Know Facts before Sell your Gold Jewelry

Like most people who have a 401k or other retirement investment, I don’t pay as much attention to it as I should. Part of me thinks that’s a good thing; the people who take care of it probably know a lot more about finances than I do. Still, whenever I hear of a stock that’s doing well or some other great investment, I always wonder if I should do something about it. When I read recently about the skyrocketing price of gold amid a worldwide diamond, that was something I could handle, and decided it was time to get some cash for gold.

The article said that now was the best time for people looking to sell gold for cash. Overseas economies, especially China’s, are creating a huge new middle class, and combined with the rebounding economy here, it was no wonder so many companies were advertising “sell your gold” services. The article pointed out that China’s economy, one of the largest in the world, was getting ready to cool down, and when it did, many experts agree gold prices would cool down with it.

I collected all of the gold jewelry I was no longer wearing and went to the local jewelry store. Fifteen minutes after I walked in I was walking back out with, quite honestly, a ridiculously large amount of cash for gold. At home I checked and even though I only kept a few receipts, those that I did find told me I more than tripled my original investment. I don’t know if that qualifies me to trade on Wall Street, but it did make me feel pretty good about myself.

Visit Ware Jewelers on 111 South College Street, Auburn, AL 36830 today to choose from a vivid array of diamond jewelry pieces. Call 334.826.9011 or toll-free 888.742.9273 for further details.

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Tips For Picking Out The Right Engagement Ring For Her

I just went through the process of shopping for diamond engagement rings, and I’d like to share some of that experience with you by giving you tips for picking out the right engagement ring for her. I have a special secret at the end for you, too, but promise me you won’t read ahead.

I started by making a mistake, and that mistake was not realizing the scope of bridal diamond rings that were out there. I had an idea in my mind of the diamond rings I was interested in when I went to the jewelry store, but quickly discovered I was in over my head, so I did what you should do if you find yourself in that same situation: ask someone.

Diamond Engagement Ring
Diamond Engagement Ring

I guess I was smart enough to know I wouldn’t be very smart when it came to choosing diamond engagement rings, which is why I didn’t go shopping for them online. Because of that, I was in a place where all of my questions could get answered, and I mean all of them. I probably spent close to a half an hour talking to the sales associate before we ever seriously started looking at any diamond rings. She took that early time to explain to me how diamonds are graded for a variety of qualities, the different materials they used as the wedding bands and anything else I had questions on.

Halo Ring

She did start asking questions of her own near the end of that, questions specific to my girlfriend. Luckily, I knew enough of the answers, but you should be sure you know them too. She asked questions like what type of jewelry does she like to wear? Does she wear a lot of accessories? Does she do a lot of physical activities? She even asked what her favorite thing to do on a Saturday night is. I wasn’t sure how that question would help me select from all these diamond engagement rings, but once we started looking at rings, it was only about ten minutes before she found me the right ring.

And that’s the secret I have. The right ring for my girlfriend probably isn’t the right one for yours, which is why all the tips for picking out the right engagement ring for her can be boiled down to four words: trust your jewelry store. After all, it’s what they do for a living.

Visit Ware Jewelers on 111 South College Street, Auburn, AL 36830 today to choose from a vivid array of diamond jewelry pieces. Call 334.826.9011 or toll-free 888.742.9273 for further details.

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A Different Style and Trend of Engagement Rings

Diamond engagement rings are the best way of celebrating your union. There are all kinds of different ways to put together the perfect proposal, but the ring is the absolute centerpiece of any presentation. You want to find a way to celebrate tradition while also speaking to the modern aesthetic embodied by the professional style industry, combined with the individual taste of both you and your soon-to-be spouse. How do you know when you have found the perfect ring? It might sound a little cliche, but after doing enough research to figure out what it is you want, when the right ring pops out at you, you’ll just know that it’s the one. Kind of like how you recognize the person you know you want to marry. Some things in life, after all, are just intuitive – like falling in love.

Halo Engagement Ring
Halo Engagement Ring

Research is not intuitive, but it is necessary. Some basic online searches can help direct you to invaluable resources, giving you a good start when it comes to information on diamond rings.  Know what makes a diamond valuable – it is more than size, after all. In fact, smaller diamonds can be even more valuable than larger ones. It all depends on the cut, color, clarity and carat weight. Become familiar with these terms and what they mean, as they will help you know what questions to ask about prospective rings and diamonds. Having that background is a great way of preparing yourself for the jeweler, getting you ready to answer questions that they might have for you and helping you come up with some good ones of your own.

Figuring out the kind of style your partner is into is part of the research part. Make sure you are absolutely aware of any potential metal allergies, and also of their personal style preferences. If they already wear jewelry, pay attention to the types of designs they are wearing. Do they seem to favor elegant simplicity or perhaps complex, over the top large jewels and carved bands? Feel free to enlist the help of best friends and family members to be one hundred percent certain. Knowing what they love is going to be the single biggest help you have when it comes to selecting the perfect design.

Gemstone Orange and Blue Spirit Ring
Gemstone Orange and Blue Spirit Ring

Engagement rings can be some of the most important fine jewelry purchases you are going to make in your lifetime, right up there with your wedding bands and potential anniversary rings. It’s vital that we pay attention to the story our jewelry pieces are telling about us and our loved ones – it’s an entire language all on its own and there’s no substitute for the perfect piece. Diamond rings are the most romantic and traditional forms of expression when it comes to engagement, devotion, and forming that special bond with someone. Your ring should have a timeless design that you can imagine looking on fondly and enjoying in ten, twenty, or even thirty years and beyond. Do your research and follow you heart. After all, it led you to your very special someone, and if you trust it, it will lead you to the perfect ring.

