Wooden posts here! Stick in the eye, anyone?

never heard of nylon posts....was that a trick?

nope...you can buy some nylon earrings (usually kiddie ones) and since I have a problem with all the metals I've tried (including gold and surgical stainless) I thought I'd try them...still haven't given titatium a trial run, though...

i've heard that's the best for sensitive ears but expensive. the only earrings that don't give me probs if i leave them on too long are the ones used for piercing. they may be the surgical steel.

Over here are guilds of carpenters who wear a special and customary hat and work clothes. If a aprenticed carpenter wants to become a master, he has to wander from carpenter to carpenter, work for food and shelter only, and on the road beg for his fare. They have through all time worn golden earrings; the piercing is an initiation rite to welcome the new brother: A pointed piece of wood is driven through the ear lobe with a hammer... (Sweet dreams... I guess I'm off for now!)

ok, orbis rings. picked a sterling silver one today that holds 8mm stones. i got 10 stones with the ring plus a titanium ball for an extra $7. altogether, my total was $32. not too bad. there are precious stone balls that are available too, but of course the price is much higher. but silver balls and gold balls were $3 and $4 each. they had gold and silver rings for $170. unless i decide that these rings are the bomb, i'll have to hold out for a gold one.

These are those lovely rings which have oscillating elements on them? Sounds like you got a deal. Please describe them. I love rings!!!

well, they come in different styles. mine is sterling silver with two thin strands going up and over the middle attaching to the other side. the middle is empty and is the place where you slip the ball into. so be very careful when you take it off as the ball will fall right out the back. the balls are all highly polished. they look like balls with cat's eyes in them. mine are different colors but have seen precious opal, as well as balls encrusted with gems. you can change them out as the mood hits you or to go with whatever you're wearing. some of the rings come together in the middle of your finger with a gap between for the ball to squeeze into, and some have just a decorative opening in the middle. hard to describe, before i scan mine, lemme see if i can find a site with bunches of them to look at. oh, the gold and silver were designed with silver as the main ring and gold decorating the opening for the ball.

I have never seen anything even remotely like that. How interesting and lovely and just the thing to wear to those boring lectures when we must look like we are interested...look at your ring! (I used to peek at guys next to me in lecture halls reflected in the facets of my class ring...!) ... waiting for your success on scanning / website hunting ...

so far, no luck on the web, but will try a different search engine!

no luck at all yet. will keep trying. (don't try captive bead ring because you will get all the body piercing sites! unless you wanna) (oh, and i actually have 12 balls, guess the lady didn't count the one in the ring already)... and while i was there, i stopped at a pawn shop booth to see their orbis rings. this guy doesn't want to sell an orbis ring to me, he wants me to buy an aquamarine ring set in 14K for $100. i asked him what the clarity of the stone was and from which part of the world it was from. he said he didn't know and couldn't tell me (either question). he said that stuff about where a stone is originally from is a bunch of bull. well, my gembook certainly talks about where they come from. so i told him thank you ve y much and took my business elsewhere. marcia, how can they sell aquamarine for $100? it had a large diamond shaped stone in the middle flanked by baguettes (sp?). i figured because the ring was pre-owned and not one whole piece and that the quality of the stone was fair at best. although my naked eye didn't see any inclusions.

The guy is wrong...he just does not want to be bothered to find out! It is not a real one, or the guy does not know his business. The price is way too low for one set in 14K.n Gotta get you a 10x jewelers loup to carry in your pocket (or a very good magnifier would do as well) so you can make your own accessments. You also need to check that it is not a doublet - a sliver of aquamarine glued to the top of a clear white stone making the entire thing look like aquamarine, but it is not, and is not wort the money! Were the baguettes also of Aquamaring? I'll bet anything it was a zircon - much harder and more easily made into baguettes - and more cheaply grown in the lab. You were wise to pass it by!

uh...thanks for the warning about the body piercing sites. I have been guided to some by another, and have seen all I need to see...eeeeesh!

haha!! i knew that when this guy wouldn't entertain my ideas and kept pushing other ring sets on me that he didn't have a clue! but all of the stones were claimed to be aquamarine! i want a jeweler's loup, where can i find one?

Any jewellers tool or stamp and coin collecting or rock collecting or hobby shop should have a 10x loup or folding one (an oval slipcase with a lens which swings in and out - mine is by American Optical)...even a store which sells glasses or telescopes or microscopes, binoculars or similar precision optics should have one. I'd try a craft or hobby place first, though.

might be a tad easier on the pocketbook, huh? thanks for the info! now i'll either cry or leap for joy at what my own jewelry reveals!

