Branch Avenue Outlet

Can the ring be resized and do you offer that service?

Almost all rings are sizeable by a skilled jeweler. Even eternity rings and rings with a pattern are sizeable. Occasionally, if a ring needs to be drastically adjusted [especially up], sizing may be a problem if the ring is an eternity band with a pattern that does not repeat regularly. If you are not sure about sizing a ring, please email us your ring size and we are happy to advise you. We always recommend having a ring sized by your local, skilled jeweler. He or she can measure your finger and ensure the best fit.

Please note that all of our jewelry is returnable during the period stated in the ad, unless a piece has been sized.

Item Descriptions

All items are described as accurately as possible. We do not sell plated or gold filled jewelry. Please keep in mind that it is very difficult to accurately grade a diamond in a setting. For small diamonds, accurate grading is almost impossible when the stone is set. You cannot accurately grade a diamond's color, clarity and other unique characteristics when much of the stone is hidden under prongs and protected by the setting. The Gemological Institute of America, which is the most renown and respected gem trade lab in the world, grades loose diamonds only.

We are not gemologist, but do have years of experience with buying and selling jewelry. For smaller stones (less than .10ct) we will usually describe them as either "promotional" or "eye clean".  On larger stones we will give our best judgement on clarity and color. Weight of gemstones are estimated by formula when they are in a setting.

You are welcome to take your purchase to your local jeweler or appraiser and have him or her look over the piece. If you are not completely happy with your purchase, you may return it for a refund of the purchase price, less shipping, as per our agreement listed in the specific auction listing. 

Our pieces are either original antique pieces or estate pieces.  We clearly state in each description that a piece of jewelry is "antique" jewelry, or "estate" jewelry.On our site, "antique" jewelry is at least 50 years old. "Estate" jewelry has been previously owned and is usually less than 50 years old. If we know about a problem with a piece of our antique jewelry, or if we know that a piece is not an original antique piece, we state this to the best of our abilities.

All pieces are cleaned and lightly polished. Please remember most jewelry we auction/sell is previously owned and will show some wear. Examine the pictures, they are your best description.

What is the difference between different Karats?

Pure gold is called known as 24 Karat Gold.

Rings are commonly made of 10K or 14K, or Karat Gold. This means 14K is actually an alloy of pure gold (24K) where other metals are used harden to hold the shape of the ring. 14 parts gold, 10 parts of other metals.

Pure gold (24K) is a bright gold color but it is very soft. A ring of 24K gold would bend out of shape very quickly.

A piece of jewelry made as 12K, means the piece has 12 parts of gold to 12 parts of other metals.

European gold markings are based on a decimal %

10k= 417 or 41.7%

14k = 582 or 58.2%

18k = 750 or 75%

22k = 912 or 91.2%

What does KP Mean?

KP does NOT mean karat plate, it stands for Karat Plumb.  A stamping of KP represents Karat Plumb gold. This came about with the plumb gold law. Since 1981 the law required gold to be within .003 of it's karat stamping.

White gold is increasing in popularity, but what people don't realize is that there is no such thing as "white gold." All metals exist in nature as various shades of grey with the exception of gold and copper. An alloy of metal is a combination of various metallic elements that are used in varying proportions to produce the desired color and properties.

Steel alloys for example, are composed primarily of iron, nickel and other metallic elements. White gold is also an alloy containing gold of course (which is yellow), along with nickel, palladium and other whiter metals to make the alloy appear white. However since there is gold in the alloy it will always appear "yellowish."

Please refer to the following page for more information on white, yellow and rose color gold alloys

More importantly; the more gold in the alloy, the more yellowish it will appear in color. The karat grade will always indicate the amount of gold in the alloy. For example, 18K = 75% pure gold. So for 18K, this only leaves 25% of the alloy for other metals to make it whiter. This is why 18K white gold is more yellowish than 14K white gold.

White gold is almost always rhodium plated. It is a common practice in the jewelry trade to always rhodium plate white gold jewelry. Similarly, platinum can be rhodium plated but sometimes it is left in it's natural state. Rhodium is very white, reflective, extremely hard and virtually tarnish proof. Platinum on the other hand normally appears to be a more grayish white and not as bright which is why it is sometimes plated as well unless it has a good amount of palladium in the alloy. When the plating on platinum begins to wear thin you don't notice it as much, but you do on white gold because the alloy is yellowish. This is why we never recommend you purchase wedding bands made in white gold. We realize it is much more expensive in platinum, but it is worth it in the long run. The plating will probably wear off in 1-5 years of you wearing it, depending on how rough you are on the rings, and how much rhodium plating is on the ring. All white gold jewelry will require maintenance at one time or another to keep it looking brand new. To have a white gold ring rhodium plated, you're probably looking at $20-30 for about 0.25-0.50 microns (a human hair is roughly 100 microns). If it is a two-tone ring, it has to be applied by hand with a brush rather than immersing the whole ring in the electroplating tank. So two tone rings will cost more to maintain their white gold appearance. If you want to make a white gold wedding band very durable, you can get it plated with a layer of platinum of palladium of 1.0-1.5 micron thickness, followed a good 2.5-3.0 micron thickness of rhodium plating. This will set you back around $100, however.

OK you want platinum, but why is it so expensive??? The density of platinum is roughly double that of gold (so it's double the weight for platinum for the same item cast in gold). And platinum costs about 2.5 times as much as gold per gram. And since all metal jewelry is priced per gram, the same item cast in platinum will cost roughly 5 times what it would in white gold. This is why you don't see very many platinum bracelets or necklaces! Palladium is also an expensive metal, but is much whiter a metal than other grey metals. So a 14K white gold alloy with nickel will not be as white as a 14K white gold alloy with palladium. So there are cheaper and more expensive alloys of white gold. Rhodium is also a very expensive metal as well, but when plating, very little is actually used, so it doesn't cost too much to plate the jewelry.