MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS

IS GOLD'S PRICE TOO TEMPTING?




Easily Transportable Gold Krugerrand Coins

 



Why would huge amounts of  gold be shipped-out of the Asian subcontinent right before major holidays in January and February, which prominently feature gold jewelry gifts?  The New York Times recently had a report on mysterious gold shipments. 

I got a scary, foreboding feeling as I read the story NYT Report: AN AFGHAN MYSTERY. I can only speculate about the source of the gold. 

The current gold spot price is $1,696 USD as I write, which may be just high enough of a motive for some individuals to get gold any which way they can. 

Just speculating…. 

Pat Thomas for Jewelrystash

SAFETY FIRST! DON’T GIVE THIS JEWELRY GIFT!



AMUSING??? TODDLER'S COLORFUL BEAD JEWELRY





It’s sparkly, colorful, fun, pretty and to boot, it’s DEADLY.  Children’s jewelry can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Think twice before buying child-size jewelry and then grow-up:  JUST DON’T DO IT.

REPORTS OF CHILDREN’S JEWELRY HAZARDS

• Toxic dyes that are poisonous
• Super magnets that critically injure internal organs




DANGLING BEAD BRACELET


• Lead that causes permanent brain damage
• Mercury -  widespread neurological damage

• Rare metals that cause cancer
• Choking hazards
• Other unforeseen design elements that can critically injure or kill a child

KEEP INFORMED ABOUT KIDS' JEWELRY HAZARDS

Here’s a link to information on hazards commonly found in children’s toys and jewelry at NIH.gov Make Sure Toys You Buy Are Safe For Tots.



GIRLS WIRE NECKLACE



Honestly, I don't know where or how a parent can find safe children's baubles.  Buy something else, that's safer.  What about testing the items yourself with home kits? That's preposterous in my opinion!

Don’t buy children’s jewelry, save your child. Then you can save someone else’s child: Send a message to manufacturers that you will not tolerate dangerous children’s products in the marketplace by simply NOT BUYING any of it.

Pat Thomas for Jewelrystash until next time…

WHAT'S NEW! 5 TIPS FOR FRESH JEWELRY GIFTS



A MASAI WARRIOR'S DRESSY JEWELRY  STYLE



Be the first to give your family and friends the latest look for a present! Here are 5 up-and-coming jewelry styles offered by stores and online jewelers for Holiday gifts this year:

1. Digital is making a comeback in high-end mens watches. “Dressy” is the key difference this year. Movado and Gucci Watches offer very sleek digital  timepiece designs that are great for upscale events.
2. Look-out for larger carat sapphire slices especially in pretty pink. The variegated coloring of these gemstones can be as mesmerizing as diamonds in the right light.
3. Cute charm necklaces are a keeper, now that they are more petite than those from by-gone eras.
4. Art jewelry never fails-watch out for new ring designs with a collage of multiple gemstones of varying cuts and carat sizes.
5. Give the impressive like big, bold color enamel fashion jewelry from designers like Liz Claiborne.

Pat Thomas for Jewelrystash until next time…



STELLAR CHICAGO JEWELRY ARTISAN PROFILED IN NEWSPAPER

Did you ever make a jewelry gift when you were a young child? The New York Times recently ran a feature on artisan jewelry maker Kiff Slemmons.  Ms. Slemmons uses a most fragile medium for her handcrafted jewelry according to the article.  Here is the link to the NYT article: A Jewelry Maker Who Goes Far Beyond Metal.

Pat Thomas for Jewelrystash…

SHAHS OF SUNSET SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 - 10 JEWELRY STYLE SECRETS



PERSIAN GOLD WITH GOLD JEWELRY STYLE



Reza said it’s all about “Glitz, Glam and Cash” for Persians.  And the lavish luxury jewelry he and other cast members wear on the SHAHS OF SUNSET illustrates just that-extravagantly!

