The Girlfriend's Guide to Jewellery

Size

The size of a gemstone is described by its measurements. Gemstones are usually measured in millimetres or fractions of millimetres in three directions: width, length and depth. For most of us choosing a gemstone is a visual choice. While we are probably not familiar with the actual carat weight of a sapphire or an amethyst we know what size we like when we see it. The one exception to this approach might be diamonds. Most of us have looked at diamonds and they are almost always shown to us along with a comment regarding their weight, 'this stone is a half carat' or 'this diamond weighs a full carat'. As a result, it is not uncommon to hear someone ...

When we were kids our dad used to tease us asking 'what is heavier, a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?' of course the answer is that they both weigh the same. What is different is their relative size or volume. A pound of lead is pretty small and a pound of feathers is huge! This is a lesson in a contrast between two materials each of vastly different density.

Different gemstones have different densities. Density is referred to or measured as the 'specific gravity' of a material. The 'standard' for measuring density is the weight of one cubic centimetre or 1cc of water. At sea level and at 4 degrees celcius one cubic centimetre of water weighs one gram. Water is our 'benchmark' and it has a specific gravity of 1. A volume equal to 1cc of diamond is 3.45 times as heavy as 1cc of water. Diamond has a specific gravity of 3.45. Sapphire is 5.43 times as heavy as water and has a specific gravity of 5.43. What we see is that sapphires are actually heavier than diamonds, 1.57 times heavier.

Why do we care? Say for example we see a three stone diamond ring with all three stones the same size, all round, each measuring approximately 6.5mm in diameter, each weighing one carat and having a total diamond weight of 3.00 carats. We like the ring only we want it set with three round brilliant cut sapphires. Three sapphires each having all the same measurements as the three diamonds will have a total weight of 4.72 carats, 1.57 times heavier than the three diamonds.

Depending on how you phrase your request, you will end up with two very different rings. If you use weight as your measuring stick and ask for a three stone sapphire ring with a total weight of 3.00 carats each stone will measure approximately 5.5mm in diameter. The sapphires will be smaller but the total weight will be 3.00 carats. If you use size as your measuring stick and ask for a three stone sapphire ring with each stone measuring approximately 6.5mm in diameter and the total weight will be approximately 4.72 carats.

Durability is an important and practical characteristic of gemstones.

Durability refers to several of a gem's characteristics such as how easily it can fracture, or how easily it scratches or chips. As beautiful as a stone may be if it not durable it will not be suitable for wear as jewellelry and it is not included on our list as a 'gemstone'.

Stones that lack durability and are not considered 'gemstones' may be very beautiful and have considerable value as collectible polished or facetted stones and as mineral specimens. 

Each gemstone is assigned a hardness rating according to the Moh's Scale.

Moh's Scale:

The Moh's hardness scale is a scale of relative hardness running from the ...

Carat describes weight the same way that pound and kilogram do. A carat is a much smaller measure of weight. One carat is equal to 1/5 of a gram. It takes five carats to equal one gram; 5.00cts equal 1 gram. All gemstones are sold by weight, that is, by the carat.

We can think of a carat in the same way as we do a dollar. One dollar is written $ 1.00; one carat is written 1.00ct. A dollar is made up of 100 'cents'; a carat is made up of 100 'points'. 1/100 of a dollar is one cent, and is written $0.01. 1/100 of a carat is one point, and is written 0.01ct.

We use the word 'points' for any size smaller than one carat, that is to say, for weights up to 0.99ct or ninety-nine points. With dollars the single zero before the decimal point is often omitted. With carats it is always included: 0.10ct is 'ten points'; 0.79ct is 'seventy-nine points' and 0.015ct, is 'one and a half points'.

For a carat or more we say it the way we write it: 1.32ct is 'one carat thirty-two' or ' one thirty-two'; 17.03ct is said 'seventeen carats three points' or 'seventeen oh three'. For 0.25ct, 0.33ct, 0.50ct and 0.75ct we say 'a quarter carat, 'a third of a carat', 'half a carat' and 'three quarter carat'.

A parallel may be drawn between the jewellery world and the clothing world.
A custom designed and hand made 'one of a kind' piece of jewellery is as special, individual and rare as a couturier runway creation.

