5 Tips for Jewelry maintenance
October 22, 2018
Why we need to see more of each other.
Let's face it, life is a learning experience. When you purchase a piece of jewelry, there are certain tips you should know before you walk out the door. Sort of like buying a car, but not nearly as many things to get familiar with. Since most people wear rings, I'll start with the obvious top 5 tips from my experience and a few other ideas to keep in mind that might not be so obvious.
1. Materiality. I like that word.....my graduate instructor at Cranbrook used it often. Since most rings I've made are worn on the left hand, and most people are right handed (statistically), it wouldn't seem glaringly obvious that it would get 'worn out'. However, if not crafted properly, or the choice of materials was poor, many rings can bend, flex, and down right, just break if caught on something as innocent as a glove, (familiar to us Minnesotans). One snag under a loose, weak prong and it is set into the downward spiral of potentially loosening a stone, not to mention, super annoying to wear when it snags in your hair! If you think there is a problem, best to just come in and have a quick glance.
2. LIFESTYLE! Are you a rock climber? (.....sound buzzer....bzzz) I bought a really expensive, custom made road bike when I lived in Seattle after racing mtn. bikes for over a decade. It was sold to me as "like an Italian sports car". It was going to take some getting used to, in other words. I fell in love with it immediately, but I quickly learned that you don't lean it up against ANYthing and grab a coffee. Thank you street pole for removing a section of my custom decal lettering. As I've said before, go with your gut.....if a yellow flag gets raised, best to err on the side of caution.
3. Cleaning. Just schedule a visit with us when you go to the dentist. If you do anything with your ring on, it will remember and perhaps, even reward you with a rash or irritation of those memories. Not to mention, it is in our best interest to keep you looking your best when standing in line at the coffeeshop. ; )
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Choosing a mens wedding band should be the easiest box to check off on a "to do" wedding planner....right? As a custom jeweler, my job is to help make that task easier in anyway possible. However, I can also potentially open a creative can of worms for some folks. I may simply suggest incorporating a detail from HER ring in some small way and his lid comes off! Point is, is that it can be a big deal for some guys and even slightly overwhelming. Why is it that the same ring in a different store, in different lighting, sold by a different salesperson is now unflattering. WHY?! It was supposed to be easy, right? ...just a plain gold band - DONE. Well, I'm here to help. Enter Mr. Custom Jeweler. Now, the conversation gracefully turn towards the simple details like shape, feel, texture and finishes in smooth ambient, real world lighting. But, with so many choices being thrown to him all at once online by what is trending on social media or being targeted to him by silicone ring ads that he just, sort of, out of curiosities sake, clicked on, a little bit....it's no wonder a guy almost always just tries on the "ring sizer" in my shop and wants to wear that! A plain white gold band that is flat and shiny. Now hurry up and get that thing off me! It's a big deal. And it's not. The guy just has to feel comfortable wearing it most of the time for the rest of his life, that's all. Wether that is a lifestyle dependent choice due to his work in construction, or how he would like to be perceived by others in a board meeting, choices matter. People will notice, and he will notice people noticing and he would probably be fine if they wouldn't notice. In my world, the possibilities are limitless, the choices endless and the details I can achieve in my microscopic jewelryverse bring entirely new dimensions into these parallel realities, but at the end of the day, I just want the best possible option for him, not me, and most of the time. Pretty simple...right?
Let's be honest. Jewelry is probably one of the most precious, personal items we own. Sometimes we imagine wearing a pair earrings, or earring, like a famous Hollywood actor or actress and think....."I want to look like that!" When in reality, we may simply have the desire to feel like that. Confident, stylish, carefree and rockin' the diamond studs in public that cost more than our first car. And....sometimes we have jewelry that is so precious it's passed along and down and over and back until you become the recipient. NOW what?! What do you do with your crazy aunts pearl drops that are from the turn of the century, and what makes them so precious that you now have the responsibilty of ownership....100 years later. Maybe they are even ugly. In any case, call it what you will. Some would say pawn, others, estate, some resale.....I'll take it a step further and say there is a reason the universe has brought them into your life.....(more pressure!!!) and what you do with these precious gems is up to you, but like I often say to clients.....relax and learn. Instead of being frustrated in the knowing, look at it as opprotunity to gain as much insight about the period or style and the history of the jewelry, make it fun. Or, just pass it along with the knowingness.
