1.  What is the difference between different karat levels of gold?

24K gold is 99.9% gold. It is very soft and generally used only in jewelry in Asia and the Middle East.

18K gold is 18 parts per 24 pure gold (approximately 75%). It is alloyed with 6 parts (or 25%) metals such as copper or zinc. 18K yellow gold is a rich yellow color. 18K gold jewelry is stamped 18K or 750, the European designation meaning 75% gold.

14K gold is 14 parts per 24 pure gold (approximately 58.5%). It is also alloyed with copper, zinc or other metals. 14K yellow gold is a lighter color than 18K yellow gold. It is stamped 14K or 585, the European designation for 58.5% gold)

10K gold, usually the lowest karatage created in the U.S. as gold, is 41.67% gold.
9K gold is popular in Ireland, so some imported rings are made o

2.  What about white gold?

Any karatage of white gold is produced by taking the appropriate amount of gold (75% for 18K, for example) and alloying it with white metals to both increase the strength and mellow the color.

Sometimes 18K or 14K white gold are plated with rhodium, a metal from the platinum group, to make it look very white. Poesy rings are not plated in this way, as they are exacting historical reproductions.

Normally, without plating, 14K and 18K white gold are a creamy white, or a yellowish white color. 18K is a little darker than the 14K. Please be prepared for your white gold Poesy rings to have a creamy or yellowish cast, as they are not rhodium plated.

3.  Can the color of gold vary?

Yes, in a couple of ways:

A. All gold of less than 24K is mixed in batches. The color can vary in minor ways from batch to batch. If you are ordering two wedding rings, please order them at the same time. This is the only way to ensure that your rings will match in color.

B. Rose gold and green gold are made by altering the formula of metals mixed in with yellow gold.

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4.  Is there another practical way that this color variation matters?

Yes. For example, if you have your grandmother's yellow or white gold engagement ring, and you order a wedding ring to go with it, the two golds of the two rings may not exactly match. This is normal and need not worry you.

On the other hand, if you want a matched wedding set where perfection in color is a high priority for you, you should go to one jeweler or one jewelry store to purchase a matched set made by the same designer at the same time. Very often, the large online wedding band retailers carry machine made jewelry. You will likely find more consistency of color in their offerings.

Please also note that if you order one of our stunningly unique Poesy and Puzzle ring wedding sets, the color of gold may vary a tiny bit, because the rings are coming from 2 different artists and batches of gold.

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5.  How do I know if prices for gold are fair?

The traditional view is that the prices for gold or platinum are based on four factors. You may familiarize yourself with karatage or gram weight of a piece of jewelry, which govern how much gold is in a particular piece. But that will only tell you half the story. The other two traditional factors are design and craftsmanship.

To that we add: the name recognition of the designer; how big the company and how high the overhead; how "hungry" the seller is; even how honest he or she is, etc.

A. A machine-made piece of jewelry may be priced far less than a hand-crafted ring. Machine made wedding rings are prevalent on many of the larger wedding ring websites, where you may find excellent prices.

B. With all due respect, if you want "Harry Winston" jewelry, well you know you're going to be wearing jewels, and you also know you're going to pay for the name, the cachet and the high-rent real estate of his store. This is not a slur on Harry Winston - he has absolutely established a rock-solid reputation based on providing A++ quality jewelry to an outstanding clientele of celebrities and other wealthy folk. At the same time, he is beyond having to offer bargains based on the budgets of his customers.

C. We are obviously a little biased, but at Crystal Realm, we believe that fine quality at reasonable prices can be found in the jewelry of small to medium size companies without huge name recognition or huge advertising budgets. These small companies are often started by an artist who began at craft fairs (and maybe still does them), who likes to get up close and personal with customers, and even though his or her company has grown to the point that it sells to companies like ours, he or she still takes an interest in every single order, perhaps even making the jewelry from start to finish like our puzzle ring artist, Norm Greene does.

D. We, on the other hand, have long outgrown the days when we made every piece of jewelry we sold. But we are committed to finding you the work of those who do, every day, make exquisite jewelry out of top-quality materials, and providing them to you at prices which are reasonable and fair and which provide a profit to both Crystal Realm and the artists whose work we support. At the same time, we can generally pass along to you the very same retail prices that the artist would offer you.

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6.  What is sterling silver?

Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver, plus additives to give the silver hardness and durability. Some sterling silver contains nickel, which is an allergen for some people. Our poesy rings do not contain any nickel. Sterling silver is usually marked 925 to signify its authenticity.

7.  Why do silver rings sometimes become dull or black?

Silver, and to a lesser degree, gold, will oxidize or tarnish with time and exposure to air. The rate at which it tarnishes depends on atmospheric conditions, particularly humidity. Typically, there are two ways to lessen tarnish to your silver jewelry. One is to wear it, as normal wear and tear, showering, washing hands, etc. will keep your sterling silver polished to an extent. The second way is to keep it enclosed in a zip-loc bag when you are not wearing it. The best way to ensure your sterling jewelry tarnishes quickly is to leave it out exposed to air, when you are not wearing it.

For a few people, there may be a reaction with the skin. Personal skin chemistry varies. Some people cannot wear silver (or gold) due to the rapidity with which tarnishing occurs or the skin discolors.

Please note that very occasionally we get a call from a customer who can normally wear sterling silver with no problem, saying their sterling silver poesy ring has turned green or black within a day or two of beginning to wear it. This is a very unusual situation which involves "antiquing" residue interacting with skin or with lotions, shampoo, and soaps.

The black or gray color in the recesses of "antiqued" rings, such as Poesy rings, is created by dipping the entire ring into an "antiquing" compound. The excess compound, when dry, is then ground off the ring, before final polishing. Sometimes there is a tiny residue of antiquing compound still on the ring when you receive it.

If you experience any difficulty with unwanted color, please call Mandira immediately at 1-866-573-7381 or 505-898-1107 to report it. We have a bullet-proof home remedy that you can apply yourself to ensure that the ring is cleaned up and doesn't change color again.

8.  How do I clean sterling silver that has tarnished naturally?
Gentle detergent and warm water will keep silver bright most of the time. If tarnish does build up, though, we recommend a jewelry polishing cloth. We don't recommend a silver dip for most sterling jewelry for two reasons. First it can remove "antiquing" if there is any on the piece. Second, it can ruin some gemstones, particularly opaque ones.

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