I am the worst at figuring out this whole video blog thing. Couldn't figure it out guys, I'm sorry. But I've been making a mental list of all the words that we use most often in the jewelry industry that most people ask the definition of shortly after we say them. Here they are:
Solitaire: I had it in my mind that this one was pretty self explanatory, but evidently not! Solitaire means single stone. Most people affiliate it with the classic Tiffany style engagement ring. If you don't know what that is, Google it ;) it can be any kind of band, any kind of stone. No rules there. And it doesn't only apply to rings! Pendants can be solitaire too, but as soon as you add more than 1 stone, it loses the title.
Rhodium Plating: maybe your jeweler offers this service, maybe they don't. Rhodium plating is for restoring white gold to its former bright white finish. White gold by itself is more of a dingy white and can appear slightly yellow after the plate has worn off. The wearing process is accelerated by exposure to chemicals like Bleach or Chlorine and everyday wear...
So we plate them to get them looking good as new again. Rhodium is a member of the platinum family, it's a liquid that is used to electroplated that yellow dingy look away.
Retipping: I've also heard it called re-pronging.... I like Retipping better. The prongs are what holds stones into place. They get worn down over time and as they wear away, it becomes increasingly easy to snag your jewelry on things, and when the prongs snag, they like to pull away from the stone they're supposed to be holding in place. This is one of the ways stones fall out and get lost. To avoid this catastrophe, we add metal back onto the prong and build them up and get them back to where they need to be.
Solder - Also mistakenly referred to as "welding" . Not to be picky, but its not the same. I won't get into the difference right now, lets just get everyone using the right terms instead. When you solder something, you fuse it together. Wedding rings get soldered together to keep them from rubbing against each other and doing damage. When your necklace breaks, we solder it back together. Solder solder solder. It's used A LOT in the shop for all kinds of jobs.
These are just a few of the words I thought up over the week. No one should ever get angry or impatient with you if you accidentally use the wrong term, but knowing the right ones will definitely help you communicate and lessen the chance of a frustrating miscommunication :)
Solitaire: I had it in my mind that this one was pretty self explanatory, but evidently not! Solitaire means single stone. Most people affiliate it with the classic Tiffany style engagement ring. If you don't know what that is, Google it ;) it can be any kind of band, any kind of stone. No rules there. And it doesn't only apply to rings! Pendants can be solitaire too, but as soon as you add more than 1 stone, it loses the title.
Rhodium Plating: maybe your jeweler offers this service, maybe they don't. Rhodium plating is for restoring white gold to its former bright white finish. White gold by itself is more of a dingy white and can appear slightly yellow after the plate has worn off. The wearing process is accelerated by exposure to chemicals like Bleach or Chlorine and everyday wear...
So we plate them to get them looking good as new again. Rhodium is a member of the platinum family, it's a liquid that is used to electroplated that yellow dingy look away.
Retipping: I've also heard it called re-pronging.... I like Retipping better. The prongs are what holds stones into place. They get worn down over time and as they wear away, it becomes increasingly easy to snag your jewelry on things, and when the prongs snag, they like to pull away from the stone they're supposed to be holding in place. This is one of the ways stones fall out and get lost. To avoid this catastrophe, we add metal back onto the prong and build them up and get them back to where they need to be.
Solder - Also mistakenly referred to as "welding" . Not to be picky, but its not the same. I won't get into the difference right now, lets just get everyone using the right terms instead. When you solder something, you fuse it together. Wedding rings get soldered together to keep them from rubbing against each other and doing damage. When your necklace breaks, we solder it back together. Solder solder solder. It's used A LOT in the shop for all kinds of jobs.
These are just a few of the words I thought up over the week. No one should ever get angry or impatient with you if you accidentally use the wrong term, but knowing the right ones will definitely help you communicate and lessen the chance of a frustrating miscommunication :)
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