News

Three clear sparkly stones sit next to each other on the tray. They look almost identical at arm's length. One costs $20, the second costs $400, and the third costs $1,800. The customer asks the question we get every week: what am I actually paying for? Here's the real comparison between cubic zirconia, moissanite, and lab-grown diamond — by the numbers that matter, with the trade-offs each one carries. The three stones in one paragraph Cubic zirconia (CZ) is zirconium dioxide, lab-made since the 1970s, originally developed for laser optics. Mohs 8.5. Very low cost. Moissanite is silicon carbide, originally...

If you have a piece of jewellery worth more than $3,000 and it isn't insured, you're not unusual — about half of the engagement rings we appraise have never been on a policy. Most people assume their home or tenant's insurance covers jewellery. It does, sort of, but with caps and exclusions that surprise people the day they actually need to make a claim. Here's how jewellery insurance works in Canada in 2026, what the appraisal actually does for you, and when it makes sense to skip insurance entirely. The default coverage you probably already have Standard Canadian home and...

If you've ever bought a "gold" chain online for $40 and watched it turn green in a year, you've already paid for this lesson — you just didn't get the explanation. The labels gold-plated, gold-filled, vermeil, and solid gold mean very different things, and so do sterling silver versus silver-plated. Here's what each one actually is, how long it lasts, and where it makes sense to buy each. The five terms you'll see, in order of value From cheapest and shortest-lived to most expensive and most durable: Gold-plated: a base metal (usually brass or copper) coated with a thin layer...

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...

Diamond studs are one of the most common first fine jewellery purchases, and one of the most common gifts for milestones: graduations, 30th birthdays, anniversaries. They're also one of the easiest purchases to get wrong if you don't know what to prioritize. Most people walk in focused on carat weight. That matters, but it's not the whole picture. Here's what we've learned from fitting hundreds of stud earrings at Vanhess in Coquitlam. Carat Weight: Total vs. Each Diamond studs are sold by total carat weight (TCW), not per stone. A "1-carat pair" means each diamond is 0.50 carats. This trips...

Every month has a gemstone attached to it, and people have been wearing their birth month's stone for centuries. The tradition goes back further than you'd guess. The modern birthstone list was standardized in 1912 by what's now called the Jewelers of America, but the idea of linking gems to calendar months traces to biblical times and the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate. At Vanhess Jewellery in Coquitlam, birthstone pieces are some of the most common gift requests we get. A mother's ring with her children's birthstones. A pendant for a 16th birthday. A pair of studs in someone's favourite...