Security Advice for Gold Jewelry, Diamonds, and Gemstones
For you to enjoy your treasures, they need to be somewhere close and accessible, but NOT in the Bedside Jewelry Box.
Although we DO advise a Jewelry Box on the Dresser and easily seen, BUT ONE CONTAINING SEVERAL PIECES OF JUNK JEWELRY. It is a well documented fact that Burglars nearly ALWAYS check the Bedroom First knowing that people hide things there.
In general terms we have discovered, through HUGE amounts of research, (Please don’t write and ask us how we know such things) that your average Crim or Thug, doesn’t know the difference between Gold or Plated items, Diamonds or Shiny pebbles of Glass.
In the dimly lit beam of a torch, a handful of Jewelry, stuffed into a pocket, stops them searching any further, and they leave without any more damage.
If it looks like gold, it must be gold… Right?
Well, NO! But this can work in OUR Favor.
So OCCASIONALLY buy that antique looking string of pearls (which we know are glass beads) from the local Op shop or Charity Church Bazaar, and salt it into your ‘attractive’ Junk items in the Jewelry Box on the Dresser.
Costume Jewelry CAN look a Million Dollars. Old Brooches in a Base metal and containing a ‘Plastic’ Cameo, can feel and seem to be worth all the trouble.
Help these poor people out. Do the right thing. Give them something to Steal, and they will leave you alone, next time.
But what about the Good Stuff?
If you do ‘Hide’ it somewhere in your home there are a couple of points we wish to discuss. Firstly: tell a trusted or close relative where they are.
Too many people hide things and then forget where they put them. Over the years it slips from memory and after they ‘Cross Over’ as John Edwards would say, they get tossed out with the rest of the rubbish never to see light of day again. Shame - Shame - Shame. Please tell someone.
Don’t hide the items in extreme temperatures.
It has seemed that over the past decade or so, some people have been hiding things in the Freezer. This is NOT recommended as Gold and Silver items may survive, but some gemstones are sure to suffer.
Opal for example contains a great amount of water in their chemical make up. Freeze opal and you will NOT have anything with color left after a very short while. Pearls too, and most of the softer ‘Organic’ gemstones like Coral or Ivory or Amber will all be damaged by this process.
The Kitchen is a good place to hide things, as is the Laundry.
We have had some clients (friends of ours) who hide things in the Children’s Toy room. As long as it can’t be found or played with by the Kids, it is safe.
If you come home one day and the Darling Little Ones are wearing your best Diamond Jewelry, chances are you didn’t hide it well enough. Under the Lego pieces, just doesn’t cut it.
Regardless of whether you have your items hidden or in a ‘Safety Deposit’ style box or wall safe etc, you should still insure your items.
We have mentioned this before, so if you’re not sure, please read the advice on ‘Selling your Jewelry’ or go direct to the Online Jewelry Appraisal Centre for more information (address shown below).
As a last resort, it is comforting to know that if your treasures are lost or stolen, you can retrieve an accurate description and detailed specifications from a safe place OUTSIDE of your Home or Work.
One of the strengths of the ‘Do-it-Yourself’ Online Jewelry Self Appraisal system, is knowing your details are kept in a secure extraweb database that only you can access 24/7 from anywhere in the world.
We would hate to have Fire, Flood or Earthquake rip apart your world in more ways than one. After the event is NO time to get a Certificate done, and at such a low fee (less than the price of a Big Mac and Coke) is a tiny price to pay to ensure your details are covered.
Any good Manufacturing Jeweler should be able to remake an EXACT copy of your treasures thanks to the detailed descriptions in the Kit. Even if your Certificate was lost or destroyed, we can ALWAYS get you another copy and bring your Engagement or Wedding Ring back to life.
There are several other SPECIAL REPORTS available through our eMail-on-Demand subscription box at the website, so please take some time to visit.
There is a timely warning on Security issues. It’s good advice, plus there is some great tips on Investing in Jewelry, Insurance guidelines and other notes on selling, Hallmarking tips etc, and they are being added to all the time.
And the best bit is they are FREE….
Thank you for taking the time to read this special report. If you thought it interesting, useful or found it helped you in any way I would appreciate your comments via email at the address shown below.
This is my personal email address and I read every comment - good or bad.
Alternatively: why not pass it on to a friend. I’m sure you can think of someone who might benefit from this useful information. Treat it as doing me a big favor. I will certainly appreciate it.
regards and please watch the road. David Foard F.G.A.A. Fellow of the Gemological Association of Australia and former member of JATVC - The Valuers Council (retired).
P.S.
If you administer a website or publish an ezine, please feel free to use this article as long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed below. Although it’s not compulsory, just send me an email at gemmo1@jewellery-antiques.com and let me know if and where you used it. If you need other great content - complimentary of course - then drop me a line at the email address given - ’cause I’ve got Gallons of the stuff….
