​ In 1896 in Paris France Salomon Arpels and his son-in-law Alfred Van Cleef founded the trailblazing brand in fine jewelry. Van Cleef & Arpels baubles have long been coveted by royals, celebrities and other members of high society. The brand even patented the “Mystery Setting”, which is a proprietary technique that allows the prongs of a jewelry piece to be nearly invisible. VCA's unique offerings make many of their pieces in a league of their own.

That being said creating such beautiful items attracts the attentions of copycats and counterfeiters.  Though some do make a fairly convincing imitation, there are usually different tells that one can look for to identify a fake.  We will try to outline some of them as we have been writing a book for about 12 years on counterfeit jewelry such as VCA, Cartier, Winston etc.  One thing to note is these tells are based on our experience and opinion and are not to be taken as advice.  We recommend sending the items to Van Cleef and Arpels for authentication for more guaranteed results however this is a paid service (the cost is around $2000 we were told but cannot guarantee the accuracy)

Our methods are meant as a guide, and not a foolproof security measure, they will definitely help you separate a genuine piece from a counterfeit VCA piece however they are not perfect. Some counterfeits can be easier to spot than others, so thorough inspection and caution are highly advised.

Trademarks, Hallmarks, Serials, Styles, Local
There are three main things that become important in identifying a genuine versus counterfeit vca piece. 

1. A trademark:  The trademark will appear either as “Van Cleef & Arpels” or in certain cases just the initials VCA.  Some of the most common counterfeits seen on the market is one where the trademark appears as just "Van Cleef" or even "Van Clef and Arpels:.  If you see either of these marks, it's certainly a counterfeit.  Genuine pieces will not be stamped in this way.  Furthermore VCA marked pieces are more rare than the full spelling pieces.  The location of the signature stamp is also important and depends on the particular piece.  As an example for earrings, it will generally be on on the ear clip (always one but many times both).  We have seen the mark on rings inside shanks different placements however.  For the Alhambra’s collection the stamp is usually placed on the clover station near to the clasp.
2. A Purity hallmark: The metal hallmark is an easier way to identify a genuine VCA piece.  Van Cleef & Arpels only uses 18 karat gold (for gold).  If a piece is crafted in 14 karat or 10 karat you can be assured its not a genuine VCA piece.  The hallmark for 18 karat gold is “750”, so that's the number you will see on a genuine piece not 18kt. 
3. Serial number: The serial number will appear near the trademark and hallmark.  Every piece will have a serial number.  If your piece does not have a serial number its subject to question (that being said VERY VERY few examples do exist of non serial pieces however they are very very rare and not made of common pieces.  For extra assurance, we recommend to phone or email VCA to verify a piece however the cost is great to do so as noted above.

*Always look at the entire piece.  The quality of build and quality of stones.  VCA pieces are coveted because of their quality.  

Cost
If you've found a Van Cleef & Arpels piece that's being sold for an uncharacteristically low price its likely because it isn't real.  There are price differences from store to store and online shop to online shop, but when comparing prices,  they are mostly very close in price. If a price is much lower its likely not correct. The price tag is high for a reason, VCA makes quality. Quality, design, reputation, and skill are all reflected in the cost of each piece. 

Quality
Van Cleef & Arpels is crafted by hand with high quality materials and techniques. There is a great amount of time and labor that goes into each piece, you will understand why a Van Cleef & Arpels is coveted. Each piece should be outstanding. So if anything about the piece is of doubt its best to pass.  There should be no gap between stones, all stones should be cut to perfection. Diamonds with easily noticeable inclusions are not VCA pieces. Serial numbers, hallmarks and trademarks should be smooth and legible, very very rarely crooked or sloppy. 

