May Birthstone

Natural emeralds come in various shades of green. Take a look at how emeralds look set in yellow gold with diamond accents.

This is a large 2.00 Carat princess cut, emerald ring with 1.00 Carat in baguette and round diamonds in 14 Karat gold.
Cost: $3150

This is a unique trillion, cabochon cut emerald ring with pave diamonds in 18 Karat yellow gold.

These earrings feature a 1.00 Carat radiant cut emerald in each ear in 14 Karat gold.
Cost: $1290

Here are just a few of the natural emerald and diamond rings available at Handiwork in white gold and platinum.

This bezel set emerald ring with prong set diamonds in white gold has a vintage appeal.

A pear shaped emerald is accented by two pear shaped diamonds in white gold. Notice the fine antique engraving in the band.

Radiant cut diamonds surround this radiant cut emerald in a simple three stone platinum setting.

This wide diamond pave band features an oval cut emerald in white gold.

Trillion cut diamonds accent this radiant cut emerald in a simple and elegant setting.

A cushion cut 1.35 Carat emerald is accented with two round diamonds, each weighing 0.20 Carats.

Testing for Real Pearls

A lovely customer came to Handiwork today and wanted to have her pearls re-strung. The cutest part was that she did not know if they were genuine pearls. I taught her this simple pearl test everyone should know how to do.

Take two of the pearls and scratch them together. You should feel a slight resistance as the pearls nacre create friction against one another. Note the small feathery "scratches" left where the two pearls rubbed against one another.

Here is another close up of the "scratch," which can actually be easily removed with your fingers.

Fake pearls will NOT scratch against one another. In fact, you will find they are slippery and have a plastic feel to them. Natural pearls may also have small blemishes, bumps, and color gradations.

Hopefully this pearl scratching trick will replace that funny habit people have developed -- using one's teeth to scratch the pearl's nacre!