| We'll be honest - jewelry buying can be
a little difficult for some people. There is a lot of information on the
web and (to quote an old joke) some of it is actually right! We feel good sources for general
jewelry knowledge for our customers at the associations we rely on - the
AGTA for colored stones,
GIA for diamonds and colored stones, the
Pearl Information Center for
pearls, WGC for gold and the
Platinum Guild International
for platinum.
To these bases of knowledge, here are our tips based on questions we
have heard over the years.
Diamonds
There is no question that the combinations of the Diamond Grading
Report, the Rappaport list and the internet have made diamonds a
commodity. The truth is that those of us small jewelers who buy right,
have low overhead and pay cash for diamonds can and will sell you the
right diamond for less.
Is the diamond certified and by whom? The fact is the GIA
Diamond Grading Report is god's word, everyone else's grading is....not.
That said, yes, you can save hundreds of dollars on our uncertified
stones and we will be happy to compare GIA certs to non-certified stones
and show you the differences between stones.
Compare stones side by side. Some stores may not lay out several
stones at a time but it is more natural to compare alike things next to
each other.
Ask your family and friends where they got theirs and if they were
happy and comfortable with the experience.
There's something reassuring buying your diamond from an experienced
friendly professional who understands what you want, can provide it and
sell it to you for the same as the company who has never seen the
diamond, has no idea what it looks like and will give you the great
service that customer #G455567018 deserves!
Do you really want to tell your fiancé you got her diamond at Shyster
Diamond Center or cheapdiamonds.com?
Remember, she will proudly own and enjoy this diamond for the rest of
your life and pass it down through generations of your family.
Platinum
Platinum is the purest, richest metal used in the jewelry industry.
Its main benefit is its durability - things that our great-grandfather
made are still being worn today. It is a very dense, strong metal and
its pure white glow is unmatched.
Because platinum is so pure (90 or 95% pure in jewelry
manufacturing), it is hypo-allergenic and tarnish-free.
Platinum is strong (did I mention that!) - the heaviest of the
precious metal. It weighs about twice as much as 14K gold. It makes
perfect prongs for rings, occasionally bending but never breaking.
When it is new it is bright and shiny. As it is worn a beautiful,
rich patina appears, especially in rings. While the metal is strong, it
is also soft and scratches rather easily, hence the patina. If the wearer
is someone who likes their jewelry bright, the ring will probably be refinished
rather often.
Platinum is a lot more expensive than white gold. For example, a
Tiffany-style engagement ring in white gold is approximately $110 while
in platinum it is about $400. If the wearer is someone who is going to
remount the ring in a short period of time.....
Many people choose the symbolism of the purity of the metal to match
their love - pure and enduring.
Gold
Honestly, when you think of jewelry you think of gold - from auntie's
amethyst and diamond ring to gram's locket to dad's wedding band which
he never took off.
Gold has been desired since the beginnings of mankind. The wearing of
gold may be man's oldest tradition.
The naturally rich color of gold combines with its glowing luster to
give it its unique and lasting beauty. It is a favorite for jewelry
craftsman and designers because it can be relatively easily worked into
high fashion pieces. One ounce of gold can be made into a wire 50 miles
long or hammered so thin it could cover 100 square feet.
When shopping for gold try to inspect the piece for its quality mark
and trademark - 14K or .585, 18K or .750. are the US and European
quality gold markings. Trademarks may be initials or logos of companies.
If the trademark is missing, something is wrong.
We only sell new items, we don't buy second-made jewelry which many
other jewelers do. We want your confidence that your new piece is your
new piece, not someone else's leftovers. It is extremely difficult for
the average consumer to determine how much wear is on a piece,
especially bracelets (stampatos like San Marco and hugs-and-kisses,
tennis and. wired) and many rings. If the piece has already had a
lifetime of use how long will the new owner have it?
Traditionally the Italians have led the world in fashion in gold
jewelry. Over the past several years we have found that some other
countries are producing the Italian quality without the pricing. Time
will tell if their styling can stay current with the Italians.
Colored Stones
For years gems have held man's awe and interest. Early man believed
that the beautiful stones had amazing properties - from warning when
evil approached to warding off drunkenness. As man modernized, the rarity
and beauty of gems established them as a symbol of status for the rich
and powerful.
Today, thanks to the improvements in mining, cutting and treatments
of stones you no longer have to be a millionaire to own a beautiful
gemstone - even a hundredaire can do pretty good today.
Consumers should be aware that natural gemstones are processed from
the moment they are mined by a variety of traditionally accepted jewelry
industry practices. Virtually all gemstones we offer for sale have been
subjected to a stable and possibly undetectable enhancement process.
Some examples of treatments are the heating of stones to intensify the
color, filling surface inclusions in emeralds to change white inclusions
to a darker color and exposing topaz to different radiations to give
them different colors. These treatments have been used for years. Over
the past several years there have been a variety of new methods to
change stone colors. Most of these methods are either invasive to the
stone (fillings cracks in stones with glass) or have temporary
effectiveness (gas-impregnated topaz or 'mystic topaz'). We generally don't sell these
stones, and if we offer them for sale, will readily explain what the
treatment is.
If there would be one piece of advice we would offer when buying a
stone it's this - buy
the stone you love, the color, the shade, the shape. When looking at
colored stones, many people ask
which one is better. The finest and most
expensive color amethyst is the color of a Crown Royal bag - dark purple
with pinkish and almost greenish highlights. To our way of thinking, the
best color of purple is the one that reminds you of the crazy color of your
bedroom when you were a kid, your cat's eyes or "anything but that
'Barney' color"! The color that YOU like! Don't forget,
you're wearing it - enjoy it!
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