Precious Metals » Uncategorized

Liz Taylor Dies at 79

Administrator — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:40:25 +0000

Liz Taylor wearing the Taylor-Burton Diamond

Most people know of Liz Taylor’s love of diamonds. This article details the full scope of her impressive diamonds collection.

I read an article a few years ago (which I can unfortunately not find or properly source) that recounted a phone conversation between Taylor and one of her jewelry designers. At the time Taylor was ill, and she called to tell the designer that despite not being able to get out of bed or get dressed, she was wearing her diamond earrings and felt more human because of it. I hope that even now she is wearing those earrings and is at peace.

Braille Jewelry- LOVE IT!!!

Administrator — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:49:34 +0000

I’ve always been fascinated with braille. Both of my parents are eye doctors (one optometrist and one ophthalmologist), and worked closely with the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI) in Kansas City. I was amazed at how quickly the students there could read the little bumps, which to my fingers seemed completely random. At First Sight has created a line of braille jewelry designed to help people learn braille as well as to make people aware of the fact that the majority of the blind can’t read. According to statistics, only one in ten blind people know how to read braille. Compare that to the literacy rate for the U.S. as a whole, which is around 99%. Programs like CCVI are working hard to turn those numbers around and this jewelry is a great way to raise awareness. I urge you to check out both sites, buy a bracelet, and make a donation.

Go to At First Sight

Coral Jewelry? Too precious to wear?

Administrator — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 22:22:23 +0000

http://www.jewelers.org/about/j_whatwestandfor/coral.php

The Jewelers of America have issued an official position statement on the use of coral in jewelry and you can find a link to the position statement above. It is a fact that coral reefs are important ecosystems and they have been threatened by temperature change and over-harvesting. This is not to say that all coral products or coral type jewelry is bad and should be unconditionally avoided. For more information on the other side of the topic please check out this blog post that proves to be well informed and offers a thorough explanation of the different types of coral.

At Precious Metals in Sudbury we have decided not to purchase coral for our customers or to carry any coral jewelry. This decision comes from our belief that most of our customers would be interested in the natural coral that is endangered and we are not comfortable selling these products. Consumers can find plenty of coral jewelry options that are not particularly bad for the environment and artisans often sell unnatural dyed coral or fossilized coral jewelry that can be enjoyed without any guilty feelings.

Electronic Jewelry

Administrator — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:31:07 +0000

2 GB USB Dog Tag Medical ID Pendant- Stainless Steel

Electronic jewelry can mean a lot of different things these days. A quick web search will turn up things like this 2 GB USB dog tag medical ID pendant. Electronic jewelry like this and other wearable USB drive jewelry serve a real purpose and could save your life. Check out these sites for other cool ways to wear your information around your neck or your wrist. http://www.stickyj.com/htc1075.html, http://www.toniawelter.de/usbjewellery.html, http://www.gadzooki.com/accessories/these-drives-are-pretty-cheap/.

Electronic Jewelry can also be found in the form of old electronic components transformed into fashionable jewelry. Have a look at this Etsy store to see transistors, diodes, resistors and capacitors all styled to wear. This jewelry is not functional like the wearable USB drives but if you like to have your spare parts on hand this could be just the thing.

More Beads!

Administrator — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:32:47 +0000

Our Natick and Weston beads will be ready in three weeks.

Busy with beads!

Administrator — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:25:53 +0000

Wow, it seems like just yesterday it was June. All of a sudden there are Christmas decorations in CVS. Personally, I don’t do carols until after Thanksgiving, but I do love this time of year. We are working on building pieces for the store and lots of custom Christmas and Chanukah gifts. We just introduced our own custom beads for add-a-bead style jewelry, like Pandora*. Right now we have a two Sudbury, MA beads and a Wayland, MA bead. We are hoping to make more and are looking for suggestions. Is there a bead you would like to see?

*We are in NO WAY affiliated with Pandora. These beads are made by Precious Metals, but will fit on your Pandora bracelet if you happen to have one. We do not sell Pandora brand products.

