Mardon Jewelers at the Mission Inn

We recently performed extensive repairs on a wedding ring that had been purchased in the LA Jewelry Mart. Thing is– the ring was brand new!

The client brought the ring to us for an insurance appraisal. We recognized this as a “jewelry mart special” because he had a “feel good appraisal” from the original seller that valued the ring at about 3 times what he had paid.

Two serious problems became apparent when we inspected the ring. First and foremost, the center diamond was ready to fall out! It was the worst job of setting a diamond this writer has seen in over 40 years in the jewelry business.

When properly done, the prongs in a tiffany style head (the 6 prong setting) are fitted to the stone and tightly crimped over the edge of the diamond so they grip the stone securely. In this instance, three prongs on one side of the diamond weren’t gripping the edge of the stone at all, and the diamond was seriously tilted.

These two side views show how poorly the stone is set– it’s tilted, the seats don’t fit the stone and the prongs aren’t set onto the stone .

The most likely explanation for the slipshod work is that the jeweler sold the stone separately from the ring, and the head in the ring was for a smaller diamond. Not wanting to  spend the money to replace it with a proper sized head, the seller made the decision to force the big diamond into the small head– and succeeded long enough to get the ring out the door.

After consulting with our diamond setter, it was obvious the best course would be to replace the original head with one that would fit the diamond and to set the stone properly. At $200, not an inexpensive repair, but considering the diamond was valued at ~$7000, cheap insurance.

We also noticed that most of the channel set diamonds were loose and the bars between the diamonds were uneven and poorly polished– the result of hurried work and/or poor technique. Our craftsmen were able to tighten the diamonds and correct the uneven look– but so many stones were loose, it took a lot of time, resulting in a repair that cost another $200. In the end we were able to deliver a properly set and properly finished ring.

The moral of the story is simple– you get what you pay for. The main reason for poor jewelry work like this is simple economics– quality work takes longer and requires more skill, so it costs more! Shortcuts and cheap labor are how some firms compete in today’s tough economy.

At Mardon, we take pride in our work. We make sure all of our original jewelry, custom designs, jewelry repairs and appraisals are done the right way. Maybe that’s why we’ve been voted Best Jeweler in the Press Enterprise Reader’s Choice for five years in a row.

Reader’s Choice voting has been extended to June 7– Vote for your favorite shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues by clicking on the red “Best of Inland Empire 2015” on our home page, www.mardonjewelers.com. We’d appreciate your vote so we can keep up the good work!

Mardon has placed a rare vintage watch for a client in this upcoming Important Watch Auction held at Sotheby’s New York venue. It’s Lot # 163, page 136 – you can browse the catalog at this URL, http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2015/watches-n09368.html#

This last year, we’ve added Jewelry Auctions to the list of services available through our extensive network of experts and colleagues. Many of our clients have expensive jewelry items they wish to sell for various reasons– for example, they have an inheritance that needs to be divided, they have pieces no longer worn or they simple want to raise cash. While Mardon buys all types of fine jewelry for cash, sometimes a high end item can only be properly valued thru an active market like auctions.

Auctions can be intimidating, especially to a person with no experience selling thru an auction. Auction houses charge fees for shipping, insurance, publication and promotion, and a commission based on the hammer price. Mardon has connections with such fine auctioneers as Sotheby’s and Christie’s. We can sell your jewelry through the appropriate auction for fees similar to what you would pay if you did all the work of estimating, shipping and insuring yourself. We’ll help you decide if selling your pieces thru an auction is the appropriate choice. No worries, no trips out of town, and you’ll be dealing with a local business established in our community since 1961.

Just a friendly reminder – Voting in the 2015 Reader’s Choice survey ends soon. If you’d like to be counted, it’s easy to do– just click on the red banner on the Mardon Jewelers Home Page, http://www.mardonjewelers.com, — it will take you right to the Press Enterprise online ballot. You don’t have to complete all the categories, just the ones you want. It only takes a bit of time and you’ll enjoy giving recognition to the restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues that are important to your life.

So, please, check out the ballot in the Wednesday and Sunday Press Enterprise– look for Best of Inland Empire 2015. Better yet, vote on line at http://www.pe.com/sections/bestofinlandempire/

We hope you’ll send a little love our way –  We work hard to bring you the very best in jewelry and to provide the expert services you need. We depend on your support and patronage to sustain our very small business. Thank you.

Now showing- a Stellar Collection of Emerald Jewelry from our good friends at AG Gems. If you’ve ever wanted to see what an outstanding Natural Emerald looks like, this your chance. Stop by our shop – we’ll show you beautiful rings, earrings and a fabulous necklace, set with fine Emeralds from Colombia and  Zambia. These items have gemological certifications from GIA or AGL, so you’ll know for certain what the gemstone is.

