What's Black Jewelry Made From ? 8 Choices Simple Tests To Find Out !

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Now that's a Stack!

Plastic is very light weight. Tapping plastic on your natural tooth will result with a clicking sound. It might be hollow and could be solid but mold lines will most certainly be present. A jeweler's loupe helps to identify this line that will run all the way around your plastic's middle.

No mold lines present? No "click, click"? Now what?

Glass is heavier than plastic and reflects light. As you hold glass in your hand it will warm up.

Stone is also heavier than plastic. In your hand it will stay cold.

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Jet is as light as plastic. It's very hard and the material resembles coal. Jet was first mined in Whitby, England in the mid 1800s. Carving this type of fossilized wood became so popular by 1870 there were approximately 200 jet shops in the small town of Whitby. Mining for jet is illegal today which translates to rarity which translates to valuable.

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Take note, jet breaks easily. That's the bad news. The good news is there's a test. Rub your specimen on concrete or clay pottery. Jet will leave a brownish black mark behind.

Gutta-purcha first appeared in England in 1841. Made out of sap from the Malayan tree. Mostly used during the Victorian era. When you run this material under hot water it will produce a noticeable burnt rubber smell. Rubbing it against your clothing creating friction is another testing method that should result with the same burnt rubber smell.

Crepe Stone is a black material made of glass.The Fowler brothers of Providence, Rhode Island introduced this distinctive looking product in 1883. Also known as English Crepe Stone.

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Bog Oak is a black material that is easily recognized because of the Irish motifs used for jewelry. It is oak wood preserved in the Bogs of Ireland.

Bakelite can be black but not all Bakelite is black. Bakelite was super popular during the 1920s and 30s. It is a phenolic (phenol formaldehyde resin) plastic. A good test that has been proven to be reliable is the 409 test. Take a cotton swab dipped in 409 bathroom cleaner and touch the material. Make sure to make contact in a hidden area on the jewelry, just to be safe. If the cotton swab remains yellow after contact it must be Bakelite.

Amazingly Beautiful Bakelite
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These two sites are packed with useful information. I mean packed!

The Spruce

Love To Know

The following is a new-to-me website for freebies, deals and etc.

Cha Ching On A String

14 Unknown Facts About Jewelry

Wearing Your Jewelry

Long drop earrings give the illusion of length to your face.  So they're a great thing for those who have chubby cheeks or maybe a double chin.

Perfume oils will discolor gold, pearls and other gems.  Don't spray perfume over your jewelry.  This goes for hair spray too.  This can easily be avoided by putting your jewelry on after you are completely dressed with hair and makeup in place.

Cleaning Your Costume Jewelry

Jewelry made with some stones and with imitation gold & silver can be washed in mild dish washing liquid and warm water.  Wash in bowl not sink ( you don't want to take the risk of losing something down the drain).  Individual pieces of jewelry should not touch each other in solution so as not to scratch.  After soaking for a minute, brush individual piece with soft toothbrush and dry with chamois cloth or facial tissue.  Before you dump left over solution make sure to check the bowl for lost pieces.  DO NOT use bleach because it will damage metal mounts beyond repair.

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Special Treatment Required

     Ivory - Dust ivory pieces regularly with soft cloth; using a clean, soft toothbrush to reach into carved areas.  Sunshine keeps ivory from yellowing but too much sun can cause ivory to crack.  Perfume and hair spray can cause discoloring.
     Jade - Combine 1 tablespoon ammonia and 1 cup hot water.  Swish jewelry briefly and dry immediately with soft cloth.  Jade scratches easily.
     Jet - Never soak in water or any type of chemical solution.  Just wipe with damp soft cloth.
     Diamonds - Swish these stones briefly in 1 tablespoon ammonia and 1 cup hot water.  Then dip in rubbing alcohol and pat dry with tissue paper.

Interesting Jewelry Facts Not Well Known

• Only one natural pearl will form out of every 10,000 oysters. That's it. 
• 100,000 year old beads made from Nassarius shells is officially known as the oldest ever found
• Americans spell it jewelry, everyone else spells it jewellery.
• "Jewel", from the old French jouel, which comes from the latin jocale, translation - plaything.
• For the past 100 years Africa has been the top producer of gold.
• The #1 producer of silver is Mexico. A close second is Peru.
• Real Amber, fossilized tree resin at least a million years old, will float in water.
• In Asia, the Middle East and Africa, 24K gold is used in the making of jewelry.
• In the USA and across Europe, most jewelers believe 24K is too soft for jewelry making.
• A large, perfect, gem quality ruby is worth more than a diamond the same size and quality.
• Peridot, Lapis Lazuli and Pearls were ground up and used as eye shadow in ancient times.
• Naturally colored diamonds are extremely rare. The most expensive and rarest are red, purple and then pink. Their white cousins are abundant and cost considerably less.
• Burma Rubies are not allowed out of Burma. These rubies are quite valuable and can only be purchased on the secondary market.
• Live insect jewelry was popular at certain times in history. You heard me right. Egyptians wore scarab beetles into battle. A Mexican Maquech Beetle and the Giant Madagascar Hissing Cockroach  were also used in jewelry. Victorians in Britain could often be seen sporting live beetles attached to their clothing by tiny, fine gold chains.

    Lots of jewelry history to be found at this link by by clicking here.

   Instructions for jewelry you can make. I especially like the dainty knot ring. #13

Second Most BeLoved Gift Money Can Buy

Of course first on the list of beloved gifts is jewelry. Men and women cherish jewelry from a loved one forever. I don't mean just from your significant. A loved one could be family members or close friends. Maybe the gift of jewelry is a medal of honor or an award for a job well done. Jewelry is personal. The recipient feels loved, proud and special. It's going to be worn with honor and kept forever. That's where the second most beloved gift comes in... 

A jewelry box to store those precious gifts that they will cherish forever is quite often over-looked as a gift option. To tell the truth I think a jewelry box is remembered long after the jewelry is gone.

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How many of you remember the jewelry box you had when you were growing up? Did it play music and have a twirling ballerina inside? Me too. I will never forget that jewelry box. I can't say I even remember the jewelry that was kept inside. But the jewelry box, I remember. 

There was one other jewelry box from my early years, I will never forget.. It was a Christmas present from my Dad. He made five of them by hand. One for each of his five daughters. I was #4 daughter. It did not matter how small, what color or even that they were almost identical. It was perfect because it was from my Dad. I loved that jewelry box.

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I have fond memories of looking into my mother's jewelry box and seeing the treasures she kept in-

side. It didn't matter that I had to stand on my tiptoes or that my mom would get aggravated because I asked too many questions. It is one of the most beautiful jewelry boxes I have ever seen. It looked just like the one pictured above. It played music and even had a lock. There were three different sections to open. Two on each side and the one in the middle had a mirror. The shiny black lacquer on the outside paired perfectly with the soft red lining. It was beautiful, elegant and sophisticated. I had never seen anything like it before. 

What was your mothers jewelry box like? Love to hear!

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The jewelry box that is most dear to my heart is the one my two boys gifted me one year for Christmas. It doesn't matter where they purchased it or how much they paid. It is silver plated with a few gems for extra sparkle.  It is perfect. The inscription on top says, "We Love You Mom." "Unforgettable" is the melody heard  after it has been wound. It is the most perfect gift I have ever received. I LOVE IT! This is so precious to me. It will forever be in my possession until the day I die. I love them so much.

Send a picture or a story or both. Maybe you can make jewelry boxes, or bring them back to life with a little paint. I want to see pics and hear stories about those too. If you are selling them make sure to tell the price.