Katherine Huang. Private Jeweler. Personal Jewelry Consultant.

I have had several calls over the last few years from women who would like to know more about what I do and how to do it for themselves. I am always looking for mentees, but can’t take everyone on. If you would like some business advice or are looking for a source for gemstones and metals to get started, I am happy to help you along with more detailed information.

My expertise and time is available by the hour for $100/hr and must be reserved and paid for in advance.  Please contact me if you are interested and would like more details.

I wish you success in your own business!

I realize not everyone wishes to or has the budget to work with a private jeweler. But my soft spot and my specialty is engagement ring diamonds. I started my business hoping to serve as many people as possible in this capacity, and this is some of the work that I enjoy the most because I find it the most fulfilling.

For anyone in a price range of $5,000 and below, I am now offering a price vetting service. For a fee of $175, I will review up to 3 GIA (or other independent lab) reports and weigh in with my opinion on whether the stones are fairly priced. If I do not feel a stone is fairly priced, I will suggest a price for you that I believe is fair. You can use that number to negotiate with your local retailer.

Just to be clear that there is no conflict of interest, I will never try to sell you a stone I happen to have instead. You are paying for my professional and un-biased opinion. Recommendations for pricing don’t come with any guarantees that you’ll be able to negotiate down to that price – that is a function of your gumption and how reasonable the retailer is, but having the additional information can only help you.

Good luck in your search!

It’s fall again, and Labor Day has always struck me as particularly interesting when I happen to be pregnant. My love of bad puns makes me smile when I think of actually being in labor on Labor Day, which thankfully didn’t happen this year, since I’m not due until near the end of the year!

Labor day is a holiday that says, “Thanks for working so hard – today you can take a day off.” But guess who doesn’t get to stop, even on Labor Day? Moms of young children. So that got me thinking about presents for moms-to-be and brand new moms, especially expandable ones that accommodate multiple children. I know, I know, there are plenty of “mother’s pendants” with all the different traditional gemstones, but unless you plan your children’s birthdays around the gemstones of those months (and even I’m not crazy enough to do that), they can look very tacky. Sure, it has sentimental value, but wouldn’t you rather have something you actually enjoy looking at when you’re wearing it?

As people are looking for budget conscious ways of commemorating special events these days, I thought I would take my own mother’s pendant design and make it available online. I started with three discs, and will be adding a fourth disc at the end of the year. The discs are three different sizes, and look best with one initial engraved on each disc. They are shown here in white gold and are available in 14k or 18k white, yellow, and pink gold. They are suspended from a very reliable chain, because little hands are always fascinated by them (my son knows the alphabet now and likes to finger them and yell out the letters) and your child will no doubt revisit each piece frequently, especially when they know that there is a special disc that represents him or her.

On a practical note, it’s easy to wear every day, doesn’t catch on anything, is nice to little heads and fine baby hair, and easily cleaned of all sorts of bodily fluids (for those of you who have or will have infants). I know from experience – it’s a pendant that’s been vetted for more than a year by yours truly.

All necklaces are special order, made by hand and to order, and it takes about three weeks to create a necklace in 14 karat gold. $375 for three discs and engraving, excluding any applicable tax and shipping. Add another $100 for each additional disc. That pricing includes a 14 karat white gold or yellow gold chain on which all the discs will sit.

It’s a wonderful way to do something really nice for mom and commemorate the whole family without breaking the bank. To order, please e-mail me at: Katherine@personaljewelryshopper.com with the initials that you’d like and the colors of gold. Happy Fall!