Have you ever noticed how sometimes two pieces of jewelry, which look similar at a cursory glance, can vary greatly in price? Most consumers may find this perplexing. Many luxury items have "knock off" or counterfeit look-a-likes that may appear similar. Closer examination reveals the differences, however.

One distinguishing factor is the quality of the gemstones used. Subtle differences in cut, color, and clarity of diamonds or color gemstones can significantly affect the value and the appearance of a finished piece of jewelry. Differentiating between grading of gemstones is involved and will be the subject of futures newsletters.

The focus of this newsletter will be differences in the construction of jewelry. Much of the ability of a fine piece of jewelry to "wear" well depends upon the method of construction, the materials used, and the skill and attention of the jeweler.

Construction Methods

Casting involves many steps. First a mold is made, then molten metal is forced into the mold. Finally the metal is solidified into the jewelry mounting. This process is used to make the least expensive items of jewelry. Poor casting can result from such things as using too much scrap gold, silver or platinum relative to new metal, a misalignment of the mold, improper use of alloys and poor casting. The result is a mounting that is structurally weak and therefore does not last as long.

Telltale signs of a poor casting include pits or bubbles often visible with magnification on the underside of the setting. These indicate a poor casting that will likely not hold up over time. Likewise, the prongs of the setting may be structurally weak and put the stone at risk of being lost. Cast pieces also tend to have softer edges and less detail because they are mechanically finished as opposed to being finished by hand.

Die-Striking

Die-striking is a finer type of construction found in better quality pieces of jewelry. The process of die-striking involves taking the jewelry metal and placing it between dies and forming it in a hydraulic press at high levels of pressure. The result is an item of higher density and a tighter atomic structure. This greatly improves the strength of the setting, versus casting.

Pieces of jewelry that are die-struck are stronger, wear longer, take a higher polish and show greater detail than a cast piece. A die-struck engagement ring might cost twice as much as a cast mounting, but would be more durable and more beautiful.

Electroforming

Electroforming creates an item of jewelry by applying subsequent layers of metal across a model. This process produces a durable yet lightweight item of jewelry. A good application for this type of construction is in the manufacture of earrings. Jewelry produced using this method can be readily identified as being lightweight relative to size and often having unusual textured finishes.

Hand-made or hand fabricated

This refers to the most expensive and rarest type of jewelry construction. Jewelry made prior to 1900 was frequently hand-made. Hand-made refers to jewelry made from scratch by hand tools with no prefabricated parts. A fine hand-made piece of jewelry should be constructed well with great attention to detail. When well made, these pieces are very durable and make excellent heirloom quality pieces. All hand-made pieces of jewelry are not created equal. The quality of a hand-made piece of jewelry can vary greatly among jewelers based on their level of expertise and the materials used. Inspect various pieces under close magnification to aid in seeing the quality of construction and detail. In general, hand-made jewelry made from scratch (not from prefabricated parts) is considerably more expensive than previously described methods such as casting. To give some sense of difference in price, a platinum cast ring for a three stone setting might cost $300 to $500. A platinum hand-made three stone setting might cost $2000 to $3000. The difference is obvious to an expert and over time the difference in the durability becomes obvious to the owner of the piece.

Please send us an email or call us at 301-739-0830, (888) 268-8505 if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely

Tom Newcomer