Scrapping Sterling Silver with "Stones" in It
Most of the time when I'm scrapping Sterling silver, I avoid pieces with stones, beads, pearls, etc. Unless I know the non-silver weight, it's a risk I don't like to take. Every once in a while, however, the majority of the lot does not have stones, so I take the risk. That's how I ended up with this piece.
If the stones are real, it'd be a crime to destroy them, throw them out, etc. The question, then, is how do I know if they're worth keeping? A gem tester. They're fairly inexpensive and can identify if I'm dealing with fake gems or the real deal.
(Source: Amazon)
This tester only costs $17. The idea is the pen tip passes heat through it into the item you're testing. It then measures the heat conductivity to determine if it's a diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, etc. It won't tell you which stone it is, but it'll tell you if it's a true gemstone.
I first tested it on my wedding ring, which has authentic blue sapphires in it.
I tested the sapphire and sure enough, it registered as authentic. The meter lights all the way up and beeps when it's authentic.
If I accidentally hit metal, the beginning green lights flash and it will beep at me.
So, let's see if I'm dealing with actual gemstones in this broach.
It never went past the fourth green light, so these are not gems. They're likely glass, but they're not even synthetic gemstones. Now that I know they're fake, I don't have to worry about damaging them in the process of prying them out in order to scrap the silver. Don't you just love technology and science?
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Yep, they look like glass, from age/petina of silver, it looks like the age they would make such things.
And it's that color red of glass.
And the corners do not look ground (the facets)
Also, from the design of the silver, the stones wouldn't be expensive. Expensive stones = expensive setting. Usually. (Your mileage will vary)
AND!! just to inform people. I have seen Tiffany lamps/windows… and thought, what crappy construction. Sometimes, you cannot tell.
Yeah, I assumed it would be glass since they're set in silver rather than gold, but I've seen some rings where a small ruby or sapphire were set in a Sterling ring. For the price, I figure it'll help me avoid throwing out a real stone at some point.
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Like you said, you can never know until you really look into it.
Some of the most valuable (expensive) stuff from the Victorian age is costume jewellery.
And Cubic Zirconium, almost exactly like diamonds, except it doesn't dissipate heat like a real rock.
So, keep testing.
your first picture could be garnets?
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The pen would also register a change in thermal conductivity if they were garnets. These appear to glass. I did a scratch test and they don't have the hardness of garnets. At least I know now. 🙂
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what a pity, garnets are not that uncommon in such jewelery
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That little tester will more than pay for itself and quickly too. Especially at the rate you are going.
That's the plan, although selling the stones could prove interesting.
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Ooh! I have this tester too!!
Awesome! Have you found anything interesting with it that you thought was fake?
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Ive did lots of scrap before buying one of those. Now I test all the stones with it. Very well worth having one!
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see if anything I find is real. 😁
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Ive found emeralds, Topaz etc, and diamonds, but, the diamonds are generally so small, they're almost worthless.