Frequently Asked Questions

There are several alternatives to diamonds depending on your budget.

An inexpensive and not recommended alternative is cubic zirconia, a lab-grown stone that looks like diamond.

Moissanite is a popular alternative; It has a 9.25 score on the Mohs Scale of Hardness which places it second only to diamond, which scores a perfect 10.

There are also several colored gemstones that can work, but fair warning, they might not hold up to the rigors of daily wear.

You can definitely still wear earrings. You just might need a little help. If you have larger earrings that droop forward after a half an hour of wear, a French Clip closure can prove helpful at keeping those earrings pert.

If your earring is smaller, but still looking a bit droopy, you might want to try monster backs.

If your ear lobe is slightly ripped you might try lobe wonders.
Explore what solution is the most helpful for your earrings and wear them with enjoyment.

Familiarize yourself with the 4 C's: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight. I have a blog post for each one, just click on one of the C's to read it.

That information will allow you to make an educated decision about the diamonds you’re looking to purchase.

An engagement ring is given to your girlfriend (or boyfriend) when you propose. The wedding ring is given during the marriage ceremony. You can learn more about the history by checking out this blog on wedding rings and engagement rings.

It depends on four factors: Thickness of the plating, the amount of contact your ring receives, the type of plating, and the acidity of your skin. You can read an in-depth breakdown on my blog post: how gold plating jewelry is done.

I’d love to say yes, but the answer is maybe. It depends on the thickness of the ring, by which I mean how sturdy it is. Sizing an eternity band is more expensive than sizing a ring with a plain metal back section.

Also, unlike sizing a ring with a plain metal section in the back, we cannot get to an exact finger size. For example, let's say you want your eternity band a size 5. Each diamond or gemstone in your eternity band is a certain size and to add one diamond might make your ring a 5.5 instead of a 5. This is because the diameter of your diamond or other gemstone, plus the size of the settings we have to make to alter your ring, are fixed. 

Knowing that sizing your eternity band will end up similar, but not exactly the size you'd like, ask for a minimum size. It's better to be a tad too big than too small. 

Know whether you need to just buy a gift, get a piece repaired or to have something you’ve dreamed of custom made. Here are sixteen questions to ask yourself to choose the right jeweler for you.

In many cases a scratched gemstone can be given new life. It depends on the damage level of the gem, the value of the gem or value to you of the gem and the setting style of the piece of jewelry.

If the damage to your ring is just bad scratching then yes. We buff scratches off rings regularly. Now if your really want to challenge us, bring in that ring that went down the garbage disposal.

There are many ways to extend the life of your jewelry. The most simple of which is to clean it regularly.

I wrote a blog listing many ways to extend your jewelry’s life – here.

We can inscribe initials inside your ring, or decoratively engrave designs on the exterior of your ring. We offer machine, hand and laser engraving.

Most jewelry stores do not offer the sizing of titanium or tungsten. Tungsten flat out cannot be sized. Titanium can be somewhat ground out to make it larger, but this is not a true sizing to a jeweler.

For this reason I do not recommend these metals be used for wedding bands. For daily wear rings you need a ring that can change as your body ages and changes. You will be married a long time right?

Black gold is a sales pitch. Black is cool and it’d be great if jewelry could be made in black. Some ceramic rings are made in black (And cannot be sized) and some metal rings are made and plated in black. However jewelry should hold up well. That black finish on ‘black gold’ is a plated finish and needs to be re-applied regularly. When it starts wearing off it can look awful.