Shopping for an engagement ring can be completely daunting if you don't know where to begin. With so many factors to consider like stone shape, setting styles, vintage versus new, and more, the number of potential combinations is dizzying. it can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices you have to make. So before you get in over your head, we're here to help guide you to (hopefully) finding your perfect match. For whom that match is for, well, we'll leave that part up to you. First things first, if you are about to create an excel spreadsheet and download the trends over the last 20 years for reference, relax....I've been in the industry and setting gorgeous diamonds (and not so much) that long and have seen trend cycles almost reverse or flip. And then flop. Literally. So, at the very least, I can share that information with you without drawing a timeline on an easel. Also, I have a Masters of Fine Arts, so I have studied European Art History and have actually been to the Royal Crown of Jewels and studied for a year in Paris.....so, let's just say, I've seen some sh*t. In any case, don't take my word for it, just look around and see what seems to keep grabbing your eye. Is it the shape? Is it the color? Or is it actually just a voice from an awful sales person. (I promise I wont' sell you on anything....except quality). If I have any say in the matter I'm always going to suggest platinum......you want it to be forever, right? But pricing is completely up to you and you already know. So, that's a start. Go ahead and check off that box. And when you are done shopping, come see us. I keep it real, and will share with you what I have seen over the years. I can tell you what has always been "IN" and *news flash* It's not what the celebrities are wearing, but maybe their grandmothers.
It's not uncommon for someone to own an ugly ring they've inherited that resides somewhere hidden in a box in a drawer.....and maybe with good reason. It's ugly. Or worse yet, it's ugly AND it has bad memories or associations with it. It's probably worthless or at least not worth doing anything with, you tell yourself, and so, it sits for another year or generation and gets handed off to the next recipient. "That's my grandpas grandmas sisters from the mid 1800's and my grandpa bought the diamond on a trip overseas, and......" Its' ugly. We are here to help. First off, get a second opinion and have it cleaned and inspected and you might find that it is actually not that ugly.....and maybe even kind of sparkly (fascinating fact: older cut stones get dull more quickly when they are dirty...more on that later), but, If that happens, we dive deeper and look at things to determine if the ugliness is just the way things are placed in the ring, or grandpa really bought aunt Lilly a JCPenny ring when he was in Guam or whatever. We are here to give you an honest evaluation and help guide you in the right direction based upon our professional evaluation. We may just recommend wrapping the jewelry item back up and donating it, or recommending that you have it professionally appraised. That would be super exciting! After we have determined the actual value, or perceived value, and what it is actually worth, we only make honest and appropriate suggestions for what to do next.....ie: if it's CZ, maaaayybe not give it to your girlfriend while on your knee ; ), but hey, It's completely up to you tho.....it's your ugly ring. W ith that said, we would love to do something to help in whatever way we can. First step, get it out of the shadows and into our shop. Your pictures of it, or descriptive terms are great, but inspecting it under a microscope is essential to getting you rolling. As always, cleaning and inspections are on us, but a double shot of Sebastion Joes Espresso is a recommended donation.
Life is full of commitments, deadlines and appointments, so much so, these days, that we all carry around super tech devices to remind us. As if just carrying around our iPhone isn't enough in and of itself that "Things need to GET done!". It demands a lot of attention, and so should your jewelry, but in a good way. At Linden Hills Jewelers, we love putting that sparkle back in your bling! It really, honestly, only takes 3 minutes if done periodically. Meaning, every 6 months, ehem, not years. We use our industrial ultrasonic cleaner for most jewels and give them all a quick 'shine' with our super high pressure steamer and that's it! Painless. And we love seeing peoples faces light up as they are walking out the door to meet with friends for dinner across the street. It just makes them feel good, and us too! We also clean and inspect everything with a microscope as you wait, and give you an honest assessment or opinion of what condition your jewelry is in. We are experts and we are honest! If you own a 1 ct. + diamond that you inherited from great grandma and a prong is thin, we're gonna tell ya'. On the other hand, if it is fine shape and just needs to get back on your finger and 'sing', we do the cleaning and inspection for free and send you on your way. Most people leave delighted and a little surprised, but it's something we've always done as a service and we would love for you to tell your friends about us out of excitement.
Recycling, reusing or directly incorporating metal and diamonds is something very few jewelers do. It's generally either/ or, but not both.
