Custom Money Clips

What is a handmade Money Clip?

They are not mass produced. Each piece is made individually by a craftsman and every one is slightly different, making them a piece of art.

What do I get when I order a handmade Money Clip from Rick Sindeband at Skystone and Silver?

You get a solid piece of Sterling Silver or 14k Gold that has been hand cut from a large sheet of metal.The piece is flattened with a hammer and hallmarked with the artist's mark and a quality stamp,the edges are rounded with a file. If the Clip is to be appliqued or overlayed (that is artwork made and attached to the clip by Silver soldering), then the clip is bent and prepared for soldering. If the Clip is to be cutout or see-thru, then the metal is cut out to make the design before the clip is bent. No soldering is necessary in this process.

If you are ordering a design that must be attached to the clip, this artwork has to be drawn to scale so that when cut out of Sterling Silver, Brass, Copper or Gold, it will fit properly on the Clip. This cutting only involves the use of a hand jewelers saw and a tiny drill. Artwork could be cast from a master model and attached to the clip. You will see most artwork for clips is made this way. I currently only have one design that I cast; most in my line of clips are fabricated from scratch. If you are ordering a cutout design, I drill the holes in the proper place and cut
everything out that is not wanted. Then while the clip is still flat, I add any stamping or line work. This is done with a little tool called a stamp. This stamp is struck with a hammer at just the right force to give the desired effect. Most of the stamps that I use are handmade out of steel. The Clip is bent before soldering and after being cutout. If soldered, the clip must cool and then it is put in a hot acid bath called Pickle. After the pickle, the polishing begins. If oxidizing is needed, it is applied at this time. Oxidizing gives some black highlights to the piece and looks great when done properly. Polishing is done in a two step process. A pre-polish which helps remove fine scratches and a final polish for the finishing luster. Most of the Money Clips you see are not made in this fashion and are made by machinery. A few of the clips you see are pre-made and castings soldered on top. I look at clips all the time and many are nickel silver or German silver or are plated. There is NO SILVER in nickel silver or German Silver. The myth that only nickel silver holds a spring is false. If Sterling is heated and cooled properly, it has great spring and will last a long time. I currently have over 250 handmade designs, more than any other artist who is currently making Money Clips anywhere in the world. People call every day with ideas about new clips or new artwork for clips, everything from company logos to sayings.

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See all the Money Clips

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May's Birthstone "EMERALD"

So popular as a gemstone has Emerald been (and for so long) that one of the standard gem stone cuts has even been named after the stone which looks its best when cut in that way.

The mining of Emeralds has been dated back to more than 3,000 years ago, during the time of the Ancient Egyptian Empire. Emerald bracelets, Emerald earrings and Emerald rings have all been worn and sought after since ancient times.

The "green fire" was so mesmerizing and highly valued in the courts of Europe that the Spanish Conquistadors went on a bloody campaign to find the location of the emerald mines in South America. In 1557, the campaign finally ended with the discovery of the spectacular Muzo and Chivor mines in present day Colombia - still the world's major source.

Today Brazil and Zambia produce large quantities of fine Emeralds; however, many still consider Colombian emeralds to be of the highest quality. Very fine emeralds, though in small quantity, are also produced in Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Emeralds of Zimbabwean origin are sometimes called "Sandawana" Emeralds, which refers to the region where the gemstones are mined.

Emeralds are made of the base mineral Beryl, with minute traces of chromium and vanadium giving this gemstone the "green fire". Colombian Emeralds are known for their vivid green color, while Brazilian Emeralds are known for their variety of color, ranging from light green to fine medium dark green.

It is quite rare to find emeralds of fine quality over one carat in size, for large Emeralds sometimes contain eye-visible inclusions, known as "jardin" or the "garden".

With hardness close to 8 on the Moh's scale, Emeralds are quite durable. However, ultrasonic and steam cleaning could damage the stone, causing fractures. Therefore, only professional jewelers should clean Emeralds.

Clarity and transparency are the most important characteristics when evaluating the value of Emeralds. When evaluating from a face up position, very fine quality Emeralds should enable the viewer to see the back facet. The brightness of the gemstone, which is determined by the cutting and the number of inclusions, is also an important evaluation factor. Intense medium green Emeralds command the highest value. The purity of the green color is crucial to the value and the beauty of the stone, with blue or yellow overtones diminishing its value.

Skystone and Silver has a large inventory of nice Emeralds at our disposal. We would be glad to quote one for you either mounted or loose.

Military Mother's Ribbon

With all the wonderful yellow ribbons on every one's autos,
I decided to create some Mother's Day Jewelry for mothers
who have sons, daughters, or other family members in the military and who are away from home
fighting or supporting one of our branches of the service(i,e. Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, or Air Force). The idea came to me to create
a mother's ribbon with birthstones similar to a mother's ring. On this ribbon,
you would put the mother's birthstone on the left and the son or daughter's
birthstone on the right. These ribbons could also be worn for a husband
or wife that is away. The military mother's ribbon could be a pin or a necklace, and
should you choose to place two yellow stones on the ribbon, you would in essence be signifying the "yellow ribbon".
© 2005 Skystone and Silver and Rick Sindeband
all rights reserved

The posts in this blog are valid and we thank you for reading them. We have chosen to utilize a different Blog format and so we have continued our Blog at http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/blog/. Our website has access to most of our Web published information at http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/articles.html or always on our site map at http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/storemap.html.

