Hand-Crafted-Rings, by Brian

 Me in my workshop :-)   

I hope this little lot can answer most of the commonly asked questions about Diamonds and what it is I do with them, but if after ploughing through it :-) you have any questions just Email me at:-
 enquiries@hand-crafted-rings.com
 

Handmade Platinum 1ct I/SI1 Oval Diamond ring The Earth and the Moon in Platinum & Diamonds Hand made from Platinum, EGL Certified VS Clarity Cushion cut Diamond All Handmade from Platinum 1.39ct Diamond Solitaire ring

If you are looking to buy a Handcrafted ring from me please click here (for now :-) ) to go to my eBay shop.

Are you looking to commission your own unique, handmade, custom design ring?

A bit about me ...... The 4C's  ......  The Gallery ......  FAQ's ......  Some links   

 

A bit about me

I started making rings via a very devious route - I started life as a Telephone Engineer! and during my time with the GPO/BT I did most everything from maintaining the old electromechanical telephone exchanges, to climbing poles, to installing and maintaining the latest Digital Private Exchange equipment. Then BT offered me a largish sum of money to leave (ie redundancy!) which I took and became........ an Antiques dealer (?!) Having lost a considerable amount of my redundancy money learning the many pitfalls of being an Antiques Dealer (ouch) I found myself more and more interested in Antique and second hand jewellery, especially rings. It seemed a shame that I saw so many items broken or damaged, and the cost to repair them was so high that I decided to have a go myself. Many ruined items and expensive mistakes later :-) I decided to read up on what to do and why and how, and with that plus some training I'd had with BT as an apprentice (believe it or not) I gradually got the hang of it. Since then I've been virtually a full time jeweller in my own little specialised field of mostly making Diamond solitaire rings, selling about half through eBay until recently, and I'm a lot happier doing that than when I worked for BT!

Unfortunately I was diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis (MS) a while ago, and when its active the disease plays havoc with my ability to do fine and/or precise work, thus my ability to make and repair jewellery is now much reduced and becoming very unpredictable :-( so I'm having to look at selling other peoples work too now. But I will do my best to ensure I still only sell real quality items, even if I can't make them all myself anymore!

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FAQ's

Do I do private commissions / bespoke designs?
Yes I do when I can (see above). Simply contact me on enquiries@hand-crafted-rings.com with your requirements and specification and I will see what I can do :-)
With regard to choosing your gemstone however a downside of my relatively low prices is speed of acquisition and choice of gemstones. I can of course get certified Diamonds via trade Brokers for you but most of my supplies are recycled from major manufacturers overstock or damaged items. This means they can be relatively cheap which I can pass on to you but I have to take what I am offered, so size, shape and specification of gemstones available is almost totally unpredictable, unless you're happy to pay the premium for the choice a Broker can offer. I will not however buy or use any Diamond that I even slightly suspect may be a 'conflict' or 'blood' Diamond.

Can I come and see you?
Yes you can. Simply contact me to arrange an appointment if you wish. I don't have my own shop as such - its one of the major reasons my prices are so much lower than the high street equivalent :-) but I trade from an Antique Centre in Warwick town center, about 5 minutes from junction 15 of the M40. I am not there every day though as my workshop is in a different location altogether, so If you want to see me and any particular ring or rings there drop me an email first so I can tell you if I can be there

Do you Resize your own rings?
Yes I do where technically possible and its usually included in the price of all my rings as long as I don't have to add or remove and metal.

Can I be sure the Gemstone you supply is real and not a fake ?
Yes. I do NOT deceive people! I unconditionally 100% guarantee that I only ever use genuine Gemstones in my rings. I will not use CZ, synthetic, 'lab' created or enhanced stones etc without stating very clearly and specifically what it actually is in the ring.

Can I be sure the ring is really made of Gold or Platinum and not plated?
Yes as all my rings are Assayed and Hallmarked for the required standard at Birmingham Assay Office and so are absolutely guaranteed to be the precious metal I say they are.
(I just do not sell thinly plated base metal or rather suspect, illegal, and very untested '14K', '10K' etc marks!)

Do you use White Gold?
Yes but I do not use or usually even supply Rhodium plated White Gold rings, because the plating always wears off eventually! Even the very best Rhodium plating will eventually wear through, and the resulting contrast between the naturally faintly straw yellow tinted White Gold and the chromium bright Rhodium plating looks poor to awful.
If you want a ring that looks like Platinum please try to get Platinum (or Palladium, a less dense and rare precious metal that's part of the Platinum group), not Rhodium plate.

