Gerald Wykoff

Not happy with your birthstone? Explore these alternative birthstones associated with astrological signs, angels, the hour or day of your birth,…

Mechanical gemstone cleaning has benefits and risks. Learn all about ultrasonic, steam, and boiling systems and how gems might react to them.…

A little gemology goes a long way. Learn how to clean your gemstone jewelry safely and how to deal with difficult jewelry settings and sensitive…

Our gemstone care guide covers many popular gems. Learn how best to maintain your gemstone jewelry and what kinds of stresses and cleaning methods…

Not all creative lapidary work involves cutting gems. Rock artistry techniques like suiseki and glyptography can offer some imaginative possibilities.…

Learn the meaning of the trade terms for gold weight and karat, so you can calculate the gold content value of any jewelry item as well as the gold markup.…

In recent decades, something remarkable invaded the thinking process of the colored stone industry. From dealers to consumers, they all discovered…

The chemistry of man-made spinel can differ from natural spinel. Read more about what synthetic spinel is, how it was discovered, and what to look…

The basics of pewter as a precious metal.

For jewelry use, silver is often mixed with other metals. Learn how silver content varies between alloys and how to test an item’s silver purity.…

How can you determine the gold karatage of an item and learn if it’s gold-filled or plated? This simple technique will do the trick.

Underkarating is a fraudulent practice whereby a jeweler represents a piece of jewelry or gold as containing more precious metal than it actually…

Understanding how the price of an underlying jewelry metal, such as gold, impacts the price of your finished jewelry.

Why your skin gets discolored by certain jewelry metals, and what you can do about it.

Fantasy gem designs combine elements from faceted and cabbed stones as well as artistic embellishments. Learn the basics of this modern lapidary…

Our gem cutting FAQ covers some common questions from novice faceters. Topics include how to get started, how to clean gemstones, and dopping issues.…

A full and complete history of the lapidary arts, from 70,000 BC to present day. The origins of faceting, bruting, and carving.

A resource for Gem cutting Information, this is a comprehensive repository of information and assistance intended to advance and enhance skills…

What does it take to facet gems? Patience and HAI, locking the gem at the right height, angle, and index on a faceting machine. Learn how you can do…