BMJ Blog

How and When to Use a Jewelry Bath (Ultrasonic Cleanser)

Posted on August 06, 2014 by Mary Hood | 0 Comments

Lotions, oil from your skin, soap residue, and good ol’ everyday dirt can collect on your ring, obscuring it’s sparkle and making it look cloudy. Fortunately, there are a few at-home methods to bring the dazzle back to your gem. In our post on Caring for Your Jewelry, we’ve detailed how

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Posted in clean jewelry, DIY, Informational, jewelry, jewelry care, ultrasonic cleaner

Bugs in Amber Fossils

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Mary Hood | 1 Comment

Some stones, like

natural black diamonds, have fascinating, prehistoric origins and serve as a reminder of the layers of time (and mystery!) between their formation and our present day. Amber is one of these stones. In fact, it often gives us a peek at life on earth as it was millions of years ago.

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Posted in amber, fun, gemstones, Informational, jewelry

What Is A Bezel Setting?

Posted on July 08, 2014 by Mary Hood | 0 Comments

The bezel setting, also known as a rub over setting in diamond rings, is one of the most secure ways to wear a precious stone. Simply put, a bezel setting is little metal cup that surrounds the edge of a stone while the rim of the metal cup holds the stone in place. The setting is soldered into place on the rest of the piece.

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Posted in Ancient jewelry, bezel setting, Diamonds, Informational, jewelry, jewelry settings

How to Remove a Tight Ring

Posted on July 03, 2014 by Mary Hood | 0 Comments

Removing a ring from a swollen finger doesn’t need to be painful and frustrating. Here are a few tricks for sliding off a stubborn ring.

I. The Twisting Method: (This is the best method to use when you're trying on a ring in a store and--opps!--it's stuck. We've all been there.)

1. Place your index finger and thumb on opposite sides of the ring.

2. Gently twist back and forth

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Posted in help, how to remove a tight ring, Informational, jewelry, jewelry care, stuck ring, tight ring

What Are Black Diamonds?

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Mary Hood | 0 Comments

In recent years, the mysterious and alluring black diamond has caught the interest of many a jewelry lover. These glossy dark stones often appear alongside white diamonds for a striking contrast. On their own, black diamonds make a modern, slightly edgy statement.

If you’re looking to purchase a piece with black diamonds, it’s helpful to understand the difference between natural black diamonds and natural diamonds that have been treated to have a uniform dark color.

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Posted in black diamonds, Diamonds, Informational, jewelry, style, Trends

Nickel Allergy Solutions

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Mary Hood | 0 Comments

Nickel allergies are fairly common—in fact, one in eight people will experience an allergic reaction to white gold alloyed with nickel. Although nickel is non-toxic, the body mistakenly believes it’s a harmful substance. Often inherited, the allergy appears more in women than in men—but this may so because women tend to wear more jewelry than men. Usually, a reaction occurs 12-48 hours after prolonged exposure to the offending metal.

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Posted in Informational, jewelry care, jewelry solutions, nickel, nickel allergy, palladium, rhodium, rhodium plating, white gold

Gem Hardness

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Mary Hood | 0 Comments

If you’ve ever watched a minute of TV in your life, you’re probably familiar with the famous “A Diamond Is Forever” campaign. It isn’t just clever marketing—there’s some truth behind that catchy phrase. Combined with their beauty, the hardness of diamonds makes them a natural choice for investment and everyday jewelry.

All minerals vary in hardness and are measured on Moh’s scale. Hardness refers to the mineral’s resistance to being scratched. The softest mineral, talc (think eye shadow and baby powder), is one moh. At 10 mohs, a diamond is the hardest mineral and can only be scratched by another diamond. Apatite—the stunning blue-green stone pictured below—is 5 mohs. It could be scratched by harder minerals like diamond and quartz (7 mohs), but softer minerals like talc won’t scratch it.

What This Means for Selecting a Gem - Despite its hardness, a diamond isn’t always a girl’s best friend. We’d miss out on so many beautiful gems if we only wore diamonds. Nonetheless, it’s important to keep hardness in mind when selecting which gems to set in which types of jewelry. Apatite, for example, would fare best in lightly used items like earrings or pedants—as opposed to jewelry that takes more abuse like rings and bracelets. Just think about how much a bracelet bumps your desk while you clack away at the keyboard! Not ideal for maintaining the beauty of softer stones.