What's this I1, SI2, P3 business?
These are clarity grades for Diamonds. Different Laboratories/companies use different systems unfortunately. But basically if it has an 'I' or 'P' grading you will be able to detect a fault or faults in the Diamond with the Naked eye, though in some I1 grades the fault may well be difficult to detect and you have to look closely to find them. I2, I3 (or P2, P3) stones usually have very obvious faults that can detract badly from the look and even the stability of the stone, they frequently look like cracked, dirty ice! I won't generally use I2's or I3's for my own solitaires at all, unless they are truly exceptional and generally larger than 2ct. For more information on the '4C's' which includes the Clarity scale(s) please see below and the links.
The less inclusions or flaws the higher the clarity grade and the rarer and more expensive the Diamond will be, but remember it takes an experienced eye and special equipment to detect the difference between the top SI, VS and VVS grades. To the naked eye there may be no difference at all when mounted, but the price difference will be considerable!

What's the real difference in all these Colour grades?
Diamonds are graded for Colour (or colourlessness really :-) ) on a scale from D (colourless) to Z (strongly tinted yellow or brown or a mixture of them). There are also 'Fancy' coloured diamonds including Yellow, Green, Blue, Black, Red etc. which are a whole different ball game!
In practical terms you can usually detect a hint of colour in a Diamond at around about the 'J-K' grading, depending on the lighting, the angle of viewing and your eyesight of course :-) In a solitaire up to around the 'K' grade it will not be too obvious unless you can directly compare it with another one of two or so colour grades difference. The less colour the rarer and thus more expensive the Diamond will be, but be again it takes an experienced eye, special equipment and special lighting to detect the difference between D, E and F grades. To the naked eye there may no difference when mounted, but the price difference will definitely be noticeable!

Can I return it if I don't like it after all?
Generally yes you can. Refunds are given on general items (i.e. not handmade to order or altered) returned for any reason within 7 working days of receipt, as long as they are returned in exactly the same condition as they were sent, including any tags, certificates, boxes etc. as per the Distance Selling Regulations.
There is no refund option on specially commissioned or altered/resized items obviously, unless its significantly not as described. For example the metal is not of the fineness stated or the gemstones are not of the type or size described.

 Is a Certificated stone always best?
Basically no, it isn't, because it very much depends on who issued the 'certificate' in the first place as not all are equal or even close in fact! Some so called 'certificates' are not worth the fancy paper they are written on. Some are known and generally trustworthy and some I will literally throw away (I'm not naming names because I don't want to be sued ! :-)  ) The basic reason for this is that the Clarity of a Gemstone is always a matter of opinion and interpretation, not of science, and a grade or two's difference can make a large difference to the value. The exact Colour grade can also end up being disputed by some, so on the back of or with just about every Diamond certificate including the good ones you will find a long winded disclaimer as to its accuracy.
 

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The '4C's' of a Diamond. Clarity, Cut, Colour and Carat.

Diamond Clarity.
 Probably the most awkward of the 4C's to evaluate!

Clarity grading is rather more art than science, so two people will often give dissimilar grades to the same stone as it depends on the number, type, locations and size of imperfection within the Diamond crystal, and the size of the stone too! So, especially around the I1 to SI2/3 grades, it is important to know where and of what type the flaws are. On any of my stones just ask and I will do my best to describe and picture them for you.
The table below gives the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) Diamond Clarity grades along with some of the synonymous terms used by other Diamond grading labs. For example P (pique) = I (imperfect) in some grading systems, especially European systems. It should not be taken as gospel though because as explained above Clarity always comes down to a personal opinion somewhere.
The European Gemmological Laboratory introduced the SI3 grade to bridge the rather too wide gap between the GIA's SI2 (no obvious faults to the naked eye) and I1 (fairly obvious fault to the naked eye) clarity grades. Some other Lab's have also adopted it.
A point to note is that although EGL-USA started from the same parent company as all the other EGL labs. they are no longer linked in any way except history.
You should also be aware that virtually all real Diamonds will have some inclusions and/or flaws, even if they are only detectable through a X30 magnification microscope rather than a standard X10 magnification jewellers loupe. Its one of the ways you can identify a real stone from a fake - fakes just don't have the characteristic inclusions that Diamonds do.

