Today is Saint Patrick's Day, so I thought I'd talk about green gemstones. Sometimes, folks assume just because they have a green stone...

If you're planning a holiday proposal or even if you're just planning a significant jewelry gift this season, this is your friendly...

HPHT Lab-Grown Rough Diamond crystal Natural Octahedral Diamond Crystal I have seen a lot of lab-grown diamonds lately, so I want to...

We've talked a little about pearls here and about restringing them from time to time, etc., but I haven't really talked about what they...

Here's something you might not have known: Sapphires come in every color of the rainbow, and when they are red, they're rubies. If you...

Sometimes when I appraise a piece, I will find that repairs are necessary. You will notice the prong at 9 o'clock is torn away from the...

I am often asked to appraise pieces that have been inherited, which sometimes means running into the diamond cuts in the above graphic....

One of the things I am often asked to do is update appraisals from many years ago. Often, the value is similar to or even may be less...

This is a photo of a natural on the girdle/pavilion of a diamond. So, what did I just say? Well, a natural is the original (or natural)...

Sometimes you have diamond pieces (usually rings) that you have inherited or no longer have use for you'd like to sell. If you have a...

While diamonds are the hardest natural substance on earth, if it weren't possible to break them, we wouldn't be able to cut them to...

This next topic applies whether or not the gemstone in your jewelry is a diamond. Still, since the series has been Understanding Your...

Today we're moving from the diamonds themselves to the way they are set. Above is a graphic showing twelve common ways stones (not just...

While shape is the outward shape of the stone, the word cut is used to denote how well a diamond returns light. Remember physics class?...

Next on the list is clarity. Almost all diamonds will have some type of inclusion inside, the severity of which will determine its...

Diamonds are graded starting at D and going to Z before heading into Fancy Colors. D-F are colorless and are more rare and valuable than...

Diamonds are cut into many shapes--even more than the ten shown here-- and the shape impacts the value every time. It can also help date...

You have homeowners or renters insurance, so you would naturally think that means all the belongings in your home are covered, but that...

Pearls-- be they cultured freshwater, cultured saltwater, natural, or even faux-- need to be restrung every so often to ensure the strand...

Check out the inclusions in these natural (heated) sapphires from a bracelet. While the stones match to the unaided eye regarding color,...