Effective July 10, 2026. This site is a working jewelry store wrapped in a lot of writing about opals, pearls, and gemstones. This page draws the lines around what that content is, and what it is not.
The articles are education, not professional advice
The articles here share what I have learned across decades at the bench. They are general education, written in good faith and kept as accurate as I can make them. They are not professional advice for your specific situation, and gemstone knowledge moves, so a detail can age.
Value articles are not appraisals
Pieces about gemstone prices and value, like the opal worth guide, give market context so you can shop with open eyes. They are not appraisals of your stone. For insurance, estates, or resale, take the piece to a certified independent appraiser who can examine it in person.
Meanings and folklore
Articles about birthstones, symbolism, and the meanings people have given stones over the centuries report tradition and folklore because it is a beautiful part of jewelry’s story. None of it is medical or health advice. If a moonstone article and your doctor disagree, listen to your doctor.
Care guides
Care instructions on this site are sound general practice, and you follow them at your own discretion. For a valuable or damaged piece, hand it to a bench jeweler rather than experimenting at home. I cannot take responsibility for the results of home cleaning or repair.
Photos and natural variation
The jewelry is handmade from natural materials, so color, pattern, and fire vary from stone to stone, and no two screens show color quite the same way. Product photos are honest, but expect the real piece to have its own character. That is what you are paying for.
Advertising on article pages
Some article pages carry ads served by Google AdSense. They are labeled as ads, I do not choose or endorse what appears in them, and advertisers have no influence on what I write. The small revenue helps keep the articles free to read. How ad cookies work here, and how to opt out, is covered in the Privacy Policy.
Links to other sites
Where I link out to other websites, I do it because the resource seemed useful, not because I control or vouch for it. Once you leave this site, their content and their policies are theirs.
Mistakes
This is a human-run shop, and sometimes an error slips into a listing or an article. If you spot one, tell me and I will fix it. I am not liable for losses caused by relying on content that turns out to contain an error, beyond what the law does not allow me to exclude.
Questions
Reach me through the contact form, at +1 (707) 292-8325, or by mail at Richard Lewis Jewelry, 1415 Fulton Road, STE 205-112, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, USA.