Dejections

September 21st, 2008

Care and Handling of Pearls

Posted in Great Jewelry Tips

The Pearl is a beautiful and durable gem when a few simple guidelines are followed. Clean them gently; examine regularly for damage and excessive wear; and make them a staple in your daily wardrobe. With the variety of pearl colors, pearl shapes and pearl jewelry designs, the days of simple pearl strands worn only to Church and Court are long past. Pearls are simply too much fun!

Unlike most jewelry gems, the Pearl is an organic gem meaning it comes from Nature. Nature created pearls before the invention of harsh chemicals such as sunscreen, makeup, perfume and hairspray.

Your pearls are the last thing you put on. At the end of the day, your pearls are the first thing you take off.
Always wipe your pearls with a soft cotton cloth after wearing them to remove any makeup and chemicals they may have come in contact with. This will prolong the time between cleanings and reduce the need the restring due dinginess.

The worst mistake women make with their pearls is to store them in dark, dry safety-deposit boxes. If you must store them this way, remove your pearls periodically so they can breathe — literally. You pearls will dry out. The nacre (the skin of the pearl) will lose its luster (shine) and may develop tiny cracks. By exposing your pearls every few months to the natrual atmosphere for several days, you can help prevent this drying. The best way to store your pearls is in a soft cloth bag in your jewelry box. Never use anything air-tight like plastic or safe-deposit boxes unless humidity control can be introduced.

At Least Once a Year…

Closely examine your strand of pearls from end to end.

  • Is the knotting string still tight? Are individual pearls loose between the knots? Are there any signs of fraying?
    It might be time to have the strand re-knotted. A necklace that is worn frequently can be expected to require re-knotted every year. Your local jeweler will be able to provide this service for you. Think about replacing the clasp for an updated look!

  • Is the string looking dingy?
    This is normal wear from makeup and body oils. Clean your pearls as you would a newborn infant. In warm water using pure soap such as a bar of Ivory or French-milled soap, gently swirl your pearls without stretching the strand. Rinse the pearls the same way. Lay the strand on a moistened cotton towel to dry, again taking care not to stretch the strand. When the towel is dry, the strand will be dry.

  • Do not clean your pearls with detergent, or ammonia!
    This will leave your pearls pock-marked. Do not clean your pearls in an ultrasonic - this will destroy your pearls. Do not scrub your pearls with anything abrasive, not even a soft toothbrush - these can mar the soft nacre surface.

  • You love your pearls but would love a new look.
    Think about replacing the old clasp with a new clasp.

Pearls are Mother Nature’s gift to all who value perfection. With proper care, your pearls will give you years of exquisite pleasure and a legacy for future generations. And don’t you deserve the best?

Copyright © 2005 Wolf Mountain Group, LLC, All Rights Reserved.

Beth Schmitz, CEO Avant Pearl, GIA Pearls Graduate

Ms. Schmitz has more than 20 years in business and more than 6 years specific to the Jewelry Industry. She holds degrees from Harvard and University of TX at Austin. Her online boutique, http://www.AvantPearl.com features high end pearl jewelry from leading designers, limited-edition manufacturers and skilled craftsmen throughout the world.

September 21st, 2008

Jewelry: Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

Posted in Great Jewelry Tips

Hearing the word jewelry immediately gives me the image of
Marilyn Monroe singing in her breathless voice. Whether
you’re buying an engagement ring or looking for a special
gift for your love, diamonds are a lovely choice.

The saying “Diamonds are forever,” is true, and you want
your gift to be high quality, one that your beloved will be
happy to wear day in and day out. When you are making your
choice, keep the four Cs in mind - carat, clarity, color
and cut are the factors that affect the diamond’s cost and
quality.

Carat is what most of us think of when we think of a
diamond’s quality. And, it’s probably the least understood
of the four factors. The number of carats is thought by
many people to be a measure of the diamond’s size. In
reality though, the carats tell us how much a diamond
weighs. A one carat diamond weighs .20 grams, and each
carat is divided into 100 points. So, a 50 point diamond
weighs one-half a carat.

We might think of a one-carat diamond as the very best,
but the other Cs play an important part, too. A diamond of
one-half carat might have greater value than a stone of one
carat, depending on the clarity, color or cut.

