Knowledge & Craft
Diamond, gemstone and jewellery guidance from a gemologist-led Melbourne jeweller.
Journal
Yellow gold changes how a diamond looks, because the metal's warmth reflects into the stone. Here is how to match diamond colour, claw metal and gold purity in a yellow gold engagement ring, plus how to read Australian hallmarks and avoid skin reactions.
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Most jewellery lost on holiday is not stolen. It slips off a cold finger, goes down a hotel drain or disappears from a checked bag. Here is how to travel with fine jewellery and bring every piece home in the same condition it left.
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How a lab report describes a loose stone while a valuation addresses the complete item and a value purpose Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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A ring out of round looks like a small cosmetic problem, but an oval or dented band loosens claws and can cost you a stone. Here is why it happens, how to spot it early and what a proper repair involves.
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Claws are the small metal prongs that hold your stone, and they wear down a little every day you wear the ring. Ring claw retipping rebuilds them before a stone works loose, so knowing the warning signs is the simplest way to keep your diamond or gemstone where it belongs.
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Yellow gold is never just gold. The metals mixed into a yellow gold alloy decide its colour, its hardness, how it wears and even how it reacts with your skin, so it helps to know what is in a ring before you choose one.
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Rose gold colour is not a coating or a dye. It comes from the recipe of the metal itself, and that recipe decides how pink it looks, how hard it wears and how it behaves on your skin.
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Almost every white gold ring in an Australian shop window is wearing a thin coat of another metal. Knowing what white gold rhodium plating does, and when it wears off, tells you what your ring will really look like in five years.
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Tanzanite has a violet-blue colour few other gems can match, but it is softer and more fragile than most ring stones. Before you choose a tanzanite ring, it helps to know exactly what it can and cannot handle.
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Tourmaline comes in more colours than almost any other gem, which makes it a tempting centre stone. Here is how a tourmaline engagement ring holds up to daily wear, which colours to look for and how to set it so it lasts.
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A wedding band is the piece of jewellery most people wear every single day for decades, so it takes more knocks than anything else you own. A little regular wedding band maintenance keeps it comfortable, keeps diamonds where they belong and saves a much bigger repair later.
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An engraving is the one part of a wedding ring nobody else sees, and it has to read as clearly in 40 years as it does on the day. These wedding ring engraving ideas focus on what lasts: the words, the spacing, the font and the method.
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Choosing wedding bands for low profile engagement rings is harder than it looks, because the stone sits so close to the finger that an ordinary band often cannot slide in beside it. Here is how the geometry works and which band shapes solve it.
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How scalable production and changing wholesale supply can create more price volatility than buyers expect Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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Lab-grown diamond prices have dropped faster than almost anything else in jewellery, and two stones that look alike can still differ by hundreds of dollars. Here is what sets the price, why it keeps moving, and how to compare stones fairly in Australia.
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Many lab-grown diamonds are heated or irradiated after they leave the growth chamber. Here is what post-growth treatment in a lab-grown diamond actually does, how grading reports disclose it, and what Australian consumer law expects sellers to tell you.
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Two diamonds can carry the same colour grade and still look different on the hand. Cushion cut diamond colour is the classic example, and knowing why helps you choose the right grade without paying for whiteness you will never see.
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Emerald cut windowing is the most common reason a step-cut diamond looks flat, glassy or grey in the middle. Knowing what causes it, and how to spot it before you buy, is the difference between an emerald cut that glows and one that looks like a pane of glass.
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Two oval diamonds can weigh exactly the same and still look different sizes on the hand. Hidden weight is the reason, and once you know where it sits, you can check for it on any grading report.
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A steep deep diamond can carry a respectable grade on paper and still look darker and smaller than it should. Here is how to recognise one from the angles, the photos and an ASET image before you choose a round diamond.
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Two diamonds can share the same 4Cs on paper and still sit thousands of dollars apart. Here is what the grading report leaves out, and how Australian rules on GST, the Tourist Refund Scheme and insurance change the price you actually pay.
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How transparency issues can relate to inclusions, fluorescence interactions or other factors requiring direct inspection Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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A loose diamond tweezer video is often the closest look you get at a stone before you pay for it. Knowing how to read one, and what the lighting can hide, protects you from choosing on a flattering clip.
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The diamond culet is the smallest part of the stone, but it is printed on every grading report, and a large one can show as a hole in the middle of the diamond. Here is what the culet is, how it is graded and when it actually matters.
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A diamond cloud inclusion is one of the most common features on a grading report, and one of the most misunderstood. Most clouds are harmless and invisible, but a few can make a diamond look hazy, so it pays to know which is which.
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The feather is the most common inclusion in a diamond, and the one people worry about most. Here is how to tell a harmless feather inclusion in a diamond from one that affects durability, and what it means for the clarity grade and the price.
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Diamond light leakage is the reason two stones with identical colour and clarity grades can look completely different on the hand. Once you know where leaked light shows up and how to read the scope images, you can tell a lively diamond from a dull one before it is set.
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How to compare visible dimensions between diamonds of similar weight and why hidden depth can reduce apparent size Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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An SI1 diamond can look exactly like a VS2 on the hand for noticeably less money, or it can show a dark mark you notice every day. Here is how to tell which one you are looking at.
