We Three Kings ... The Gift of Gold

Gold has always been precious, and this is exactly the reason that it was given as one of the gifts in the Nativity story by the Three Kings to the baby Jesus. Of gold, frankincense and myrrh, gold is the only one of the three that’s still given as a gift today, and that’s because it’s still recognised as something special. You too can enjoy the gift of gold this year, and there’s no better place to go to buy a gold jewellery piece than your local independent jeweller.

Throughout the world on January 6th, or Epiphany as it’s also known, the Three Kings celebration takes place, and gold often takes a starring role in the celebrations, even today. For example, Cansaulim in South Goa, India, is famous for its Three Kings festival whereby three boys are selected from the neighbouring villages to present the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh in a procession.

In Poland, people take small boxes containing a gold ring, incense and a piece of amber to the Church to be blessed, and in Spain, children (and even many adults!) polish their shoes and leave them ready for the Kings to leave presents underneath, reminiscent of the gifts bought by the Three Kings to the baby Jesus. If you’re celebrating the Three Kings festival this year, why not ask your local jewellery shop about a gold jewellery piece for your loved one?

After all, gold is extremely versatile, and your local jeweller will be able to help you to pick a piece that’s right for you and for the occasion. The gold traditionally associated with the Three Kings’ gift is yellow gold, and this still remains very popular today. However, white gold and rose gold are also increasing in popularity and the different colours can be combined within one piece to create something truly unique.

If you’re not sure what’s best for you, your local jeweller will be able to offer their advice and help you to choose. The colour difference is determined by different metal alloys mixed with the gold, and it’s worth bearing in mind that if you choose white gold, you will need to have the rhodium plating replaced over time. However, there’s no need to worry about this as your local independent jeweller is likely to offer this service on their premises, making your beautiful white gold jewellery take on the brilliant-silver colour again that it’s associated with!

As can be seen from the Three Kings’ story, gold will always be in fashion. The different carats available ensure that there are different price-ranges to suit all budgets, and the variety of colours on offer means that there will be a piece to suit all tastes. If you’re not sure what would be best for you, ask your local independent jeweller for advice. After all, if it’s good enough for the Three Kings, it’s good enough for anyone!

New Year, New Jewellery? Or Maybe Remodel the Old!

The New Year is a time for looking forward: new hopes, new dreams, New Year’s resolutions ... but let’s not forget that it’s also a time for reminiscing and reflecting on times gone by. The same can be said when it comes to updating your look, too. The New Year is a great time to reinvent your style, and while new jewellery is an excellent way to do that, it doesn’t have to be out with the old and in with the new in 2012. Read on to find out how, by remodelling an old piece of jewellery this New Year, your local independent jeweller can help you to update your look in 2012!

Reinvent an Heirloom

You may have a piece of jewellery which you once loved but has now gone out of fashion. Maybe it has sentimental value, or maybe it’s a family heirloom, but it just doesn’t work with your style any more or isn’t quite right for you. There’s no point in letting something so beautiful and once so loved languish in a dark drawer somewhere when it could be worn; take it along to your local jewellery shop and your local jeweller will be able to advise on having the piece remodelled. Soon you’ll be the proud owner of something fresh and new (and different to the pieces you’ll find in the shops) but it will still have all of its original sentimental value – perfect!

Perhaps you’re not quite ready to have your old jewellery made into something completely different by your local independent jeweller, but if you have jewellery which is in need of repair, don’t forget that your local jewellery shop will be able to help with that too. Maybe a treasured chain or watch just needs repairing to make it wearable again, or perhaps you own a ring which you’d love to wear but haven’t been able to as it needs resetting? Maybe you have some white gold jewellery which needs to be re-rhodium plated to bring it back to its beautiful silver-white colour?

Whatever the condition of your jewellery, ask your local jeweller about their repair service as they’ll be able to bring your old and broken jewellery back to life. Furthermore, by using the repair service offered by your local independent jeweller rather than a high street chain, you can be sure that your jewellery will be fully insured and repaired on the premises, so you’re not running the potential risk of your jewellery being lost in transit.

New Year really is a great time for looking to the future and spring cleaning your wardrobe. Remodelling and repairing old jewellery is an excellent way of doing this, and your local independent jeweller will be happy to offer their advice and expertise in these matters. So this New Year, let’s see out the old and see in the old-made-new!

How to Sell Gold Safely: Beware the Risks

We’ve all seen those TV adverts encouraging us to boost our coffers by selling our unwanted gold, but if you’re not selling via your local jeweller and using a postal service instead, how do you know you’re selling to a trustworthy source who will give you the best available price?

Should we really be sending something so valuable away in the post to a company we’ve not had much dealings with? Here’s why you’re often better off selling your unwanted gold and broken gold jewellery to your local independent jeweller:

There’s no doubt about it, gold prices have gone through the roof, and in these unstable economic times, it has been seen as a safe investment. Even scrap gold is worth a bob or two, as it can be melted down and turned into bullion. This has meant, however, that a plethora of sites have popped up, who buy gold on the cheap and sell it on, and as many people, quite understandably, don’t know how much their gold is worth, these sites can, unfortunately, sometimes be unscrupulous and offer a price much lower than its actual worth.

One way of checking how much your unwanted gold is worth is to visit your local jewellery shop, as they will be able to advise on the carat (which indicates purity) and the weight, and your local jeweller should also be able to give you a benchmark price which you should be aiming for when selling your gold. More often than not, your local independent jeweller will also offer a much more competitive price for your unwanted gold jewellery than postal gold services.