Colombia is the most well known source of fine emeralds. The fabulous Muzo Mine of Colombia dates back to the time of the Spanish Conquistadores and before. At their best, Muzo Emeralds can show the classic slightly bluish soft green color for which emeralds are famous. Our 5.88 ct. gem is the perfect emerald color, and comes with an AGL certification.

Magnificent 5.88 ct Muzo Emerald

3.47 ct. Zambian Emerald

This beautiful 3 stone ring centers on a stunning 3.47 ct. oval Emerald from Zambia, flanked by a matched pair of half moon shaped diamonds. The earrings feature 3 matched pairs of Zambian stones. Zambian emeralds are known for their deep color and excellent clarity.

Zamibian Emeralds total 7.19 cts

Stop by and chat with our gemologists– we love show and tell, especially with extra fine gems. These items have gemological certifications from GIA or AGL– You’ll see the difference quality makes and we’ll explain the factors that make fine Emeralds one of the most sought after of all  gems.

We’re open Tuesday thru Saturday, 10 am to 5:30 pm.

The annual Press Enterprise 2015 Reader’s Choice voting is going on now! Balloting lasts May 1 to May 31. It’s easy and fun to name your favorite shops, restaurants and entertainment venues.

Mardon Jewelers has a new relationship with two of America’s finest gem cutters, John Dyer and David Brackna. We met both of these award winning artists at this year’s Tuscon Gem show and were able to purchase fine examples of their work.  We’ll soon be showing these wonderful gemstones in our unique Mardon Original Jewelry.

John Dyer is a master gemstone cutter known worldwide for his artistic creations and his passion for precision. He’s won 37 AGTA Cutting Edge Awards including 9 first place prizes. John’s work is truly exciting and his taste and selection of materials are wonderful. Each of his gems is etched with his logo so you’ll know it’s a genuine Dyber gemstone. You can visit his website to see a catalog of his work.

I-24741 Zig Zag Cut 1.96 ct Gypsy Rose Garnet

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As members of the American Gem Society, we at Mardon Jewelers are committed to conducting our business ethically. Key tenets of the AGS are that the ethical business person never knowingly misrepresents the facts or intentionally deceives other parties. From our AGS Membership Manual, these are the first 3 of 15 specifically prohibited business practices.

1. Advertising which in any way is not the truth or has the intent to be misleading. 

2. Following a policy of regularly selling merchandise at prices lower than those at which it is marked or conducting repeated discount sales and discount promotional events as an on-going policy. 

3. Advertising or setting artificially high prices as the “regular price” to allow either a fictitious sale price or supposed discount “mark down” lower than the original price. 

Not only are we committed to fair pricing and ethical business practices, we’re also dedicated to consumer protection and education. One of the main reasons we decided to invest our time and energy publishing this blog is to offer our readers and clients quality information about both the good and the bad in our industry.

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We had a visit from one of our favorite clients, Chris, his wife Jaybee, and friends, on their way to a special event celebrating the Riverside Dickens Festival. We were pleased to see Jaybee wearing the exquisite antique necklace Chris recently acquired from Mardon. This necklace is one of the finest examples of Edwardian jewelry it’s been our pleasure to offer.

As you can see, Chris and Jaybee were dressed in period costume, painstakingly created by Jaybee’s sister Judy. The event was a fundraiser for Riverside’s annual Dickens Festival held every February. Noted actor, director and producer Gerald Dickens, the great great grandson of famous author Charles Dickens, was the featured attraction, but we’ll bet he was upstaged by Jaybee in her gorgeous necklace and beautiful costume.

While the necklace graced our shop, I was particularly impressed by the design and workmanship of this wonderful platinum and diamond necklace. Read more in my blog article explaining the handcraft techniques and skills involved in creating this work of art  at this url,

http://www.mardonjewelers.com/blog/antique-jewelry-shows-fine-craftsmanship/

At Mardon, we work with all types of fine jewelry. Whether it’s making custom items, designing original one-of-a-kind pieces, or discovering beautiful antique and vintage jewels, you’ll find us busy all hours of our day. We especially love the history of jewelry making. Stop by the shop to see and learn more about fine jewelry, from new to antique. Our regular hours are Tuesday thru Saturday, 10 am to 5:30 pm. Starting December 15, we’ll be open everyday til Christmas.

The Polygon Trading Network, an online buying/selling service for the diamond trade, announced the latest bombshell in the EGL Diamond Grading scandal. They will no longer list diamonds with European Gemological Laboratory International (EGL) reports. This follows in the wake of the decision by another trading network, RapNet, to ban all EGL report for it’s network.