'Limited edition' pieces, the designer name brand lines that are sold through exclusive contract at jewellery stores around the world, are roughly the equivalent to the upscale name brand clothes sold in boutiques and chic 'Downtown' department stores. Both deliver the pride, confidence and the prestige of wearing a recognized and elite 'peer approved' designer name. We recognize that these pieces, be they jewellery or clothes, are of consistent and dependable quality.

Based on the styles and trends established by these famous designers come a myriad of distant cousins: the 'wannabes' and knockoffs. From the consumer perspective, the further 'down the chain' a piece is from the original designer house, the more relaxed our expectations become. Though the look may...

There is a jewellery design to appeal to every aesthetic. It may be a design by a world renowned professional jewellery designer or it may be your own personal 'one time only' creation. For our conversation, this is not so much a discussion of the aesthetics of design as it is a look at how function is affected by design. Or is design affected by function?

Good jewellery design goes far beyond your initial reaction to its look. This is a case where the adage 'form follows function' definitely applies. Jewellery should be functional as well as attractive. It should have a good physical balance as well as an aesthetic equilibrium.

Wearing jewellery is an interactive process: rings should be comfortable, sit upright and hold gemstones securely; pendants, brooches and earrings should sit properly and hang straight; bracelets and necklaces should lie comfortably against the skin without twisting with secure, discreet fasteners.

Jewellery can fulfill many purposes: to transport wealth; to frame a gem; to express your individuality or to be a part of a current fashion trend to name a few. Whatever the intended purpose, the design has to work.

In all things, one rarely regrets buying quality. When we speak of quality in jewellery we may be referring to one of two things or both! We may refer to the level of craftsmanship that has gone into the making of a piece or, we may refer to the relative intrinsic value of its individual components.

When it comes to quality of craftsmanship, not every piece of jewellery we buy is or needs to be of the highest quality but we should know how to buy a piece that will live up to our expectations and requirements. Not every gemstone needs to be of the highest quality but we should know where the stones we are considering sit in terms of their relative price and quality.
The big questions are 'Is the piece durable?', 'Can it be readily repaired?' and 'Is this particular stone suitable for the wear I intend to give it?'.

If the answer to any of these questions is 'no', think...

Fine jewellery is made from precious metals and fine gemstones. It is of good craftsmanship, durable, repairable and functional. We have all seen lower quality pieces made from precious metals and set with gemstones. Are these pieces of 'fine' jewellery? If a piece is too lightweight to be durable and cannot be satisfactorily repaired to a renewed state of reliable wear; if the gemstones are of inferior quality and the piece does not sit well when worn, it would be difficult to describe such a piece as 'fine' from any perspective.

Over our lifetime, most of us will own only a few pieces of fine jewellery. So it's important to make them count! Not only do those pieces define our personal style, they form an important part of our legacy. They should not only satisfy our aesthetic sensitivities but also be well made, durable, repairable and functional. I want to help you find those wonderful pieces of jewellery that will become part of your 'signature' style; something you will wear with pride and enjoy when ever and where ever you wear them. True, a piece of 'life jewellery' is probably going to cost more money but carefully chosen and well cared for it will provide years of satisfaction. It will be a piece to make you smile and be glad you bought it every time you put it on. The price point could be as high as a car purchase but unlike most cars, a piece of fine jewellery will serve you for decades.

Think about it, the sooner you can buy it the longer you can enjoy it!

The ancients treasured it, wars have been fought over it and regardless of their social status, almost every person on earth owns a piece of it. Be a bit of wood, plastic or shell threaded onto a length of string or the crown jewels of the British royal family it is all jewellery.

In all its forms jewellery is a very personal adornment. It reflects social status and embodies power. It may be worn and removed as occasions dictate. Whether as a token of personal significance or affection, a tribute of commemoration or special recognition or as a symbol of power and wealth, the perceived value of a piece of jewellery often transcends...

For over 35 years I have enjoyed helping thousands of women trying on and buying jewellery, but perhaps there has been a 'missing link'. We have all heard and used the phrase 'fine jewellery'. But do you know what makes a piece of 'fine' jewellery? Just because we have bought a piece of karat gold jewellery, have we bought a piece of 'fine' jewellery? Big question! I'd love to help you make jewellery choices that meet or even exceed your expectations; to help you to make choices that will bring you enduring satisfaction and enhance your personal style.