The gold industry is unregulated, so when you sell to a website or via a postal service, you just don’t know who you’re dealing with – not so when using your local jewellery shop; not only will they give you a fair price for your scrap gold, but they’ll give you top service too. After all, your local jeweller is not just after your unwanted gold; they’ll also want your repeat business for any new pieces you may be looking to buy and your recommendations to friends and family too!

Furthermore, even if you sell your gold to a website or postal service that offers the option to reject their monetary offer and have your gold returned, it can sometimes be a struggle to get your gold back, or you could be charged postage for the return. As a worst case scenario, your gold could even have been melted down before you’ve had the chance to reject the offer! This would never be the case with your local independent jeweller, as you wouldn’t be asked to part with your gold in this way before they give you an offer for your unwanted jewellery.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that not all jewellery should be sold as scrap – scrap should be just that: unwanted trinkets, broken items of jewellery and odds and ends such as gold butterfly clips from earrings. Your local independent jeweller will be able to tell you whether your jewellery is scrap or more valuable than that; for example, fashion items such as branded jewellery are often worth more when sold on whole rather than melted down for bullion, and jewellery with gemstones included could be worth a lot more than a gold site tells you it’s worth. Your local jewellery shop will be able to offer a valuation on any piece of jewellery you’re thinking of selling.

As with most things in life, it’s always nicer and more reliable to be dealing with someone face to face; your local independent jeweller will be able to give you the best possible advice when it comes to selling your gold, and most likely the best price too!

How Local Jewellers Can Provide You with Your Perfect Watch

As is the case with many major purchases, some people are not confident when buying watches. More often than not, a quality watch will be a relatively expensive purchase and nobody wants to spend money on a watch that is not right for them or does not suit their needs or taste.

But there is help at hand, in the form of a professional high street jeweller. By following advice from a reputable local jeweller, shoppers will be able to recognise quality watches, know what to look out for and what to avoid, leaving you with a watch perfect for your needs.

Know What You Want

There are many different types of watches, all of which have different purposes. Knowing what type of watch you prefer will allow you to sift through the inappropriate styles and models and focus solely on a watch that interests you.

Speak to your local jeweller about your specific requirements. If you want a watch for evening wear, a good jeweller will be able to show you a selection of high end quality watches that look classy and stylish. Alternatively, if you want a watch to wear during sports, your jeweller should point you in the direction of custom made tough and durable watches with strong straps.

A quality jeweller will be more than happy to help you find a watch with all the features that you require.

Get to Know the Terminology

When shopping for watches online, there are many technical terms that you will see appearing again and again. But what do these terms mean? Do they matter to the type of watch you are buying? What is the most important term to look out for? By actually speaking to a local jeweller he or she will be able to explain what these terms mean, what to look out for and whether the watch you want needs to have these features.

This type of intimate advice is simply not available online. A high street jeweller is a trained expert who knows the industry inside out. Trust their judgement and take their advice!

Purchasing Gold Jewellery: how to tell the Genuine from the Fake

Gold has been used to make jewellery for thousands of years and it’s easy to see why. This precious yellow metal is soft enough to be worked into the most intricate designs yet it is also durable and never tarnishes. Wearing a piece of beautiful gold jewellery has always been a desirable way of displaying status and wealth.

Unfortunately for purchasers, fake gold jewellery has been around for almost as long as the genuine thing. Although there’s nothing wrong with wearing a piece of imitation jewellery if you know that’s what it is, nobody wants to unwittingly buy fake gold that has been passed off as real, ‘solid gold’ that is only gold-plated, or 9 carat gold sold as 22 carat.

Many professional jewellers and gold dealers develop a sixth sense that alerts them to suspicious items, but even experts can sometimes be fooled. The only certain way of proving something is made of gold, and determining the quality of that gold, is by scientific testing using acids or specialist electronic equipment.

So how can an inexperienced buyer tell the difference between genuine and fake gold jewellery? Here are a few signs you should look out for:

Hallmarks

In the UK all gold items offered for sale, and over 1 gram in weight, are legally required to be tested and hallmarked. This can be done by one of the UK’s four independent assay offices or by an assay office in one of the European countries that are recognised by the UK as having the same high standards.

A hallmark isn’t a guarantee of authenticity as a piece of fake jewellery can have a false hallmark, but if you familiarise yourself with genuine hallmarks you might be able to spot a fake.

To confuse the issue, if you are buying antique or second-hand jewellery the hallmark might have been worn away or removed during repair work. The lack of a hallmark could also indicate gold that was originally bought abroad.

Look and feel

Gold is a heavy metal so be suspicious of a piece that seems light for its size.

On second-hand jewellery small areas of gold plating might be rubbed away to reveal a different metal below.

A piece of jewellery that is attracted to a magnet is definitely not gold, but the magnet test is not 100% accurate as other metals including copper, silver and lead are also non-magnetic.

Workmanship

Good quality gold jewellery is usually made by skilled craftsmen. Rough edges, crude engraving or anything that looks as though it hasn’t been carefully finished could be a fake. Links in gold chains are always soldered shut so they cannot accidentally slip apart, and clasps are firmly attached.

Source

Who is selling the jewellery? With today’s high gold prices there are few genuine bargains around so beware of anyone offering very cheap gold jewellery. Be especially careful about buying at markets or car boot sales where the trader does not display any contact details. If you later find you have been sold a fake your chances of recovering your money are practically nil.

For complete peace of mind buy your gold jewellery from a reputable jeweller, preferably one that is a member of a recognised trade organisation such as the National Association of Goldsmiths. A professional jeweller will be happy to answer your questions and give advice if needed. Take your time to properly examine each piece. Purchasing genuine gold jewellery is not something to rush if you want to be sure of selecting a piece that is exactly right for you or the person you intend giving it to.