Edwin Pearl Jewelry
Q.I have a metric buttload of jewelry here. I would imagine most of it is what's generally referred to as "costume jewelry" - but who knows? I sure don't. Besides bringing it all to a professional "jewelry identifier" - what can I do to distinguish a real diamond from a rhinestone - a paste pearl from a real pearl? How can I tell if something is 14kt gold or just some kind of gold colored something else? How do I know if something is sterling silver or silver plate? If I buy one of those loop things that jeweler's use, what edge does that give me? And how do I identify metals - is there a home test to tell if something is brass, if something is copper?
A.Even costume jewelry can be valuable if it's vintage or if it's "signed" by a famous maker. Look at the backs of pins/pendants/etc or the inside of rings for any makers' marks. If you have any signed pieces they can be big $ Real diamonds have imperfections that will look like dark or cloudy specks, cracks or feathery bits. You'll need a lot of light and some magnification. If you had a genuine diamond that was totally clear and flawless you'd remember paying for it. If the stone seems too perfect but and has a lot brilliance and you see colors (mostly greens & yellows) shining out of it you probably have a CZ. You might also try a black light. Try google for info on diamond phlourescence under black light. Pearls are funny since even "real" mollusk-made pearls can be forced by human intervention. Traditionally, running the string of pearls over your teeth should tell you their origin. Real pearls are gritty, fake pearls are smooth. Most real gold will have a karat mark on the clasp or on the jump ring that you hook the clasp to. Sterling silver should also have a number stamped into it to tell you the per thousand amount of pure silver to base metal. Sterling is .925 parts pure silver and .075 crap metal. Other percentages are possible (most likely .800)
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