Might surprise you what you can find in a coin shop.

[mmarc77]

Coin shops buy gold bullion and that often includes jewelry. I've collected coins for many years and recently a shop owner I've known for a long time said he had some jewelry in the back that he never put in the display case. He asked me if I'd like to see them and I said sure.

I'm certain they are long out of style but I really liked the gems so I bought a dozen rings and half a dozen bracelets. I was hooked after that and have since picked up a few more in other coin shops and online. The Alexandrite is in Jose Hess setting and the halo is a Ritani setting. Looking at the last picture it's obvious I enjoy my newest hobby as do the women in my life.

I have appraisals on most of these so if there are any questions on type of stone, size or clarity please feel free to ask.
I wish I had found this site earlier but I am reading as much as I can and there is a tremendous amount of expertise here.

 

[Niel]

Very fun!
I like the large side ring with the pink rectangular cut.

 

[mmarc77]

Thanks Niel!

Here is what the appraisal stated.

LADIES PINK SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING 1 Emerald cut pink sapphire, very good cut, medium light pink color, moderately strong intensity, slightly eye visible inclusions, fine quality, fine quality, 2.00 carats, 8.12 x 6.67 x 3.68 millimeters, prong set. 40 Round brilliant cut diamonds, very good cut, G color, VS2-SI1 clarity, 2.61 carats total, 2 @ 3.1 millimeters each, 24 @ 2.7 millimeters each, 10 @ 2.5 millimeters each, 2 @ 2.1 millimeters each, 2 @ 1.7 millimeters each, each is bead set. 12 Baguette cut diamonds, very good cut, G color, VVS2-VS1 clarity, 1.10 carats total, 3.7 x 1.9 millimeters each to 2.8 x 2.0 millimeters each, each is channel set. 18 Karat yellow gold ring mounting. The entire ring weighs 12.3 grams

 

[_lovesvintage_]

This is neat. There are really some gem goodies to be found. Thanks for sharing! I think that I like what looks to be jade or a really nice chrysoprase in the yellow gold setting?

Looking at the collection, I am also curious about the one that is second from the left on the top row, the first one on the left in the second row, the blue lapis one, and the two glowy ones in the row with the owl.

Thanks in advance if you get the chance to indulge my curiosity.

 

[mmarc77]

Hello _lovesvintage_,

I'm flattered you asked so here is some more info.

The green is jadeite with diamonds and here is the info on it:

LADIES JADEITE AND DIAMOND RING 1 Oval cabochon cut jadeite, medium tone, yellowish green color, strong intensity, translucent, 7.2 x 5.2 x 2.25 millimeters, prong set. 2 Baguette cut diamonds, good cut, H-I color, VS1 - SI1 clarity, 0.12 carats total, 3.6 x 1.0 - 0.7 millimeters each, each is prong set. 14 Karat white gold ring mounting with yellow gold plating. The entire ring weighs 5.4 grams.

The second from left top row is paraiba and pink tourmaline, I bought this online and the seller said she bought the stones in Brazil and then had the setting made. Oddly it is in a 10k white gold setting. I intend to have my jeweler create a new setting for it as the stones are worthy of a better setting.

The first one on the left, second row is an emerald handmade 18k. Here is the info on it:

LADIES EMERALD RING 1 Square step cut emerald, good cut, slightly yellowish green hue, medium tone, strong intensity, obvious eye visible inclusions, good quality, 0.30 carats, 4.0 x 2.87 millimeters, bezel set. 12 Round faceted emeralds, fair cut, slightly yellowish green hue, light - medium light tone, moderately strong intensity, obvious eye visible inclusions, good quality, 0.24 carats total, 2.0 millimeters each, each is bead set. 18 Karat yellow gold ring mounting. The entire ring weighs 6.3 grams.

The blue lapis is one of my favorite stones and is royal blue and an exceptional example of lapis although not highly valuable according to my jeweler's dollar appraisal. Here is what he said about it:

LADIES LAPIS RING 1 Oval cabochon cut lapis, very good cut, medium dark blue color, strong intensity, extra fine quality, 14 x 10 x 5 millimeters, bezel set. 14 Karat yellow gold pierced design ring mounting. The entire ring weighs 4.0 grams.

The two glowy ones in the owl row are tourmaline's. Here is the info on the first ring the way I bought it:

LADIES TOURMALINE AND DIAMOND RING 1 Oval faceted Cuprian tourmaline, good cut, blue green hue, light tone, moderately strong intensity, heavy eye visible inclusions, commercial quality, 1.15 carats, 6.6 x 5.8 x 4.1 millimeters, prong set. 4 Round brilliant cut diamonds, good cut, G-H color, VS2 clarity, 0.48 carats total, 3.2 millimeters each, each is prong set. 18 Karat white gold ring mounting. The entire ring weighs 3.5 grams.

I hope to replace the center stone with a paraiba I just bought.





Please pardon the cat hair but he insisted on getting in the way and shedding.




The last one was an 18k solitaire with a garnet and I bought a paraiba gemstone online and replaced the garnet with it. The paraiba is not a high quality stone and the old saying "you get what you pay for" certainly seems to be true when it comes to paraiba gems. I've since starting buying much better paraibas and having to pay accordingly.

I don't have pictures yet of the other rings but I will take some next time I have them back from my safety deposit box. I have some work to do photography wise as my pictures make everything look yellow even though most the diamonds in these rings are G or better.

According to my jeweler the best find from a quality point of view was the pink sapphire (first picture posted). Here are the appraiser's comments on it:

LADIES PINK SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING 1 Oval faceted pink sapphire, very good cut, medium pink color, strong intensity, noticeable inclusions under 10x magnification, fine - extra fine quality, 3.15 carats, 9.34 x 7.40 x 5.01 millimeters, prong set. 58 Round brilliant cut diamonds, good - very good cut, F-G color, VS1-VS2 clarity, 2.15 carats total, 30 @ 2.5 millimeters each, 28 @ 1.4 millimeters each, each is bead set. 18 Karat yellow gold ring mounting. The entire ring weighs 15.0 grams.

 

[_lovesvintage_]

Thank you... that was awesome that you had that kind of info on my inquiries. Loved hearing what stones you have changed out to accommodate the ring to your liking. I bet this is a more affordable way to get settings then?

Wow, that is a pretty substantial size for the pink sapphire. Love the paraiba you got to replace the cuprian tourmaline. Yes, too bad the nicer paraibas come with a heftier price tag. Otherwise I would have more too. I am happy that I managed to score my one cab.

Excited to see more of your gem goodies!

That sounds really cool too, Helicoptergem. Have you started a thread showing the wow stones you have acquired this way?

 

[mmarc77]

Great idea to buy the loose stones and I hadn't thought of that. I'm going to make the same offer to a gentleman that buys for melt and see if he is interested.

I agree with _lovesvintage_ it would cool to see some of your best finds if you don't mind sharing.

 

[doberman]

I look forward to seeing that oval paraiba when it's set.

Maybe it's a good thing I don't have a coin shop near me lol.