JEWELRY IN 5 QUESTIONS
What is the difference between a jeweler and a jeweler? Who is the best jeweler in the world? How can you recognize a diamond in a piece of jewelry? How can you tell if a piece of jewelry is gold or not? Which is the best gold: 9, 14, 18, or 24 karats? Discover the answers from Stéphane Artero , a jeweler based in Nice (06).

Five frequently asked questions about jewelry
1. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A JEWELLER AND A JEWELER?
It's a delicate exercise to try and separate the two terms "jeweler" and "jeweler." Indeed, they define a closely related activity and expertise; often, jewelry making and fine jewelry design overlap and intertwine in many creative projects. I would say they need each other.
The similarities are more numerous than the differences, but to address the question and answer the title of this article "what is the difference between a Jeweler and a jeweler", I would say that the main difference is that jewelry is the art of highlighting an object made of precious metal (gold, platinum, silver) topped with gems (precious stones).
The key difference lies in using stones to adorn the jewelry. This transforms the piece into a jewel.
You will have noted that by deduction, jewelry making is the art of crafting jewels.
This does not detract from the nobility of jewelry, but I would say that the term "jewelry" is broader and can describe both the activity of buying and selling jewelry and simply the place where one buys jewelry.
To simplify and make things clear, we could agree that any object made of precious (or non-precious) metals that can be worn to adorn the body can be called "jewelry," and therefore the person who made that object is a jeweler. Jewelry can be made from very inexpensive materials, as well as jewelry made entirely of precious metals.
The two paths diverge when precious stones (more generally gems) are added to this piece of jewelry (here, we are talking more about jewelry made of precious metals), the piece of jewelry then becomes a jewel and the person who makes it a jeweler.
2. WHO IS THE BEST JEWELER IN THE WORLD?
The world's number one jeweler, Cartier, is known as "the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers," Van Cleef & Arpels is renowned for its nature-inspired designs, Bulgari for its baroque exuberance, and Tiffany & Co. for its engagement rings and diamonds. It's almost impossible to say which is the best; each has its own distinct identity.
Voici en tout cas une liste non exhaustive des meilleures Joailliers qui vous en conviendrait sont principalement Français.
Cartier
Dans l’univers de la haute joaillerie, la maison Cartier est une véritable référence. Créée en 1847, cette marque française s’est rapidement imposée pour son savoir-faire inégalé, l’originalité de ses créations et le prestige de ses pièces. À la fin du XIXe siècle, les dames de la cour portaient quasiment toutes des bijoux Cartier. Et elles n’étaient pas les seules, puisque cette maison est devenue le fournisseur attitré de plusieurs familles impériales et royales. Édouard VII d’Angleterre l’a même surnommée « Joaillier des rois et roi des joailliers ». Parmi les clients de la marque, figurent notamment Marie Bonaparte, la duchesse de Windsor, les maharajahs de Patiala ou Grace de Monaco.
Van Cleef & Arpels
Installée à Paris depuis sa création en 1906, la marque de bijoux de luxe française Van Cleef & Arpels remporte un succès à l’international pour combiner un design original et une interprétation poétique des beautés de la nature (fleurs, motifs animaliers…). L’essence même de la marque réside dans la délicatesse et la poésie des créations, insufflant légèreté et mouvement aux matières les plus précieuses. L’une des forces de la maison est d’ailleurs de faire s’effacer le métal au profit d’une mise en valeur des pierres et des associations de couleurs.
Chaumet
Créée en 1780, la maison Chaumet est devenue le joaillier officiel de l’impératrice Joséphine, une fidèle cliente séduite par le talent de son fondateur, Marie-Étienne Nitot. Il n’en faut pas plus à la marque française pour se faire un nom dans le milieu.
Boucheron
Fondée en 1858, la maison Boucheron est la première à s’être installée place Vendôme en 1893. Reconnue mondialement pour ses motifs figuratifs et son innovation, cette marque associe avec élégance tradition et modernité sur chacune de ses pièces de luxe.
Tiffany & Co
Fondée en 1837 à New York, la maison Tiffany & Co. est une icône internationale du luxe, célèbre pour ses créations joaillières innovantes, son extraordinaire savoir-faire et sa créativité inégalée. L’optimisme, l’humour légendaire et l’énergie typiquement new-yorkaise de la marque inspirent un rêve qui commence à l’ouverture de chacune de ses précieuses Blue Box.
Bulgari
Explorez l’élégance à l’italienne avec Bulgari. Fondée à Rome en 1884 par Sotirio Bulgari, talentueux orfèvre grec, la marque s’impose progressivement comme un emblème de l’excellence italienne à travers de magnifiques créations joaillières nées d’un savoir-faire incomparable. Au fil des décennies, la famille Bulgari façonne un style unique, caractérisé par de spectaculaires associations de couleurs, des volumes exquis et des motifs inimitables rendant hommage aux racines romaines de la Maison. Fidèle à son héritage culturel, Bulgari est aussi à l’origine de créations innovantes qui réinventent les codes de la joaillerie et de nouvelles tendances devenues des icônes du design contemporain.
