Glitterbug Parties Demo – Buying Jewelry

Why Colored Diamonds Cost Serious Cash

You might think that the brilliant white diamond is the most prized because if its beauty. In most cases, you would be right.

But much rarer and more coveted are the naturally created colored diamonds. The Hope Diamond is probably the most famous of the colored diamonds. Its soft blue hue has wooed many, including the thief who originally stole it from an idol in India, which is (as the story goes) where the curse began. To say his ending really tore him up is an understatement. He got torn up by wild dogs. Legend has it that anyone who wore, or even touched the diamond was cursed. Good thing it’s now housed in a museum where no one will get the curse!

Oops. I digress. Colored diamonds, known as “fancy” diamonds in the industry, can be found in colors that span the palette […]

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By admin|October 10th, 2012|Buying Jewelry, Diamonds|Comments Off

White is HOT – Yellow is NOT

As jewelry fashion trends go, white gold is HOT. Yellow gold is still fashionable, but white gold has even overtaken the wedding market, surpassing platinum as the “silver” ring of choice. Have you ever wondered what makes white gold…well, white? Did it start out that way from the ground, is it manufactured, or just plain yellow gold that is coated with a white metal? Read on for the answer.

In its natural state, gold is a very soft, very yellow metal. All newly discovered gold is 24 karat, its purest form. But in this state, its softness makes it too soft and unreliable for every day wear. In the U.S., we like our gold harder. Then our investment can stand the test of time and retain its original beauty far longer than if it was made of a purer form of gold.

To enhance the strength and durability of […]

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By admin|April 9th, 2012|Buying Jewelry, Investing in Gold|Comments Off

Silver’s Dirty Little Secret

With silver prices going up, up, up, you’d think that silver would be a stellar jewelry investment, right?

After all, buying jewelry as an investment is a good thing. Isn’t it? According to financial wiz, Suzi Orman, buying jewelry as a long term investment is actually not such a good idea. Her biggest point is that the markup seen in stores overrides the benefits of buying jewelry as an investment. She has a good point.

Silver jewelry demonstrates this perfectly.

There are several factors that go into the pricing of jewelry. And it’s typical for sellers to mark up their pieces 100, 200 or 300 percent of the cost to manufacture it, which really shouldn’t be surprising. But these other points just might surprise you.

Gram Price

The most important aspect of silver jewelry pricing is the […]

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By admin|March 15th, 2012|Buying Jewelry, Jewelry Investments, Silver|Comments Off

What to Look for When Buying from an Online Jewelry Retailer

In Part 1, we talked about the many reasons to buy jewelry online and how to educate yourself. This post focuses on things to look for when buying from an online jewelry retailer:

Customer Service: While shopping online means you don’t have to deal with anyone, you’ll want to be able to get any questions you might have answered. Does the retailer have a customer service option? Is there a telephone number or is it only available through chat or email? What are the hours customer service is available?

Shipping Information: If a retailer doesn’t ship expensive items via FedEx or other insured carrier, run, run away fast. You only want to deal with retailers who ship in a secured fashion and insure their shipments for the full value of their products. This is just common sense.

Return Policy: Be sure to read the retailer’s return policy thoroughly. How many […]

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By admin|December 12th, 2011|Buying Jewelry|Comments Off

Save 50 Percent Buying Jewelry Online – Your MUST-KNOW Guide

Buying online seems like such a no-brainer these days. It’s easy to do, there are plenty of sites to choose from and it’s convenient. Buying items such as clothing and shoes seems pretty simple and straightforward. But what about expensive jewelry? If you’re going to plunk down hundreds to thousands of dollars on a piece of jewelry, how can you be sure you’re getting the same quality you would expect at a brick-and-mortar store? Is buying jewelry online even a good idea?

Let’s tackle the last question first. Yes, it is a good idea to buy jewelry online. Overhead is expensive and online retailers have an inherent advantage over traditional stores because their overhead is typically low. This means they can sell their jewelry at significantly lower prices. In fact, you could see as […]

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By admin|December 12th, 2011|Buying Jewelry|Comments Off

8 Hot Jewelry Trends For The Fashionable AND Fabulous – Part 2

This is the second part of our two part series on what’s hot in jewelry this holiday season.