It will be a revelation. But, before you peer into them, clean them first in a dilute solution of household ammonia...You don't want to see all that soap and whatever under there and think it is flaws in your stones! (The least specialized the place you buy your magnifier, the better the price will be!)

no loupe yet, but i do have a question regarding silver. i own mostly gold jewelry and haven't had this problem with them. the silver orbis ring tarnishes quickly on the underside (palm side) on the outside. i've cleaned it and in a couple of wearings, it's tarnished again. does this mean that the silver i have is of poor quality or what? there is a stamp inside of .925, i know this has something to do with the gram weight. oh, and i absolutely cannot find a site on orbis rings. am going to look up some jewelry store chains and see what's up with them.

Nothing wrong with your silver - it is .925 out of 1000% pure silver - the standard for Sterling. Your body chemistry is making it tarnish. I turn green from copper stuff...and some medications can do it, too, under your silver. Just coat the ones which do it to you (the rest are probably Rhodium plated)with a thin coat of colorless nail polish. Our air has enough sulfur in it from the eruptions that leaving silver out on display is foolish.

I did not find an easily obtainable loupe, but I did see a good magnifier in Walmart in their pharmacy with the off-the-rack reading glasses. Check there.

cool, thanks!

Gemstones of the Zodiac There are many variations on this list. Find your sign in the table and select the gem(s) indicated for more information. Aquarius Garnet Pisces Amethyst Aries Bloodstone Taurus Sapphire Gemini Agate Cancer Emerald Leo Onyx Virgo Carnelian Libra Peridot Scorpio Beryl Sagittarius Topaz Capricorn Ruby

The above list is in chart form which lost a lot in the transfer - it is at http://www.jewelry4less.com/parts/zodiac.shtml

http://www.gemstone.org/gematic.html Birthstones: choosing a gem for you Most gem scholars agree that the tradition of birthstones arose from the Breastplate of Aaron: a ceremonial religious garment set with twelve gemstones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel and also corresponded with the twelve signs of the zodiac and the twelve months of the year. Because ancient people did not always classify gemstones by mineral species like we do, there is some debate about which gemstones were set in the breastplate and why. Because of this, different cultures around the world have developed different birth stone lists. The modern day list that you know is only the most recent list: some older lists still exist. Some also argue that the proper way to assign gemstones is according to astrological sign and not month. We think it is more fun to choose the ge mstone that speaks to you from all the possibilities. Of course it is hard to keep track of all the lists. Enter the Gem-o-Matic! Select your birthdate or other significant date or anniversary and the Gem-o-Matic will give you the list of all the birthstones that correspond to that date!

http://www.gemstone.org/plate.html The Breastplate of the High Priest The instructions for fabricating the Breastplate of the High Priest, or the Breastplate of Aaron, can be found in Exodus 28, 15-30: And thou shall make the breastplate of judgement with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold in their enclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings on a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.... And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgement upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

I checked mine for May 31 and this is what it said Modern birthstone: emerald Zodiac gemstone for gemini: agate Ancient traditional birthstones: Hebrew: agate Roman: agate Arabic: emerald Hindu: emerald Polish: emerald Russian: emerald Guardian angel: amriel His talismanic stone: carbuncle (garnet) The custom of wearing birthstones probably first became popular in Poland in the fifteenth or sixteenth century. For more information about the history of birthstones, try The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by George Frederick Kunz, a fascinating compendium of all the powers that have been associated with gemstones through the ages. For example, birthstones originally may have been worn each month by everyone, since the powers of the gemstone were heightened during its month. If that is true, to get the full effect, you need to go out and get a full set of twelve and rotate them each year!

They got one thing right - Garnet is my favorite colored gemstone, and it is the talisman of my Guardian Angel... I agree we should all have a complete set of gem stones...Yessssssss!!!

what, a talisman of our guardian angels? and how do we find that?

By going to this web site and entering your exact birthday (month and day) then hitting the submit button... http://www.gemstone.org/gematic.html

ok, here's my stuff: Modern birthstone: moonstone or alexandrite Zodiac gemstone for gemini: agate Ancient traditional birthstones: Hebrew: emerald Roman: emerald Arabic: agate Hindu: pearl Polish: agate Russian: agate Guardian angel: muriel His talismanic stone: emerald cool!

Excellent! One would not wish to be without one's talismanic gem, now, would one...even if it is an emerald (not my fav stone.)

