At Ellis Jewelers we pride ourselves on being excellent listeners.  Each client that comes in to our store in downtown Concord receives the same attentive service.  We know that we need to listen to you very carefully to find out exactly what your needs are.  We also aim to educate you to on some jewelry facts to help you in your decision making, be it for choosing designing a piece of jewelry or selling us some of your old, unwanted jewelry.  Below are some facts about jewelry that you may or may not know.  We hope they come in handy! Gold Facts • Gold comes out of the ground with a yellow color.  Man alters gold to change its color using other metal alloys.  Some of the most common colors we alter gold to are white, rose, and black. • 24 Karat (24K) gold is what is termed "pure" gold or 100% gold.  When gold is traded on the stock market daily, the gold is 24K. • ALL Karat determination is based on 24K gold.  18 Karat (18K) gold is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metal alloys.  14 Karat (14K) gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metal alloys.  10 Karat (10K) gold is 10 parts gold and 14 parts other metal alloys. Gold vs Sterling Silver •  The value of gold is much higher based on stock market value than sterling silver.  At the time of the writing of this blog gold's market value per ounce is $1233.50 and silver's $19.80.  Gold is considered the more precious metal, thus the higher price.  And then, thus the higher price on gold jewelry and the higher price offered when selling your gold. •  While white gold is silver in color, it is a completely different metal and value to sterling silver. Diamond Facts •  The weight of a diamond is measured in Carats.  As if to confuse us, this is a completely different meaning than Karat which is used for gold.  In addition, Carat represents a weight, not size.  In other words, not all one carat diamonds are the same size. •  For diamonds, we truly believe that "seeing is believing."  While listing the characteristics of a diamond, such as its 4C's (cut, color, clarity, and carat) is a helpful guide to describing the appearance of a diamond, it does not tell the whole picture of the stone.  Picture this,  if you are house-hunting and we tell you that a house is 1800 square feet, 2 story, white, and has 4 bedrooms, you cannot tell if you like the house or not.  You must "see" it to know.  The same is true of a diamond.  You must "see" it before you know if it is beautiful and full of fire. Jewelry Styling •  The typical length of a chain on a necklace for a woman is 18 inches.  For some this is perfect, for others shorter or longer is better.  At Ellis Jewelers, we want you to have the length chain that best suits you.  If a necklace of ours has an 18" chain but it is 20" that is your preferred length, we will work hard to find you the correct chain. •  New rings for women that we have in the store will most typically be a 6.5 to a 7.  This is the average size of a woman's ring finger so this is the size that companies make.  For a gentleman, it is a size 10.  But there are no worries at our store.  We size all of our gold rings complimentary with no charge to you.  For our sterling silver rings, most can be ordered in your exact finger size.  If not, there is a minimal charge. We hope that we have given you a small dose of jewelry education with the above facts.  If there are more things that you have questions about, never hesitate to ask our jewelry associates.  We are all very experienced and skilled in answering your questions informatively and to the detail that you desire.  We want you to be as knowledgeable as you can so you feel comfortable making you jewelry purchases with us or selling your gold to us.