:
The cone is soldered in place and the base sealed with a silver wire and some solder:
After a quick clean:
The lid of the capsule is then punched out of silver plate before being domed:
You can see inside the edge of the capsule I have made a groove to seat the cap:
Here are the ashes:
Of which a small amount is placed in the capsule:
The cap is placed on top and soldered in place using a low temperature 'soft solder'. The same as is used in electrical applications. This saved burning out the ashes:
The edges are pressed round the cap to smarted it up and it's then ready for the shoulder stones to go in:
I'll put 3 stones in each shoulder. The holes are drilled (2 at first for no reason other than it felt best to start with 2) and the settings marked out:
Then the stones are set:
The whole thing is polished and the stones and capsule checked for securitr. Job done
Eddie
The same customer will also recieve this from her kids. This the thinking jewellers method of making a name pendent. Simply print out the desired font of the right size and superglue to a plate of the required thickness metal. Cut out with a hand saw and tidy up, Loops get soldered on and a chain fitted........
It's actually one of the most time consuming jobs you can do and you break endless saw blades. Looks simple, but it's a pain. Sigh!!
A simple split shank was made:
The capsule used to hold the ashes is then made by opening out a tube of silver with a punch:
The cone is soldered in place and the base sealed with a silver wire and some solder:
After a quick clean:
The lid of the capsule is then punched out of silver plate before being domed:
You can see inside the edge of the capsule I have made a groove to seat the cap:
Here are the ashes:
Of which a small amount is placed in the capsule:
The cap is placed on top and soldered in place using a low temperature 'soft solder'. The same as is used in electrical applications. This saved burning out the ashes:
The edges are pressed round the cap to smarted it up and it's then ready for the shoulder stones to go in:
I'll put 3 stones in each shoulder. The holes are drilled (2 at first for no reason other than it felt best to start with 2) and the settings marked out:
Then the stones are set:
The whole thing is polished and the stones and capsule checked for securitr. Job done
Eddie
The same customer will also recieve this from her kids. This the thinking jewellers method of making a name pendent. Simply print out the desired font of the right size and superglue to a plate of the required thickness metal. Cut out with a hand saw and tidy up, Loops get soldered on and a chain fitted........
It's actually one of the most time consuming jobs you can do and you break endless saw blades. Looks simple, but it's a pain. Sigh!!
evoivboy said:
ecain63 said:
Access denied. Oh well, still a great day for me to even gain the permission.
Hmmmm....Does that stop me posting it? 
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