Here are two news stories on people's experiences with Cash4Gold. As you know, we feel TRADING with Masterpiece Jewelers is absolutely your best value! Trade with someone you TRUST!
http://www.wesh.com/money/17957479/detail.html
http://www.wftv.com/news/18973990/detail.html
http://www.kirotv.com/consumer/17796919/detail.html
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, September 22, 2008
Platinum and Diamond Handbag!
The Emmy Awards were last night, and I have been waiting anxiously to see what celebrity carried the Cate Adair platinum and diamond handbag valued at more than $500,000!
Here's a little info about the bag from marketwatch.com:
"Cate Adair, the Emmy-nominated and award-winning costume designer for Desperate Housewives, has collaborated with Kwiat, the 101-year old luxury jewelry and diamond company, to create the ultimate accessory, the "Platinum Clutch." The one-of-a-kind purse, valued at more than $500,000... features genuine pure Platinum design elements set with 60 carats of Kwiat diamonds, in honor of the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
"After accessorizing the arm of a celebrity during this year's Primetime Emmy Awards, the Platinum Clutch will be on display at Kwiat's new flagship store located at 725 Madison Avenue. The 1,000-square-foot boutique opened on September 4, 2008, and showcases a wide variety of Kwiat's diamond jewelry collections, with pieces (up to) $1 million. "
Wow! And in a (happily) unrelated note, even though delightful Tina Fey lost her purse at the show last night, it wasn't this one! Whew!
Monday, September 15, 2008
No Diving, No Horseplay and No Gold in the Pool!
Did you know that your gold jewelry can be weakened or even broken by being in your chlorinated pool? Bleach and chlorine can turn your gold black, and even more importantly, the chemical reaction can actually break down your gold's strength. Depending on how highly chlorinated the pool is, the damage can happen over a long period of time or be nearly instantaneous!
If your gold has tarnished (turned a different color) we can clean it in our store, either by chemicals or by the jeweler using a buffing machine.
If the damage is severe, where the gold jewelry literally has fallen apart (yes, it CAN happen!), in some cases the piece is a total loss! That's serious!
Soooooo, no running around the pool deck, and NO gold in the pool! :)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Why Did My Gold "Turn"?
A client in my store yesterday had a 14kt yellow gold bracelet with a blackened area on it, which reminded me about when gold supposedly "turns."
First of all, when we say that a piece of jewelry "turns", we are really referring to the plating on metal that is in the process of wearing off. Turning can include the visible peeling of the top layer of metal, pitting, different textures on the same area or a green color being present. Real gold, meaning karated gold, does not "turn."
Instead, real gold "tarnishes." Tarnish can (in almost all cases) be cleaned off via sudsy ammonia, Tarn-x or machine buffing by a jeweler.
If the tarnish on your genuine gold is orangish in color, it could be a result of hard water in your home, some perfumes, lotions, colognes or hairspray. These are good reasons to always put your jewelry on last before leaving the house!
If the tarnish is blackish in color, it could be a result of contact with bleach or chlorine. Diabetics and highly acid people can also darken the color of real gold.
The client I mentioned at the beginning of this post had been cleaning her bathroom with her jewelry on, and clearly bleach had come into contact with it. Just another reason to avoid housework at all costs!
Our bench jeweler cleaned and buffed the bracelet back to gleaming like-new, and the lady was thrilled. I love a happy client!
Note: Although in most cases these examples hold true, if you have any question about a piece of jewelry, take it your local independent jeweler for an expert opinion. In most cases, they will gladly tell you free of charge. (If they act grumpy or annoyed, find another jeweler!)
First of all, when we say that a piece of jewelry "turns", we are really referring to the plating on metal that is in the process of wearing off. Turning can include the visible peeling of the top layer of metal, pitting, different textures on the same area or a green color being present. Real gold, meaning karated gold, does not "turn."
Instead, real gold "tarnishes." Tarnish can (in almost all cases) be cleaned off via sudsy ammonia, Tarn-x or machine buffing by a jeweler.
If the tarnish on your genuine gold is orangish in color, it could be a result of hard water in your home, some perfumes, lotions, colognes or hairspray. These are good reasons to always put your jewelry on last before leaving the house!
If the tarnish is blackish in color, it could be a result of contact with bleach or chlorine. Diabetics and highly acid people can also darken the color of real gold.
The client I mentioned at the beginning of this post had been cleaning her bathroom with her jewelry on, and clearly bleach had come into contact with it. Just another reason to avoid housework at all costs!
