Jewelry Talk

[Natasha]

This thread is for women but men may also butt-in. ;)

I've lots of questions about jewelry/accessories and I'm sure some of you you do, too. This thread is for all those jewelry-related questions you haven't found the answers to. Here're some of mine:

1. When buying pearl earrings, what should I keep in mind so that I'd know I'm buying quality ones?

2. Does white gold have the same value as yellow gold? How about tri-colors?

3. Where's the best place to buy jewelry?

[f0r5aK3n]

WHITE GOLD in.. YELLOW GOLD out.. WAY OUT.. as in 70s OUT! :)

better yet.. guys, buy your ladies PLATINUM!! nowadays, that's what they all want.. argh.. hehe ang MAHaL!!!!

[Anck-Su-Namun]

As far as I know, tri-colors are pretty worthless in terms of value compared to while gold and yellow gold. They're cute though which is probably why they sell. :D

My friend said that good pearls are kinda yellowish-white and not white-white. You should also check out their shape (circular) and texture (no bumps).

[tr|n|ty]

i am not really fond of jewelry..but my mom is and whatever she gives me, i accept gladly :)

here's a tip i have for wearing diamonds: under 5 carats is for day time, over 5 is for night time :D

[Kaoru_Himura]

I don't have an alajera and I don't have much experience in buying jewelry. I've suddenly developed an interest in jewelry though. I especially like unique pieces that can liven up any ensemble. I also want pieces (bracelets, necklaces) that I can wear during the day. I have diamond studs that I wear for daytime and a watch but not much else. This being the case, where should I start looking and what are the best shops for gold jewelry in terms of style, quality and of course price. I'm not looking for very expensive stuff (I'll let my mom take care of that :D ), just stuff that can spice up my look. If you've leafed through the latest MEGA mag with Mai Mai Cojuanco on the cover, you may have noticed the fab jewelry she was wearing. She had a cute gold cuff, and an id necklace (is that how you call it?). The pieces looked great with her casual clothes. That's the kind of effect that i want.

[shallow]

i don't wear jewelry- never have. but i saw this movie with Jet Li (The One) wherein he has this pendant thing that interlocks with another pendant (not that hokey half-hearts deal). i'm thinking of giving my wife (i guess i would have one too) sumthin' like that and was wondering where i can get some of those. can they be custom made?

[X0X0]

i'm not into jewelry. i don't even wear a watch. i lost interest in wearing them a few years back but i do look around just in case i decide to start buying some. i love looking at engagement rings. anyway.....

1. like what f0r5aK3n said, yellow gold is out. i wouldn't even buy a gold ring nowadays. white gold is better but i definitely prefer platinum.

2. when you're buying diamonds, remember the 4C's; size is not everything.

[Mymnosene]

I heard that naturally-occuring pearls are never a perfect sphere and these fetch a higher price. (kasi nga, they're natural, and thus one of a kind) am i in error in backing this belief?

I also have a question similar to shallow's: where do I go to get jewelry custom-made, and how much is a reasonable price (not too cheap, but not a rip-off, either)

[magayon]

My Mom says it's a wise investment, my grandma says it's an excellent heirloom that goes thru generation to generation...my cousin tends to buy almost every payday... how about you?

what jewelries do u usually indulge yourself into? what jewelry store do u usually go to buy one? do you prefer any stones?

as for me, i just love bracelets, with trinkets or charms. with earrings, a stud will do. and i don't wear necklaces as well.

so give me your thoughts on jewelries!


:king:

[Ira]

It is a wise investment. A better buy would be to get precious stones. They don't depreciate, and even if the jewelry design is already dated, you can easily have the setting "melted" and use the stone and the melted gold for a more updated look. My mom often buys jewelries for me and my sisters, para daw pangpa-mana. She's always advised us to buy jewelry if we have a little extra dough to spend. I guess it's something Chinese women have been taught to do. She usually buys diamond sets, jade, and yellow gold. We get our stuff from her sukis in Chinatown, from this private jeweler who occasionally comes to our house when she has a new shipment, and from Hongkong. Hongkong jewelers sell relatively cheap unset diamonds and beautifully-designed gold jewelry, far superior to anything I've seen in Manila. My brother was even able to save a bundle on his wedding rings, because he used unset diamonds my mom purchased from HK and just had them set and designed by his cousin-in-law.

[BadGiRL]

I only like two stones. Diamonds and Pearls. Although, stone ba ang pearl? Whatever.

Since I can't afford diamonds in the sizes and quality I want, I buy pearls muna. :)

My grandma lives in Davao, and her alajera usually gets shipments of good south sea pearls. I buy now and then, kasi super cheap, agn ganda ng luster and quality. :D I have a pair that the person at rafael assessed to be worth more than 20x what I paid for. Cool d ba? Kaso, suwerte suwerte lang talaga. Kasi kada shipment, iba iba. So may permanent "reservation" na grandma ko every shipment. She gets to be the first customer to choose.

I buy earrings kasi, nasusuot ko daily. If I get bracelets, I don't wear them,kasi madali ma snatch kasi nga, I commute lang everyday.

