QuestionHi Thomas, I have some rings I like that I want slightly bigger, that have fines stones in, but are made of sterling silver. I've been told that they can't be resized by a local jeweler I met with....he said it would damage the look of the ring because the metal wasn't gold or platinum? Is this accurate? Also, is there any easy way for a novice to determine if an opal is real or fake? Thanks!
AnswerHi, Jodi. Thanks for this question. I will give it my best shot.
As for opals, I cannot tell you a way to determine real from fake when it comes to "synthetic" or man made opals which are made like the real ones but in a lab. This takes microscopic examination and experience. As for others, the best way is to look at real opals in a jewelry store and even on the net and get a feel for the look. Fakes other than lab made stones are generally glass or plastic stuff with obvious differences. Some have metallic flakes in the stone and others have rainbow looks in the body of the stone but not the moving, more distinctive look of real opals. This overall takes experience in seeing both the real stones and fakes.
As for the silver rings, some jewelers simply will not work on sterling because it is more time consuming than metals like gold. The way silver reacts to heat makes the entire ring need to be refinished if torch work is done and the high conductivity of the metal to heat puts stones in great peril of damage from the heat. Stones other than perhaps diamonds, sapphire and ruby must be removed or otherwise totally protected from heat. This is a difficult task to accomplish and still have enough heat to properly braze the ring for the sizing.
To go slightly bigger can be done with hammering on a steel ring stick or by using a rolling machine to stretch the ring band a bit. This needs no heat and I how I would resize a silver ring with stones if the band is thick enough to do the work without making the band appear thinner to any degree.
Another reason many jewelers will not do silver (and this includes me) is the finish on the metal. To prevent tarnish, some silver is plated with various metals to cover the natural silver. Rhodium is one metal, the final coating of metal over the silver but itself over perhaps nickel and copper. Silver is also plated with some other metals which look more like silver than the strong hard shine of rhodium but it is a problem, too.
You see, if the ring is cut or even stretched, the area must be refinished. This is sanding and smoothing and polishing to remove any signs of work having been done and to make it all look proper.
With plated surfaces like rhodium or other metals, the plate is cut through when finishing is done. With soldering the plate will lead to definite discoloration and even basic sanding and finishing will leave shadowy looking discoloration or worse. For these reasons, I will not resize silver with a protective plated surface. Maybe this is the reason your jeweler will not do the work. Then again, perhaps they find silver too time consuming. You can ask for a better explanation than you received if you want.
I do hope this information will help you understand what is going on.
Feel free to use the follow-up to get back with me if you need to on this question.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas. Thanks again..