Trouble has long been brewing in the diamond grading industry. The original grading system was developed by the Gemological Institute of America in the 1950’s. The GIA system introduced terminology for color and clarity grades as well as simple standards for analyzing the cut by depth and table measurements. Their motive was simple —  provided standardized and unbiased diamond grading so consumers would know what they were buying.

Over the years, GIA diamond grading reports have been the gold standard– GIA invented the system and has kept impartiality and respect by maintaining a strict arm’s length relationship with diamond vendors.

EGL grading uses the same grading terminology established by GIA, but over the years, their application of the grades has drifted away from GIA standards. The general consensus of many in the jewelry industry is that the EGL has allowed the natural bias of diamond sellers to influence their grading. In other words, their grading is too lenient.

Consumers don’t really understand the nuances of diamond grading– to most, a grade is a grade. While using GIA’s grading terms, EGL grading has become the orange to GIA’s Apple.

This grading drift has meant that the whole purpose of formal diamond grading has been corrupted. The marketplace has clearly reflected the problem. For example, today, the wholesale price listed on Polygon for a one carat diamond graded H color SI1 by GIA recently averaged $5340 per carat, while the EGL H SI1 averaged $4120 per carat– a difference of 23%.

Consumers have access to pricing information on the internet, but aren’t market savvy and don’t really understand the nuances of diamond grading– to most, a grade is a grade. As a result, the problem recently erupted when retail jewelers selling diamonds based on EGL reports were sued for misrepresentation by their customers.

The obvious answer to the problem is for EGL to get its act together and align it’s grading with GIA– it’s basically a management issue. The master diamonds (color samples) used by EGL can be graded by GIA — this will be a good start to reestablish the legitimacy of EGL grading. Cut grading can be standardized fairly easily– numbers are pretty straightforward, so common sense guidelines for cut grading are relatively easy to establish. Clarity is probably the most subjective of the C’s and the most difficult to standardize.

In my experience as a Diamond Grading Supervisor at the GIA lab in Santa Monica, early 1980’s, it took about 6 months to train new graders to be consistent with the lab practice– and these were all Graduate Gemologists. Getting a group of independent minded folks to see things the same way is like herding cats, but it can be done. It just takes discipline and commitment– If the folks at EGL want to get in synch with GIA, they can do it.

At Mardon, because of our experience at GIA and years of selling diamonds, we’ve always recommended GIA graded diamonds to our clients. In our opinion, the AGS lab and HRD lab in Europe also grade accurately.

As American Gem Society members, we’re committed to consumer protection thru education and fair trade practices. We want you to buy the diamond, not the piece of paper. The certificate helps understand the gem but it’s the map, not the land. We do our best to represent our diamonds fairly and accurately and to show our customers where the real value of the diamond lies.

We’d like to thank our loyal customers for choosing us for the sixth year in a row as the Press Enterprise Reader’s Choice Best Jeweler. We truly appreciate your votes and your confidence in our small but mighty enterprise. The annual Reader’s Choice supplement will be published in tomorrow’s Sunday Press Enterprise.

Small businesses have to evolve to survive. Over the last few years, we’ve been focusing on serving the needs of our community by buying more jewelry from the public.  For many reasons, customers come to us with jewelry they need to sell.  As a result, our vintage and antique jewelry department has grown substantially.

We’ve developed new skills in working with vintage and antique jewelry in several ways. We’ve expanded our network of experts for restoring vintage and antique items. For example, we can now repair filigree jewelry effectively and can restore damaged enameled jewels.

We’ve greatly expanded our knowledge network so that we can appraise items more accurately. Today’s jewelery appraising requires market data to establish values, so we subscribe to a number of specialty services that research various markets for accurate information.

Along with appraisals, clients sometimes need to resell high ticket items. In some cases, we can buy items outright, in other instances, auctions may be the best solution. We now offer consignment services to auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christies. We handle the listing, appraisal, shipping, and insurance chores that go with selling items at auction.

All in all, this past year has seen growth and economic improvement in our community. Let’s hope the ball keeps rolling!  Thanks again for your confidence and loyal support.

2.33 ct. Padparadscha Sapphire, Mardon ring

One of the problems we encounter in the gem trade is misrepresentation to add value to gems. As aficionados of fine gemstones and as members of the American Gem Society and the American Gem Trade Association, we believe it’s important to conduct our business by a strict code of ethics and to protect our customers from fraud and false advertising.

We do this two ways. First, we keep our gemological skills up to date by yearly testing and by following trade publications and scientific journals. We know what we are talking about.

We work diligently to give our customers good information so that they know and understand what they are buying. The following is an example of the subtle differences that can make a big difference to the consumer.

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