Archive for the ‘Gold and jewelry’ Category

You’ve heard the buzz. Maybe you’ve even heard friends and family chattering about it. With the price of gold soaring to more than $1,900 per ounce Monday, selling your old jewelry is a way to get back some of that money the roller-coaster stock market’s been taking away.

But before you scrounge up all the gold jewelry you’re willing to “scrap” — sell purely for its gold content, by weight — hold on just a bit. I did my own test run to give you some tips on getting the best prices.

First, I rounded up a mix of 14- and 18-karat jewelry and took it to three different types of places: a “we buy gold” business, a jewelry store and an antique market’s gold and coin dealer. Each gave me a weight total for my gold and how much money I could expect to get for it. And their quotes in each category varied drastically. I didn’t identify myself as a reporter to ensure the businesses wouldn’t give me “special” pricing — which could give you overly optimistic …

Continue reading Make the most when you sell your gold »

Certified financial planner Wes Moss provides personal finance advice and accessible investment strategies. His guest post appears here Monday mornings.

Maybe I listen to too much financial radio, but I’m getting tired of those commercials hocking gold. Some of them make no sense:

“Convert your old, forgotten paper 401(k) into a pot of solid gold!”

Who forgets about their 401(k)? It’s most Americans’ largest asset after their home. And why are your 401(k) investments sinking? The market is up almost 100 percent the last two years.

Other ads try to scare you into owning gold:

“National debt, unemployment, inflation, the housing crisis, China taking over as an economic power, all attacking your assets. And the only solution is gold, gold and more gold!”

Gold parties and gold stores everywhere. Is gold the answer to inflation, deflation, a falling stock market and whatever else might happen?

There are legitimate reasons to own gold, among them:

1. Gold prices …

Continue reading Wes Moss: Are you buying gold? Should you? »

Sometimes big deals come in small packages. Such is the case with the Pandora bracelet offer from Brown & Company jewelers this week.

Receive a free Pandora lobster clasp bracelet (a $50 value) with any purchase of $75 or more of Pandora jewelry today through Saturday. For Pandora lovers this is the perfect time to design a new bracelet or to move some extra beads onto a new piece of jewelry. Or start your very first Pandora charm bracelet with this offer.

Pandora is a global Danish brand that has been making its mark on international jewelry fashion for 25 years and has become known for its craftsmanship, quality, and design. Pandora’s customizable charm bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces are handcrafted from 14-carat gold and sterling silver and range in price from $25 for silver to $500 and above for solid 14-carat gold.

Available while supplies last at both Brown & Company locations in Buckhead and Roswell.

– By Lauren Davidson, Atlanta Bargain Hunter

See a …

Continue reading Free Pandora bracelet with $75 purchase »

There’s lots of bling in the air now that Valentine’s Day is over. Ladies — and some gentlemen — are flashing diamonds like backstage passes. And there’s no shortage of information on how to insure all of this new jewelry.

But when it comes to insurance, what many jewelry buyers want to know is, “Is it worth it?”

Here are some questions to help determine if spending the money on jewelry insurance is right for you:

Is it a family heirloom?

Mary Ann Hawthorne, who inherited a diamond from her grandmother a couple of years ago, says she didn’t even think about insurance until it was retrieved from a safe.

“When I saw it and realized how large it was, I knew I needed to get it insured,” the Sandy Springs resident says. “It was just over a carat, maybe a carat and a half.”

Hawthorne says she pays $81 a year to insure the ring and encourages others with family heirlooms to do the same. “It’s not that expensive,” she says.

Raymond Evans, a State Farm Insurance …

Continue reading Is insuring jewelry a good deal? »

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard is not to destroy your budget on jewelry early on in a relationship. Because then how will you outdo yourself in years to come? It’s better to give a modest but thoughtful gift early on and then adjust as necessary as your financial situation evolves.

Here’s a short video from MSN money on buying jewelry this season. Some of the highlights for Valentine’s Day bargain hunters include:

• Avoid paying for a name. A great necklace or pair of earrings can come from many different stores.
• Silver is much less expensive, but trendy this year.
• The type of pearls (cultured or imitation) or gemstone should be easily disclosed by any jeweler.

Need more inspiration? Browse through the jewelry deals on DealNews. Options range from a $5 black button pearl bracelet to .75 ct. diamond stud earrings for $200.

Also, if you haven’t checked out Bejool yet, you should. It’s the latest version of the group-deal-buying site and features simple, sweet …

Continue reading Valentine’s jewelry deals and more »

Jewelry, it seems, was replaced on recent Christmas lists by more practical gifts. That trend has taken a turn in 2010, according to the National Retail Federation. The results of its 2010 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions survey show that 23 percent of consumers will ask for jewelry this year — a 10 percent increase from last year.

Does that mean that jewelry is less expensive nowadays? Hardly. In fact, the price of gold has reached all-time highs as investors seek financial assurances. Still, after giving and receiving household goods and clothing, consumers are apparently desiring more sparkle this year.

Even those on tight budgets can make affordable jewelry purchases, said Doug Meadows, president and owner of David Douglas Diamonds and Jewelry in Marietta. Here are a few ways to get the bling without blowing the budget.

Let Me Upgrade You: Beyonce may have said it best in her hit song, but it’s a reasonable goal for even the average Joe. If you’ve worn …

Continue reading Bling on a budget: Jewelry is back on holiday gift lists »

A few years ago, one of my good friends asked for a loan to buy, of all things, his girlfriend a wedding ring. He’d saved up a lot of money already, but was a couple hundred dollars short and wanted to propose to her on her birthday.

Steve Lee and Yoomi Ou pose for engagement photos in Duluth in 2009. Photo credit: Phil Skinner

To this day, I’m still not sure what to make of that. Is a proposal not really real if there is no ring to go along with it? Was the ring out of his price range? And how much should a guy spend on a ring, anyway?

The rule of thumb is two months salary. Who made that rule, by the way? In what seems like an entire career ago, I was a sportswriter covering college football. One of the nation’s most prominent and successful coaches told me the story of eloping during his senior year as a player. When his wife showed me the ring, I was stunned to see that it was a simple, gold band.

Undoubtedly she’d been adorned with diamonds of all shapes and sizes since. …

Continue reading Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but at what cost? »