Journal

One stone, one chain, nothing to hide behind. The five decisions that separate a diamond solitaire necklace worn daily for decades from one that sits in a drawer.

There's a stone on my bench this morning, a round brilliant a little under a quarter carat, and if the week goes the way it should, by Thursday it'll be lying in the hollow of...

Carat is the first thing people ask about a diamond necklace and close to the last thing they should decide. A jeweler's guide to choosing carat size by proportion, not budget, with a quick range-by-range...

The station necklace is mostly engineering, and the engineering is the half no photograph shows. A goldsmith on settings, spacing, length, and why the gold matters as much as the stones.

The one thing our workshop does not make, and how to choose it well: reading luster, telling a real pearl from glass by feel, the right length, and why the solid gold beneath outlasts the...

Pearls came back, but not the version anyone expected. Notes from the workshop on freshwater pearls, stacking with gold, and the bracelet to start with.

A workshop view of the Mediterranean bracelet stack: the Greek rules, how many pieces, sizing, alloy, and what makes a stack worth wearing for decades.

A goldsmith's guide to gold stud earrings: history, fit, back style, sizing, 14k vs 10k, and what makes a pair worth keeping for decades.

A goldsmith's guide on how to tell a real solid gold dainty necklace from a plated one, sizing, 14k vs 10k, and what lasts decades on the skin.