David Foard has spent over 30 years in the Antique Jewelry Trade as a qualified gemologist and member of the Valuers Council. Get a FREE 3 part ‘Hallmarking Report’ on How to Identify your Jewelry Hallmarks at Home or Work by going to ==> http://www.jewellery-antiques.com and grabbing yourself a
fistfull of Hints - Tips and Secrets.
gemmo1@jewellery-antiques.com
Gifts for Everybody at John Hardy Jewelry
Envisage how pleased your loved one will be on Xmas day as they are opening a piece of lovely jewelry by John Hardy. The range of sets made in sterling silver is so extensive that you can be absolutely certain of finding the perfect for even those people who are constantly difficult to buy gifts for. And you can be quite confident that you won’t have to incur the hassle of exchanging any items when the season is done!
The collections for men include many different pieces in a variety of precious metals and finishes. These great designs boast a somewhat chunkier, masculine look though they still retain the same excellent quality you would expect. Picking out extraordinary Xmas gifts has never been easier.
No matter which style of jewelry a woman may prefer, this original jeweler has a piece that should thrill her. Traditional collections are offered in the range and are suitable for ladies who like timeless elegance. For the positively adventurous woman, you can pick from a range of bolder collections. But no matter which particular style, all the collections for women offer bracelets of varied widths, earrings suitable for day or evening as well as various lengths of necklaces you can pick from.
Well, then, what about children? John Hardy offers a tremendous range of kid’s jewelry. Every item of jewelry has been crafted with all the matchless attention to detail John Hardy are known for, merely scaled down to suit boys and girls. Giving any boy or girl a piece of exquisite jewelry provides them with something that they will always treasure.
Infants acquire so many presents,you know, it might often be really hard to find them something special. The exceptional selection of baby gifts on offer from this innovative jewelry house should make your life much a whole lot easier. The Bamboo scheme is for the person who desires to make ecologically friendly gift selections. The program is named Wear Bamboo, Plant Bamboo and if a piece from this program is bought, bamboo seedlings are planted in the South Pacific islands using a percentage of the profits. Each item of jewelry is marked with the number of seedlings planted before the pieces are shipped. There’s an enormous selection to suit anyone’s preference; meaning that choosing environmentally sound presents has never been simpler. So be sure you view the marvelous items on offer from John Hardy and make that Xmas shopping spree trouble free this year.
Cartier Wrist Watches
Cartier SA is a luxury wristwatch producer and jewelry maker located in Paris, France. The family business was founded in 1847 in Paris by Louis-Françoise Cartier. During the following decades, his son Alfred Cartier and later on his nephews Pierre, Jacques and Louis developed Cartier to a well-known worldwide brand.
“Santos” – the first wrist watch ever was made by Louis Cartier
The break through of the brand Cartier occurred in 1904, when Louis constructed a tiny wrist watch for Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian aeronaut and friend of the family. The wrist watch was called “Santos” and made history as Cartiers first man’s wristwatch – and the first wrist watch ever. Their clients have been really pleased as well with the practical product.
Louis was responsible for lots of the famous and favorable designs of the brand. He created the so named “mystery clocks”, for instance. These wrist watches have a transparent dial and their clockworks are invisible. Another amazing creation of Louis was an exotic wristwatch including multicoloured jewels named “Tutti Frutti”.
The Cartier Tank wristwatch has nowadays more than thirty variations
Already in 1907, Cartier was rapidly evolving and had subsidiaries in St. Petersburg, London and New York. The company was evolving into one of the world’s most successful watch brands. A special highlight in the history of Cartier was a watertight watch manufactured mainly for the Pasha of Marrakesh in 1932. Fifteen years earlier, Louis developed the “Cartier Tank watch”. This wristwatch is still the most renowned clock of the company and has today more than thirty varieties.
At this time, the company started printing reference numbers on the underside of the watches. The presence of these “four-digit-codes” is proving the watches’ originality. The company kept evolving and in 1964, Jean-Jacques, Claude and Marionne (the children of Jacques, Louis and Pierre) sold the whole business.
A new concept – “Les Must de Cartier”
The new owners – a group of several investors – started to design new products that should keep the quality of Cartiers wristwatches in the past. The recent concept was named “Les Must de Cartier (Cartier – it is a must!)”. Now, Bernard Fornas is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Cartier. The headquarter of the company is still located in Paris, France. Cartier is seen as the no. two seller of luxurious watches behind Rolex. In addition to that, Cartier is the international no. one seller of luxurious jewels. watches
A Man and His Watch
What was formerly, in the earliest years of take-away wirstwatches, seen to be unsuitable for men and only for women, has got today into a fashion utensil that everybody has. Meantime, the watch is more than a instrument to tell the time.
The turn of the 20th century on the wrist
With the turn of the 20th century, another level of technical advancement was reached, which made it possible to house the mechanics in an even smaller space. It was now possible to condense the clockworks in such a manner that people were able to fasten them to a wristband without a problem. The practical application of this new discovery let the pocket watch to be quickly substituted by the wrist watch. It rapidly became the fashion to wear a wristwatch. It appeared like the models sprouted from the ground and the variety built with immense speed. In the early years, however, wristwatches were used only by ladies. Men did not wear timepieces on their wrists.It just didn’t seem right. The war brought a change of mind concerning this. The soldiers quickly recognized the advantage of a watch on the wrist, which didn’t have to be pulled out of the pocket first. And in this way, the wrist watch prevailed with the male sex.