Had I known earlier, I could have spent Halloween as a Stoplight...My Emerald Birthstone on one side and my talismanic Garnet on the other! (making notes for next year...)

marcia, i finally got a stroke of brilliance! i scanned my orbis ring for you to see, including all the stones. plus, an ad for them at a local jeweler's. enjoy! here's mine: the ad (it's hard to see, i know, these are silver, but they come in gold and combos:

again, my apologies for the quality of them, but you get the idea (i hope)!

Thanks so much. Wolfie...Not at all what I imagined. How beautiful they are! And, Now I can see why you want one in Gold, as well. Quite nicely made and very secure for the stone. What a clever idea! How many different stones are available? Actually, in a setting that protective, you could use fairly soft gems which are usually not cut for rings because you cannot set them securely (Pressure to bend the prongs on the setting is enough to fracture the stones in some cases.)I just love it. Thanks aga n!

you can get all sorts of stones. mine came with 11 plus the titanium that i purchased separately. if you go to a jeweler's, you'll pay an arm and leg. mine was $32, ring and 12 8mm stones. i imagine the bigger the ring and stones the more they cost. at the place i picked up mine, they were silver with gold rings for $200.

Sounds fantastic. Ok, where did you get yours? From Lucky Looey on the corner in the bulging trench coat?! Or...the PX? (Hast thou an inside track on jewels? she asked pantingly)

i got it from a vendor at an arts & crafts show. she had a ton of stones to choose from and the ring she was wearing had an opal in it! they don't carry them at the PX. but, there's a kiosk in the mall with them and some of the major jewelry store chains carry them.

Gonna have to look this season when I am at the Angel Tree for the Salvation Army. I leave him there to tend the tags and I go on Santa excursions and just plain looking...I'll even ask about them. If anyone would have them, they will be in our biggest mall (Does Zales carry them?)

not that i've seen. bailey's does, do you have that chain? (be warned, they're expensive)..

No, but my Mother's wedding set came from Bailey, Banks and Biddle in Philadelphia. Any relation? If so, they are *very* expensive, but also very nice things which are not available other places. I can barely afford to breathe the air in the store, but it does not cost anything to look. (...and I can elevate my patrician nose right along with the best of them so they dare not risk snubbing me and losing a sale to a potentially important customer!)

haha! i walk into a place like that even in my best duds and they snub me!

No, but my Mother's wedding set came from Bailey, Banks and Biddle in Philadelphia. Any relation? If so, they are *very* expensive, but also very nice things which are not available other places. I can barely afford to breathe the air in the store, but it does not cost anything to look. (...and I can elevate my patrician nose right along with the best of them so they dare not risk snubbing me and losing a sale to a potentially important customer!)

The Philadelphia store is their original one, and the very air smells like money. it is the oddest place - hushed and subdued like a church with obsequious gentlemen in morning clothes waiting to relieve you of a considerable amount of your where-with-all. Bizarre and memorable for this little girl who remembers a Christmas there long ago.

this place is a bit like that. i took my tanzanite to be checked because i could feel the stone move. they took it in the back, tightened the setting and gave it back in less than five minutes. no charge. i certainly didn't expect that!

That's the sign of a truly proper jewelry store which understands the value of making friends of their customers. Once, when Harry Winston was interviewed, his best advice to jewellers starting out in the trade was to keep a stock of modestly-priced engagement diamonds on hand...you never knew when a future wealthy patron was standing before you making his first purchase. Harry usually kept repeat customers of the wealthiest sort very happy, indeed!

hey, that's why I stay with the bank where I have an account:they treated me like money even when I had none! :-)

Indeed, they were very wise. It makes me wonder if the greed of today has made newcomers to customer service eliminate that nicety thus not creating patronage they can count on in the long term.

guess what? went to the arts and crafts show again and got another orbis ring. AND they had an amber ball (it's real, i looked at it). the thing was they had it for $6 but charged only $2. hmmmm....there were so many people there that i didn't want to confuse anyone so i left with my "steal". there were many more stones to choose from this time and i only swapped one out of the set of 10 that i got with the ring. was so excited to find that amber stone! and all for $29 (sterling silver) a prettier sett ng than my other one. will have to scan it for you to see.

Man, I need to get to that show...Of course our big one is on each year during this tournament...so I never get to go to it. I am most interested in one, and am delighted you scored an amber stone for it. Cheers and Merry Christmas to you!!! (such a deal...*sgh*)

Wolf, do scan your ring, I am so curious :-)

(She has her Alexandrite for Christmas, as well...) Scan your new ring for us, too, Wolfie!

Did you check her ring where she scanned it first? http://www.spring.net/~bayou/orbisring.gif

you want to see the new one as well? (i'll see what i can do!)