Consider the Source
Certain preowned websites and even local jewelers may need extra caution and attention.  Fraudulent sellers love  websites  and they make it easy for them to sell, with false information, photoshopped or stolen photos, etc.  Many times your item arrives and is not what you ordered, is clearly a fake, or worse yet, you shell out money for authentication only to be told it's not an authentic piece later on.  ALWAYS shop with a reputable, honest seller, with EXPERT KNOWLEDGE, also with an excellent record. Buying from a trusted jeweler very much increases the chance of you securing an authentic piece of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry.  NOTE: a local jeweler may not have the experience with buying or selling a VCA piece.  They may be an expert of their craft however doing business with a company that has experience with buying and selling VCA daily may be a better direction to consider.  We constantly review both genuine and counterfeit pieces.  In fact we have been tracking counterfeiters progress for approximately 12 years documenting signatures and tells.

Note: These notes are just our opinions and experience and in no way are any advice in buying or selling piece.

We are serious buyers and sellers of all things Van Cleef and Arpels.  Our experience is vast from Alhambra collection pieces, to custom one of a kind pieces, and even watches.  Should you have a piece to sell we are serious buyers and have collectors all over the world who are personal friends and clients of ours this helps to make sure you are getting top dollar for your pieces.  If you are looking for an authentic VCA piece we are happy to help. 

Non-fungible tokens (NFT) are digital assets that represent a wide range of unique tangible and intangible items.  They are changing the world from sports cards to virtual real estate and to even jewelry.  We are one of the first companies in the jewelry industry to get in on the NFT space and early.
The main benefit of owning a digital collectible versus a physical collectible like a is that each NFT contains distinguishing information that makes it both distinct from any other NFT and easily verifiable. This makes the creation and circulation of fake collectibles pointless because each item can be traced back to the original issuer.  So in certain high value pieces owning the NFT for that piece can be important.  For example any of our photos we are able to convert to NFT's for you should you purchase a piece from us for an additional charge you can buy the rights to those photos.

Some important things about NFT's that make them attractive to own as a part of purchasing a piece from us:

1. Non-interoperable
2. Indivisible
3. Indestructible
4. Verifiable

So having and NFT piece of art, photo, or video of ours purchased separately with one of our pieces is a great way to have your pieces digitally represented as works of art!  Interested in acquiring NFt's of original photos, sketches, videos of jewelry, diamonds, gemstones, or watches? Contact us directly!

Opal is the product of water that drenched dry ground in regions such as Australia’s semi-desert “outback.” The showers soaked deep into ancient underground rock, carrying dissolved silica downward.  The silica spheres deposit and during dry periods, the water evaporates leaving deposits of silica in between layers of underground sedimentary rock. The silica deposits form opal.

Opal is known for its unique display of flashing rainbow colors called play-of-color. There are two broad classes of opal: precious opal and common opal. Precious opal displays play-of-color, common opal does not.  Play-of-color occurs in precious opal because it’s made up of silica spheres which have stacked in a grid-like pattern. As light-waves travel between the spheres, the waves diffract, or bend. As they bend, they break up into the colors of the rainbow, called spectral colors. Play-of-color is the result.

Although gem opals can be divided into many different categories, five of the main types are:

• White opal: Translucent to semi-translucent, with play-of-color against a white or sometimes even a light gray background or bodycolor.
• Black opal: Generally translucent to opaque, with play-of-color against a black or other dark background.
• Fire opal: Transparent to translucent, with brown, yellow, orange, or red bodycolor. Often times without play of color. (red is the most valuable.
• Boulder opal: Translucent to opaque, with play-of-color against a light to dark background. Fragments of the surrounding rock, called matrix, become part of the finished gem.  In other words you will see the host rock in this type of opal
• Crystal opal: Transparent to semitransparent, with a clear background. This type can show exceptional play-of-color.

Did you know?
In 1829 The novel “Anne of Geierstein” gave opal a reputation of being unlucky but actually is only unlucky if you haven't purchased yourself some!

Calculating the value of an opal is actually quite complex as many factors go into valuation of an opal

1. type of opal
2. play of color- type of play of color as well as intensity and colors present
3. crazing
4. origin
5. size
6. shape

As internationally recognized opal experts we are serious buyers of opals.  In fact we currently have opals on display in museums!  If you have loose, or mounted opal in jewelry we would love the opportunity to evaluate it!