HERE ARE 10 PERSIAN JEWELRY STYLE SECRETS ON SHAHS:

1. Cast members combine antique Persian 24kt Gold jewelry  with contemporary luxury designer jewelry, like Chanel or Versace featuring oversized colored gemstones.
2. Many cast members showcase more traditional Persian colored gemstones like turquoise (Persian blue), blue lapis and onyx. Many items appear to be antique or vintage jewelry but all are huge.
3. The occasional diamond studs are large rounds cuts, surrounded with more round diamonds. Otherwise, color gemstones rule on the Shahs of Sunset.
4. Most of the finely wrought gold jewelry the cast members wear is 21kt to 24kt with the distinct, sunshine buttery yellow  color of pure gold. I can’t remember more awesome or expensive jewelry on a TV show ever.
5. Artist Asa especially favors wearing antique jewelry styles like Cleopatra collars, breast shields and the bracelet-ring thingy.
6. The women are not afraid of wearing full, flowing dresses and caftans which re-enforce a royal vibe or priestess look when combined with the lavish jewelry.
7. Cast members are not afraid of radically changing jewelry styles to suit the moment.  Asa, for example, last season, on the way to a short vacation, wore a finely wrought, elaborate 24kt gold necklace along with 10 or more thin gold bangles on one arm. On the other arm she wore about 5 South African woven bead bangles, one with cowrie shells.  In Season 2 episode 1, Asa changed her style for a meeting with a fashion designer:  She switched to hip-hop bling style, a la Beyoncé:  She wore a huge chunky gold name necklace with even bigger chunky gold hoops.
8. The women’s’ long dark hair styles are the perfect backdrops for large traditional Persian gold crescent hoops and other long earring styles.
9. Coin jewelry and large gold medallions are very big on the show.
10. None of the men wear earrings. Most of the mens jewelry styles on Shahs are understated. A very expensive, but understated gold dress watch will be paired with a small pendant on a leather string or a basic gold chain with a simple gold medallion. 

The Persian royal  treasury is the largest ever accumulated in history.  I’ve read news reports that state that the Persian empire’s royal jewelry is still ensconced in Tehran and IS STILL the most expensive royal treasury in the world. I am grateful that SHAHS OF SUNSET allows a refreshing peek into the vestiges of Persia’s ancient culture. The show is an incredibly refreshing change-of-pace on TV

Pat Thomas for Jewelrystash until next time.

TOP 20 STATS FOR AMAZON.COM’S 2012 CYBER MONDAY JEWELRY STYLES

 

Informal Statistics Online Jewelry Style Sales Cyber Monday 2012

You can use this statistical spotlight  of Amazon.com Bestsellers for holiday jewelry gift ideas.

• The average sales price of 18 items was $28.26.
• Prices for 2 items were not listed.
• The median selling price was $24.00 for 18 items.
• The highest sales price was $89.00 for a twisted silver cable bracelet.
• The lowest sales price was $13.50 for a set of 3 silver box neck chains.
• 35% of items were sold were for prices under $20.00 dollars.
• 60% of items were sold for prices of under $30.00. 
• Prices for 2 items were not available, so the total per cent is not 100%.
• 2 items were 14k gold
• 12 items were designed with silver (2 items with diamond or colored gemstone designs).
• 5 items were silver-plated
• 1 item’s metal was not described
• Items without prices, no longer available included a double oval silver diamond pendant and a silver cubic zirconia heart pendant.
• Sales included 3 jewelry sets
• The ratings history for these jewelry items ranged from 4.5 to 5 stars for all items.
• The top 20 jewelry styles included: 60% necklaces-12 and 25% earring pairs-5.
• The balance were 1 each bracelet, book/jewelry set and charm. 
•  The 60% of pendants included 1 set of box chains. 
•  The 25% of earrings included 1 set of hoops.
• There were no rings in the top 20.

Important Jewelry Statistics Information

Disclosure:  These statistics were not generated by or for Amazon.com.  I am not affiliated at this date with Amazon.com.  I was just curious so I crunched the numbers.

Source:  Amazon.com’s “AMAZON BEST SELLERS:  Best Sellers in Jewelry Cyber Monday Deals”. Data was retrieved December 1, 2012.

Note:  Amazon.com’s prices change hour-to-hour or seemingly  minute-to-minute sometimes.

Pat Thomas for Jewelrystash