A Delicate Matter

Filigree is one of the most beautiful words in the language, if you ask us.  You could consider it a cousin to lace, as Wikipedia suggests. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filigree

But it is delicate, and that wonderful openwork, like that of lace and those lovely crocheted sweaters, can get caught on something and—oh, no!

Don’t panic.  Call your friendly neighborhood* Jewelry Doctor at 415/796-3969, and we’ll restore your filigree jewelry for you—and give you tips on how to maintain it.  

*If you can read this, we’re in the neighborhood.

Shine a Little Light, or New Life for Those Swarovski Brooches

Many customers come to the Jewelry Doctor with beautiful vintage Swarovski crystal pins (or brooches) in need of a little TLC. When they do, we create a “treatment plan.”

Sometimes the pin back has broken off (more on that soon), and sometimes a crystal or two has flown the coop.  Of all the nerve!  

But one might actually ask, “How did the crystal get there in the first place?” Answer:  the crystal is held in place by jewelers’ cement, which dries out over time—and not all at the same time.  When the cement dries out the metal can no longer hold the crystal, and out it tumbles. 

Some customers find the wayward crystal when it drops. But if it is gone, gone, gone, I check my sources and try to locate Swarovski crystal in the same size, shape, and color.  Given that these are vintage pieces, the dimensions and colors we need are not always available.  

If the crystal in the brooch is all the same color (and that color is available), no problem.  We can just replace it.  But what if the crystal is many-colored, like the gemstones in the ring you may have read about here?  https://www.kudzu.com/m/Laynie-Tzena-Design-7716176  And say one or more of the colors is not available? Then we have a decision to make.  Which colors should we choose so the brooch will have a harmonious look?

When replacing a crystal, I always check the “seaworthiness” of the others in the brooch. But since the cement doesn’t dry out under every crystal at the same time, it can happen that a month later a crystal drops out and the customer wonders, “Why is this falling out when it was just replaced?” Answer: it wasn’t the same crystal!

So if you love those Swarovski brooches—and who doesn’t?—know that they require maintenance.  Just as you have the prongs checked in your diamond jewelry (which you’ve been doing since you read this, right?  http://myjewelrydoctor.blogspot.com/2014/04/building-your-jewelry-wardrobe-lets.html), your brooches will require a “look-see” every so often to make sure each crystal is safely in its bed.

Did you also know your Swarovski brooches can do double-duty as pendants?  Just ask us how.  

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor, 415/796-3969. We make things sparkle.  

Cleopatra Says, "Go Green!"

Is it “pehr-ee-dow?” “Pehr-ih-dot?”  However you say it, this month’s birthstone is a beauty, with that bright olive color (and it is olivine), sometimes a bit lighter than that—so stunning on blondes, brunettes, redheads, and those whose hair shines in silver and gray.  People have loved this gemstone forever—Cleopatra’s famous emeralds may actually have been peridot.

Here’s some more information from the Gemological Institute of America (“GIA,” for short).  https://www.gia.edu/peridot-history-lore 

So—what’s on your wishlist? Call us at 415/796-3969, and you’ll be feeling like a queen in no time.