30 Jun

Faceted Oregon Sunstone Necklace Set in S/S, 8 X 5 X 3.5 mm Pear, .80 Carats

Your browser does not support JavaScript. To view this page, enable JavaScript if it is disabled or upgrade your browser. The Oregon sunstone is an 8 X 5 X 3.5 mm faceted pear set in a four prong sterling silver basket setting. The gem is 100% natural, genuine and has had no treatments. Oregon sunstones should never be dyed or treated in anyway. This is uncommon in the world of gemstones today, as most gems are treated is some way before they reach the retail market. If the Oregon sunstone is treated or heated, the gem is suspect as being an imitation. Studies have proven that the claim of natural sunstones supposedly found in the Congo called Mongolian sunstone are really doped labradorite. This sunstone weighs .80 carats. Its colour is a transparent light peach. The pendant includes an 18″ .925 sterling silver rolo chain, 1 mm thick with a lobster claw clasp. Rolo chains feature twisted links that are created from flat or half-round wire. The shape of the links may be round or oval. Oregon sunstone are in the feldspar group of minerals, one of the most common on the planet. However; Oregon’s unique copper-bearing plagioclase feldspar, is found nowhere else in the world. At a hardness of 6.5 – 7.2 on Mohs’ scale, it is comparable to gemstones like tanzanite and peridot. It is cautioned as a ring stone unless properly designed for this purpose. Schiller describes the glimmering flash or shimmer which appears in some stones, this is due to metallic copper inclusions which are unique to Oregon sunstone. It can be lightly sprinkled throughout the gem or be deposited very densely to the point of affecting brilliance. Only in the past 15 years has Oregon sunstone grown in popularity as a gem. The colours of Oregon sunstone are difficult to compare to traditional sunstone because so few gems display such a wide variety of naturally occurring colours. Your browser does not support JavaScript. To view this page, enable JavaScript if it is disabled or upgrade your browser. It should be noted that natural plagioclase feldspar deposits are found in India, Canada, Madagascar, Norway, Russia (Siberia), Tanzania and the United States. It is the consensus in gemological societies that Oregon deposits produce the best premier gem-quality sunstone in the world. The current Oregon sunstone mines are dispersed in only a few different locations in the southern part of Oregon, often referred by locals as the “Oregon Outback”. Sunstone from Oregon is formed in molten lava and is discharged close to the surface with the help of a volcano. The lava wears away or is broken and gradually makes its way to the surface to expose the gem.The photos have been enlarged to show detail. I have pictured the necklace next to a dime for size reference. I have LED lighting in the photography. Gemstones are creatures of light, the depth of colour will vary with the light source. I will be including the gemstone description with the necklace. This should be kept with the necklace for future reference.I use high quality metals in the jewelry settings. I do not use silver plated settings or chains. The settings & chains are .925 sterling silver and is the standard for silver. It is called .925 because it is an alloy that is 925 parts out of a thousand silver. It is allowed for the other 75 parts to be other metals (usually copper) to enhance the strength, because pure silver is very soft and not structurally strong enough for many jewelry applications. Other “silver settings” come with different elements in their composition. German/Nickel Silver, which is a alloy consisting of copper, zinc and nickel, contains no silver. Many people have allergic reactions to nickel. Other settings may be called Mexican Silver, Indian Silver, Montana Silver, Pewter, Tin, Pot or Base Metal or simply silver. The content of these are less clear and do not guarantee the quantity or silver content. .925 is the best form of silver. It is durable and has a high sheen. Sterling Silver is considered a precious metal.Inside the gift box, the jewelry is placed inside an envelope with a 1″ X 1″ anti-tarnish tab. The tab provides protection from tarnish for up to 12 months. It does not leave deposits on items it protects. It is non-toxic, non-abrasive, and will not scratch metal or gemstones. Place strips in jewelry cases, storage bags or boxes. Each tab protects up to 30 cubic inches of container space. 11/2020 UPDATE: Mongolian sunstone sold as the equal of Oregon sunstone was first suspected to be man made in 2008. This material was first claimed to be from the Congo and then later claimed to be from Mongolia. Gemologist and geologists from different countries and laboratories have found the following facts based on their evidence: 1) The Mongolian sunstone is really an artificially copper-infused treated pale yellow feldspar; 2) The vast majority of the pale yellow feldspar starter material sold as Mongolian sunstone came from the autonomous region in Inner Mongolia, China, not from Mexican labradorite; 3) Natural red-green andesine with copper platelets does exist and has been found in the lower Yu Lin Gu Valley, Tibet; 4) A small quantity of the Tibetan material is collected and sold by the locals. The Tibetan stone is generally unattainable for the average consumer as it takes traveling to the source. If a consumer can obtain the Tibetan andesine, the only remaining question is how to properly insure you have the natural Tibetan stone and not the artificially treated Mongolian stone. It is still massive fraud to secretly sell treated feldspar to consumers as natural copper bearing andesine. Consumers can still have 100% confidence in Oregon sunstone as natural and untreated with its abundant copper schiller. After all, that is what they tried to replicate.I guarantee my jewelry 100%. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase, return your item and I will gladly refund your purchase price. I do not charge a restocking fee on returned merchandise. I am always happy to answer your questions. You will see more pieces of jewelry that are of the best quality and price. Thank you for visiting my store.

