by Kelsey McElrath Once you’re able to stop staring at your shiny new engagement ring, questions like these seem to pop up left and right. When it comes to engagement ring cleaning & care, let us be your guide.  Can I...

by Katelyn Fogle Search for “homemade jewelry cleaner” and you’ll get hundreds of recipes with varying ingredients and instructions on how to clean jewelry at home. How do you know which to choose? Always consider the source when weighing the safety...

by Jessica VandenHouten First things first. There should be no difference between a “jewelry appraisal for insurance” and any other type of jewelry appraisal. All too often, jewelers hear, “I don’t want to pay a lot for an appraisal. I only need...

Maybe it’s hot out. Maybe you wore your ring when you shouldn’t have. (Swollen fingers from working out, anyone?) Maybe you tried on a friend’s ring – a friend whose fingers are slightly smaller than yours. Now you can’t get that ring off! Panic...

Triple X diamond is a trade term referring to stones that have Excellent cut, polish and symmetry on their GIA grading reports. GIA does not use this term but many jewelers do. Does Triple X rating matter and should you...

by Jessica VandenHouten Getting a ring appraisal (or any other type of jewelry appraised) isn’t exactly something you do every day, and unknowns can be intimidating. It’s time to set the record straight on some common misconceptions about when a ring appraisal...

by Jessica VandenHouten April showers bring May flowers, but this month also brings another natural beauty we’d be remiss to dismiss. It’s time to celebrate April’s birthstone, the diamond, the most desired birthstone of them all.  History and beliefs around the...

“The moment I realized my ring was missing, I felt like crawling into a corner and never coming out. I was afraid to let my husband know, as I know how much thought he put into picking out the diamond and designing the...

The appraisal discipline is actually separate from gemology. Commonly the assumption is that a Graduate Gemologist degree is enough qualification to determine value. In fact I too had this assumption leaving gemology school. I quickly learned of the years of...

 by Christina Lee In the fine jewelry world, a jewelry appraisal is a document that indicates a jewelry item’s value as determined by an individual appraiser for a certain market at the time the appraisal is performed. The appraisal specifies detailed features...