Restoring an 80 year old family heirloom to new beauty for future generations.
Recently a client brought her mother into my Overland Park studio to discuss re-making a family heirloom inherited from her mother. The ring was originally her Great Aunt's. Her Great Uncle was involved with Las Vegas casinos in the 1930s. He received a 3.18 carat diamond on a debt and had it made into a ring for his wife. It was originally set in platinum using the side diamonds shown below.
My client's mother inherited the ring from her Aunt and switched from the original platinum mounting to a yellow gold ring. Now over 80 years later the diamond had chipped around the edges where it literally looked like a circular saw. It was also broken on the lower part of the diamond. We sent it to our Master Diamond Cutter to be analyzed for re-cutting. Part of the goal was to keep the diamond to the original old European cut and above 3.0 carat. With the amount of damage to the diamond we didn't know if this would be possible. After re-cutting, the diamond is still an old European cut and weighs 3.03 carat. It turned out beautiful!
Below is an image of the broken diamond and the re-cut 3.03 carat old European cut.
Before After
After the diamond was re-cut we started working on a design for a new platinum ring using all the diamonds from the original ring and bezel setting the 3.0 carat round in the center. We started with a drawing for the customer to approve. Then Marsha carved the wax model and hand sculpted the bezel for the 3.0 carat diamond. The ring is now being sent off to be cast in platinum and then we will finish cleaning up the casting, setting all the diamonds, and do the final finish.
This has been a fun project utilzing so many experts to produce the final product. In a future blog we will picture the finished ring.
Do you have estate or antique jewelry to sell? We are experts in this field.
The estates that have been brought in to me to evaluate are like an adventure through a huge puzzle. Figuring out what is real, what is costume, helping family members decide how to divide up the jewelry, or helping to sell the pieces of jewelry and getting the client the optimum value. I find these tasks challenging and rewarding and also the most fun I have had in my business career. I am able to use all of my knowledge from the past to make the right decision for each unique situation.
With our state of the art on premise jewelry shop in Overland Park, Kansas we can take your collection that may be oxidized, dirty, or in need of repair and restore it to its original beauty.
- Each piece is evaluated to see if it is geniune or costume.
- With our new state of the art gold tester and the traditional acid test, we can determine the type of metal.
- With our diamond expertise and state of the art diamond tester, we can determine real diamonds from fake and figure the approximate size and quality.
- If pieces need repair, Marsha, our Master Jeweler, has the technique and experience to restore pieces back to their original beauty.
- It would be easy to ruin a beautiful piece of antique jewelry by not knowing how to clean and polish it properly. With our years of experience we know what should and shouldn't be done.
- I can write up a complete appraisal on the pieces with descriptions and values for insurance or future generations.
Stop by Richard Dolgin Private Jeweler for a free consultation about your estate or antique jewelry.
Do you have a diamond that you want to sell?
We not only sell jewelry but we are also a Jewelry Buyer. In the past year many clients have come in with diamonds they have from past engagements, estates, or ex-boyfriends. These diamonds do have value. Finding the right person to sell a diamond to can be a chore. I will use the discreet environment of my private Overland Park studio to work with you to expertly evaluate your gems to establish a fair re-sell value to optimize your return.
We have purchased a variety of diamonds, in sizes ranging from 0.25 to 5 carats. I take great pride in trying to get you the highest possible amount of money for your stones. You have to remember diamonds on the secondary market, are not going to bring new prices or appraised values. The original profit, setting charges, sales tax, and labor costs are not going to be returned when a diamond is re-sold to the secondary market.
All diamonds are evaluated, and of course diamonds of higher color, cut, and clarity will bring more money than those of lower quality. If your diamond has a certification, remember to bring it with the diamond as this adds to the value of your stone or if you have the original bill of sale, that will help me to assess its current value. In some cases I may suggest that you leave your diamond with me, to give me time to search for the optimum value on the open market.
I promise to use my years of experience and my extensive friends in the jewelry industry to bring you the optimum return for your diamond.
How Does Your Jewelry Look?
We have discussed the topic of cleaning your jewelry in the past. But the topic never gets old. The more diligent you are with your personal care of your jewelry, the longer it will last and the prettier it will look on a daily basis. Having been in the new studio for over a year, clients have brought in jewelry for clean and checks that they purchased sometimes 20 years ago, that still looks new. Other customers have brought in items that I am surprised are still on their finger, with channels and prongs totally worn. I have seen some rings that are tarnished and so dirty that you can hardly see the diamond sparkle.
In between your visits to me, you should be properly cleaning your jewelry at home. Here is some advice on how to clean your gold, platinum, and gemstones.
