Know Your Gold

  What Is Sterling Silver? For jewelry sterling silver is by far the most popular silver alloy in the world. Sterling silver, also called .925 silver, consists of 92.5 percent fine silver and 7.5 percent other metals (usually copper). Manufacturers use sterling silver because of its strength and durability. All silver items created at Del Francis Jewelry are .925 sterling silver. How Is Sterling Silver Jewelry Finished? Sterling Silver Jewelry is often rhodium plated. Rhodium is a standard sterling silver finish in the jewelry world. Rhodium plating is bright white. It also keeps your sterling silver jewelry from tarnishing.  How Can I Keep My Sterling Silver Items Looking Great? Sterling silver that is not rhodium plated is susceptible to tarnish which is a natural reaction the metal has with chemicals. Frequent light polishing with a polishing cloth designed for sterling silver will help minimize tarnish. You can also wash your jewelry periodically with mild dish soap and water. Be sure to rinse well and dry completely before putting your jewelry away. Tarnish can be easily removed when first noticed. However, if left untreated, the color of the tarnish will darken and will become more difficult to remove, requiring professional cleaning. It is also important to avoid exposing sterling silver jewelry to harsh chemicals like chlorine, cosmetics, hair spray, and perfume, and to avoid extended exposure to direct sunlight. Contact us at hello@delfrancisjewelry.com with any questions. We can also supply you with a complimentary cloth for polishing your silver jewelry. (email required)

Do you remember buying jewelry from the gum ball machine as a kid? I do! I remember this one ring that was just a wide gold-colored band. It was even "adjustable" to fit any finger size. I squeezed that ring around my finger and the next day, my finger was green. Raise your hand if you have any memories like this. Here I was, about eight years old and so excited to have a ring like my momma, and then poof, just like that, the excitement was gone. Lol... I guess that was my first lesson in "You get what you pay for!" Now, here I am, much older and wiser...and I have a passion for jewelry. But not the gum ball machine kind. I have a passion for the kind of jewelry that I can pass down for generations and that's sure to happen being we have five children and two grand-babies already! My style is simple, sophisticated, elegant. I have a tendency to find a piece of jewelry that "loves me" and I wear it till that next "love story" comes along. Then I pass it along, and not just to my girls either. I have a son that wears one of my crosses, that I bought myself 20 plus years ago, and wore on a chain that my daddy gave me. I guess we're a sentimental bunch. I am GIA educated in jewelry and hold several certifications and I have worked many years in the retail jewelry business now. I have been blown away by the knowledge I now know. From the jewelry materials to the retail mark-ups...and just "Wow!" I have such an appreciation of gold and silver jewelry and the artistic talent & knowledge that goes into making a piece of jewelry by hand. But the retail mark-ups blow my mind in a different way. Remember that I worked in the jewelry business? Well, I worked in the corporate office for the Ecommerce division and I was able to purchase jewelry at cost. Yet, after my education on metals, diamonds, gemstones, pearls, I didn't find myself buying too many pieces, not even for gifts. That's because when you know the differences of quality, and see the mark-up, most of the jewelry is a turn-off. And this is the exact reason, Del Francis Jewelry was started. We hope you check back with our blog soon and continue to educate yourself as we share the exact truth about jewelry and offer you the opportunity to "be loved" also. #goldlooksgoodonyou #itlovesme

