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If you have a jewellery related question you can email it to me at adrianashley@btinternet.com and hopefully I can answer it on this page.
Q.
What is the difference between 9 and 18 carat gold?
A.
When referring to gold jewellery carat simply means parts per 24. It’s a really old system thought to have originated around the same time people started dividing the day into 24 hours. Gold used to make jewellery is usually a mix of pure gold and other metals, 18ct gold is 75% pure gold (18 parts per 24) where as 9ct is only 37.5% pure.
Modern hallmarks display a precious metal’s purity as parts per thousand so 18ct gold is stamped with the numbers 750, 9ct is stamped 375, Sterling silver is stamped 925 and platinum is often stamped 950.
Q:
I will be travelling to South Africa shortly before I’m due to get married. Is it worth waiting until I’m there to buy a diamond for my engagement ring?
A:
Diamond dealers the world over are usually working from the same diamond price lists (the most popular is known as the Rap report) so it shouldn’t really be possible to buy diamonds cheaper abroad. The best deals can probably be found by haggling with your local independent jeweller particularly if you can assure them you’ll be back for your wedding and eternity rings.
Q.
I will be getting married in a strapless dress that goes straight across the top of the bust, what type of jewellery should I wear with it?
A.
Strapless dresses usually look best with a choker, where as sweet heart or V-necklines suit pendants that follow the shape of the dress. If your dress is particularly detailed you may want to forget about a necklace and wear longer earrings instead.
Q:
I’m planning to propose to my girlfriend and I’ve seen diamond rings ranging from £150 to £150’000.What do people usually spend on an engagement ring?
A:
The tradition is to spend a months’ wages that will last you a lifetime. My clients typically spent between £1500 and £3000 so I expect that’s still the case.
Q.
Can you suggest an engraveable present for our best man; not cufflinks, which I’ve never seen him wearing.
A.
One of my clients commissioned a red gold signet ring with a ‘thank you’ message engraved on the inside for their best man. To my knowledge he’s never taken it off.
Q.
I have short fingers and quite a wide engagement ring, I’m not sure I’ll have room for a wedding ring let an eternity ring .
A.
In some parts of Europe brides take of their engagement rings when they get married and wear them on their right hands. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t do the same.
Instead of an eternity ring you cold have a row of diamonds set into your wedding ring after your 1st year of marriage or have a new diamond set into your wedding ring each year.
Q.
I’m considering buying pearls to wear on my wedding day; do you think I’ll ever wear them again afterwards?
A.
In my opinion every jewellery box should contain at least one string of pearls. If you buy a 16” or 18” single row of good quality Akoya or South Sea pearls for your wedding I’m sure you’ll be amazed how many other outfits they go with.
Q.
I’m planning to propose this year; can you tell me any unusual ways your clients have presented their girlfriends with the engagement ring?
A.
A couple of my clients have taken their girlfriends for a sunset-walk along our local beach and pretended to find the engagement ring in a rock pool.
My favourite story is of a young man from Cardiff who took his girlfriend to a nice restaurant where a small ice sculpture was placed on their table. During the meal the ice slowly melted to reveal a diamond ring.
Q.
My bridesmaids will be wearing minty-blue coloured dresses, can you suggest a minty-blue gemstone I could wear as a pendant on my wedding day.
A.
Discounting opaque stones like turquoise or larimar the stone that immediately springs to mind is a type of tourmaline called Paraiba which comes from a small aria of Brazil. Green tourmaline from Africa is often miss-sold as Paraiba so you’ll have to visit a specialist Jeweller to find a genuine stone.
Aquamarines often have a mint-green tinge when they are mined but these stones are usually heat treated to make them bluer. You may find one in its natural state, but again you’ll need to visit a specialist Jeweller.
Q.
I recently watched the Leonardo DiCaprio film ‘Blood Diamond’, is it ethically sound to buy diamonds?
A.
The film ‘Blood Diamond’ was based on events that took place over ten years ago in a small part of Africa. Since then the diamond industry, working alongside the UN, has nearly eradicated the trade in Conflict Diamonds.
As Nelson Mandela said in 1999, "The diamond industry is vital to the African economy." In fact the revenues from diamond sales now enable every child in Botswana to receive a free education and over 10 million people word wide rely on diamond mining for their livelihood.
For more information on diamonds visit www.diamondfacts.org
Q.
I loved the engagement ring actress Elizabeth Hurly was given by Arun Nayar, can you tell me anything about it.
A.
Both the engagement ring and the wedding rings for her recent marriage were made by luxury brand Chopard. The engagement ring featured a 15.09ct Asscher-cut diamond. Asscher-cuts are more unusual square shaped diamonds that have a far subtler sparkle than the fiery Princess or Radiant-cuts.
Q:
I would like the diamonds in my engagement ring to look as sparkly as possible on my wedding day. Is it true that Gin it the best thing to clean them with?
