Pearls, and How They Grow
Q: When I looked closely at the hole drilled into a pearl I’d bought, it looked like a thin shell of pearl over a bead. Is this normal, or was I ripped off?
Pickle Solution for Cleaning Jewelry
Q: Is there anything that will help a pickle solution remove those nasty pink oxide residues from the surface of jewelry?
Flat Bezels
Q: How can I make bezels that are flat, not bent? And how do I get them flat after I’ve soldered them?
Drilling Pearls
Q: I would like to enlarge the holes in some freshwater pearls. Any suggestions about how to do this?
The Well-Cut Stone
Q: In a faceted gemstone, what characterizes a good or a bad cut? Can a transparent gem be set in a dark depression and still sparkle? Does it need light from the sides or bottom?
Adhesives for Sea Shells
Q: I make jewelry from sea shells. I have been using hot glue to stick them onto metal findings, but it’s messy-looking and it tends to peel off. Are there any adhesives that would work better than this?
Distinguishing Genuine Ivory
Q: How can you tell if an object is genuine ivory? And if it isn’t, what else could it be?
Photography of Jewelry—Scanning or Slides?
Q: How can I get good pictures of my jewelry for my website? I can create pretty good digital images just by lying them face down on a scanner, but when I try to shoot slides with a camera, they always come out blue. Is photography worth the hassle?
Tightening Prongs on a Setting
Q: How do you get the prongs of a Tiffany head to hold a stone tightly? And how can you clean up prongs without catching and distorting them?
Cleaning Off Polishing Compounds
Q: After I polish a piece of jewelry, I wash it by hand with hot water and dishwashing soap, then I’ll throw it in the ultrasonic cleaner, and even after that it still has residues from the polishing compounds. What can I do to get this stuff off?
Colored Stone Durability
Q: I want to make a set of rings with a range of colors from red to orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I know tourmaline comes in these colors, but is it durable enough to last? What else could I use without spending a fortune?