Jewellery and accessories guides, page 2

A silversmith at a workshop bench with hammers and stakes behind him

Resizing and Repairing Jewelry: What a Workshop Can Do

Most jewelry can be repaired and much of it can be resized. The real question isn't whether something is possible in principle but whether it makes sense for this piece, and that depends almost entire

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Gold rings set with coloured stones along the band

Prongs, Bezels, Channels and Pavé: Picking a Setting

Most people choose a setting by how much stone it shows. That's an incomplete way to choose. The setting is what holds a brittle stone inside a metal object that gets knocked against desks, faucets an

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A hand lifting a gold bracelet from a tray of price-tagged jewellery

Buying Secondhand Jewelry: What to Inspect, What to Ask

Secondhand is where a modest budget meets well-made jewelry, and it's also where you have the least protection. Estate sales, pawn shops, auction houses, vintage dealers and online marketplaces all se

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Model in a black hat and black top wearing a graphic necklace of black stones and pearls

Pearls, Coral and Amber: Judging and Care

Pearls and other organic jewelry materials get graded in language borrowed from diamonds, which is where the confusion starts. A mineral stone is judged on color, clarity and cut and shrugs off most o

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A ten-times jeweller's loupe on a plain surface

Judging a Stone: What You Can Check and What You Can't

The gem trade runs on the gap between how a stone looks and what it is. A colorless stone can be diamond, moissanite, cubic zirconia or glass, and the difference is invisible to the naked eye. A red o

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Model in a black jacket wearing gem-set statement earrings, a matching necklace and a brooch

Earrings: Metals, Backs and All-Day Comfort

You choose an earring in a mirror in seconds, then wear it for ten hours. The mirror judges the front. What decides comfort is the post, the back and the total weight, none of which you see when it's

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Sheets and granules of gold, copper, brass and silver on a white surface

Choosing a Metal for Everyday Wear

The metal you choose for a piece you'll wear every day matters more than the design detail you spent an hour on. Metals differ in how they scratch, tarnish, feel and weigh, and in how easily a worksho

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A gold chain with its open clasp photographed in close up

Chains, Clasps and How Fastenings Fail

When a necklace disappears, people assume theft or some dramatic break. The usual ending is quieter. The chain turns up tucked inside a collar, every link intact, clasp still closed, nothing apparentl

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The sterling hallmark and maker's mark stamped on a silver fob

Solid, Filled, Vermeil or Plated: Reading Jewelry Marks

A stamp on jewelry is a declaration, not a guarantee. It's still the most useful information you have, and the difference between a piece that survives daily wear and one that looks tired in a year is

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