All jewellery is handmade and shipped from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and therefore is exempt from tariffs for USA customers under CUSMA, the free-trade agreement. I always ship with a certificate of origin for customs.
Knowledge Base
This a collection of various informational articles I’ve written, including the “Expert Advice” columns for various publications. Another great resource on topics from jewellery care to diamond sourcing is my YouTube Channel
How long does it take to make a piece of jewellery: A Studio Tour
At shows I often get the question “How long does it take you to make one of these?” The answer is not so straightforward. Mainly, as there are various stages to each piece I create, I am rarely working on…
Is Recycled Gold Ethical?
It’s the same quality as any other gold but beware of greenwashing We all try to do our part in working towards a healthier planet, and recycling is certainly part of that journey. When it comes to gold, however, that…
Are Lab-Grown Diamonds more Ethical?
Update Jan 2025: Aether Diamonds has been bought out by an international diamond company and as their process may have changed, I no longer trust their traceability and therefore sadly am not carrying their diamonds. For laboratory-grown diamonds, I only…
Custom vs Bespoke
About once a week, I send a client away. “What business owner in their right mind would do this??” you might ask. “One that has very thoroughly thought about what they enjoy doing,” I would reply. And because the difference…
Amethyst
February is Amethyst month. One of the world’s most popular coloured gemstones, this purple favourite has been used in jewellery for thousands of years. Geological origins As a type of quartz (technically silicon dioxide), amethyst gets its purple to violet-purple…
How a Stone is Set
Today I promised to give you a behind-the-scenes look of the creation of a piece I posted yesterday on Instagram: an engagement ring which happens to involve the September birthstone: sapphire! This one is Australian, and – like many Australian…
Above and Beyond ‘Recycled’ Silver and Gold
Recycling was cool. Remember when recycling was the coolest thing? We were feeling ok about using plastic copiously, because we could recycle it. Remember when buying something made from ‘recycled plastics’ made you feel kinda good? And then we found…
The Diamond Truth: Misinformation in the Diamond Industry
Recently, I came across a CBC Marketplace special investigation on diamond claims. As an independent goldsmith, I was curious to see what they had uncovered, hoping to learn something new. However, what they ‘revealed’ are all facts I have been…
Gold with a Conscience: Why I’m using ethical Fairmined ECO Gold
Why Fairmined Gold? For months now, I have been experimenting with a new technique, making sample after sample, fiddling with results, and continuously improving the design and new technique. And I have been doing a lot of thinking, because ……
What Ring Size am I?
How do you figure out what ring size you are in a reliable way? This has been something that had come up often as a jeweller, helping my clients find the right size for custom and online jewellery. The most…
Palladium White Gold
Palladium White Gold Yellow gold certainly has been making a huge come-back. But let me introduce you to an alternative: 18k palladium white gold. Palladium white gold is beautifully dense and strong, and is wonderful to work with as a…
How to Care for Your Jewellery
EXPERTAdvicewith Dorothée Rosen JEWELLERY CARE Handcrafted jewellery was made with great care; it is lovely to treat it in the same way. Generally, follow common sense: shower or wash your hands and put on lotions, perfumes or deodorants before you…
August birthstone: Spinel
EXPERT Advice with Dorothée Rosen I recently started writing a Expert Advice column in ReFined Magazine here in Halifax. I thought I’d share a recent one, which speaks to Spinel. Spinel • August’s Birthstone I bet half of you will be surprised…