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30 Jun

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Earrings, 6 X 4 mm Cabochons Set in S/S, .80 Carats

The earring are made with solid 6 X 4 mm natural Sleeping Beauty turquoise cabochons. The turquoise have a combined gemstone weight of .80 carats. The gems are bezel set and glued into serrated sterling silver settings. The stud earrings include medium sterling silver butterfly earring backs. The settings were made in the USA and arrive in a gift box. I purchased my Sleeping Beauty turquoise from USA sellers from New Mexico. The Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is mined near Globe, Arizona. Sadly, the mine was closed to turquoise mining in the fall of 2012. The owners of the mine decided to concentrate on copper mining as the price of copper has risen significantly. There are no plans to open the mine up to turquoise mining in the future. This has caused the price of Sleeping Beauty to jump in value. Sleeping Beauty turquoise is revered and highly sought after due to its pure sky blue colour which shows very little to no veining or webbing. To help strengthen and preserve these Sleeping Beauty turquoise, they have been treated using the Zachery Process. The process involves soaking the stone in a non-toxic chemical solution followed by a heating process to stabilize the stones. Details of the process are quite mysterious, as the company that invented the Zachary process try to maintain proprietary knowledge of the invention. The turquoise is not dyed, reconstituted or irradiated. The Zachary Process is the only turquoise process technology out there that is recognized as a natural treatment by the GIA. One of the problems of untreated turquoise is that the colour and sheen fade over time. Typically, turquoise is treated with wax, clear epoxy, resin or some other form of liquid plastic to stabilize the stone from dirt with varying degrees of success. Stabilization not only protects the stone from dirt, but reduces the chances of fracturing. Waxing and oiling do not solve the problem of “bloom” in which materials from within the stone leak out over time to create an outer white deposit. The Zachary Process solves these problems and increases the hardness, colour and luster of turquoise and lasts longer than any other treatment. I have used LED lighting in my photographs. I have enlarged the photos for better viewing. The earrings have been placed next to a dime for size reference. I use high quality metals in the jewelry settings. I do not use silver plated settings. The settings are .925 sterling silver and is the standard for silver. It is called .925 because it is an alloy that is 925 parts out of a thousand silver. It is allowed for the other 75 parts to be other metals (usually copper) to enhance the strength, because pure silver is very soft and not structurally strong enough for many jewelry applications. Other “silver settings” come with different elements in their composition. German/Nickel Silver, which is an alloy consisting of copper, zinc and nickel, contains no silver. Many people have allergic reactions to nickel. Other settings may be called Mexican Silver, Indian Silver, Montana Silver, Pewter, Tin, Pot or Base Metal or simply silver. The content of these are less clear and do not guarantee the quantity or silver content. .925 is the best form of silver. It is durable and has a high sheen. Sterling Silver is considered a precious metal. Inside the gift box, the jewelry is placed inside an envelope with a 1″ X 1″ anti-tarnish tab. This is the same technology used by NASA, The Guggenheim Museum, The British Royal Mint and jewelry manufacturers worldwide. The tab provides protection from tarnish for up to 12 months. It does not leave deposits on items it protects. It is non-toxic, non-abrasive, and will not scratch or harm metals or gemstones. Place strips in jewelry cases, storage bags or boxes. Each tab protects up to 30 cubic inches of container space. I am always happy to answer your questions and I guarantee my items 100%. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase, return your item and I will refund your purchase price. I do not charge a restocking fee on returned items. Take a look at my other listings in Meet the Seller information, visit my store and eBay will create a list for you. I am adding new items often. Thank you for visiting my store.

