The “4 C’s” The most important factors when determining the quality of a diamond are the 4 C’s. These are the diamond’s: • Carat • Cut • Colour • Clarity. The key thing to note is that not one ‘C’ is more significant than the other. A particular combination of the 4 C’s can be chosen to suit a particular budget, occasion, design and/or jewellery piece.

The “4 C’s” The most important factors when determining the quality of a diamond are the 4 C’s. These are the diamond’s: • Carat • Cut • Colour • Clarity. The key thing to note is that not one ‘C’ is more significant than the other. A particular combination of the 4 C’s can be chosen to suit a particular budget, occasion, design and/or jewellery piece.

Cut

Cut is the shape and cutting style of a diamond. The round brilliant cut the most popular. Other shapes are the asscher, cushion, emerald, heart, pear, marquise, oval, princess and trilliant. A well cut diamond is a special balance between three important factors – brilliance, dispersion and scintillation. Brilliance is the return of white light to the viewer’s eyes from the internal & external surfaces of a diamond. Dispersion, or as it is commonly known “fire” are the flashes of spectral colours that come from a diamond. Scintillation is the sparkle/flashes of light you see as the diamond or light source moves.

Carat

Carat is often mistakenly used to refer to a diamonds size, but it is actually a measure of weight. One carat=200mg and can be divided into 100 “points”. A 0.75 carat diamond may also be described as a 75 point or three quarter carat diamond. Larger diamonds are found less frequently in nature, so they can command a significantly higher price. For instance, a one carat diamond will cost more than 0.25 carat diamonds of equal colour, clarity and cut.

Every diamond is unique. Nature ensures that each diamond is as individual as the person who wears it.

Clarity

Naturally-occurring features-known as inclusions can affect the value of a diamond. However, many can only be seen by experts using a 10-power magnification loupe. Even with the loupe, the tiniest inclusions can be very difficult to find. Flawless diamonds are rarer thus, more expensive, but small inclusions do not affect the beauty or the brilliance of a diamond.

Diamonds are found in almost every colour of the rainbow, but white coloured diamonds remain the most popular.

Colour

There are more than 20 subtle grades of colour, identified in alphabetical order from D-Z. Variations are so slight that colours must be graded by an expert under controlled lighting conditions and compared against a master set for accuracy. Those at the upper end of the scale, for example D, will be more expensive, as they are rarer, however they are difficult to discern with the naked eye.

This is a process undertaken by all the major diamond suppliers (rough and cut) in the world. It is a process that ensures that the origin of any diamond can be traced to ensure that buyers can establish that the diamond is not a conflict or blood diamond. A blood diamond is any diamond that has been illegally mined and sold by rebel movements to finance armed struggles against legitimate governments. For many years the illegal trade in these stones has fuelled devastating conflicts in countries such as Angola, Cote d’lvore, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. The Kimberley Process creates a documentary record of where and by whom the rough diamonds have been mined all the way until they have been cut, polished, set into jewellery and arrive on the sales floor. All participants in this process ensure that the diamonds are shipped in sealed containers and exported with a Kimberley Process Certificate which certifies that the diamonds are CONFLICT FREE. Galaxy & Co. subscribes to and is fully committed to this process, all suppliers of diamond products must provide Galaxy with the Process Certificate and this is carefully monitored by the Quality Control and receiving departments.

Most gems are natural, inorganic minerals that have a specific chemical composition and a characteristic structure. A gem embodies three important traits: 1. 2. 3.

Beauty Rarity Relative durability

Treated gemstones

Gem materials are occasionally treated to improve their appearance. The aim of treatments is to strengthen colour, improve luster and/or improve durability of the stone. Treatments include: • Dyeing or coating gems. • Heating to improve colour and clarity. • Lead glass, wax or resin impregnations of a gem’s fractures pits or fissures. • Lattice diffusion of Gemstones and irradiation or bleaching. In some cases, a combination of treatments may take place to achieve the treater’s desired result. Additionally, different gem treatments require different care requirements, because treatments affect the value of gemstones, there is a need to inform and/or disclose how a gem has been treated. Information about gem treatments should occur at every step of the buying and selling process from wholesale to retail and ultimately to members of the buying public.

Created/Synthetic gemstones

Many important natural gemstones, such as ruby, sapphire, spinel, emerald and other beryls have man-made counterparts that are manufactured in a laboratory. Such materials are called synthetic, because they have virtually the same chemical, physical and optical characteristics as their natural counterparts. Galaxy & Co. sells created gems e.g. sapphires and emeralds. They are a lot cheaper than the natural stone; however they are often just as beautiful.

