For those of you lovely ladies who are out there trawling through the depths of the internet in search for what diamond is worth your money. Let’s look at some reviews from the one, the only, Zoara and see if the reviews of their diamond engagement rings are up to your standard.

What is Zoara?

Zoara has been in the diamond and jewelry game for over (that’s right ladies, over) 50 years! With their expertise and professional knowledge, the founders have been able to offer you all the best and high-end diamond jewelry in the industry. It is a US founded business that has now reached being a sophisticated online retail in the marketplace also!

Just because they are high-end, does this mean they are good?

From just looking at this snapshot into what Zoara does, and the reviews that people are
giving their diamond rings kind of speaks for itself. I mean, comparing their 155 five stars to the number of other reviews made, it seems to us that these guys know what they are doing when it comes to diamond rings.

What are the people saying?

Let’s dive in further to evaluate what the people are rating this business, to know ‘are they really that good?’

LOVE ZOARA, 5 stars

“I purchased a 2ct diamond from Zoara about 4 years ago and could not possibly be happier with the stone I wear daily in the most stunning engagement ring/wedding band combination.” - Anonymous

Professional and efficient,    5 stars

“Awesome ring has been delivered in time for my proposal. Great! Just two weeks time, very fast. I love it!” - Anonymous

Fantastic customer service and gorgeous product, 5 stars

“I recently ordered an eternity ring through Zoara and I must say that I am beyond happy with my gorgeous ring! The whole way through my ordering process the staff were extremely helpful, informative and very patient with all of the questions that I had.
I would highly recommend going through Zoara for their quality diamonds and exceptional customer service and I will definitely be ordering all of my future diamond jewellery though the Zoara team. Thanks so much again to the staff that helped me through my ordering process, I am beyond happy with my ring.” - Brooke, from Australia

Excellent service, even better product, 5 stars

“I was skeptical at first buying a ring online, but was rest assured by the team at Zoara and chatting with the diamond experts via telephone and live chat that all were legitimate diamonds with GIA number and certificate available to check. The customer service was excellent, any doubts or questions I had were dealt with immediately by phone or email. And as per the product, I was blown away, it looked even better in person, the presentation, the ring, the diamond couldn't have asked for better. Would highly recommend Zoara.” - Anonymous

What are the downfalls?

While they do have a lot of great reviews there have been some customer complaints focusing on;

• Delivery delays
• Non available diamonds that are displayed
• Payment issues
• And issues with engravings
  
  

But overall these complaints have been addressed by Zoara and justified as the majority of reviews and sales have been super positive!

How does it work?

Some people say it's fake, but I say take my money and tell me my mood! In every piece of mood jewelry there are liquid crystals that will react to the change in your temperature. It’s quite the scientific process and understanding that uncovers the meanings behind the liquid crystal colours. When you’re feeling angry you may notice that your temperature seems to rise and to this dictates the amount of blood that reaches your skin and alters your temperature.

In this situation of anger, sadness, happiness or confusion the mood necklace can register what colour corresponds to what emotion based on the science of your body. When we get excited our blood will start to flow and move around our bodies and increase temperature.

Sometimes depending on the necklace the meanings can be different or vary to a degree because of the type of liquid crystal in the pendant. 

What colours are we working with?

• Light blue – relaxed, but your emotions are charged.
• Dark blue – elevated level of calm
• Purple – romantically passionate, very happy, and love
• Red – intense feelings
• Pink – relaxed and happy
• Green – average or alert
• Amber – nervous or unhappy
• Black – negative emotions
• Gray – strained or anxious

Going deeper

Light blue

If your necklace has turned light blue this means that you are calm and in a neutral state. This is a sign that you are feeling very relaxed and that your temperature isn't too hot nor too cold. Light blue can also refer to being your Zen state, which is why it is one of the most common colours to be registered by people. Unless you're extremely one mood all the time!

Dark blue

Similarly, dark blue has a very peaceful and calm meaning but with a little bit of heat! For many, our mood necklace might turn dark blue when you think about a loved one, or when achieving a goal, or when giving someone a gift.

This might also be the colour of your necklace when you get that giddy feeling or when you are excited and happy. Your blood starts to pump a little bit more making your body a little bit warmer. 

Purple

Purple represents a sense of love, when your necklace turns this colour that must mean there is love in the air. Although it may mean there is a romantically heated moment this is not always the case, different types of warmth stir up a different type of warmth within you.

Purple is not exclusively with romantic L-O-V-E but it also might associate the feeling of quality time with family and friends. Turning into a lighter purple or pink when you play with siblings or laugh.

Fair warning for those whose necklace doesn't turn purple when around their significant other, but do expect a lot of purple when you are on your first few dates and in the honeymoon phase. 

Red

This represents your intense feelings such as excitement and passion, on the other foot, this can also represent anger or embarrassment!

You nailed that interview for your dream job, your palms were sweating and your temperature so high a thermometer couldn't read it! This would 100% change your necklace to a read colour.