3. HOW TO RECOGNIZE A DIAMOND IN A PIECE OF JEWELRY?
With so many counterfeit diamonds circulating on the market, how can you tell a real diamond from a fake one?
Many articles on websites will give you all sorts of tips for determining if your diamond is real! A plethora of "professional" sites will offer advice such as rubbing the stone with sandpaper or performing the mist test, or mentioning the water glass test, but none of this is very reliable, as the study of gemstones—gemology—is a complex science. I strongly recommend that you consult a true professional with solid knowledge in this field to help you determine if your stone is indeed a natural diamond.
Firstly, it is much more complicated to test a stone set in jewelry than a loose stone. Some tests, such as simply weighing the stone, are not possible once it is mounted. Many imitations, some more convincing than others, are in circulation and often mislead even uninformed professionals.
Without going into too much detail, I would say that the three most convincing imitations are:
Moissanite
Moissanite is the most perfect diamond substitute, but this stone is not very easy to detect in jewelry.
Cubic zirconia
Cubic zirconia is the second best diamond substitute, but it is denser than diamond, which means that, weight for weight, the stone is smaller.
Lab-grown diamonds
For the past few years, a stone has flooded the market: the perfect imitation of a diamond. This is the synthetic or lab-grown diamond. This stone is simply 100% a diamond created in a laboratory.
No jeweler in the world will be able, with the traditional measuring equipment available to them, to tell you whether it is a natural diamond or a synthetic one. Unless the professional is equipped with very specific equipment used primarily in laboratories.
While there are indeed some rather expensive devices designed to allow jewelers to perform tests, according to the latest information I have, their accuracy is only around 80% (simply put, because these machines don't identify all the different types of lab-grown diamonds). In reality, a small, fully equipped lab with several machines is necessary to provide a perfectly reliable result. Stéphane ARTERO Jewelers has such a lab and is able to test all diamonds to give an accurate answer to all its clients.
So, recommending that you test at home with steam or sandpaper would, once again, be a serious lack of professionalism...
4. HOW CAN YOU TELL IF A PIECE OF JEWELRY IS GOLD OR NOT?
If you ask a search engine, you'll get a ready-made answer suggesting you use a magnet! Seriously, that's not accurate; you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet. It's quite difficult for most people to determine from home whether a piece of jewelry is gold or not.
First, it's important to differentiate between the three main gold standards: 9-karat, 14-karat, and 18-karat. For more information, please refer to my dedicated article .
The three most common ways to test for gold:
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The so-called "comparative touchstone" method involves rubbing the gold item to be tested on a touchstone, also called a "touching stone," so that a few micrograms of gold are deposited. A drop of acid is then placed on the gold trace left on the touchstone, and the reaction to the acid is observed: if the mark on the stone disappears, the item is not gold; if the mark turns red, it is gold of a lower carat than the acid used. If no reaction is visible, the gold test is conclusive, and the item is gold corresponding to the acid used. In any case, these tests must always be performed with a reference standard. Here is the exact composition of the acid (touching water):
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Gold above 18 carats: Aqua regia or royal water is a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid concentrated in a proportion of two to four volumes of hydrochloric acid to one of nitric acid.
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18-14 carat gold: nitric acid 49 parts by volume, hydrochloric acid 1 part by volume and distilled water 12.5 parts by volume.
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14 carat gold and below: nitric acid only.
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Silver: nitric acid 3 parts by volume and hydrochloric acid 1 part by volume.
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Platinum: hydrochloric acid 9 parts by volume and nitric acid 2 parts by volume.
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The second method is much more modern and, in my experience, very reliable. It involves using an electronic device specifically designed for detecting gold and platinum. Its use is extremely simple: after calibrating the measuring pen, you touch the coin in question and wait for the reading on the screen, which will indicate the purity.
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This involves using a magnifying glass to look for hallmarks on the jewelry ; however, you still need to be able to recognize the hallmarks, which is a bit complicated if you are not a professional, but I would say it is the simplest method for everyone.
5. WHICH IS THE BEST GOLD: 9, 14, 18 OR 24 CARAT?
24-karat gold signifies 99.9% purity—the highest level available for purchase. Despite this, high-quality jewelry is not made from 24-karat gold. This is because pure gold is very soft, has a bright yellow color that does not appeal to everyone, and tends to get damaged easily. Pure gold is unsuitable for jewelry; you would end up with rings that lose their shape every time you wear them.


