Characteristics of Well-Made Jewellery

Proper Stone Setting

There’s a lot that goes into setting stones properly. It takes years for a goldsmith to gain the skills necessary to set diamonds and gemstones in a way that they’d remain secure. Usually it requires a microscope to see the difference between proper and improper settings.

Whether the stones are claw set, channel set, bezel set, etc., the goldsmith must ensure that there’s a good amount of metal both above and below the girdle of the stone. The metal on top must also be pushed down enough for the stone to remail stable. On fragile stones, this is even more difficult. Goldsmiths need to be careful not to use too much pressure or the stone could crack, but still enough to secure it. On stones that have corners, it’s a good idea to carve a pocket in the claw for the tip to sit in, while securing the stone in thicker areas. Also, it takes a lot of skill to set the stones totally straight.

If a stone isn’t set properly at the beginning, it can be tricky to correct. A goldsmith can push more material down on the stone, but would need to redo the claws to correct the setting entirely. Mass-produced pieces typically don’t have well-set stones.

Good Design Elements

Certain design choices can be for practicality, such as making the sides of an engagement ring so that a straight wedding band can fit up against it, or putting high walls besides fragile gemstones so they’re more protected against wear and tear. A good designer will employ these design elements regularly in their jewellery.

Some design elements require more skill for a goldsmith to achieve, such as complex detailing, or unique types of stone setting. You’d rarely see these elements in mass-produced jewellery.

Structural Stability

Most mass-producers of jewellery will try to cut costs wherever they can, which includes using as little gold as possible. Unfortunately, this is at the expense of the strength of the piece. When jewellery is really thin, or carved out too much in the back, it gets damaged much easier. Also, when the claws holding gemstones are smaller, the stone isn’t as secure.

Another factor to consider is the quality of the casting. If production on a piece is rushed, it might have cracks or porosity that goes unnoticed. Similarly, if separate parts of the piece weren’t soldered together properly, they could come apart easier.

Quality of Gold

Usually it’s up to the refinery to prepare gold alloys for casting, soldering, or other uses. They can vary in hardness, melting temperature, color, etc., depending on the composition. Unfortunately, designers can cut corners here too in order to lower the cost. For example, white gold alloys that are brighter white tend to be slightly more expensive and harder. Many designers choose to use a more yellowish white gold to help with the cost, and because the material is easier to work with. They then apply a plating to the piece to give it a whiter color (see our Precious Metal Guide for more information).

Higher Quality Stones

Good designers tend to use diamonds that are in the SI clarity range or better, and the G-H color range or better, even in their smallest diamonds. These would also be fully faceted diamonds, as opposed to single cut or improperly cut diamonds. When the diamonds aren’t fully faceted, they don’t reflect light as well, or at all.

When it comes to other gemstones, the amount of color, darkness, clarity, and consistency of color all determine the cost. There’s no universal system for grading colored gemstones unfortunately.