Notes & stories
The School of Fine Jewelry
lessons in antique & vintage jewelry
Instant results as you type, from titles and topics. Try moonstone, rose cut or hallmarks.
Nothing matched on titles and topics.
Not what you wanted? Search inside the full text of every article.
What Is Spinel? The Great Impostor That Fooled Kings
Spinel spent centuries being mistaken for ruby, and the twentieth century being the stone in half of Sweden's pale blue gold rings. A dealer explains...
Read the story
Lab-Created Sapphires in Antique Jewelry: A Century of Man-Made Stones
Lab created sapphires have been set in real jewelry since 1902 - old enough to be antiques themselves. How they were used, how to spot...
Read the story
Opals in Antique Jewelry: Fire, Water and How to Live With Them
No other stone carries light the way an opal does, and none is more misunderstood. The types, the care rules and what to buy.
Read the story
Rubies in Antique Jewelry: The Red Stone Kings Fought Over
Kings fought over them and Burma set the standard. Ruby quality, the synthetic question in vintage pieces, and how to buy well.
Read the story
Anniversary Gemstones by Year: The Complete List
Diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald in one band, which covers the tenth, fortieth, forty-fifth and sixtieth in a single purchase. Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald...
Read the story
What Is Onyx? The Black Stone That Is Usually Dyed
Black against gold is one of the few combinations that has never once looked dated. Black Onyx Ring, 18K gold, 1962 Onyx is a variety...
Read the story
Coral in Antique Jewelry: Why It Was Everywhere, and Why It Is Not Now
A Victorian cat carved from coral, which tells you most of what you need to know about how seriously the nineteenth century took this material....
Read the story
What Is Tourmaline? The Stone That Comes in Every Colour
Navette-cut diamonds around a tourmaline, which is how the stone is usually presented: as the colour in a piece built of white. Navette Cut Diamond...
Read the story
Types of Pearls Explained: Natural, Cultured, Akoya, Freshwater and South Sea
Victorian freshwater pearls, before anyone had worked out how to farm them. Victorian Freshwater Pearl Earrings, 18K gold Pearl vocabulary confuses buyers because it mixes...
Read the story
What Is Jade? The Stone That Is Actually Two Stones
Ever wonder why jade can mean two different minerals, or how to spot the dyed and bleached kind? I walk you through it all.
Read the story
What Is Rock Crystal? The Clear Stone With a Thousand Years of Work
Find out why rock crystal charmed courts and Nordic designers alike, how to tell her from glass, and why her clear calm still outshines diamonds...
Read the story
What Is Aquamarine? The Sea in a Stone
Discover why aquamarine, emerald's calmer sea-blue sibling, became the quiet star of Danish vintage jewellery, and how to spot genuine stones from clever imitations.
Read the story