Clarity is something you might not have heard about until
you began diamond shopping. Most diamonds contain tiny
natural birthmarks, or inclusions. These birthmarks aren’t
usually visible when you’re looking at the stone — the
jeweler has to use magnification to see them. However,
inclusions can prevent light from dispersing through the
diamond, and therefore affect the diamond’s brilliance,
even to the naked eye. Less expensive stones will usually
have more and larger inclusions.

Color is the next C. You might be surprised to learn that
diamonds have color, although most of the stones range from
nearly colorless to a very light brown, and some even have
a pink or blue-green tint. Color prevents some of the light
passing through the stone, so the more color the stone has,
the less shiny it will be.

A diamond’s ability to shine and shimmer is affected by
the color. Thus, colorless diamonds are the most brilliant,
because they allow the most light to shine through the
stone. Those colorless diamonds are the most expensive
because they are both brilliant and rare.

Cut is the final C. Diamonds are cut to allow the maximum
amount of light to be reflected back. Brilliance, fire and
sparkle are what we look for in a diamond, determining how
well the diamond reflects the light and shimmers. Facets
are the diamond’s flat panes, and the grinding and
polishing of these facets is done to enhance the stone’s
brilliance.

When you are choosing jewelry, remember to consider all
four of the Cs. Together, they combine to create diamonds
that are sparklingly beautiful, truly a girl’s best friend.

Jessica Stanley is a clothing and jewelry designer whose
pleasure is making you look great. Jessica offers
experience and insights to help you make selections for
beauty and quality. Visit her web site Jewelry Pile. Additional
articles by Jessica are also found at Fashion Annex and Clothing Ideal

September 19th, 2008

Wholesale sterling silver jewelry Insider Secrets

Posted in Great Jewelry Tips

Have you seen similar silver jewelry sold at price difference of two to three times from different retailers? Have you ever wondered how retailers mark up the jewelry after they get them from the venders? Here we will show you the wholesale trading secrets of sterling silver jewelry.

Price per gram
The most important piece of information for determining the price of a piece of sterling silver jewelry is the price per gram of the silver. This is the fundamental raw material cost of a piece of sterling silver jewelry due to the fact that silver is considered a precious metal. For instance, the price for silver is $9.5 per ounce, the price per gram is determined by dividing the price per ounce by 31.5, which is 30 cents. Therefore, the cost for the raw material for a 5 gram wedding band ring is roughly $1.5. Some might wonder why people would pay $30 for a silver wedding ring when the silver only cost $1.5. The followings will explain the difference.

Labor cost
To turn raw material into finished goods, it involves a great deal of processing cost. The metal itself has to be melted, molded and cast, polished and assembled. Most of the times, silver jewelry is accented with various stones, the costs for setting the stones are also a major part of the total cost for jewelry, especially for jewelry that requires high level of craftsmanship.

Other materials
Also, the costs for any additional material are added to the jewelry. For instance, a pair silver pearl dangle earrings that has two cultural fresh water pearls with rhodium finish should cost double the price of the silver to make because of the cost of the pearl and rhodium. Note that rhodium is even more expensive than silver itself and it is high tarnish resistant.

Shipping cost
Many styles of jewelry are imported from other countries because of difference in availability of raw materials such as stones and also the specialties in making some particular styles. Hence the shipping cost of transporting is also part of the cost. Usually, for imported sterling silver jewelry, the shipping cost can amount to 10% of what it costs to make the jewelry themselves.

Custom Duties
For the same reasons, imported jewelry incurs duties at the custom. This is a cost that normal consumers are not aware of but it can also increase the price of sterling silver jewelry for 5% to 10%.

Price fluctuations
Some sterling silver jewelry trader, especially wholesaler would associate the price of the jewelry with the current silver price. Therefore, the price of a piece of sterling silver jewelry might be different from month to month, and even day to day in the case of wholesale.

Business Overhead
Just like any other business, the sales have to cover also the overhead of running the business. Normal overhead costs are employees’ salaries, rent, utilities and breakage.

Profit
Of course, the price you pay includes the profit for the sellers.

By knowing the above facts, you can make much more informed decisions when buying wholesale sterling silver jewelry and most importantly, avoid scams. There are occasions when people make fake silver jewelry and sell them at a very low price. If you know how to determine the cost of a piece of silver jewelry, you won’t buy into deals where they offer you a price that is lower than the normal cost of real sterling silver jewelry.

