Frequently Asked Questions

Lanes are experts in this field, we undertake special commissions, we offer a design service and can create a special piece for you.

Yes, we offer a comprehensive repair and alteration service for both jewellery and watches.

At Lanes we offer a professional valuation service in association with national specialists the Guild of Valuers & Jewellers.

Caring for your precious jewellery items is important if you want to keep them looking their best. You should make sure you have your best quality jewellery pieces cleaned and checked for any necessary repair work at least once a year by us. If the settings are worn or the stones are loose a repair will be cheaper than replacing a lost stone! Note, we do not charge for this service. There are also a number of things you can do to care for your jewellery and protect it from wear and tear: Avoid getting hairspray or perfume on metals or pearls as they can become discoloured. Try not to wear your jewellery when you are doing the housework or gardening – it is not designed for this kind of environment and is likely to suffer. Make sure you don’t use household chemicals near your jewellery. Always use dedicated jewellery cleaning products on your jewellery or seek advice from Lanes before cleaning items. Don’t forget Lanes offer a next day cleaning and polishing service, normally from just £5.00 per item. Store jewellery in a soft-lined box or pouch. Don’t keep diamond pieces stored together – they are likely to scratch each other. If the string on a pearl or beaded necklace breaks take it to Lanes for restringing.

Platinum, white gold and silver are three different metals. Platinum‘s natural white luster beautifully enhances a diamond’s radiance. Thirty times rarer than gold and heavier, platinum is also the strongest of precious metals used in jewellery. Platinum jewellery is most often 95% pure compared to only 75% for 18 carat gold. Platinum resists tarnishing. It is also hypoallergenic which makes it perfect for sensitive skin.
White Gold is created using different alloys. For example 18ct white gold comprises of 75% pure gold with the other 25% being made up of other metals. These other metals can include Nickel (used much less nowadays) and more commonly a metal called Palladium. Palladium is more expensive and creates a strong white coloured alloy when mixed with gold. Some white gold has its surface plated with rhodium which gives it a bright white colour. At Lanes we can refinish white gold jewellery and re-rhodium plate items if necessary. Silver is a different metal in its own right, it is far less expensive than gold and relatively soft. Silver does tarnish, but sterling silver jewellery has a remarkable long lasting beauty. Given silver’s lower cost, it is a leading metal in fashion jewellery.

We will pay cash for any article manufactured in Gold or Platinum in any condition.

We wish to purchase:

• Modern Jewellery
• Antique and ‘Estate’ Jewellery
• Diamonds
• Jewellery set with Precious and semi-precious stones.
• Secondhand Wristwatches (regardless of condition) especially Rolex and Cartier.
• Even the smallest pieces are of interest yet nothing is too large.
• We also part exchange old jewellery for new.

There are two different meanings to the word carat in connection with jewellery. When used describing gold it tells us the purity of the gold used. Pure gold is generally accepted to be too soft for everyday use so most gold, when used to make jewellery has other metals mixed with it (known as alloys) to make it more suitable for jewellery use. The lower the carat the lower the gold content.

• 9ct 37.5% pure gold
• 14ct 58.5% pure gold
• 18ct 75% pure gold
• 22ct 91.6% pure gold

When the word ‘carat’ is used to describe precious stones, it is describing the weight. One carat is approximately 0.2 gram. Because precious stones need to be weighed very accurately due to the large costs involved, the carat is divided into points, 100 points make one carat. A stone weighing half a carat may also be described as weighing 50 points.

This means that 92.5% is silver, and this percentage classifies it as ‘Sterling’. This is the ’normal’ standard of silver items in the UK.

A wedding ring has been worn on the third finger of the left hand since before Roman times. They believed there was a direct connection between that finger and the heart.

Lanes diamonds have always been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations resolutions. To the best of our knowledge all Lanes diamonds are conflict free, based on our personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by all suppliers of our diamonds.

Yes! We can customise your order and make it bespoke to you. For more information on this service please call 01263 713738