Notes from 47th Street.
Straight answers on silver, lab-grown diamonds, finishes and fit, from the bench that makes every Dorvelle piece.
Diamond color and clarity, explained: what D VVS2 means on a ring
Color runs from D, colorless, to Z. Clarity runs from Flawless to Included. What each grade means, why eye-clean matters more than the letter, and how to read the grades on a lab-grown diamond report.
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Does rhodium plating wear off? What the finish is, and how it is refreshed
Rhodium is a finish, the same one on nearly every white gold ring, and like any finish it can be renewed. How it is applied, why white gold owners re-plate as a matter of routine, and how the bench refreshes a piece by mail.
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Eternity band sizing: why a full band cannot be resized, and how to get it right
A full eternity band has stones all the way around, so there is no plain metal to cut and resize. How to measure for one, when a half or three quarter band is the better choice, and the bands in the collection.
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Lab-grown diamond jewelry under $500: a gift guide
Thirteen pieces under $500, each sterling silver set with lab-grown diamonds and made on 47th Street. Studs, pendants, huggies and a half eternity band, sorted by the occasion they suit.
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How big is a 2 carat diamond? Sizes on the hand, by shape
A 2 carat round diamond measures about 8.2 mm across. What one, one and a half, two and three carats look like on the hand, how shape changes the spread, and which pieces carry each size.
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How to clean sterling silver jewelry with a rhodium or vermeil finish
Warm water, a drop of mild soap, a soft cloth. What to use on rhodium and vermeil finished sterling silver, what to leave in the drawer, and when to send a piece to the bench instead.
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Huggies vs hoops: which earring sits where
Huggies are small hinged hoops, usually under 15 mm, that close flush against the lobe. Hoops hang below it. Sizes in millimeters, where each sits, and the hoops and huggies in the collection.
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Lab-grown diamond vs natural: what is the same, what is different
A lab-grown diamond and a mined diamond are the same crystal, graded on the same scale, told apart only by laboratory instruments. What differs is where the stone came from, what it costs and what is inscribed on the girdle.
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Pendant and necklace lengths: where 16, 18 and 20 inches sit
An 18 inch chain sits at the collarbone and suits most necklines. 16 sits just above it, 20 just below. How to choose a length for a pendant or a tennis necklace, and the pieces in the collection.
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The tennis bracelet: what it is, how it got its name, how to size one
A tennis bracelet is a flexible line of matched diamonds, each in its own setting. Where the name came from, standard lengths, how to measure a wrist, what to look for in a clasp, and the sterling silver bracelets in the collection.
Read the storyIs 925 silver real silver? Yes. Here is what the number means
925 silver is sterling silver, 92.5 percent pure silver by weight. What the number means, why the other 7.5 percent is there, what the law says about the word sterling, and how to read the stamp inside a ring.
Read the storyMoissanite vs lab-grown diamond: what is actually different
Moissanite is silicon carbide. A lab-grown diamond is carbon, the same crystal as a mined diamond. How they differ in sparkle, hardness, color and grading, and why we set lab-grown diamonds.
Read the storySterling silver promise rings: what they mean and how to choose one
What a promise ring says, where the custom comes from, which finger it goes on, and how to choose a sterling silver promise ring with a lab-grown diamond that will be worn every day.
Read the storySterling silver vs white gold: the same look, two metals
Sterling silver and white gold look the same on the hand because both are finished in rhodium. What differs is the metal underneath, the weight, and the price. Who should pick which, and how the same design is available in both.
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Sterling silver wedding bands: how to choose one you will wear every day
Plain, half eternity, three quarter and full eternity bands in sterling silver. How each one fits, which can be resized, how to match a band to an engagement ring in silver or 14k gold, and how the rhodium finish is kept bright.
Read the storyWhat is gold vermeil? And how it differs from gold plated
Gold vermeil has a legal definition in the US: sterling silver under gold of at least 10 karat and at least 2.5 microns thick. What that means, how it differs from gold plated jewelry, and how the yellow finish on a sterling silver piece is made.
Read the storyWhat is rhodium, and why is it on your ring?
Rhodium is a rare platinum-group metal that jewelers plate onto white gold and sterling silver for a hard, mirror-white surface. What it is, why nearly every white gold ring carries it, and how the finish is refreshed by the bench.
Read the storyWhy the metal became the expensive part
Lab-grown diamond prices fell by most of their value in under a decade while gold climbed past $4,000 an ounce. How the cost of a diamond ring flipped, with the numbers, and what we did about it.
Read the storyLab-grown diamonds, graded the same way
The 4Cs apply to lab-grown diamonds exactly as they do to mined ones. What a lab report says, why a D VVS2 stone is the same stone in silver or gold, and what the FTC requires sellers to disclose.
Read the storySterling silver for an engagement ring: a straight answer
Is sterling silver a good choice for an engagement ring? Who it suits, who it does not, how it compares with 14k gold on weight and durability, how resizing works, and how to look after it.
Read the storyHow to find your ring size at home, and when not to trust it
Three ways to measure your ring size at home, which one to trust, how fingers change through the day, and the cases where a home measurement is not enough: eternity bands, wide bands and surprise proposals.
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