We are often asked "How do I find out the purity of my gold?" or "How do I test the quality of my gold?."   
Lets start with the basics:

1. We recommend leaving gold testing to the professionals.  Working with experienced professionals is far better than attempting to determine the purity and value of your gold.  That being said having some basic knowledge is always a good thing.
2. Look for a stamp.  Many times your jewelry will have a hallmark on it.  These hallmarks can tell a lot about a piece of jewelry just keep in mind they are not always accurate.  That being said they are a good starting place.  Take a look at the numbers on the piece.  Is it marked 583 or 585 or how about 14k or 14kt maybe even 14k hge.  There are lots of marks and they can be confusing.  As an example all of the previous marks indicate 14 karat gold except the last one 14k hge which indicated gold plating.  Another reason to just use the mark as a general guide.  You can read more about gold purities and markings in previous blog posts or in our educational section.

Here we discuss a few different methods used widely to test the purity of gold.  There are a number of different ways jewelers use to check the purity of gold.  

1. Hardstone (Hand Test):  This is the simplest gold purity test and fairly accurate as a good guideline, it is performed at most pawn shops and has been in use since ancient times. The central tool in the stone hand test is a touchstone (hence the name) which is usually a dark hard stone with a finely grained surface. When soft metals like gold are drawn across it, they leave a visible line. The color of the line varies with the purity of gold. By observing the color on the line, an experienced jeweler can tell the purity of gold. The one good thing is that it will give a good general idea and, to a very experienced user, can be pretty accurate!  To an inexperienced user however it can be misleading.  Knowing the qualifications of the buyer is quite important.
2. Fire Assay: This method known as 'fire assay' is the oldest known method of testing gold and continues to be one of the most accurate. To do this test gold is melted, a sample of the gold is taken, either by drilling through the poured bar or by capillary tube sampling while the gold is in a molten state. The sample is weighed very precisely and the weight recorded. All impurities and other metals are then extracted and removed, leaving just pure gold (generally .9995 or higher). The weight of pure gold is compared to the previous weight of gold and its purity is calculated accordingly.  Its a tried and true method and extremely accurate (probably the most accurate method).  This method is done by serious gold houses and refineries (like us) to ensure purity levels and accuracy.  The issue is that fire assay completely destroys the jewelry or coins in the process.  Additionally the equipment and knowledge to run this type of test is time consuming and costly to do so.  It generally makes sense for very large quantities of unusable items.  As usable items would be melted and not recognizable anymore
3. Digital Test:  Today there are certain machines that can test the purity of gold. These machines are "simple" to operate however they are not very accurate at all.  Most of the time they give out false readings and mislead users on purity.  
4. XRF Testing: X-RF Testing (X-Ray Fluorescence) is an excellent method to generate a complete analysis of gold samples, including purity and fineness.  X-RF machines determine results quickly as the X-ray assay takes only minutes to complete. This unique form of precious metal testing works by exciting the gold sample in X- rays. The metal then emits light (fluorescence) at an energy level specific to its atomic structure. By measuring this unique energy level, the X-RF machine accurately analyzes the purity of the sample.  These machines can also detect what type of other elements are in the metal and their percentages. X-RF can also be used to check the purity of any metal like silver or platinum making it diverse.  Another great thing is the X-RF method to test gold purity is nondestructive.  The problem is the X-RF machines to test gold purity are very expensive and cost prohibitive to purchase and maintenance cost is high.

Here at Velvet Box Society we use ALL of these methods in house and verify our materials in different ways based on subject matter. With the volatility in the price of gold and other precious metals, we cannot afford the time or the potential inaccuracies to not check every single piece.  So if you should have items you wish to sell we'd be happy to assist in the matter.  For more information contact us directly as we offer this service for dealers as well as the public!

