No Diving, No Horseplay and No Gold in the Pool!

Did you know that your gold jewelry can be weakened or even broken by being in your chlorinated pool? Bleach and chlorine can turn your gold black, and even more importantly, the chemical reaction can actually break down your gold's strength. Depending on how highly chlorinated the pool is, the damage can happen over a long period of time or be nearly instantaneous!

If your gold has tarnished (turned a different color) we can clean it in our store, either by chemicals or by the jeweler using a buffing machine.

If the damage is severe, where the gold jewelry literally has fallen apart (yes, it CAN happen!), in some cases the piece is a total loss! That's serious!

Soooooo, no running around the pool deck, and NO gold in the pool! :)

Storing Silver Jewelry

Anyone who owns silver jewelry knows that keeping it tarnish free is quite the task. What you save in costs you make up for in cleaning time! Modern pieces often have an industry-approved rhodium plating applied, which prevents tarnishing for the most part. But, for pieces that do not have that coating (and that can be the majority of your collection!) , we recommend storing your sterling silver in ziplock baggies. This prevents air from freely interacting with your silver and decreases the opportunity for tarnish to occur. It also had the added benefit of keeping your pieces from scratching each other, which could cause damage to stones!

Tim Gunn loves pearls for spring!

I just got next week's issue of TV Guide (yes, we still subscribe!) and there is an article about Spring fashion trends. Flats are back in, thank goodness!

The list was made by Project Runway mentor Tim Gunn, who hosts his own show "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, and he listed PEARLS as a must-have accessory for the spring season.

Whenever you come into Masterpiece, you can see that Tracy and I also love pearls! We have the largest selection of diverse genuine pearls in the area- in all colors and styles, from single strands to multi-strands to intricate patterns to illusion necklaces... the list is nearly endless.

So if, like Tim Gunn, you love pearls as much as Tracy and I do, please come in and check out all the beautiful and affordable designs just perfect for making you look stylish!

Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's Ring Rot!

Imagine this: It's just before your wedding day, a time when everyone asks to see your engagement ring, and you can't wear it because you've developed an uncomfortable rash on your ring finger! Well, that was me in the spring of 1998, and I had a case of "ring rot."

I'm sure dermatologists have a fancy Latin name for it, but in the jewelry business, ring rot is what we call a red, itchy sometimes blistered area that occurs on the finger directly under a ring. Although clients often think the ring itself is the cause, perhaps assuming the ring isn't "real gold," the true culprit is moisture.

Ring rot occurs much more often in wider bands and in people who wash their hands a lot. (Nowadays, that's most of us!) But sensitive skin might contract ring rot under even thin bands. Ring rot doesn't discriminate.

The Treatment: I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on this blog, but I have had my experiences with ring rot. When you see the symptoms described above, first of all, stop wearing the ring! No, no, not forever, but until the rash clears up. Do not put the ring back on until the ring rot has cleared up 100%. Not 95%. Not 99%. The area must be completely healed or the ring rot will come right back! Trust me on this.

Prevention: If you have experienced ring rot, then your skin is prone to it. One of the easiest way to prevent it is to take your rings off at night to let your skin breathe. Now yes, I know that some folks feel that after your wedding ring was slid onto your finger at the ceremony it is not to come off again, so that option may not work for you.

And obviously not washing your hands is not an option (unless you like having a perpetual cold!) Try this method that has worked well for me: Wash your hands, then when drying them, scoot your rings slightly toward your knuckle, dry under them, slide them back into place and dry the area near your knuckle.

Resist the urge to take your rings off completely before washing your hands! I have heard too many sad stories about rings accidentally left behind in a public restroom or knocked down the drain when sitting on the sink area at home.

It's been ten years since that fateful pre-wedding bout of ring rot, so my methods have worked for me, and I'm sure they'll work for you too.

If you are reading and thinking "Gee, that's a long article about a little skin rash'" then you, my friend, have never had ring rot!