Trend #5 – Chandelier Earrings

Nothing is more glamorous than a beautiful set of chandelier earrings dancing off your earlobes. They move when you do, highlighting your hair and face and adding elegance and playfulness to your outfit. These come in many styles, colors, gems, diamonds, crystals, settings, etc. Chandelier earrings can look amazing with an evening gown and blue jeans and a t-shirt.

The key to trends is to not wear them all at the same time! Pick one and run with it. Next time, pick another. Experiment with the trends to see what feels right for you and works with your lifestyle and wardrobe. Remember, too, that trends come and go. If being trendy isn’t your thing, then default to the classic looks that tend to stay in style. You can’t […]

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By admin|December 12th, 2011|Buying Jewelry|Comments Off

8 Hot Jewelry Trends For The Fashionable AND Fabulous – Part 1

A shiny, sparkly pretty piece of jewelry given as a gift can warm a woman’s heart like nothing else! And since most of us like to remain fashionable AND fabulous, we thought you’d probably like to know what’s hot in jewelry this holiday season. In case you need to find that perfect piece for a loved one, or perhaps pick out something your loved one will buy for YOU (we prefer that scenario). Finding that perfect piece can be nerve-wracking. Depending upon their style and taste, you’ll either end up with a winner or later returning a dud. How on earth do you decide? How do you know what he/she will like? This is especially difficult if you’re a man shopping for your lady!

To help you select something gorgeous they’ll adore (and avoid getting that dud), here are the top trends for the 2011 holiday season. Finding these pieces […]

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By admin|December 12th, 2011|Buying Jewelry|Comments Off

How Do You Know If Your Silver Is Good Quality?

So…you know your silver is real, but how do you know if it’s good quality?

Sterling Silver is actually really easy to test. When our Buyers are evaluating silver here’s how we do it. And don’t let our name GlitterBug Gold Parties fool ya. We also buy silver as well.

So first we file a small groove in an inconspicuous place on the piece. Then we drop nitric acid on the metal and watch the reaction. If your silver is good quality, the drop will turn a creamy milky white color. If it’s silver-plated brass, nickel silver or low-quality silver alloys, it will either turn green or start bubbling and smoking. Depending on the alloy, the reaction can be quite dramatic.

The National Gold and Silver Marketing Act doesn’t require precious metals to be marked with quality in the U.S. However, if a quality mark is used, that mark must include […]

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By admin|May 4th, 2011|Buying Jewelry, Gold Parties, Silver, Uncategorized|Comments Off

The Bad News About Diamonds

Okay. So I have some bad news…and this is unfortunate. I always thought diamonds were the most precious of natural stones and that’s why they’re so expensive. Well, it turns out they ARE the most precious, but they’re not as valuable as I thought. When we decided here at GlitterBug that we wanted to offer our customers more than just gold parties, we began to get educated on diamonds. Then we learned that the “market value” (or it’s true value) is roughly 6 to 12 times LESS than what we buy them for.

Yep. You heard me right folks. When you go to your local jeweler or online store, those prices are marked up a minimum of 6….all the way on up to 12 or 15 times the actual value. Boy was I shocked. But I guess it makes sense if you think about it. If the true value of […]

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By admin|March 5th, 2011|Buying Jewelry, Diamonds, Gold Parties, Selling Your Gold|Comments Off

Determine the Diamond Anatomy

We’ve already covered Step #1 (the four C’s: color, cut, clarity & carat), and Step #2: how to determine if your diamond is real or fake. Step #3 is knowing the anatomy of the diamond. When our gold buyers buy diamonds at our gold parties (both here in California and all over the U.S.) they all follow these basic steps that I’m sharing with you. When you learn these basics, you will be in a better position to buy diamonds from your local jeweler, or to determine the quality of the diamonds you currently own…and let us here at GlitterBug Gold Parties give you a quote!

Diamond Anatomy

Table

This is the first surface (surfaces in gems are called facets) that you will see. It is on top of the diamond, and is the largest area in the whole stone’s body.

Crown

This is the upper part of the diamond just above […]

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By admin|March 4th, 2011|Buying Jewelry, Diamonds, Selling Your Gold|Comments Off

Buying Jewelry

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