When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?

re: When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?

Kathiemorris@bellsouth.netkbmorris1 — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 17:24:46 GMT

I love pearls, but I am addicted to Picasso Jasper and the various other Jaspers and Agates. Apparently a lot of people agree with me because I always get a lot of compliments and questions any time I wear it.

re: When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?

CrochetAJ — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 14:19:02 GMT

Pearls are a great feature in almost any piece of jewelry, whether you add just a couple of 10mm pearls to a mix of other beads or use a whole strand by itself. There are so many shapes and colors to choose from these days - the sky is the limit!

I love the look of coral but hesitate to purchase it anymore, since it symbolizes the raping of our endangered reefs. Lately, I've replaced the real thing by taking red polymer clay, making pieces that look like coral branches and then antiquing it with black and brown acrylic paint. When I get compliments on my coral piece I always smile, laugh and tell the admirer that it's all imitation, made from clay. They are usually even more impressed.

re: When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?

Shel@MiShelDesigns — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 13:28:32 GMT

Pearls, Pearls, Pearls - they're my absolute favorite to work with!

re: When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?

1965tulip — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 13:06:05 GMT

I had the luck to buy some old stock from a jeweller who hade made in the past some Dutch coral necklaces. The colors are perfect but I like also the cabs from grey or pink coral.

re: When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?

JewelryByJaynemarie — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 08:36:53 GMT

Well I do like coral, I don't use much because ion concerned about where it comes from.

My favorite "gemstones" are pearls, especially natural color freshwater pearls. I also love mother of pearl too and I'm now combining both in new jewelry making MoP flowers of various sizes acid combine them with various pearls for necklaces. I'm looking to branch out into bracelets and earrings too. These flowers can be accented with more pearls, Swarovski crystals or gemstones.

Because I have to confess, I do love colored fine semi-precious gemstones such as blue topaz, amethyst, citrine, etc.

Jaynemarie

-<a href="www.jewelrybyjaynemarie.etsy.com" title = "JewelryByJaynemarie">JewelryByJaynemarie</a>

re: When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?

Russ Nobbs — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 05:29:20 GMT

A few comments:

You say "Most coral used in today's beads and jewelry making components is actually white coral that has been dyed red or pink. When using these coral beads in your jewelry making projects, the dye from these beads can run and stain clothing, so make sure you avoid exposing them to water when worn."

The commonly available dyed coral is bamboo coral from the South China Sea. It is available in large quantities and is supposedly fast growing. It is naturally tan with black joints that give it the descriptive name of Bamboo coral. See en.wikipedia.org/.../File:2_isidella_skeleton_500.jpg for a picture. Before dyeing it is usually bleached. The bleached material is also sold as is.

The large volume of dyed bamboo coral and the relatively low prices for it suggest it is relatively plentiful. I've been assured by several Taiwanese and Chinese coral producers that the bamboo coral is not endangered and that it rows quickly. I can't confirm this opinion outside of the dyed coral industry.

There are 2 methods of dying bamboo coral. Cheaper faster water dyed coral often bleeds and fades when worn. Water dye is used on larger pieces that often show the black joint material. The oil dye process takes longer, does not bleed but is usually only available in small round and oval beads without any black spots.

Torre del Greco near Naples, Italy and Alghero are areas where coral is worked but in much more limited quantities and at much higher prices than in the past.

More common than bonded amber is entirely man made imitation amber made from various plastic resins. Copal is a naturally occurring resin but it is not amber, nor is it ancient. Most old "African amber" is phenolic plastic, prized in Africa as well as by collectors in the US.

Mndat.org and the free online Rings & Things gem index include a lot of material about imitations of genuine materials. www.rings-things.com/.../index.htm

re: When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?

Paula@26 — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 01:16:34 GMT

A bead shop here assured me that their coral was sustainably harvested, but when I asked the coral expert at our government marine science institute, he said he was not aware of any sustainable coral harvesting anywhere in the world. The corals I was looking at were from species that are very slow growing, and it is hard to see how they could be made sustainable.

You wouldn't consider (I hope) using whale products in your jewellery, and just because coral aren't mammals and don't sing is no reason to treat them less well. We have alternatives, let's use them.

Paula

New Zealand

re: When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?

diri — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:05:21 GMT

There is a city in Italy (Alghero I think) where coral is one of the main resources in economy. They have this guidelines of where, when and how much they can take as not to create an imbalance.

That's just me spreading randomness, sorry for language mistakes - I'm not a native English speaker.

Daria.