Quality is a Girl's (and Boy's) Best Friend

Our stone of the month is (drumroll, please): the diamond. Since this is the fourth month let's focus on the four important aspects to consider when buying diamonds, usually called "The Four 'C's": color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.

Let's start with the size of the diamond. Some people think that the biggest diamond is the best--and the stories we read about celebrity engagements feed that belief. But it's not true. The best diamond is the one that's right for you. 
 
Others think all diamonds are really the same, and the work is about finding the best price. Not long ago someone told me that he had been shopping online and at a well-known mall store for diamond earrings. He really liked the prices, especially given the size of the stones he had in mind. And who could blame him?  

Educating the customer, helping people to make sound choices when it comes to jewelry, is part of my job as the Jewelry Doctor.  So I suggested we dig a little deeper.  

I called my appraiser, who is also a gemologist, and we took a look at the gemological certificates (called "certs" in the industry) for the loose diamonds on the dealer website and the earrings on the mall store site. (He mentioned in passing that "off" diamonds--i.e., lower-quality diamonds--that don't sell in the showroom are sometimes unloaded online, as the customer is seeing them from a distance.) 

In both cases, the diamonds were not good choices.  Either the cut was different (a cushion cut "matched" with a princess cut, for example), the color was off--meaning the diamond in one earring didn't match the diamond in the other--or the clarity was different (one was an SI2 and the other an I1. These designations ["slightly included," and "included," respectively] describe inclusions in the stone, which determine how much light passes through the diamond).

"So what?" some might say. "It's on her ear."

Some people see it that way. But even setting aside the question of brilliance (where color, clarity, and cut all come into play, since it's not just a cushion cut, but the way it's cut) that people love in a diamond, don't you think that when you're choosing to buy a gift for someone--especially diamond jewelry--it's a good idea to focus on quality?

We think so, too.  So if diamonds make your heart sing, call us at 415/796-3969, and we'll find something wonderful just for you.  

San Francisco Jewelry Doctor.  The real deal.

©2015 Laynie Tzena.

Built to Last

Today is 5/8.  If you sew, you know the “5/8 rule.” For those unfamiliar with that term, it means you aim to have your seams measure 5/8 of an inch. Using this amount of fabric at the seam provides support to the finished garment.

Savvy shoppers look at the seams when they’re shopping for clothes. Lots of manufacturers started cutting back on the width of those seams years ago, down to 1/4 inch or less. Some say that’s why clothes don’t last the way they used to. Remember the expression, “falling apart at the seams”?

Clothing also used to have “finished” seams. This means that the fabric has stitches in two places, once to hold the fabric together (the inner seam) and again at the border of the fabric. This helps to protect the fabric from fraying. Designer Linda Lorraine’s gloves stand out not just for their jazzy houndstooth and leopard patterns, but because she finishes her seams. She does the job right.

Sometimes, when I admire a necklace, the person mentions the name of the store where it was purchased. Have I seen their jewelry?

“Yes, I think so,” I tell the wearer. 

That store, like many these days, has great designs for very low prices. I restored one of their necklaces for a customer. 

“The design is great, but the construction—not so much,” I told her.  

When my customers bring in jewelry for repair, I can usually tell right away why the necklace or bracelet broke. Often it has been strung on filament or wire too light to support the weight of the jewelry. The manufacturers cut costs, using flimsy material (including cotton thread) to string with and cheap fastenings. This brings down the price, but doesn’t help you once you start wearing the jewelry. And the funny thing is, using good quality materials doesn’t cost manufacturers that much more since they buy in such quantity. But they figure they can get away with skipping that step.

I was picking up supplies at one of my vendors when a woman asked, “How long do you think this necklace (which she was stringing on filament) will last?”

“Probably as long as the trend,” came the answer.

The good news is you don’t have to settle for that. All our work—whether it’s jewelry we design, jewelry from our sources, or jewelry we repair for you—is built to last. Guaranteed. Period.

Oh, and those teeny clasps they’re putting on gold chains now, also to bring down prices? We can replace those with something designed for someone over the age of seven.

You are so welcome.  And honey, we love you, too.

©2013, 2014, 2015 Laynie Tzena.