Updated price guides and advice on cut, settings, and metals; questions to ask before purchase; advice on selecting a jeweler, appraiser, and insurer; and charts of diamond gradings, gem names, and alternatives point out just how much a consumer needs to know to avoid costly mistakes. Newman concentrates on gold jewelry craft and value.
With the aid of her own excellent photographs (showing what can be seen through the indispensable 10X loupe), she describes what to look for in gold jewelry fabrication: mountings, settings, marks, fineness, and quality. Consumers will learn how to test for fakes and karat value, though some of the testing methods using acids are best left to professionals. Safer tests, like the squeeze test for rings and bracelet strength, will empower the buyer who is deluged with too-good-to-be-true jewelry sales. The section on evaluating gold chains is especially useful.
Selected contents: Retail Price Guides for Diamonds, Colored Gems, and Pearls.Getting to Know Gems. Diamonds: How to Determine the Value of a Diamond. The Four C's - Treatments - New shapes & old - How flaws affect diamonds - How to read diamond grading reports - How to spot fraud & misrepresentationColored Gemstones: New Stones Add Exciting Choices.Mystery & Magic - Determining value - New treatments - Synthetics - Fraud & misrepresentation - Misleading names - Gem alternatives by colorPearls: Types - Factors that affect quality and value. Gold & Platinum. Choosing the Setting. Important Advice Before You Buy; Questions to Ask; Selecting a Reputable Jeweler, Appraiser, & insurer. Gemstone Investment.
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