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VS1 and VS2 sit side by side on the clarity scale, and the price gap between them can pay for a better colour or a slightly bigger stone. Here is how to tell when the step up to VS1 actually changes what you see.
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Why eye-clean is a viewing judgment rather than a laboratory clarity grade, and how distance, lighting and inclusion position matter Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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The small decisions—claw proportions, shoulder taper, basket height and band profile—that distinguish a balanced solitaire Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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A custom ring is made for one stone only. Here is why the millimetre measurements of your diamond matter more than its carat weight, and how they flow from the grading report into the CAD design, the setting and your insurance valuation.
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Band width is the part of how to choose an engagement ring that most people leave until last. It still changes how big the diamond looks, how the ring feels and how well it lasts. Here is what each millimetre does.
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A custom engagement ring consultation is where a ring stops being an idea and becomes a plan with a stone, a design, a price and a date. Knowing what happens, and the Australian rules on GST, the Tourist Refund Scheme and insurance, helps you walk in prepared and leave with fewer surprises.
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Setting a loose diamond into an existing ring can save a much-loved band and give a stone a new home, but only if the stone, the head and the metal are matched properly. Here is what a bench jeweller checks, what can go wrong and what it typically costs in Australia.
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Replacement value vs resale value is one of the most common confusions at the valuation counter. One number tells your insurer what it would cost to replace a piece. The other is what the piece would fetch if you sold it, and the gap between them is usually large.
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A ring that spins, pinches or slips off is a ring you stop wearing. Ring resizing fixes most of them, but the metal, the stones and the design decide how far a ring can safely go.
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Spinel sat in royal crowns for centuries, mistaken for ruby. Today it is one of the few hard, usually untreated coloured gems that suits daily wear, and this guide covers what to check before you choose a spinel engagement ring.
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Matching wedding bands are a choice, not a rule. Here is how couples decide whether to match exactly, coordinate one detail or go their own way, and the metal, width, profile and finish choices that make two different rings still feel like a pair.
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Choosing a shared prong vs channel set wedding band decides how much diamond you see, how the band wears day to day and what repairs look like in ten years. Here is how each style works, and who each one suits.
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Lab-grown diamond insurance is not quite the same as insuring a natural stone: prices move faster, valuations date quickly and the paperwork has to be exact. Here is how to cover a lab-grown diamond properly in Australia without paying for value you would never get back.
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A square vs elongated cushion diamond is the same cut with two very different personalities. The ratio you pick changes how big the stone looks, how it sits on your finger, how much colour it shows and which setting suits it.
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The radiant diamond ratio decides whether your stone looks square and compact or long and slender. It changes the stone's character more than almost any grade on the report.
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A shallow round diamond promises more size for your money, and sometimes it delivers. Here is how to tell a stone that spreads well from one that leaks light, using depth, angles, ASET images and your own eyes.
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Two diamonds can both carry an Excellent cut grade and still look quite different on the hand. Round diamond proportions explain why, and knowing the few numbers that matter lets you read a grading report the way a cutter does.
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Your finger will almost certainly change size over the life of your ring. A few design decisions made now decide whether engagement ring resizing later is a routine bench job or a costly rebuild.
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Rose gold engagement rings change how every stone looks: they warm up a diamond, deepen a pink gem and make a blue one look cooler. Choosing the right pairing can save you money on diamond colour and keep a softer gemstone safe for decades.
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A proposal date can arrive faster than a ring. Here is what a rush custom engagement ring can realistically achieve in Australia, which stages are fixed, and how GST refunds and insurance fit around a tight deadline.
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You will probably wear your engagement ring and wedding band together on the same finger for decades. Planning them as a pair decides whether they sit flush, wear evenly and still look right when you wear one on its own.
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A sensible inspection routine for claws, settings, shanks, clasps, rhodium, cleaning and valuation records Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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Jewellery remodelling turns pieces you no longer wear into something you will, but not every stone or scrap of metal survives the process equally well. Here is what a bench jeweller checks before anything is taken apart.
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What identification, measurements, quality descriptions, photographs and replacement basis can contribute to a useful valuation Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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Soap and a soft brush keep most jewellery bright, but they cannot tell you a claw is wearing thin. Here is what professional jewellery cleaning does that home cleaning cannot, and which gems and metals need extra care either way.
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A pavé setting can make a whole ring sparkle, but the way the small diamonds are held decides how it looks on day one and how it wears ten years later. Here is what each style is, how it is made and what a jeweller sees when it comes back for repair.
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Compare colour, density, maintenance, wear behaviour and rhodium plating considerations Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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Peridot jewellery has a green you can pick from across the room: brighter and more yellow than emerald, warmer than green sapphire. Here is why that colour happens, how tough the stone really is, and how to choose, set and care for it.
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Morganite's soft pink colour has made it a popular alternative centre stone. Here is an honest look at how a morganite engagement ring holds up to daily wear, what to check before you choose one, and how to keep it looking bright.
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Two red stones of the same size can differ in price by a factor of a hundred, and most of that gap comes down to ruby quality you can learn to see. Here is how a gemmologist judges a ruby, from colour and clarity to the treatments a report must disclose.
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Why bridge clearance, basket width and band contour should be measured rather than assumed Learn what to check, what the terminology means and how to compare options with GemTrove’s gemologist-led guidance.
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