CLEANER AVAILABLE AT DOLGIN'S
The jar cleaner I sell comes with a small brush and a basket, making it easy to remove any dirt built up from hand cream, oil, soap, cooking ingredients, and other sources. The solution does not leave water spots when it dries. Please never use a chlorine-based cleaner, as it will discolor the gold. Toothpaste is another common item that should never be used to clean jewelry. The paste often is hard to remove and leaves a haze on your diamonds and can actually scratch your precious metal.
Once you have purchased my private formula cleaning solution, the process is easy. The last thing my wife does before leaving the bathroom in the morning is to clean her jewelry. Leave the piece in the solution for at least a few minutes or even overnight. Then, remove it, gently brush it (with the drain closed), and rinse under the faucet. After rinsing, pat your jewelry dry with a soft cotton cloth and it will be sparkling and ready to wear. Easy steps to keep your jewelry looking like true keepsakes.
We are here with state of the art cleaning and polishing equipment so that any time you want your jewelry to look like new, stop by our Overland Park studio to get 'The Works'.
New Years Resolution: Let's keep our jewelry maintained.
Jewelry, like so many expensive items that we purchase, needs to be cleaned and checked often. Jewelry is similar to a car. Weather, oil, bugs, worn tires, etc. all need to be checked on cars so that they don't lose that shine or quit running. A ring has different culprits (hand lotion and cooking ingredients are two I commonly see) but will lose the brilliance and quit being functional exactly the same way. Just the way tires wear out on a car, the prongs holding your precious gems can wear and result in a lost stone.
So here is a challenge for the New Year. Don’t procrastinate your clean and checks. Keep your jewelry, especially your ring and bracelets, cleaned and checked (at least once a year) as you do your car.
There is a real technique to properly checking your jewelry, that I have learned from years of experience. When we check your jewelry we do the following:
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Using magnification we look thoroughly at the piece.
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Taking tweezers or a probe, we poke and push at all of the stones to see make sure they are tight in the mounting.
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We take note of how dirty the item is to see at what level it needs to be cleaned or refinished.
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We check all of the prongs and channels to see if they are worn down.
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We look at the shank (back side of the ring) to see if it is worn.
After going through these steps we determine if it is going to be a simple clean and check to restore the ring back to its original condition or if the job will take the super powers of a master jeweler to make it like new. Whichever case it is, when the ring is picked up, our clients are amazed.
Below is an example of a ring before and after the restoration process. On the left is the ring once all the stones were removed for cleaning and prior to re-tipping all the prongs. On the right is the finished product.
Don't let your rings get to the point of no return. Get them cleaned and checked often.
Turning old jewelry into something new.
Recently a client brought in a collection of jewelry pieces that she discovered in her late mother's estate. I was happy to evaluate each piece of jewelry and determine what was authentic and what was costume. We found a number of items that were gold and diamonds that could be repurposed to create new pieces of jewelry. She wanted to suprise her sister with a custom creation that would celebrate the memory of her beloved mother.
We were able to take a pile of small diamonds and old scrap gold and turn them into this pendant for her sister and this ring for herself.
Here is a letter from my client that I would like to share with you.
I wanted to do something special for you this holiday so I started working on an idea in October. I gathered up all of Mom’s gold jewelry along with a few pieces from my collection that I no longer wanted. I took the pile of gold to Richard Dolgin - the jeweler where we purchased our wedding rings and your silver locket. He no longer has a retail store but is a private jeweler operating out of a small office at 119th and Roe, (http://www.dolgins.com/) . Over the course of several visits, we proceeded to design two pieces of jewelry – one for you and one for myself. I wanted a ring and I decided on a pendant for you since you don’t prefer to wear rings. He analyzed the gold and several small diamonds from two bracelets. There were two bracelets from Dad containing small diamonds.
The tennis bracelet contained around 60 small white diamonds and the two tone bracelet contained around 40 top light brown diamonds. Some of the diamonds were in good shape and some of them were broken. Richard cleaned them up and sorted out the good from the bad. Next I started browsing through catalogs trying to get an idea of something for each of us. I found a few things here and there but was not totally convinced of the final product at this point.
He has a display of jewelry in his office so I started looking and trying different pieces. I was drawn to a matching ring and pendant that he and his associate Marsha had designed. So I proceeded to try them on and fell in love with both of them. Richard and Marsha had several discussions regarding how they could make these two pieces using Mom’s diamonds. It is a form of artwork with specific sizes and spacing to accommodate the mold for the ring and pendant. The tennis bracelet diamonds were larger than the top light brown diamonds.