    1. A STUNNING DISPLAY OF CULTURED PEARLS FROM DEL FRANCIS JEWELRY Of all gems, the pearl is perhaps the most mysterious. For thousands of years, its rarity meant that it eluded all but the most wealthy. The stories of famous and phenomenal pearls are still with us - how Louis and Pierre Cartier traded a glorious strand of matched natural pearls for the Fifth Avenue Cartier Mansion, or how Empress Marie Feodorovna received a glorious drop pearl and cabochon sapphire pendant as a wedding gift from the Prince and Princess of Wales. But today, fine pearls have been democratized, with modern culturing operations putting a range of gorgeous specimens within our reach. We still covet them, but now they are readily available across a range of colors, sizes, shapes, and prices. From the soft radiance of South Sea cultured pearls to the vintage elegance of a cultured seed pearl cluster, the major cultured pearl types are well represented in the following pages. Read on to learn the stories behind these beautiful gems of the rivers and seas.    2. SOUTH SEA CULTURED PEARLS PRECIOUS TREASURES FROM DISTANT SEAS Coveted for their rarity and beauty, South Sea cultured pearls grow in the clean, warm waters of the Indian and southern Pacific Oceans. Given birth by the mighty pinctada maxima oyster, found in the crystalline Indonesian coves and the nurturing heat of Australian bays, these pearls conjure the luxuriance and abundance of the Southern Seas. Because of the size of the pinctada maxima, South Sea cultured pearls can grow within the shell with a larger bead as their nucleus. They also grow more quickly and over a longer period. This results in exquisite, luxurious pearls that measure on average 13mm, glistening with a spray of satin glow whites, silvers, and golds.   3. TAHITIAN CULTURED PEARLS BEAUTIFUL DARK CULTURED PEARLS FROM FRENCH POLYNESIA AND BEYOND Cultured in the massive black-lipped pinctada margaritifera oyster, native to Tahiti and French Polynesia, Tahitian cultured pearls are strikingly distinct — naturally dark when pearls are almost by definition white. But that thing that makes a pearl a pearl — that entrancing, subtle, playful luster, is just as strong in these dark gems, whether produced by a dusky silver, charcoal smudged with quiet iridescence, or a deep, flickering green. For most of human history, a rare and almost impossible-to-afford luxury, Tahitian pearl harvesting was only recently standardized, and they are now within your grasp, each one dark, shimmering, and unique.   4. AKOYA CULTURED PEARLS  THE PINNACLE OF PERFECTION The beauty of Akoya cultured pearls is of a special kind. Not derived from exotic shape or color, but rather from an uncanny, perfect roundness, and a tendency to pure or creamy white, Akoya cultured pearls are iconic. Neatly arrayed in perfect strands of softly shimmering light, these classic cultured pearls embody sophistication and worldly elegance. The first pearls to be cultured, by the famous Kokichi Mikimoto, their uniformity of size and shape and their understated beauty is what brought the miracle of cultivated pearls to the broader world. Strung in a perfectly matched, hypnotic strand, they are an essential staple of every discerning woman’s jewelry chest.   5. FRESHWATER CULTURED PEARLS FRESH, BEAUTIFUL, AND UNIQUE Found in freshwater mussels instead of oysters, freshwater cultured pearls are as lovely as they are affordable. Though natural freshwater pearls from the Tennessee River and even the Mississippi have enjoyed periods of popularity, their cultivation has its roots in the area near Shanghai, and most commercial production of freshwater cultured pearls is located in China today. Not as consistently round or as purely white as Akoyas, they are nonetheless popular with designers for their wide variability of form and color, and their uniquely durable nacre — not to mention their attractive price.   6. MABÉ CULTURED PEARLS BEAUTY ON THE HALF-SHELL Imagine it — a glorious flying saucer of pearl. There you have the Mabé. Grown against the inner side of an oyster’s shell, instead of in the soft tissue, Mabé cultured pearls are designed to be domed hemispheres, with an almost flat back. While this means that they are not as valuable as round cultured pearls, and certainly not as suited for knotting on a naked strand, they are uniquely suited to the jeweler’s art when set en cabochon in earrings or a pendant.   7. CULTURED SEED PEARLS THE BEAUTY OF THE SMALL Formed by the early, accidental dislocation of a cultured pearl, seed pearls are just that — seeds of cultured pearls that never fully form. But that is the key to their beauty and their special purpose. Cultured seed pearls are the melee diamonds of the pearl universe — meant to enhance, to ornament, and to mesmerize. When clustered together to frame a sapphire, or laced liberally through the floral lines of a vintage-style brooch, cultured seed pearls add a regal, stately charm to any piece of jewelry they adorn.    

  Now that you have educated yourself, put your knowledge to use and do your research.  Retail mark-ups are very high. That's because there are just too many middle men to pay. Del Francis Jewelry has cut out the middle men. We work directly with the manufacturer and source our own materials. That means that we don't need to hire someone else to do the work for us which causes higher prices to pay them. Compare the price of the piece of jewelry you like at Del Francis Jewelry with the price of a similar piece at a "big-box" jewelry retailer. If you like our 1/8 ct. t.w. Diamond Petite Square Ring in 14K White Gold, go to the "other" website and search for a 1/8 ct. t.w. diamond ring in 14K white gold. The quality of the gold is the same, because you know by law, it has to be marked on the jewelry and in the description. Now, how about the price? Does it compare? Is it even close? Does it have "beading" or actual diamonds? If the price seems the same for both pieces of jewelry, make your choice based on trust and customer experience. Is the Contact Information easily accessible? A way to contact a business shouldn't be hard to locate on their website. Does their email address end with "gmail"? A real business will have their own email address like below. hello@delfrancisjewelry.com Is there a Phone Number listed for you to call? A legitimate business will be available for calls during normal business hours. You can call us at 469-438-3538 If you're unsure, give their customer service department a call. You can tell a lot about the company by the way their customer service responds. They should be professional, courteous and knowledgeable. If they do not have an answer for you, they should be willing to find the information out, and get back to you in a reasonable amount of time. Test our Customer Service Specialists. Give us a call with any questions. We would love to hear from you.