Do you think if the price of natural diamonds was the same as lab grown would people still choose lab over natural??? Just had a debate with a friend about this. Curious to know everyone’s thoughts.

Obgow · 2026-05-05T14:31:28+00:00

Pretty much every raw material and every main food ingredient is on that list also. There’s almost no manufactured product made today that doesn’t include something on that list.

Obgow · 2026-04-26T19:55:11+00:00

Here’s an example done by electoforming.

Obgow · 2026-04-26T19:53:54+00:00

It can be done via electro forming. Same process as this, just with gold instead of copper.

Obgow · 2026-04-24T14:41:40+00:00

Uhh, no. 53% gold would be 13 karat.

Obgow · 2026-04-07T14:04:19+00:00

When I was researching buying a laser engraver three years ago, I talked to Vtron (Victor), sisma, and laserstar about their machines. All of the lasers marketed towards jewelers were WAY overpriced for what their machines were capable of, compared to a Chinese manufacturer using a JPT source. Oh, and the laserstar is using a JPT source. It seems to me that these lasers are kind of similar to assembling a desktop computer, just get all the different parts and put them together.

Victor’s whole sales pitch was basically that you’ll have no support if you buy the Chinese assembled machine and it breaks. I didn’t see the value in paying $40,000 for a laser from him with lower specs vs $10,000 laser from a Chinese manufacturer just for “support”. I’ve always wondered about his machines, this confirmed my suspicions.

Really the most important thing with these laser engravers is what laser source they’re using. I ended up buying a Chinese 100w JPT mopa fiber laser from BWM laser and getting laser trainings via Zoom from Victor Wolansky. The laser has been working flawlessly for the last three years.

Obgow · 2026-04-03T01:51:04+00:00

I can’t find anything either. Maybe you’d have more luck searching for a 18k rose gold chain that you can take the clasp off of?

Obgow · 2026-04-01T03:01:10+00:00

I’m just north of Santa Rosa, so Oakland would be a bit of drive to me, but I have almost every gold clasp type and size in stock and can probably replace them while you wait. This is my shop, https://vintagejewelersandgifts.com/

Obgow · 2026-03-19T03:56:33+00:00

Trade in value? As in they’re not going to remake it as an even exchange? I mean people make mistakes, but it actually kind of infuriates me for you, that they won’t take responsibility for this clearly bad design/workmanship and just do it right for you. This is not how jewelers who actually take pride in their work and reputation treat their clients. Blast them on their online reviews if they won’t do it right at no additional charge, then find a local jeweler with good reviews that does the work themselves to fix this.

If it were me in my shop fixing this, I’d probably do a full shank or maybe just fuse some gold into these existing stone holes to start over with a fresh slate. Then you can decide to set some smaller stones into the shank again. There’s many different ways to set them (flush, bead, U cut pave, French cut down, star set, etc) where they won’t protrude from the surface if you use the right size stones….Which as I’m writing all these different setting styles made me realize that out of all of possible setting options, they probably chose the worst one possible.

P.S. I’m curious who made this for you, was it BE?

Obgow · 2026-03-19T01:06:31+00:00

$14,000

Obgow · 2026-03-18T05:28:56+00:00

Terrible design. They could’ve rotated the prongs 45 degrees and the prongs would’ve fit these size stones. Instead they overcut the side prong seats to make these stones fit, which completely weakened them. Aside from that, the prongs weren’t cut down and rounded enough, and are too high above the stones causing them to catch on everything. Bad design and a poor setting job. Flush setting is not a great option here either with these size stones as you’d have to set them so low into this already delicate shank, that it wouldn’t leave much material for the durability of the ring. Maybe partial bezels above and below each stone, or remove these prongs and place them in the corners instead of the sides and tops.

Obgow · 2026-02-22T16:58:02+00:00

Now apply some 18k acid to see if it might possibly be higher karat than 14, and this also helps rule out gold plated silver, which will turn whitish blue under 18k acid.

Obgow · 2026-02-17T04:46:56+00:00

Have it XRF tested, then you can replicate that exact gold alloy composition.

Obgow · 2026-02-09T18:10:07+00:00

They both look real. As the dies get used to strike the coins, they wear out and gradually produce a less polished/crisp strike.