Greg Peterson got his MBA from MIT business school and is now working as marketing manager for jewelry distributors featuring www.samsoneinc.com“>wholesale sterling silver jewelry and wholesale hip hop jewelry featuring cubic zirconia stones.

September 18th, 2008

How to Safely Buy a Diamond Online - Part 2 of 3

Posted in Great Jewelry Tips

It is now possible to save 40% to 60% by purchasing a diamond engagement ring from an online diamond retailer, rather than from a bricks-n-mortar High Street jeweller. Online diamond retailers don’t have retail shops, sales staff, large diamond inventories and other associated operating expenses and are therefore able to pass on the cost savings to consumers.

Of course, a diamond might be one of the largest one-off purchases made in one’s lifetime and so it is understandable that many people may be uncomfortable paying for a diamond before it has been seen and examined.

However, as long as the correct research and precautions are taken there should be no reason to be fearful about buying diamonds from Internet diamond merchants.

The three most important aspects of the pre-purchase checks that must be carried out are:

1. Assurance that the diamond business is legitimate,

2. Assurance that the payment method is secure,

3. The risk of merchant fraud or failed delivery is mitigated.

In part two of this three part series we examine the second aspect which is to be satisfied that your payment details will be secure.

Assurance payment details will be secure

There a number of assurance companies that will provide an additional level of comfort for online consumers. These companies provide certification that a particular company’s website is relatively safe and secure for online purchases.

Consumer Protection Accreditation

This is an accreditation service which audits an applying online retailer for ethical retailing and best practice data privacy. If the audit is passed the retailer is permitted membership and a unique membership number is provided, which can be added to the retailer’s website.

This number can then be cross-checked back to the issuing accreditation body to ensure that the retailer is in fact a member, giving confidence to the consumer that an online purchase from that diamond retailer is safer.

Examples of these service companies are TRUSTe, Internet Shopping Is Safe (ISIS), SafeBuy, ShopSafe.co.uk, WebTraderUK and TrustUK.

Beware of fraudulent operators that have just added the accreditation logo image to their website. A tell-tale sign of this is when the logo is clicked the homepage of the accreditation company’s website appears, rather than the legitimate detailed membership page for the retailer website you are purchasing from.

Website Verification Service

Also known as web seals or trust marks, the website verification services give Internet users information on the data security and trustworthiness of websites. They check whether a website URL address really is authentic or whether it has been hijacked by hackers.

Before exchanging sensitive information, such as providing a credit card number, personal identification information or other confidential data, these services typically allow you to check that the site has been verified by the trusted third party company and that the retailer website is using appropriate safeguarding measures against hackers.

An actual certified member website will have the logo displayed prominently. When this logo is clicked the page displaying the company’s details within the verification company’s website should appear.

Common providers are ScanAlert/HackerSafe, SquareTrade, Thwate/Verisign, TrustLogo/Comodo, and Trustwatch/GeoTrust.

Beware of fraudulent operators that have just added the verification logo image to their website. A tell-tale sign of this is when the logo is clicked the homepage of the verification company’s website appears rather than the legitimate detailed membership page or signed security seal for the retailer website you are purchasing from.

Secure Socket Layer

When making a purchase over the Internet make sure that the order page URL starts with https:// and that there is a small padlock symbol in the bottom right hand corner of the browser window. This means that the data you enter on the page will be more secure from hackers and your payment information will be less at risk.

Credit Card Verification (CCV) Service

This service is an added protection for online or phone purchases. Since the diamond merchant doesn’t actually see the credit/debit card in these situations then it’s harder to be sure that the person supplying the card number details is actually the card holder and not someone who just happens to know the credit/debit card number.

To address this problem, debit/credit card providers put a three or four digit CCV number on the card (usually on the back of the card on the signature strip) that is not embossed (raised). This number doesn’t get printed on sales receipts. Thus someone trying to use the card number fraudulently is much less likely to know this number if they do not have the card in their physical possession.

This type of checking device really reinforces the importance of notifying a credit card provider promptly if a debit/credit card is ever lost or stolen so that card can be cancelled.

The most common of these services are MasterCard Secure Code and Verified by VISA.

Mike Bradley owns http://www.dubai-diamonds.com and http://www.uk-diamond-ring-supersite.co.uk , the premier resource directory for diamond engagement ring research in the UK. Visit the Supersite and download the FREE detailed book The Essential Guide to Buying a UK Diamond Engagement Ring .

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