
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.
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.
*Caveat on using the term “recycled gold”:
While I am very careful to source my precious metals only from SCS® certified suppliers (SCS® stands for Supply Chain Sustainability; they are the global leader in the field of sustainability standards and third-party certification). Most of my precious metals suppliers are also members of the Responsible Jewellery Council. However, I want to point out that ‘recycling gold' is not what is commonly understood by the term.
True recycling avoids things ending up in landfills. Gold, of course, wouldn’t.
Instead, gold is simply melted, refined and repurposed.
Although SCS® certified refineries must maintain auditable records of their suppliers, there are loopholes globally which make it very easy for gold from unregulated and/or illegal sources to enter their supply chain.
This makes even 'certified recycled' gold untraceable.
Further reading:
Is Recycled Gold Ethical?
Materials, Sustainability, & Fairmined Metals
As diamonds are made up of carbon, sapphires are corundum. Within corundum crystals, trace amounts of other elements determine the colour: for example, chromium will create pink, titanium and iron together will result in blue. The trace elements absorb portions of the visible light spectrum, producing the colour we perceive. The result is that sapphires come in all colours of the rainbow!
All shades of blue corundum are referred to as ‘sapphire’. Most other colours are considered ‘fancy coloured’ sapphires and are named for their particular hues, for example: pink sapphire, or yellow sapphire. ‘White sapphires’ are colourless, similar to diamonds.
Of the blue sapphires, ‘cornflower blue’ are the most desirable, and the very dark blue stones less so.
Like the palladium white gold described in my last column, I prefer more unusual materials. My pieces often feature less common, natural, unheated sapphires, which show a variety of unusual hues – each one being unique.
Sapphires are mined all over the world. The most important deposits are found in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand. Other producing countries include Australia, Cambodia, and the Unites States.
Often, sapphire they are not cut in the country where they are mined. Very seldom is their provenance known, although a professional laboratory can identify the origins of a sapphire, based on its geochemistry and inclusions.
My gem merchant, who is the International Coloured Gemstone Association’s Ambassador for Canada, has traveled to Australia and Sri Lanka herself, in order to ensure ethical standards of sapphire mining and cutting. They have also visited mines in other countries, such as Tanzania, Brazil, and Madagascar. I appreciate this level of accountability, and the fact that there is such a direct connection to the origin of these stones.
Le corindon est la pierre précieuse la plus dure après le diamant. Ainsi, il est particulièrement bien adapté aux bagues. D'autres pierres sont moins durables - elles se rayent et perdent leur éclat. Les saphirs sont une pierre alternative pour les bagues de fiançailles.
Les saphirs authentiques subissent régulièrement des traitements pour améliorer leur apparence. Différentes températures et conditions de chauffage peuvent produire une vaste gamme de résultats stables.
Les saphirs peuvent également être traités avec d'autres méthodes, telles que la diffusion ou les traitements au béryllium. Ceux-ci ajoutent d'autres éléments au corindon, modifiant la structure chimique de la pierre. Certaines de ces méthodes ne sont pas stables ou ne pénètrent que dans la surface. Un gemmologue certifié peut identifier de tels traitements.
Bien que je préfère personnellement les pierres précieuses complètement naturelles et non chauffées, les traitements thermiques sont généralement considérés comme acceptables. Cependant, d'autres traitements doivent toujours être divulgués.
Les saphirs varient considérablement en couleur et en saturation, un facteur clé dans la détermination du prix. Les pierres sombres, presque noires, ont la moindre valeur. Le plus saturé sera le plus cher.
Do you make rings in white gold?
Hello Kathleen.
I am not sure which ring exactly you mean, but yes, I work in white gold! What size and gem are you looking for? A sapphire, I presume? I don’t have a white gold and sapphire ring in stock at the moment, but I can certainly custom-make one for you. Send me an email to he***@***********en.ca, or book an appointment on my ‘Contact’ page, so we can have a chat about fulfilling your dream.