r/jewelry

Hi everyone, I’m Ellis!

Recently, I’ve been cutting some natural gemstones into adorable little cat heads, including silver topaz, citrine, amethyst, and clear quartz.

I personally love cats, so I thought it would be fun to create these cute cat-shaped gemstone cuts. What do you think of them?

All designs are handmade in my studio in Tel Aviv, Israel, from sterling silver and natural gemstones. I’m very much drawn to raw textures (such as concrete) and pieces that feel like small sculptures rather than traditional polished jewelry.

Here’s a little collage of my recent work. Would love to hear what you all think :)

Hello all! I’m here to ask for help in figuring out what to do with all of these pieces that I have come to take possession of. After my Nana moved out of her primary residence, my mom and I helped her with sorting through and packing up lots of her stuff. My Nana used to co-own a jewelry company founded in the 80s, and she still has almost all of their castings. She isn’t too keen on having the big box take up room in her home, so it’s been sitting at my uncles house for a while. Recently I asked to take a look at some of it, and he happily handed over the entire collection to get it off his hands.
They are so beautiful to look through, and incredibly special to me due to the story they tell about my Nana from before I was even alive. I’ve asked her about them and she doesn’t really have any insight on what to use them for, instead they mostly serve as a giant box of nostalgia.
I believe the metal for all of these castings is some kind of silver, she thinks it wasn’t quite 925, but since she wasn’t part of the manufacturing process she isn’t too sure. They are all marked with 18K because that’s what the final pieces would eventually be made of. Part of me wants to take them apart and polish them up into pieces for myself, but I also don’t want to alter something so irreplaceable.
Ive sat down today and started going through them, but after less than 50 envelopes I’m already overwhelmed by it all. I have a fairly limited experience with silversmithing and overall jewelry making. I can do the basics of soldering and polishing, but no access to do any kind of casting on my own. My top idea is to find a way to organize and store them safely, and haul them around with me until I’m at a point in my life where I could maybe use them to replicate her old works, or send them off somewhere to have that done.
If anyone has any ideas or insights, please let me know!

Hello all! My fiance and I are strongly considering custom mokume gane rings from Mokumeganeya. Screenshot shows the specs we are considering for composition. Does anyone know anything about the durability of these rings? I do not want a huge stone. I want a band that will last forever. I manage surgeries for a vet clinic and also powerlift. So my hands go through a lot. Do these hold up? Thanks in advance!!!!!

Hi everyone, I’m Ellis! Recently, I tried carving some tiny insects into CZ, including a spider, a bee, and a little beetle.

Unfortunately, I accidentally cracked the green beetle while polishing it, so there’s a visible crack in the stone. Even so, I still wanted to share these pieces with you all.

What do you think of them? Is there anything you’d like to see me try carving next? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

We have way too much gold jewelry. This is about a quarter, stuff that's not in the safety deposit box. I threw some bracelets in there but I have about 25-30 bracelets not pictured as well. Probably 40-50 pendants too. Don't get me started on the rings and my wife's earrings.

Do you like it? What do you think

Late 1800s/Early 1900s most likely. Unfortunately the mechanism is jammed shut. I will take it to Tiffany one day to see if they can repair it.

My wife says she likes it and will wear it at my birthday dinner when we take a trip to Mexico City next month

So I always polish my silver jewelry regularly but on a whim I decided to not only polish my silver earrings, but also clean the stone. Typically, I’ll only clean the surface, but after getting married and getting an engagement ring I learned that to truly get a ring to sparkle, you have to clean under the setting. As a result of this I decided to try it on my gemstone studs.

Well, the proof is in the pudding! Look at that difference!

Same chain 2 different crosses..help me decide how to wear it

Went to a local thrift and found this amazing sterling silver bracelet. I’ve seen stores in other states sell silver charms but I was wondering if anyone knew of a specific store. Preferably around Northern Chicago into southern Wisconsin territory. Thank you!!