Guides, stories and care for gemstone jewelry
Everything we know about choosing, styling and caring for fine jewelry, written by the people who make it.
Gemstone GuidesOpal Meaning: Symbolism, History and What Each Color Stands For
Opal has stood for hope, purity and truth for two thousand years. This guide covers its symbolism, its history, the bad-luck myth, meaning by...
Engagement RingsAmethyst Engagement Rings: Are They a Good Idea?
Amethyst is Mohs 7 — right on the boundary of what daily wear demands. An honest look at what actually happens over ten years,...
Gemstone GuidesAlexandrite Meaning: Symbolism, History & the Color-Change Effect
Alexandrite means transformation, and the symbolism is literal — green by day, red by lamplight. Its 1830 Russian discovery, why the color change is...
Engagement RingsGarnet Engagement Rings: Which Garnet, and Are They Durable Enough?
Garnet is a group of more than twenty mineral species, not one gemstone — so whether it suits an engagement ring depends entirely on...
Diamonds & MoissaniteBlack Diamond Meaning: Symbolism, the Curse Legend & Who Should Wear One
Black diamonds are colored by their own inclusions and fractures — their flaws are the beauty, and the symbolism follows. What they mean, the...
Diamonds & MoissaniteBlack Diamond Engagement Rings: The Complete Buying Guide
A black diamond is black because it is full of inclusions and microfractures — which changes everything about how it looks, how it must...
Diamonds & MoissaniteWhite Sapphire vs Diamond: An Honest Comparison
The real difference is not how they look when clean — it is how they look when dirty. A jeweler's honest comparison with the...
Gemstone GuidesAquamarine Meaning: Symbolism, History & Properties
What aquamarine means and where the symbolism came from — the Latin name, the documented medieval lore, why it is the same mineral as...
Gemstone GuidesAmethyst Meaning: Symbolism, History & Spiritual Properties
What amethyst really means — the Greek root, the Bacchus myth that was actually invented in 1576, bishops' rings and the Apostles at Pentecost,...
BirthstonesFebruary Birthstone: The Complete Guide to Amethyst
February's birthstone is amethyst — the purple quartz worn by Greek philosophers, medieval bishops and Catherine the Great. A complete guide to its meaning,...
Black RingsGothic Engagement Rings: The Complete Style Guide
What makes an engagement ring gothic, the six style families from Victorian mourning to minimalist black, the best dark stones ranked by hardness, black...
Buying GuideCushion Cut Engagement Rings: The Complete Buying Guide
A jeweler's guide to cushion cut engagement rings: the pillow-shaped cut, square vs elongated ratios, crushed ice vs chunky faceting, cushion vs round, princess,...
Antique RingsVintage Engagement Rings: The Complete Guide to Antique & Vintage-Inspired Styles
A jeweler's guide to vintage engagement rings: vintage vs antique vs estate vs vintage-inspired, design cues from Georgian to Mid-century, milgrain, filigree and old...
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