Education

Origin of the Diamond 4Cs
Every diamond is a miracle of time and place and chance. Like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike. Until the middle of the twentieth century, there was no agreed-upon standard by which diamonds could be judged. GIA created the first, and now globally accepted standard for describing diamonds: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight. Today, the 4Cs of Diamond Quality is the universal method for assessing the quality of any diamond, anywhere in the world.

The creation of the Diamond 4Cs meant two very important things: diamond quality could be communicated in a universal language, and diamond customers could now know exactly what they were about to purchase.

Jewelry Care
It is important to care for your gemstones and jewelry. This will ensure it to last a lifetime and sparkle brilliantly. We provide you with information to help you learn about your jewelry so you understand the care needed. We recommend that you bring your jewelry by annually for us to evaluate and clean. Please ask our sales consultants any questions you might have about your jewelry care.

Pearl Care
Pearls should be cared for delicately. They should be stored in low moisture areas preferably in a pearl pouch. Pearls should be wiped clean with a soft pearl cleaning cloth. No chemicals should be applied to your pearls because it will damage the luster. When putting your pearls on, apply your make up and hairspray before putting on your jewelry. It is advised to restring your pearls as needed to prevent breakage of string. Sid Potts, Inc. provides pearl cleaning and stringing services for your jewelry.

Remember.. Last on First Off!

Precious Metals

Gold
The word gold, used by itself, means all gold or it can refer to “pure” gold, meaning 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, it’s usually mixed with other metal jewelry called alloys to increase its hardness and durability. If a piece of jewelry is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold.

The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen-karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of an alloy metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry.

Jewelry should be marked with its karat quality. Near the karat quality mark, you also should see the name or the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, symbol or initials. If you don’t see a trademark accompanying a quality mark on a piece of jewelry, look for another piece.

Platinum
Platinum is a type of precious metal jewelry that costs more than gold. It usually is mixed with other similar metals, known as the platinum group metals: iridium, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium and osmium. Different markings are used on platinum jewelry as compared with gold jewelry, based on the amount of pure platinum in the piece. The quality markings for platinum are based on parts per thousand. For example, the marking 900 Platinum means that 900 parts out of 1000 are pure platinum, or in other words, the item is 90% platinum and 10% other metals. The abbreviations for platinum — Plat. or Pt. — also can be used in marking jewelry.

Sterling Silver
The words silver or sterling silver describe a product that contains 92.5% silver. Silver products sometimes may be marked 925 which means that 925 parts per thousand are pure silver. Some jewelry may be described as silver plate: a layer of silver is bonded to a base metal. The mark coin silver is used for compounds that contain 90% silver. According to the law, quality-marked silver also must bear the name or a U.S. registered trademark of the company or person that will stand behind the mark.

Birthstones
January - Garnet
February - Amethyst
March - Aquamarine
April - Diamond
May - Emerald
June - Pearl & Alexandrite
July - Ruby
August - Peridot
September - Sapphire
October - Tourmaline & Opal
November - Topaz & Citrine
December - Tanzanite, Zircon, Turquoise