White gold: why it goes warm, and what rhodium actually is
14kt solid white gold and 14kt solid yellow gold cost the same, because white gold is yellow gold with a rhodium coating on top. What rhodium is, where it wears through first, and what a polish actually takes away.
Engraving: how many letters actually fit
3 of my own listings give 3 different character limits, 7, 8 and 21. Here is what decides the number, where an inscription wears, and how to count before you order.
Carat: what the number on a diamond actually weighs
A carat is a unit of weight, not a size. What 0.25ct and 2.70 carats actually mean, why a total weight is not 1 stone, and why carat and karat are 2 different numbers.
Coloured stones: which ones stand up to being worn every day
Amethyst, moonstone, lapis lazuli, onyx, jade. The same setting and the same price, and they do not wear the same way at all. Where hardness comes from, where each stone belongs, and what to do with a stone that has gone flat.
Children's jewellery: what fits now, and what still fits later
Bracelet lengths for a newborn, a child and an adult, what to engrave so it does not date, and how an outgrown christening bracelet is resized.
Commissioning a piece: what happens between the sketch and the ring
A bespoke commission usually takes 4 to 8 weeks, and the design stage is the slow part, not the bench. What actually happens between a sketch and a finished piece, and what it costs.