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Mineral Cleavage Testing: A Practical Guide

Gem Society

Cleavage testing is an important procedure for mineral identification. Learn what cleavage means and how to test mineral samples.

Testing 52
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How to Know if Jewelry is Real: A Comprehensive Guide

Buckhead Jewelry Appraisers

How to Tell if Jewelry is Real: Your Key Guide A few different tests may be done to determine whether the jewelry is authentic or fake: For Precious Metal Identification 1. Magnet Test: Precious metals like gold and silver are non-magnetic. Magnet Test: Precious metals like gold and silver are non-magnetic.

Jewelry 130
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The Ups and Downs of Collecting Celluloid Jewelry

WorthPoint

It can be difficult to test celluloid (and you never want to use a hot pin to prick it because it is highly flammable), but rubbing it vigorously with your thumb can induce a camphor-like odor. Celluloid is also light in weight compared to other plastics like Bakelite, so that’s another valuable identification clue.

Jewelry 52
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Choosing an Appraiser—Essential Questions to Ask: Part I

Art Advisor's Blog

This sort of appraiser would need certification from GIA or one of the other jewelry organizations to qualify since identification of various precious stones is a requirement. A jewelry appraiser would normally handle all appraisals of items with precious metals and stones.

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Evaluating Your Collection

Penrose Appraisals

The proper identification of materials sometimes requires testing, which may require the assistance of an expert. Certain materials, such as gold, are recognized as being inherently more valuable than others, such as tin. Often relevant in categories like furniture and silverware, finish refers to the surface of an item.

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ASA Newsroom - Personal Property - Untitled Article

ASA Newsroom - Personal Property

Charles Carmona, GG, ASA, has been traveling the world for five decades in search of knowledge and experience to help in his gemstone testing and appraisal businesses in downtown Los Angeles, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, China and Bangkok, Thailand. As a consultant to the World Bank, he has established gemology schools in Madagascar and Tanzania.