Jerry Ehrenwald
Former President, International Gemological Institute & Graduate Gemologist
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Co-authored Articles (16)
How to
Tell if a Cameo Is Authentic
The cameo is a very elegant piece of jewelry that has recently come back into fashion, but due to its popularity, there are more realistic imitations nowadays than ever before. It can be difficult to know when a cameo is...
How to
Tell if Gold Is Real
How do you tell if gold is real, gold plated, or fake? By most international standards, anything with less than 41.7% or 10 karats of gold is considered fake. To test your jewelry or gold at home, you can perform a few e...
How to
Tell if Jade Is Real
Jade is a beautiful stone that can be green, lavender, orange, red, yellow, or white. It’s quality is graded A, B, and C, depending on how it’s been treated. Whether you’re shopping for jade or are curious about yo...
How to Find out How Much Something Is Worth
Find out what any item is worth with our straightforward guide Have you ever wondered how much your antique artwork is worth, or what the value of your baseball card collection is? Whether you plan to sell an item, have ...
How to
Tell if a Ruby is Real
Rubies can be the most valuable colored gemstone, based on price-per-carat. However, there are a lot of fakes out there, and it can be hard to tell if a ruby is real. Ultimately, the surest way to tell is to take the sto...
How to
Tell Gold from Brass
Gold and brass are both shiny, yellow metals. Telling them apart can be difficult for someone who has no experience with metals. Luckily, there are several ways to differentiate between gold and brass. If you know what t...
How to
Test Gold with Vinegar
Gold is a very beautiful metal that can be found in jewelry, coins, watches and more. You may have just bought a new piece and want to see if it’s real, or test the genuineness of an old family heirloom. Testing gold w...
How to
Clean Sterling Silver Jewelry
Sterling silver isn’t pure (pure silver is known as fine silver) but rather an alloy that contains about 10 percent of another metal, such as copper. Silver is actually a very soft metal, so it’s combined with other ...
How to
Price a Gold Chain by the Gram
Astute shoppers of gold chains, such as figaro, curb, rope or other types of necklaces, know that the intrinsic value of the precious metals used determines its actual market value. Find out how to price gold chains fro...
How to
Clean White Gold
Gold that has been mixed with other alloy metals, like palladium and silver, is what constitutes white gold. It’s generally plated with rhodium, and it’s popular because it’s so shiny! It’s not difficult to care ...
How to
Sell Diamonds
Selling your diamond jewelry is a good way to earn a little extra cash, but it can be a daunting process. If you want to get the best price for your diamonds, it is important to understand your options before selling. Yo...
How to
Polish Sterling Silver
Sterling silver is an alloy of the precious metal silver that is white in color and is highly reflective of light. Because silver in its purest form is too soft for use in everyday items, most silver used in jewelry, fla...
How to
Fix Tarnished Silver
There are a variety of ways to clean tarnished silver. You can mix together a natural cleaning solution using vinegar, salt, and baking soda to submerge your silver. If you want to make things easy, specialized silver sp...
How to
Repair Silver Jewelry
Silver jewelry is a great alternative to gold jewelry. It is cheaper, but still sturdy and visually appealing. But, silver jewelry needs care and keeping just like any other precious metal, and is just as likely to need ...
How to
Clean Cubic Zirconia
Although they are not real diamonds, cubic zirconia stones possess many of the same traits of more valuable gems. To preserve their shine and beauty, cubic zirconia gems should be cleaned monthly. Cleaning is a quick, si...
How to Care for Jade: Cleaning, Polishing, & Storage
Simple steps to keep your jade pristine & shining Jade is the common name for 2 brilliant green gems: jadeite and nephrite. Whether you have some dull jadeite jewelry or a nephrite crystal in your collection that lacks l...