Kasi usually sa chinese, it's diamonds, pearls or jade. I don't think I want to buy jade. Yung mga bigay sa akin, puwede pa. Kasi ang mahirap sa jade, mahirap makahanap ng market for that in case gusto ko ibenta.

But my grandma and my mom are super fanatics sa jade, they trained me how to distinguish a good jade from a bad one. Plus, how do u know if it's a fake.

Much as I love pearls though, I still do not know how to see if they are real or fake. My grandma can, so I only buy pag nakikita muna nya. Or, pag trusted source like yung friend ng grandma ko na super galing tumingin ng pearls.

I know a person who buys her diamonds from this person na bumibili ng jewelry sa mga natatalo sa casino. Kaya super duper cheap! 2.5 Carats na flawless diamond solitaire, for only 150K! Grabe!

[powerpuff]

i love jewelry! its good investment. habang tumatagal tumataas yung value. invest in those jewelry na may diamonds. its really worth it! i've saved n saved so i could keep buying jewelry. if u can afford it, get them in sets. chaka kung d ka gaano marunong tumingin, bring along someone na marunong. baka ma rip off ka pa. u should get ur money's worth kaya dapat maging mabusisi when buying jewelry. its better to splurge on it kesa clothes kasi nawawala sa uso mga yon. :)

[Cali4Nia]

Jewelries were the family business in my mom's side of the family starting with my maternal great grandparents as goldsmiths. May mga 'platerias' sila that made gold plated combs, pocket watches and other miscellaneous jewelry. My lolo did the artist work with the jewelry and would etch designs into the metals (silver, gold).

When my lola married my lolo she learned how to be a jewelrer which basically entailed buying diamonds and the grams/bars of yellow gold from her sukis in Quiapo (who got them from Hong Kong) or buy from her suki in Meycauayan who specialized in selling gold settings. She would then bring those to her suki na plateros in Meycauayan and the finished jewelries would be sold to her suki jewelry stores or suki buyers for private sale.

My mom's side of the family is not of Chinese descent--although a couple of my lola's sukis in Quiapo were and I remember when she'd take me there as a little kid. The Chinese guy would buy me toys and Jollibee hamburger so I can shut up and they could do their business "haggling" in peace.

Another thing I'd never forget were instances when her sukis from Meycauayan would come to my lola's house in a black Mercedes Benz with a uniformed chauffer in tow. I was like whoa this attracted attention from people in the neighborhood. My lola's house was pretty ordinary on an ordinarry street in your average urban city in the Metro Manila area. Not a fancy schmansy area at all. I was always in charge of looking for little diamond stones that happened to fall on the floor when my lola and her buyers would "haggle" and they had the scale, the magnifying lens, the tweezers, the wax thingies that held the stones laid out on the table.

There was another time when my lola had to go one of her buyers in Meycauayan to make a sale and...gooossh...I remember that house was effing HUGE...a mansion. And get this...that was the first time I ever saw a Filipina household servant in a FRENCH MAID's outfit. You know the black and white maid costume you see people wearing during Halloween. Since I was a kid visitor they asked me if I wanted cake or juice and get this...the maid in the outfit would pick up a phone (i guess they had an intercom system for such a big house) to call the kitchen to have them bring me down the cake. Room service...hahaha...so funny when I recall that I saw that kind of rich and famous lifestyle...first...in Pinas. It certainly is nice to be rich and afford that kind of lifestyle in the Phlippines.

Such a far cry from our family life which was a typical working middle class background. We didn't even grow up with maids. My lola made a good living out of jewelries having come from a poor family in the province and only a 6th grade education under her belt. WWII child pa yan. She put my mom and uncle through decent schools and bought two houses with this business.

It was just very unfortunate that times were bad in Pinas and there was a time when she took out her savings and her personal jewelry collection from very unstable banks during the pre-People Power Marcos times and na target ang bahay niya for a home invasion robbery. Nakuha lahat yoon because it was hidden in the house in some tin box. I guess in Pinas they know if you are doing well in business and they stake out your house and every move. Like I said we were not Chinese (taking into account that they are usually the victims nowadays in robberies and kidnapping) and these kind of things happend to us, as well. Sucks big time. Kinda like going from a "little" riches to rags ang nangyari sa hard work nang lola ko. We decided to leave Pinas at that time.

My lola is gone now and she had told me several times that it was a better life for her to be "poor" here in the States than a "little" rich in Pinas because she doesn't have the stress of looking over her back to see if somebody was going to stake out her every move and do something bad to her just because she was trying to make a decent living.

Like what others have said above, jewelries are a good investment...but mostly for people outside the US. Real estate is more valued here and jewelries are hard to "private" sell unless you know many trusted individuals that are able to pay up in cash.

