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Most people who walk into a jewellery store see finished products in glass cases. They don't see the bench where the work happens. At Vanhess, the bench is in the back of the shop, and the person behind it is our goldsmith who designs and makes most of what we sell. Here's what the process looks like when a ring goes from raw metal to your finger. Starting Material: The Gold Pure gold (24K) is too soft for jewellery. It would bend, scratch, and deform with daily wear. So we alloy it. For 14K gold, the mix is 58.3% pure...

Sapphire engagement rings are having a moment, and it's not just because of the Kate Middleton ring (though that certainly helped). Sapphire is the most practical non-diamond option for an engagement ring. At 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, it's second only to diamond in scratch resistance. It has no cleavage planes, which means it won't split if bumped the wrong way. And it comes in almost every colour imaginable, not just blue. At Vanhess, we've been setting more sapphires in engagement rings over the past two years than in the previous ten combined. Here's what you should know if...

Mother's Day is May 11, 2026. If you're reading this, you probably have a week or two to figure out a gift. Jewellery is the second most popular Mother's Day gift category after flowers, and unlike flowers, it lasts. Here's a practical guide organized by budget and style, with specific suggestions from what we carry at Vanhess in Coquitlam. Under $150: Thoughtful Without Breaking the Bank This range works for daughters, sons, grandkids, or anyone who wants to give something real without spending rent money. At this price point, you're looking at sterling silver or pieces from our fashion jewellery...

The most common question we hear about custom engagement rings is "how much more does custom cost?" The answer surprises most people: sometimes nothing. A custom ring can cost the same as, or even less than, a comparable off-the-shelf ring because you're choosing every component and cutting out the wholesale distributor markup. What custom always costs more of is time and involvement. You're part of the design process, and you need to show up for it. Here's how custom ring design works at Vanhess, from first conversation to finished ring. Step 1: The Consultation (Free, 30 Minutes) You come in...

Most people don't think about jewelry appraisals until they need one. Maybe their insurance company asks for documentation after a claim. Maybe they inherited a ring and have no idea what it's worth. Or maybe they just spent $5,000 on an engagement ring and someone mentioned they should "get it appraised." Here's what an appraisal actually is, what it costs, when you need one, and what the numbers on that piece of paper really mean. What a Jewelry Appraisal Is (And Isn't) An appraisal is a document that states the replacement value of a piece of jewelry. That's the cost...

If you own a white gold ring, the bright silver-white colour you see isn't the gold itself. It's a thin coating of rhodium, a platinum-group metal that's applied over the gold to give it that clean, cool-white appearance. The gold underneath is actually a pale greyish-yellow, because white gold is still gold alloyed with white metals like palladium, nickel, or silver. Without rhodium plating, white gold looks noticeably warmer than most people expect. This is one of the most common questions we get at Vanhess: "Why is my white gold ring turning yellow?" It's not turning yellow. The rhodium plating...