Jewelry Gemstone Insiders Guide

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Mr. Foard,

I enjoyed reading and educating myself on Jewelry valuation.

I would like to inquire of your knowledge of gold and gold jewelry from the Middle East; India and Kuwait to be exact.

I am currently in the Middle East and want to buy jewelry for family and friends back home in the US.  I have looked mostly at 18k -21k items and believe that they are well under value compared to pricing in the States. I am also considering buying some to re-sale.

My concern and fear is I can't be the only person that thought of this and something that seems to easy and profitable, always makes an alert go off in my head. I understand your site can help me if I buy only a few pieces, but I don't want to buy say a piece that here cost $50 and then add $25 to the over head of that piece.

My concept is the same as any business market concept, buy at a low cost, low over head, and sell at a small margin. I want to sell at a value price below that of competitors. Again, nothing on the level of a full size jewelry store; brick and mortar or online store.

That is where my true concern is.

With all the online wholesalers, such as, QVC, HKTDC (Asia), etc.. I only want to offer a true value to a customer if I am able to buy at such a low price.  In your expert opinion what is the best way for me to value what vendors have here in the Middle East and what the market value would be in the US.

Sincerely,
Mike A

Here is my answer - but please make a comment if you would like to add to this discussion.

G'day Mike A (who's Nite?) and many thanks for your query - but we have had this question so many times before.

My first answer is "Who are you going to sell to?"

If you think the Trade are going to buy from you - Think again. They get everything from their suppliers and get it on a 90 day invoice with all the guarantees which go with each item.

They are NOT going to buy from some stranger who just walks in off the street.

On the other hand you may be thinking about selling on eBay - Think again! The public a very wary about buying online in the first place and even more so from a seller without any testimonials or past clients.

Plus the American public will not buy items stamped with Middle Eastern Hallmarks they don't understand.

Don't forget the tax man either. If you import anything into the States it will have to be declared and State and Federal Import duty paid.

Should I go on?

If you simply want to sell to a few friends and relatives - fine - but that's just a sideline and you may end up with more stock in your possession than you can afford. If you try to sell it then to say secondhand-dealers or Pawn Brokers - you'll typically get 10% percent to 25% percent of the value - and that may mean a loss.

Personally - if you still want to go ahead - try a few small sample items, see what the reaction is, find out what the problems are going to be. Then if all still looks good - scale it up.

Don't take too many risks and please let us know how you get on.

Kind regards, David
P.S. An appraisal is for INSURANCE and has nothing to do with the open secondhand market price.

PLEASE ADD YOUR COMMENTS BELOW

Tags: brick and mortar, gold jewelry, hktdc, qvc, size jewelry

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

G'day all and I hope you are reading this, because it means the upgrade has gone successfully and the Jewelry Forum is back up and running okay again.

There was a short while when we seemed to have been attacked by some 'NICE' people who corrupted some of our files. We managed to move the forum to another website of mine as a temporary measure until we found the problem - unfortunately we couldn't find the culprit, but we seen to have sorted out the scripting. Hooray!

If you have any comments, please feel free to add them here as we are going through several upgrades and changes all of which will benefit our Members.

HINT# There is a new Hallmarking Course coming soon...

Dave.

Tags: culprit, day, Hooray, jewelry, scripting

A wedding is a very special day, not just for the bride and groom but their friend and family. A bride wants to look her best on her wedding day. A diamond wedding ring is the best way to look glamorous on your special day.

 

But planning a wedding can be hectic and stressful. Below are several easy steps that will make it a snap for you to pick the ideal diamond wedding ring at the right price.

The Bride

1. The First step is to determine how much money you have to spend on the diamond wedding rings. The most expensive things on most weddings are the rings, flowers and the bridal gown. Set your budget and stick to it.

 

1. If you wear a diamond engagement ring, plan on choosing a diamond wedding ring that compliments it. The designs should agree. If the band of your engagement ring is curved or straight, choose a similar diamond wedding band. The diamond wedding ring should ‘fit’ well next to the engagement ring and look like the two were made for each other. (Just like you and your partner!)

 

1. The metal of the rings should look similar. If for example your engagement ring is a diamond on a yellow-gold band, it is best to buy a yellow-gold wedding band with diamonds set into it.

 

1. The shape of the wedding band will depend on the shape of the engagement so that the two rings sit close together on the finger without a big space in between them.

 

1. When it comes to width of the band, you may wonder what it shall be. Wide band or narrow band?  This may largely be determined by your taste. However, it must always compliment your engagement ring. It must not be much wider than your engagement ring. Also the length of your fingers may determine the length of the ring. If you have short fingers, then a narrower wedding band may be best for you.

 

1. Why go plain when you can have diamonds or other gemstones on your wedding Band.

 

For the Groom

1. Just like the bride, set a budget and stick to it to avoid overspending unless of course money is no object.

 

1. The diamond wedding ring you choose should fit your work and social life. For instance do you use your hands a lot in your work? Do you deal with machinery, chemicals or other substances that may damage the ring?

 

1. What do you do for recreation and Leisure? Do you tend to do sports or anything else that makes it unsafe to wear your wedding ring?