My lola was able to pass down her knowledge of how to look for good diamonds to me and my mom. Well nowadays they have certified gemologists to do those kinds of appraisals but it's kinda neat to be able to tell a good stone from a crappy stone with just a magnifying lens and a good light. :)

[dior]

im into jeweLries too, aLthough i don't induLge much due to...errr...financiaL reasons. ahihihi :D

but i do own some braceLets, neckLaces, and rings. i choose wiseLy. i don't prefer the faux. im into the reaL thang. :)

[purple_madness]

i like jewelry but not as much as my mama (lola) or my mom. they're the picky ones. i wear lang what's i can get from mommy's vault. :burglar:
one time, i didnt realize i was wearing a pair of earrings na pwede ng pangtubos ng kaluluwa ko (disclaimer: cheap lang ako) :lol:

ehehehe

kakatuwa si mama she gave me her ring that her mom gave her. the ring skipped mommy. i asked her why, and she goes "nako, mashadong mapili ang nanay mo."
looking at the ring, oo nga, hindi nga magugustuhan ni mommy: it's an empress cut emerald half an inch in length set in yellow gold. tawag ko dun mango ring.
pag suot ko yun hindi na ako si purple_madness. nagmumukha akong green lantern, promise. :bungi:

pero favorite ko pa ren yung crude sterling silver na bigay ng bespren ko galing ibay's sa baguio, yung claddagh. palit yun sa claddagh na nabili ko UK. :glee:
singsing na nabili ko sa UK, napalitan ng galing sa ukay. aahahaha :bonkself:

[tr|n|ty]

like purple_madness, i like jewelry but not as obsessed and pihikan as my mother, her sisters and my abuela. i just "borrow" stuff from my mother and my old maid aunt :p and it's been a tradition..as soon as we graduate from college, the women in our family get a piece from a set every time there's a big gift-giving event..like a graduation, birthday or christmas. i am very happy with what i just got last year...all my friends were astounded by the set :)

it's an empress cut emerald half an inch in length set in yellow gold. tawag ko dun mango ring.
pag suot ko yun hindi na ako si purple_madness. nagmumukha akong green lantern, promise.

may ganyan din abuela ko!! :lol: it's funny how all of us younger generation girls didn't wait it.. kasi nga we're going to look like green lantern!!

[magayon]

napansin ko lang, parang kundi moms natin e lolas ang mga talagang mahihilig sa alahas ano? one thing i noticed with my mom and grandma is that they wear it in sets....kung ang damit eh lavender, naka amethyst set, kung blue naman naka sapphires, at kung anu-ano pa. *** na matandaan yung mga kakulayan ng stones. basta ang naaalala ko eh terno terno sila sa kung ano ang damit na suot...

haaayyy..iyun din siguro ang mga obsessions nila nung mga kapanahunan nila! hehehehe! :laugh:

[purple_madness]

Originally posted by tr|n|ty

may ganyan din abuela ko!! :lol: it's funny how all of us younger generation girls didn't wait it.. kasi nga we're going to look like green lantern!!

diba diba?
:lol:

magayon
my mommy and lola din, sets ever, in velvet cases ever. color coded.
:nuts:

si mommy likes jewelry that make people do a double-take, susmio.

ako gusto ko quiet. :bashful:

[magayon]

Originally posted by purple_madness


magayon
my mommy and lola din, sets ever, in velvet cases ever. color coded.
:nuts:

si mommy likes jewelry that make people do a double-take, susmio.

ako gusto ko quiet. :bashful:


mismo! minsan ako ang natatakot baka pag uwi nya wala na isang arm nya! hahahaha!!!!

eto pa, sa kabigatan ng mga hikaw, yung mga butas ng tenga nila por the earrings, nakalawlaw na! HAHAHAHA!!! aliwwww!!!

tama bang pagtawanan ang mga maderrrr, hapi mader's dey na lang po pala sa mga maders awt der! he he he!

ah, type mo pala purple_madness eh quiet lang... ako din type ko maliliit na studs lang, bihira ako magpalit ng hikaw unless me occassion. pero lab na lab ko talaga ang bracelets. kahit sa palengke ang punta ko kahit alang relos basta merong kahit isang bracelet. or else feeling ko mistula akong hubad!

hmmm...vanity! vanity! :wink:

[bepanthene]

pareho tayo purple_madness :glee:

my mom, her sis and their mom love the big, flashy jewelry with the velvet cases. lagi akong napapagalitan na kinakalat ko lang daw jewelry ko kasi i just put it in old plastic containers. even when i was a kid, i was always given jewelry pero i've never really liked wearing it. ang type ko yung mga subtle, understated elegance.

my gawd, about the stupid emerald ring--i hate it too! pinipilit akong bigyan nang emerald ring pero ayoko kasi nga ang pangit (i don't like emeralds though it's my birth stone)!!! ang type ko yung platinum band tapos with small embedded diamonds kasi it's so simple and i'm finally getting one! :D but i still get the awful emerald ring... any takers? :glee:

magayon: haha.. ganun din sila.. yung earholes nila ang laki kasi ang bigat nang earrings...

[1126]

i like earrings and necklaces.
people tell me i wear huge earrings for my age pero i cant help it kase ang ganda. my mom likes buying. she puts all her money into jewelry and clothes na rin.