Clarity definitions should always be based first on inspection with the naked eye, and then under 10 times magnification.

Symbol Meaning Definition
F Flawless Free from all inclusions or blemishes.
IF Internally Flawless No inclusions visible at 10 times magnification. (10X)
VVS1 Very Very Slightly Included #1 Inclusions that are extremely difficult to locate at 10x magnification.
VVS2 Very Very Slightly Included #2 Inclusions that are very difficult to locate at 10x magnification.
VS1 Very Slightly Included #1 Minor inclusions that are difficult to locate at 10x magnification.
VS2 Very Slightly Included #2 Minor inclusions that are somewhat difficult to locate at 10x magnification.
SI1 Slightly Included #1 Noticeable inclusions that are easy to locate at 10x magnification. Not usually detectable with the unaided eye.
Sl2 Slightly Included #2 Noticeable inclusions that are very easy to locate at 10x magnification. Not usually easily detected with the unaided eye.
Sl3 Slightly Included #3* Inclusions not obvious to the unaided eye unless you know what to look for and where, but very easy to locate with a 10x magnification loupe
I1 or P1 Included/Pique #1 Obvious inclusion(s). Somewhat easy to locate with the unaided eye.
I2 or P2 Included/Pique #2 Obvious inclusions. Easy to locate with the unaided eye. May affect the stability of the stone.
I3 or P3 Included/Pique #3 Very obvious inclusions. Very easy to locate with the unaided eye and may cause the cut stone to be unstable.

In practical terms for solitaire Diamond rings around 1carat you don't really want less than a good I1 clarity grade. P2/I2 and P3/I3 grades are very obviously imperfect and will often looked like cracked, dirty ice. Good I2's can look OK in earings or studs, and big ones (ie 2ct plus) can be very impressive in a ring in spite of the inclusions, which do have the advantage of instantly proving its a real Diamond too :-)

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Diamond Colour grades.

This is the G.I.A. Diamond colour grading scale..........

....................and this is the E.G.L.- USA version
(I use this scale when evaluating uncertified stones.)

Again in practical terms, in a solitaire you can usually detect a tint of colour in a Diamond at around about the 'K' grade. It will not be obvious or noticeable unless you directly compare it to a higher graded stone, ie put it right next to it!

Other colours include the 'Fancy' colours - Pink, Yellow, Blue, Green etc which occur naturally and in enhanced form, and the 'Champagne' scale which grades tinted yellow/brown Diamonds as C1 (light colour) to C7 (dark brownish yellow).
 

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Diamond Cut

Usually 'Cut' is synonymous with the shape of course - Round Brilliant, Princess (square), Emerald etc.

 but it also refers to the process of actually making the gemstone from the rough crystal. Otherwise known as the 'Make', it is critical to the amount of light reflected and refracted by the stone.
Too deep or too shallow a cut and the Diamond will allow a lot of light to escape from the sides or base of the stone, resulting in a darker appearance.
A lot of 1ct Diamonds are cut so as to make that particular weight usually resulting in too deep a cut, as the price difference between a 1ct and 0.8ct, even if when the diameter and all other factors are identical can be more than 20%.
The difference in appearance between an 'Ideal' cut and a 'Poor' cut can be fairly dramatic, but the price can be too!
 

Diamond Carat

Carat is very simply a measure of the weight of a gemstone. 1ct is equal to 0.2 grams. It is also shown as a decimal eg half a carat = 0.5ct or is given in 'points', 100 points = 1 carat, so 50 points = half a carat and so on.
It is very important to note that the weight is not the same as the size of the stone. A one carat Round Brilliant Diamond could be anywhere between 6mm (too deep) and 7mm (too shallow) in diameter. so a badly cut 1ct stone could have exactly the same diameter as a 0.8ct, but the 0.8ct could look brilliant and the 1ct dead, all depending on the cut.

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Some Links.

 Please also follow this link to EGL-USA's consumer guide for more information on the 4C's

Or this one to see the creation of a solitaire ring in my workshop

Or to see a few I made earlier (just like Blue Peter :-) ) click here

See my items for sale on eBay

Highly rated eBay shops   Warwick Chamber of Trade

Peninsula Jewellery

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/   http://www.mssociety.org.uk/

An excellent guide to html, and free too!

And here are a few more items I made a little earlier :-)
(click on the picture for a BIG(!) version)

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