| |
| << Back to choose a different expert |
| |
|
|
Adrian Ashley
Adrian Ashley owns and runs a jeweller’s studio in Arundel, West Sussex. Contact him on 01903 884 171 or visit www.adrianashley.com. |
Adrian Ashley answers all your Jewellery related questions |
| |
 |
| |
What's a cushion cut diamond?
Q. I have heard of a shape of diamond called cushion cut. Can you tell me anything about this?
A. Adrian Ashley says: Cushion cuts were last common in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, and they are sometimes referred to as the candlelight diamond - a reference to the cut designed prior to electric lights, when diamonds sparkled in candlelight. They have a soft, romantic and classic look, which sets them apart from the crowd of round brilliant diamonds.
Until recently it was difficult to find these stones for sale outside of antique jewellery auctions. However, cushion cut diamonds are now enjoying a small surge in popularity largely fuelled by the marketing efforts of leading jewellers such as Tiffany & Co and Harry Winston. |
|
| |
|
Platinum or gold?
Q. I've been told the price of gold is catching up with platinum. I had planned to buy white gold wedding rings, but I am now wondering if it is a good time to upgrade to platinum?
A. Adrian Ashley says: The prices of precious metal changes daily, but over the last year the gold price has been very high but reasonably steady. The price of platinum, however, nosedived at the start of the recession. It has recovered a bit, but it's still only what it was several years ago. At the moment you will only need to spend an extra 60 per cent or so to buy platinum rings instead of 18ct white gold. |
|
| |
|
How can I make a statement?
Q. I'm soon to marry my Polish fiancé and I will be meeting some of his family for the first time on our wedding day. Is there a gemstone associated with Poland I could wear to make a good impression?
A. Adrian Ashley says: A few different gemstones, including natural zircons can be found in the mountains of southern Poland, but the gemstone usually associated with Poland is Baltic amber. Baltic amber (succinite) is the fossilized resin of pine trees that grew in the Eocene 45 million years ago. Natural Baltic amber is a golden honey colour and can be bought as beads, carvings or a cut and polished stone (cabochon). Some pieces of amber are quite large and would make a very eye catching pendant. |
|
| |
|
Will it end up losing its colour?
Q. I have my heart set on a white-gold wedding ring, but I have been told that it will turn yellow over time. Is this true and is there any way I can avoid ending up with a cheap-looking wedding band in the future?
A. Adrian Ashley says: Yes and no. Pure gold is an orangey-yellow colour and to make white gold it has to be mixed with silver-coloured metals, like silver or the more expensive palladium. White gold can never look as white as metals like platinum, so it is usually coated with a relative of platinum called rhodium, making it look steely white. Unfortunately over time the rhodium coating can wear off. However, if the jewellery has been made from a high quality, palladium-rich, white gold most people barely notice the difference, but if it has been made from a cheap mix of gold and silver, it will end up looking decidedly yellow. |
|
| |
|
A tough choice
Q. I have heard it is now possible to buy wedding rings in a material called tungsten. Can you tell me if these rings have any advantages over the more traditional gold or platinum rings?
A. Adrian Ashley says: Tungsten carbide rings have been available for a few years now. Their two main qualities are they are very cheap and virtually indestructible. I'm told tungsten is about 10 times harder than 18 carat gold, five times harder than tool steel, and four times harder than titanium, so they're difficult to dent or even scratch.
The main disadvantage of tungsten is that it's not a precious metal, so it's a debatable choice for a wedding ring. It's also worth considering that if you lose or gain enough weight your ring will no longer fit you, and as far as I know, it's impossible to re-size a tungsten ring. Granted, at £30 or so a ring, you'll probably not mind just buying another one, but you will have to do without the ring you had blessed on your wedding day. |
|
| |
|
Cutting back
Q. As with most people, my fiancé and I are trying to save money where we can at the moment, including certain aspects of our wedding. Obviously our wedding rings are something that we will wear forever and so it's important that they look good, but we'd really like to cut back on costs. Can you recommend a way to buy cost-effective wedding rings?
A. Adrian Ashley says: The credit crunch and weak pound coupled with the soaring price of gold on the international markets have certainly made buying a wedding ring an expensive business. Luckily you can buy a nine carat gold ring at half the price of an 18 carat one. Alternatively if you were thinking about platinum, why not consider a palladium ring at less than a third of the price? Another really cheap way to obtain your wedding rings is to hunt around for any worn, broken or unwanted pieces of jewellery and have them melted down and remade as your rings. |
|
| |
|
Go Green
Q. I like the idea of an emerald in my engagement ring, but understand that emeralds are quite easy to damage. Can you recommend a hard wearing alternative?
A. Adrian Ashley says: Although emeralds are actually quite hard stones the numerous tiny inclusions that even high quality stones contain unfortunately make them susceptible to chipping and cracking.
Green sapphires and even diamonds are available and very hard wearing, but tend to be a different shade of green to emeralds. Tourmaline and the beautiful, but unattractively named, chrome diopside can be emerald coloured, but are both relatively soft stones.
I would recommend tsavorite, which was only discovered in 1967 near the ever-popular honeymoon destination of Tsavo National Park. Tsavorite is as hard as emeralds but less prone to damage. It displays a greater brilliance than emeralds, generally costs less, and good quality stones are very close to emerald green.
You may have to find a specialist jeweller to obtain high quality tsavorite, but for more information on Tsavo National Park click www.kws.go.ke |
|
| |
|
Green gold
Q. I am organising a 'green' wedding. Is it possible to buy fair trade wedding rings?
A. Adrian Ashley says: Despite an increasing number of companies advertising fair trade jewellery, www.fairtrade.org.uk, whose blue and green logo can be seen on things like coffee and chocolate, certainly does not endorse gold products of any kind.
The good news is that many British goldsmiths' workshops buy gold from refineries in London or Birmingham's jewellery quarters where gold has been refined and reworked for hundreds of years, meaning as little new gold as possible has to be mined to make the jewellery.
Buying rings made by a British goldsmith also helps the UK economy and keeps traditional skills alive. So if you really want to buy ethically-made wedding rings, make sure you support your local craftsman. |
|
| |
|
Colour change
Q. My friend has inherited a pendant with a stone that changes colour from green to red. I would like something similar for my engagement ring. Could you tell me what the stone is?
A. Adrian Ashley says: There are several stones that change colour in different light, including some sapphires and several synthetic gems.
If your friend is lucky she has inherited an Alexandrite. Russian Alexandrite was first discovered in 1834 and named after Tsar Alexander II.
Good quality stones have always been extremely rare and shockingly expensive but in the last few decades new deposits of alexandrite have been found outside Russia and prices are now comparable with that of fine diamonds. |
|
| |
|
Clear choice
Q. For my engagement ring I would prefer a coloured diamond to the more usual clear stones. Is this likely to be more expensive?
A. Adrian Ashley says: Some coloured diamonds have never been more expensive; $1million per carat for an important blue or pink stone has become quite normal at top auction houses.
However, some experts believe classically cut natural intense yellow diamonds are currently undervalued and brown diamonds (often called cognac diamonds) are very well priced compared with high quality colourless stones. |
|
| |
|
Unlucky in Love
Q. A local antique dealer has a gold band ring with seven different coloured stones set around it. I'm considering buying it for my wedding ring but would like to know if there is any meaning behind the coloured stones. Can you help?
A. Adrian Ashley says: If the seven stones are diamond, iolite, violet sapphire, opal, ruby, citrine and an emerald they have been set in a wedding ring to spell the word 'divorce' (or divorced, if you count the diamond twice).
So I really wouldn't recommend you buy it for your wedding ring! |
|
| |
|
