Who Hest88

[Hest88]

Oh gee, who am I?

For starters, just a consumer. Started on DiamondTalk sometime in 2000 as a result of my engagement. I''d actually already purchased my ring, but was interested in learning more about my stone. Then I got hooked.

As a result, made some good gem friends--including a group of non-DTers as a result of taking YourGemologist''s (Robert James'') online gem classes.

Uh, was part of the first group to be banned from DT. Subsequently joined the new DCC and Pricescope (which I had previously only looked at sporadically, but often recommended to new DTers as a source for info). Stopped posting on DCC a bit ago and now post exclusively on PS and lurk on the YourGemologist boards.

Am rabid about: emerald cut diamonds, older cuts, vintage jewelry, demantoids, and why consumers are rarely told about rhodium plating on white gold.

I currently own a Van Craeynest wedding set and a Tacori right hand ring set with an old mine cut. Oh, and a pair of princess-cut earrings, and some assorted 24k Chinese-style jewelry.

I''m also female, in my early thirties, and Chinese. And the "Hest"? Short for "Hester"--the name of my dear, departed cat.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Chinese?! Cool...

I always wondered if your avatar was a tsavorite or a demantoid.

What part of the world do you live in?

 

[Hest88]

Sorry Richard, I should have said Chinese-American. Not as interesting, I'm afraid, but it means my English is pretty good!

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Ahhh, but Chinese-American is even more inscrutable...

 

[Richard Sherwood]

And two more questions:

Do you own that stone in your avatar, and

what city or region do you live in?


Rich, honing in on Hest

 

[AGBF]

Your English is *PRETTY* good? That's like saying Renoir was a pretty good painter .

Deb

 

[Hest88]

Rich, I *wish* I owned that stone in my avatar. No, I actually snatched picture from the Palagems site. Unfortunately, now my dream is to not only own a rich green demantoid with eye-visible textbook horsetails, but now it's going to have to be that shape!

And I live in the Bay Area, in California. But I'm nowhere near as cute as Kayla!

Deb, you of course are always a sweetheart. And you have a bad habit of exaggerating people's characteristics. Watch it or everyone around you is going to walk around with huge swelled heads!

 

[Mara]

Hest you sneak...you live in the Bayarea? Where?!

There are about 5 or more of us on Pscope from this area...we should stage a gathering and do some serious drooling over jewelry. We of course would all have to wear ALL our jewels. Hahaha....

 

[Hest88]

Mara, you've just forgotten, silly! I asked you about your Aptos jeweler once. Yes, wouldn't it be fun to get us all together?!? Of course, I think I'd look rather odd if I had to wear all my Chinese wedding jewelry to the gathering.

 

[tomatoe]

hest, hope u dont mind me asking. are u an abc, if so how many generations? where were ur parents originally from? and were ur chinese jewellery purchased in america or elsewhere?

 

[Mara]

Yes I must be getting senile in old age....actually the more I think about it, I think it would be a great idea to get together with all the other Bayarea people in a middle-ground type place and grab some food or coffee or something....how fun it would be to talk about gems for an entire meal...Greg can normally only listen for a few minutes....mmmm.




Wonder who all is in the Bayarea? Maybe I will post and see.

 

[Hest88]

Heh, Mara, you mean Greg's eyes glaze over the same way my DH's does?

He actually tried really hard to pretend he's interested, but he can only keep it up for so long!

Tomatoe, I'm a first generation ABC. My Chinese jewelry is from various places. The vast majority are wedding presents, though I have a few my mom gave me. Some pieces are from HK and China, but most were bought in either SF or Oakland Chinatown, or in one of the Asian jewelers in those big Silicon Valley Asian malls.

 

[tomatoe]

do u know how many k are the gold chinese jewelry? sorry if i am asking weird questions, just interesting to find out about chinese things in america.

 

[Hest88]

Most Asians--and that includes Indians, SE Asians, etc.--do not consider anything less than 24K gold to be "real" gold, so most of the Chinese jewelry I have is really soft. Plus, since I don't look good in yellow gold, I rarely wear it because 24K is much more yellow than 18K gold.

 

[tomatoe]

hest i know (am chinese singaporean) thats y i am asking u these weird questions about gold. the traditional gold jewellery are all very yucky yellow-orangey but the colour of italian gold is 'whiter' and a lighter yellow.

 

[Hest88]

It's okay. I don't find these questions weird at all. I never mind talking about jewelry!

