GoldJewelry

More Jewelers Fall Victim To Gold-Selling Scams

Filed under: Jewelry, Crimes and Misdemeanors

With gold's high prices more and more people have been selling off gold. In some ways that has been good for jewelers but it has also meant that gold-related frauds are on the rise. JCK Online reports on the findings of the Jewelers' Security Alliance which has received over 28 reports of gold-related frauds committed against retail jewelers in 2009. That number doesn't sound like a lot but last year saw just six scams.

There have been two major types of fraud, a bait and switch in which the seller shows the jeweler a gold item and then switches it with a lookalike fake, and a scenario in which the jeweler buys a piece that tests positive as gold but is instead a heavily plated item. Jewelers are advised to be aware of the proliferation of fake items and to test it as much as possible. Both buyers and sellers should be aware of the possibility that even if a piece is stamped as gold that does not mean it really is.

Gold sellers are also warned to be cautious. Check the daily prices and be aware that while any jeweler or gold dealer will also take a share of the profits it pays to shop around because the percentage may be different and different stores may offer varying prices for pieces. Depending on the value of the piece it may also be advisable to have it evaluated by an independent appraiser before shopping your jewelry around that way you know the range that it could fetch.

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Tags: gold, gold jewelry, GoldJewelry, jewelry stores, JewelryStores, selling gold, SellingGold

Melissa McClure's Jewelry Alchemy

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Los Angeles-based goldsmith and jewelry designer Melissa McClure calls her line of organic jewelry Jewelry Alchemy and takes inspiration from nature's delicate yet strong shapes. Her pieces are made from 18K and 22K gold and painstakingly individually forged and hand hammered. Her most popular items have a twig motif and she recently designed a one-of-a-kind twig and hummingbird necklace for a Vanity Fair photo shoot starring Seth Rogen as Frida Kahlo. One of the most extravagant twig pieces she has created is is the double helix. More than a bracelet, it is an 18K sculpture meant to curve around the forearm. It is available in red or yellow gold and sells for $8,195.

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Tags: gold jewelry, GoldJewelry, jewelry, jewelry alchemy, JewelryAlchemy, melissa mcclure, MelissaMcclure

People Buying Gold In Bars, Not Bracelets

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

People may be selling gold jewelry left and right but they aren't buying too much of it. The 'Gold Yearbook 2009' from CPM Group shows that while gold prices remain high, gold fabrication rates are expected to fall in 2009. Gold is used in jewelry but also for dental, medical, electronics and other uses. The fabrication demand fell 6.6 percent in 2008 and is expected to fall 7.9 percent in 2009. Jewelry demand is expected to drop by 7.1 percent in 2009.

Investment interest in gold remains high with investors. As reported in National Jeweler, investor buying is expected to hit a record high in 2009, 52.3 million ounces versus 43.3 million ounces purchased in 2008.

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Tags: gold, gold jewelry, GoldJewelry, investing, jewelry

Diane's Precious Jewels Equestrian Jewelry

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Diane Griswold Johnston is a champion equestrienne as well as a jewelry designer. Naturally therefore she creates a range of equestrian jewelry for the horse-obsessed. The jewelry is set in 18K gold and includes a hand-carved onyx horse head pendant, silver horse coin earrings, horsehead earrings, an onyx horse head bracelet and a charm bracelet that features a gold horse and gold ribbon charms with tiny lapis centers. Her jewelry can be ordered online, through Saks or at selected horse shows.

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Tags: bracelet, earrings, equestrian, gold jewelry, GoldJewelry, horses, pendant