Natural pearls

Pearls accidentally formed in the interior of a mollusc without human intervention..

Cultured pearls

Pearls are formed without molluscs with human intervention.

Imitation pearls

Pearls are artificial products not formed in molluscs , but manufactured by imitating the appearance, colour and other features of natural or cultured pearls.

A precious metal is a rare metallic chemical element which is of high economic value. The best known precious metals are: Gold • Tarnishing – the cause, potential influences & possible solutions. • White gold. • Plating. • Caratage. Silver Platinum

Gold

Pure gold has a bright yellow colour and is one of only two coloured metal elements, the other being copper. All other metals are silver or grey. The colour of the gold that Galaxy & Co. sells is called Hamilton.

Tarnishing

Tarnishing is the slight corrosion of the gold surface and it is seen as a dark discolouration, called the “tarnish film”. The higher the gold caratage the less likely it is to tarnish and pure 24 carat gold cannot tarnish. Therefore, tarnishing is mostly seen in 9 carat gold, a little in 14 carat and very seldom in 18 carat gold. The cause: The oxygen and sulphur compounds in the atmosphere mixed with moisture are the main sources of tarnishing. When this happens, the base metals in the gold alloy, particularly copper and silver are attacked by corrosive compounds which turn the gold black or dark brown. Copper oxides are red to black and silver are black, hence the dark discolouring. Everyone's body chemistry is different and that is why some people are more susceptible than others. Potential influences: 1) Exposure to moisture: perspiration, perfume, hairspray, deodorants and washing of hands. 2) For women, menstruation can influence body chemistry. 3) Preparation of food stuffs. Many vegetables, such as onions and spices that contain sulphur compounds and/or acids. 4) Storage. Boxes and storage containers often contain organic sulphur compounds. Possible solutions: 1) 2) 3) 4)

Remove jewellery when doing any form of washing. Avoid perfumes, deodorants and sprays when wearing the jewellery. Polish regularly with a soft cloth to dry and remove any early tarnish films. Store jewellery in a pouch or plastic bag in a dry atmosphere.

White gold

White gold's are gold alloys that look white rather than yellow. The white colour is achieved by alloying (mixing) gold with a family of white metals. Which bleach the deep yellow of pure gold. The most common white metals are: nickel, palladium and zinc. Nickel has properties that cause sensitivity and allergies, and so, needs to be used with great care. White gold is plated with Rhodium, which gives it a beautiful shine. If customers want their frequently worn white gold jewellery to remain white and shiny, they need to replate approximately once every year.

Plating

Plating is a process whereby a jewellery item is covered with a thin layer of metal. All types of jewellery items are plated such as, gold, silver, costume jewellery and watches etc. The most common metal used for plating is Rhodium which is a member of the platinum family and is a precious metal. It is a very white and hard metal that resists scratching, tarnishing and doesn’t discolour. It is important to know that Rhodium plating doesn’t last forever. The plating on something that is worn everyday, like a wedding ring, can wear away in as little as one year. However, an item not worn so often, and therefore not coming into frequent contact with skin or the other elements, such as a necklace or even earrings can last up to 10 years. Most jewellery items can be easily replated, although replating of a two-toned piece will be more expensive as it has to be done by hand. Prices will vary according to the thickness of the Rhodium plate chosen – the thicker the plating, the more metal used and therefore the more expensive the process. For jewellery worn everyday, thicker plating is recommended.

Caratage

Gold jewellery is usually described in terms of “caratage” (Karatage in the USA) to indicate its gold content. This can also be described as fineness which refers to the parts of gold per thousand. 750 fineness, the measure for 18K gold, indicates that there are 750 parts of gold per thousand i.e. 18c gold=75% gold. 24k gold, which is described as “pure gold”, “fine gold” or “Chuk Kam” in Chinese, must contain a minimum of 99.0% gold. Obviously, the more gold there is, the more expensive the jewellery will be. The following table shows some of the various caratages with their equivalent gold content in percentage and fineness term, as recognized by law in some countries:

Silver

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. Galaxy & Co. only sells sterling silver jewellery.

Platinum is an extremely rare, naturally white metal that is found in only a few places worldwide. Principally, in Russia and South Africa.