"Real" Gold Can Tarnish and Discolor!

Many folks believe that "real" gold, meaning karated gold like 14k or 10k gold, should never discolor- that is a sign that your piece of jewelry is "fake." This is NOT TRUE!

In fact, karated gold can and does discolor at times. We call this "tarnish." Gold can have definite chemical reactions to everyday items. In my experience, bleach or chlorine can make your genuine gold jewelry appear dark or even black in areas. Perfumes, colognes, hairspray and hard water can make your gold look coppery or orange in color. In most cases, using liquid Tarnex will remove this discoloration- but PLEASE read the Tarnex directions carefully. Stubborn tarnish can be removed by the jeweler.

Oppositely, costume jewelry and gold-plated jewelry "turns," (as opposed to tarnishing), which in my vocabulary means that the plating has worn off, and no amount of cleaning with Tarnex or anything else is going to make these pieces look new again. Generally speaking, seeing the color green on any of your jewelry isn't a good sign! How quickly a piece "turns" after you begin wearing it often has to do more with your own body chemistry than just the piece itself!

So as you are sorting through your jewelry box to trade-in old gold for new jewelry at Masterpiece, please bring in anything that "appears" gold and let us determine if it is "real" karated gold. Due to tarnish, some gold items may look fake! We can tell right away- for free!

Coming up next: Ring Rot!

Our Magnetic Clasps vs the "Clever Clasp"

About ten years ago was the first time that magnetic clasps came onto my radar as a jeweler, but those first generation conveniences weren't strong enough for us to feel confident offering them to our clients.

However, around five years ago a new brand of magnetic clasp came onto the findings (parts) market that we have been so very pleased with. The entire clasp is smaller than a pencil eraser, but is so strong that you can barely pull them apart using force. Instead, they have to be slid apart, or separated using a fingernail. They are small, attractive and they do the job effortlessly.

I'm bringing this up because today at Masterpiece a lady came in with a self-installed "Clever Clasp" on her very thin pendant chain. Although at first glance this "As Seen On TV" item seems like a great solution.

However, installing the Clever Clasp adds about an inch to the chain you need it for (which means that it may not be at the right length for your outfits anymore). Additionally, it is bulky and heavy for a clasp (which makes it obtrusive to the design of the chain, and it also tends to come around to the front because of its weight.) And the magnet just isn't as strong as I would feel comfortable with. Lastly, because it is neither karat gold, gold-filled or silver, the plating quickly wears off on some people, making it very unattractive!

Please know that a better, safer, prettier solution exists for those of us who can no longer easily operate traditional clasps- whether from arthritis, brittle fingernails, nerve damage (like myself) or just plain fumble fingers! These mighty magnetic clasps are very reasonably priced and can be installed right while you wait on almost any necklace or bracelet. Yes, you CAN wear your jewelry easily again!

The Booming Gold Market

This morning I woke up to talk radio 1150 WNDB, like I always do, and the top of the hour news was talking about how now is a good time for people to get rid of their unwanted gold jewelry. That newscast is less than 6 minutes long (including commercials) and so I found it impressive that this tidbit made it into their tight schedule.

Of course, at Masterpiece Tracy and I have been encouraging our customers to trade in their gold for brand new jewelry for over 2 years now- ever since the climb upward began! It's worth THREE TIMES what it was just 2 years ago! (And sorry about YELLING but I wanted to get my point across!)

We have been trading with customers on a daily basis now for months, and people sometimes ask me what we do with all the old unwanted jewelry we take in. We have a few options: 1) recondition the piece and resell it as a great value in our Estate Jewelry showcase; 2) use the piece for parts in our jewelry repair shop (gold shanks on rings can be used as sizing stock) or 3) it is sent to the refinery to be recycled into new gold.

Like all commodities, the gold market is volatile and can drop at any time, so stop procrastinating, go through your jewelry box, and trade your old gold in to us at Masterpiece!