 

1. Choose a ring that will withstand daily wear for a long time.

 

1. Also think about your personality. Are you a laid back kind of guy who doesn’t like to attract too much attention? Then the classic gold band maybe what you are looking for. Are you a bold and out going type of person? Mens wedding rings are becoming trendier and there is so much choice. Are you somewhere in between? Not wanting too much attention to your self but still wanting an interesting ring? You can find the right ring to suit your personality.

 

1. Also think about your culture or religious background as these may or may not have a bearing on what ring you choose.

 

1. A very important point is the comfort of the ring. The fitting should be just right. It should slip over the knuckles without too much effort but at the same time not be too loose that you risk losing it. Have a jeweller measure your finger to know your correct ring size. They also sell sing sizers that you can buy and do it yourself. Don't worry if you end up with one that's a little too wide, most jewellers can resize your ring for you after the wedding.

 

Very wide wedding bands are less comfortable to wear. The most common width for men is 6 or 7mm. for most people a ring with rounded edges is more comfortable than one with flat edges.

 

What about Bridesmaids, mother of the bride or mother of the groom and the rest of the bridal entourage? Do you want your bridesmaids to wear matching jewelry? Do you want to give them a little thank you for all their support? Diamonds make lovely gifts, you can’t go wrong.

 

Visit http://www.diamond-empire.com/index.html for anything you want to know about diamonds like tips on how to buy the engagement ring she will adore.

Tags: course money, diamond engagement ring, diamond wedding band, diamond wedding ring, gold wedding band

If you’ve ever flipped through a magazine and wished you could buy the same jewellery as the stars then here’s news for you, you can, and without breaking the bank. Most of us don’t have more than 20 dollars to spend on jewellery, let alone 50 or 70. Forget about anything beyond that. the sparkly accessories of the stars are far out of reach for most of us.

Now with a variety of discount jewelry supply stores there is now a way for you to enjoy the beautiful pieces feature din the pages of glossy magazines for much less than the retail prices. Look around and there are a variety of a discount jewelry supply stores that stock fantastic designer pieces. You can find very high quality jewellery for affordable prices that will allow you to buy more for less.

Wholesale Prices

Wholesale suppliers have been a godsend to fashionistas everywhere for a while now. If you already buy designer handbags, shoes, and clothes from wholesalers then you can start doing the same with jewellery. Even better is the fact that some discount jewelry supply stores will sell you jewellery at prices that beat even wholesale prices.

When you are looking for cheap discount jewelry you should look for stores that sell products for less than wholesale prices. A good way to check if these stores are the real deal is to do a quick search of a few fashion forums. Google the company name and see if there is any bad press.

Most of the time you can rely on discount jewelry supply stores to provide you with good bargains. If you would like to be cautious then order only one piece to verify that the company is genuine and then if you’re right, go nuts.

You will soon be able to fill your jewellery box with pieces from a discount jewelry supply store while never paying retail prices. Saving on jewellery will let you furnish the rest of your wardrobe with other great things that you couldn’t before.

Buying from discount jewelry supply stores is also a great way to buy presents for people. If you would like to buy a special present for more than one friend to mark an occasion then this is an affordable way to do it. You can present a group of friends with the same piece of designer jewellery and it will always be a reminder of a special day you all shared together.

Tags: discount jewelry, good bargains, jewelry supply, quality jewellery, shoes and clothes

Flower Full of Legends

Heather is the second most recognizable floral symbol of Scotland. This plant had many practical uses for thatching, dyes, ropes, brooms and more. It also treated cough, consumption, anxiety, arthritis, and rheumatism.

It also made Heather Ale. The Picts made it for centuries with a secret recipe that did not require the use of malt, hops, or sweeteners. Archaeologists have found traces of a fermented drink containing heather on a 3000 year old pottery shard.
Legend states that in the 4th century, Vikings defeated the Pictish army and cornered the King and his son on a cliff. The Viking Chieftain wanted the secret recipe. The Pictish King agreed to give up the recipe, only if his son died a quick death. His son was quickly killed and thrown from the cliff. The King knew that he could keep the secret, but was unsure if his son could. He then grabbed the Viking Chieftain and hurled them both off the cliff.

Most Heather is purple in color, but there is also rare white heather. Rumored to grow over the final resting places of fairies and only where no blood has been shed, the plant is said to be extremely lucky. Queen Victoria introduced carrying white heather at weddings for luck. Some Clans have attributed victory to wearing white heather sprays, or evading capture by hiding in patches of white heather.

According to myth, the Celtic Bard Ossian's beautiful daughter, Malvina, was betrothed to a gallant warrior named Oscar. One day, Malvina was awaiting Oscar's return from war, when she was approached by a messenger. Oscar had died in battle and sent the messenger with a spray of heather to give to Malvina as a final token of his love. Malvina began to cry and her tears fell on the heather, which immediately turned white. She wandered the moors sobbing, her tears turning every heather plant they touched to white. She said "although it is the symbol of my sorrow, may the white heather bring good fortune to all who find it."

Visit us to see the beautiful jewellery made out of heather.

Sincerely,

Rauncie Kinnaird

Clans on Broadway

Tags: arthritis and rheumatism, celtic bard, final resting places, viking chieftain, white heather