The Art of Buying Fine Jewelry

SPIRITS IN STONE curators talk about what to look for in your next jewelry purchase.

Like painting, sculpting or playing an instrument, buying fine jewelry is an art. But before you try to play Mozart on the piano, it's wise to take a few lessons. The same applies to buying a necklace, earrings or a ring: you need to know what makes a piece of jewelry special and worthy. Now is the perfect time to get yourself up to speed on this skill.

While art demands passion and intuition, it also requires some basic technical knowledge. Ms. Leslie Tribe, Vice President of Fine Jewelry at SPIRITS IN STONE, a 30 year veteran of the jewelry world offers her insights on how to find-and collect-the world's most elegant jewelry.


Seek Expert Advice
"It's important to begin at a reliable and time-honored venue with a solid reputation," Mrs. Ponter says. "The level of service at SPIRITS IN STONE results in long-lasting relationships with our customers." An educated, professional staff is your best resource. They can answer your questions thoroughly and steer you in the right direction. "We conduct regular learning seminars for both our professional staff and clients alike. The industry is constantly changing and the importance of clear information is vital to both".

Whether it's your first experience shopping for fine jewelry such as a classic pair of Akoya cultured pearl earrings or you're a collector seeking an exotic Gellner-designed white gold and Tahitian wave ring, it's always reassuring to develop a rapport with the sales associate, just as you might with an art dealer. You must feel comfortable and that your associate is looking out for your best interests.

Another reason to seek out the most respected galleries is that they generally have the most sophisticated and diverse selection of jewelry. Most people don't have time to fly to Japan to find Akoya cultured pearls or jet off to a Tahiti atoll for that string of Black South Sea beauties or catch a small plane to a cove in Malaysia for golden pearls . SPIRITS IN STONE's U.S. stores carry a stunning array of choices, including the modern-inspired Gellner Collection and other dazzling lines of diamonds, and the finest gem quality cultured pearls.


Eye on Quality
When shopping around, quality is always the number one and key consideration. "At SPIRITS IN STONE every step, from selecting pearls and other precious stones to making the jewelry, is done by experts," says Ms Tribe, Jewelry Curator. Even if you're a novice, it's important to be able to recognize certain characteristics of a gem that indicate quality.


The Seven Virtues The seven standard physical factors by which we determine the quality of a pearl are luster, surface perfection, nacre or skin quality, body color, orient or overtones, size and shape.

While some of these criteria may seem apparent at first glance, others require precise measurements and developing a keen expert eye. Also, most industry grading is only done on five (5) factors by most pearl retailers. That's not enough. We use a seven (7) step criteria. And we're tough. "The vast majority of pearls we grade and sort don't make our high standards", states Ms. Tribe. "Over the years being tough on vendors and farmers for high quality actually then harvests only the best for our stores. They won't bring us anything but the creme de la creme as they know we will send them back."

To help you understand the qualities that can be difficult to detect on first sight, Spirits In Stone has created a proprietary grading scale-the only one of its kind-that categorizes luster and surface perfection into four levels, ranging from AAA (the best, with mirror-like reflection and a near blemish-free surface) to A (a good, clear reflection with slight blemishing).

We also offer pearl grading and sorting classes for our clients to learn and develop their discerning eye just like the experts. It is a part of their cultivation to become connoisseurs of fine jewelry. "I love when our collectors help us in the grading and sorting and we watch them choose the best and reject marginal quality pearls just like we do", says Mrs. Ponter, Founder and Curator. "Then I know that our good collectors cannot be fooled by pretenders".

"Keep in mind that the quality and assurance of fine jewelry always comes with a price," says Mrs. Ponter. For pearls, their size and rarity generally affect price: the larger and more difficult to cultivate, the more expensive. They take years upon years to grow and some strands are sistered together with like pearls that may take 10 years to create a 16 inch strand.

Pearling is a demanding business and only a few pearls in every top harvest make the AAA grade. Those are scooped up by the top jewelry houses and not the mass market retailers like Tiffany & Co., Bailey Banks & Biddle, or Zales. In order to supply all their hundreds of stores, they must buy lower grades of pearls to fill their inventory. The highest grades of pearls are scooped up at the annual auctions by the high end boutique houses from Europe and America.

Though no single factor can properly determine the worth of a piece of jewelry, SPIRITS IN STONE only accepts the top 1/10th of 1% of all the cultured gem quality pearls harvested in the world. Our standards and culling are fierce.


Emotional Appeal
But there's more to jewelry than facts and figures. "You should also look at the characteristics of the gemstones: the pride, power, liveliness that you feel when looking at them," says Mrs. Ponter. "By instinct, we are all capable of feeling those characteristics. Therefore, we should believe in what we see and how we feel." If you've ever fallen in love with a piece of jewelry, you know what this means.

Jewelry for women means different things; to commemorate a special moment, to feel appreciated, to show social status and strength, or to express their inner spirit and élan.

Mrs Ponter not only believes strongly in instinct, but also in impulse. "When you find a piece that has drawn your attention, that is the time to buy it," she says. Buying fine jewelry is not only an art-it's an act of love. "It's always the fate of beautiful fine gemstones to find a good home and be loved."

For more information about SPIRITS IN STONE jewelry, please visit spiritofpearl.com.