New Buffalo Nickel

WOW! The new Buffalo Nickel is great......just released at our local banks last week. These classic remakes of the old Buffalo Nickel make great jewelry.I have been creating these new Two-Tone Buffalo Nickel Cutout pieces with 22k gold overlay for about two weeks. I acquired this brand new Buffalo Nickel early from a dealer close by and have been creating new ideas for them daily. One of the great ideas was anyone living in the Buffalo, New York area would love to have one. These gifts make wonderful treasures that are used every day. I will cut any Year or Initials on this piece maximum 4 characters. Just tell me in the monogram box what you desire.
Your designs are welcome; just email them to info@skystoneandsilver.com,
© 2005 Skystone and Silver and Rick Sindeband all rights reserved.

Some Great Ideas for the Monogram- CU, USAF,
USMC, ARMY, NAVY, USA , MOM, DAD, NY or any three letter Initials.

Care and Cleaning of your Silver Jewelry

I get many questions about how to care for and clean silver jewelry, liquid silver jewelry, marcasite jewelry, and jewelry with gemstones. I own a shop where I sell sterling silver and gold jewelry, as well as beaded and other stone jewelry such as Native American fetish necklaces and jewelry carved from stone.

Here are my observations and suggestions:

(1) Sterling Silver tarnishes from sulfides in the air. You will notice the tarnish will take on a golden hue, and eventually, it will turn black. This is a natural process.

Higher sulfide levels are associated with humidity and/or air pollution. Remember, the more humid the climate, the faster sterling will tarnish. A lot of my customers come to me in the summer months with tarnished chains that they have been wearing in hot humid settings and the combination of perspiration and humidity has turned them an ugly color.

Silver does not do well in hot tubs or swimming pools, Chlorine reacts with the metal and oxidizes it, turning it black very fast.

(2) Sterling silver will polish up by rubbing or buffing it with a soft cotton cloth. A chemically treated cloth, like a
Rouge Cloth or Sunshine Cloth, makes the job a lot easier and faster. Sometimes when the tarnish is too far gone, it takes a professional cleaning with polishing compounds and machinery.

(3) Sterling silver dips are fast and easy. However, be careful! I do not recommend them!

First, many dips will take the color and polish off many gemstones.

Second, when using a dip, if you leave the piece in too long, or don't rinse it well enough with fresh water,residues will be left on the piece when it dries. The residue is difficult to rub off, and it is very hard to get the piece back to a shiny silver look.

When using a silver dip, dip the piece quickly in and out of the dip. Then immediately rinse it in clean water. When the piece dries, buff it with a treated
Rouge Cloth.The buffing brings out more of the shine, helps take off any residue left on the piece, and with a treated
Rouge Cloth,leaves a little bit of a protective anti-tarnish coating on the piece to keep it shiny longer.

When using a dip, it is better to do an in-and-out dip, then rinse and dry, then another quick in-and-out-dip, then rinse and dry, than to leave the piece in the solution for a long time.

Any dip, however, is a last resort. The piece would have to be very difficult to buff up with a soft cloth before I would resort to this.

(4)The
Money Clips I make when used every day do not really get tarnished. The only cleaning recommend is to use mild soap and water with a soft tooth brush, and then proceed to a treated Rouge Clothfor final polishing. I recommend that you never use dips on your money clips. You will notice that there is black in the recessed areas and around the edge of designs when your jewelry is new. This is because the oxidation was put there by me or the manufacturer of the jewelry and you are not supposed to remove it.

(5) Keep your silver in a plastic bag after cleaning and completely allowing it to dry effectively shielding it from the sulfides.

(6)As far as Marcasite jewelry goes, your concern is to prevent dissolving the glue holding the marcasites in place.

First, use a soft cotton cloth or treated
Rouge Clothto buff up your jewelry. Never use a silver dip. The dip will dissolve the glue.

Finally, take off your marcasite jewelry before you wash your hands in soapy water. Never wash dishes with your marcasite jewelry still on as dish detergent dissolves the glue.

If you need to replace your marcasites, use an epoxy glue. Never use superglue!

Return to Skystone and Silver

The posts in this blog are valid and we thank you for reading them. We have chosen to utilize a different Blog format and so we have continued our Blog at http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/blog/. Our website has access to most of our Web published information at http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/articles.html or always on our site map at http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/storemap.html.

Valentine's Cufflinks

Artist and Master Jeweler Rick Sindeband creates these Cuff links for you in Solid Sterling Silver. Cuff links are Hot right now for the ladies. French Cuff Blouses are being offered by many fashion clothing outlets. My wife, Lesli, loves the pair I made for her. Get Your Valentine some!. These are natural Turquoise stones and have not been treated. Garnet, Amethyst,and Black Onyx are also available
The posts in this blog are valid and we thank you for reading them. We have chosen to utilize a different Blog format and so we have continued our Blog athref="http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/blog/"> http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/blog/. Our website has access to most of our Web published information at href="http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/articles.html">http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/articles.html or always on our site map at href="http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/storemap.html.">http://www.skystoneandsilver.com/storemap.html.

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