Tourists, Beware!  Jewelry expert Scott Bohall examines whether buying jewelry on vacation is a good deal. Many folks from Arizona escape the summer heat and head for a cruise or a beach. Whether it’s the umbrella drinks or the vacation mindset, people frequently return with some sort of bauble. Before you fall prey to tourist pricing and usually below-average quality, there’re seven things to keep in mind ...

Heirloom? Or Just Old?   Scott Bohall debunks the myths surrounding the value of old jewelry. Most of us have something that was passed down from a relative. Art, jewelry, watches, coins, and furniture are most common. There’s a saying that wine gets better with time, but if the wine isn’t good to start with, age will not help much. Same goes for jewelry––just because it was Grandma’s doesn’t mean it’s good ...

A Matter of Taste  Gifting the right gem. By Scott Bohall What if every woman wore the same dress? That, of course, would never happen. While there are some women who like to copy what a friend has or what they see in an ad on television, they like to view themselves as individuals. Each person has a different taste in design, color, quality, jewelry size, and where they like to shop. There are also many di ...

Fake News  Watch out for these myths and misinformation about jewelry. By Scott Bohall With all the talk on news and Facebook about fake news, I think it’s time to talk about myths and misinformation in the jewelry industry. There’s an endless amount, but here are a few.   From several corporate jewelers: “Fancy shape diamonds cost a little more.”  Fact: Round diamonds of the same size, shape, and quality, ...

How White is White?  By Scott Bohall If you’re ever looked for a paint color, you already know how many shades of white you can have. In metals, white is not really white, it’s a variation of gray or silver. There’s much confusion about the various white metals, primarily because most salespeople who sell jewelry don’t really understand what makes metal the color it is and how to care for it. Platinum Let’s ...

All That Glitters  Be savvy about sparklers. By Scott Bohall   If you put steak sauce on a hot dog, will it taste like a sirloin? Consumers have more experience buying food than jewelry. Most of us have bought an item at a ball game or concert where the food and beverage was low quality but four times the normal price. As a captive audience, we buy the stuff. The problem with jewelry is that most peopl ...

Branding Why pay extra for a brand name gem? By Scott Bohall If you go car shopping and head to a dealership, you won’t find a Mercedes without its signature star logo. If you shop for shoes, you won’t find Nikes without their familiar swoosh trademark. But, unlike cars and shoes, there is no reason to pay extra for a branded diamond, which increases the price. It’s possible to find a diamond in one store f ...

Full Disclosure Straight talk from local jeweler Scott Bohall on buying genuine gems. By Scott Bohall Is a poster as good as a painting? Is a fake designer watch as good as the real thing? Is laminate as good as solid wood? Is microwave pizza as good as the freshly made variety? The jewelry industry is loaded with gems that are coated, dyed, simulated, diffused, irradiated, lab grown, glass filled, composit ...

Diamond Switching  Local jeweler Scott Bohall talks about the importance of knowing your diamond.   Do you know your diamond? Many people worry about getting their diamond back when it’s been worked on or reset. Although diamond switching by mistake or by unethical jewelers is quite rare, one of the largest chain jewelry stores recently dealt with this issue. Not to fear, there are some simple ways of ...

One-of-a-Kind Avoid mass-manufactured gems and opt for a unique jewel that reflects your personality and taste. By Scott Bohall If you only get plain vanilla ice cream, only order cheese pizza, exclusively wear one color, or are a creature of unwavering dedication to uniformity, this article is not for you. Most jewelry is mass manufactured, no matter if you see it on television, cruise ships, malls, or eve ...

Three-Card Monte Beware of jewelry deals that are too good to be true. By Scott Bohall For those who don't know three-card Monte, it’s the game you see on the streets of New York where the object is to watch a dealer arrange three playing cards back and forth until you are confused enough to select the wrong card. The problem is that the queen you are supposed to find is actually not any of the three cards. ...

Gold, Silver, & Diamonds This is the time of year that silver and gold are not only in jewelry but the colors of many holiday packaging and displays. Customers often ask, “What is a good investment?” To me, investment has many meanings. Do you want to buy it in order to sell it? Gold and silver coins and bars are popular. If so, the price of them is easy to find on a daily basis. Gold coins usually have ...

Gem Trends  The rarest colored jewels are always sought after. Jewelry expert Scott Bohall explains why.     Each year, the latest fashion trends and hot colors show up in Paris and Italy. Sometimes those trends carry over into the gem world, and sometimes they don’t impact the jewelry industry. But, the place that really determines what is hot or not in the gemstone market is Bangkok, Thailand. I ...

Origins? Should accurate labeling be mandatory for the sale of all gems? Jewelry expert Scott Bohall weighs in—perhaps literally. By Scott Bohall The lobbyists in Washington, D.C., just won a decision saying that U.S. residents don’t need to know which country the meat we’re purchasing is coming from. Of course, the reason not to divulge its origins boils down to cost cutting and profits. No doubt there wil ...