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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 10:25 pm 
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Good evening,

Thank you. That is the word: ultra-sonic.
And thank you to tell the gems that you not go in that.

:D

Brigitte


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 7:16 pm 
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Julie Gowans-Poli wrote:
How do doublets or triplets fare in one of these? Badly?


At first I was thinking of opal doublets/triplets, which I would assume wouldn't do so well because even a triplet has exposed opal on the sides, and it's the vibration, not the liquid, that causes the problems anyway.

As I thought about it more (my grandmother had a garnet doublet she always called a "ruby doublet"), I realized the bonding zone between any doublet/triplet layers might not get along so well with an ultrasonic cleaner...

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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 8:54 pm 
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Exactly my thoughts.

I'll also add, because this happened to a friend about two weeks ago after she bought her own ultra-sonic cleaner and popped a bunch of her diamond jewellery into it:

Check the settings as well.

Several of her pieces came out with diamonds missing. Obviously not well set to start with and the vibrations popped the stones out.


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 8:58 pm 
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Good evening,

In that last story with the diamonds inthe unltrasonic, I think that was a luck! Some people lose their diamonds and never find them!

Brigitte


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 9:48 pm 
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That's also happened to her with a ring bought from the same jeweller. A large ring set with rows of princess cut diamonds that literally exploded out of the ring when she was clapping at some function she was attending. She only managed to find about half of them. As you can imagine, she was not a very happy camper.


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 11:07 am 
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Good morning,

I am very surprised. I have been myself around those ultra sonic for at least 20 years in my parent's store and after my husband's store. Never had this problem. I never heard about problem with diamonds jewells.

That is strange. Maybe the new ultra sonic instruments "ultra sonic" too much?

Brigitte


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:43 pm 
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Julie Gowans-Poli wrote:
That's also happened to her with a ring bought from the same jeweller. A large ring set with rows of princess cut diamonds that literally exploded out of the ring when she was clapping at some function she was attending. She only managed to find about half of them. As you can imagine, she was not a very happy camper.


Holy crap, that's terrible. I hope she's no longer patronizing (matronizing?) that jeweler!

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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:17 pm 
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No, she's not.

Brigitte, the stones were obviously not well set. The vibrations jiggled them right out.


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:34 pm 
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While this jeweler may well be at fault, do not be so quick to blame. I have seen many rings with the prongs so worn only the crud underneath the stone was holding them in. Once the crud is removed of course they fall out.

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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:46 pm 
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Allen, in this particular case, the ring whose stones "exploded out" while clapping was new.


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:38 pm 
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Good evening,

I know it is an old subject but I am wondering why nobody talked about spinel and natural zircon. There are surely reasons for that.

Good night

Brigitte


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:56 pm 
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Zircon can be brittle. I wouldn't recommend ultrasonics or steam cleaners.
I've also noticed something peculiar with zircon over the years. The facet edges tend to abrade even on the pavilion of the stone which is suffering no apparent abrasion. :?:

Spinel is tough and durable. Of course it is possible to stumble on one which has been fracture filled and could be compromised with ultrasonic or steam cleaning.


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 1:06 pm 
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Very good to know that.

Thank you very much Barbra.

Brigitte


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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 3:56 pm 
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The zircons with abraded pavilions could have been that way when set. Most I have seen were "paper worn".

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 Post subject: Re: Hardness vs. actual solidity
PostPosted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:08 am 
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perhaps.


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