MSPCA-Angell Walk for Animals

Administrator — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:18:18 +0000

Precious Metals owner and goldsmith Ilah Cibis will be walking in this year’s Walk for Animals in Boston on September 12th. Please consider donating to this wonderful cause. The money raised through the Walk for Animals goes towards helping the hundreds of abandoned and abused animals that find their way to the MSPCA and the Angell Animal Medical Center each year. To donate directly follow the link below

Donate

In addition to funds donated directly, Precious Metals will be donating 5% of the purchase price of all out of case and special orders between 8/17/10 and 9/11/10. The purchase of certain items will garner a larger donation. Check out this Facebook Gallery to view some beautiful jewelry which will generate money for a good cause.

MSPCA Items

3 Thing You Need to Know Before Purchasing Jewelry Online

Administrator — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:02:17 +0000

With a rise in online shopping, it would be foolish for any jewelry store, or wholesaler to not get in on the chance to broaden their clientele. But buyer beware there is such thing as a bad seller or fraudulent wholesaler. One must stop and think about the consequences of buying online, especially if they ignore the obvious red flags and do not do their homework about who they are buying from. Here are a few tips to ensure you are purchasing safely and soundly:

Stay away from eBay. The only guarantee you have with eBay is that your money is going safely from one account to another. There is no guarantee the product you are buying is real. Yes, there are such things as decent sellers, and the ratings system can help, but again there is no guarantee on returns or actual products, just a forced promise of honesty with no actual harsh repercussions if that promise is broken. Most eBay sellers don’t have phone lines listed for customer service. If you can’t speak to someone who can answer your questions, consider that a red flag and search for another vendor. While Store fronts on eBay can provide you with a bit more ease, always be cautious, and never be the first to purchase from them.
Any vendor online has a shipping mechanism. It is important that by all means you understand the vendors shipping and return policy. No policy means no rules, which means you are probably not going get your money back if you don’t like the item. Know what the deal is, whether you’ll receive store credit, full refund, etc.
Check the safety of the site. I go by the saying, “If there isn’t a lock, I’m on the wrong block”. This is in reference to the picture of the padlock at the bottom of your screen. Do not purchase from any site that does not have a padlock on the bottom of the screen when you checkout or purchase the item, ever. Stay away from those sites as they could be crawling with spyware, and terrible repercussions that sign you up for random sites and promos without your consent. It is also a good idea to simply Google the sites name along with the word, “safe to purchase” or “Safe to buy” or “Scam”.

Ruby Red July

Administrator — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:03:20 +0000

The birthstone for July is the ruby. A ruby is the red gem of the mineral corundum.The only natural gems harder than a ruby is a diamond and a moissanite. A ruby has a hardness of 9 on the mohs scale. All natural rubies have imperfections in them, such as color impurities and inclusions of ruitle needles. Ruitle needles are of importance, as they distinguish a natural ruby from a synthetic one. A rarity, sometime ruitle needles will produce a six-legged star Ruby. A famous one in particular is a Sri Lankan stone, the Rosser Reeves Ruby, which is one of the worlds biggest and finest star rubies.

Rubies are supposed to cure headaches, inflammation, and can be used to predict the future. And now for the part of this blog we all have been waiting for, a pop culture ruby reference.

How can we forget the famous Ruby Slippers from the movie, The Wizard of Oz. Those sparkly heels could do wonders with just a few clicks. This timely classic movie taught us that there really is no place like home…. annnnnnd that there are timely coincidences when played with Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”.

Precious Metals Ruby Pieces:

Ruby Bypass Ring

Ruby and Diamond Earrings

The Other June Stones

Administrator — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:57:13 +0000

Junes alternate birthstones.

June’s traditional birthstone is pearl (even though pearls are not a stones) but if you don’t like wearing pearls try out some of the alternative birthstones: Moonstone and Alexandrite.

Moonstone is a shimmering gemstone with a hardness of 6 on the Mohs scale. So wearers should be careful when handling it. Rainbow moonstone is known for its bluish shimmer, but is also available in peach, smokey white, and green. It is often referred to as the lover’s stone.

One might have a hard time finding the Alexandrite stone. This stone is rare due to its chemical composition which requires specific geological conditions. It is also a unique stone because of its natural ability to change color when around certain light sources. Its rarity, hardness of 8.5 on the Mohs scale, and ability to change color makes it a highly sought after stone.

Some June Stone Jewelry from Precious Metals

Moonstone Cameo

Black Pearl Studs

Silver sage fresh water pearls with rainbow moonstone

Moonstone Necklace