u/Actopyla

Here is a volunteer in my garden and I am having trouble getting an identification. plant.net identifies it as a mallow, while Google says it is Avens. Should I pull it up or keep it?

It is better than it was, and will be better yet next year. I decided I don't really like Bulbs that much. You get a spot of color briefly in the spring and then you get floppy green leaves for months. I am going to replace them with a summer blooming perennial.

Won on an eBay auction, and is so much nicer than the picture! Nice Native American piece.

I won this set on an auction. I was going to resell it but when it came to the door it was so incredibly beautiful that I decided to keep it. I have a beautiful necklace, earrings and bracelet that match very well and I would like a petite ring to wear on my finger. The set is made of silver with a striped light blue lab created opal. It is a vintage Native American set of pieces by Jennie Epaloos, a Zuni Silver Smith,. I have studied the pieces and the opal I am looking for should be an oval not more than 15 mm long. It should be bezel set and if there is a little detailing around the edges of the setting that is OK but not necessary. Better simple than too ornate.

Does anyone know of a similar ring for sale or is there a jeweler among you who can take this on as a custom job? I am posting pictures here. Picture five is of slabs of lab created opal that have not been cut yet, and picture six is of a ring I found on Etsy that sort of matches the opals I have. I believe it is not lab created and it is very expensive. But if I turned up something similar I would be satisfied.

It is an old Berber cuff with a hinge and a pin to connect the halves. I have searched and done reverse image searches, and I have turned up similar bracelets but nothing that is a close match. Most of them have enamel and lack the detailed filigree work in the silver. It has no hallmark, and I suspect it was made from coin silver. Does anyone have an idea as to how old this is?

Hallmark says JE Sterling. I think it is a native American set and it has a heavy feel to it. The opals gleam and the light in a way that are still photo cannot capture. I believe them to be triplet Austrian opals because they were used in Native American jewelry. I wish I had a matching ring.

Apparently this is a native American made set. It has a hefty feel to it, and what I assume to be Austrian triplet opals glean in the light in a way that is still photograph cannot capture. It is signed JE Sterling.

I found this interesting lamp on Amazon a long time ago and have been using it as a nightlight ever since. It has two LEDs in it: one and the gooseneck that has adjustable brightness, and another one in the base that will adjust the color. The neck on it has become droopy over the years. It used to be adjustable to do most anything, but now it just wants to slide down. I don't care, because I like my light in the bedroom low at night.

I purchased this in an auction, and it was labeled Victorian, but I know you can label anything whatever you want when you are trying to sell it. It does have a lot of features that are different from the more recent bracelets I have seen. It is lighter weight, has a simpler clasp, a shorter and more delicate safety chain, thinner panels, and lighter weight.

It is missing about a dozen stones. Is it OK to go ahead and replace them, or will that ruin its vintage condition?

I found this for sale with a comment that it might be Judith Jack that made it. It has two linked J's under the 925 Hallmark.

I found these on eBay and bought them because I liked the Onyx in them. When I inspected them, I found that the Onyx was held in by prongs. Also the Hallmark says "Sterling" rather than "925." In addition, the ear wires are an unusual shape and size. What do I have? Any comments would be welcome.

I purchased these earrings because I liked the Onyx in the center and the way the marcasites for arranged. Upon inspection I found that the Onyx was set with prongs, and the hallmark says "Sterling" instead of "925". Upon cleaning, I found it to be a beautiful floral pattern. Please check them out and tell me what you think. The ear wires are strange looking as well.

I picked these up on eBay and it turns out that I have a good eye. I bought them for a song and they are all worth much more. I will be putting most of them up for sale after cleaning and repair, so please message me if you are interested. Some of them I have to wait for replacement stones to come in the mail. I enjoy tinkering with them, and hand polishing them in front of the TV. I will not dip them because I want to preserve the vintage patina. Most of them are a bit on the small side, running from size 6 to 7 1/4.

This is not a sales pitch per se. I just want to show off my shiny new rings.

This ring is neither rare nor expensive, but I think it is exceptionally beautiful. It is a Carolyn Pollock design, in a coral and faceted quartz doublet. I have taken to wearing this ring every day and admiring it frequently. I paid well under $100 for it.

This ring is neither expensive nor hard to find, but I love it anyway. It is a Carolyn Pollack design with red coral and faceted quartz overlay. The combination makes the red color of the coral glow and burn into your consciousness.

These popped up in my garden this year. I only have vague memories of planting it so it was a surprise. So were the tiny white flowers on the end when it bloomed. I hope it finds a way to propagate itself so there are more of them next year.

This is a fancy cut orange sapphire, mounted in a 10 karat gold ring.

These amazing flowers popped up in my garden this year. I only vaguely remember planting them. Somehow, the long slender stems don't droop. When I first noticed them I thought the red was the petals, and then I was surprised when the tiny green tips peeled back to reveal tiny white petals.

I have been seeking new companion stones for my vintage opal ring. I bought the ring when I was a teenager, and it is in the habit of popping the little stones out. It is very expensive to get a jeweler to find stones and replace the little ones. The little ones are 2 mm grey-green balls, and at one point I found some Malachite beads with holes drilled in them and replaced a missing stone with them. Now I found the ring stored away and I want to rehab it so I can wear it. Finding a 2 mm spherical gemstone is no easy task. I purchased some glass 2 mm undrilled balls that look exactly like Sapphire balls.

Just recently I found some 2 mm opal balls and I am wondering if it is worth acquiring them to put in my ring. They are listed as "natural" opals, and the seller doesn't speak English very well so my questions go unanswered.

What do you think? What kind of opals are the ones that are for sale? Would they last over time? Do you have any suggestions for replacing the little balls?

Macro pictures taken on my iPhone 13 pro max during the golden hour just after sunrise. I have iOS 26 and the macro works great!