PreRaphaelite
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 3,564
Hi everyone,
I had read about pawn shops being an option for finding old cuts, and was passing a shop last week and stopped just because the PS community was on my mind that day (I wear a beautiful wonky small OMC with a chip, and maybe I was feeling a bit wistful about it).
Inside, past the lawn mowers and DVD players, there were some vintage pieces in floodlighted cases, with wildly inflated prices. I didn’t find anything good, so I thanked the youngster behind the counter and moved toward the door to leave. I softly said, “I don’t suppose you have any old broken stuff in the back” and she perked up, offering to ask the boss. He came out with a tray of more overpriced vintage 1970’s junk and I thanked them and started to retreat again, when another tray was presented from the back, this time with plastic bags of actually broken mountings and some old oddities.
I immediately spied a large silvery scrap heap of what must have been ring tops, old earrings, and a crooked bale. They’d been hastily soldered together in what could only be experienced as a Migraine of stones, and slapped on the very end was a nice clean old cut in a delicate earring mount, with a sweet satellite old cut struggling to hang on for dear life.
The pawn boss asserted proudly that they were Rose cuts in platinum, and very very good…. and I did my best not to react at all because even a newbie like me knew better. I kept my best pie-eyed expression, agreeing to everything he said, and even though my 60X loupe with built-in UV/blue light was in my purse, I dared not pull it out. I mumbled that I was blind without my glasses and he offered a filthy 10X loupe. Even then, it was breathtaking.
I didn’t haggle very much. I could have pressed harder, but this beautiful old soul lay helpless before me and I just loved her and knew it was right somehow. She needed rescuing! I think the boss really believed they weren’t going to sell, so he set a price for the stone. I just asked nicely if there was any way to bring it down just slightly since they hadn’t been able to sell it. We exchanged pleasantries and he was very mannerly. Not intimidating or condescending at all.
As they rang me up, the bench jeweller in the back snipped apart the cluster headache of a pendant into this glommed duo. I hadn’t planned to buy the little orphan on the end, so I never really louped it! Naturally, I didn’t complain because the price he gave me was pretty good for just the one stone so I felt like the little baby was a gift.
The baby is sparkly, white, and just over 2.5MM, and the main stone is just over 6MM, a disco ball with only a slight yellow tint. Of course, neither is Rose cut, and as for platinum, I think it is unlikely. The receipt stated “.84 diamonds TCW (2)” and that’s not reliable but it doesn't matter as they aren't shallow and the spread is lovely. I feel that the baby girl is a Mine cut, and the main stone is either Mine or Transitional but I leave that up to wiser brains. As for the weight, that’ll come when they are reset (separately).
I’ll get two settings after the holidays (ahhh budget bust) but in the meantime, they hang on my antique lavalier and I’m having fun looking for the right mounts. The pics really don't do them justice. There aren't any visible inclusions even at 60X!
Thanks for letting me share their story. I’m feeling happy and hopeful, and I wish the same for everyone here. <3
I had read about pawn shops being an option for finding old cuts, and was passing a shop last week and stopped just because the PS community was on my mind that day (I wear a beautiful wonky small OMC with a chip, and maybe I was feeling a bit wistful about it).
Inside, past the lawn mowers and DVD players, there were some vintage pieces in floodlighted cases, with wildly inflated prices. I didn’t find anything good, so I thanked the youngster behind the counter and moved toward the door to leave. I softly said, “I don’t suppose you have any old broken stuff in the back” and she perked up, offering to ask the boss. He came out with a tray of more overpriced vintage 1970’s junk and I thanked them and started to retreat again, when another tray was presented from the back, this time with plastic bags of actually broken mountings and some old oddities.
I immediately spied a large silvery scrap heap of what must have been ring tops, old earrings, and a crooked bale. They’d been hastily soldered together in what could only be experienced as a Migraine of stones, and slapped on the very end was a nice clean old cut in a delicate earring mount, with a sweet satellite old cut struggling to hang on for dear life.
The pawn boss asserted proudly that they were Rose cuts in platinum, and very very good…. and I did my best not to react at all because even a newbie like me knew better. I kept my best pie-eyed expression, agreeing to everything he said, and even though my 60X loupe with built-in UV/blue light was in my purse, I dared not pull it out. I mumbled that I was blind without my glasses and he offered a filthy 10X loupe. Even then, it was breathtaking.
I didn’t haggle very much. I could have pressed harder, but this beautiful old soul lay helpless before me and I just loved her and knew it was right somehow. She needed rescuing! I think the boss really believed they weren’t going to sell, so he set a price for the stone. I just asked nicely if there was any way to bring it down just slightly since they hadn’t been able to sell it. We exchanged pleasantries and he was very mannerly. Not intimidating or condescending at all.
As they rang me up, the bench jeweller in the back snipped apart the cluster headache of a pendant into this glommed duo. I hadn’t planned to buy the little orphan on the end, so I never really louped it! Naturally, I didn’t complain because the price he gave me was pretty good for just the one stone so I felt like the little baby was a gift.
The baby is sparkly, white, and just over 2.5MM, and the main stone is just over 6MM, a disco ball with only a slight yellow tint. Of course, neither is Rose cut, and as for platinum, I think it is unlikely. The receipt stated “.84 diamonds TCW (2)” and that’s not reliable but it doesn't matter as they aren't shallow and the spread is lovely. I feel that the baby girl is a Mine cut, and the main stone is either Mine or Transitional but I leave that up to wiser brains. As for the weight, that’ll come when they are reset (separately).
I’ll get two settings after the holidays (ahhh budget bust) but in the meantime, they hang on my antique lavalier and I’m having fun looking for the right mounts. The pics really don't do them justice. There aren't any visible inclusions even at 60X!
Thanks for letting me share their story. I’m feeling happy and hopeful, and I wish the same for everyone here. <3
Thank you for sharing with us! Do you know how you plan on resetting it?
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