Oh yes! Please!

*grin*

(Sitting quietly and patiently with my hands neatly folded in my lap and trying to be patient while you work so diligently with your scanner...)*smiling hopefully and eagerly*

well, you asked for it: the new Orbis Ring

no, DO NOT go there, it's way tooo big. let me cut it down:

ok, it's fixed but the name has changed: This is really the new Orbis Ring these rings are also called "interchangeable ball rings"

Ooooooooh....that is beautiful!!! More substantial than the other rings I recall seeing. Lovely! That is such a neat box it comes in, too. Gotta find somewhere here who carries them or tell them to get some in so I can see and admire and maybe even afford one for myself! *thinking...* Thanks! (Yep, you don't want to go to her first hotlink - it is not as advertised *grin*)

i think with the popularity, they're adding styles. when i bought the first one, they didn't have many styles to choose from. they had a dolphin pendant too (but it was $60 with one stone). sterling silver, too. it was beautiful, to say the least. i'll see if the place has a web site, hopefully they do and you can see these pieces for yourself.

Maybe I could even order one through eCommerce. Thanks. Trying to discern the stones you have in that ring...is the one at the 8-9 o'clock position a garnet? It is a gorgeous color!

no, that's the amber!! i did the acetone test and it didn't get sticky! it also has a spangle in it (which is not a natural occurance but comes from heating amber in rapseed oil--a little something i learned from doug lungren's site) i gotta go, the AM wants to surf awhile. g'night and *hugs*

Fascinating - a beautiful color, and I know amber comes in everything from pale yellow opaque to deep burgundy clear and everything inbetween. The test I have heard for it (and I have not the courage to do it to my pieces) is to press a hot needle against it and smell the vapors - it should smell like pine trees not plastic melting. Interesting about the rapeseed oil (what we squeemish Americans know as Canola oil). I wonder what happens to cause that interesting phenomenon.(I know - look in Lundgren's site...!)

g'night Wolfie. Be safe in that weather *hugs*

i've finally found the right combo of words to put into the search engine: interchangeable stone rings. and viola, here's a link with pics and everything! http://www.signaturejewelers.com/sphere2.html

Thank you Wolfie!!! That is the best christmas present I have had all day - asnd the only one, for that matter. Going to look...reporting back asap

Ok, there are all sorts including faceted stones. Love the choice. Any questions on the appearance or hardness of any of them and I will be able to describe to you what it looks like and and how hard or durable it will be. I am gonna get me one for Christmas after I send Terry a check and balance my check book and pay bills so I can stay online.

Best news of all is that they also use 10K gold which is more durable and more affordable. That is what I will try for but I do like the silver...

Oh boy - the $18.99 was a steal even if it was the simplest design (did not see the style in their inventory) but I like the gold filagree one. $249 is a little steep - I like your styles better and they do not have them, either!

http://listings.ebay.com/aw/listings/list/all/category282/page4.html Is a remarkable collection of jewelry and unset stones at eBay. Check them out - lots of those laser (which they call lab) rubies like the one I have and lots of Alexandrites which are listed as corondum - they are NOT alexandrites and will only change from purple to blue-grey. I have one and it is lovely - but not as interesting as my real one!

http://www.galleryone.cc/galleryone-sandiego/injew.html has them the most reasonable of all but more limited choice of styles.

according to my gem book, alexandrites are listed under chrysoberyl. isn't that what sapphires ball under, the beryls? nevermind, going a few pages back, the corundums are the rubies, sapphire, and padparadscha (wait, that's a sapphire too). and while i'm here, what's the difference between precious and semi-precious? (thanks for the links and i'm glad you got at least one christmas present!)

Sapphires are Corundum and Alexandrites are in the same family as Emeralds and aquamarines - little softer than Corundum, but I have worn my Alexandrite without taking it off for any reason for a long time and there are no scratches on it. Precious gems and semi-precious. Most stones can be both as in inferior and inky sapphires, way-too-pale rubies, and grit-filled diamondsn are semi-precious whereas the vibrant clear stones in these same categories without flaws as precious because they are so rare and so difficult to mine. The best Christmas present was a Remember Button *grin* But since O'O is paying for the changeable stone ring I'm gonna get a "good" one, the one I really want. He has not given me presents for 2 birthdays and Christmases...

Oops - you did note that about the sapphires...*grin* If you can find one of those antique kalidoscopes they are full of semiprecious slices and that is an additional bonus to having one of them other than their beauty - and huge price. They used citrine for yellow, peridot for green, amethyst for purple, carnellian for orange, rose quartz for pink and garnet for red...plus all sorts of elegant imported hand-made glass. I'd love to have one but it would probably mildew here...*sigh*

think i've seen the antique kalidoscopes before. i like the cheapy ones with the plastic beads and stuff inside too.

