Gemology · Metals · BenchAbout
Professional Jeweler

A reference on gemstones, precious metals and the jeweler's bench

A gemologist's desk with a compact unbranded grey benchtop diamond screening instrument, several loose round brilliant diamonds on a black velvet tray, a 10x loupe and steel tweezers, diamonds in sharp focus in the foreground
Diamonds

DiamondSure and DiamondView: How Diamond Screening Instruments Work

How De Beers' DiamondSure and DiamondView separate natural from laboratory-grown diamonds, what replaced or joined them, and where screening ends.

Platinum in Jewelry: Properties, Alloys and Care →

Diamonds

All diamonds →
A round artisanal mining sieve filled with wet river gravel, a few rough diamonds visible among the stones, warm earthy tones, documentary still life Diamonds

Angola, UNITA and the Origins of the Conflict-Diamond Problem

How UNITA's diamond income, UN Resolution 1173, Global Witness's A Rough Trade and the 2000 Fowler Report led to the Kimberley Process in 2003.

 Rough uncut diamonds of varied sizes in a shallow brass dish on a worn wooden sorting table, a small precision scale and folded white paper diamond parcels nearby Diamonds

Angola's Diamond Trade and the Ascorp Era

How Angola sold its rough through Endiama, Sodiam and the Ascorp single buyer (2000–2004), Lev Leviev's reported role, the criticism and later reforms.

 A flat square lab-grown diamond crystal plate beside a polished round brilliant diamond on a grey laboratory bench, a small ultraviolet lamp casting a faint violet glow Diamonds

How Lab-Grown Diamonds Are Detected

The growth features, spectroscopy and imaging that separate HPHT and CVD lab-grown diamonds from natural ones, plus inscriptions, reports and FTC terms.

 A handful of small rough alluvial diamonds resting on a smooth river rock beside shallow water, soft morning light, documentary still life Diamonds

Liberia, Sierra Leone and Conflict Diamonds

The RUF's diamond war in Sierra Leone, Liberia's role under Charles Taylor, UN diamond sanctions on Liberia (2001–2007) and Taylor's 2012 conviction.

Gemstones & Pearls

All gemstones & pearls →
A rough hexagonal emerald crystal in white calcite matrix beside a polished emerald-cut emerald, on dark slate Gemstones & Pearls

Colombian Emeralds: Muzo, Chivor and the History of the Trade

Where Colombian emeralds are mined, the Green War and 1990 peace, Víctor Carranza's role, three-phase inclusions, oil and resin fillers, and origin reports.

 A strand of dark grey and peacock-toned cultured pearls beside a few loose white pearls on natural linen, with a jeweler's loupe Gemstones & Pearls

Dyed and Irradiated Cultured Pearls: How to Identify Them

How dyed and irradiated cultured pearls are made, the signs at the counter, how labs separate them from natural-color black pearls, and what to disclose.

 A tanzanite pendant on a fine white gold chain with matching stud earrings, on cream linen beside a sprig of winter evergreen Gemstones & Pearls

Tanzanite as a December Birthstone: How It Joined the List

Tanzanite became a December birthstone in October 2002, when AGTA added it alongside turquoise and zircon. The history, the other December stones and care.

 A cushion-cut violet-blue tanzanite gemstone resting on a piece of rough tanzanite crystal, on dark slate Gemstones & Pearls

Tanzanite: Where It Comes From and How to Buy It

Tanzanite is mined commercially only in Tanzania's Merelani Hills. How it is heated, graded and traded, and what the 2002 Tucson protocols changed.

Precious Metals

All precious metals →
Small bright palladium casting grain pellets in a white ceramic dish next to a brushed palladium men's wedding band Precious Metals

Palladium in Jewelry: A Practical Guide

Palladium's properties, 950 and 500 fineness, US and UK marks, supply and price swings, its role in white gold, and how it behaves at the bench.

 A plain platinum wedding band and a platinum solitaire engagement ring on a steel ring mandrel, cool grey tones Precious Metals

Platinum in Jewelry: Properties, Alloys and Care

Platinum's density, melting point and purity marks, the main jewelry alloys and how they behave, patina versus scratches, bench notes and white gold compared.

At the Bench

All at the bench →
A curved anticlastic copper bracelet form beside a polished steel sinusoidal forming stake and a raising hammer on a wooden workbench At the Bench

Anticlastic Raising: The Basics

What anticlastic raising is, how it differs from synclastic forming, the stakes and hammers it uses, the step sequence and who developed it.

 Engraving gravers with mushroom wooden handles beside a gold band with a row of small bead-set diamonds, on a leather bench skin At the Bench

Bead and Bright-Cut Setting Explained

Bead and bright-cut setting step by step: layout, drilling and seating, raising beads with a graver, beading tools, bright-cutting and graver sharpening.

 A round gemstone sitting in a gold bezel cup on a ring held in a wooden ring clamp, a bezel pusher tool beside it At the Bench

Bezel-Setting a Round Brilliant

How to bezel-set a round faceted stone: choosing a tube, fabricated or cast bezel, cutting the seat, pushing and burnishing, hammer setting and finishing.

 Macro view of a freshly cast silver ring with a rough unpolished surface resting on a wooden bench pin, needle files nearby At the Bench

Casting Porosity: Causes, Prevention and Repair

Gas vs shrinkage porosity in jewelry castings: how to tell them apart, what causes each, a prevention checklist, inspection before setting, and repair options.

Industry & History

All industry & history →
An Art Deco platinum and diamond brooch with sapphire accents displayed on an antique leather jewelry case, Parisian apartment window light Industry & History

Boucheron: A History of the Place Vendôme House

Boucheron from its 1858 Palais-Royal shop to 26 Place Vendôme, its signature designs, the 2000 sale to Gucci Group and its place in Kering today.

 Several open luxury jewelry presentation boxes in different colors on a marble counter, showing a necklace, a bracelet and a ring, no logos Industry & History

How Luxury Groups Built Their Jewelry Portfolios

How Richemont, LVMH and Kering assembled their jewelry houses, from Van Cleef & Arpels to Bulgari and Tiffany, why they buy, and how designer stakes fit in.