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Showing posts from 2007

Wedding Band Basics

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Do you know the difference in "Half-Round" and "Comfort-Fit" wedding band styles? This is a common point of confusion for those in the market for genuine Platinum or Gold wedding bands --the difference in style may not be apparent at first glance, but the cost difference is apparent! This price difference is due to the weight of the precious metal, as well as the extra complexity of the comfort-fit style. It all boils down to the difference in the cross section of each style. As the illustration shows, the half-round style is flat where it contacts the finger, but domed on the top of the ring. However, the comfort-fit style is slightly domed against the finger, as well as on the top. Because of this slight domed-effect on the inside of the ring, the comfort-fit style will slide more easily over the finger joint than the half-round . This difference translates into a ring whose cross-section is thicker in the comfort-fit style, making the ring heavier: the

Hand Engraving: Best for Lockets

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Did you know that some engraving machines are completely computer-controlled? Like many other machines that used to be hand-operated (sewing machines and embroidery machines, for instance), engraving can now be done completely by machine with virtually no human intervention. This is great for items that are thick and solid, like the inside of a wedding band, or the plaque on a trophy--and it can produce very small text which is precisely positioned. But what about a locket that is made of relatively thin gold (compared to the thickness of the ring), and usually domed, also? Even a heavy locket that has a thick shell can be deformed by the pressure of the engraving tool. That means that the potential exists to permanently dent the locket where the engraving is placed! A computer controlled engraving machine does not have the ability to give "tactile feedback" needed to properly engrave hollow and domed items--it is fine for use on a plaque or a ring. This is the reason that lo

Jewelry Photographs and Jewelry Size

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Jewelry Photographs are Almost Always Magnified In general, jewelry items are small! This is because the components that make up the jewelry are costly--gemstones and precious metals--and the more there are, the more expensive the piece. Often, a person who is not familiar with jewelry may be surprised at how small a piece actually looks in "real life." Why? Because the photography that we use to show our jewelry virtually always shows the piece as a close-up. So, if you have been poring over photographs of diamond pendants, for example, you are seeing the items with much more detail than you would see if you examined the piece with the naked eye. For example, our 1/2 Carat Princess Diamond Scroll Pendant is shown to the left. That is the full size of the photograph, but the actual item is only 3/8" high by 1/4" wide, as per our specifications. On my computer monitor (set for 1280X1024), the pendant appears as about 3X actual size. If your monitor's resolution

Comparing costs of Gold or Platinum Wedding Bands

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You probably already know that you should make sure that any rings that you are comparing are the same material, ie, both are 14K gold--obviously, there is a difference in cost in 14K and 18K gold rings of the same gram weight! But, you should also make sure that when you are comparing Platinum rings, that your compare the same "fineness" of Platinum. In the US, a jewelry item is allowed to be labeled solely as "Platinum" or "Plat" if it is at least 95% Platinum, that is, it has a fineness of 950. Even so, you will often see an item marked "950 Plat", even though the "950" part is not required by law. Beware of rings that are labeled "900 Plat", because as you might guess, they contain less Platinum than 950, and should be discounted accordingly. Besides the fineness of the gold or platinum, the shape of the ring is vitally important in determining the cost. As the illustration shows (click for a larger view), the half-round

Hinged Hoop Earring Tips

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Some women like hinged hoop earrings because they are so easy to open and close. For the earring hinge to be well made, though, it is usually required that the earring be solid, rather than hollow. Otherwise, the hinge at the bottom of the earring cannot be concealed very well (you want it to virtually disappear when the earring is closed). But solid earrings will weigh more, and cost more, than hollow ones. So, if you really like that pair of 24mm hinged hoops, make sure you check the weight of the pair! Many women find that anything over 3 or 4 grams per earring (we always give the weight for the pair, so divide it by two) feels too heavy on the ear piercing. In fact, we have stopped carrying large hinged hoop designs because our customers did not like their weight! The solution is to go with the hollow designs that use a snap-post closure, such as our #4127 1.4mm Round Tube Hoops , shown in the picture to the right. Hinged huggie designs, which fit close to the ear, will wear more

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We will post all the latest info here--new products we have recently added to Viridian Gold , as well as tips on jewelry purchasing and spotting quality problems in jewelry!