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Hest, that demantoid photo'd must be one of the ones from the "new find" in the Ural mountains of Russia. Bill Larson (owner of Pala Intl) flew out there right away when he heard of the find.

There was a halfway decent production of them from the Russian mines around the turn-of-the-century, but then supplies dried up from then till now. This recent find is is probably going to revitalize the demantoid market.

Mara, I think it would be cool if you guys all got together. I will be there in spirit. After you've met, and had a few drinks, call me on my cell.

 

[Mara]

----------------
On 11/7/2003 9:12:00 PM Richard Sherwood wrote:






Mara, I think it would be cool if you guys all got together. I will be there in spirit. After you've met, and had a few drinks, call me on my cell.


----------------

I will have to see what I can do ; ) After a few drinks I don't know that I could hold the phone--I'm a lightweight...

 

[derekinla]

----------------
On 11/7/2003 12:43:04 AM tomatoe wrote:

hest i know (am chinese singaporean) thats y i am asking u these weird questions about gold. the traditional gold jewellery are all very yucky yellow-orangey but the colour of italian gold is 'whiter' and a lighter yellow. ----------------

Tomatoe,

Do you know of a singer by the name of Corrinne May? She's from singapore.........

http://www.corrinnemay.com/

 

[tomatoe]

------------
Tomatoe,

Do you know of a singer by the name of Corrinne May? She's from singapore.........

http://www.corrinnemay.com/----------------

i have read alittle about her but not much since she is now based in america and not singapore. btw, her surname is not 'may' but a chinese one, she changed it for the american market. sorry to take so long to reply, havent been on this section for awhile

 

[Kamuelamom]

Hest, it's great to know more about you. As you know I am in love with your OMC ring.

 

[Jaded Gem]

Hey Hest88. Glad to have read your post. So do people call you Hester once in awhile? Did you post 88 next to your name for prosperity luck? I just ask because you mention ABC so I'm sure you are more aware of the Chinese numerology identifiers of "luck." I enjoyed your post. I guess Tomatoe and I are in the same boat of 24K endowments. I think I will pass mine on to my future children since once again you can only wear so many necklace chains with charms, bracelets, rings, and earrings all at once. Oh and on a side note, I thought you were an old man from the name Hest88. I guess I should have known better not to assume, and I should have asked about the 88 number earlier.

Anyway, do you reside in San Jose? I used to live there or a block away from the Prune Yard (by Campbell) for about four years, and I spent a minor stint of time at Berkeley. I could recommend some places to shop and eat, but I'm sure you know of them already. I thought Mara's idea was cute about the gathering of diamond and jewelry addicts. My husband and I visit the area to see his side of the family, relatives, and our mutual friends twice a year. Let me know if Mara's shindig does get the final approval from you gals and guys, and if it does go through. I just might be in the area at that time. I promise I'll try not to get hurt if you cap on all my 24K jewelry. Just don't rob me. Just kidding, of course.

 

[luckyhonu]

I just found this post!

I'm also from the Bay Area, I would love to be able to meet up with everyone just to drool over everyone's baubles!

 

[ttmd]

Just found this post so my dumb question may never get answered, but what's an ABC? I'm a first (or is that 1/2) generation adopted Korean-American and was just curious about the lingo. Thanks for the indulgence.

 

[pauls girl]

I could be wrong, but I think it stands for American Born Chinese.

 

[Hest88]

Gosh, I haven't visited this thread in awhile!

Yes, as Pauls Girl said, American Born Chinese.

Jaded Gem, I actually live in Oakland. Mara did manage to get together a small group, but we're hoping to get a larger group together when she returns from her honeymoon!

 

[cflutist]

Hest88 and Tomatoe, I am a Chinese American female (2nd generation, my parents were born here). Mara, I am also from the SF Bay Area (Concord which is 20 miles east of Oakland). Glad to meet all of you.

Tomatoe, thanks for consolidating the "Show me the ring pictures". Was curious as to why you chose the pic with the "flash" instead of the next pic on the posting which actually showed my 3.01 pear.

 

[Mara]

yah since I have long been back from my honeymoon, we should have another gathering soon!

Cflutist..please PM me your email address if you are interested and I will add you to our list.




Jaded..when was the trip you were taking out here again? I forget! I think it was soon or maybe it just passed?

 

[darling]

I am also from the Bay Area, have lived in Pinole, Oakland, S.F., San Ramon and now in Walnut Creek. How many Bay Areans are now on PS?