When your gold jewelry tarnishes, it does not mean that it is not real gold; it only means that your gold jewelry is not 'pure' gold or 24 karat gold. Any purity which is below 24 karat gold can tarnish or discolor under certain circumstances which we will discuss here. The information available online is very confusing, so for our readers benefit, we have written this blog to provide authentic information on how real gold can tarnish, become black or discolor and have also included tips and preventive measures.
999 gold or 24 karat gold is also called pure gold or 100 percent gold. This means that all 24 parts in the gold are all pure gold without traces of any other metals. It is known to be 99.99% pure. Only pure 24K gold stays shiny, and it does not rust, discolor or tarnish as pure gold is the least reactive chemical element. 24 karat gold is often too soft to be used in jewelry so it is usually alloyed with other base metals to make it more useable.
Generally 999 gold is used to make bullion, coins and bars as well as use in electronics and medical devices. Other gold purities like 22K, 18K, 14k and 10k are alloyed with other metals such as silver, copper, zinc, and nickel to make gold jewelry because the alloys increase the hardness of the metal and helps the metal gain a higher polish and brighter luster. It is these other base metals alloyed with gold that actually react with or to oxygen, sulfur, and moisture and at times.  These reactions discolor or tarnish gold jewelry sometimes making it black in color.  Gold tarnishing is the slight corrosion of the gold surface and is evident as a dark discoloration of the gold item, also called a tarnish film. Real gold jewelry can sometimes tarnish or become black and discolor. But usually the higher the percentage of gold in the alloy, it is less likely for the gold jewelry to discolor or become black.

Some Reasons Gold  Will Tarnish

1. Oxidation: Base metals alloyed with gold reacts with or to oxygen it can discolor or tarnish jewelry. Oxidation is a chemical reaction in which electrons are lost. 
2. Sweat: Jewelry can discolor when it comes in contact with sweat. Sweat or perspiration, is rich in sodium chloride, common salt.  A percent of sweat can be chlorinated, lactic acid, urea, ammonia, or other toxins. These substances after contact with gold that have silver or copper alloys can produce chemical reaction to produce silver chloride and copper sulfide, which can lead to creation of deep black chemical salts. This chemical reaction can discolor jewelry and making it black.
3. Daily Household items: Synthetic ingredients and chemicals found in perfumes, body creams, body oils, lotions, moisturizers, deodorants,  pain relief ointments balms, hot packs, ice packs, hairspray, and even gel packs can all  discolor jewelry including their gemstones as well.
4. Acidic foods: Food items containing acid and/or Sulphur compounds like fruit juices, oil, vinegar, soda, pickles and onions it can discolor or tarnish jewelry or damage stones.
5. Chemicals: Bleach and chlorine can cause harm to jewelry or gemstones. Both cause a chemical reaction that disintegrates the alloys in the jewelry over time. Jewelry can also tarnish when it is exposed to bath gel, shampoo, soap, lotion, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and everyday grime.  Even swimming pool chlorine can strip rhodium from jewelry for example.

​Tips/ Preventive Measures:

• Keep jewelry in boxes and containers. For certain jewelry, do not keep it in the jewelry boxes, rather keep them wrapped in a soft cloth.
• Keep jewelry away from chemicals.
• When jewelry discolors, becomes black, or tarnishes we recommend you take your jewelry to a jeweler who can clean if properly and professionally (we offer these services)
• Check out our blog about a homemade jewelry cleaner!

A Guide to Colored Stones
Colored gemstones have been revered for centuries, even before the field of gemology was invented.  They were tumble, carved, polished, and faceted.  Properties like color saturation and clarity characteristics are important aspects to consider when shopping for a colored gemstone.

Natural VRS Treated : Natural color is highly desired because in todays world these stones are exceedingly rare.  Three things must coincide perfectly to accomplish an amazing natural color: chemistry, formation conditions, and time.  These three factors combine to create some of the most beautiful colors naturally occurring on Earth.  Some gemstones however are treated to help make a stone more appealing.  Some treatments include:

