How to Tell if Gold Is Real: Hallmarks, Tests, and Myths
How to tell if gold is real: what 585, 750 and 14k stamps legally promise, a home density test with real arithmetic, the myths, and when to see a jeweler.
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Notes from the workbench
Buying guides, birthstone lore, and straight answers from people who build jewelry for a living.
Prongs: Types, Wear, and When to Retip
Prong retipping explained from the bench: how prongs wear, the catch test, what a retip costs as of October 2026, and when a new head is the better fix.
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Diamond Cut Explained: Why Cut Outranks Every Other C
Diamond cut grade explained: what GIA measures, why an Excellent cut beats a bigger stone, the spread trap, and how to judge shapes with no grade.
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Gold Chain Types: A Jeweler's Guide to Every Link
The types of gold chains explained by how each link is built: which kink, which break, which carry a pendant, plus hollow vs solid and the clasp that lasts.
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White Gold vs Platinum: The Honest Trade-Off
How white gold and platinum really differ at the bench: weight, wear, prong life, maintenance, and why the price argument has quietly inverted.
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October Birthstone Jewelry: The Story, Soul, and Selection of Opal
A jeweler's guide to October birthstone jewelry: how to judge play-of-color, why solid versus doublet matters, and how to keep an opal alive.
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Diamond Clarity Grades: What's Actually Worth Paying For
The GIA clarity scale walked honestly: where eye-clean starts by shape and size, which inclusions matter, and where paying for clarity stops buying anything.
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Gold Vermeil vs Gold-Plated vs Gold-Filled vs Solid Gold
The four gold constructions explained from the trade side: the federal definitions, how long each survives daily wear, and how to read a listing honestly.
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July Birthstone Jewelry: The Story, Soul, and Selection of Ruby
A jeweler's guide to July birthstone jewelry: what pigeon's blood really means, which ruby treatments to refuse, and how to buy a stone worth keeping.
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June Birthstone Jewelry: The Story, Soul, and Selection of Pearl
A jeweler's guide to June birthstone jewelry: the four families of cultured pearl, why luster beats size, and how to buy a pearl that lasts.
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May Birthstone Jewelry: The Story, Soul, and Selection of Emerald
A jeweler's guide to May birthstone jewelry: why emerald inclusions are the point, what oiling really means, and how to buy an emerald worth keeping.
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Why the Same-Looking Ring Costs $800 or $8,000
Four things move the price of a ring, and three of them are invisible across a counter. A jeweler's honest breakdown of where the money actually goes.
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