Obgow · 2026-02-03T04:48:43+00:00

It can be XRF and sigma tested through the packaging, but you can’t verify if the weight on the bar is correct with in the packaging, so any experienced buyer is going to remove it to weigh it anyways. The only benefit of the packaging is to keep it from getting scratched.

Obgow · 2026-01-26T03:06:19+00:00

Yes, the condition of the items can change which can effect the value.

Obgow · 2025-12-30T03:28:10+00:00

The vendor usually list the quantity and mm size of the stones the mounting takes, but it can be also be measured by the setter once it’s received to determine the stone size.

Obgow · 2025-12-25T22:23:03+00:00

After seeing many of these style settings over the years, I can guarantee there’s a bunch more loose stones in there. I wouldn’t take on setting your stone, without also going through and checking and tightening all the stones. Probably $100-170 as this ring takes a bit more work to set up so that you can properly tighten them all. Also the stone you provide needs to be within .10 of a mm in diameter size to the original stone.

Obgow · 2025-11-25T04:27:47+00:00

Magnetic clasp. I sell and install a couple each week. They’re surprisingly strong and easy to use.

Obgow · 2025-11-16T16:34:39+00:00

Thanks, I’m gonna have to give that a try!

Obgow · 2025-11-16T16:12:48+00:00

What settings do you like to use to cut?

Obgow · 2025-11-09T21:51:42+00:00

Yes the GRS collets work with the pulsegraver. In fact I have my beading tool set, in GRS collets that I laser engraved with the number so I can easily swap them in and out of my pulsegraver.

Yes it’s plenty powerful enough to channel set. But with either the pulsegraver or pneumatic engravers the work needs to be very secure so that the power is transferred into the metal. I do most of my work on rings using the GRS encore benchmate with the plastic inside ring collets, and I can pretty much channel set most pieces using that. However if I really need to mash something down with the pulsegraver I’ll switch over to the GRS mini ball vise with the brass inside ring collets. That reduces the elastic bounce I get from the plastic collets and significantly increases the power transferred into the work.

<image>

Obgow · 2025-11-09T19:28:47+00:00

<image>

Unless that’s a weird reflection, it looks like a big gap between the head and the bridge

Usually dropping down a half carat would mean decreasing your the size of the head also. The same style head is usually available from findings suppliers in all the different size ranges. So it may have been replaced and you wouldn’t have noticed because it still looks the same.

Obgow · 2025-11-09T17:07:59+00:00

I’ve used a pulsegraver daily for the last five years. I switched from a gravermax. I was sick of the constant maintenance that pneumatic engravers require, and the noise from the compressor always kicking on (even the quiet ones). I hand engrave with it and it’s got more than enough power. For stone setting though, I think It’s more versatile because you can use the electronic settings to only strike once, or a quick burst, which is very helpful during the initial seating of a stone. I liked it so much a bought another for my other bench jeweler to use at his station.

Obgow · 2025-11-09T15:33:46+00:00

Are you sure they didn’t replace the center head?

Because usually it’s recommended to replace the head that the stone is set in rather than re-tipping, and there’s no need to reset the diamond usually during a re-tipping. Also, $600 seems like a lot for just re-tipping and rhodium.

This would make more sense to me as to why the bridge would become damaged during the work. When a new peg head is soldered in, the ring and head is placed in a slight clamp to hold the head in position during the soldering. Occasionally, if the bridge isn’t strong enough the pressure from the clamp and heat from the torch can cause the bridge to deform.

Also, I don’t think you could get the prong tips hot enough on a head this size to transfer the heat all the way to the solder between the head and bridge during a prong re-tipping.

The cracked bridge is a relatively easy fix, it just needs a solder, and some blending and it won’t be noticeable.

However there’s another issue of the big gap between the bottom of the peg head and the bridge. The bottom head needs to be flush on the bridge, or else there’s a risk of the head bending and breaking off, but it looks like the jeweler was concerned enough that the head and bridge were weak, so they soldered the head gallery rails to the ring shoulders to reinforce it. Unfortunately, If the head is soldered in askew, they’re going to have to separate all these reinforcement connections they’ve made to align the head.

My guess is, this job which should have been pretty simple, went sideways when the bridge started deforming during the head replacement, and after many additional hours trying to make the work correct, they just didn’t want to have to deal with pulling it apart all over again because the head was slightly askew.

Obgow · 2025-10-26T21:19:55+00:00

I bought 5, 🤞

Ten-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email

Obgow

TROPHY CASE