A gold and diamond vending machine debuted in Mumbai on October 22nd amid much fanfare. The Gitanjali Group hopes that consumers will be interested in buying jewelry in the same way they buy candy. The goal is to roll out more of these jewelry vending machines in the near future if things go well for this one-of-a-kind novelty. Continue reading »
This holiday season retailers can expect small gains. The latest research and analysis is estimating that there will be only small gains as people continue to save their money and try to stay afloat during this difficult time.
Every year, retailers depend on the revenue that they generate starting in late November and this year is certainly no exception. While last year was not great, there was some money made and they can only hope that they can match last year’s sales, but the odds are against them. Continue reading »
A gold necklace that was recovered from the Titanic has been stolen from an exhibit at an amusement park in Copenhagen. The gold-plated necklace disappeared Saturday morning from Tivoli with no warning, no alarm bells or any clues. The showcase was left intact and the necklace was gone, which is quite a mystery to police as well as the park.
The necklace is a very important piece as it shows us how the people of that day lived and what jewelry they wore on a daily basis. It was owned by a first class passenger on the Titanic, Eleanor Widener, who survived the sinking. She was originally from Philadelphia, the wife of a banker, and died in 1937 at the age of 75. Continue reading »
The jewelry retail world is one that has some elements of a close-knit family. Many retailers who deal in diamonds and jewelry understand the difficulties that can arise from running a retail store of this nature. There are insurance policies that must remain in force at all times to cover loss due to theft or natural disaster and there is the security details to care of so that no one waltzes in and takes your items. Security is a deterrent, but does not always stop criminals from making an attempt to take your stuff. Most jewelry retailers look at the crime blotters to see what is going on with their industry and what tactics criminals are using to rob and steal. They look for lower numbers every year, but it is often going up as more and more people are out of work and are desperate to get money. They are using whatever tactics they can to break into stores after hours and are becoming even more brazen and robbing stores in the daylight hours. The recent numbers are mixed, but overall, crime is up with jewelry and the first half of 2011 has not been great. Continue reading »
The lure of fame and fortune is one that many of us succumb to on a daily basis. At any time, you can find struggling artists, actor and musicians hustling to make it big. They dream of a day when they can afford the fancy diamonds and other jewelry that the stars are often seen wearing. While only a small fraction of those people make it, many do, and become big starts in their own right. They settle down and use their fame and fortune to help their family and others who may be in need. In many cases, their charity shows no boundaries and they give away a large part of their earnings. There is also a flipside where people don’t make it, but want to be rich, so they turn to the dark side and cheat and steal their way to glory. They are professional criminals and steal valuable jewelry and art to pay the bills and live lavishly. These criminals will stake out a store for a long period of time to find the right time to snatch a jewelry piece or even a small work of art when no one is looking, they are often very brazen. Continue reading »
There are times in our lives when we don’t really know what the things we have collected over the years are worth. In most cases, the answer is not much, but there are some items that we have kept that could be worth quite a bit of money. There are jewelry pieces that are old that we got from our grandmother or a piece of furniture that we bought at a garage sale that could be hundreds of years old. The only real way to tell if these items are valuable is to have them appraised. The appraisal process is not always reliable, but it can give us an idea of the value of an item. It often costs money to have items appraised and if the item is worthless, we just wasted some money that could have gone to more stuff. We scour garage and estate sales looking for items that are unique or may be valuable to someone. We always look for the best deals and in many cases, they sell the items for pennies on the dollar. Sometimes we find a treasure and other times, it is simply something nice that we find charming. Continue reading »
The price of jewelry and diamonds keeps going up, but the economy still is in the dumps. Many speculate that the world market is causing the higher prices of jewelry as demand in more economically sound countries keeps rising. Polished diamonds and gold are rising at a high rate, but gold is definitely soaring as it has reached over $1,600 an ounce, which is staggering considering that gold was one-fifth of that price less than ten years ago. These price rises would normally cause people to run and hide from any of those types of purchases, but things are well in the jewelry retail industry. Many are skeptical of the economy here in the United States and have turned to discounting and coupons to help their clients save money. They have no choice but to raise prices as the cost of making the designs is always going up it seems. Some of the promotions are simple an entail a small percentage off for certain items while other promotions are outlandish, but seem to be getting a lot of press coverage, which is good for the shop and its owners. Continue reading »
Diamonds have been good to many people. Lots of money is out there for those who are involved in the diamond trade. While miners and laborers don’t seem to get a big cut, the people who own the mines can make millions, if not billions of dollars, as polished diamond prices continue to rise. The profit margin on these mines can be great as there is no telling how many diamonds can be found in a single mine. The DeBeers Corporation owns mines in many countries and also involves itself in diamond trading and the retail side, where much money can be made. They are the dominant force and continue to drive the pricing structure of the diamond industry. They can control the flow of diamonds as well as the prices and are one of the key players in the jewelry industry as well. They have been around for many decades and continue to find, polish, cut and sell some of the world’s finest diamonds and provide a lot of diamonds for industrial use as well. They are well-rounded if nothing else and can and do contribute to the nations that they work in on many fronts. Continue reading »
Christi Klimes, a 911 dispatcher, believed that she had heard it all when it came to the 911 calls that she has received over the years. She was wrong. On June 9th, 2010 Klimes received a call from a woman by the name of Audrey Scott. Scott began demanding that Klimes find her a husband.
According to the 911 recording, Klimes could not believe Scott’s request and asked her if she really called 911 to find a husband. Scott confirmed that that was indeed the reason she called and Klimes reminded her that she can be arrested for calling 911 without a valid emergency. Scott said that she was completely aware of that fact and coaxed Klimes to tell the police to come and arrest her, which they did.
Holidays are about celebrations and family and friends, but they can also mean crowds full of strangers when shopping for gifts like pop culture jewelry. If you want to enjoy your holidays with less stress, then you need a strategy to keep from being caught in a traffic jam, whether on the roads or in the stores. Here are a few easy ways to keep your holidays simple and stress-free.
Secret Santa
One way to reduce gift-buying trips is to hold a Secret Santa. It’s much easier to shop for just one person, then everyone who is expecting a gift. This can save you a bundle and let you devote your time to getting a truly special gift for just one person on your list, instead of multiple relatives or coworkers. Continue reading »