• Heat:  Heat can often enhance color and can be administered via human intervention. It can affect clarity characteristics and create uniform color. Combining heat with certain elements can influence color and finish what nature had started but ran out of resources to complete.  
• Fracture Filling: Or oiling.  There are several different types and methods used but the result is effectively the same.  In some stones however, oiling is accepted and some not as much greatly effecting the price
• Laser Drilling:  Yes a common diamond treatment has been used in colored stones to improve clarity characteristics.  Though these are not as commonly seen it does occur in the marketplace.
• Bleaching:  Bleaching is common in certain gemstones like jade or pearls and certainly effects value
• Surface Coating:  Coating the surface of a stone has been occurring for many years.  We see this in stones like "mystic" topaz commonly coated on the outside however other stones can be coated as well
• Dying:  Dying is commonly performed on certain gemstones to make them a more vibrant color and greatly effects the value of a stone
• HPHT: Mostly diamonds can be subject to this treatment. HPHT short for High Pressure High Temperature means just what it says subjecting the stone to high heat and pressure at the same time.
• Impregnation:  occurs in microcrystalline gemstones like jade or turquoise mostly to give them a more intense color look and a higher luster type finish 
• Irradiation:  is done to improve color or change the color of a gemstone
• Lattice Diffusion:  is done to infuse more color or color at all into a gemstone

A natural untreated gemstone that was not subject to any of these treatments will always be more valuable than a treated.  That being said treatments can make a gemstone look amazing at a fraction of the cost.  Knowing which treatments are acceptable is tricky and we are happy to help you navigate the world of gemstones!

Determining if a gem has been treated takes a careful eye to survey inclusions. With Velvet Box Society each piece has been evaluated to satisfaction by our trained Graduate Gemologist staff.  Often times we will additionally accompany our pieces with a report from a major laboratory
​
Another important factor to value gemstones is:
Origin: Origin significantly contributes to the value of a stone for a few reasons.  Firstly origin became a significant factor because certain areas of the planet are better incubators for certain gems to form and because this is the case certain areas historically have produced some of the top gemstones from that category gem and are hence known as the best stone in the world.  Origin is difficult to assess by observation alone and usually is determined by the American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) or the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or other similar laboratory.  You can read more about the different laboratories in our educational section on gemstones.
  

Synthetics:
Synthetic gemstones have the same physical and chemical properties as their natural counterparts, these however, are grown in a laboratory instead of in the earth. Synthetics are dramatically less valuable than natural gemstones of the same size, color, and cut because they were not formed over a significant amount of time and in a laboratory.  Hence synthetic gemstones are not rare. Synthetics tend to be very saturated and uniform in color and can be appealing for their price and overall look.

Assembled Stones: 
Assembled stones such as doublets or triplets can look like amazing gemstones and even test partially like their natural counterparts however their color is pulled from two or more stones being fused together. 

Grading:
​All our pieces are evaluated and graded by our professionally trained staff including GIA Graduate Gemologists. Mountings prohibit full and accurate observation of gem quality and weight, all data pertaining to mounted gems can be considered as approximate unless accompanied by an independent laboratory report (GIA, AGL, Mason Kay or others).

If you need assistance in evaluating your colored stones, have questions about ours, or have interest in learning more simply contact us!

First of all, if you are looking for information on hallmarks, jewelry makers marks, or gold purity marks check out our educational pages under the brand tab you will find out much much more information there but we thought we'd summarize a few questions we get from time to time.
What does 916 & KDM mean?
916
This is quite simple, 916 represents the finesse of the gold in the jewelry.  91.6% of gold per 100%. The figure 916 denotes 22 carat (22 ÷ 24 = 916). And if you are wondering why not make jewels in pure gold, often times that depends on what the gold will be used for certain types of jewelry work better with 22k as 24k is much more soft and malleable.  There is some 99%  (24k) pure jewelry however delicate workmanship & intricate designs are not possible in pure gold.

