2 hr hunt pays off nice....

[Silver Surfer]

After spending far too many days in bed, after stopping one medicine for a few days I actually felt pretty good. So the wife and I decided it was time to get out for a few hours. Of course I wanted to try MD'ing again so I took along my Excal..
Water was nice, and just enough breeze to keep things comfortable. Wanted to hunt a favorite spot, but there were far too many people in the water. Pam says "dont you have a spot over there?", to which I replied "yeah, but it is such a trash hole"... Decided to go there anyway and I had it all to myself. Had to go really slow, and as usual for this spot, the trash was all over...
About an hour into the hunt, I saw Pam and my dog heading over my direction, and I altered my line to meet them. Man am I glad I did... About 10 ft before reaching each other, I got another very loud pop tab tone, even told Pam "Well I guess I'm gonna dig another tab, but you gotta dig tabs to find rings", and in just one scoop, out pops this really heavy, thick band with a nice diamond... I was elated of course, but gave Pam the credit since I had changed course to meet up with her.. Thank goodness! Found a small, very corroded silver ring before quiting, and a whopping $.49 in clad.. Only lasted two hours, and very sore today, but tested the diamond and it registered real faster than any diamond I have tested before (they say the less imperfections, the faster it tests positive), and it is at least a one carat stone per chart I used for comparison... Going to take it to a couple jewelers to see what it may be worth.. Any ideas?
The band is 14k and weighs 8.6 grams... Not too bad for a couple hours. Hope after a day of rest, I can go out again for a couple hours...
Many of you know, but having abdominal surgery again on the 27th... Good thoughts and prayers would surely be appreciated on that day..

HH all!

 

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[lookindown]

Outstanding ring.....fresh or saltwater?

 

[gold nuggets]

Wow SS...that gold ring is a great find!
Congratulations to you and glad you got
out for a short spin. Gold Nuggets

 

[Silver Surfer]

Outstanding ring.....fresh or saltwater?

I'll never tell..........








He heh.... Freshwater lake... Cant afford to drive to the beach...

 

[stevemc]

Sorry to hear of your upcoming abdominal surgery, I remember earlier this year you had back surgery. How is that going? Nice rings!!

 

[bootybay]

that is what I dream of finding..one kick butt killer find.. wtg big time.. thats one beauty.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Sorry to hear of your upcoming abdominal surgery, I remember earlier this year you had back surgery. How is that going? Nice rings!!

I had abdominal surgery in July 2009 (radical Prostatectomy), then had Neurostimulator placed in my spine 2/11, now it seems the first surgery is coming back to haunt me.. Surgery to be performed by Professor of Surgery at FSU..
Back thing is okay, but having gone from 150 lbs down to 120 again, it makes for pretty uncomfortable driving or lying on my back.. Skin and bones.. Oh, and 6 ft tall, so you can imagine what I look like..

I sure hope the clarity and grade of this diamond are good.. I am hoping it is worth some $$ as we are hurting pretty bad financially right now..
But we are still "richer" than about 2/3 of the people in the world, so I really cant complain... I still have internet for at least a while... LOL...

 

[Lorrain.]

Wow!! What a story! What a gorgeous ring find!!

Congrats to you, Silver Surfer!


Also , I wish you a speedy recovery after your surgery

Lorraine

 

[sniffer]

ballpark melt value should be around 320.00 good luck on the surgery

 

[VWandSTUDEBAKER]

Maybe this stuff is well known, or maybe not...but

1.If you have access to a diamond tester, you can test for diamonds vs. simulants. (Beware, moissanite is the only stone than can fool the regular electronic diamond tester.)

2.The transparency test. Flip your diamond upside down and place it over some newsprint. If you can clearly read through the stone, it's not a diamond. (Beware, some low cut diamonds or stones such as emeralds can be read through.)

3.The fog test. Put your diamond in front of your mouth and fog it like you would fog a mirror. If it stays fogged for 2-4 seconds, it's a fake. A real diamond will disperse the heat instantaneously so by the time you look at it, it has already cleared up. Oil and dirt on the stone can affect reliability and the test is not accurate at all on doublets where the top of the stone is diamond and the bottom is cubic zirconia glued together.

