Sunday 24 April 2016

Men"s Chains on a Budget

dollar pendantToday I had a lady enquire about buying a gold chain necklace for her partner. She had a budget of around $500 to $800 and was determined to find something in that price range come hell or high water.


We normally recommend that a necklace for a man is at least 5mm thick, anything less than that can lack masculinity. As men would usually wear a necklace around 55cm to 60cm in length, the minimum price is closer to a range of $1000 to $1200 dollars for our lighter style figaro or belcher chains.


More masculine chains with a thicker heavier link as you would find in a round curb are closer to the $1800+ mark. It is important that you understand that a manly gold necklace will be fairly weighty and that is the single biggest factor when calculating price.


Not long after we first opened our online jewellery store, a lady bought her husband a 1.2mm thick 40cm chain necklace.


It was around $90 and she said she thought it was 1.2cm wide. Now 12mm is quite a thick chain and I’m not sure why she thought it would be possible to buy one for less than $100, I guess she hadn’t been anywhere near a jewellery store to do some research and comparisons.


Think about that for a moment.


It was way too short to fit around his neck, and very delicate and fine. She thought she was doing the right thing by buying him a solid gold chain, but really hadn’t thought it through properly. Such a gift is very likely never to be worn, even if it was long enough. Being the nice guys we are, we allowed her to return it and gave her a refund.


The only time a man should wear a thin gold necklace is when it holds a pendant, ring or cross that is in proportion to the chain. A delicate gold necklace should never be worn alone by a man.


Everyone, I’m sure, would love to be able to give their partner a thick solid gold chain necklace or bracelet, but not everyone has the budget that allows it. I strongly recommend NEVER buying a piece of jewellery for a man that is less than masculine, it will be a complete waste of money. It will cause him to be embarrassed because it really won’t be what he wants, and it will find its way to the bottom of his sock drawer, never to be seen again.


Personally, I believe it would be much better to look at silver necklaces, if you want to keep in the $500 to $800 range. We have some really solid, beautiful and manly chains that sit right in that price range and will make your man proud to wear them. Ok, they aren’t gold, but solid sterling silver is a quality material that rivals gold for beauty and is priced at a level many more people can afford.


Many men prefer to wear silver toned jewellery, so if you can’t afford to lash out on white gold, sterling silver is just as attractive and far more reasonably priced.


If they really must wear yellow gold, and price is not a concern, then go for it, solid gold.


A gold plated sterling silver chain (vermeil) will look great for a month or two and then it will begin to look terrible as the plating wears through.


Don’t do it!


It is a waste of money, stick to sterling silver or if you really must have gold, buy a gold plated brass chain for a lot less money. At least then when you throw it away it won’t have cost you a fortune.


The other advantage of sterling silver is that you can have a thicker more masculine necklace at a very reasonable price and it will last a lifetime if made well.


The major disadvantage of sterling silver is that it will tarnish over time and need more regular cleaning than solid gold will. Fortunately it is really easy to restore that brand new look to silver jewellery with a glass bowl, a square of aluminium foil, some baking soda and salt and a little hot water. We have an article on our website that shows how easy it really is to clean silver jewellery.



Men"s Chains on a Budget

Tuesday 12 April 2016

Young Girls and Marriage Breakdowns

How can you stayseparation close to your daughter when time and distance push you apart? A charm bracelet may just hold the key to her heart.


The separation of parents can make it more difficult for fathers to maintain a close relationship with their daughters. It normally means you will spend less time together and sometimes you may even live at a distance that makes regular face to face visits difficult.


As the child becomes a teenager and starts to search for her own identity, there may an emotional gap that begins to widen too. The teenage years are when girls are transitioning from childhood to adulthood and beginning to really develop a sense of self. During this time they can push aside their parents and start to take control of their lives and make their own decisions.


For better or worse they will have to live with the consequences of the choices they make during a period where the guidance of the parents may have less of an influence on them.


It can be easy to be critical of their choices when they seem to be completely ignoring the advice you give, knowing what you do now, until you remember how much you thought you knew at their age. Being there to support them and letting them know how important they are to you and how much you love them, is the often the best you can do.


