Precious Metals

Old gold

Administrator — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:56:21 +0000

This is a great blog post by the folks at Mardon Jeweler’s in Riverside, CA. It has a perfect example/explanation of why we never use “old gold” in our work, but use recycled gold in every piece we make. While re-using gold from your old jewelry to make new pieces sounds both practical and romantic, it actually can be more costly (in the long run) than if you sell your old pieces for scrap and make the new piece from clean recycled metal.

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.

Pet Peeve-Hollow gold Jewelry

Administrator — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:09:34 +0000

I just had a lovely woman come into the store with her favorite necklace. She purchased it because it is a great all occasion piece. It is a 14K gold chain with big circular links in different thicknesses and diameters. The problem is that the thinner links are deforming. When she took the necklace off and handed it to me, I immediately cringed. It was a piece of hollow gold jewelry. The links were made from tubes not solid wires, so that as the necklace was worn the tubes had started to collapse. Once a hollow piece has collapsed or dented, there is almost always no cure.

I HATE hollow gold pieces. I hate telling customers that their favorite piece of jewelry is unrepairable (or could be repaired at a huge expense). I especially hate it when they tell me that the piece is less than a year old.

Here’s the deal. Companies make hollow pieces because it is a great way to get the same look as a big heavy gold piece without the huge price tag. Customers buy hollow gold pieces because they see that a solid piece of similar size and style is 3 to 4 times as expensive as the hollow piece. But, as with most things, you get what you pay for. If you only wear the piece on special occasions, the hollow piece might work well for you. If you wear the piece everyday, it is only a matter of time, usually a few short years sometimes even months, before your jewelry is totally destroyed. Rings and bracelets take the most abuse and will wear out the fastest. Necklaces tend to fair a bit better, but the hollow piece are just not meant to be durable. The look big and flashy, but they don’t last.

If you are making a jewelry purchase look out for pieces that look heavy but feel light. Ask the sales person if the piece is hollow. If they don’t know, ask the manager. If the piece you like is hollow, keep in mind that you are buying something that might not be meant for everyday wear. If you already have hollow pieces, treat them with care. Don’t wear them to the gym or while you are doing chores or to bed. If you want to purchase an item which you plan to pass down to your children and will wear often, spend the extra money to buy a solid piece.

My personal opinion is that there is only one piece of hollow jewelry that is acceptable: the hollow earring. When it comes to earrings the lighter weight is not just less expensive, it is often more comfortable. Most gold hoops on the market are hollow, so you really don’t have much choice. The trick is to never, ever, ever wear the earrings to bed. 99% of the customers who bring me their hollow earrings that have been dented admit that the damage occurred when they were sleeping. Taking the earring off when you use the telephone is another way to extend its life.

This particular customer is pretty lucky. We are going to slowly replace her hollow links with links made from solid wire. It will extend the life of the necklace and restore the original look of the piece.

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.

Bling Squared

Administrator — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 15:37:02 +0000

These are truly incredible.

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.

Gold Fever

Administrator — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:26:12 +0000

This is an interesting article. We get a lot of people who ask “Why is gold going up in price?” The truth is, we’re a jewelry store, and the price of gold has way more to do with economics than it does with engagement rings.

More Beads!

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

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

Audio waveform jewelry. What a great idea!

Administrator — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:54:40 +0000

"Wow" isn't this a cool broach.

We found this jewelry made by Sakurako Shimizu, a Japanese artist, curator and designer of conceptual jewelry based in Brooklyn, NY. He takes computer generated audio waveforms and creates jewelry with visual representations of words. Check out the matching “I do” wedding bands!