[purple_madness]

magayon
ay nako sinabi mo! si mommy nga eh, nagpabutas ng bago kasi yung butas nya sa ears malaki na kasi mabigat yung mga hikaw na na sinusuot nya always. ako din medyo long na ren yung butas kasi hindi ko tinatanggal pag natutulog. tamad. :hiya:

ako naman favorite ko rings. hindi ako partial sa diamonds. mas gusto ko yung may kulay :lol:
meron din ako mga loose na stones na pinapaset ko na lang tapos yung diamonds, accent lang sila...and since accent lang, titus diamonds lang yung gingamit ko.

pero meron akong favorite na diamond tennis bracelet, bigaya sa king nung graduation nung grade 7 ako. funny pa nga eh, sa sobrang excitement ko nun, suot ko na sha bago ko i-wear yung hose. okay, pag suot ko, sumabit. nag run yung hose ko. wala na akong extra hose at di ko tayf yung tone nung hoses ng mommy ko nun kaya nung graduation namin na yun, naka leg make-up ako.
hanubeh. dahil lang sa bracelet na iyon, muntik pa akong hindi maka-march.
hahahahaha.

bepanthene
sinusuot ko yung emerald ring na bigay ni mama. lalo na pag yinayaya ako nun mag mah-jong kasi nung bata ako dun ko naaalala yung ring, nasa kamay nya habang nag hahalo, ngayon sa kin naman. pang-asar lang. :laugh:

[magayon]

natawa naman ako sayo purple_madness! :laugh:

nai-imagine ko ang itsura ng emerald ring mo... tipo bang anting anting, or para naman mas class ang dating...lucky charm! pag nag ma-mahjong?! sana nananalo ka pag suot mo yun! hehehehe!!!!

uy bepanthene! type ko din ang platinum, kaso super mahal naman, *** afford sa munting sweldo ko, kaya ok na sakin ang white gold or worse, sterling silver. hehehehe! eniwi, we have this wedding ring made of white gold nga. my friend bought it from Ireland as a gift to us. It's a celtic ring.... worn by royalties in Ireland long time ago... (it happens kasi that i have this childhood fantasy na once i was a princess ek-ek, tapos dna na ma-outgrow-outgrow! kaya ayun, yun ang ring namin...feeling lang! hahahaha!)

sha nga pala purple_madness, ano ba itsura ng tennis bracelet? i've read it somewhere pero pardon my ignorance, *** alam ang itchura talaga...

lam mo ba dito sa aus, madami silang tindang rings na gusto mo, different stones, different designs. kaso lang ang pangit **, mababa ang gold nila. mostly 9 carats lang.

i'll try to scan some, bka pwede kong i-post dito, pwede naman kasing gayahin na lang yung design diba? lalo pa't nag ko kolek ka pala ng stones, then have it set na lang. para lang pandagdag sa choices mo... :)

[purple_madness]

yung emerald ring, may kasamang himas yun, pampa-buenas :lol:
at ako? mananalo kay mama? good luck!
ay! ako din may celtic rin, yung claddagh nga that i mentioned earlier. it's the traditional irish wedding ring eh. ganun din ba yung sa yo or yung bands na celtic knots lang?
yung claddagh yung may 2 hands na may haway na hearty na may crown.


yung tennis bracelet teka, pano ko ba idescribe to?
tig-iisang brillantitos (little diamond) na naka embed sa gold tapos seamlessly linked to form a chain. bali 46 lahat yung bato. shempre, obssessive-compulsive ako eh, kaya binilang ko pa.
:nuts:

at nako, si mommy ganyan, yung mga free catalogs from jewelry stores abroad, nag cocollect tapos papagayahan nya ehehehe.
pero sige post ka lang ng mga images, baka may magustuhan ako. meron akong amethyst na set eh, 3 sila tapos pa-oblong yung cut nya. di ko alam kung pano i-se-set pa kasi medyo malaki eh pero gutso ko na gamitin. purple eh :crazy:

[magayon]

ay u-o! alam ko na ang ibig mong sabihin purple_madness! so that's called tennis bracelet! okesh!

i can't post the images here...i'll try placing it as a url instead...pero that will take time pa! wuw!

amethyst is the birthstone of those who were born in Feb. pero maganda naman talaga ang shade nya! yun nga lang namimili ng damit, hindi pang everyday use. :) oh well, it depends...

[eponine0907]

i don't buy jewelry for myself, except for the silver stuff. my mom gives me real jewelry. recently, she had one of her rings with a half-carat solitaire diamond turned into white gold, and had a pair of earrings made to match it, as a graduation gift for me. most of the jewelry she gave me is in white gold, except for a ring and earrings set, with moonstones, which she had made in yellow gold. for herself, she bought a tennis bracelet, which she says is one piece she's been saving up for.

but for everyday wear, i have my mom's white-gold ID bracelet (too big for her daw, so she lent it to me), a white-gold plain band, and a white-gold ring with 5 zirconia stones, the ones that look like diamonds but aren't really diamonds, a gift from my lola.

maybe when i get myself a job i'm gonna save up for a tennis bracelet, a platinum chain with a solitaire pendant, and a ring-earrings-bracelet set with sapphires and diamonds. i await that day.... :D


:blossom:

[angel_toes]

Originally posted by X0X0
i'm not into jewelry. i don't even wear a watch. i lost interest in wearing them a few years back but i do look around just in case i decide to start buying some. i love looking at engagement rings. anyway.....