A:
Like most old wives’ tales there is a modicum of truth in this. In fact any strong alcohol will dissolve the grease that builds up on the back of stones and makes them loose their sparkle, but then so will most detergents.
I’d recommend a mild liquid detergent and a soft tooth brush for cleaning your jewellery at home. Alternatively many independent jewellers will give your rings a professional clean for a small fee.
Q:
Can you tell me why wedding rings are worn on the third finger of the left hand?
A:
This tradition probably stems from the Roman belief that the third finger of the left hand contained the “Vena Amoris”, a vein that ran directly from that finger to the heart. It was therefore assumed any ring worn on this finger would influence affairs of the heart.
Q:
I have seen several celebrities with tattooed wedding rings, is this new and growing trend?
A:
Tattooed rings have been around almost as long as tattoos have. Wedding ring tattoos are certainly a serious commitment and they have an advantage over metal rings in that they are imposable to loose. The huge disadvantage is you can’t take one off if you want to, laser tattoo removal can easily cost £3000 and take up to two years to complete.
A good compromise could be a gold or platinum ring based on a tattoo design, a UK jewellery designer made two such rings for Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s wedding.
Q:
Could you tell me which is the most fashionable metal for a wedding ring; white or yellow gold?
A:
Recently I’ve been asked to make platinum, white gold and yellow gold wedding rings in about equal numbers so white rings are out selling yellow ones about two to one. A couple of years ago, however, I probably sold five white rings to each yellow one, so you could claim yellow gold is making a comeback.
Q:
I lost my 1st husband several years ago and have continued to wear my engagement, eternity and wedding rings. I’m now planning to remarry and while my new fiancé has no objections to me wearing my old rings I’d like to know what to do once I receive a new wedding ring.
A:
There are no universally agreed rules or traditions regarding what to do in your situation. Even if there were it’s still, ultimately, a decision for yourself and your new fiancé to reach together.
In some families a widow would take off her wedding ring at her husband’s funeral and place it on her right hand, which could be an option for you. On a few occasions I have been commissioned to melt a client’s wedding ring with the ring of their late husband or wife and make a new piece of jewellery (usually a cross) they can wear every day. Seeing the two rings melt and flow into one another can be quite a moving experience and I’m sure you could find a goldsmith who would be willing to let you watch the process.
Q.
I have received some gold sovereign coins as part of my inheritance from my grand parents. Would it be possible to turn them in to wedding rings?
A.
Sovereign coins are made from 22ct gold the metal traditionally used to make luxury wedding rings.
A full sovereign weighs just less than eight grams so two coins should be enough to make a modest pair of rings and three coins would make rings that were nice and heavy.
Q.
I’m curently working out the budget for my wedding, how much should I put aside for a pair of plain18ct gold wedding rings?
A.
The trading price of gold is extreamly high at the moment and making the avarage price for a pair of good quality 18ct wedding rings around £750. Hovewer, because plain rings are generally sold by weight you can usualy fit them to your budget by simply buying lighter or heavier rings.
Q.
It was recently reported in the press that Dodi Fayed brought a ring for Princess Diana shortly before their tragic death in Paris; can you tell me anything about the ring?
A.
The ring in question was supposedly purchased by Dodi from Alberto Repossi in Monte Carlo from the jeweller’s Dis-moi oui (tell me yes) range. It would have cost around £10’000 which, even ten years ago, is quite reasonable for a Monte Carlo jeweller. The ring was a domed shape, which is usually popular as a dress or right hand ring. It featured a central emerald cut diamond surrounded by four triangular stones, forming an elongated star. The rest of the ring was decorated with small pave set diamonds.
Q:
Is there anywhere in the word we can go to mine, or pan for, the gold to make our wedding rings?
A:
Surprisingly there is, and you won’t have to travel too far. Several European countries still have gold deposits, including France, Ireland and the UK. There is even an annual Gold Panning Championship held at Wanlockhead in South West Scotland and the local museum organises gold panning lessons.
For more information visit www.leadminingmuseum.co.uk
Q:
I am planning quite a serious diet before my wedding in six months time; will this affect my finger size when it comes to buying a wedding ring?
A:
If you loose a lot of weight it could well affect your finger size. You might want to leave buying your wedding until the last minute, it’s probably also a good idea to buy a ring that is easy to make bigger, just in case you don’t manage to keep all the weight off.
Q:
I have always liked the look of Claddagh rings, can they be worn as wedding rings?
A:
Claddagh rings that feature a hands, heart and crown motive have been given as friendship rings, engagement rings and indeed wedding rings.
Claddagh rings originated in the village of Claggagh, which is now a suburb of Galway. Legend has it a local fisherman named Richard Joyce was captured by Moorish pirates and sold to an Algerian Goldsmith. Before his release and return to Ireland in 1698 Joyce became an excellent goldsmith and designed the Claddagh ring. Some of the earliest examples of these rings can be seen in the National Museum of Ireland www.museum.ie
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