Platinum

To create hard-wearing jewellery, platinum needs to be alloyed with other metals. There are stringent standards governing the amount of platinum in an alloy, with typical levels being 95% pure metal. This is known as Pt 950. This is what makes platinum very expensive, which is why Galaxy & Co. doesn’t use platinum in their jewellery. Once the purity of the platinum is determined, the item will be stamped with a hallmark to certify this.

The Importance of Costume Jewellery in Galaxy & Co.

Galaxy & Co. has costume jewellery to its product assortment for three main reasons: 1) To offer an affordable alternative to fine jewellery – as the gold price has soared the need to offer our customers an attractive alternative to fine jewellery pieces has become very important. 2) To keep up with the changing trends in fashion - With the modernization of the South African consumer, through the internet, TV and other communication channels, fashion and fashion brands have become an important part of our customers adornment needs. By its nature, fashions are short lived and change quite frequently – this means that the product must be affordable, keep up with the fashions and changed regularly: we must ensure that there are new and exciting products coming into Galaxy & Co. on an ongoing basis. 3) Enticing our customers to regularly visit our stores – with this goes our ability to keep our customers loyal by keeping them coming into our stores and facilitating repeat purchases. “There is always something new at Galaxy”.

Facts about Costume Jewellery

In order to keep the product affordable it is generally made out of base and alloyed metals, such as brass etc. This is then plated with gold or silver plating of varying thickness. This is the same as that used in the majority of watch brands internationally. • A good plating is approximately 4 micron thick. • With a very good plating being 6 micron thick. Costume jewellery is not fine jewellery and is designed and manufactured to last as long as the fashion lasts. “Out with the old and in with the new”. All our products are of a very good quality with plating of no less than 4 micron and are nickel free; they therefore should not have any adverse affects on our customers skins. An example of a brand of costume jewellery currently stocked by Galaxy & Co. is Guess.

Types of watches

Mechanical Watches Mechanical watches are wound up every day as the fully wound mainspring makes the watch work. If it stops, the watch has to be reset. Automatic Watches Automatic watches do not have to be wound up. The movement of the hand or arm keeps the mainspring wound up. Quartz Watches The battery of the quartz makes the watch work. These are the most accurate of all watches. Quartz watches use a quartz crystal which sets the frequency of the watch and ensures that they are the most accurate of all. The quartz crystal is powered by a replacement battery. Galaxy only stocks quartz watches.

Types of Quartz watches

An Analogue watch is the traditional watch design. Two or three hands rotate to show the time as indicated by the numbers or markers (batons) for the hour, minute and seconds. The vast majority of all watches are analogues. A Digital watch shows the time in a numerical readout display. Most digital watches feature a variety of functions that include: chronograph (stop watch), day – date calendar, alarm and a 12 to 24 hour time format. Some digital watches also feature an illumination light. Chronograph implies stop-watch. This feature allows us to record the time of an event starting from zero, and to stop, start or go back to zero at a push of a button. Galaxy & Co. stocks its own house brand – “The La Montre” (in French means The watch). The La Montre offers value, exquisite design and excellent quality.

Components of a watch

What you need to know: 1) Bracelet/Strap Bracelet: A metallic watch band that is usually gold, silver toned, stainless steel or two toned in silver and gold. Strap: A watch band made of leather, plastic, fabric, resin or rubber. 2) Calendar (Day/Date) A watch feature that shows the date, day of the week and sometimes the month. 3) Case This is the protective covering over the back of the watch or clock mechanism. Otherwise known as the case back. 4) Crown The round button on the side of the watch used to wind and/or set the watch hands. The crown is linked to the watch middle by the Stem. 5) Hands (Minute Hand and Hour Hand) The pointer that turn around the dial of a watch indicating the hours, minutes and seconds. 6) Glass The “glass” covering the watch dial. This can be made of plastic, mineral crystal or sapphire crystal. 7) Bezel The ring around the dial of the watch that holds the watch crystal in place. In some sports watches the bevel can be moved around. The divers use the bezel to gauge how much air they have used up from their tanks. 8) Dial Otherwise known as “the face”. The plate set behind the hands of a watch designed with numerals (numbers) or markers indicating the time division. Dials also come in various colours e.g. white, champagne and black

