Our busiest times of the year are June/July/August for wedding season, and then late November and the month of December for the holidays. This time of year it is recommended to give us as much time as possible to complete your project.
2. Do I have to make an appointment?
It’s never a bad idea to call before you come down to make sure we aren’t out on an errand or in the middle of a casting party or a design session.
There is no charge or design fee to make an appointment, and we welcome you to call and set one up if you are curious about how we can help you!
3. How much will it cost?
The great thing about designing a piece with us is that we never nickel-and–dime our customers. We encourage our customers to let the design process work, meaning that we don’t charge for changes to the wax model, design time, stone setting fees, etc.. Our system rewards the process of letting serendipity and evolution lead us to the perfect design, and we encourage changes in the design and wax model that make each piece truly unique.
We would love to meet with you in a free and no-obligation design appointment to talk about your project, and then we can help you figure out the costs involved, we think you will be pleasantly surprised!
4. What if I don’t live in Seattle?
5. What about conflict diamonds? Are your stones and metal ethically sourced? How can I be sure?
http://www.unitedpmr.com/environmental_commitment.php
https://www.hooverandstrong.com/harmony-at-hoover-and-strong
Our gemstones and diamonds suppliers also have a strong commitment to the environment and fair labor practices. Because diamonds and gemstones can pass through many hands before they arrive here at Goldmine design, the industry adopted some safeguards to make sure the chain of supply remains above board. We purchase our gemstones from small, independent supply houses that purchase their rough directly from the miners in the country of origin. We use only suppliers that are highly regarded within the jewelry industry and belong to accredited gem trade associations. We do not purchase gems or diamonds “off the streets” and every gem we have we know who supplied it, and where they procured it. This accountability and chain of ownership is only possible in a small shop like ours, where we have built personal relationships with our suppliers, many of whom go back 30+ years. In fact, many of the new “conflict free” and “ethical gems” jewelry suppliers on the internet purchase from our suppliers, but only after we have first pick!
We can take your old gold, platinum, and silver towards a new project, however we won’t remelt them into a new ring. Gold, platinum, and silver all have different alloys, and even in a simple solitaire ring you can have up to 3 different alloys that make up one ring. If we mixed more than one type of alloy together, the casting quality will suffer. We have used the same 18k white, 18k yellow, and 14k rose gold alloy for the past 25 years because it is functional, casts and polishes well, and has proven to be durable. If we mix many metals together, we sacrifice the quality and potential durability of the item. In addition, when we make a piece of jewelry we use more metal for the pathways for the gold and the “button”, which will get cut off and recycled into the next casting. So, instead we will sell the old metal that you have to our refiner, and use our metal to make your piece. The value is the same either way, and we pay the highest rate in the industry for your old precious metals directly towards the project and we itemize all items and discuss their value before we move forward.
We have, in some circumstances, used pieces of the old jewelry, for sentimental purposes, in the new ring by making them design elements added on after the main piece is cast. They can form a small feature, edges of a ring, or other creative uses. We have also remodeled jewelry directly by adding or taking away parts of the piece to make it something special for you.
We are always happy to show more ways this can be done at your design appointment, and discuss all of the options before proceeding.
And Yes, we sell all types of gemstones, from diamonds, colored diamonds, sapphires, rubies, birthstones, pearls, drusy, agate, meteorite, tanzanite, coral, amber, fossilized dinosaur bone, etc… You name it, we can find it! We have developed a network of gemstone dealers over many years, all across the country and the world that each offer beautiful and unique gemstones. All of which are just a phone call away. Our industry works on a borrowing system, meaning that we can borrow in just what you are looking for, in a nice variety to choose from. We keep what we like, and return what we don’t. This enables us to basically have unlimited inventory, and we don’t have to try to sell you on what we happen to have in stock at the time. For example, if you are looking for a special sapphire, but aren’t 100% sure about what shape or color, we can borrow in a few stones of each and then you can make an informed decision.
With diamonds, it is especially important to choose these in person. We will borrow in a selection of diamonds, and then spend time together looking at them under a high quality microscope so you can see the inclusions for yourself while we give you the education to make the best choice. Just like a litter of puppies, the diamonds may have the same grade (pedigree) but there is one that is the best match for you!
One of the advantages of this borrowing system, is that we purchase our stones one a time. We pick the very best gemstone every time, rather than purchasing dozens or hundreds of stones at a time and having poor quality stones mixed in that we end up having to use.
Both Cindi and Mary Elizabeth have years of experience working with high quality gemstones and know how to help you pick the right stone for your project, so let us know what you are looking for and we will find it for you!
