The Ring Mint Journal
Notes from the bench.
Jewelry news, diamond and gemstone guides, and plain-spoken buying guides, written by Chloe Alpert, a second-generation jeweler in the trade since 2009. Plain answers, no sales pitch.
Category
Jewelry News
What is happening in the trade, and what it means for the person actually buying a ring.
Category
Diamonds & Gemstones
Grading, sourcing, lab versus natural, colored stones: the things a jeweler knows and a search result usually gets wrong.
Can lab-grown diamonds be warm-colored? Yes.
Yes, lab-grown diamonds can have warm color. Chloe explains champagne tones, shade selection, reports and finding a diamond that feels right for your ring.
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How to choose a gemstone when you have an exact color in mind
Have an exact gemstone color in mind? Chloe explains reference photos, lighting, undertones and balancing the shade you love with a ring you can live in.
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Natural vs. lab-grown colored diamonds for a custom ring
Choosing a colored diamond for a custom ring? Chloe explains natural vs. lab-grown origin, color treatments, reports and finding the shade you actually love.
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Designing a mint-green engagement ring when you can't find it ready-made
Want a mint-green engagement ring you cannot find ready-made? Explore gemstone identity, tourmaline care, east-west settings and custom design with Chloe.
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How we source a colored gemstone for a custom ring
How we source colored gemstones for custom rings, from your first color reference to stone selection, documentation and a setting designed around your life.
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Lab diamond vs. moissanite: the honest comparison.
Moissanite's case was always price. Lab grown diamond prices have collapsed, and that changes the comparison more than any optical difference does.
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IGI vs. GIA for lab grown diamonds: what changed, and which report to get.
GIA no longer gives lab grown diamonds a colour and clarity grade. It issues Premium or Standard. That changes the answer to which report to get.
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Blowing the whistle on fake lab diamonds on eBay
We bought 50+ "lab diamonds" from 20+ eBay sellers. Every one was moissanite, most with a coating we polished off. How the fakes work.
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Buying Guides
Costs, timelines, what to ask, and how to compare your options: the practical questions to settle before you buy a ring.
Desert diamonds, champagne and warm color: what are you actually choosing?
Love champagne or desert diamond colors? Chloe explains the marketing, the reports and what to ask before choosing a warm diamond for a custom ring.
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Ring Mint and Ring Concierge: two different companies, two different models.
Similar names, unrelated companies. One has four stores in New York, Los Angeles and Florida. The other has none, on purpose. Which one you actually want.
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Holiday proposal order-by dates for a custom ring.
Roughly 40 percent of proposals happen between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day. Here are the dates to start a custom ring by, for each one.
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Custom Ring Guides
How a ring gets designed and made: CAD, wax models, timelines, revisions, and what to expect from a custom jeweler.
Designing a marquise engagement ring that feels like yours
Designing a marquise engagement ring? Chloe talks orientation, protected tips, setting height, wedding bands and details that make the ring feel like yours.
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Choosing a lab-grown diamond for a ring designed from scratch
Choosing a lab-grown diamond for a custom ring? Chloe explains how to compare reports, visible size and appearance while keeping your finished ring in mind.
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Choosing a natural diamond for a ring designed from scratch
Choose a natural diamond and custom setting together. Chloe explains reports, cut, visible size, proportions and the practical decisions behind your ring.
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What I show you when we compare diamonds and gemstones for your ring
How Chloe compares diamonds and colored gemstones for a custom ring, balancing the color you love with daily wear, durability, proportions and your budget.
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Designing a gender-neutral engagement ring around your style
Design a gender-neutral engagement ring around your style, with practical advice on band width, low settings, stone proportions, comfort and personal details.
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How to design a custom engagement ring online, with an actual person helping you
Design a custom engagement ring online with Chloe. Explore stone sourcing, CAD, revisions and an optional wax try-on, with help at every decision.
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How long does a custom engagement ring take?
Three to six weeks start to finish, and only two of those are manufacturing. Where the time actually goes, and how to work backwards from a proposal date.
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What a wax model try-on is, and why every custom ring should have one.
A printed replica of your exact ring, mailed to you to wear before anything is cast. It answers the two questions a screen never can.
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Custom vs. customizable: why a ring builder is not a custom ring.
Nearly every jeweler advertises custom. Most mean a configurator. The difference comes down to one question: does the mold already exist?
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Pricing & Budgets
What rings and stones actually cost at retail, dated and sourced, and what the same money buys without a store in the way.
From our studio
Customer Stories
Real commissions, from the first brief to the finished jewelry.
A 3ct marquise engagement ring upgrade, with the whole family tucked inside
A 3ct marquise engagement ring upgrade in 18k yellow gold, with four hidden family stones. See the finished ring and the customer’s reaction at Ring Mint.
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Three custom lab-grown diamond necklaces for wedding gifts, around $900 each
Three 6mm lab-grown diamond necklaces for wedding gifts, with D/E color, VVS2 clarity, IGI reports and 14k gold, at around $900 each from Ring Mint.
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Ring Styles
Toi et moi, east-west, bezel, hidden halo, and every shape and setting: how to design each one well, and what it costs to do properly.
If there is something you want a straight answer on, whether a stone, a setting, or a price you were quoted, email Chloe and it may become the next post.