A practical guide for couples planning a Burnaby wedding at Hart House at Deer Lake — venue lighting, ring design, jewellery prep timeline, and the best engagement-photo locations on site.
Tiffany & Co. is a 189-year-old brand that most people associate with a specific shade of blue. The jewellery inside that blue box is real, well-made, and backed by strong quality control. But the price on the tag reflects more than materials and labour. A significant portion of what you pay at Tiffany is brand premium, and understanding that premium is the first step toward making a smarter buying decision. We're not here to trash Tiffany. They employ skilled craftspeople and maintain consistent standards. What we want to do is show you what that same money buys elsewhere, so you...
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...
I get asked this question at least three times a week: "What can I get that looks like I spent a thousand dollars but didn't?" Honest answer? Plenty. The trick isn't finding cheap jewelry -- it's knowing which pieces punch above their weight. Solid 14K gold, real gemstones, smart design. That's the formula. I've pulled together my favourite picks from our current inventory, organized by who you're shopping for. Every price listed is real, every link goes straight to the product page, and everything ships from our Coquitlam studio. For Her: The Safe Bets That Always Land When you're shopping...
If you're shopping for an engagement ring or wedding band, you've probably noticed that platinum vs white gold is one of the most common debates in jewellery. Both metals look strikingly similar in a display case. But after working with these metals daily for years, we can tell you they behave very differently on your finger over time. This guide breaks down exactly how platinum and white gold compare in weight, durability, cost, and long-term maintenance, so you can make the right call for your budget and lifestyle. Platinum (left) has a slightly cooler, greyer tone. White gold (right) appears...
The "three months salary" rule was invented by De Beers in a 1930s advertising campaign. It was marketing, not financial advice. The real answer to how much you should spend on an engagement ring is: whatever you can afford without debt, without anxiety, and without sacrificing other financial priorities that matter to your life together. The salary rule is dead De Beers first introduced the "one month's salary" guideline in the 1930s, then upgraded it to two months in the 1980s. By the 2000s, some retailers had pushed it to three months. The number kept climbing because it was good...
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