8. Do you have a selection of ready made jewelry for sale?
9. What about titanium? I’ve heard you can’t cut off a titanium ring, is this true?
Titanium is a lightweight durable metal that is hypo allergenic and yet soft enough for us to cut and create interesting patterns and designs on. The titanium we use is CP-2, which means Chemically pure 2 on a scale of 1-5 (1 is softest, 5 hardest). We create many rings in titanium, from the simple designs that can be turned on a lathe, to custom patterns that are carved on a milling machine that we built, you have infinite choices of design with titanium. Even though we don’t cast the titanium, we carve the designs directly into the metal, we will still carve wax models for you to see what your ideas and designs will look like in 3 dimensions. We can hand engrave, set small diamonds, and use other colors of metals as well with our custom titanium rings.
10. 18k white gold vs Platinum vs Palladium, Which one is best?
Most white gold jewelry that is mass manufactured is rhodium plated before it leaves the factory. Rhodium plating is a coating that is electro-plated onto the white gold, to give it a platinum-‐white appearance. It will not chemically come off of the piece of jewelry with normal wear, but you can scratch past it with keys and door handles etc. You will likely notice this gradually as the tops of patterns and prongs, and the back of the ring start to “warm up” or look more yellow as the plating wears through. Then it is time for a re-polish and a re-rhodium plating. The downside to rhodium plating is maintenance, and many jewelry stores charge between $30-‐60 to re-‐plate a ring. Often people will re-‐plate their rings every year or so. When we re-plate a Goldmine piece of jewelry we will ask you to make a donation which goes to the Pike Place Market Foundation so we can all help those less fortunate than ourselves.
Platinum is a beautiful and durable metal, which is comes naturally white in color from the earth. The advantages in platinum lie in its durability and resistance to wear. Instead of scratching or wearing away, platinum just “moves” out of the way, and will hold a stone securely for many years. Prongs made in white gold will likely need to be rebuilt after 10-20 years of wear vs. 20-50 years with platinum. Platinum is also hypo-allergenic, which is a great choice for those with nickel or other metal allergies.
Platinum is more expensive, more rare, more dense, and more pure than gold. Typically platinum is alloyed from 90-95% pure metal, and since it is more dense, will weigh more than an exact same dimensional piece in gold. This is why it has a higher price tag than gold, but the durability of platinum is worth it in the long run for many pieces.
Palladium is a sister metal to platinum, is 95% pure and is less dense than gold or platinum. It will wear away slightly faster than gold, but we really worry about that when it comes to prongs holding stones. Since it is a sister metal to platinum, it is also naturally white and won’t require the rhodium plating maintenance, but will still need cleaning and polishing. It also can be problematic when it comes to sizing, and would require Tig-welding to do so. Palladium is less dense than gold, so the cost of palladium is typically in a similar range to white gold.
As you can see, there is no perfect metal for any piece, rather there are many factors that will help you decide which is the right metal for your project. We often will discuss all of the options with you, and sometimes wait until the project takes shape before making the final decision.
11. Do you work in silver?
12. Do you do appraisals?
Stores that offer their “in store appraisal” are most often using those “appraisals” as a sales technique.
We recommend locally Alan Chappron and Larry Azose of Gemological Consulting Services here in Seattle. They do appraisals by appointment Monday‐Friday. 206-624-3798. For appointments call or visit their website: gemcsi.com
On the Eastside of Seattle, we recommend Northwest Gemological Services in Bellevue. They also do appraisals by appointment. (425) 455-0985
You should bring any old appraisals you have, as well as any other documentation on the jewelry that you may have. You can expect to pay $80-90 for most appraisals.
Before you get the appraisal done, make sure your jewelry is clean and is in good working order. You are welcome to bring your jewelry here for a cleaning and check, or if you are not local, most jewelers offer a “clean and check” service. It is best to have the piece in as good of shape as possible for the appraisal.
And, it should be noted, that a frequent visit to us, or a trusted jeweler, for a clean and check is a great way to prevent losses. We recommend every 3-6 months, and it’s a great way to bring the sparkle back! You may not notice those prongs wearing down, or a loose setting as you wear the ring and we will check over the whole ring and make sure it is in tip-top shape.
For more information about jewelry insurance and appraisals, please check out our in depth article HERE.
13. Do you do repairs?
We do not repair costume jewelry, watches, or larger items such as serving pieces etc…, but we often can recommend someone who can person to give a quote for the repair. Because we are under a backlog, we ask for 1-2 weeks for most of our repair jobs.
We do not repair costume jewelry, watches, or larger items such as serving pieces etc…, but we often can recommend someone who can.