Adolescence is very probably the most difficult and confusing time of our lives. Just when we are discovering our values and the ethics that we will embrace, Mother Nature loads us full of hormones and randomly turns our world upside down.


There’s nothing you can do about nature’s cruel chemical attack but you can reinforce the love you have for your not so little girl.


When you don’t have daily contact because of a relationship breakdown it may help to have a reminder of your love that she will always have close at hand.


A wonderful way you can do this is with a charm bracelet. It will always be right there with her to remind her of you. Over time and on birthdays and Christmas you can add charms to celebrate achievements and events that have a positive meaning in her life.


Even as she passes into adulthood, a t will have many more opportunities to grow as she turns 21, and then marries and has children. What a lovely way to keep a record of the important milestones because of the special gift you gave from your heart.


Fraser Ross has many quality sold gold and sterling silver bracelets to choose from and over 4600 different charms so you can always find the perfect mementos to suit your special girl. Quality will last forever and one day your grandchild will love something that was so special to her mother.


A charm bracelet is so much more than a stunning piece of jewellery.


It is a precious diary of all you hold dear, the achievements you have reached and the things that you love. In the same way you write in a paper diary, you add a new love, experience or success to your bracelet with a new gold or silver charm – To Remember.



Young Girls and Marriage Breakdowns

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Online Jewellery Stores

shop onlineToday we are taking a look at the pro’s and con’s of shopping at an online jewellery store.


Pro’s


Lower Pricing

Online stores have lower overheads than their retail store rivals and often can offer much better pricing on the same or similar jewellery. Retail stores often have very high markups to compensate for the 50% off sales they seem to run every two weeks. Online stores tend to keep their prices relatively stable, but may have special offers from time to time where you could save further.


Open All Hours

An online store runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which makes it very convenient to shop when the mood takes you. Retail stores have fixed hours and these may not suit someone working long hours away from shopping centres. Customers living in rural areas may not have access to more than one or two small jewellery shops without considerable travel, whereas shopping online opens the doors to many jewellery stores without leaving your seat.


Product Range

The range of products available from a single online store can be considerable and may well match or exceed that of a bricks and mortar store. Some websites have a smaller range of products that won’t compete with a large retailer. However the range available from the websites of all the online jewellers well exceeds that of any single retail shop. Some online jewellers will have a range of products that are exclusive and cannot be found anywhere else as well as other manufacturers products.


Payment Choices

Most web based jewellers will accept the same credit cards you could use in person, but may well offer additional payment methods. PayPal is probably the most widely used online payment gateway and it also gives a level of protection to the buyer if things go wrong. Many stores offer additional processors including AmzonPayments, Authorize.Net, WorldPay, Paygate or Eway.


Product Comparisons

Having so many stores available at the click of a mouse gives customers a great opportunity to make comparisons between the products, services and pricing of different stores. Two or more shops may have the same products available and it would be wise to consider not only the pricing of the product, but the shipping and handling fees and delivery times. You should also consider the amount of time each store has been in business and the customer satisfaction levels of each. A simple search will provide the thoughts and experiences of previous customers experiences with the business you are considering purchasing from.


Product Reviews

Many online stores will follow up their customers after a sale with a request to provide their feedback on a purchase. This feedback can be invaluable in determining not only the product itself, but the service they received. As these reviews are entirely voluntary, bear in mind that people are more likely to respond to leaving reviews if they were disappointed or exceptionally pleased with the product or service. These reviews should be a good guide as to the service you might expect to receive, especially if there is a trend across many product reviews.


Con’s


Trust

This is probably the biggest single issue when customers are considering a purchase from an online store. There are many smaller retailers and boutique jewellers that are not household names, and these businesses can have trouble establishing trust with new clients.


Anyone can write anything they like on a website, so customer reviews are often viewed with a level of suspicion.


Look for a business running a secure website with an EV (extended validation) certificate. A thorough check must be done by the issuing entity before an EV certificate can be implemented.


Search the business name with these additional words – scam, problems, reviews. This will reveal any complaints about the business which you should consider before buying. Although rare, some negative reviews are written by competitors, so keep that possibility in mind.


