Guides
The parts a calculator cannot tell you
Three short pieces, written for somebody about to sell something and unsure whether they are about to be taken advantage of.
The most expensive misunderstanding in the trade, and the one every calculator on the internet quietly encourages.
5 min read
The chain from your kitchen drawer to the refinery, who takes what along the way, and why the same chain gets four different prices.
6 min read
What a stamp does and does not prove, and the checks you can do at home without damaging anything.
5 min read
Two terms that sound like the same idea and are legally a mile apart — the exact US minimums for each, and why one survives decades of wear and the other does not.
5 min read
A specific, legally defined term with three requirements — and why the sterling silver underneath, not the gold on top, is what actually holds resale value.
4 min read
A genuine mark can still be a forgery. The three ways UK law defines hallmark fraud, and the physical tells each one leaves behind.
6 min read
Both look the same colour on day one. What they are actually made of, why one needs replating and the other never does, and how they wear over decades.
6 min read
Carbon against silicon carbide: the measurable differences in hardness, fire and refraction, and why a thermal diamond tester alone cannot always tell them apart.
6 min read
Carat, cut, color and clarity are four independent measurements, not a single score — what each one actually grades, in the GIA’s own terms.
6 min read
Which common jewellery metals actually contain nickel, which structurally cannot, and why "nickel-free" is not a regulated claim in the US.
6 min read