Notes & stories
The School of Fine Jewelry
lessons in antique & vintage jewelry
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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...
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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...
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Types of Earrings Explained: Studs, Hoops, Drops and the Rest
The hoop has survived every fashion since antiquity by refusing to be about anything. Classic Mid Century Hoops, 18K gold, Sweden Earrings are described by...
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Why Is My Ring Turning My Finger Black?
White gold is yellow gold with a rhodium coat, and the day that coat wears thin is the day the questions start. Seven Stone Diamond...
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Does Gold Tarnish? What Is Really Happening to Your Chain
Seventy-nine years on a hand, and the metal has not changed at all. That is 18K doing what gold does. Wedding Band, 18K gold, Sweden,...
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How to Tell if Silver Is Real: The Tests That Work at Home
Sterling has a particular weight and a particular coldness, and both are noticeable before you find the mark. Architectural Vintage Bangle, sterling silver Silver is...
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Gold Filled vs Gold Plated: Why One Lasts a Century
Twenty grams and solid 18K through every link, which is the standard the other constructions are measured against. Antique Watch Chain, solid 18K gold, 20...
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What Is Gold Vermeil? The Only Plating Worth Buying
Everything about vermeil depends on what is underneath, and underneath is sterling. Georg Jensen Vintage Bangles with Black Agate, sterling silver Vermeil, pronounced ver-may, is...
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Why Buy Vintage Jewelry Instead of New? The Honest Arithmetic
Follow the honest arithmetic behind why vintage jewelry beats new on price, craftsmanship, and footprint, and learn exactly when new still wins.
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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.
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Monogram Jewelry: Wearing Initials, Yours or Otherwise
Discover why a stranger's monogram might be the best feature of an antique piece, and how to read, buy and commission letters that carry real...
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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...
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