1. like what f0r5aK3n said, yellow gold is out. i wouldn't even buy a gold ring nowadays. white gold is better but i definitely prefer platinum.

2. when you're buying diamonds, remember the 4C's; size is not everything.
Don't buy platinum rings if you want to prevent furture headaches, unless you can predict the future and you can foresee that you will not gain a single pound.

My hubby were scouting for wedding rings and almost all jewelers suggested platinum cos it's the most expensive (well what do you expect?). But I found this very very good jeweler (Chinese lady married to a Jew, what a combination, huh?). Her diamonds are oh-my-God awesome cos of the brilliance, she gets her diamonds in Israel and the cuts are Russian-cut, the most brilliant cut which brings out the fire in all her diamonds. We got nothing lower than VVS for clarity (very very small inculsions, which is a better investment than VS or S, the ones widely available in the market). Anyways, she suggested that we use gold (whether white or yellow) instead of platinum, cos since the latter is the hardest metal, it won't leave room for alterations should your finger get big (or small) in size.

The best metal for rings is still 18K gold. Hard enough but malleable enough to be adjusted to the desired size.

So don't be fooled by platinum, specially for rings. The best metal is still gold.

[chinkystar]

i agree with angel_toes. i have a friend who wears a lot of platinum jewelry, and she's particularly paranoid when it comes to rings. she used to have a bad habit of wearing her jewelry even to sleep (earrings, rings--parang bata), and she wore her new platinum ring for about two weeks. she finally realized it wouldn't budge from her finger when i asked how heavy it felt on her finger. ayun, she had to soak her hand in saltwater for about three hours. her finger had some pretty painful-looking purple welts from all her frantic tuggings and pullings.

angel_toes, weren't the stones you bought from your chinese jeweler incredibly expensive? i haven't heard of russian-cut, VVS stones in a long time, at least, not here in manila.

[angel_toes]

Hi Chinkystar...yup I think my jeweler's stones are very rare, as I told you her advantage is that she's married to a Jew who's really into diamond trade, so she gets the best diamonds ever. When she showed her unset stones to us, my husband and I gulped. My hubby described it in one word: "awesome", specially when we peered at the stones using a magnifying glass. The VVS stones are really beautiful, and she gave us a discount, so we got the wedding rings with the VVS stones (my hubby had a simple gold band, only mine have stones). It is a bit expensive, but it's worth it. When the light hits the stones it sparkles like anything, and it's very brilliant. I'm gonna wear it everyday for the rest of my life, might as well invest in beautiful stones. If you want to have my jeweler's contact number I can give it to you, but you have to set an appointment first.

[fanfan]

i think that china town is the best place to buy jewelries... gold white gold coz its a lot cheaper dun...pero syempre u have to consider din yun pagpunta mo dun kasi ang traffic tapos ang sikip ng daan.=)
im just not sure about pearls...

[bishop]

if you wanna get iced, i suggest the best way is to go Platinum!

very expensive nga lang....

like the Platinum Rolex i want which costs 250k.

hehehe :D

[itchin]

Originally posted by PePs
I really don't get all the fuss about Rolex. I think it's over-rated. I'd much rather get Cartiers.

haha, you're right abt Rolex.. i mean feeling ko nga pang oldies ang rolex eh... I like Cartier esp yung roadster! too bad walang for girls. pinagiipunan na nga ng bf ko eh coz it's really expensive. almost $4,000!
niwey...abt the rings...i prefer platinum...though expensive sya but pang matagalan naman talaga! like if you want a wedding ring diba forever mo na yun susuotin....well that's just my opinion!;)

[five_thirsty]

pov lang:

im into jewelries but sometimes i have to be practical..
wyt gold is always my preference in buying or having it customized by my alahera because it's the best option next to a platinum..actly, if i had money still, id buy parin wyt gold. 1st, if i buy the platinum, pag suot ko, no one can tell na platinum o wyt gold (or even silver), 2nd: mahal pa tas *** technology na ginagamit to customize platinum wala ** sa pinas..meron man, isa lang mahal pa labor, and definitley kahit wyt gold lang..pang matagalan din =)

para bumwi..i'd choose stones that have the clarity atleast SI1 - SI2 or VS1 - VS2 with color ranging from G - I ; carat between 1/3 to 1 1/2 (kung may extra money =p ) and wud always choose the round cut because round cut diamonds have more value and maximizes the brilliance, radiance and luster =)

[daphine]

where is a good shop for appraising and resetting of jewelry....yung tipong ipapaiba mo yung design para mas modern

[sw33tmilk]

Hi! I've not much knowledge about jewelries by mere looking at them. I just depended on what the seller would say. I love white golds and platinums.

I have a question for the experts out there. What does a blue diamond worth? It is an heirloom passed on by my mother to me from my grandmother.