Me too... I like Kalidoscopes. Period. I used to lie on my back when I was supposed to be taking my naps and use my sister's which I had smuggled into my room to entertain me for the hour or so my mother made me lie down in the afternoon. I still remember it! And I have my son's right here beside me!

I like kaleidoscopes too! I bought one (a cheap card and plastic bead thing) a few years ago. Never ceases to amaze me.

Like they said in the old days, all the magic is done with mirrors, but few magic acts can match the beauty of a simple kalidoscope and its bilateral symetry repeated over and over again.

You can probably use it for a sort of Rorshach test as well (sorry... prosaic me attacks again)

what's the rorshach test?

Ink blots are made by using a folded paper and dropping ink into the fold. It is pressed flat and opened to dry. What you think you see in the images formed is what some psychologists used to use to decide what was really going on in your mind.

i thought that but wanted to make sure. boy, they'd have fun with me!

I'd have fun with them. It is amazing what you can say just to be naughty and elicit the most amazing reactions. They start writing like mad in their little notebooks *grin*

and you know this from personal exerience? *laugh* (couldn't help myself)... ok, on the subject of flourescence (yeah, it wasn't brought up here but it was on my mind)....i picked up a true blacklite bulb. put the thing in my lamp, stuck my stones under it and didn't notice anything. am i supposed to wrap a blanket around the stone, lamp and all to make it as dark as possible?

Sssssshhhh.....you'll give my little secret away. (Good one, dear!) Just make it as dark as possible around the rocks. In fact it is a good idea to have it in a dark room - using a flashlight to find your way. Shield all eyes from the bare bulb, remember!!! A matt-finish box painted with black paint works especially well. Gotta get rid of most of the ambient light. Some of the fluorescence is very faint but beautiful!

well that would explain why my amber bead didn't do anything (and i wear sunglasses) so i did the acetone test. am gonna have to try the light again.

Let us know of your success. Try polyester under it to see how bright the fluorescence is (or how bright the background light is)...Should be screamingly bright by fluorescent standards. BTW, one of those sites I posted for the interchangeable stone rings had loads of choices for stones - but nothing in amber. How sad! Orbis must be the only one carrying them.

i don't think orbis is a brand, just a name for the ring. will have to look for the name of the folks i purchased the beads from. will let you know of my adventure with the blacklite!

I wonder if fish scales fluoresce. Lots of stuff does...!

Have you ever heard of blue amethyst? Blue of the color usually seen with blue topazes? very medium to light in color Little sister was given for her birthday a pair of earrings. I said they were lovely blue topaz and was told they were blue amethyst. Never heard of the stuff. Purple amethyst, yes. Yellow citrine, yes. Purple/yellow ametrine, yes. But no to blue.

BTW, the metal alloy used in some gold that bothers people is Nickel!! In fact, it cannot be used in European gold.

Never heard of blue amethyst. It is an oxymoron, no? I looked it up in my books. Amethyst is anything from inky deep purple to almost clear colorless pale violet. They are growing the crystals for the technology market and, as in my laser ruby, the culls and extra material goes into the gem market in third world countries to make into jewelry. However, Yes! I found one book which says: Blue quartz: caused by tiny rutile, tourmaline or zoizite inclusions. Fairly common in metamorphic rock Get out that jewelers loupe and look for the inclusions. If they are not there, it is bogus or a died spinel. How hard is it? How easily does it cut window glass? Spinel with cut very easily and deeply. Quartz is almost the same hardness. Check it out!

Nickel is what bothers people with pierced ears...see the discussion between Wolf and William beginning around response 100.

Spinel WILL cut window glass very easily and deeply. Of course, it could be a doublet (two pieces glued together to give it the color...or a sapphire... Hardness and close scrutiny will tell.

Thanks, Marcia. Sounds like a piece of crap. Am LMHO. What a turkey! ;-)

Yup! I hope whomever purchased it did not pay a lot for it...!

Who knows? The guy is positively clueless, but seemed to think that he'd really gotten her something valuable. Of course, I still think it's blue topaz.

Either blue topaz (hope it is very light blue so her brain is not affected by the radiation those things emit!!!) or blue spinel. I have a lovely medium blue spinel...I love it! Geez...blue amethyst?! She's lucky if it is not glass with that sort of bogus name! Oh, from a guy?! Of course he is clueless!!! *lol*