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Words & phrases used within the watch industry Adjustment - Refers to the work done on a watch to improve its accuracy after manufacturing. Alarm - A watch feature that sounds an alarm at a pre-set time or at regular intervals. Analogue - A timepiece with dial, hands and numbers or markers indicating a 12 hour time span. The standard watch design. Analogue Quartz - The most commonly used term referring to any analogue timepiece that operates on a battery or on solar power and is regulated by a quartz crystal. Base metal - Any non-precious metal such as brass used to make gold or silver plated watch cases. Chronograph - A watch which in addition to telling the time, can act as a stopwatch. Chronometer - A watch which has passed severe tests at an official watch testing centre or observatory and has received a certificate. The certificate is proof that the time set is accurate on the watch. Clasp - The attachment used to connect the two ends of a watch bracelet or strap. Digital - Any watch that shows the time in digits instead of hands on a dial. The numbers appear in LCD (liquid crystal display) which shows a continuous reading – or in LED (light emitting diode) which shows time at the push of a button.

Words & phrases used within the watch industry LCD - Liquid crystal display. System used in almost all quartz watches with numbers or electronic hands to show time continuously and give other information. LED - Light emitting diodes. System for displaying time with digits that light up when the wearer presses a button, used in most of the quartz watches with numbers. One seldom finds LED watches because of their high power consumption and inconvenience. Mineral crystal - A specially hardened mineral crystal that is scratch and knock resistant. It is the standard mineral glass used in most brands. Movement - The complete unit inside the case of the watch with hands that makes the watch operate. Quartz - A natural or commercially synthesized colicin dioxide crystal. Used in “quartz analogue” or solid state digital watches. When activated by the battery or solar power, the crystal vibrates at a very high frequency providing highly accurate time keeping. Sapphire crystal - The “glass” used to cover the dial. This is made of synthetic sapphire and is so hard that it is practically unscratchable. Solid State - A timepiece with no moving parts. All digital watches are 100% solid state. Analogue watches combine solid state circuits with moving parts. Markers - Referring to any mark other than a number or numeral on a watch dial that indicates the hours, minutes and seconds. Gold plating - A layer of gold applied by chemical process (electroplating) to a base metal such as brass for watch cases and bracelets. The thickness of plating is measured in microns. The higher the number of microns the longer the plating should last.

Water resistant watches Does waterproof mean water resistant? When your customer asks, “Is it water-proof?” the answer is, “The government has established standards which allow a watch to be called ‘water resistant’.” A watch may be water resistant, but never water-proof. So how water resistant is water resistant? That all depends on the watch. Water resistance is measured in PSIs (pounds per square inch) or ATMs (atmospheres). If a watch is water resistant to 50 meters, it means that the watch can safely withstand the pressure of still water below the surface. But if you were to move that watch, like a swimmer does during a stroke, you would be exerting a lot more pressure on the watch. This is why is it important for you and your customer to know that even though a watch may say: “Water Resistant to 50 meters”, it is not recommended to wear the watch at that depth. Non Water Resistant: If “WATER RESISTANT” is not inscribed on the case back, the watch is not water resistant. Care should be taken not to get it wet as water may damage the movement. If the watch becomes wet, we suggest that you have it checked by your respective suppliers to ensure that no water damage has occurred.

Water resistance measurements

3 Bar/ 3 ATM or 30 Meters If WATER RESISTANT is inscribed on the case back, your watch is designed and manufactured to withstand up to 3 Bar/ATM (30 meter) such as accidental contact with water, for example splashes of rain. It is not designed for swimming or diving. 10 Bar/ 10 ATM or 100 Meters If WATER RESISTANT 10 Bar/ATM or 100 meters is inscribed on the case back, your watch is designed and manufactured to withstand up to 100 meters. It is suitable for swimming and shallow diving, but not for scuba diving. 15 Bar/ 15 ATM or 150 Meters If WATER RESISTANT 15 Bar/ ATM or 150 meters is inscribed on the case back, your watch is designed and manufactured to withstand up to 15 Bar/ ATM or 150 meters and is suitable for swimming and shallow diving, but not for scuba diving. If the watch has been used in sea water, rinse it off with fresh water and dry it completely.

NOTE: 1.All watches are tested in cold water; therefore your watch must not be exposed to hot water (I.e. hot showers and shampoo) and steam. 2.The stem, crown and push buttons must not be operated underwater because by doing so; water will seep in through the gaps. 3.Advise customers not to exceed more than half of the allowed depth. 4.Diving watches will have the locking crown (known as screw down crown.