Alternatively, maybe your sibling has stolen your clothes one time too many without asking and finally your blood has boiled enough! Red again, ladies. 

Pink

Pinkish or purple flush means that you are relaxed and happy. Alternatively it turns this colour when you eat a ‘bomb as’ meal, goofing around with a loved one, flirting or teasing.

Green

The most common reason for your necklace turning green is when you are feeling a sense of alertness or you have a level of mixed emotions where you are feeling super sensitive. This colour occurs when you are about to do something that makes you nervous!

Yellow

Yellow is similar to green, but it is more related to when you are feeling concentrated or focused. 

Amber

If you see your necklace turn amber, you may be feeling nervous or unhappy (or maybe just feeling cold). It indicates that you could be feeling unsettled, but not necessarily in a bad way.

Brown

Seeing brown, maybe you need to assess what is making you feel unsettled, nervous or on edge.

Gray

Gray is basically the leading emotions to black as it conveys that you are in a stage of worry and fear or negative emotions. You may also be feeling overwhelmed and overworked.

Black

A black pendant is not necessarily desirable as this colour represents depression, sorrow, and fear. Do not fear if your necklace is black though, other reasons for this might just be poor blood circulation or a broken crystal (I don't know which is worse to be honest). If that thought kind of scares you do not worry, poor blood circulation is usually the case for everyone when in REALLY freezing locations/temperatures.

Overall, it’s good to listen to your body because it can tell you a lot about how you are feeling and why. If you listen, so maybe a mood necklace is the way to making your 2021 the best year yet.

How to tell if your ring is 14k white gold?

“I have just inherited a bunch of jewelry from my grandmother, but how can I know if it's real or not?”

In this situation we all want to believe that our grandfathers loved and cherished our grandmothers with expensive and real solid gold jewelry. Maybe you are faced with a mixed bag of jewelry where some of your grandmother's rings look fake, but for the most part they are solid gold rings, earrings and necklaces in the mix.

What each stamp means on your ring

Fine jewelry is usually stamped with a little number and letters like 10k, 18k, and 24k which all represent the gold content or purity of your ring. If you don't have these numbers then you might have a European ring which is marked as 585 for 14k and 750 for 18k jewelry. If you look at your ring and its not gold coloured but stamped with one of these marks then you have yourself a white gold ring!

In saying this there are a lot of letters and marks that can be found inside your rings which just makes everything so misleading and confusing for us all.

Marking meanings

Which is why we have created a list to break down the most common markings you will find and their meaning.

14K P (The “P” stands for plumb gold)
18K with a company logo after such as Brian Gavin 18K)
417 (10K = 41.7% gold, mixed with other alloys)
585 (14k = 58.5% gold, mixed with other alloys)
750 (18K = 75% gold, mixed with other alloys)
917 (22K = 91.7% gold, mixed with other alloys)
999 (24K = 99.9% gold, as pure as it gets)
Your jewels are not real gold if you see these markings
14K 1/20 (1/20 gold is basically gold-filled)
14K G.F. = Gold Filled
14K G.P. = Gold Plated
14K H.G.E. = Hydrostatic Gold Electroplate
14K G.E.P. = Gold Electroplate
.925 = Sterling Silver

An alloy stamp doesn’t guarantee authenticity

Now ladies, just because a ring has a gold stamp on it doesn't mean that it actually is real, there are fakes and doops out there. This is a sure problem that will aggravate your local cash for gold converter, drives them crazy!

On a better note, there are cases where real gold or silver has not been marked because not all manufacturers bother to stamp their goods.

With this combination you never really know what hand you will be dealt so it is always safest to go to your local jeweler or a qualified jeweler to confirm or deny its authenticity.

How can I tell if it’s real?

So many people want to know how they can test to see if their jewels are real or fake. For instance you might have a piece of gold jewelry that you want to get tested because it hasn’t been marked!

Always go to the professionals for the best results (and most accurate) you can always google at home jobs on how to test but we don’t think you will find them very trustworthy. The most reliable way to test is by going to a jeweler who will use an electronic gold tester. This is probably the best and most time efficient way of testing as it doesn’t require you to do an at home DIY with chemicals and cleaning.

Or even so you could buy your own if you find yourself testing a lot of your jewelry that you buy or get handed down. These do retail for a pricier amount though at approximately $325, whilst they are a high percentage for accurate testing nothing will ever be 100% fool proof.

The best way to test gold

After some digging we have had a look into the best way to test to see if your gold heirlooms are real gold and the simplest way about it. Gold markings are hallmarks from the manufacturer to represent its worth and this is a reputable way of knowing if it's real. Depending on where you got your ring from will depend on how easy it is to decipher this. This is because brand may be a great indicator to if its real or not, over say getting your ring from a market or hand me down.

Hypoallergenic jewelry has been made specifically for those of us who experience the awful and uncomfortable reaction with nickel.

Always check the labels!

What is the cause of a nickel allergy?