We finally came to an agreement where they would use the tennis bracelet diamonds in the pendant and the top light brown diamonds in the ring. He warned me that the ring may appear a different color from the pendant because of the brown diamonds. There is a distinct difference between the two when placed side by side. The pendant alone looks brilliant white and the ring alone is sparkling with an antique appearance. So the final products are enclosed in your Christmas gift. Take a look – I want to wear them to church this evening, (I may have to loan you a chain for tonight). I hope we can wear these two pieces of jewelry and always be reminded of Mom and Dad’s love for us. They truly did love us unconditionally. I love you sister.
PS – We still have 30 white diamonds left from the tennis bracelet.
YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING MONEY MAY BE LYING IN YOUR DRAWER
At Richard Dolgin Private jeweler we pay the highest prices in the area for your gold, platinum, silver and diamonds. I will be happy to sit down with you to personally evaluate your valuables to establish which items are actual diamonds, precious metals, costume, or gold filled. During the process I will make recommendations if some of your heirloom or antique jewelry is too valuable to scrap. I can help you sell these pieces intact to optimize your cash return.
Don't take for granted that the jewelry in that old bag is all costume. I have found the family heirloom jewelry worth thousands of dollars in bags of relics considered to be trash. Come and take advantage of my years of experience to be sure you get the optimum dollars for your valuables.
Here are two examples of antique jewelry found in a supposed bag of trash.
In a descreet and private setting we will give you a fair and honest value for your jewelry.
Contact me in my Overland Park, jewelry studio at richard@dolgins.com or call 913-696-1003.
It is a delight to be back helping you with your jewelry needs.
I appreciate your patronage and your confidence in me as you jeweler. Thank you for visiting my new studio and allowing me to be your private jeweler.
So many people have been in and told me that they didn't know where to go, or where to get their jewelry checked and serviced while I took a rest for a couple of years. Many people have told me they are glad I am back. Having that type of response from all of my friends has been wonderful and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. I will continue to give you the best service possible and to be creative in designing your future jewelry requests.
I greatly appreciate the trust you put in me while evaluating your estate jewelry and turning family heirlooms into the next generation's proud treasures.
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Have A Happy and Healthy Holiday and New Year!
I look forward to continuing to be your family jeweler.
Contact Me Now For Your Holiday Shopping Jewelry Needs
As the Holidays approach, it is a wonderful time to consider jewelry as a timeless gift option. Jewelry stands the test of time and is a constant reminder of your special relationship. Working with a private jeweler is a great way to ensure you pick a high quality and unique gift for that special person. Choosing jewelry as a gift ensures that your loved one will be able to repeatedly enjoy the memories of the holiday season. When you work with Richard Dolgin Private Jeweler, you are guaranteed to receive courteous service and the best gift recommendations derived from years of experience. You can work with me to pick from our beautiful inventory, order a desired item, or discuss opportunities to create custom jewelry in my studio. It is important to schedule your consultation as soon as possible. The process of finding the perfect gift may include ordering multiple items to compare or working through design details for a unique custom piece of jewelry. The extra time I take with each customer is well worth it, when the end result is sure to be the absolute perfect jewelery item.
To make sure you sparkle like the holiday lights, stop by our Overland Park jewelry studio for a clean and check of your current jewelry (free clean & checks applies to all jewelry purchased from Richard Dolgin).
Create your own "jewelry moment" with a special jewelry gift form Richard Dolgin Private jeweler.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
A carat is the unit of weight by which a diamond and other gemstones are measured.
First a definition: One carat is equal to 0.2 grams, about the weight of a paper clip. I sell diamonds of every weight ranging from very small side diamonds to large center diamonds that will grab someone's attention.
The process that forms a diamond in the earth occurs only in very rare circumstances, and typically the natural materials required are very rare. That means that larger diamonds are found less often than smaller ones. Thus, large diamonds are rare and have a greater value than smaller diamonds. For that reason, the price of a diamond rises according to its size.
Carats are divided into 100 points, similar to cents in a dollar, so, a 50 point diamond equals a half carat. Diamonds that weigh more than one carat are expressed with a decimal. For instance, a 1.08ct. stone would be described as “one 0 eight”.
I will work together with you in my diamond lab to show you the visual difference in diamond size. We can work together to optimize your budget in terms of size of diamond but also considering the quality of the diamond and a mounting. I have always suggested that buying a better quality smaller diamond may outweigh the option of buying a large diamond with lower quality grading.
Size is important of course to many people but I advise not sacrificing diamond quality in order to achieve a larger stone.
I invite you to visit my Diamond Lab to learn about the differences in size and quality. I will use my experience to guide you to your perfect diamond.