Our Editorial Mission
The jewelry industry thrives on opacity. We exist to bring forensic precision to jewelry repair, buying, and craftsmanship evaluation. We serve buyers, bench jewelers, and collectors who want the unvarnished truth about metal, stones, and fabrication. You will not find PR fluff here.
We publish metallurgical reality.
Our editorial team cuts through the noise of marketing claims to expose the friction of bad bench work. We demand symmetry. We look for clean prong settings. We expect structural integrity. When a piece fails those basic tests, we document the failure.
How We Choose Topics
We cover what actually breaks on the bench. Reader emails drive our coverage heavily. When we see the same collapsed prong settings from a major brand three times in a month, we investigate the manufacturing flaw. We look for the blind spots where buyers are getting scammed.
We ignore seasonal fashion trends entirely.
Our focus remains locked on structural integrity, scam detection, and repair mechanics. If a topic lacks a measurable, physical component, we skip it. We write about the mistakes DIY jewelers make with solder. We expose the brands charging premium prices for hollow, lightweight castings.
Research and Fact-Checking Standards
We verify everything. We test metals. We examine settings under 10x loupes. We run suspect alloys through XRF machines to get the exact elemental composition. We do not parrot manufacturer claims about durability or ethical sourcing without proof.
If a brand claims their casting process eliminates porosity, we look for the pits ourselves.
Every claim requires a physical baseline. We cross-reference our findings with master bench jewelers and certified gemologists before hitting publish. If we cannot verify a specific repair technique or alloy composition, we do not publish the guide.
Corrections Policy
We make mistakes. When we do, we fix them fast. If you spot an error in our metallurgical analysis or brand critiques, email our editorial team at [email protected]. We review all correction requests within 48 hours.
If we got it wrong, we update the piece immediately. We add a dated correction note at the top of the article explaining exactly what changed. We never silently erase our errors. Transparency builds trust.
Affiliate and Commercial Relationships
We pay for our own server space. We monetize through highly selective affiliate links for tools, ultrasonic cleaners, and jewelry we actually use. If you buy a loupe or a polishing compound through our links, we earn a small commission.
This revenue never dictates our reviews.
We have rejected dozens of lucrative sponsorships from brands with terrible quality control. If a product fails our bench tests, we say so. We will call out a bad solder joint on a sponsored product just as quickly as a retail piece. Our loyalty belongs to the craft, not the advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Nobody outside our editorial team touches our copy. Advertisers cannot buy positive coverage. Brands cannot preview our reviews before publication. We do not accept free jewelry in exchange for guaranteed praise.
If a manufacturer sends us a piece for evaluation, they accept the risk of a brutal, high-resolution critique. We maintain absolute separation between our revenue operations and our editorial calendar. Our writers do not know who buys ads on the site.
Content Updates
Jewelry fabrication techniques evolve. Scammers get better at faking hallmarks. We audit our core guides every six months to ensure the advice holds up. We update our scam detection protocols the moment new fake alloys hit the market.
Stale advice costs you money. We keep our archives sharp, accurate, and ruthlessly updated. When a previously recommended tool drops in manufacturing quality, we strip it from our buying guides. We track the market so you don’t have to.