Please e-mail all questions and article ideas to askjoia@jewelry-FAQ.com
There is a situation going on at work right now that got me to thinking.
Mr. X decided he wanted to marry his girlfriend and so he came to buy an engagement ring. The engagement was to be a surprise, so he asked friends and family members what kind of a ring his girlfriend would like.
Mr. X came in with a lot of great ideas. He worked with one of our sales professionals and picked out a diamond and then designed a custom ring for it. He spent a lot of time considering the details to make sure it was just right, and when the ring was finished and ready to be presented, he was very happy with it. He left with the ring, walking on air, and ready to propose to his girlfriend.
You might think you know where this is going, but it’s not what you think.
Are the issues surrounding blood (conflict) diamonds real? Is there a way to ensure that any diamond jewelry purchases that one makes are free of conflict diamonds? And if it cannot be avoided, isn’t it immoral to purchase diamonds period?
- Mike
You have asked a complicated question. The simple answers are yes, the issues concerning conflict diamonds are real, and yes, there are ways to insure that if you purchase a diamond, it is conflict free.
Ok, so I saw the question about European cut diamonds, but I still don’t understand why rounds are worth more than fancy shapes.
- Jim
There are two reasons. The first is the most straightforward, and it is that there is more demand for rounds than any other shape diamond. The increased demands also increases the value.
I have a one carat diamond, European cut. Why is it worth less than a brilliant cut diamond equal in size, weight, quality, clarity, etc?
- Jo
From an appraisal standpoint, European cut diamonds are tricky, and they are not necessarily worth less.
I’ve said it once and I will say it again: the purpose of an appraisal is to value an item for the purpose of obtaining insurance coverage. So when you say “worth”, I think of it in terms of appraisal value.
I like the idea of using synthetic stones for casual jewelry, because they are much more affordable and just as pretty as the natural stones. But based on my shopping experience, the jewelry made with artificial stones tends to be of poor workmanship – maybe not exactly poor, but not as delicate as the ‘real’ jewelry. So even if the stone is virtually indistinguishable from natural, the setting gives away that it is fake. So where to buy good quality jewelry with artificial stones?
- Olga
Unfortunately, there is a general negative attitude prevalent in the jewelry industry about synthetic stones and this is the result. It is easy to find low quality jewelry made with synthetics, but anything nicer is much more difficult to come by.
Something exciting is happening, though. In my article about natural, enhanced, synthetic, and simulated gemstones I pointed out that one of the benefits of synthetics is that because the stones are grown in a controlled lab environment, they do not have the ethical issues that genuine gemstones might have. As people have become more aware of this point, it has created new demand. And where there is demand, there is always someone to willing to provide the supply.
With gold prices going up so fast, is my jewelry worth more? Should I get my appraisals updated?
– George
Yes! Right now we are seeing unprecedented rises in the gold market, and in diamond pricing as well, even though the increases in diamonds are below public radar. It is very likely that the replacement value of your jewelry has gone up because of these market factors.
But I must be clear here. The purpose of an appraisal is to give you a replacement value so that you can obtain insurance coverage in case the jewelry item is lost or stolen (or sometimes damaged). Since gold and diamond prices are escalating rapidly, if your appraisal is more than a year old you run the risk of not having adequate insurance coverage on the item. That means that this is really a two step process: to update your appraisal and then forward it on to the insurance company to make sure your coverage is up to date.
I want to propose to my girlfriend. I would like to surprise her with a ring but I have no idea what she wants. Should I just pick something, or just propose without a ring or what?
- Zach
I think I have a way that you can surprise your girlfriend, but at the same time have confidence that you are giving her a ring that she will like. Or, at the very least, what I am about to tell you is something I have advised many prospective grooms to do over the years, with great success.
How is a ring sized? Do they add gold to it?
- Ellen
There are several techniques for sizing rings.
The most common method is to cut the ring at the bottom of the shank, and add a piece of gold (or sliver or platinum, whichever applies) that is shaped similarly to the shank. Then it is soldered into place. In the finishing/polishing phase the new piece of metal is blended into the rest of the ring so that you cannot see that a new piece was added. Sizing a ring down is a similar procedure, except (logically) there is no metal added.
How can sapphires and rubies be the same thing if they are different colors?
- Emma
Sapphire and ruby are varieties of the gemstone corundum. Corundum is an allochromatic gem, meaning that in its pure form it is colorless. Adding impurities to the chemical composition alters the color. In the case of rubies, chromium is the main cause. In the case of fine color blue sapphires, titanium is the main coloring agent.
So when someone says sapphires and rubies are the same thing, what they really mean is that both sapphire and ruby are corundum gemstones.
- Jóia