Featured Can these stones be harvested?

Sorting through my stash to decide which bits can be donor stones- can I take these apart or do these have anything about them to survive the chop?. Lovely carnelian deserves better than pot metal and the blue glass is pretty in an ugly surround. Both base metal and poor condition.
Thanks

 

Thankyou INH-that's more than I knew before

 

If you plan on removing a lot of stones,this might help.... https://www.esslinger.com/prong-lifter-jewelry-stone-remover-4/

 

Thanks. Didn't know there was such a thing. I use grips of some sort and twist. Doesn't always work.

 

That looks good. Like cluttered I didn't realise they existed either. I remove any nice glass or gems from costume tat that comes my way.
I take it that as Hollyblue has shown me the right tool to use that is your blessing to take these apart?

 

I would be a little reluctant to harvest the pot metal fob. I think it's worth more intact, and if you remove the carnelian, you'll inevitably end up breaking the prongs.

 

The fob looks worked over to me, doubt the prongs are original to it. If the color of the stone is showing reasonably accurately on my monitor, it is an odd shade of red for carnelian & my gut says it's glass. Take care if you decide to liberate it.

 

I agree that the carnelian colored one is most likely glass.
The gold plating is pretty worn, so incorporating them into another piece of jewelry, might make that piece of jewelry look tacky.
I would take the glass stones and use them in something else.

 

Same here. I don't see anything there worth worrying about other than the stones.

 

Agree on the carnelian.
KSW, not all pot metal is useless. Some tell a story. My great grandfather escaped from the Austro-Hungarian area during pogroms in the late 1800s. According to tradition, each related family gave him something of value to sell when he got to America. He received a nice collection of garnet jewelry. Some they painted the silver or gold black and some was set in pot metal. This was so the authorities would not confiscate it.
He did not have to sell it all when he got here and I am lucky enough to have inherited a bit of it. Most of what I have is set in pot metal because I suppose he sold those pieces set in precious metal. I hold it dearly because I know what he went through to get here.

 

That's a fascinating story! I would love to see the pieces if you have pictures of them. Some of my Jewish ancestors also came from Austro-Hungary, although the town they came from (Shipenitz/Shypyntsi/???) is now in Ukraine.

 

Some good points here.
Plan B is now to list them intact and see if they sell. If not revert back to plan A.

Ive learned to come here to check. Usually when I think something is tat I find it has qualities I didn't know about!.
Ditto, I'd love to see your inherited pieces- maybe start a new thread with them?

 

No clue on the town but I know my maternal grandfather was from outside Kiev. I grew up thinking I was 1/4 Russian (1/4 Hungarian and 1/2 Romanian) and now I know I’m 1/4 Ukrainian LOL). I also had a ton of that garnet jewelry but I gave it away to friends who loved it as I never wore it and pretty much only wear ethnic silver.

 

It is packed away with notes of its history and who it goes to. If/when I can get to it, I'll try to take pictures for you.

 

My grandparents on my (Jewish) mother's side came from Poland and brought similar. I will love to see your joolz too!

 

My granddad was from Poland, then Russia, but his family wasn't rich enough for fancy jewelry. Or if they had any, the girls in the family got it. All I got from Poland were his genes.

 

@KSW did you check the carnelian with Mary Contrary to check if it is glass or real carnelian (quartz)?

 

I'll consult Her Ladyship in the morning as her batteries are currently recharging. She may lower herself to give an opinion on glass or semi precious if I'm lucky.

 

I believe the charms/fobs came from a Goldette or Accessocraft NYC costume necklace. I have never known either company to use real gems. Since the gold plate is pretty worn, I don't think they'd be of interest to any collector missing a fob. So, if you can get that prong-lifting tool, you may be able to save some pretty glass. Just a warning--sometimes the gold foil of a stone stays more on the setting than on the stone when you pull it out.