[Bernard Marx]

Actually, as a goldsmith I'll be delighted to see mercury thermometers phased out. Mercury gloms onto gold like mud on a pig. Nurses, especially, are constantly breaking thermometers and 'mercury-plating' their prized gold rings. Removing it is one of the nastier jobs a jeweler faces. It has to be done with heat and breathing the fumes is decidedly bad for the health. It's a job I'd just as soon never do again.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I'm sure that Vermont is delighted that we are forced to pay more for milk than we'd have to if the dairy industry were deregulated. Freedom, friend. Freedom.

[S.O.S121.500]

Removing it is one of the nastier jobs a jeweler faces.

Old technique here:
-Halve a potato and create a cavity within, large enough to contain the mercury contaminated jewelry item.
-Place the item into the hollow and bind the halves together with cotton string.
-Place potato into a pan of water and bring to a boil then simmer for 15-20 min.
-Let the water and potato cool, remove the item, wash and brush with a little detergent and ammonia (depending on set stones), a pass through the rouge cloth and viola! The mercury has gone and the ring is gleaming.

This works on intricate items like neck chains and if conducted outdoors, presents little to no danger as the mercury stays in the water on the bottom of the pan.