4.Test for weight. The most popular diamond simulant (fake) is a cubic zirconia. C.Z.'s will weigh approximately 55% more than diamonds for the same shape and size. Use a carat or gram scale to see if the impostor tips the scales too much.

5.The U.V. test. Many diamonds will show fluorescence of blue if put under an ultra violet light or black light. 99% of all fakes don't do this; so, a positive identification of medium to strong blue would indicate a diamond. Diamonds with blue fluorescence can be as much as 20% less valuable; however, lack of blue fluorescence doesn't mean it's a fake; it could be a better quality diamond.

6.The under the loop test. With a magnifying lens, there are some things you can look for on the stone that might give away its identity:

1.Look at your diamond from the top and see how the facets (the cuts on top of the diamond) are joined. They should be sharp but not rolled.
2.Is the girdle faceted or frosty (yes, then it's a diamond) or waxy and slick (yes, then it's a fake.)
3.Under magnification, look into your diamond for flaws (carbon, pinpoints, small cracks.) It's very hard to put inclusions into a fake.
4.Look at the stamps inside the setting. A stamp of "10K, 14K, 18K, 585, 750, 900, 950, PT, Plat" indicates the setting is real gold or platinum. This gives a better chance that the stone in it is real as well. Look for any "C.Z." stamps. This will tell you the center stone is not a diamond.

 

[Silver Surfer]

WOW, great info VWaS!
I have a mizar diamond tester, and unlike most diamonds I have tested, this one went from ready to diamond in a fraction of a second. According to the manual, the faster it confirms diamond, the higher quality it is... It also said that although it cannot determine real from Moissanite, it did say that Moissanite will not read diamond quickly. And although possible, I doubt as nice (although ugly imho) a ring of this quality (real solid and thick, no hidden thin spots) would have a fake in it.. But going to my trusted Jeweler here in town to have him take it out of setting, clean, and give ballpark... The setting is the weirdest I have ever seen, and I have no idea how it holds the stone aside from some kind of glue?? No prongs, just set in the solid round hole..
Keeping fingers crossed, but I know that at the very least, it's worth a few hundred..

 

[dirtdigger1581]

That is a beautiful chunk of gold! Congrats!!!

 

[VWandSTUDEBAKER]

Looks like a bezel setting. They push the metal down around the stone to make a rim. I hope its real, but that snowflake next to the 14k is bugging me. Maybe something to do with the silver part. If it looks to be real, the only true way to know would be to send it off to a GIA certified.

I snitched this picture for you so you will understand how its mounted.

 

[Lorrain.]

vWandstudebaker, thanks for posting the info re: diamond testing.

Good info to know.

Lorraine

 

[DewGuru]

Excellent scores - Glad to hear ya feelin better!

 

[Silver Surfer]

Got back from my local Jeweler friend, the stone is real... He said not real high quality, but not junk either.. He said removing the stone due to the (as VWS stated) bezel mount would cause "quite a bit of gold loss" and said the best way was to have it acid melted like ARA does... But he also said that without removing the stone, exact carat cannot be determined. Said it was at least 3/4 carat, possibly a little more... Also said worth at least $500, so that is good, and also said that if I didnt want to try to sell the complete ring on ebay, he would make me a fair offer.. I really trust this guy. Today, he gave me a $50 bill for 10 tiny diamonds that I have saved up from other ARA send in's.. I gave him a few before since I couldnt find anyone to buy them (4 different Jewelry stores), but this time he said "I cant just keep taking your diamonds... I do use them for replacement stones" and then handed me the $50... Brought a smile to my face, and I will probably just sell the whole ring to him...
I'll keep y'all posted as to what I get for it...

 

[VWandSTUDEBAKER]

Well glad it turned out to be real. I like the ring and that kind of setting.

I have used the "breath on it" diamond check before and people look at me funny. Guess its not the most sanitary thing to do.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Wow, you liked it??
I was surprised that the jewelers also thought it was so nice... His wife said "oh, that is a very modern style", and he said the bezel setting was about the most expensive, and strongest setting.. I think it is an ugly, plain ring... But I guess people who worry about prongs snagging at work or play, it would be a great thing...
Hmmmm, maybe I should try to sell it on epay!? LOL,

 

[Coastie59]

Nice rings...congrats!!

 

[detectahead]

I am totally awe struck!! That is one killer ring dude! Keep us informed! Big congrats!