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Pawn Shop Cartiers? How to Spot a $3,000 Deal from a $300 Disaster Finding genuine Cartier at a pawn shop is possible — but rare. Dealers sometimes consign real pieces. More often you’ll see well-made copies. The difference between a $3,000 find and a $300 disaster usually comes down to small, verifiable details. Below I’ll […]

Ultrasonic cleaners are fast and effective. They use high-frequency sound waves to shake dirt loose from jewelry. That action works great on hard, intact stones. It can destroy softer or fragile gemstones. Below are the five stones you should never put in an ultrasonic cleaner. I explain the physical reasons and give practical cleaning alternatives.

Intro Micro-pavé looks delicate and precise. Tiny diamonds (often 0.6–1.5 mm) sit shoulder-to-shoulder, each held by minute metal beads. When done well, it’s stable and sparkly. When done poorly, stones keep falling out. In this article I explain why that happens, with concrete examples and practical fixes you can use in the workshop or when

Hidden Halo, Hidden Costs: The Bridal Setting Trend No One Talks About Hidden halos are a popular bridal detail. They tuck a ring of small diamonds under the center stone, just inside the gallery. The effect is subtle sparkle and an illusion of a larger center stone. It looks clever in photos. But designers, repair

Intro Pearl types often look similar to the naked eye. Under magnification, though, Akoya and South Sea pearls reveal clear structural differences. These differences come from the mollusk species, the way the pearl grows, and how much nacre lines the bead nucleus. If you know what to look for and why it matters, a basic

Intro: When you hold a ring in your hand the metal feels solid. But that feeling doesn’t tell the whole story. The difference between 14K and 18K gold shows up over months and years as scratches, dents, and worn edges. This article explains why, and how to check—without damaging the piece—so you get a ring

Intro: You probably think of sapphire when someone says “royal blue.” That makes sense — sapphires have long been the go-to blue for crowns and engagement rings. But another gem, spinel, can deliver nearly the same color at a lower price and with different trade-offs. This article compares sapphire and spinel so you can decide

When you wear a ring every day, you want it to keep sparkling. After a week of real-life wear — handwashing, cooking, commuting, maybe a quick gym session — will a lab-grown stone look as bright as a natural one? The short answer: usually yes, but the details matter. Sparkle depends far more on cut,

The idea that a 1.00-carat diamond is the “sweet spot” is outdated. For many buyers the real decisions are about face-up size, optical performance, and price jumps tied to the whole-carat boundary—not the exact carat weight itself. Knowing how 0.90 ct, 1.00 ct, and 1.10 ct stones behave in the market and on the finger