[«FickleMinded»]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v358/fickleminded/Mood%20Icon/friendhipbear_1.gif--I wear jewelry but I'm not really into this matching attire thingy,I know some people na tuwing alis,laging match ang clothes sa jewelry w/c i think is cool,naaliw lang ako mag collect,usually yellow gold and diamonds,then yung mga genuine stone, (amethyst,opal,emerald,etc..etc..)yung mga ganon,pero pag super formal ang occasion, then i do the fashion a li'l bit, ngayon meron ng alternative for diamonds, yung cubic-zirconia,pwede magamit araw-araw kasi mahal naman ng diamond ,lalo na sa tulad kong may pagka careless, baka mawala lang.

[five_thirsty]

where is a good shop for appraising and resetting of jewelry....yung tipong ipapaiba mo yung design para mas modern

in greenshills...distinction shop of jewels..dyan ako nagppgawa and resetting but i dnt know kung nagpapa appraise din sila...if u dont like it, marami naman sa tabi ng distinction...pili k lang =)

[up up and away]

just some comments:
1. jewelry is technically the wisest of investments. you just buy it when you have extra money. for example, pearls deteriorate over time because its simply calcium carbonate (parang yung nasa Tums antacid). prices of diamonds are artificially high because the annual release of diamonds in the market are controlled.
2. price of gold of whatever color is determined by the carat (weight) and not the color.
3. regarding blue diamonds, it depends on the 4Cs especially the color of the blue diamond (there is intense, fancy intense, etc). make sure din that its really blue diamond, baka light blue sapphire etc. you could have it checked by certified gemologists to ascertain its value.
4. origin is important in the valuation of jewelry. most of the time, mas mahal ang alahas because so, so, and so were previous owners of the piece. in certain cases, even if a piece of jewelry is worthless; it becomes precious because of previous ownership.

[samantha_jones]

I want a charm bracelet with charms that will describe me and my life...so far. hehe

I wanna know where I can have one custom made...kasi the charms I want are kinda my own idea...I want it either in silver, white gold, brass/bronze, or if papayagan ako platinum...

Right now I'm making my own just stuff I buy at the regular (silver) shop possibly have it made if I get the stuff I want. HEHE

[angelica0707]

samantha_jones: i would recommend, LILI GOLD, sa atlanta center sa annapolis, greenhills... you can also give them a call if you want para you can check with them first bago ka punta sa kanila... promise, di ka mag sisisisi... i had my white gold set of jewelries made sa kanila... lahat - cleaning, resetting, custom made...

Tel. no. 7248188 or 7239188

[Fashionate]

I want a charm bracelet with charms that will describe me and my life...so far. hehe

I wanna know where I can have one custom made...kasi the charms I want are kinda my own idea...I want it either in silver, white gold, brass/bronze, or if papayagan ako platinum...

Right now I'm making my own just stuff I buy at the regular (silver) shop possibly have it made if I get the stuff I want. HEHE

try JO at Greenbelt 3.They make custom made pieces.
LIANNA NAVARRO (09178540664) makes great charm necklaces,bracelets,etc under the line ENVY. Her stuff has been featured in Preview Magazine several times now.

[m&m26]

how much platinum na earing dyan sa pinas?

[assasinated]

GawD! i missed on the spellin'.

Oh well, speaking of jewelry, i do remember a time early last year when i was still there in the Phils. I visited my grandma who at that time was with her friends and they were dead attuned with their jewelry conversations. My grandma was telling me that i had to buy my girlfriend an engagement ring the size of a penny haha! Wonder where i'm gonna get all the moolah for that!
But there was this girl with them, i only remember that her name's alexa. i guessed she's either a daughter or a niece of one of my lola's amigas. Overly pretty, cool and brimming with wit and quiet intelligence, she saved me from the endless kulit of my grandma about the jewelry. She knew a lot about jewelry and all those stuff. She spoke to me as if she was an authority in jewelry matters and she's very young i must say, not a year over 20 i think. Sayang, I didn't stay long to converse with her as i was dying to evade my lola's paglambing! I left immediately to save my pocket and my life Lol :bop:

Anyway, so much for the smitten dog story. for my grandma, wherever you are, sad to inform you that i have no girl to buy that engagement ring for now. Lol... when i go back, maybe, ill just look for this gorgeous jeweller of yours and if she'll accept the ring ... :)

[KZE]

So what do you people think about guys that wear earrings - more specifically diamond studs (or cubic zirconium studs for that matter)? :)

[pidolpidol]

i want to buy a diamond atleast 2 carats or 1.7, does anybody know of whom i can get at a fairly reasonable price?

[pidolpidol]

mura ba ang 2 carats each, earring clarity is g??

[up up and away]

^ these days? 2 carats don't come cheap. G quality is good but it does not refer to clarity but color. ask for the clarity(IF, VVS, etc), basta less inclusions mas mahal.