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Custom Design Jewelry Caters to Your Every Desire

The complex and interesting world of custom design jewelry can be enjoyed by just about everyone. You do not have to have a significant budget in order to enjoy a custom piece of handmade jewelry. Instead, all you need is a healthy imagination and maybe a picture of a design you find attractive.

Cluster Diamond Earrings Auburn AL
Cluster Diamond Earrings

With technological advancements in the jewelry industry, it is now easier than ever to create custom design jewelry. It is so easy that sometimes the customer does not even have to venture into the jewelry store but once to pay for the final product! With computer animated drawings becoming more prevalent, it is easy for jewelers to show their customers the final product via email. If the customer wants to make any changes at that time, then they express that, and the drawing would be edited until everyone is satisfied with the final product. After the computer drawing is finalized, some people even choose to create a wax molding of the piece so they can get an idea of the dimensions. This is a great idea for people who do not have much of a visual imagination because they have something to physically touch instead of a three dimensional picture.

Visit Ware Jewelers on 111 South College Street, Auburn, AL 36830 today to choose from a vivid array of custom jewelry pieces. Call 334.826.9011 or toll-free 888.742.9273 for further details.

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Custom Jewelry and 3D Technology

Technology changes the way we communicate, travel, create, develop and grow. The jewelry industry has been no stranger to the wonders of technology and one swept-beneath-the carpet truth of modern jewelry is the application of 3D printing as a primary tool in the designing of custom jewelry.

Diamond Ring Ware
Diamond Engagement Ring

3D printers are fast, efficient and accurate which makes them an important part of a modern jeweler’s tool set. Megan Dolski from The Star reports how this technology is changing the industry.

Jilian Maddin has been a custom goldsmith for almost a decade, and rents a work bench and gallery space at Made You Look in Parkdale. She switched from environmental design to goldsmithing, in search of a more hands-on kind of job.

Maddin said since she’s been working in the industry, she’s noticed that more and more jewelry makers are using (or outsourcing) computer assisted design to print 3D models of their work, herself included. She said using that technology can be a helpful option when sharp lines and precision cuts are needed.

Anniversary Band Ware
Custom Design Anniversary Band

Maddin said some of her peers who use computer assisted design still do so reluctantly.

“Traditions and that hard work, you see rings that are made in the early 1900s or late 1800s and they are so beautifully made — and it wasn’t a computer — it was all fabricated by hand by these masters. That stuff is really inspiring,” she said, adding that products that embrace that vintage, crafty feel are still trending today.

She said she can tell when the mould for a piece has been made by a machine rather than a human.

When doing custom work, Maddin said she starts by showing her clients hand drawn sketches. From there, she opts for either the computer design route — which she outsources — or carves a 3D sample out of wax herself.

Enagagement Rings Ware

Then, regardless of whether she used a computer or her hands to make her model, Maddin’s next step is the lost-wax casting technique, which originated in Africa centuries ago. It uses a wax model to make a mould that’s then heated so the wax melts away and leaves room for liquid metal to fill the void and form the shape.

“To this day that is still how we make jewelry, even with the 3D printers,” Maddin said. “That sort of keeps us grounded.”

Sarah Dougall runs Made You Look, where Maddin works and sells her pieces. The model she offers to Toronto-based jewelry makers gives them both a place to sell and make their work for a monthly bench rental fee.

Dougall said the way custom jewelry is bought and sold has also changed in some ways due to technology. She said websites like Etsy allow artists to easily establish their own online shops. That can be problematic at times, she said, when those selling their work aren’t pricing products to a retail standard, giving buyers a skewed perception of what custom jobs are worth.

aquamarine
Aquamarine Diamond Necklace

Around Toronto, there are a handful of options available for people who want to enrol in D.I.Y. gold and silversmithing classes, which Dougall says can be both helpful and harmful to those who make a living custom work. She thinks on face value, these workshops risk sending a message that the craft is something anyone can do with quick instruction. On the flip side, for those who do try it, Dougall said it can offer them an understanding of skills needed to produce custom and complex pieces.

Like Maddin, she said computer assisted design has changed some stages of the jewelry making process. She said it has given jewelry makers a platform to show their clients models on a screen, swapping prospective materials and stones with a click of a button. This offers a clearer picture to customers of what their final product will look like, she said.

A computer can create and print a wax model — which can be tweaked to the client’s taste much easier than the handmade version can. This technology, Dougall said, has made complicated designs faster and cheaper to execute.

Still, Dougall said computer assisted design should be thought of as a tool professionals can use, not something that completely wipes out the need for a human or artist to build a product.

Princess Cut Ware
Princess Cut Diamond Studs

Andrea Wenckebach, a goldsmith and instructor at Georgian College’s jewelry and metals program, feels that while emerging technology is making impact on the industry, it isn’t changing everything. She noted that while new tools are being used more and more, some jewelry makers are still operating without them. She thinks new and old generations can learn from each other.

“There are still things that you need to do by hand that we don’t have machines yet that can do those things,” she said. “There is still an element of the old school thing that definitely still needs to be taught.”

Things like setting a stone in a ring, is not something she thinks would be cost-effective for a machine to do. She doesn’t think that will ever change, at least not anytime soon.

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Visit Ware Jewelers on 111 South College Street, Auburn, Alabama today to get your jewelry designed or choose from a vivid array of beautifully designed jewelry. Call 334.826.9011 or toll-free 888.742.9273 for further details.

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