Delivery Times

Normally there will be a delay of a few days or weeks between placing your order and receiving it. Products need to be packaged, labelled and shipped by the store and then there is a delivery time set by the courier. Stores where the products are made to order, like Fraser Ross, will take longer to deliver than stores where the jewellery is held waiting for despatch. The store should have information on expected delivery times and charges clearly listed.


Touch and Feel

You obviously can’t touch and feel the products when buying online. To compensate for this, the website should have detailed information and photos and be clear with their dimensions, materials and weights.


A fair returns policy should allow you to return the goods if they don’t match the description on the website without any penalty to you.


Summary


It is possible to purchase online and be very pleased with the outcome.


Be diligent and investigate the store if you have not dealt with them before.


Even large national stores that are household names don’t always provide exception products and service, a quick business name search with ‘review’ will quickly show who they are.


Small businesses often provide exceptional products and service and rely on word of mouth to grow their businesses.


A recommendation from a friend who has shopped there previously can be more valuable than any claims printed on a website.


 



Online Jewellery Stores

Saturday 2 April 2016

Recycle your Jewellery, but be careful.

scrap gold

What do you do with old jewellery you no longer wear?


Maybe you have an old gold chain necklace that has broken and it sits at the bottom of your drawer gathering dust.


Why not consider selling it as scrap and use the money to buy something new? (or pay down your credit card)


This seems like a good idea, as even broken jewellery has a value for the precious metals it contains.


Jewellery that is in good condition may well be worth more than the scrap value if you can find a buyer.


Do I sell or scrap?


No matter the condition of your jewellery, the lowest price you should get is the scrap value of the piece.


With broken jewellery, the scrap value is the best price you will be able to achieve.


If your jewellery is in good condition, consider selling it as is. You should achieve a price above the scrap value, but if it doesn’t sell you can always decide to scrap it later.


There are many places you can sell your jewellery on-line including eBay, Gumtree and the Trading Post. If you have a Facebook account, you could consider letting your friends know you have jewellery for sale too.


How can I tell what the scrap value is?


In the case of a piece of solid gold jewellery, there are a couple of factors.


  • How much does it weigh?

  • What is the carat of the gold?

The weight for scrap is the weight of the gold components in the jewellery. You need to remove any stones and the spring steel in the clasps for an accurate weight.


The carat of the gold should be stamped into the piece. It will be written as a carat – i.e. 9ct,  14ct, 18ct or as a number 375, 583, 750.


The actual value of the gold in the jewellery is


  • the weight in grams x the carat / 24 x the current price per gram for gold.

  • the weight in grams x the number / 1000 x the current price per gram of gold.

The current price for gold can be found here.


How much will I get paid?


The best place to sell your scrap is to a bullion dealer (or precious metal refiner). They will give you the best price, which is normally around 90 to 95% of the gold value. They will not pay for any other precious metals in the jewellery. So a 9ct chain will have some silver and copper as well as the gold, but you will only be paid for the gold content.


Pawn shops will normally offer you about 30 to 50% of the gold value even if your jewellery can be sold as is. They are not the best place to sell your jewellery unless you are prepared to take a low price but get paid straight away. They are in business to make a profit and if they can’t sell your jewellery quickly, will turn it into scrap, so they must have a margin between the scrap price and what they pay you (even if it is huge!)


Gold buyers in shopping malls will normally offer a very low amount, similar to pawn shops, so avoid these too unless you need the money right now.


There has been a surge in the number of businesses that buy your gold on-line. Typically they will send you a ‘kit’ in the post which has some information and an envelope to put your jewellery into and post to them. Most of these places don’t show the current price they are paying and have been known to pay well under the prices you could expect from a bullion dealer. Proceed very carefully.


Other Options


If you have other things to sell, you might consider having a garage sale, a market stall or a car boot sale. Make sure you know what the scrap value is, and never sell for less than this amount.


You could also take your jewellery to a jeweller and have them use the gold to make you something new. That way you should only be paying them for their labour and creativity.


 


 


 



Recycle your Jewellery, but be careful.