You might feel safe, you might not react when you wear your favorite jewelry but whether you are 5 or 50 years old you can develop an allergy any time! Unfortunately, once you develop this, you will always be sensitive when exposed to nickel. Whether it's to your rings, necklaces, or bracelets, you will then on need to check the label.

Double check

To confirm if you’ve got a nickel allergy check off the below list of symptoms

1. Rash/bumps on skin
2. Itchy skin
3. Redness in skin color
4. Dry patches of skin where you would typically wear your jewelry
5. Blisters and draining fluid (in severe cases)

‘My wedding band contains nickel and I just became allergic!’

Until nickel allergies do us part

A newly engaged woman’s nightmare, you’ve finally found the one and they have proposed with the perfect ring. Or maybe not such a perfect ring, when you discover that your body has just developed a nickel allergy that you’ve never had until now! Why world why?!

Don’t let this get you down, if this sounds like you, we recommend that you go back to your jeweler to further avoid any more reactions. ‘Why’ you may ask, because they will be able to help you avoid this from continuing. ‘How’ you may ask is by plating the inside of your ring with rhodium to create a metal barrier that is hypoallergenic. This means that you can keep wearing your precious engagement ring.

The yellowing factor of nickel in jewelry

Most gold rings are made with nickel, unless your jeweller specifically tells you that it hasn’t been. A little fun fact about nickel is that it oxidizes and changes over time to be a yellow-ish colour.

The rhodium plating not only will protect you and make your ring more hypoallergenic, but it will also give it that desirable shiny coat!

Nickels achilles heel

If you are a regular swimmer or wear your white gold rings in hot tubs and expose your jewelry to chlorine, it will mean that you need more regular recoating. If you want to protect your nickel sensitive fingers this is an important factor that can help make or break your rings future. This is because chlorine is nickel’s achilles heel, it breaks down the nickel in your rings weakening it one micro hole at a time. To protect the precious memories that your rings hold, it’s a small task to remember and a big consequence to face if not done.

Why you should consider platinum jewelry 

If you are searching for jewelry that is hypoallergenic and strong, platinum is your best bet because it doesn’t require it to be alloyed with any other metal like nickel. Whilst traditional white gold rings have a process to protect your fingers from the nickel it’s only effective when you stay on top of replating.

Overall, don’t let nickel tear you and your ring apart! If you develop a nickel allergy and you have a white gold wedding band, there are ways around the reactions. So, just remember don’t over-react and throw out the whole ring, there is a way to have your fairy tale ending with out the rashes. 

“Why is my white gold turning yellow”?

You own some jewelry that is white gold, you love its appearance, you love the shine, we all do but the reality is that it won't always look this way. Compared to the day that you first got your jewelry, it will have likely lost its colour and luster.
But, the good news is that you can do something about this to restore it to a degree!

First, we must understand why our white gold rings, necklaces and bracelets might turn yellow. This is because of what they are made of and how white gold jewelery is crafted, with a mix of one or more different metals, one being yellow gold.

To remove the tinge of yellow they have originally, jewelers plate all white gold with rhodium to make it look like platinum, just a whole lot more affordable. Rhodium will give your rings that desired shine and color but its coat is not eternal. Every day we expose our rings to friction, damage, chemicals, lotions, and all that comes from everyday wear and tear. Because of this daily damage, eventually the yellow under layers become slowly more visible 

How long does it take for white gold to turn yellow?

The beauty of rhodium plated rings varies between a few weeks and several years before your rings start to turn yellow. The reason this is so vast is because it depends on you as an individual while wearing it and for how long. Eventually through daily wear and tear the outer layer will wear down to reveal an unsatisfactory creamy-yellow color 

How to keep white gold white

If you’re a fan of the white gold look then you will be relieved to know that it is quick and easy to restore any piece to its former glory! The best way to make your ring look like new, is not by replacing but replating the original! Depending on the degree of wear will depend on the procedure your jeweler undertakes. This is based on how many layers and coats needed to reform a ‘just like new’ layer.
For those who have a nickel allergy there is more reason for you to stay on top of this, because the plating is what protects your delicate fingers from becoming too irritated.

Another alternative to restoring your ring to its original color is with a process called electroplating. This process initially fuses any and all worn white gold with a fresh plating of rhodium. This process is best left for the pros to do their thing, as it requires specific technology in order to get the job done as efficiently as possible. 

Why not too over polish

Scratches are inevitable and it's within our instincts that we want to get rid of them which is what our jewelers are there to help with. However, it’s good to keep in mind for those who this is a new concept for, that the process involves removing a tiny layer from the surface.

If you do this too often the in between time for a new coat gets shorter and shorter. Which is why a general rule is to do this no more than once or twice a year

Will electroplating harm my diamond?

On a lasting note, white gold is known as an affordable option for your engagement ring, and you might be reading all these paragraphs wondering if any of these restoring processes will hurt your diamond? Rest assured that when you leave it to the professionals, your diamond will not be harmed. Electroplating will only affect materials that conduct electricity, such as gold and will not harm or change your stone!