(Part 3) Top products from r/jewelry

No problem. :-)

I've never owned the one that I linked, but it's highly reviewed. Lots of good reviews usually don't let you down.

I have this one:

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OALOHS/

At ~$100, it's a bit more pricey, but I use it for professional applications so I wanted to start out with a mid-grade model. Wish I could compare it to the $40 one for you.

Ultrasonic cleaners are great because they clean out all the dirt and grime that you can't get to with anything else, or even see, really.

It's awesome for glasses, too. I'll pop my glasses in there for 480 seconds and they come out like new. Rinse. Dry. New glasses.

I restore classic cars and I've had parts in there. Plastic knobs and light lenses come out sparkly.

My wife's jewelry is always clean.

I mostly use mine for watchmaking purposes which involves a lot more little jars filled with other chemicals, but I've been surprised at all the other things that I've cleaned in it.

They're pretty versatile little machines if you get one that's easy to dump and rinse out. Sometimes the amount of dirt in little things is shocking.

I've been in a similar predicament; all the diamond earrings on Amazon have such mixed reviews. I've bought pearl earrings from HinsonGayle like these before as a gift and now they are my go-to item for hard to shop for friends. They are very shiny, perfectly smooth, and come in a nice little box. One note: they are kind of large and showy.

MAPP would be a bit unwieldy, imo.

I use this guy: http://www.amazon.com/ALL-PURPOSE-LARGE-BUTANE-TORCH-SOL-310-00/dp/B0058EDUYG

It works great. Gets plenty hot, nothing on it has melted even though I'm right up in the action with it, easy to refill but doesn't go through the butane too quickly, and has an adjustable flame (which is really key for a lot of things). Eventually I'll upgrade to acetylene, but for now it works great.

If you want a step up from that the Blazer gets consistently good reviews - http://www.amazon.com/Blazer-GB2001-Self-Igniting-Butane-Micro-Torch/dp/B000VML7KO/

If you're curious and think they could be bands, I recommend getting an inexpensive metals testing kit from some place like amazon If you want to search for yourself: Precious Metals Testing Kit Silver, Platinum, 10k 14k 18k 22k Gold Tests Plus Stone

I am looking for bands too!

For that price you could buy 10 of these. from overstock.com
or
almost 20 of these from amazon.com.

I am leaning towards http://www.titaniumkay.com/ based on the recomendation of another reditor because I want to get mine engraved for under $100.

Unless someone can really, thoroughly explain why I should be paying over $50 I do not think I will. I purchased a few from amazon.com that will come tomorrow so I can try them out and see if I like the style/fit (plus free shipping!). I will probably keep the one I like best as a backup. If anything does go wrong, I wont have to worry about answering any questions or worry about explaining things while I wait for a replacement. For $17 that piece of mind is worth it.

Definitely more expensive now

It's a curb chain, looks to be around 8mm link size and I'm not sure how big you are but 20-24" sounds about right (my ex had a chain just like this). Pawn shop is a good bet for not spending as much or you could commission a jewelry designer who can buy the chain wholesale and attach a clasp for you.

My favorite magnifiers as someone who does bench work, beading, wire wrap, stonework:

http://www.amazon.com/SE-1013FL-Helping-Magnifier-Light/dp/B000Z7GGJC/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1405451223&sr=8-6&keywords=helping+hands

http://www.amazon.com/Microscope-Jeweler-Currency-Magnifier-Adjustable/dp/B00AQAANDS/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1405451254&sr=8-9&keywords=jewelers+loupe
(this thing is so much fun, and I keep one on me when running around goodwills)

http://www.amazon.com/Housweety-Professional-Jewelers-Lighted-Magnifier/dp/B005VIG6TA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405451281&sr=8-1&keywords=jewelers+magnifier

None of these are expensive and all are very useful.

Nitrocellulose varnish like this. Casts made from properly-mixed dental plaster are very durable but chances are these casts are made of a garden-variety Plaster of Paris which doesn't have a great deal of structural strength though the surface may be hard. The idea is to coat the cast with something that will seal the pores and prevent moisture from entering and degrading the plaster. Renaissance Wax or even a clear paste wax like Briwax will seal plaster surfaces and keep the plaster from getting grubby from handling but the cast as a whole won't be durable if it was poured without having some sort of fibrous matter mixed into the plaster (horse hair was common) to strengthen it.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B0015H6JYS/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1466343337&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=stay+brite+solder&dpPl=1&dpID=41Ob4CbZtBL&ref=plSrch

This? It says it's a silver solder... if I do this should I also solder in a band underneath to reinforce it or is it strong enough on it's own.

This is pretty much exactly what you’re looking for:

https://www.amazon.com/Stoned-Jewelry-Obsession-Desire-Shapes/dp/0062334700

You have choices. You can either buy nylon tip pliers made specifically for working with wire you don't want to mark up, wrap the tips of pliers with duct tape to protect the wire, or they sell a coating you can dip your pliers into that will coat the tips. Everything but the acrylic pliers will have to be reapplied occasionally as it wears off with use.

Rubber coating:

http://www.amazon.com/Tool-Magic-Rubber-Coating-Jewelry/dp/B007AMUJCA

Nylon jaw pliers:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000GBT8TM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1425405665&sr=8-1&keywords=Nylon+pliers&dpPl=1&dpID=3177P5AHJOL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

You should invest in a roll up jewelry case (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Velvet-Chain-Travel-Display/dp/B000OVJYU2) for your pendants, and just keep a normal jewelry box for earrings and rings.

https://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Silver-Happy-Face-Suns/dp/B003M67UV6

Do you have wall space? I have purchased some shadow boxes and hold my jewelry in place with pins. You can rearrange as necessary.

I also have one of these organizers in a drawer in my bathroom.

Stock Your Home Stackable Jewelry Organizer Trays for Jewelry Showcase Display & Jewelry Storage Holder for Earrings, Bracelets, Necklaces & Rings – Set of 3 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041HBS68/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_h3A7AbR7C6B34

Whoops, apparently mine are 1/4 carat each, 1/2 total. I do have tiny ears though- [here] (http://www.amazon.com/Aquamarine-Stud-Earrings-Sterling-Silver/dp/B004DWKEUM/ref=sr_1_2?s=jewelry&ie=UTF8&qid=1345949200&sr=1-2&keywords=aquamarine+earrings) are the studs my boyfriend got me.

Good to know. To clarify, she currently uses these two products - should we stop using them? What if there's no solder joints, would your opinion change? Magnasonic Cleaner & Jewelry Concentrate cleaner

Maybe some jewelry cleaning wipes?

It says they'll work for costume jewelry! I've only used it on a tarnished silver chain, I was shocked by the difference. I found these at Target.

I'm in the same boat. Congrats on the weight loss, btw!

1. Here's some inexpensive plastic versions. I've used variations of these in the past. Cheap and no tools required, but looks a little tackier than the metal ones (but who's looking at the ventral side of your ring?)
   
   Coil style
   
   Clippy style
   
   Tube style
   
   
2. Since it's a band and doesn't have a top side, stacking rings are an "in" look right now. You usually size up 1/2 to 1 size for stacking rings anyway, so you can stack some inexpensive rings in the same size or slightly smaller to keep your band from falling off.
   
   Warning: stacking rings will wear against each other. So this is a short term solution not a permanent one.

Silver polishing cloths will be fine. The chemical used won't damage the stone, they'll just take off the oxidation. Here's a quick link.

It won't brighten the silver up to a mirror finish, but depending on how long you've had this, you might consider getting the shank of the ring repolished at a jewelry store and the stone checked for any damage.