??Frequently Asked Questions??

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Why do you use Gold-filled Wire and not solid gold wire? - The main reason I use Gold-filled Wire is cost. The price of solid gold is approximately 10 times (or more) more expensive than gold-filled, depending on the gauge, style, shape and the manufacturing cost.

What is Gold-filled - It is a layer of gold 10KT or better mechanically bonded under heat and pressure on one or more surfaces of supporting base material (usually brass), Then rolled or drawn to a given thickness or gage.

In the jewelry industry the quantity of gold must be at least 1/20th (5%) by weight of the total product. Under FTC (Federal Trade Commission) regulations, a product may be marked or tagged as 14, 12, or 10KT Gold-filled. Karat measurement of gold content MUST be part of the marking or designation.

(Be ware of items offered as simply "Gold-filled" rather than 14KT Gold-filled or 10 or 12KT Gold-filled when trying to compare prices!)

The finished product thus has a surface layer of gold of the appropriate karate, which is very thick compared to gold plate or the very heaviest electroplated material.

The above standards are the minimum, so you might find jewelry labeled as 14/20GF or even 14/10GF to denote 1/20 14KT Gold-filled or 1/10 14KT Gold-filled.

Gold-filled jewelry items are considered LIFETIME products, and the gold layer will not quickly wear off, as it does with gold plated jewelry.

What is Rolled Gold Plate? - It is made the same way as the Gold-filled material, but with a lower gold content. The minimum standard is 1/40th the total weight of the product must be the appropriate karatage gold. Thus a product marked  14K RGP is 1/40th (2.5%) 14K gold by weight.

Do you do special orders? - Yes, I will work with you  by phone or e-mail to develop a design that will fit your needs and desires. Just let me know what you want: Wire Jewelry, Traditional Jewelry, Faceted Stones, Designer Cabochons. If you think of it I will work with you to make it. “Your wish is my command”.

What is the GIA Color Stone Grading System? - This is the Gem Institute of America's colored stone grading system. The GIA gemologists are still working and modifying this system. This is the system being used by GIA gemologists and some others in the gemstone industry. If you buy GIA certified stones, chances are you will encounter this system.

Read the clarity definitions between the three "type categories" very carefully, they are different even though the clarity letters are the same (VS, VVS, SI1...). Notice that there are different "Types" for the same families of gemstones. For Example, Tourmaline is in several "Types"... Note: That the GIA system does not have an "IF" clarity grade for colored gemstones. By not having an "IF" category they are lowering the grade of all colored gemstones... The GIA”s argument is that by looking in a microscope they can always find a spot (crystal growth, included crystal... whatever) if they look long enough. This is true of any gemstone if you look long enough and with enough magnification... However, there are some gemstones that are exceptional and they need to be graded that way. Not lumped in with everything else and graded a lower clarity grade, when they really are exceptional. I do not like this system and think it is confusing... It is just not a very clear way to grade gem stones.  However this is the system being used commercially, so I have posted it for informational purposes. Read through it and draw your own conclusions...

What is the Standard Diamond Clarity Grading System? - There are many different types of stone grading systems available and being used today in the colored stone business. Many of them are arbitrary to each other and confusing to most nonprofessionals, and some of us pros too. For this reason, I have decided to use the standard diamond clarity grading system. This system is probably the one that is most familiar to jewelers, and people in general. I think it is the easiest to use and understand, and frankly makes the most sense, at least to me. One of the best things about this system is that it takes a lot of the ambiguity out of grading for clarity in a gemstone. For example, there are so many different stones being called "eye clean" in the trade that there is no real meaning to the term. This system gives clear specific guidelines, which are easy to use and understand. This system is designed primarily for grading the color and clarity of diamonds. But I will be referring to the clarity (think cleanliness of the stones) part of the grading system, the color grading section of this system (for diamonds) does not apply. The color grading of the colored stone in question (if there is one needed), will be in the description of each individual stone.

               Below is the Standard Diamond Clarity Grading System

 IF (Internally Flawless) = Free of inclusions under a 10x loupe magnification.

 VVS (Very, very small inclusions) = Very few, very small inclusions under 10x loupe                                                                              magnification, difficult to find.

 VS (Very small inclusions) = Some small inclusions recognizable by an expert under 10x                                                              Loupe magnification.

 SI (Small inclusions) = Several small inclusions easily recognizable under 10x loupe                                                             magnification, but not diminishing the brilliance appreciably. This is                                                     what could be called "eye clean" but this term is often abused...

 P1 (1st Pique) = Inclusions at once recognizable under 10x loupe magnification, but not                                               diminishing the brilliance of the stone appreciably.

 P2 (2nd Pique) = Larger and/or many inclusions, slightly diminishing the brilliance, recognizable                                     with the naked eye.

 P3 (3rd Pique) = Large and/or many inclusions diminishing the brilliance.

If you have any questions, please Contact Me.