The Journal · Topic
Buying Guides
How to buy antique and vintage jewelry without getting burned: what to ask, what to check, what the paperwork does and does not prove.
How to Tell If a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra Is Real
How to tell if a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra is real: the perlée border, stone fit, clasp, serial number and hallmarks,...
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Vintage Tiffany & Co. Jewelry: How to Date It, Authenticate It, and What's Worth Buying
How to read vintage Tiffany jewelry marks, tell real from fake (including Return to Tiffany), why gold pieces are so much rarer...
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What $3,000, $5,000 and $10,000 Buys in an Antique Engagement Ring
An honest guide to antique engagement ring cost: the realistic trade-offs at $3,000, $5,000 and $10,000, where value hides in old cuts...
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Old European Cut Diamonds: What Actually Drives the Price
Old European cut diamonds do not price like modern rounds. How carat thresholds, spread, warm colour, recutting and the grading report really...
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Sourcing: How a Specific Antique Ring Actually Gets Found
You know exactly what you want and it is not for sale anywhere. Sourcing is the work of finding it — what...
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How to Read a Diamond Report on an Antique Stone
Grading reports were designed for modern round brilliants, and on an antique stone half the document is misleading. Which fields to trust,...
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Antique Halo vs Modern Halo: Why They Age So Differently
Both surround a centre stone with smaller ones, and there the similarity ends. Antique surrounds are built from individually set stones with...
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Three-Stone Rings: The History, the Marketing, and How to Choose One
The past, present and future story is 1990s advertising, not history. Three-stone rings are far older and far more interesting than that...
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How to Date an Antique Ring Without a Hallmark
Most antique rings carry no usable hallmark. Dating them is a matter of reading construction: the cut of the stones, how the...
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