Journal
The Journal
Field notes from inside the antique and estate jewelry trade — what to look for, what to walk away from.
Antique Sapphires: Ceylon, Kashmir, and What “Unheated” Really Means
Origin and heat treatment move sapphire prices more than colour does. What Kashmir, Ceylon and Burma actually mean, why unheated stones command...
Read more
Cluster Rings: From Victorian Daisies to Edwardian Coronets
A cluster ring is not a halo. It is a group of stones designed to read as one jewel — the oldest...
Read more
Antique Cushion vs Modern Cushion: Why They Look Nothing Alike
Two stones can both be called cushion cut and share almost nothing. The antique cushion and the modern cushion differ in crown,...
Read more
Rose Cut Diamonds: The Oldest Cut Still Worn
A rose cut has no pavilion, no culet and no table — just a flat base and a dome of triangular facets....
Read more
Art Nouveau Jewelry: Reading the Curve (1890–1910)
Art Nouveau lasted barely twenty years and broke the rule that jewelry should be valued by its stones. Enamel, horn, glass —...
Read more
Georgian Jewelry: What Survives, and What to Pay For (1714–1837)
Georgian jewelry is the oldest thing most collectors will ever realistically own — handmade, candlelit, and rarer than people assume. What survives,...
Read more
Edwardian Jewelry: The Garland Era Explained (1901–1915)
Edwardian jewelry is the lightest antique jewelry ever made — platinum lace, milgrain edges and diamonds that look like they are floating....
Read more
Heirloom Redesign: How to Turn Inherited Jewelry Into Something You'll Actually Wear
You inherited a ring you love and never wear. Here's how to redesign an heirloom into something you'll put on daily —...
Read more
Common Gemstone Treatments: What's Accepted, What Kills Value
Heat, glass-filling, dyeing, irradiation — a plain-English guide to which gemstone treatments are normal, which quietly destroy value, and what a seller...
Read more