Care & Info

Sizing Information

 The easiest and most accurate way to find out your ring size is to go to a jeweller and have your ring size measured, alternatively go to http://findmyringsize.com if using this method please be very sure of which size you choose.

Tips for gift buying: To ascertain the appropriate ring size, ask to clean a ring of the gift recipient and take the ring to a jewellery store.  Most jewellery stores will perform this service free of charge. Then ask the jeweller to check the size of the ring or alternatively you can slip the ring on your finger and mark the spot it fits. Then measure that spot using the dimensions below.

General care

Professional cleaning and checking is encouraged once a year, depending on how often you wear your jewellery.

Diamond, sapphire, ruby, topaz, spinel, iolite, tourmaline, garnet and quartz jewellery can be cleaned at home with a solution of dishwashing liquid and ammonia diluted in warm water and applied with a soft toothbrush.

Examine your jewellery regularly to make sure, stones are not loose, clasps and joinings are secure, and stringing is not worn and fraying. Claw settings are particularly vulnerable, if a claw is hit or snagged, they may loosen, risking the loss of a gemstone.

Take care to protect your jewellery from impact against hard surfaces and avoid contact with abrasive surfaces. Even a diamond can chip or break, if hit with the right force on the right angle.

Avoid exposing gold to household bleach, which will cause gold to discolour and disintegrate.

Sterling silver tarnishes when exposed to salt air, to remove tarnish a non abrasive silver polish cloth is recommended.

All jewellery should be stored separately in the box it came in or in a suitably lined box or pouch, as gemstones can scratch each other as well as metal.

Care must be taken with amber, coral, lapis lazuli, malachite, opal and turquoise to avoid sudden temperature change, and exposure to cosmetics, hair spray, and perfume or house hold chemicals.

Caring for your pearl jewellery
Strands need to cleaned and restrung if worn regularly.
Avoid all contact with cosmetics, hairspray, perfume and house hold chemicals.
Rings are not to be worn daily, due to the softness of the pearl.

Diamond Buying Guide
A diamond's beauty, rarity and price are determined by an interplay of the 4C's Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat weight. The 4C's are used through out the world to classify diamonds, and helps you to compare individual diamonds. It is an easy way to learn about the qualities you need to look at when buying a diamond, which is a life long investment.

One of the first things you will need to do is establish a budget, which should be based on your income as well as your knowledge of diamonds (the 4C's), so you have a good idea of what you can afford and what you want to spend.

Make sure that you have a guarantee, that you get what you have paid for, in the means of a valuation (by a registered valuer) or a diamond certificate (by a recognised and trusted source eg. GIA- Gemmological Institute of America, Gem studies Laboratory, or the DCLA- Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia) bearing the stones recognizable, individual characteristics.

The 4C's

CUT
A diamond's brilliance, fire and ultimate beauty depends heavily on its cut. A well cut diamond of perfect proportions and angles will reflect light internally from one facet to the other, which is dispersed and reflected through the top of the stone. Diamond's that are cut too deep or too shallow, loose light through the bottom or side of the stone, resulting in less brilliance, and ultimately less value.

Cut also refers to shape, apart from the traditional round shape- termed round brilliant cut (57 facets cut at angles which allow total internal reflection) there are fancy shapes, square usually termed princess, pear, heart, oval, marquise, trilliant and emerald cut- (rectangle with corners cut off), which have their own guide lines, to be considered well cut.

CLARITY
Clarity is the presence of inclusions, which are inner flaws which occur during the formation of a diamond. The visibility, numbers and size of these inclusions, viewed through 10x magnification, determine the clarity, which is ranked on a scale ranging from (F) which is flawless to (P3) Pique which is heavily included and visible with the naked eye. Inclusions affect the brilliance and price of diamond. A diamond that is flawless is usually an investment stone, and a heavily included diamond is usually not very attractive. Try to choose a stone that is only slightly included, so beauty and brilliance is not compromised and the stone holds its value over the years to come.

COLOUR
Colourless diamonds are the most desirable as they are traditional, accessible and allow the most refraction of light (sparkle). Although diamonds do come in a variety of colours, intense shades of blue, green, yellow, orange, pink and rarest of all red, they are extremely rare and highly priced.

Colourless diamonds are graded on a scale, which ranges from D (colourless) to Z (yellow). The differences are very subtle, it is very difficult to see the difference between a D and an E, but you will be able to see the difference between a D and a J. For accuracy diamonds are graded under controlled lighting and compared to a master set of stones displaying the full range of colour differences. The grade you choose will come down to personal taste, but on an average H and above would be the most popular choice, due to the diamond still having a white appearance, with very little tint of colour.

CARAT
Carat is a measurement of weight of a diamond, and is not to be confused with size. One carat equals 200 milligrams. One carat is divided into 100 points.eg. A 0.50 carat is the same as fifty points or half a carat.

Diamonds with a high carat weight are not a common occurrence, and are therefore more are rare, due to that factor; a 2 carat diamond can be priced well over triple the amount of a 1 carat diamond of the same quality.