General Each individual watch has its own guarantee, which must be kept under the counter with the watch boxes. It is extremely important that the customer understands which parts of the watch are under guarantee. The guarantee is only valid if properly completed. Stress to the customer when they purchase that they must look after their invoice and guarantee otherwise we cannot help them if anything goes wrong. Do not leave it to the customer to read the guarantee booklet – advise them on the below upon conclusion of sale.

Covered under guarantee

Not covered under guarantee

1.

1. The glass crystal, bracelet, strap attachments and battery. 2. Water damage when it is NOT clearly marked on the case back as water resistant or when the watch is used below recommended depth. 3. Scratches on the case caused by use. 4. Watches in respect of which the guarantee form was not fully completed. 5. If tampered with or damaged by anyone other than the suppliers or supplier repair workshops. 6. Any claim if the guarantee coupon has been altered or tampered with, or where the original has been lost and a photocopy offered. 7. Any damage to the watches arising from natural disasters, such as fire, flooding or earthquakes etc.

Operation and moving parts of the watch.

Methods used for sizing rings

It is not possible and far too expensive to carry every ring in various sizes, therefore the majority of retailers worldwide stock one ring size and offer a sizing service. Sizing is a skilled and expensive process and we never recover the full cost from customers. There are two main systems for the sizing’s of jewellery rings in use around the world. 1. 2.

Numerical scale: Mainly used in the USA. Alphabetical scale: This includes half sizes, mainly used in South Africa, Europe, Australia and the UK.

Other methods, such as measuring the finger with a strip of paper or slipping the finger through pre-cut “measuring holes”, are inaccurate. Measuring existing fitted rings is a method that can also be used, however its important to remember that finger size (ring size) changes due to factors such as menstrual cycle, temperature, humidity, water retention and exercise.

Tools for checking size

1. 2.

Rings sets – there are two types thin and thick shanks. Triplet or ring stick.

Types of sizing

Ring sizes range from: A-smallest (12mm) inside diameter to Z6-largest (25mm) inside diameter, and rising by approximately 0.33mm per size i.e. from A-B, B would be approximately 0.33mm larger than 12mm. At Galaxy, ladies rings are all normal size P>(18mm) and gents are all normally V>(20.5mm). These are the most common sizes, but many rings have to be resized to fit the customers finger. There are two types of sizing: 1. 2.

Downsizing- to make smaller i.e. from P-M. Upsizing- to make bigger i.e. from P-S.

Downsizing

Upsizing

This occurs by removing (see a) a section/part of the shank, re-soldering (see b) that which is left and then restoring the shape and symmetry of the shank by using a triplet (a round tapered bar used for making rings round).

1.

A ring is upsized by stretching the shank for the first size or two (normally only done with plain settings and wedding bands). 2. If a jeweller cannot stretch the ring then a piece is cut out of the bottom of the shank, (see b) stretched open and then a piece of solder is placed in the gap and reshaped to the ‘shape’ of the shank (see b). 3. The extra metal from the solder is removed by filling and then placed on a triplet to restore shape and symmetry to the shank.

Problem areas

1. 2. 3.

If the shank is too thin, additional gold will have to be added from the second upsize onwards. Soldered joints and insertions should not be visible to the naked eye if the sizing is done correctly. If different alloys are used during welding, these occasionally react to the customers skin and form a thin black line at the soldering point, therefore it is important that the correct solders are used.

Downsizing problems

Making a ring with an inflexible top (certain gents or large cluster rings) considerably smaller will result in an egg shaped ring.

Upsizing problems

On certain gents or cluster rings (with flexible tops), if customers want this ring made considerably larger , there could be a problem, because the portion under the setting (the curvature) cannot change shape due to the rigidity of the settings (stones).

On flat top rings, if this ring is made too small, the top of the ring will also bend and become CONVEX. On Channel Set, “U” Collett or large solitaire rings the stones/diamonds may become loose, as the setting widens.

On flat top rings, if this ring is made too big, the top of the ring starts to bend slightly (becomes bow shaped). The top becomes CONCAVE. On Channel Set, “U” Collett or large solitaire rings the setting around the stones/diamonds may become tighter.

The Golden Rule

If a ring has to be sized more than 3 sizes UP or DOWN, an expert opinion, from the sizing workshop or sent to Head Office, is required before the ring is sent off for sizing. They will advise if the ring can be safely sized or if it is better to have a new ring made in the appropriate size.