Away from the mechanical - on to electronics
While the first wristwatches were still being wound, some innovations developed in relation to the mechanics. The automatic wristwatch emerged, which no longer had to be wound manually, but was wound automatically through the movement of the wristwatch. Later, at the end of the 20’s, the quartz watch was invented. Time was indicated here by the so-called electronic oscillating circuit. Wrist Watches for men
How Gold Can Make You Extra Money during the Recession
In a time of economic recession, people are trying to find different ways to make some extra money. A quick and easy way to bring in a little additional finance is to sell your scrap gold, but it’s worth doing some research first to make sure that you get the best price for your gold scrap metal. You could also trade in cash for gold during the current recession.
As with all commodities, the price of gold fluctuates depending on a number of variables such as availability, demand and external market forces. These can include the political stability of gold producing countries (instability makes the metal harder to mine, causing its value to increase globally because of a perceived scarcity or limited availability), fashion trends or environmental factors. Consequently, scrap gold prices can vary dramatically from day to day, so the first thing to do is to take a look at the market data. This should be available on any financial website or news site where commodities are tracked for investors.
It’s then a matter of looking around and finding out which scrap gold buyers give the price closest to the market value. As they are in business to make a profit, it is unlikely that you will get the full market value for your gold. Each buyer has to make a profit on their scrap gold, so they pay below market value but then sell on for the full value of the gold. This does not mean that you are being ‘conned’ in any way - it’s just the way the market works. Gold prices on the global market can fluctuate but are usually around $920-980/oz but this is not the price guide you should be looking for. The guide prices that will give you the most accurate assessment of your scrap gold’s worth are the trade scrap values. These vary depending on the purity of the gold. 9ct gold is not as pure as 22ct, so will obviously have a lower scrap value. Take into account the quality of your scrap gold when looking at scrap prices.
Citizen Wrist Watches
“Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.” is a legendary Japanese manufacturer of clockworks and wrist watches located in Tokyo (Japan). Citizen has been mainly chartered as Shokosha Watch Research Institute in the year 1918. The company was built in 1924 when the first product, a little pocket watch named Citizen, was placed on the market. In 1930 the firm assumed the name Citizen Watch Company, too. The founders once have been selected the name Citizen because they tried to get a direct way to the peoples heart. This is still today the notion behind wrist watches made by Citizen.
First watch with Eco-Drive - Models reaching from dress to athletics
For instance the first Japanese wrist watch including a wake-up-function was launched by Citizen in 1958. In the 1970ties Citizen originated the first quartz wrist watches with LCD display and later also the smallest LCD watch of all time. In the early 1990ties Citizen started the premier series production of watchcases consisting of titanium. In addition to that, they designed the leadoff voice recognition watch which was another big milestone in their history. Beyond that the company was an outrider in developing dive watches for professional use. A highlight was the embedded bathometer - no one else was able to offer a similar great function. Additional, Citizen is best-known for its Eco-Drive collection of light powered watches. Fuelled just by light, it doesn’t need any batteries. Designs reaching from dress to athletics (e.g. professional dive watches), Citizen offers a collection for everybody and every occasion. Find out more about Citizen watches
Diamond Valuation - Easy Ways to Determine the Value of a Diamond
There are four “C’s” in determining the valuation of a diamond:
Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat weight.
1. CUT: Judging the ‘cut’ of a diamond refers to the pricing of a diamond in accordance with how that diamond is sculpted and shaped to allow for a maximum shine and a heightened ability to reflect light. Cut can be difficult for a layperson to evaluate, so it is important to get your diamond professionally appraised and to obtain a AGS or GIA Certificate to verify the quality of the cut. A diamonds cut can also affect its durability.
2. COLOR: If you are shopping for a diamond wedding ring or a diamond engagement ring, then it is important that you pay close attention to the value of a diamond’s color. A Diamonds ability to refract light is dependant on its degree of whiteness, making the whitest of white diamonds considerably more valuable than there lesser-white counterparts. Many experts name color as the number one criterion to consider when purchasing a special diamond for a special occasion.
3. CLARITY: Real diamonds generally tend to have small flaws such as tiny inclusions, air bubbles, or traces of other minerals inside the stone. While the presence of these tiny imperfections become the key factor in determining a real diamond from a fake, the quality and value of a diamond depends very much on a diamonds clarity. The best kinds of real diamonds have imperfections that can only be detected under a skilled diamond graders 10-power microscope.
4. CARAT WEIGHT: The ‘carat’ is the common unit weight measurement for diamonds, where one carat is equal to 200 milligrams and 142 carats equal one ounce. The bigger the rock, the more carats it has, and the more carats it has, the more expensive it becomes. Many feel that the size of the diamond is just as important as the other ‘C’ criterion.
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Natalie Inger Read more on Diamond Jewelry and Identifying real diamond from immitations. |