Our bench jeweler cleaned and buffed the bracelet back to gleaming like-new, and the lady was thrilled. I love a happy client!
Note: Although in most cases these examples hold true, if you have any question about a piece of jewelry, take it your local independent jeweler for an expert opinion. In most cases, they will gladly tell you free of charge. (If they act grumpy or annoyed, find another jeweler!)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
How to Remove a Stuck Ring
We've all done it: Go to try on a friend's new ring and uh oh! It's a little too snug and you get that sort of panicky feeling in the pit of your tummy- is it stuck??
Over my many years in the jewelry business, I have fine-tuned a method for getting most "stuck" rings off.
If it is a situation like the one mentioned above, spray the entire finger (front and back) liberally with Windex and slide the ring off. This works wonderfully and does not gunk up your ring like soap or lotion will!
In a more difficult case, say a ring being worn continuously for years that now no longer comes off (because your knuckle has grown, like most people's do!) or when a finger suddenly swells from a big bite on injury, you may want to try my proven method:
1) Start in the morning, when your fingers are typically at their smallest.
2) Have Windex handy. Fill a large bowl with cold water and lots of ice cubes. Submerge your hand into the water for as long as you can. (Folks with poor circulation or diabetes may want to check with their doctor.)
3) Remove your hand from the bowl, quickly saturate the entire finger with Windex, then raise both hands above your head and wiggle the ring to get it off.
If my method doesn't work, in most areas you can go into your local fire station and they will cut it off for you (a relatively easy procedure that sounds scarier than it is!) It's good to be proactive if you can't get the ring off at home. Have it removed BEFORE an emergency makes it a more serious situation!
You would figure that the next logical stop is the jeweler, but I suggest waiting about 3 weeks before taking your ring in to be sized. If it has been on a long time, you most likely have a "ring dent" on your finger which needs to fill in a bit before we can get an accurate size on your finger.
I have seen rings that were cut off right through the top (where the diamonds and gallery are!) when emergency personnel have not been able to just slip a ring off the patient's finger. In an emergency situation, they are not going to be worried about preserving the ring- they are trying to preserve your finger! So to avoid this, take care of getting your ring off and resized now, before you're forced to!
Over my many years in the jewelry business, I have fine-tuned a method for getting most "stuck" rings off.
If it is a situation like the one mentioned above, spray the entire finger (front and back) liberally with Windex and slide the ring off. This works wonderfully and does not gunk up your ring like soap or lotion will!
In a more difficult case, say a ring being worn continuously for years that now no longer comes off (because your knuckle has grown, like most people's do!) or when a finger suddenly swells from a big bite on injury, you may want to try my proven method:
1) Start in the morning, when your fingers are typically at their smallest.
2) Have Windex handy. Fill a large bowl with cold water and lots of ice cubes. Submerge your hand into the water for as long as you can. (Folks with poor circulation or diabetes may want to check with their doctor.)
3) Remove your hand from the bowl, quickly saturate the entire finger with Windex, then raise both hands above your head and wiggle the ring to get it off.
If my method doesn't work, in most areas you can go into your local fire station and they will cut it off for you (a relatively easy procedure that sounds scarier than it is!) It's good to be proactive if you can't get the ring off at home. Have it removed BEFORE an emergency makes it a more serious situation!
You would figure that the next logical stop is the jeweler, but I suggest waiting about 3 weeks before taking your ring in to be sized. If it has been on a long time, you most likely have a "ring dent" on your finger which needs to fill in a bit before we can get an accurate size on your finger.
I have seen rings that were cut off right through the top (where the diamonds and gallery are!) when emergency personnel have not been able to just slip a ring off the patient's finger. In an emergency situation, they are not going to be worried about preserving the ring- they are trying to preserve your finger! So to avoid this, take care of getting your ring off and resized now, before you're forced to!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Storing Silver Jewelry
Anyone who owns silver jewelry knows that keeping it tarnish free is quite the task. What you save in costs you make up for in cleaning time! Modern pieces often have an industry-approved rhodium plating applied, which prevents tarnishing for the most part. But, for pieces that do not have that coating (and that can be the majority of your collection!) , we recommend storing your sterling silver in ziplock baggies. This prevents air from freely interacting with your silver and decreases the opportunity for tarnish to occur. It also had the added benefit of keeping your pieces from scratching each other, which could cause damage to stones!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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