[ayane]

is there a place where i could have classes about these things?

coz my mom has a collection ng jewelries... but she was never a good teacher. last i asked her how she could tell if a diamond is fake or real, her reply? "tignan mo!" :depressed:

and since i also want to learn how to spot a good diamond from a bad one, a real pearl from a fake, how to weight, measure and determine the real value of a jewelry, right now, i'm looking for a good place where they teach these things.

thanks for anyone who could give their inputs! *okay*

[KZE]

is there a place where i could have classes about these things?

coz my mom has a collection ng jewelries... but she was never a good teacher. last i asked her how she could tell if a diamond is fake or real, her reply? "tignan mo!" :depressed:

and since i also want to learn how to spot a good diamond from a bad one, a real pearl from a fake, how to weight, measure and determine the real value of a jewelry, right now, i'm looking for a good place where they teach these things.

thanks for anyone who could give their inputs! *okay*

Well, to spot a real diamond from a cubic zirconium you could do a small test using a piece of white paper and marking it with a straight line across it. Put the diamond on the middle of the line - if you can see the line through the diamond it's fake, if you can't see the line it's real.

Here you get to learn a little more about diamonds:
http://www.24carat.co.uk/diamond4csframe.html

[assasinated]

^ i think that there's a school for that endeavor. Gemology something. The lovely jeweller that i met last year told me she was planning to undergo that training. It apparently makes one an expert in jewelry matters, particularly the diamond.

[up up and away]

^ if you're talking about serious, hardcore, gemology training; one of the best schools is the GIA (gemological institute of america). they have a bangkok (i think) office/school that offers courses on the different intricacies of the trade.

i don't know if CSB (College of Saint Benilde) has specific courses on gemology but i do know that they have something on jewelry design and crafting.

[ayane]

i don't know if CSB (College of Saint Benilde) has specific courses on gemology but i do know that they have something on jewelry design and crafting.

i haven't heard that csb offers those courses... sige, i'll ask around.

[siberia]

wrong quote

[prestige]

But there was this girl with them, i only remember that her name's alexa. i guessed she's either a daughter or a niece of one of my lola's amigas. Overly pretty, cool and brimming with wit and quiet intelligence, she saved me from the endless kulit of my grandma about the jewelry. She knew a lot about jewelry and all those stuff. She spoke to me as if she was an authority in jewelry matters and she's very young i must say, not a year over 20 i think.

Hey, my cousins met a young jeweller with that same name in HK last march. I think that it's the same Alexa based on your description. They assumed she's a jeweller kasi she told them she was there for the HK jewelry exhibit. Yup, very pretty and classy nga daw. They didn't know she was a Pinay until tinamaan ng closing door dun sa resto where they dined, umaray daw. :rotflmao: She looked like that girl in Korean telenovela of ABS according to them. They kept talking about her when they arrived here. Crush nila. Would you know what her family name would be? She only told them daw that her name's Alexa. I will tell my cousins about this.

[assasinated]

Hey, my cousins met a young jeweller with that same name in HK last march. I think that it's the same Alexa based on your description. They assumed she's a jeweller kasi she told them she was there for the HK jewelry exhibit. Yup, very pretty and classy nga daw. They didn't know she was a Pinay until tinamaan ng closing door dun sa resto where they dined, umaray daw. :rotflmao: She looked like that girl in Korean telenovela of ABS according to them. They kept talking about her when they arrived here. Crush nila. Would you know what her family name would be? She only told them daw that her name's Alexa. I will tell my cousins about this.


Not familiar with the Korean actresses but yeah, I guess that would be the same lovely Alexa! OOPPPSS... I sent a PM instead. This thread is JEWELRY TALK, NOT NAME-THAT-JEWELLER TALK :rotflmao:

[lei09]

As far as I know(based na rin sa mga alahera na nakaka-usap namin kakahanap ng wedding rings), maganda ang platinum pero sobrang matigas compared sa white gold. If your a person na may tendency na "lumaki" in the future(tulad namin na matataba), hindi maganda ang platinum. Since sobra tigas, walang alahera or alahero na papayag na paliitan or palakihan ito.

If your that type of person, white or yellow gold ang para syo. Para pwede pa-resize in the future.

Kung platinum kukunin, magiging pendant na lang yan in the future, sayang naman........

\m/

[sd amboy]

White Gold and Platinum are the best metals.....

[sd amboy]

Not familiar with the Korean actresses but yeah, I guess that would be the same lovely Alexa! OOPPPSS... I sent a PM instead. This thread is JEWELRY TALK, NOT NAME-THAT-JEWELLER TALK :rotflmao:

That actress would be Sandara Park.

[Dunedain]

mura ba ang 2 carats each, earring clarity is g??

A 2ct stone, class G is around US$9,000 or more. I bought a certified GIA 1.76ct class D for US$6800, but this was 5 years ago.

