Frequently Asked Questions
What's different about your jewelry store?
We are a family owned and operated jewelry e-commerce store with a mission to help our clients find and create affordable, beautiful high quality fine jewelry that last a lifetime made of high quality and ethically sourced metals and gemstones. Our desire to preserve the environment and create gorgeous jewelry led us to highlight lab-grown gemstones as well as ethically sourced gemstones.
What does "lab-grown" gemstone mean?
Lab-grown or lab-created gemstones, also known as synthetic gemstones, are grown in a lab to create chemically and physically identical gemstones to those naturally occurring. Lab-grown gemstones are chemically equal and pass jewelers' tests for authenticity.
What is moissanite?
Moissanite is the closest gemstone resembling diamonds in terms of their chemical composition, appearance, and fire or shine. Moissanite gemstones are actually more rare than diamonds. French chemist Henri Moissan originally found what he thought were diamonds when excavating a meteor crater in Arizona. After sending samples to several geologist, they discovered that it was a new class of gemstone, which was later named after Moissan. Moissanite have since been found naturally in other parts of the world, but are still considered extremely rare. Our 'Featured Moissanite Gemstones' are colorless lab-grown moissanite and display more shine than diamonds along with spectacular durability. Moissanite stones maintain their shine and clarity forever even with daily wear.
What is the Grading Scale for gemstones?
The jewelry industry standard for grading gemstones is the use of the Four C's Scale when grading each gemstone. The criteria evaluated in the Four C's are:
Color - describes the visible color or colorlessness of the gemstone. Usually, one looks for a near colorless gemstone for diamonds and moissanite.
Clarity - describes the amount of inclusions or mineral material visible in the stone to the naked eye. Eye-clean gemstones represent the highest value gemstones.
Cut - describes the shape that the gemstone takes after it has been professionally cut with a number of facets. Typically, symmetrical cuts in the gemstone signify an excellent cut.
Carat (weight) - describes the weight of the gemstone. It is often measured in units of carats. Different minerals have different densities and are not equal in size per carat equivalent. Weights listed for our products are based on the identified gemstone.
What is the Mohs Hardness Scale?
The Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness is a scale ranging from 1 - 10 classifying the ability of a mineral to scratch other minerals, otherwise known as the mineral/gemstone's hardness relative to other minerals. Diamonds are the hardest gemstone at a value of 10, with moissanite rating between 9.25 - 9.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale.
Do you sell natural diamond gemstones or jewelry?
While we do sell natural, ethically sourced diamonds and gemstones, we do feature lab-grown, chemically identical diamonds that are environmentally friendly, ethically sourced, and affordable. While diamond jewelry is beautiful, there are options that are now provide very minimal inclusions, offering higher clarity at lower cost, including both lab-grown diamonds and lab-grown moissanite gemstone jewelry. This provides the opportunity for our customers to create heirloom jewelry pieces that will last a lifetime.
Do you carry costume jewelry?
Our primary focus at Heather Campins Jewelry is to bring you affordable, high quality gold and platinum jewelry featuring quality, ethically sourced gemstones that will stand the test of time.
Do you carry imitation gemstones, CZs, or fake gemstones?
We do not carry any imitation gemstones, cubic zirconia (CZs), or other fake stones known as 'simulants.' We do carry lab-grown or genuine gemstones that have identical chemical composition as their natural/genuine gemstones found in the earth.
What is Designed by You jewelry?
Our Designed by You jewelry include different styles of fine jewelry mountings which are either unset or partially set (with accent stones), which you can select the type of stone to be set in the jewelry, the center stone size, and the type of stone. These Designed by You pieces are considered custom jewelry and take a little time to set. Please allow about 2 - 4 weeks for delivery of custom Designed by You jewelry. These pieces may take a little time to perfectly set, but will hold a special value that will be cherished by the recipient.
Do you create "custom" jewelry pieces?
Yes, we do offer custom made jewelry items. This begins with a message to us to let us know what type of custom item you would like. You can e-mail or send us a message on our Contact Us form page. We will then contact you to set up a consultation to discuss your vision for your custom item. We will then work out a design and present it to you along with pricing for the item. This process takes 3-6 weeks depending on the complexity of the design.