Though almost anything can be made into jewellery, this blog will not include a discussion of costume jewellery. When we buy 'costume' jewellery we know we are buying a short term accessory, a bit of theatre and have no expectation of 'investment' or long term wear. Expectations of good or fine jewellery are much higher, and rightly so.

My blog will outline some tips to help you recognize the elements of a well executed and functional piece of jewellery. Being able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of design and manufacture will give you a major boost in helping you make satisfying jewellery choices. It's up to you to set the price and choose the style. Once you become familiar with the 'language' of jewellery and have a better understanding of what you are actually looking at, jewellery shopping will be fun!

A hallmark is an official mark or impression stamped into a metal object to indicate the purity of its content.

A trademark is an impression stamped into a piece indicating its maker.

Hallmarking is a fascinating study unto itself. Historically, hallmarks are a form of consumer protection dating, by some accounts, back as far as the 4^th century of the modern era. Traditionally they are used on items of gold, platinum and silver though we also see them used on other metals such as copper and on alloys such as brass and pewter. Some of the more complex hallmark systems indicate not only the purity of the precious metals used but also the place and date of manufacture.

Standards vary around the world. In both Canada and the United States if a purity or karat mark is stamped on a piece, by law, it must be accompanied by the makers’ mark. Simple number marks may be used in some parts of the world but unfortunately they may not always reflect the actual purity of the metal.

Silver is another naturally white metal of high luster, density, durability, malleability and luster. Like gold and platinum, sterling silver is a commodity sold internationally by the ounce, priced in American dollars and though its price is floating it is also referred to as the ‘fix’. To give some perspective to the relative value of fine silver, historically it has not been traded at a fix over $ 50.00 US, though it appears we may soon see higher prices!

‘Sterling’ silver is the most widely recognized purity of silver. It is alloyed to...

Platinum is a naturally white metal. It is more rare than gold, more expensive to extract and more expensive to refine. Though platinum has been known and used since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs it has not always been widely used. It is difficult and costly to recover and complicated to refine. It takes about five months to process the eight to ten tons of ore required to produce one ounce of fine platinum. If all the platinum ever found and refined were collected together in one place, it would form a cube that would fit quite comfortably inside your house! Like gold it is extremely dense, malleable and ductile and it is inert.

Like gold, platinum is a commodity priced by the ...

Luster

Luster is the magical allure of gold, a glow that seems to come from within. Fine gold has it. Fine pearls have it. 

Lower karat gold takes a good surface polish but as it wears and the surface scratches, the gold becomes dull and looks flat. It literally becomes ‘lack luster’. On the other hand, with wear, higher karat gold develops what we call a ‘patina’. Though the surface polish is scratched and marked the gold continues to glow and have luster. This is true of yellow and rose gold. Other colours of gold including white gold polish well but are not generally described as being lustrous.

Malleability

Malleability is the ability of a metal to have its shape changed with the application

of exterior stress. Gold is extremely malleable. A single ounce of fine gold can be pounded into sheets called ‘gold leaf’ approximately one ten thousandths of a millimeter thick without breaking or tearing. That one ounce of fine gold leaf can cover 20 square meters!

Gold used in jewellery can be ...

There are many different ‘recipes’ for alloying gold. The adding of various alloys to change the colour of gold is not like mixing paint to achieve a third colour. Fine gold is very, very yellow. Its colour can be altered by the addition of carefully calculated amounts of other alloy metals. As you add alloy to fine gold you also change its colour. The addition of any alloy will also affect the price.

Imagine a glass of cranberry juice… the full glass of juice is 24 karat gold; the colour is quite rich and red. Drink ¼ of the juice and fill the glass back up with water. That’s 18 karat gold. If you drink just a little less than half of the juice and fill the glass back up with water, that’s 14 karat gold. Now start with a fresh glass and fill it to slightly more than the 1/3 mark and then fill the glass with water, that’s 10 karat gold. You get the picture. The glass is still full but the concentration of juice is lower. The colour of the juice gets a little paler each time.

Most often...