I polished the opal using Gus Tuason's instructions for cerium oxide, and do see more fire on top. I was surprised how well it worked and it...
Thank you Sean. I used many coats of hand-rubbed tung oil (a lengthy process). Your chest could have come from the upper Midwest (I bought mine in...
I wonder if it could be butternut. I refinished the butternut chest below(it had peeling black paint). The drawers have the same type of dovetails...
Gee! You're all so kind.:happy: I'm going to take a nap now so will be logging out for a while.
Thank you komokwa!!!
Thank you AJ, you're so kind . I rarely get colds now that I'm retired, but when I do it seems like such a luxury to be able to stay home and not...
Thank you Shelley for the link. I definitely see the similarities to my ring. It also makes me think that mine is 14K as marked. I didnt get a...
I ordered the off-white Super Cerium Oxide (the description said it was the highest purity), but wondered if I should have ordered the red cerium...
I like the bead caps -- they help date the necklace, which is quite old (maybe 20s-30s Flapper/Art Deco). Some appear to be better fitted than...
Thank you so much for your advice and detailed instructions. I don't have a lapidary shop in my area, but found Cerium oxide on Amazon and plan to...
You're smart to practice refinishing to learn how products work and how wood reacts to them. But I would like to add a word of caution when you...
Thank you AJ for the advice about the opal and also the picture of the earring. Now I know what you mean by Indonesian lotus shaped jewelry and...
You're right about the center top of the opal -- it is somewhat opaque. I wonder if it would be worth having a jeweler grind it down a little and...
Thank you for that advice. I live in a town of only 16,000, but there's a high-end jewelry design studio, so will call and ask if they'd test the...
Yes, but I kept thinking about the opal not having much fire, the surface being kind of uneven, and the somewhat crude setting, and wondered who...
Considering that I recently had cataract surgery and don't have prescription glasses yet, I guess I still have a pretty good eye (although I did...
I appreciate your thoughts and opinions, Any Jewelry. And thank you to the others who commented. The little jewelry store that used to test...
I took a chance on this crudely-made opal ring ($12 at a thrift store in Minnesota) and couldn't see any marks until I photographed it and saw...
Do you have a picture of the bonnet you made for your daughter's school play? The purse frame that sold for US$150 was located in France, and the...
I love your antique celluloid purse frame (I'm thinking 1920s-30s). I searched "vintage celluloid purse" on ebay and found several examples with...
Separate names with a comma.