As for other stones, I gave my wife 3-stones 7x9mm pear or tear shaped Tanzanites (semi-precious) at 1.7ct on each stone (roughly US$550 per carat last I checked 2 months ago) but I got these through a friend who works in the jewelry industry - refer to image below. Stone size compared to Motorola RAZR phone, as well as close-up. I also was able to get 2-stones 7x9mm 2ct. trillion-cut Amethyst and 2-stones 7x9mm 2ct. trillion-cut Topaz (sorry, no pics) for US$18 on each stone.

http://www.dunedain.rustedmind.com/misc/gem_01.jpg
http://www.dunedain.rustedmind.com/misc/gem_02.jpg

[smocks]

san po ba pwede magpaliit ng singsing? binilhan kc ako ng mister ko eh sobrang laki naman skin! tska magkano kaya sisingilin skin? meron na po ba sa inyo nakapagpaliit ng singsing? ok naman ba? di naman na-deform *** ring? meron akong napagtanungan di sinabi ang price basta dalhin ko daw *** ring tas babalikan na lang. parang ayoko yata ng ganun, gusto ko *** makukuha rin agad at aantayin ko na lang...

[assasinated]

^ i could be wrong madam, but i think that the best place to be for jewelry repairs and adjustment is meycauyan in bulacan. it's supposed to be the center for jewelry activities in the Phils, is it not? when my folks were still alive, they used to frequent the place.

sd amboy: dude, this sandara park - isn't she the abscbn star discovery? I tried to see her images in the net, and nah, i don't think siya ang sinasabi ni prestige na hawig kay jeweller Alexa. I don't pretty much remember now how Alexa looks but she's got to be way prettier than this Sandara. LOLZ.. On with the jewelry talk!!!

[prestige]

@assassinated: Received the pm. Yup, it was the same alexa. The meeting was funny, to say at the least. We were 3 ADULT males and none of us dared/remembered to press her for her complete name or contact number! Haha, we agree with you that her's is a beauty that lingers for a very long time. Plus she looked kind and smart. Betta' start saving to buy a diamond ring now. We'll find this elusive pretty jeweler don't worry :lol:

[jige]

for diamonds:
- ALWAYS buy with certificates (i prefer GIA or AGS, but some have stones certified by HRD) from very reputable jewelers.

please be very careful. the differences in diamonds are not always noticeable to the naked eyes of the untrained, even when using 10x lenses, but the price difference could be HUGE. for example, a jeweller can pass off a certain 3ct I-VS2 stone as 3ct G-VVS2. the price difference is around US$25,000 - 30,000 already!!!

in HK, i recommend ronald abram jewellers. <www.ronaldabram.com>

for more info about diamond prices, info, etc please check <www.pricescope.com>

[jige]

as a follow-up, CUT is very important (for me, it is the MOST important) determinant of price and beauty.

sometimes, 2 similar 3ct I-VS2 stones have different prices because the poorly cut stone is given more discount (based on Rap prices).

[jige]

as for diamond prices:
prices have been increasing A LOT the past 2 years.

for example: in jan 2004, a pair of earrings (5ct each H-VS2) was selling for US$120,000. now, the same pair would be selling for US$180,000.

that is a price increase of 50% (in 2 years)!

[redlyt888]

i was able to buya 1.7ct diamond, hearts and arrows, I - VVS 1, for $2400 per carat, certified by a reputable jeweler. was it a good deal?

[jige]

^ according to pricescope, a 1.7ct I-VVS1 diamond costs around US$6500-7500/ct (or around $12,000) now.

if it is what the jeweler claims it is, then that is a very good deal - but i believe it is a "too good to be true" price. also, i would want the cert to be GIA certified, not just by a jeweler (even a reputable one).

anyway, when did you buy the stone?

[redlyt888]

i bought it last month from a gia friend based in hongkong. she works for an israeli diamond manufacturer, and she came here to manila to bring diamonds to her philippine based clients. she already told me that its a very good deal well, i guess i made the right choice eh? :) thanks for the info dear!

[up up and away]

^ by hearts and arrows diamond, you mean the love diamond right? if it is, ok na yung price. personally, i don't think that cut is exceptional, more like a novelty cut. in my amateur eye ;) (hehehe) it isn't as brilliant as the brilliants.

[siberia]

i've a ring which i wish to unload. where could i possibly sell it?

[redlyt888]

how big is the stone?

[faura]

I've been told by several jewelry shops that it's not done here in the Philippines. But I know this person who deals in jewelry a lot and is respectable and trustworthy naman who says that she can have it done. In particular, if ever, I'll need a platinum ring made smaller.

Any input on whether it's a process that can actually be done here (e.g., if it doesn't require any special instruments not available locally), and what to look out for. Btw, there's a diamond on the ring, I assume that'll be removed before resizing, I'd appreciate if anyone can point out other stuff to look out for there.

[wlalng]

samantha_jones: i would recommend, LILI GOLD, sa atlanta center sa annapolis, greenhills... you can also give them a call if you want para you can check with them first bago ka punta sa kanila... promise, di ka mag sisisisi... i had my white gold set of jewelries made sa kanila... lahat - cleaning, resetting, custom made...

Tel. no. 7248188 or 7239188

magkano ang range prices ng white gold pg nagpapakagwa sa knila? tnx! :)

[angelica0707]

wlalng, depends actually on the style and kung gusto mo ng may bato.. sent you a PM na din :D

[wandawoman]

do you have an idea how much would it cost me for a small cultured pearls, yung earing lang no stone, yung gold 14k ang pakaw