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29 Jun

Yellow Sapphire Earrings Set in S/S, 4 X 3 mm Ovals, .50 Carats, Songea Tanzania

These sapphires are a medium orangey yellow; strong. The faceted 4 X 3 mm ovals have a combined weight of .50 carats, weighed before setting. They have been heated. Their clarity is VS, very fine quality. Small pin-pricks are just visible to the scrutiny of the close naked eye. However, the beauty of the gem is not diminished in any way. I have set them in four prong hallmarked sterling silver settings with sterling silver butterfly earring backs. The sapphire were mined in Songea, Tanzania, Africa. Tanzania obtains much of its gem wealth from a geological feature known as the Mozambique Orogenic Belt, which contains one of the richest gem loads on earth. The Belt runs in a north-south direction through the eastern part of the country, and it is up to 300 kilometers wide in places. The majority of sapphires from Tanzania are found in three locales: the Umba River Valley in the north, and Tunduru and Songea in the south. Songea, the most productive sapphire mining region in Tanzania, has been worked since the mid 1990s. Most of the buyers left in 1999 for newly discovered deposits in Madagascar. Although two mechanized companies have been working Tanzania in recent years, most of the mining activity is small scale. I purchased these sapphires in 2008. The sapphire are transparent. On 3/7/2020, Gemval, online gemstone appraisers, have estimated that a pair of sapphires with this weight, colour, clarity, cut and shape, to have an estimated retail value of $114.07 USD. This does not include the cost of the material or labor. I will include this along with a copy of the item description from the seller of the gemstones to me. This information is called provenance. The pictures have been enlarged to show detail. There is a picture of the sapphire earrings on a dime for size reference. I have used LED lighting. The sapphires will show orange in muted light, and pure yellow in bright light. Gemstones are creatures of light, especially transparent faceted gemstones. The colour of light you see emits differently in each source of wavelength of light. Do not let the small size discourage you. They can reflect light across a room. Of course, the larger size of sapphires with these attributes would be much more expensive. I make genuine gemstones affordable. This size works well with multiple pierced ears.The sapphire group is 9 on Mohs’ hardness scale and in the corundum group of gemstones. This group consists of pure aluminum oxide, which a long time ago was caused to crystallize into beautiful and splendid gemstones by the pressure and heat in the depths of the ground. Small portions of other elements, mainly iron and chrome, are responsible for the resulting colors and make the basically white crystals a blue, yellow, pink, orange, purple or greenish sapphire. Sapphires occur in all colours, even colorless (white) & black. I purchase my gems from reputable dealers from around the world, usually certified. The majority of gemstones in the market today have been heat treated to improve their color and appearance. Gemstones that have very obvious inclusions that have a negative effect on the overall appearance or durability of the jewelry are never used. Item arrives in a gift box. I used high quality metals in the jewelry settings. These are not silver plated settings. The settings are .925 sterling silver and is the standard for silver. It is called .925 because it is an alloy that is 925 parts out of a thousand silver. It is allowed for the other 75 parts to be other metals (usually copper) to enhance the strength, because pure silver is very soft and not structurally strong enough for many jewelry applications. Other “silver settings” come with different elements in their composition. German/Nickel Silver, which is an alloy consisting of copper, zinc and nickel, contains no silver. Many people have allergic reactions to nickel. Other settings may be called Mexican Silver, Indian Silver, Montana Silver, Pewter, Tin, Pot or Base Metal or simply silver. The content of these are less clear and do not guarantee the quantity or silver content. .925 is the best form of silver. It is durable and has a high sheen. Sterling Silver is considered a precious metal. Inside the gift box, I am including a 1″ X 1″ anti-tarnish tab. This is the same technology used by NASA, The Guggenheim Museum, The British Royal Mint & jewelry manufacturers worldwide. The tab provides protection from tarnish for up to 12 months. It does not leave deposits on items it protects. It is non-toxic, non-abrasive, and will not scratch or harm metals or gemstones. Place tabs in jewelry cases, storage bags or boxes. Each tab protects up to 30 cubic inches of container space. It is recommended to keep your sapphire earrings in the box with the anti-tarnish tab. This will avoid your jewelry from scratching each other. Even the included airtight plastic bag can be used for this purpose. I guarantee my jewelry 100%. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase, return your item and I will refund your purchase price. I do not charge a restocking fee on returned items. You will be pleased to know what a good price you are getting. I am always happy to answer your questions, Take a look at my other items, visit my store and eBay will create a list for you. I am adding new items regularly. Thank you for visiting. Your browser does not support JavaScript. To view this page, enable JavaScript if it is disabled or upgrade your browser.

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