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The most heartbreaking repair we see is the one that comes in too late: a ring with an empty setting where a diamond used to be. Almost every lost stone is preventable. Prongs wear down slowly over years, and there are clear warning signs before one lets go. A two-minute check at home and a quick professional look once or twice a year is the cheapest insurance you can buy for a ring you love. Here is what to watch for, from our Coquitlam bench. What prongs do, and why they wear Prongs are the little metal claws that grip...

Rose gold gets its warm pink colour from one thing: copper. It is real gold mixed with copper, and because that colour runs all the way through the metal, solid rose gold does not fade or wear off. The pieces that fade are rose-gold plated, where a thin pink coating sits over a cheaper base. Knowing the difference is the whole game. Here is how rose gold works and how to buy it well. Why rose gold is pink Pure gold is soft and yellow, so it is always mixed with other metals to make it hard enough for jewellery,...

Sterling silver tarnishes. It is not a defect and it does not mean your jewellery is fake or cheap: it is a normal chemical reaction, and it wipes away easily if you catch it early and store the piece well. The trick is knowing what causes tarnish, cleaning it the gentle way, and stopping it before it starts. Here is how, from our Coquitlam bench. Why silver tarnishes Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver mixed with about 7.5% of another metal, usually copper, for strength. The dark film that builds up is silver sulphide, and it forms when the silver...

The metal in a fresh piercing matters more than the metal in any other jewellery, because it is sitting inside an open wound for weeks or months. The wrong material can irritate a healing piercing, cause bumps, or trigger a nickel reaction. The right one lets it heal cleanly. For a new piercing, stick to a short list of safe, body-approved metals: implant-grade titanium, solid gold, implant-grade steel, or niobium. Here is how to choose. Nickel is the problem to avoid Nickel is the single most common cause of allergic skin reactions, and plenty of cheap jewellery contains it. HealthLinkBC...

If you have never been pierced, the nerves are usually worse than the piercing. A good professional studio makes it calm, quick, and clean: a proper consultation, a single-use sterile needle, safe jewellery, and clear aftercare. Knowing what happens step by step takes most of the worry out of it. Here is what to expect at a first piercing, and how to choose jewellery that heals well. A quick note: Vanhess sells piercing jewellery, we do not perform piercings. For the piercing itself, book with a reputable professional studio. We are here for the jewellery, the aftercare know-how, and the...

A new piercing is a small wound, so some redness, swelling, and tenderness in the first weeks is normal, not a sign of infection. True infections are less common than people fear, but they are serious, so it helps to know the difference between ordinary healing, harmless irritation, and the warning signs that mean you should see a doctor. This guide lays that out plainly, from our Coquitlam jewellery studio. Important: Vanhess sells piercing jewellery; we are not piercers or doctors. This is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis. For the piercing itself see a professional piercer, and...