KDM
 KDM & Non KDM jewelry
So what does KDM jewelry mean? Considers the basic process in jewelry crafting, Soldering. Solder, in order to make jewelry will have a melting temperature lower than that of gold, so just the solder melts and joins gold pieces without melting the gold parts. Earlier this solder was a combination of Gold and Copper. Though there was no particular ratio for this solder, generally it was about 60% gold + 40% copper. Since this alloy was strong and easy to make, it was widely used in jewelry. The downside to this solder is that, the purity of the solder is only 60%. So when this jewel is melted, the quality will be less than 22 carat. This is the reason your old jewels may carry an seal of 22/20 (20 carat represents the melting purity).
To overcome this problem and maintain a high standard of gold purity, cadmium began to be used in place of copper. The advantage being that unlike the traditional gold & copper solder, gold and cadmium can be mixed in a ratio of 92% + 8%. In other words the solder itself has a purity of 92%. This ensured the finesse of jewel remains constant regardless of the amount of solder used. Such jewelry using cadmium began to be widely known as KDM jewelry.
But shortly after the introduction of cadmium, it was banned as it was found to cause health issues for artisans working with it and wearing high amounts of cadmium.   After the ban, cadmium was replaced by advanced solders with Zinc and other metals. But the term “KDM” hung on and is still commonly used. So a KDM jewelry means it will have the same purity even when it is melted, as the solder itself has a purity of 92%.

In most of the western world the traditional place to wear the wedding ring is on the left hand ring finger.  However in many eastern countries wedding rings can often be found on the right hand or a combination.  Countries such as Syria, Brazil, Turkey, and Lebanon individuals actually start off by wearing the wedding ring on the right hand, but after the wedding ceremony, the ring is moved to the left hand.
In India, the wedding ring is worn on the right hand. Unless you’re not a traditionalist then some have adapted to wear the wedding ring on the left hand ring finger as well. In Sri Lanka though, often times the groom will wear the wedding band on the right ring finger.  That being said the bride, will wear it on the left ring finger.
Many non traditional Jordanian's, may wear the wedding band on the right hand (though not all do)  In Eastern Europe, the bride and groom in countries such as Spain, Portugal, and Greece commonly wear their wedding rings on the right hand.  Yet generally Germans and couples from the Netherlands, start by wearing their engagement rings on the left hand, and then when they are married, they move the wedding rings to the right hand to signify their change in social status.  There are many other countries where the wedding rings are worn on the right hand. 
This list includes couples from:

• Norway
• Belgium (this is quite mixed)
• Poland
• Russia 
• Bulgaria 
• Denmark
• Austria
• Serbia
• Ukraine
• Hungary
• Cuba
• Columbia
• Venezuela
• Peru

Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and tiktok are instant networks that allow you to reach all your friends and family at once. So when something major happens, like....getting engaged!!!! finding a way to post this exciting news with everyone can be fun!

Just changing your relationship status on facebook is fun however many prefer to splash the news with a picture, a note, or a statement.  Getting creative with a caption, a prop, or even an interesting way to take a photo is a good way to announce it to the world.  Here are a few ways we thought that might be fun! 

1) Make A Sign
Whether you have a chalkboard, want to print something out, or buy a pre-made sign online, write it in the sand, or handwrite on posterboard. Hold the sign, take a pic, and drop it like its hot!
Sign ideas:

• "Mrs ________ in the house!."
• "I Said YES!"
• "Call me Mrs. _________"
• "He stole my heart so I'm stealing his last name."

2) Add a Prop
Clever use of a prop can make the announcement so much fun.  Scrabble pieces as an example have helped leak the news and turn out great!

• Hold balloons "Mrs." & "Mr."
• Show the ring box
• Show the ring

3) Couple Photo
Post a photo of the ring, and yourselves together, or with him doing something fun in the background (like jumping)

4) Announce your wedding hashtag, or witty caption!
This is a classy and subtle way to announce it without the worry and hassle of making a prop or planning to long!

• "My latest accessory"
• "Hiiiii!"
• #dayoneofforever
• "He put a ring on it!"
• creating your own custom wedding hashtag like #becomingaberger

5) Your Pet announces the news
Using your furry friend, or other pet, to announce your engagement can be a great way of including the rest of your household There are endless ways to get creative with this idea and your friends and family are sure to "like" and comment away.

​6) Post a Video
Video's have been crushing it lately on social media announcements.  We love a good video and recommend it if you can do it!  Heck you might even go viral!

• video of it happening
• a "drop the cards" video
• a video of you speaking the announcement
• a video of the ring on hand

Ready to propose but still haven't found her the perfect ring?  We can help!  Custom engagement rings, vintage engagement rings, and antique engagement rings are all we do!