What a jeweler would tell you
Fifty years of buying stones and building jewelry produces opinions. These are the answers Sharon gives clients who ask the real questions — what things cost, what holds up, and where the money actually goes.
How to buy pearls
Most people judge a pearl by how round it is. That is close to the least important thing about it.
ReadColored stone engagement rings that actually last
A colored stone engagement ring is a wonderful idea and a genuinely risky one, depending entirely on which stone you pick. Here is the part most jewelers will not tell you.
ReadResetting inherited jewelry
The most common thing in a jewelry box is a piece nobody wears. It has meaning, it has value, and it sits in a drawer for thirty years. There is a better outcome available.
ReadLab-grown or natural? An honest comparison
A lab-grown diamond is a diamond. That is not marketing; it is chemistry. The interesting questions are about price, resale and what you actually want.
ReadHow much does a custom engagement ring actually cost?
Nobody will give you a straight answer to this question, so here is one. The price of a ring is the stone, plus the metal, plus the labor. Everything else is overhead, and overhead is the part you get to skip.
ReadSapphire or diamond? What actually matters
Sapphire is the most serious alternative to diamond, and for a lot of people it is simply the better ring. Here is the comparison without the sales pitch on either side.
ReadThe four C's — and which one actually matters
Everyone selling a diamond will walk you through the four C's. Almost nobody will tell you that they are not equally important, or which ones you can quietly economize on.
ReadThe three C's nobody mentions
The four C's describe the stone. These three describe the transaction, and they are the ones that determine whether you got a fair deal.
ReadGemstone guides
Full reference guides to 29 stones — hardness, origin, treatment and how each one wears.
Start a custom piece
Tell Sharon what you have in mind — a stone you already own, a ring you have been picturing for years, or nothing more than a color. Every commission starts with a conversation, and there is no charge for it.